OB Mannochmore , or any Mannochmore for that matter are quite rare, and it’s really a treat to be able to sample liquid from this distillery. Mannochmore is quite a young distillery , founded in 1971 and is mostly distilling malt to be used in Diageo’s Blends. This expressions is quite intersting in its cask profile: as it’s matured in fresh American oak and European oak casks as well as first fill ex-bourbon American oak barrels and ex-Sherry European oak butts. Only 3,954 bottles were produced.
Nose: Red apples and a waxy note , wet cardboard and musty warehouse. Orange peel and candy floss, more apple peel and creamy custard. Vanilla and sourish note as well as toffee. Very nice stuff.
Palate: a nice melange of bitter sweet with vanilla filled Loacker waffles,bitter chocolate and coffee, spicy wood,and orange peel. Wood spice , ginger and chilly and also an earthy / waxy note.
Finish : bittersweet again, with hints of smoke, burnt toast , orange peel and waxy apple.
I was quite taken with this whisky, and by its sheer quality. It is delicious and well made, balanced and very complex, showing lovely fruitiness, waxiness, and a nice amount of wood spice that balances it all. Excellent stuff, and though 245 quid is not cheap for a 25 year old whisky, this is one of the cheaper and more ‘affordable’ (as in you don’t have to be RICH) of the range. If you’re looking for a nice gift to a true whisky lover, this one is well worth looking into.
Score: 91/100
Still available on many online shops including MOM .