‘Older equals better!’ Higher aged whiskies ftw. Part 1: 18 vs 23 yo.

OK, I don’t mean it per se, but the title seemed catchy (clickbait-y even?), and I wanted to dedicate some time to whiskies with a higher age statement for quite a while now. For a number of reasons.

Firstly, with the festive season just around the corner and Christmas bonusses being paid, we might find ourselves in a position where we’re looking  to treat ourselves (or our significant whisky other) to something a bit more high end. So in that regard, the time to give some of these ‘higher age/higher end’ whiskies their due attention,  is very much now.

Also, in recent times, I’ve stumbled across a few higher age whiskies that really knocked me on my backside – the Tomatin 18 I picked as my whisky of the year springs to mind, but also that Master of Malt Tobermory that was simply breathtakingly gorgeous. Thus confirming the wise words of the great medieval scholar Jeremiah Clarksonius that ‘more equals better.’ In any case, these encounters sort of planted the seeds for a full series on whiskies with a higher age statement, as I am keen to go and see what else is out there that is worth splurging on. Because it seems the days where you and I could find something with an age statement of over 16 years that was still somewhat affordable (say, between €60 and €90) seem to be lost and gone forever. In his Thanksgiving vPub, Roy at Aqvavitae tackled upon this, picking 6 whiskies in the £90-£110 range. Not so long ago, this would mean you could get 21 to even 25 yo old whiskies. Today, whiskies between 16 and 18 years old seem to be making themselves comfortably at home in that price range, whereas a 25 yo single malt is now easily £200, if not more.

Furthermore, in recent times we’ve become ‘used’ to whiskies being presented at a younger age. With the sheer amount of new distilleries coming to us from literally all around the globe, it only stands to reason that a significant amount of what’s now available, is, relatively speaking, of a fairly young age (10 years and under). And they work just wonderfully. With all the knowledge and wisdom available today, there is absolutely no shortage of excellent quality younger whisky. Ardnamurchan proves it on a daily basis. As do The Lakes. Or Dingle, Wire Works, Isle of Raasay, and so many others. I’ll even argue that because of this, our palates are becoming ‘calibrated’ to it, and we are not just accepting but also fully embracing flavour coming from spirit, rather than from long maturation. So, as a sort of counterbalance, I figured why not cross the bridge to the other side and see what these older whiskies are offering today.

Finally: seize the day!  I know it’s tempting to be precious about those high end bottles and to save these older (and very likely expensive) whiskies for those special occasions.  I know I am.  And of course I’m not suggesting you should treat that Glengoyne 25 or that Highland Park 21 as a daily background sipper. But life is short and sometimes very much too short. So if we ever want to get to enjoy a ‘premium bottle’, we better make sure to  find for ourselves enough occasions worthy of celebrating with a special occasion bottle as well.

That said, I feel it’s time to focus on a few specific bottles to get  the series going. A series that should ‘ve kicked off last week, but as I was down and out with flu, I couldn’t get two words on paper if my life depended on it. I had my notes at the ready, but converting those into something even remotely resembling a review was simply out of the question. Never waste a good illness, though, because this does present me with the opportunity to make today’s a double bill. So what I’ll do, is start with a whisky that, to me, has for a very long time been ‘the gold standard’ when it comes to high end whisky – both in terms of price as in terms of what you get in return. I’ve reviewed it years ago, but for the sake of comparison, I’ll re-review it and see how (if at all) it still holds up as a benchmark. I am talking about  an 18 year old single malt whisky that I first picked up some 5 years ago, for around €120, but is hard to find for less than €170 these days, and therefore has really become something of a folly for a lot of people. It will be ‘challenged’, if you will, by a series of 18 to 25  year old whiskies, and see what’s what.  The idea here is to see if they can offer an alternative, both in terms of cost and in terms of delivery, for what is now steadily becoming something out of reach with what I’m comfortable paying for.

Bunnahbahian 18 yo 46.3% ABV, ex-sherry casks matured,  NC, UCF (2017 release). Paid €120, today typically €175 or more

Bunna 18 has never been an inexpensive bottle of whisky. Quite the contrary, in fact. Pre covid, slapping a price tag of €120 on an 18 yo bottle of whisky was even bordering on pricing itself out of the market. Until recently, I could easily find this sitting on the shelves at one of my go to stores, and for years, it would indeed be retailing around the €120 mark. Now, this particular store specialises in all sorts of drinks, from bottled water to beer to soda, soft drinks,  cognac, rum, wine and champagne. And while it has a decent selection of whisky (some 200 bottles), it’s by no means a hotspot for whisky enthusiasts. Which, if I ‘m being cheeky and honest, suited me just fine, as that meant I could pretty much bank on the fact that I could pick up a bottle I had my eye on at any given time. And because they offer a bonus system where you collect points which each purchase, which you could then convert into a discount, I could shave off a tenner on my purchases once or twice a year. So over the years I bought 3 of these bottles (and to illustrate just how ‘under the radar’ the store is: the last one that I bought was two years back, and it still had the Roman numerals on the label – which were dropped around 2017 – 2018. After that, the current bottlings with their black and blue label was put on the shelves there as well). And while the €120 price point was indeed somewhat steep, I would argue that it was worth that kind of money. Simply because it’s excellent quality. Fast forward to today: the store recently fell under new management, and it’s safe to say that they took a long, hard look at their inventory. Sure enough, prices were given an ‘update’ as a consequence, upping the prices of their whiskies overall by some 25% on average, almost overnight. Yikes indeed.

