Glen Ord 21 Years Old 1990 Old Malt Cask (50%, Douglas Laing, Refill Butt #6856, 492 Bottles, 2011)

• 50% ABV, £74.20 for 70cl
• Score: 88/100

What they say:

A 21 year old, single cask Glen Ord distilled in January 1990 and aged in a refill butt before bottling in January 2011. A release of just 492 bottles from Douglas Laing’s Old Malt Cask range.

Nose: Hints of soft sherry with notes of gingerbread, grist, barley sugar, a little pear drop note foam bananas and porridge oats with warm honey.

Palate: A fruity, rich palate with dry spices, cinnamon in particular, lemon meringue pie and malt.

Finish: A spicy and fruity finish with coffee on the tail.

What I say:

The 3rd sample in our Horizon21 horizontal tasting session of 21 year old malts hails from the Highland region’s Glen Ord Distillery. Situated on the Black Isle, Glen Ord is probably best known for its ‘Singleton’ bottled expressions produced by Diageo mainly for the Japanese market. This expression is a single cask example bottled in the Old Malt Cask range prior to the separation of Douglas / Hunter Laing, this range has continued under Hunter Laing’s portfolio.

Colour:

Full gold with dark amber hints

Nose:

Sweet and spicy cereal and honey, lemon drizzle cake and Victoria sponge cake

Taste:

Sweet and spicy, lemon, grapefruit pith, lemon drizzle icing, effervescent, icing sugar and citric acidity of orange zest before subduing into sticky lemon pudding

Finish:

Medium/short, sweet lemon cakes with sugar icing plus a little oaky wood

Would I buy it:

Possibly, this is certainly characterful and has a young spritefulness to it despite its age, mostly due to that fizzy citric lemon character. If you enjoy lemon drizzle cakes then this one is for you, sitting somewhere between refreshing acidity and not too sickly sweet – a definite dessert whisky if ever there was one!