Timorous Beastie 40 - 54.7%
This 40-year-old Timorous Beastie is a marriage of aged highland whiskies from just 4 distilleries, namely Blair Athol, Dalmore, Glen Garioch, and Glengoyne. A Limited Edition with only 1080 bottles produced, bottled at a cask strength of 54.7%.
From the Douglas Laing website
The original Timorous Beastie, immortalised in Robert Burns’ famous Scots poem “To a Mouse” was a timid, little field mouse. Echoing our national bard’s wit, ours is most certainly not for the fainthearted!
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which gradually falls as thin, oily legs.
Nose: Sweet and very fruity, nectarines, redcurrant jelly, old oak furniture polished with beeswax, zesty orange, red apples, tropical pineapple and mango, vanilla and a large dollop of floral honey
Palate: A veritable pick ‘n’ mix of fruity boiled sweets, with blackcurrant, lemon, orange, pineapple and many more all playing on the tongue. Pear drops add to that old-fashioned sweetshop feel. Behind that are layers of toasted almond, old polished oak, honey drizzled breakfast bars, together with cinnamon, ginger and chilli bringing a touch of warmth and a little bite.
Finish: Long and lingering, slightly bitter with notes of varnished oak-panelled hallways, well-worn and gathering dust.
Summary: The Timorous Beastie range tend to be on the sweet side and this 40 year old bottling keeps fairly close to that path. Initially, it’s a huge boiled sweet bomb of a whisky which just manages to stay the right side of the sweetness fence and avoid becoming cloyingly so.
It’s not just a one trick pony though, there is significant depth and complexity, no doubt helped by the long maturation and an abv of 54.7%, with nutty, cereal notes, sharp spice and mild pear drop acidity which make for an interesting ride. The transition to a dusty oak finish gives a clue as to the maturity of the whisky and adds another dimension to the experience. Reduction with a little water brings scant reward and reduces the fruitiness, for me this is a whisky better left neat.
A whisky which is by no means timorous, it has a powerful intensity and yet somehow retains a sense of poise and balance...very impressive.
A huge thanks goes to Paul @pswhisky for the opportunity to try some incredible whiskies on this tasting session. If you’re not already following him on Twitter, I would highly recommend it together with checking out his website.
