Whisky: St. Magdalene-Linlithgow 25 Year (1982), Signatory Vintage Cask 2201

Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland

ABV: 59.2%

Cask: Wine Treated Butt

Age: 25 Years (Distilled 5 October. 1982, Bottled 13 Aug. 2008)

Nose: Fruity, grassy, and floral with musty earth and hearth; floral spring meadows and tea, fresh garden produce.

Palate: Medium-bodied, herbal and mineral, melon fruits and floral honey, floral gardens and shrubs, a kiss of tropical fruits.

Finish: Medium to long with lingering grass and melon rind.

Score: 8-9 (89)

Mental Image: Tropical Tea Merchant

Narrative & Notes: Fruity, grassy, and musty— like snacking on melon slices in a field of clover and dandelion.  Musty herbs paired with floral orange blossom and honeysuckle like a bright, sweet tisane, with dry grass and hints of fresh produce and a vegetal quality; was this the larder for some well to-do field mouse merchant?  Medium-bodied on the palate with herbal and mineral elements upfront and more floral impressions in the background.  Melon rind and floral macadamia honey arrived with soft honeysuckle, cantaloupe, and a kiss of pineapple.  The finish was medium to long with lingering notes of grass and melon rind.

A few years back I had a chance to try not one, but three St. Magdalene—my first and I assumed possibly last. My favorite of that trio was a sibling cask to this one— so when it came time to pick out a final dram at the Swan Song, I went with something semi-familiar from a ghost distillery. I enjoyed that previous encounter enough that I wanted to see if its sibling stacked up.

In the end, it had a lot in common with its sibling cask, which was also a wine treated butt. Herbal and floral notions paired with soft citrus and a mustiness on each. I found a lot more chocolate on that other malt and a greater variety of florals on this one.  I enjoyed both, but give the edge to this cask by a hair or two.  The elements were more well-defined and structured, even if slightly less varied.

Overall, delightful stuff and a perfect dram to end my 2024 swing through Singapore.  A hui hou— until next time!