22 May 2021
Àlainn 27 Year Old 1989 – The Vatting by Murray McDavid
What we have here is a very special and dangerously drinkable Islay blended malt by Murray McDavid. A vatting of Bowmore and Laphroaig from 1989, having matured for at least 27 years.
My guess, based on the taste, is that it’s predominantly Bowmore, there are some hints of Laphroaig, but it’s very elegant and well balanced. As a fan of Bowmore’s style, I was immediately sold when I was offered a sip. It has matured on a bourbon hogshead and was finished in a sherry butt, before being bottled at 44.9% ABV:
Tasting notes
Nose
A fruity bouquet, with stewed apples and pears and melon. There’s salty peat, sweet barley and tobacco, but all very delicate. It’s also chalky, with a hint of pine needles.
Palate
The palate is soft and typically old school Bowmore, with coppery, salty and tropical fruit notes of kiwi and pineapple juice.
Finish
The tropical finish lingers on, with kiwi and a metallic note. But then there’s a nice wave of Laphroaig with subtle medical peat, seaweed and fresh tuna.
This is the kind of whisky that I live for. It’s old, it’s a blend and it has finished on sherry butts, and even then the characters of both distilleries shine through very well. The elegancy and spot on ABV makes it a treat to drink, every single sip of it.
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