Today I am about to take a look at two Single casks bottled by D.Laing in their ‘Old Particular’ range : both are about to be sold locally in the coming months, but have been selling online for some time now. The first is the a 12 year old : bottled distilled in May 2005 and aged in a first-fill bourbon barrel for a dozen years until August 2017, when it was bottled for the Old Particular range. 253 bottles were produced.
Bruichladdich 12 yo 2005 (cask 12013) – Old Particular (Douglas Laing) , 48.4%,£75 
Nose: Boom! this is a laddie alright, with oodles of the lactic notes we’re so accustomed to. If you’re not a fan of this profile, you might be turned off by this, but – give it some time, and the lactic notes will fade away… so, let’s continue : vanilla custard, sea-breeze, caramel candy, butter.
Palate: More vanilla, with the lactic notes all but gone now, with vanilla flan, toasted wood, some salty notes as well, with a good malty backbone.
Finish: Sweet pastries, pepper, milk chocolate, cookies.
My two cent’s worth:
A very good dram indeed, that might need some time if you’re not a fan of lactic notes, but soon turns to a vanilla / butter and caramel party, and will benefit from some water even though it’s under 50%. Good stuff indeed and the price is not too bad (it’s 2017..)
Score: 88/100
Ben Nevis 21 Year Old 1996 (cask 11767) – Old Particular (Douglas Laing) , 51.5% , £95
Nose: Oh yea, that’s a complex one alright. lovely wood notes up front, with a fruity touch (some dark fruit, and a hint of ripe bananas) , spicy as well with mint and ginger, musty dunnage warehouses, and Crème de cassis.
Palate: Good stuff as well , as can be expected from the nose…. with Dark fruit, blackcurrant juice, yummy old wood with some varnish, malty and lovely, with golden syrup,pepper and some pickled ginger, a certain perfumy touch to it, mint leaf and chocolate fondant, with a nutty edge.
Finish: smoked banana, pepper, vanilla and nuts, and a wisp of smoke.
My two cent’s worth:
An excellent whisky, and cask. quite complex. Give it some time to develop in the glass, and a few drops of water will certainly help. One of the best OP’s I’ve tasted in recent years, if my memory serves me right. Highly recommened.