TASTING NOTE: [Nose] You can hardly see the peat for the exotic fruit, which means only one thing ...;[Taste] So juicy and non-specific fruity, except maybe some mango. The peat finally arrives like the 7th Cavalry. [Finish] Long and subtle with vanilla stratas of varying intensity; [Body] One of those casks that's past its sell-by date, yet somehow works to glorious effect. Most of the peat has been kicked out, but it's as gentle a ride as you'll find. Score - 90.
(Jim Murray,
Whisky Bible,
2007)
GLENFIDDICH 40 YEAR OLD Speyside Single Malt
954909
700 mL $2279.55
A Gold Medal 'Best in Class' winner at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2007.
Nose: A depth of honey aromas. Beeswax. Finally, a balancing flowery dryness and faint smokiness. Palate: Very slow emergence of flavours. Firm, dryish, honey. Biscuity maltiness. A hint of bitter chocolate. A surge of soft, smokiness, with peat. Finish: Hint of anise. Satisfying. Long. Comment: Extraordinary flavour development. An astonishingly complex whisky. Gold Editors Choice Award. Score – 9 1/4. (Michael Jackson, www.whiskymag.com)
TASTING NOTE: Nose: Curiously and attractively smoked, lots of sweet vanilla and stunning spices: remarkable and beautiful. Taste: rimming with oaky, toasty vanilla, malt punching through for silky, rich and mildly honied middle. Signs of oaky wear and tear, but do not detract from the overall beauty. Finish: Remains silky with a return of peat, mixed with cocoa. Balance: Quite brilliant for a Glenfiddich of this antiquity: rarely does it survive to this age. In fact, brilliant for any distillery.
Score - 92.
(Jim Murray,
Whisky Bible,
2006)
GLENGOYNE SINGLE CASK 29 YEAR OLD HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT 1977 Limited Edition
52175
700 mL $865
TASTING NOTE: Nose: Fairly sweet. Orange cream, oak & vanilla. Lots of pineapple jam, some brown bread, subtle smoke, gun powder. A tad nervous (on the good end...), mashed potatoes, melted butter. Added water brings in a great vegetal sour note. Pomme de truffe, more subtle spices. Palate: As [on] the nose there's some orange skin, leather, waxy malts, hints [of] ginger syrup, malts, some honey, black pepper, spicy oak ... (Michel van Meersbergen,
www.maltmaniacs.org,
Dec. 1, 2006)
GLENGOYNE SINGLE CASK 36 YEAR OLD HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT 1969 Limited Edition
52183
700 mL $1343.55
TASTING NOTE: Sour fruit and varnish some honeycomb which becomes stronger and oak gets very creamy. Some sour fruits (plums and nectarines) some oily and waxy notes - probably quite old quite classy. Finish has natural chewy caramel with some watery bitterness. Tastes like a 20+ year old Speysider.
(Craig Daniels,
www.maltmaniacs.org,
Dec. 1, 2006)
JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL
54171
1750 mL $593.95
Johnnie Walker Blue is an authentic re-creation of an original, 19th century blend that includes some 60-year-old malt whisky. In its original incarnation it was sold only to their most valued customers at the time. Each bottle has its own serial number and comes in a silk-lined box. This 1.75 litre size is made only in very limited quantities. The ideal gift for the ultimate Johnnie completionist.
PRÀBAN NA LINNE POIT DHUBH UNCHILLFILTERED 21 YEAR OLD Scotch WHISKY Isle of Skye
641456
700 mL $213.20
Describing the thinking behind the Praban na Linne's creation, [founder Sir Iain Noble] says: "We thought if we put Gaelic on the labels, then at least we'd sell it in the Hebrides. We did the labels in Gaelic and fairly quickly people in other parts of the Highlands where Gaelic had died out seemed to want to have the whisky. They didn't want to lose their association with their Gaelic past" ... But he is evasive about the source of the spirit in his Poit Dhubh single malt, which comes in eight, 12 and 21-year- old variants. He says: "You see Poit Dhubh means 'the black pot' and poit in in Ireland means a little pot but they both mean colloquially 'illicit still'. This is proper malt whisky but we are not confirming or denying that it comes from an illicit still. We leave people to their own judgement." (Ian Fraser, The Sunday Herald (Scotland), March 30, 2003)
ROYAL SALUTE ONE HUNDRED CASK SELECTION
50112
700 mL $272.70
TASTING NOTE: Nose: Big and rich. Fruit and nut, black cherry, olde english marmalade, peat, touch of moss/fern, dried peels, black banana and caramel, some smoke. Palate: Fruit cake sweetness. A thick feel and a broad mid-palate which tapers into a dry spicy finish. Water brings out milk chocolate. Finish: Nutty and long. Comment: Sumptuous, soft and sultry.
