Rare Malts Selection St Magdalene 1979 Aged 19 Years

Style: Sweet and Spicy

Rating: ☆☆☆- [Most Recommended]

Nose:

The coolest peppermint breeze brings a warm, round and sweet malt into the fray. Watermelon skin, rose petal, white chocolate with an injection of citrus candlewax. Mighty but alluring aroma. Red chilli with a very sharp edge, the slightest splash of lemon tea swiftly ascends to absinthe. Thin cereal/oatmeal bed, autumn leaves and a disguised orchard heart. Peppermint oil trickling down, while assorted melons - mostly green melons and Spanish melons, linger on.

Palate:

Rounder, oilier and even more powerful on the palate. Extremely delicious combination of glazed fruits and sweet malt, which is lightly laced with peat smoke. Intoxicatingly condensed, and the texture is incredibly thick as well. Amazing. Cranberries, more melons, cheese tart, flower petals, orange candies and white chocolate interweave closely. Another cereal layer. Sweeter notes gradually progress towards a mineral tone with graphite, chalk and limestone; the intense herbaceous drive remains relentless and strike hard from the back. Green grass burning, oak and ashes leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Finish:

More austere bitterness rolling on while sweet white peaches begin to shine. Orange, lime and strawberries on the rise, but ultimately it is the red fruits (I suspect sherry) element have the last laugh.

Thoughts:

An absolutely spell-binding St Magdalene. Although the ferocious spirit attacks like a beast, but the quality it brings is even more rewarding. Unimaginable flavour intensity and texture, together with a beautiful structure, makes this a serious top level whisky. There is also the subtle sherry component that enhanced the expression even further and lift it to the zenith. Not for the faint-hearted, but I can see why this is regarded as an all-time classic bottling.

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[63.8% | Original Bottling | 1979 Distilled | 1998 Bottled | Vatting | Bottle Number: 4759 | Natural Cask Strength | ***-]

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