Description
A 24 year old Convalmore whisky. Bottled at cask strength for Diageo’s Rare Malts series – a historic selection of single malt whiskies from operational and lost distilleries that were released by Diageo between 1995 and 2005. Distilled in 1978, it was then aged for 24 years, before being bottled April 2003. This is bottle number 1215.
The Convalmore Distillery was opened in 1893-1894. Convalmore was fourth of the “Seven Stills” of Dufftown, built in the late 19th century and later acquired by the blender, James Buchanan. After the merger of Buchanan’s with DCL (now Diageo) in 1925, Convalmore continued to supply blends, and as a result was never officially bottled as a single malt in its own time. The distillery was shut down in 1985, and all equipment was dismantled and removed. While there have been occasional Diageo special releases over the years, its single malt output is mostly limited to some very sought after independent bottlings. The site is now owned by William Grant and the remaining buildings are used to store casks of Glenfiddich and Balvenie.
Colour: Straw.
Nose:
Lots of citrus notes at first nosing. Tangerine, lemon, sour oranges. But don’t mistake this for a very fruity whisky. It has an interesting whiff of gasoline, as well as a fair amount of candle wax with some coconut shavings and yoghurt.
Taste:
Lovely creamy mouthfeel, and surprisingly gentle for its high abv. Although don’t think of this as a ‘soft’ whisky, it is quite bold still. A hit of black pepper immediately after swallowing. Beeswax and wildflower honey, accompanied by lemons. A subtle hint of smoke, menthol and tobacco leaves.
Finish:
Lingering on apples and pears, with a trace of menthol. Long.
