Glen Albyn 1979 Part Des Anges 27 Years Old

I hadn't heard of Glen Albyn until I came across this particular expression at an event for my whisky club. Unfortunately, there was no way I could give it any sort of attention since the evening was a social one and I was playing host to around 75 guests.

I did, however, manage to pick it up for a small tasting session at my place, along with two other closed distillery bottles from the same independent. This series is known as the Closed Distillery Series from Part Des Anges.

Each expression is served at cask strength and is from a single cask. This in it's self is quite a rarity and I was quite eager to tuck into it and see for my self.

The distillery closed it's doors in 1983 following a slump in whisky demand and was subsequently demolished three years later. The site is now home to a shopping complex.

Independent bottles of this distillery keep popping up now and then but expect that to stop soon once stocks are completely depleted.

My sample is from a brand new bottled and served at a cask strength of 53.2%

The following notes are a mix of two tasting sessions over two weeks apart.

Nose: Pineapple. Papaya. Apricots. Very fruity. Garam masala. White flowers. Lime. Hint of oak. Oxidization opens up the nose even more. Butter malt. Grist. Mint. Chalk. Green apples. It has an extremely fresh and fruity nose and the longer it breathes the more layers it packs on.

Palate: Again very fruity. Pineapple. Honey. Demerara sugar. White pepper. Touch of oak. Citrus. It is gentle and medium bodied. Oxidization adds more. Herbs. Butterscotch. Ginger. All spice.

Finish: Long. Oily. Touch bitter. Garam masala. Touch of oak.

This is quite an interesting whisky. It was a hit at the tasting and for some was the top performer of the evening. While I quite like it I have to admit I preferred it more the first time around. I would have easily given it a score in it's early 90s but the second session would be closer to late 80s.

So I'll do what is fair and mark it on the average. Regardless, it's well worth the experience.

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