Speyside Distillery 27 Year (1997), Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection
Whisky: Speyside Distillery 27 Year (1997), Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 40.2%
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead
Age: 27 Years (Distilled 1997, Bottled Oct. 2024)
Nose: Mild and fruity, orchard fruits, wine gummies, pears and custard, almond float, minerals, crisp, white wine.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, orchard fruit, custard, candied almond, lemon, shortbread, wood, white flowers.
Finish: Medium-length with more buttery shortbread and apple blossom
Score: 7 (83)
Mental Image: Wine Bar Dessert Menu
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was sweet and fruity, loaded with an orchard’s worth of apples, fruit punch, and wine gummies. Soft pears and custard lingered in the background with almond floats and a crisp mineral bite. The aroma was refreshing and clean, like a crisp dessert white wine with hints of tangerine. Medium to light-bodied and buttery, the flavor profile offered up more orchard fruits, pear custard, and hints of candied almonds. Citrusy lemon and buttery shortbread cookies arrived later, with old wooden work benches and walnut shells. Not quite as clean as the aroma, the palate featured gentle white flowers, wine gummies, and sugar cookies toward the end. The finish was medium-length with more buttery shortbread and apple blossom.
I have never had a whisky remind me of a moscato d’asti quite so much— but this was a fair dupe on the aroma with plenty of the crisp orchard fruits and soft florals. The palate was a different story; still crisp, but not as clean, with more wood of the wood you would expect from such a mature malt. The flavors developed nicely through out the glass, and the finish featured a lovely fruity-floral turn. This was a drinkable and mild whisky, the perfect dram to share with the whisky curious— or just melt into a couch with at the end of the day.
