Interesting fact… Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside whisky spells its name whisky as it originates in Scotland. Had it been produced in America its name would be Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside whiskey, instead of whisky.
Tasting notes from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2009: Nose: 22/25 dates and walnuts – a style lovers of Glenfarclas might appreciate; the oak is pretty full on but the grapes hold it in check; Taste: 21.5/25 silky at first then astringent oak; Finish: 22/25 settles back down to that date and walnut cake feel, even if a little burned. The mouthfeel remains sensuous; Balance: 22/25 as the whisky changed in the glass – after 40 years in cask it deserves the longest outing it can possibly get – I was completely bemused by this one. At times it went through phases when it would struggle to get 77, while sometimes it peered into the possibilities of 90s. But that was fleeting, and this is perhaps a mean score; to some in both senses… Score: 87.5 ...more
The Master of Malt
What's all this about? | View all samples
Chris
A slightly astringent nose of dried fruit and green nuts. If I was to hazard a guess I would say it’s a refill-Oloroso Glen Grant. Deep and unctuous with plenty of mature honey and a touch of sawdust. The palate is soft and succulent, a touch on the tannic side but lovely and gentle. There’s plenty of mature honey and a hard, peppery middle, which leads me to believe that it’s not Glen Grant. Slightly astringent on the finish with a hint of violets and still pretty peppery. That peppery character is perplexing and making the guessing quiet difficult as I can’t say that I’ve every found that in an old Spey before. Talisker maybe but not a Spey. Of the Speyside malts that that a) age for that long and b) that are often sherry casked, I don’t think it is Macallan, Glen Grant Glenfarclas or Caperdonich….. So I’m going to plump for Strathisla, mainly because of the violety note which I have found in other bottlings from that distillery. I’m sure someone will tell me if I’m right or wrong!