Spica 29 year (North Star Spirits)

I’ve had this bottle open for months hoping it would open up and evolve. It hasn’t. It’s not a bad whisky but it’s not what I was hoping for. The palate is muddled and mouthfeel is lacking. I see it as a beginning of the evening, warm-up type whisky. It doesn’t have the complexity and or layers to warrant deep exploration. Is it offensive - no. Is it exciting - no.

In the Virgo Constellation, there lies the 16th more noticeable star that can be observed from Earth. Its name is Spica, which has been chosen as the name for this expression that comes from the North Star independent bottlers. This is a blended Scotch Whisky, matured for at least 29 years, some part in sherry casks. This is the first time i had a North Star Spirits Whisky. Bottled at 45.5%abv. Color is a little tawny. On the nose, it is grain whisky all the way. A Grain whisky vanilla note, dry chocolate cake, Acetone, Lemon a little Yeasty. Cheap citric notes, Maize. After some minutes a nice green apple aroma appears; Melon. After the first sip, aroma gets more thick, specially the vanilla note. Vanilla milkshake with a little dulce de leche.  More sips made it super sweet, dulce de leche and apples. Even a dim tobacco note appeared. It gained some points on the third time i nosed it. The red apples have become a clean note, very nice. Palate is very standard. Nice vanilla dry cake flavor. Red apples, Cinnamon spice. Second sip is all about a nice dulce de leche / toffee sweetness, pretty pleasant, the spices rise after a couple of seconds. It has a little cloying burn which should not be there for a 29yo. Lots of toffee. Aftertaste has nothing to be remembered. A nice ghosthly (it is felt but not on the walls of your palate) but strong Pepper note. Vanilla and pepper. It feels like a very pleasant, mouth numbing, fancy, not too complex blend. Overall, a 90 dollars 29yo blend should say everything you need to know about this whisky. Yes, it is easy drinkable, and you will actually like it, but it is not memorable. My score for it is a fair 82 over 100.

North Star Spirits tasting night, Sydney, 18 July 2019. Whisky #3 Nose: A full and vibrant nose with glacé fruits, buttery brown sugar, fruitcake, some excellent oloroso sherry and a very well measured oak presence which is both mature and aromatic but also sprightly. For an older blended scotch this is a surprisingly vigorous and juicy nose. Adding water deepens the nose and adds some caramel. Palate: A sweet and gentle entry featuring malt and fine oak notes. A little drying as it develops with medium-dry sherry and spicier oak emerging, but this is balanced by rich fruitcake flavours. Over time the palate gains buttery notes and become quite dulcet, and it has a chewy, firm texture that is very pleasant. Adding water softens and slightly sweetens the palate, but don't add too much. Finish: Medium. Fruity, with a lingering chocolate-malt and oak spice aftertaste. There is a very, very faint metallic tang in the background. A very good old blended scotch - it's almost like a blended malt. It has weight and character and with time and the addition of just a drop or two of water the palate gains an excellent silken texture and considerable depth. The profile is unquestionably Speyside (imagine a blend of Glenrothes and Macallan with a grain whisky and you're not too far off). This is the second edition of Spica released by North Star Spirits and it is different to the first, which was a less expensive 20 year old. In my opinion this 29 year old is much superior. Do not expect great similarity between Spica editions - there will be a family resemblance, but Spica is not blended in-house to create consistency. The company buys casks of already blended scotch that have been aged for a considerable period and then vats them for bottling. Consequently, the profile of each edition will depend on exactly what casks Iain Croucher has been able to source that time round. However, that said, both editions to date have had a similar "old, blended, unpeated, sherried Speyside scotch" character, which appears to be the defining principle behind Spica as a release. The price may seem high, but considering this is a 29 year old blended scotch that beats the living daylights out of almost every other blend (and a fair few single malts at the same price) it's worth every cent. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)