Convalmore 24 yo 1978 /2003 Rare Malts 59.4% vs Convalmore 40 yo 1977 / 2017 Cadenhead 56.8%

Convalmore 24 yo 1978 /2003 Rare Malts 59.4%

Bitter orange peels, zesty vibrant and aromatic. Tart yellow fruit, acidic juice and honey mixed in a tall glass. Bright mimosa and the stemmy verdancy of crushed leaf sap. Lamp oil, barky petitgrain, mint liqueur and clean resins like mastic. Dust the whole with star anise and hawthorn flakes. It’s substantial oily weight and power cannot be denied, but how it oozes goodness.  91 pts

Convalmore 40 yo 1977 / 2017 Cadenhead 56.8%

Right. The progression from great to eye closing excellence is clear. Take the Rare Malts, burnish it further with the golden warmth of a hundred summers, until it overflows with honey and beeswax, apricot jam, yellow herbal liqueurs and untold quantities of lime, orange and grapefruit oils. Prop it up with aromatic cedar and pine needles, sharp resins and violet leaf for good measure. If that’s not enough, be amazed that the whole is yet again greater than its parts. But where does this sliver of melancholy come from? 93 pts