Probably Speyside’s Finest 41 1967 Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

When approaching these advent calendars, one thinks “Yeah, it’ll be fun to have a dram a day.” And unless you typically have just one whisky each night (or morning, no judging, some of us work nights), it seems doable.

However, around Advent Day #9, I started realizing that I take breaks. Add to that the idea of posting these the day that you try them, and that’s just a recipe for disaster.

Much like looking at Axl Rose, it’s very uncomfortable. Thus I’m glad I waited a month. Really put the time into writing jokes about old ass celebrities.

Let’s just get to the whisky, shall we?

Price: N/A at the LCBO, what with pissing off all the IBs

Region: Really? Speyside

Vintage: November 1967

Bottled: September 2009

Cask Type: Sherry Butt

Cask Number: DL 5515

Number of Bottles 456

Abv: 50%

Colour: 2.5YR 5/10

Nose: Orange, cloves, allspice, soap, caramel, leather

Initial orange and lots of spice. Kinda held back. I’m a bit surprised this has a stronger abv. Initially nosing it I find it quite light.

Time, a bit of water, and patience give me this wonderful leather note. That leather note that you get from older sherry casks. Once that hits, all is well.

Taste: Floral, caramel, plum, peach, melon, salt, chocolate

Starts off with mainly floral and caramel notes, slowly growing into some fruit. Again it takes a long time and some water to coax out more and more, eventually giving you a sort of kitchen sink/tons of flavours approach rather than a blend making something more.

Finish: Floral, brine, brown Betty, wood furniture, hard mints

Long finish. That’s where I start to think there’s more going on after my first couple sips. Why would something like this have such a big, long, old finish… Wait, it’s old. Maybe? I don’t know.

But it screams that brown sugar/fruity Glenfarclas.

Conclusion: One of those “kitchen sink” drams with well-developed wood at the end. Really takes to water/time well, and needs the extra time to open up.

Seriously I needed to take double the time I normally do, keeping in mind that I already started pushing more and more time since this was blind, and I’m at least trying.

Once this gets going, it really is tasty. But you gotta give it a long time, and for that, it’s not going to appeal to people. I’ve heard the idea of leaving something for a minute per year, however, this could be three minutes per year and even then you’ll just start getting into it.

All of that said, if you want to have one of those old, better sherry cask whiskies that exude old leather furniture, this will eventually deliver on that. It’ll deliver on some odd dimensions. I’ve had better Glenfarclas that don’t take coaxing on this one.

I think I’d say buy this if you’re looking to try something old that may not cost as much. It doesn’t drink half its age, and either never took off or was left alone too long. It’s good because I’m a sucker for leather flavours, but there are nicer 40+-year-old drams out there.

84/100

Guess: Ex-Oloroso, Speyside, Glenfarclas? 48%

Actually: Probably Speyside’s Finest 41 1967 Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

This has to be one of the weakest older drams I’ve ever had. The cask carries it eventually, once you convince it. I went looking to see what others have said (once I was done) and I’ve read that it’s one of the weaker of the “Probably Speyside’s” offerings. Makes me want to try more, frankly, so there’s that, I guess?

Scotch review #1066, Speyside review #294, Whisky review #1659