The official 10 Year Old was just fine. Let us see if the 12 Year Old, bottled way back in 1996, does any better.
Apple juice, orange juice and sweet malt. That is the essence of this very simple nose. After a few moments some floral elements kick in, but the jury is out on the fact whether this is a plus or not. It is honeysweet with a mild sour note. It is okay.
Ouch! On the palate, however, it is immediately unpleasant. Sweet and sour with the emphasis on sour, very sharp and alcoholic despite the low ABV. A bit of earth and lots of wood make it dry. The fruitiness (some apples and citrus) have trouble showing themselves. Finally I get something metallic as if the whisky was poured from a can. Could that be OBE? After all, this whisky has been sitting in the bottle for almost 20 years, which is longer than it spent in the cask…
The finish is very short, but sweet and soft.
The new 10 Year Old is a (small) improvement.
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