Tasting two 1962 North British

March 29, 2013

Tasting two 1962 North British

There’s been quite a few 1962 North British in recent times, most maybe not utterly perfect but all fetched around 87-89 points in my little book. Prices range from 150€ (The Archives) to around 400€ or a little more (Adelphi, D. Laing). Oh, yes it’s grain whisky.

North British 50 yo 1962/2012 (44.2%, Adelphi, cask #39, 172 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: typically bourbon wood, starting with quite some varnish and toasted bread – a lot of toasted bread – and developing on a blend of custard and fresh garden fruits, strawberries, raspberries, then maybe more bubblegum and marshmallows, maybe also kiwis… After fifteen minutes, more brioche and butterscotch as well as touches of walnut burs and dark chocolate. It’s a very pleasant nose, I’d say it’s rather more complex than other very old grains. Very little coconut this time. Mouth: this is spicier, as almost always, with some cloves and cinnamon right in the arrival, then sultanas and more and more dry toffee as well as some chocolate and coffee (crunching beans). In the background, some oranges kind of lift the whole, together with red apples (Starkrimson apples?) Finish: of medium length, very dry, all on unsweetened coffee. Comments: very fine, I like the way it’s becoming very coffee-ish because I’m a fan of coffee. One of the best espressos out there? SGP:650 - 88 points.

North British 50 yo 1962/2012 (57.1%, Douglas Laing, Directors' Cut, cask ref #8228, 222 bottles, +/-2013)

Colour: amber. Nose: same ballpark but there’s also struck matches and gunpowder at very first sniffs, even a slight meatiness ala Mortlach, then a similar development on small garden fruits and toasted brioche. Also maybe a little more polished wood, humidor, cellulose varnish… I also find traces of bananas flambéed. With water: big notes of both old bourbon and rum, all that may come from the wood. A true world spirit! Having said that, the struck matches haven’t left. Mouth (neat): same feeling of coffee as with the Adelphi but this time there’s quite some kirsch in it. Would go on with more liquorice then, as well as a spicy woodiness that’s very close to the Adelphi’s again. Cloves. With water: once again it got bourbony and this time we have quite some coconut liqueur (Malib... er…) as well as these coffee-ish tones. Quite some orange marmalade as well. Finish: relatively long, woody and spicy. Cloves, cinnamon, coffee and a little cumin. Comments: it’s a dry old grain that’s not past its prime yet but you really have to enjoy this huge woody spiciness. SGP:461 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Grain I've tasted so far