Convalmore 40 Years Old 175TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR 2017 56.8% 1977

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Serge Valentin (91)

So one of Cadenhead’s 175th bottlings (while we aren’t even done with the 150th at WF Towers!) that comes together with some old Caol Ila, Banff, Caperdonich, Rosebank or even Ardbeg. What would we do without Cadenhead these days?

Colour: pale gold.

Nose: these very awesome and very fresh notes of herbal teas, citrus, and fresh green ok (that’s not quite oaky). Ripe kiwis and lime flower tea, lemon pie and chamomile, hints of buttered popcorn, mint and chives, grape pips oil, a touch of fresh basil, a little camphor, and a hint of fennel. It’s this herbal freshness that’s really impressive, I guess that butt was ‘very refill’. We shan’t complain. With water: goes towards a little more tropicalness – always a good sign – with rather unripe mangos and bananas. Some nutmeg and white peaches in the back.

Mouth (neat): amazingly powerful given its age, herbally sharp (or sharply herbal) and even kind of spiky, with all herbal drinks of the creation, coated with some lemon cream and a wee feeling of pine wood. Lemongrass, peppermint, green plums, green pepper, lime… Indeed, it’s all green. With water: swims perfectly well. Lovely herbs-citrus game, always fresh, complex, with lime zests in the background. Would you call some 40 yo malt whisky ‘a thirst-quenching dram’?

Finish: long, well-chiselled, always very herbal, but without any excessive green tannicity. Rather some kind of lemon-centre-filled chocolate in the aftertaste.

Comments: gives you faith in today’s whisky scene. So when’s the next Convalmore coming?