Boutique-y have a well-aged blend for us behind door number 10 in their 2017 Advent calendar in the form of their Blended Whisky #1 35 year old Batch 3. Bottled at 46.5% this one sold out in no time at all.
Nose: Deep and packed with aged aroma. Initially a tough tight – this unravels effortlessly after a good resting period. Chocolate, polished mahogany and fresh leather merge with raisins, sultanas and a smattering of dried berries. There’s plenty of dusty aged notes here.
Taste: Packed full of joy. Chocolate cake, coffee grounds, polished wood, raisins and berries are joined by toasted cereals, roasted nuts and some juicy syrupy fruit. Everything feels heavily reduced and nicely concentrated, leading to dusty, tobacco packed age, with just the right amount of sweetness. Cask spice is subtle but present nonetheless – nutmeg and white pepper.
Finish: Medium in length with plenty of old wood and gentle spicing.
This type of whisky just makes me smile. Deep, complex and most importantly delicious. Despite 35 years of maturation, the wood influence feels just right here – it’s reductive and rounded rather than intense and overtly oaky. Likewise, there’s simply no need to add water either – the ABV is spot on here. Excellent.