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Bells Bell's Royal Reserve 20 Year Old / Bot.1970s

Four Times the Bell Tolls - Part IV of IV

5 295

@talexanderReview by @talexander

29th Jul 2018

1

Bells Bell's Royal Reserve 20 Year Old / Bot.1970s
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    25
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    23
  • Overall
    95

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This one is really special, the 20 Year Old Bell's Royal Reserve, bottled in the 1970s. I purchased this one at the LCBO online auction. It's been open for almost a year.

The colour is a dark amber. Rich and fruity on the nose with dates, rum-raisin, plums, dark spiced chocolate, bovril and a hint of chili. Not much peat but there's a small amount on offer. Really remarkable.

On the palate with have more rich chocolate, sherry, plum, dark honey and buttery oak. Christmas pudding. Demerara sugar. Cayenne. This is your Grandpa's scotch, sipped in the library in a leather armchair by the fire. I love this stuff, this is totally my jam.

The long finish is quite oaky with baked apple, black pepper and herbs. If you can find it, buy it. This is why I love my old rare scotch blends. Wow.

To compare them all? Well, nothing beats this old 20yo, but the current Bell's Original stands up very tall next to these older decanters. Even Pam was super-impressed. At $26.70 at the LCBO, Bell's Original is great value for money.

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2 comments

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@talexander, always a pleasure to read your reviews, especially the Series Reviews. This one is a time travel series. A taste score of 25/25 on the Bell's 20 YO has certainly caught my attention.

6 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@talexander, this 20 yo 1970's Bell's Royal Reserve Blended Scotch sounds fabulous. Thanks for your review.

As someone who was of legal drinking age in the 1970s but had almost no interest in whisk(e)y at the time, it is hard to describe now how far "out" whisky/whiskey was then compared to the last several years. At the time I was the 20-something who knew no one who had any interest in getting to know whisky. No one I knew ever mentioned the word whisk(e)y, beyond say, Jack Daniel's Black Label Old No. 7, Jim Beam White Label, or Seagram's 7 with 7 Up. That was the age of vodka and rum in your Coke. My how things have changed! Vive la difference!

6 years ago 1Who liked this?