The good news is that the whisky show bottlings were finally let loose online, however the bad news is that the lovely Clynelish I intended on getting and the Springbank I am about to review today sold out in no time… Gladly the Glenrothes 27 yo I am about to review as well, is still availble on the TWE site (at this instant anyways, It may be sold out by the time you read this..)
Let’s begin with the 24 year old Springer, this one was most expensive of the linited edition bottlings, retaling at £225, which didn’t matter much, did it? bottled at 51.7%, a total of 160 bottlings, most of which were sold at the show, and some online. The label is not as colorful as the rest and features a label design by competition-winner Linda Gillon, whose piece responds to the question: ‘what does the art of whisky mean to you?’
The Art of Whisky, Springbank 24 yo, 51.7%, Sold out 
Nose: Quite an A-typical start with some earth and ginger cookies, rather waxy as well, but not as ‘dirty’ as one would expect, at least on the get-go. there’s quite some wood smoke as well, which hides behind a creamy vanilla notes, as well as cocoa and a musty, almost farmy sort of note, wet autumn leaves, and a nutty edge.
Palate: Quite earthy on first sensation, which quite a bit of smoke, there’s also a fruity touch, mainly red apples, ripe oranges and lemon zest. there’s something very perfumed about it, I can not really put my finger on it,some cocoa, and tobacco leaf.
Finish: candied orange / lemon peel, chocolate, cocoa and more earthy notes, and wee smoke.
A rather delicious Springbank, very elegant, and fruity, with earthiness and smoke, but not quite as dirty and farmy as some.Very good stuff. The first time I tried it, i did not take to it as much, but now when I’ve given it time and tried it again, a day after, it certainly ‘grew’ on me. Quite expensive too.
Score: 90/100
Continuing with yet another well aged cask – this time from Glenrothes. Oh Glenrothes, the distillery that bottles quite boring stuff as OB, while IB’s shine. This one is however none of the young sherry monsters.. a total of 204 bottles ar 51.1% were made for the show, 27 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead and some are still available. Intersting, let’s investigate!
Glenrothes 27 year old ,Art of whisky ageing ,51.1% , £120
Nose: Lots of fruit, in this one for sure, it’s thick, rich and lovely. All sorts of stewed fruit to be found in this one : peach, apple, pear, apricot , you name it : it’s here. All engulfed with sweet golden-sweet nectar, topped with vanilla ice cream. A bit of lemon zest to balance it all, but it’s still a sweet fruit-salad celebration.
Palate: The fruity salad is back with a vengeance, with a lot of that lovely sweet, compot-y goodness, all layered upon a thick butter infused base (a pie base if you will) , fresh-baked goodness, with spices, and a hint coconut. The ex-bourbon cask is hard at work here spreading the vanilla, coconut and fruity notes. Rich, thick and quite hedonistic.
Finish: Sweet, with touches of sultana, dried apricot and slightly burnt french toast.
A delicious , fruity and sweet celebration. An after meal dram that would go wonderfully with a fruit pie, or ripe cheese. sumptuous.
Score: 89/100