Strathclyde 2005 11 Year Cask #11952 Old Particular (Douglas Laing)

I find myself severely lagging the others in our little tour group; we’re in round 6, with one last round to go. And I have all of @Scott_E as well as all of @Telex samples to go through still. So...I’m going to keep it brief in these next few reviews today, since I’m probably going to be 4 drams in and not my normal coherent well spoken chap at the time of this writing. So the review: this here...not bad. For $80, would I buy it? Freakin hell no. But would I try it at a bar? Yeah.

Here I am, at the end of the line for the official samples from our sixth round of pours for the distillery tour. I saved this one for last because everyone else has reviewed it and declared it the overall winner for the round. Strathclyde distillery is technically a Lowland distillery that’s located in Glasgow. It was founded in1927 and is currently owned by Pernod Ricard, with most of its 40 million liters produced annually going into Chivas blends. This distillery has no official bottlings and only made a single malt whisky from the late 1950’s until 1975- marketed as Kinclaith. This is a grain distillery and it’s probably the best of all the grain ones we’ve tried on this journey. The reason why: it’s made from 91% wheat. So, it’s pretty smooth and sweet instead of peppery and harsh. This particular bottle is from the Old Particular line and is copper gold and comes in at 55.5% ABV. There aren’t many legs produced when you spin it and it leaves behind very small droplets on the rim. The nose was initially very grain forward, but then some thick, sherry flavors appeared. The vanilla and honey sweetness wafted from this thing pretty consistently throughout the entire pour. Exceptional for a grain whisky. The palate was sugary and rich with cherry cola and vanilla taking center stage. Some nutty and cinnamon notes mingled around and kept the heat in check. It’s very drinkable for such a high ABV. The finish was long and mostly creamy. The oak shines in the forefront before yielding to some more vanilla and cola flavors. Damn, this is a great grain whisky. Overall, I think I still prefer the Glenlossie for first place this round but I’m not shy about giving this one a solid 4 star score. A big thanks to @Scott_E for supplying this one and I am glad I saved this one for the end. All that’s left now is 15-20 extras and trade samples before we ship the final round in mid-August. Being a whisky fan sure is busy “work”, lol. Cheers.

A nice and quiet evening. The wife enjoying her Reisling, sitting next to me. The sun is down, Dierks Bentley and then The Eagles playing gently in the background as I sample while on my deck. These are the moments I love and wish I could have more. This particular bottle was distilled on November 2005 and bottled on July 2017. No artificial color and is non-chilled filtered. It’s one of 638 bottles produced finished in sherry butts. Ref number: DL11952. This nose starts with a graininess and a metallic, mineral note similar to Teeling Single. Apple Crumb Pie with confectionery sugar, vanilla, hay. With time, hints of sherry come through. The nose sweetens immensely with time exposing butterscotch and honey, glazed pecans and cola with a dash of nutmeg. The body is rich, thick and sticky sweet. Brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup. A buttercream sweetness in the mid palate that seems to hover for a moment and fades out. An edgy spiciness of ground cinnamon, nutmeg towards the backend as it delivers to a finish. The finish is cinnamon and vanilla that extends and hangs indefinitely. A hint of oak and pecan are the dying last notes. For an 11 year, it is quite busy. Wonderfully sweet, but not overly so but more than enough to satisfy the sweet tooth moments. The spice keeps a nice wild spirit the keeps the whisky and palate alive. As with most, patience is well rewarded. Pleasantly surprised. [$81][87/100][Tasted: 6/16/18]

I used to travel a bit when I was younger, after a while I noticed that seven weeks on the road was the magic mark. After that the excitement died a bit and I started to feel a bit over it at times. I think I've hit that point now a bit as I virtually trudge through the Scottish distilleries and JAFGD fatigue creeps in. I got banana and toffee on the nose and the latter and cherry on the palate. It's turning into another red flag for me the Dr Pepper / cough syrup type thing (along with lemon and bitterness) and this has a bit of it going on. Seems a bit prevalent with the sherry grained whiskies. Now don't get me wrong its not badly crafted and balanced but straight away I'm thinking of the plain old vanilla Glen Spey I quaffed before and missing it. 3.25 and another distillery notched on my walking stick as I trudge further into the scottish mist...

The nose brings toffee, honey, vanilla, raisins, apples, and some soft sherry notes. For the palate, the sherry shows itself a bit more. Along flows in some apple strudel, cinnamon, black pepper, and cream. A nice heavy mouth coat, but the finish is a little hot and dry. I do like that some walnuts linger, but not the bitter end. The theme of this dram is “This is Hardcore” by Pulp. Thanks so much @Scott_E! It’s good, but makes your tastebuds go through the wringer a little. A few drops of water helped a lot. 3.5!

Stop number 84 on the SDT Strathclyde. This Lowland grain distillery is mostly used in blends and I’m not really sure if it releases anything under its own name. This particular bottle is from the Old Particular line from the independent bottlers at Douglas Laing. Cask #11952 was distilled in November 2005 and bottled in July 2017. The information given says that it was finished in a sherry butt, however I suspect the primary maturation was a refill bourbon cask. One of 638 bottles, bottled at cask strength (or close to it) of 55.5% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of amber honey. The nose begins with a typical grain profile but with a nice sherry influence. Lots of vanilla and oak. Toffee, sulphur and weak coffee. Apples & cinnamon, buttercream. A strange pencil eraser and rubber band note. A little cherry and a bit nutty - almonds and cashews. Grassy/hay and a little mint. A very faint cola note with a brief perfume/musk cologne feel. I added a bit of water because of the strength and it yielded a nice confectionary quality. Powdered sugar and more creamy notes. A little coconut, red berries, biscuits and nutmeg. A bit malty/bread like and a touch of honey. Really nice complexity for an 11 year old grain whisky. I’m impressed. The palate is rich and full flavored. Sherry, cherry and red grapes. A strong grain taste, but not harsh like many others I’ve had. Oak, creamy, honeydew, buttery and some sulphur. Toffee, brown sugar/molasses, spice cake and coffee. Medium to full bodied mouthfeel. Dry and mouthwatering at the same time. A medium length finish with caramel, coffee, oak and dry sherry. Well, I must say I went into this one with the mindset that I would be dealing with drain cleaner, but I came out being very much surprised and delighted with a quality offering from Douglas Laing. Incredible depth of flavor given the age of the spirit. The sulphur notes were a little off putting but nothing I couldn’t get past, as were the grainy notes. Otherwise it was very enjoyable. It’s a bit overpriced for its age at $82, but I would recommend it to anyone that likes a strong characterful whisky. I initially thought equated it to a cask strength, sherried version of Hedonism, but after finishing it I do not believe it is as refined. I’ll give it a 3.75 and a big thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. Cheers