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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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December 29, 2025 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,
today old young Convalmore versus a recent old Convalmore |
After the Glenlochy bottlings from a few days ago, here are two Convalmores, also from the DCL/SMD stable. I can never overstate just how much of a joy it is to still be able to taste whiskies from distilleries that closed in the early 1980s, and even more so to have in our little tulip glasses expressions we’d never had the chance to taste before. |
A few quick words about Convalmore: you’ll recall that its capacity was doubled in 1964, before being mothballed in 1985. The site was purchased in 1990 by William Grant & Sons for use as warehouses, as it’s located right next to the Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries. Enthusiasts now consider Convalmore malt to have been on a par with today’s most celebrated names. I should add that we’ll be starting with a 14-year-old, so a rare opportunity to taste this malt in its near-youth.
(Christopher Gillan) |
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Convalmore 14 yo 1981 (61%, The Whisky Connoisseur, cask #1150, +/-1995) 
It wasn’t often that this venerable series used the distillery’s actual name, rather than some fanciful alias. But not all of them were ‘Largiemeanoch’-level, if you see what I mean… Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: imagine a blend of olive brine, wet chalk, freshly mown grass, tiny wild apples or medlars, and the driest and most acidic of white wines, which we shall refrain from naming out of Christian decency. The cask was no doubt a lazy bastard. With water: not the slightest change, even brought down to around 45% vol. It doesn’t shift an inch – must be its Vladimir Vladimirovich side. Mouth (neat): that barley eau-de-vie character at first, then massive dollops of concentrated lemon juice, wheatgrass juice (very fashionable in 1980s juice bars), and once again a good dose of chalk. Also a faint hint of tourist-grade pisco. With water: the bitterness comes to the fore, a touch of something chemical, very rustic pulque, and just a little sugar syrup that manages to soften things ever so slightly. Finish: rather long, sweet and bitter, aromatically basic. Comments: I think we’ll bump it up a touch, since it’s Convalmore and the market for this rare bottle is no doubt sitting at… zero. But we were jolly pleased to have tasted it.
SGP:471 - 80 points. |
Well, the first one was a wee bit of a flop, this should be a piece of cake for the next one... |
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Convalmore 39 yo 1984/2024 (51.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, The Recollection Series #3, refill sherry hogshead, cask #1733, 108 bottles) 
We were rather smitten with the Glenlochy from the same series, and the North Port was jolly good too. I must admit that after the young Convalmore 1981, we approach this one with a little more caution – but then again, it is G&M… Colour: mahogany. Nose: I may be about to utter a heresy but so be it, here goes: this baby feels more ‘G&M’ than ‘Convalmore’. Indeed we’re in the territory of their grand old Mortlachs, Glen Grants or Glenlivets – or perhaps rather Linkwood - provided it had been matured in active sherry cask, even if we’re only talking refill here. A lovely bitterness on the nose, green walnuts, last-century family-armagnac, cooked mushrooms, pipe tobacco, walnut stain, pine resin, a faint whiff of lacquer or even Chinese ink… All this layered over prunes and discreet Corinth raisins. With water: aged pu-ehr tea makes an appearance, along with touches of molasses and ancient sweet wine, perhaps a venerable old PX from Montilla. In short, the rounder notes help to steady the barrage of bitterness that came at first. Mouth (neat): reminds us of a similarly aged Ténarèze, really. The brown tobacco comes surging back, along with walnuts, prunes, a little very old kirsch, a few drops of ancient Jägermeister, and then some bitter orange, citrus never having been absent from Convalmore, if memory serves. With water: almost like a genuine Armagnac, frankly, and it’s excellent. Gorgeous brown tobacco, splendid bitter chocolate, and deep black tea. Or rather, that first rinse of a grand old pu-ehr – the one you don’t normally drink, right. But here, you just let it happen… Especially as, once again, some peppered orange creeps in to balance out this magnificent ensemble, built upon equally magnificent oak. Finish: very long, superbly oaky, resinous and absolutely stuffed with tobacco and cocoa. Coffee rolls in on the aftertaste. Comments: I believe we’ve already written that old spirits tend to converge over the decade, and here’s yet more proof. Glorious!
SGP:461 - 92 points. |
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