Score - 8 (out of 10).
(Dave Broom,
www.whiskymag.com,
Oct. 3, 2005)
ROYAL SALUTE 38 YEAR OLD STONE OF DESTINY
50104
700 mL $891.40
TASTING NOTE: The latest to join the pre- stigious Royal Salute whiskies in the premium blend market is the 38 Year Old 'Stone of Destiny'. Named after Scotland's historic symbol of sovereign power, the 38 Year Old offers rich notes of cedar wood and almond, with a sherried oakiness. Dried fruits linger with an assertive spiciness in the finish.
(www.whiskymag.com,
June 6, 2005)
THE GLENLIVET CELLAR COLLECTION 1969
50385
750 mL $891.40
TASTING NOTE: The nose is soft yet voluptuous, with a range of fruits, most notably oranges, merging with spices and hazelnut. Soft and velvety on the palate, with more oranges and mixed spices, plus digestive biscuits and those floral notes that are one of The Glenlivet's hallmarks. Long, elegant and complex in the finish. Another splendid vintage offering from one of Scotland's finest distilleries.
Score - *** 1/2 (out of 5).
(Gavin D. Smith & Tom Cannavan,
www.whisky-pages.com)
Cognac
GODET COGNAC GRANDE CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE 1900 Single Vineyard
38356
750 mL $2973.60
Cognac is in the Godet family veins. After 14 generations since the discovery of cognac, the Godet family still has an immense passion for cognac, and today live and work in the same place as their ancestors who founded the business. Connoisseurs from the four corners of the world appreciate the exceptional quality of their cognacs. Godet's Vintage Cognac from 1900 is a sumptuously rich and full, unblended cognac for the connoisseur. A piece of history and a cellar showpiece.
GODET GRANDE CHAMPAGNE VINTAGE COGNAC 1979
35360
750 mL $282.60
Godet's Vintage Grande Champagne Cognacs come from one vintage and the fruit for its production is sourced from a single vineyard. The 1979 vintage was characterized by deep, dry cherry and vanilla aromas and flavours. An excellent present or anniversary gift.
GODET VINTAGE COGNAC 1981
35352
700 mL $282.60
For the Cognac lover who is about to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary, this fine Cognac from Godet is the perfect present. If you are looking to buy it for yourself, you don't really need a reason. This simply delicious Cognac demands a fine snifter, a roaring fireplace and an evening of contemplation.
MARTELL L'OR
49791
750 mL $2280.55
L'Or is a blend of 'eaux-de-vie' predominantly from the Grande Champagne area. Some of the 'eaux de vie' are drawn from the "Le Paradis" cellar, and have been aged in oak barrels for more than 60 years. This superior Cognac displays a stunning, deep golden-copper hue. Its bouquet is very intense, powerful and complex with delicious notes of blackcurrants. On the palate, it is full and dense, with rich concentrated flavours including a hint of hazelnut, and its finish is both intense and generous. The Martell L'Or comes in a beautifully hand-crafted decanter with gold-plated shoulders and closure and is presented, quite fittingly, in a jewel case-like gift box.
PRINCE HUBERT DE POLIGNAC BLUE SUN COGNAC
52696
700 mL $891.40
The Blue Sun is the ultimate gift for the collector of premium Cognacs. Produced by the acclaimed Prince Hubert de Polignac house, this is the epitome of sophistication in a bottle. Its fragrant aromas of cinnamon and leather and deep flavours of green fig and exotic fruit are irresistible and its long and profound finish is worthy of its fine breeding. This precious Cognac is housed in a stunning blue crystal decanter, and is accompanied by a unique crystal stopper fashioned in the shape of a radiant blue sun, all of which are nestled in the satin bed of an impressive Royal blue and gold gift box.
PRINCE HUBERT DE POLIGNAC XO ROYAL COGNAC
660381
700 mL $148.75
TASTING NOTE: A round, juicy distillate with a lovely autumnal rancio: raisins, nuts, butter, candied lemon and orange peel, cinnamon and nutmeg. A warm glow on the palate - the right cognac for a fall evening by the fire, with Christmas just around the corner.
(Axel & Bibiana Behrendt,
Cognac,
1997)
Grappa
NONINO PICOLIT CRU MONOVITIGNO GRAPPA
11353
500 mL $173.55
TASTING NOTE: The Picolit Cru is a colorless, 100 proof (50% alcohol), very elegant grappa. Comes in hand-blown bottles and is very aromatic with a characteristic grappa taste. We added three Blue Mountain medium-roasted coffee beans for an outstanding result.
(Manos Angelakis,
www.luxuryweb.com,
Aug. 2007)
