CRAIGELLACHIE 49 YO 1970 Archive G&M 48.60%

TASTING NOTE
Appearance : topaz with copper hues.

Nose : elegant, complex. The exceptional first nose reveals a fruity rancio expressed with rare nobility. We find exotic (pineapple, mango, guava), apricot, honeyed (lime blossom, heather), chocolate, oriental (rose petal, Turkish delight, pistachio cake), empyreumatic (beeswax, walnut husk), tertiary (chestnut, sweet chestnut) and floral (lime blossom, honeysuckle, lily) aromas of great distinction. We could spend hours wondering at the aromatic palette, as it ceaselessly reveals new facets of its personality. Outstanding.

Palate : rich, well-balanced. With marvellous finesse, the attack is chocolatey, fruity (orange, mango), nobly spicy (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger) and liquorice (stick). On the mid-palate, extremely complex woody flavours (cedar, beeswax, cypress, eucalyptus) bring lots of length to the flavour palette. On the way, it reveals flavours of very ripe banana, salted butter caramel, quince jelly, roasted apple and antique furniture. Full of freshness, with its notes of hummus, damp soil and porcini mushroom, it takes us across the forest floor.

Overall : long, invigorating. Finding a second wind, the start of the finish is tangy (passion fruit, lime, orange zest), beautifully spicy (cinnamon, nutmeg), herbaceous (sage, verbena) and roasted (coffee, mocha). The end of the palate is, rather wonderfully, like beginning the tasting again. Saffron arrives to bring further nobility to the flavour palette’s spicy register, and wild peach, ripe apricot, date and fig enrich the intensely fruity character. The refreshing retro-nasal olfaction is characterized by notes of milky coffee and cardamom tea. The empty glass is heady (iris, lavender), vanilla, praline and slightly spicy (nutmeg, black pepper).