Tasting the Master of Malt Speyside 30 year old 3rd edition

After Tasting the 40 and 50 year olds, it’s high time to test the ‘middle aged’ 30 year old. This one again is a Secret Bottling and differs from the 2nd Edition by replacing the sherried notes with some fresh honey and malt (as quoted from the official tasting notes).

Master of Malt 30 Year Old Speyside (3rd Edition) . 40% , £100

Nose: A very nice nose with a great balance of wood, malt, citrus and wood spices (cinnamon,ginger, cardamom), crisp and  lively for such an old malt.

palate: Juicy stuff. the wood and the malty notes combine gently, with some sugar and a whiff of smoke followed by some sultana & plum combo, not over sweet though.The body is not very full, at 40%, I suspect without diluting it would have been smacking!

Finish: Fruit, vanilla, and a distant memory of cereals.

All in all this is a very nice dram, which needs time, to appreciate it’s intricacies. As I’ve mentioned before,too bad it’s only 40%, since it could have been a real cracker with a bit more body and oomph at 46-48%. Not a bad price for a 30 year old also, so this is highly recommended.

As to which distillery it should come from, I would not bet my money on it . tough call. Any guesses? leave a comment if you have a clue.

Score: 88/100

Many thanks to the guys over at MoM for this official sample