Nose

Warming and rich, yet gentle too. A spot on balance of roasted nuts, spices (clove, nutmeg, allspice and a faint hint of ginger), red fruit with plums and forest berries. Gentle notes of (wet) wood and liquorice, old leather and books. Simply wonderful! No need to add water, really, but should you add a few drops, the fruit notes kick into action while the spices almost jump out of the glass.

Palate

Very warm and rich arrival. Loads and loads of nuts with chestnut and hazelnut going into an oaky element. Again, quite some spice, with notes of black pepper joining the party. Still those berries, but more subdued. Roasted coffee and dark, bitter chocolate, sitting on a viscous, woody mouthfeel. With added water it reveals a lovely salinity countering the darker, warming notes.

Finish

Long and warm, driven by wood and spices.

Final thoughts

These 3  bottles I had over the years have delivered quite the journey.  Each one was lovely from start to finish, and over time, they kept on developing and changing as I went through them. Today’s review is very much describing the notes I got from the heels of my very last bottle of this truly marvellous whisky. Retailing an 18 yo whisky at €120 back in 2017-2018 was asking a lot, not in the least from the whisky itself. But as said, I’d argue it was absolutely worth that money. Today, it costs about €50 - €60 more and I’m not gonna lie: that’s very hard to swallow. It’s a mental threshold I, at this point, am not willing to step over, so as it stands this won’t be replaced in my cabinet.  Not looking at the current price tag, this whisky really sets a benchmark in terms of quality and it easily cruises its way towards a score of  89/100, mind you!

So, waving goodbye to the absolutely lovely, but alas now the also absolutely eye wateringly expensive Bunna 18, I try and shift my focus and look for alternatives. Now, contrary to what you may believe, I am not made out of money, so I won’t have a full bottle of everything I’ll be reviewing and discussing over the coming weeks. Luckily, postal service across the continent are making a good deal of money on us enthusiasts, so after rummaging through my boxes with samples, I’ve picked out a handful of samples carrying an older age statement, hoping one of them will be able to ‘replace’ my beloved Bunnahabhain 18 yo as the gold standard for quality. Please step forward, contender number 1!

J.G. Thomson blended malt 23 yo ‘Rich’ bottling series. 46% ABV, NC, UCF (2021 release), app. €125 and still available

J.G. Thomson, not to be confused with Thompson brothers, obviously, is a new player in the indie business who started out in 2021, although the company can claim roots deeply embedded into whisky history, as earlier instalments date back to the 1700’s. Today they are focussing on a core range of 3 blended malts under the names ‘rich’, ‘sweet’ and ‘smoky’ (you got to applaud the K.I.S.S. principle put into practice), with limited releases added to each of these. As is the case with today’s sample - courtesy of the fine human being that is Nic Stilton – Massey.

Nose

Very fruity on sweet grapes, apricot, raspberry and peaches. Syrupy, with toffee and a sweet bread roll. Something dusty, like grist left in a warehouse or something. Given time, it turns a bit darker with notes of roasted nuts and liquorice. It has an oily and dense sensation overall, but at the same time it doesn’t really suggest a particularly older malt. With a drop of water it even turns fresher, revealing a gentle lactic-creamy note.

Palate

Rich arrival, and  surprisingly a bit feisty on pepper even. Allow it to settle down, and pretty much everything the nose suggested, returns on the tongue, with notes of stewed fruit and jam joining in, sitting on a pinch of salinity. With the water added it turns less sweet, bringing out some slightly bitter wood notes.

Finish

Long, warming and spices, drying towards the end.

Final thoughts

Truth be told, this doesn’t come across as a +20 yo malt. That said, this is a very satisfying whisky: excellently crafted and blended together and utterly enjoyable. Very accessible and inviting, but if I was given this blind, I would likely put this down as a (gratend: well matured)16 year old-ish dram. I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of this in my cabinet, were it not for the price. In the €100-€110 it would knock it out of the park, and  I realise that blending together malt that’s at least 23 years of age doesn't exactly come cheap, but for a €125 or even more, it struggles a bit to live up to that price tag.

Next week: a 21 year old blend to the rescue?