Whisky Agency Speyside Region 43yo 1973 vs Avonside 100 proof James Gordon
A lot of undisclosed malts being released of late. This one comes highly recommended, fortunately I have a sample of another young one from the 70s for purposes of comparison.
The Whisky Agency Speyside Region 1973 43yo 49.2%
Nose: Ab-fab! The most aromatic sandalwood, plus deep rich honeys, bags and bags of dry tobacco leaf, The ripest sweetest yellow plums, apricot jam, just deep yellow fruit. A whole tin of fruit-tea infusions. It’s sherry of course but not the deep oxidised-rich oloroso or cloying dry-sweet PX. This is altogether different, much lighter in style, but also much livelier brighter and more vivacious if I might says so. Who says sherry is all the same? A must try.
Palate: Quite a firm body after 43 long years. Showing a drier woody (good woody!) entrance. In fact it is very woody but never tannic or overdone. In fact this is quite perfect – and I am a person who’s very sensitive to oak, which is again rather like sandalwood here. And now all these dry yellow aromatics like pollen, yellow flowers, honey and mead come sweeping back. Quite some thyme and other sour dry herbs
Finish: Long, woody-dry-sweet-fantastic, smaller dry-sour herbaceous notes.
Distillery? What distillery? It doesn’t even say Single Malt. Who cares, it’s great.
Avonside 100proof James Gordon & Co circa 1970s
Picture is whiskyonline’s. James Gordon and John Alexander Macphail opened their shop in Elgin in 1895. Why would this be bottled under James Gordon & Co in the 70s? Export? A curiosity. We have no age and no distillery.
Nose: Well time has not dimmed the alcohol, and I suspect this one needs a bit of water. I find this to be a rather medium weight and youngish ‘old’ whisky. Meaning it has got a telltale old sort of nose but the whisky itself feels rather young. Nonetheless young in those years did not mean short on complexity – it is a cocktail of scents that needs much time to pry apart. I get musty ointment and old wood. Just a bit of beeswax too. Dewy minty leaves like wintergreen and balm. Also something like citrus pith and some fruity-floral water you use in baking. This is actually really good with lots of time and water.
Palate: Lots of little fruity floral notes, feels like eau de vie. Much lighter in style than the nose suggests and also quite subdued till the bigger wax and old wood arrives later . Then gets very ‘clean’ and fresh with zesty overtones.
Finish: Rather long for a youngish malt. Very clean and zesty fresh.
Dare I venture a guess? I would say.. lowlander of about 10 years?
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