Whilst Gordon & Macphail was conspicuously absent from the 2024 London Whisky Show, Duncan Taylor did a remarkable job of showing what a solid, experienced team can do! For those not familiar (is that even possible?), here is how they describe themselves:
Home to one of the world’s largest privately owned Scotch Whisky collections. For over 80 years, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky has been crafting award-winning Scotch whiskies.
Our extremely positive experience was due to both the drams and the conversations with Andrew Sinat – who had recently joined as the UK Sales Manager. Over and over, I was reminded that for us – whisky is about the people, the stories, the insights, the experiences. Andrew took his time with us and made our journey through select Duncan Taylor bottles well worth the trip!
We began with an offering from their Octave collection – after standard cask maturation, the spirit is given a boost in smaller Octave casks – with the hypothesis that the greater liquid to wood contact accelerates and intensifies the flavours and aromas.
What did we try? Actually, we don’t know! As it was disclosed only as:
An Iconic Speyside 12 year (2011) Sherry Octave 87189 54.2% ~86 GBP
What did we think? We thought it was delightfully fruity on the nose – tangy and even a bit tart too! On the palate, it was balanced with a nice influence of the sherry, dark fruits, spice with a dryness too. In short – it had all the elements of a rather good Speyside.
Andrew shared that the Octave maturation was for only around 9 months, however clearly worked some magic!
Campbeltown Blend 10 year (March 2104 / April 2024) Cask 11991 53.9% Bottle 110 of 320 ~86 GBP
We moved on to a blend – likely of Glen Scotia and Springbank, however could be Glengyle / Kilkerran too. The nose was lemon custard – yum! The palate started spicey then gentled into soft fruits, smooth as silk! The finish was nice but didn’t stick around too long.
Black Bull Blend 30 year 50% ~250 GBP
Andrew then directed us to Black Bull – a blend that has austensibly been around since 1864. It was the kind of dram I love – a “happy whisky” – that greets you with joyful sweetness on the nose, rich sherry full of juicy fruits, fresh dates warmed from the sun, chikoo, treacle… lovely.
Glenrothes 43 year 42.6%
Oh my! Some Glenrothes can be almost a bit too powerful with their heavy sherry. This mature expression can best be described as “juicy”! The nose became fruitier and more inviting the longer it spent time in the glass – think beeswax and honey, loads of orchard fruits. The palate had spice, and whilst there was sherry – it was clean and nuanced, co-mingling with old wood. The finish was soft and subtle. Overall, the experience was quite lovely and elegant. A class act. And what a treat to try!
Caol Ila 14 Year (Oct 2009 / Apr 2024) Cask 40319017 54.1% Bottle 188 of 281
Almost like a reverse palate cleanser, in the midst of the sherry and venerable drams, we were directed to an Islay!? It was peat and sweet on the nose – with a hint of maritime not so often found in Caol Ila. The palate was a perfect balance of peat and sweet – reminding us why we have been rather partial to Caol Ila over the years. I’m glad we didn’t skip this one!
Whilst peaty territory seemed counterintuitive, in retrospect it was smart to shift from the surprisingly delicate Glenrothes 43-year-old to our next experience. We had no idea what was next on our tasting journey… merely instructed to cleanse our palates and then hand over our glass reserved for unpeated whiskies into which a new liquid was splashed.
Macallan 1991
Simply gorgeous! Now, we know that Macallan is sometimes overpriced and now also overrated. However, there are a few bottles out there like this one that remind you – behind the hype there is a mighty fine dram or two! This was an older style of Macallan – elegant and special. There was sweet cinnamon spice on the nose, and honey sweet on the palate with the sherry restrained and supporting rather than dominating the show. The longer it spent in the glass, the more it revealed – each element more beautiful than the last. What an incredible treat!
Brackla 12 year (Jun 20111 – Nov 2023) Cask 939001315 55.1%
I totally admit that over the years, I’ve become rather partial to Brackla. It always delivers an apple orchard in the glass, and this was no exception! The difference is what kind of apple. Is it a tart crabapple or granny smith? Is it red or golden delicious? A crisp Macintosh? In this case, it leaned more tart or even slightly sour on the nose. Then shifted into a nice spice with fruit on the palate.
Glentauchers 15 year (2008 – 2023) Cask 8539953 54.2% (The Octave)
We circled back to The Octave expressions with a delightful Glentauchers which spent a mere 3 months in the smaller casks. On the nose, it was a fruit compote – bursting with different mixed fruits. On the palate, there was spice – a bit of a kick here! Once the spice settled down it was fun, fruity if a bit “avuncular” in its approach.
I loved how we came full circle. We started with The Octave series and closed with it too. What a remarkable range and truly outstanding experience. Bravo Duncan Taylor!
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