Glenglassaugh 40 Year Old 1972 Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask

Celebration of the Cask is a series in which Morrison & Mackay bottle exceptional casks at high(er) age. This is a Glenglassaugh that was distilled when I was a two year old toddler. Liquid history, always a little bit of a magic moment, eh?

In all honesty the nose starts a bit… err… weird. A mix of cooked vegetables, potato skins, wilted flowers and tropical fruit. In this case papaya, pineapple and nectarines. Some molded wood, honey and muesli. But… this is a veritable time bomb. For after a few minutes of breathing it opens up beautifully to offer up nothing but tropical fruit and stone fruit. A unseen evolution. After four to five minutes this has become a delicious fruit bomb.

The body is disappointingly light and a tad to bitter… at first sip. But this malt does it again… from the second sip forward this time bomb offers a lovely mix of tropical fruit on the one hand, spicy oak and some mineral notes on the other. The achieved balance is nothing short of genius.

The finish, ladies and gentlemen, will have you on the edge of your seat. Overripe blue grapes, pith included, in which the tropical fruit slowly makes place for some great wood spices. Mildly drying at the death. The finish is long, the smile on my face will last longer still.

It asks for your time, but is well worth the effort. What an evolution, what a sensational taste. Unfortunately, the price tag is sensational as well: around 600 EUR. Thank for this fantastic sample, Manny.

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