Next we headed for the Speyside town of Elgin, and a 25-year-old Linkwood from 1988, bottled at 51.8% alcohol. This is the rarest of the three, with only 250 bottles left in the cask. The angels in Elgin must be thirsty.
A floral whisky with prominent vanilla notes, a touch of pepper and a pleasing oiliness, this too benefitted from a few drops of water.
"There is a toffee bit on the edge,” observed Charles.
Sweet, smooth, and a little spicy, this is a delicately balanced whisky, suitable for leisurely contemplation.
Our final port of call in the Highland region was at the Blair Athol distillery in Pitlochry.
This whisky was distilled in 1989, and bottled at the age of 23 at 50.3% abv, and the distillers had the good fortune to fill 290 bottles from the cask.
This, Charles and I agreed, is definitively an after dinner whisky to drink neat as a digestif - ideally with a little bitter dark chocolate and good coffee.
Spicy, honeyed, and sherried with a touch of ginger and generous chocolate and raisins, this is a whisky to savour at leisure. I added some water, which released a little more aroma, but diminished the rich, oily mouthfeel. You might want to sip this one from a Glencairn glass, or a sherry copita.
Containing three fine, rare, elegant, and interestingly contrasting whiskies, this presentation box would make a perfect gift for any whisky lover, but thanks to the uniqueness of the casks must be limited to very few. In Hong Kong just 50 boxes are available, exclusively from HK Golfer, for HK$7,000. Slainte.
To order, visit the HK Golfer Store or contact us at whisky@hkgolfer.com or +852 3590 4153.
