Master of malt have quite a lot of product lines, and one of those is the ‘Blended whisky Co.”, this time they chose to bottle a very interesting older whisky profile blend, which is made of whisky distilled in the “golden age” of distilling : from the early 1960s to the mid 1970s, as you might expect the ingredients that go into the blend are quite old and well aged, all over 40 yo. Malts from Macallan, Glenrothes and Tamdhu are used, along with a little peated Bunnahabhain to add the ‘seasoning’. Interesting right? It’s a blended whisky, so we need some Old grain right? so, they used old grain from North British was selected to complete the blend and bring the different components together, with a ratio of 4 parts malt used to just 1 part grain , which is quite a high malt ratio. Only 210 bottles were produced.
The Golden Age Blend , 44.3% , £349
Nose : Ah. What a superb nose. Very hedonistic and sweet with rum and raisin for starters then thick chocolate and spice, with more dried fruit and a lot of the old polished wood and varnish notes one comes to expect of 40 year old whisky, very nice well aged sherry. Finesse. This is the word. Lots of it.
Palate : Deep and lovely with hints of cigar leaves then the majestic oak and quite a few hints of fruit mainly berries, chocolate and wood spice with cinnamon bark, and a touch of cardamom. Lovely.
Finish : Long and dry with oak, more tobacco and chocolate fruit and nut.
Bottom line:
This is a brilliant whisky, lovely blending, with just the right amount of oak, sherry, and what a majestic older sherry it is. Excellent, and not very cheap.. But Old Macallans are not cheap these days, and this is a very special whisky. Sadly, a bit too expensive for me, but It would do as a great gift to someone who appreciates good whisky, be it malt or blend. Great job guys.