About This Dram
Oh Old Perth… if there’s one discovery that we’ve made together as a club that stands out – it’s Old Perth. It’s repeatedly performed incredibly well at in-store tastings and events alike. In fact, at the time of writing, two of the top five whiskies of all time in the Dram Association are Old Perth blends. The last time we had an Old Perth as an in-store release was E42 – The Sherry Cask, Cask Strength Edition. It scored a ridiculous 93.11, and just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke – we later entered it in a blind tasting event where it scored even higher!
So it’s fair to say that The Dram Association has somewhat of a love affair with Old Perth. It’s for that reason that this blend terrified me. Would this be the one to break the streak? In truth the first Old Perth we had didn’t perform that well score-wise – although it was early on in the Dram Association, and the scoring style wasn’t quite as established as it is now. At the time, 83.30 was actually pretty good. It is also the only Old Perth we’ve had that wasn’t cask strength.
Most of the time I’m able to get some information on the blend – either from the source or from deep on the interwebs. This time however I could only find one piece of the puzzle (thanks to scotchwhisky.com) and that is the keystone malt of this blend – Aultmore. Funnily enough, there’s another blend that is built around Aultmore somewhat, and that’s Dewar’s. A personal favourite of mine. Other less reliable sources mentioned Bruichladdich and Glenfiddich – but I highly doubt that somehow. A slightly more reliable source said it was 100% ex-bourbon casks. That I do believe.
So this is mostly a mystery then. But is it a delicious one? Let’s find out!
Tasting Notes
The nose is very different from the other Old Perths I’ve had recently. Not as prominent, but perhaps a touch more complex. Dried grass swaying in a salty breeze. Banana toffees, lemon peel, and light thai spices.
On the palate, it is malty upfront and then becoming fruity before a creamy vanilla finish. It’s definitely my kind of whisky. The fruit in question is less of the banana found on the nose, and more apricot and custard apples. The initial maltyness comes through very clearly in my mind as Weetabix – a popular British breakfast cereal whose advertising encourages you to be creative with toppings. The finish could well be one of those experimental toppings – cream cheese icing.
So I don’t usually speculate on a blends content too much – but I thought it may be fun for once! So my guess is Aultmore, Deanston, unpeated Bunnahabhain and Clynelish. What’s your guess? Feel free to share below!
