Impressive power for a 35 yo! We’ve already tasted quite a few 1991s. The very young ones had been a little brutal, the older ones much more charming and seductive. Colour: coffee. Nose: a fine example of an old malt where the sulphury side is perfectly integrated, as in some old Mortlach, let’s say. We’re talking truffles, bitter chocolate, ristretto coffee, and above all game birds, hung just long enough. Do they have grouse in Japan? With water: everything relaxes, moving towards candied citrus, bergamot, Iberian cured ham, with still plenty of dark chocolate and coffee. Touches of old plum spirit (vieille prune from Souillac!) Mouth (neat): absolutely massive, all on very old fir-tar liqueur, with an amusing little flash of Clacquesin. Incidentally, La Maison du Whisky held their first proper festival, before Whisky Live Paris, at the old Clacquesin distillery in Malakoff. We were there, naturally, and it was brilliant. Old bottles of Clacquesin are still easily found at auction and are well worth trying. End of commercial break, back to our Yoichi… With water: lots of little herbs, salted prunes, a few touches of anchovies and olives, there’s even a black tapenade side. Finish: very long, returning to very high-cocoa dark chocolate. And salmiak. Comments: hard not to think of certain Karuizawas, as well as old Mortlachs! In fact, I find it absolutely magnificent, with its slightly extreme side.
SGP:373 - 93 points.
- Whiskyfun
