Whisky: The Last Hunter 25 Year, Gordon & MacPhail for RAF Kinloss

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside Blended Malt

ABV: 41.6%

Cask: Oak

Age: 25 Years (Distilled 1939/1987, Bottled 11 May 2012)

Nose: Tropical vegetation and dried fruits; green garden and ferns with mossy wood and sweet decaying plant matter; dried mango, papaya, and pineapple chunks; hints of passionfruit and hibiscus, quince jelly.

Palate: Light-bodied, vibrant, slightly chalky with subtle earth and damp wood, tropical forest humus, dried tropical fruits with subtle nutmeg, Chinese five spice, and anise, dried mango and pineapple, hints of hibiscus tea and dragonfruit, subtle cigar box.

Finish: Medium to long with drying herbal tea and honey.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Indian Ringneck’s Field-trip to the Botanic Garden

Narrative & Notes: My wife suggested we sample something unique, so I pulled this out of my sample queue. I hoped the flavors might stand out, but I knew the story was unique and hopefully fit the bill. Bottled in 2012 by Gordon & MacPhail, this blended malt marked the closure of the Royal Air Force base at Kinloss. It featured two lots of whisky: a 73-year-old Speyside and a 25-year-old. I have no idea the proportion of each; I assume the 73-year was relatively small and possibly below proof. However,  as there were only 496 bottles, it was conceivably a cask of each and then proofed down. Impossible to say, and either way, this was a fascinating product that combined malt from the year that RAF Kinloss opened, 1939, with a more recent vintage.

The flavors were delightfully tropical and vibrant, even if the mouthfeel was a bit too light. I enjoyed the aroma and interplay between tropical earth and fruit that continued through on the palate. A lovely herbal quality, usually passionfruit or hibiscus tea, lingered with a slightly drying finish. Every so often, more spice entered the picture and turned the herbal quality toward a fragrant cigar box or old pipe tobacco. I found the woody elements to be relatively mild, considering the age of the components, though it was always present in the background.

Overall, a unique blend and piece of history.