Home Tasting: Royal Lochnagar 1994 14 Year Old Official Manager's Choice #837

A bottle that is surprisingly excellent beyond what the specs suggest, truly a Manager's Choice. Royal Lochnagar ROYAL LOCHNAGAR 1994-2009 14yo OB THE MANAGER'S CHOICE #837 59.3% Bodega Sherry European Oak Cask, one of 528 bottles ・Aroma: A strong aroma that pierces the nose, with refined nuances and a robust malty character. Strong cinnamon, ginger, vanilla cream, ripe apricot or orange, baked apple, plum, honey, tea, slightly fresh oak and tree resin, pine resin. Rich and luxurious. ・Flavor: A heavy, thick mouthfeel that gradually delivers stimulation. Strong nose clarity with a textured viscosity from tree resin and oil, a subtle chewiness. Heated apple, orange, apricot, plum or persimmon, intense barley with deep umami, strong cinnamon, vanilla, good woody oakiness. Concentrated tannins from boiled tea tighten the flavor, nuts, honey's rich sweetness, astringent citrus peel. Full-bodied and thick yet without any off-putting notes, each flavor is distinct with clear contours. ・Aftertaste: The rich sweetness and pleasant tannic astringency linger, with tree resin, oil, and the deep umami of barley. ・Dilution: The citrusy fruitiness and cream notes slightly intensify, but even with added water, the umami remains intact. ・Overall Review: A natural maturation feel and refined nuances unexpected for a 14-year-old distilled in the 90s, with surprisingly complex aromas. Despite being a short maturation, it has a solid body and intensely rich barley umami. Each component asserts itself clearly with distinct contours, yet the overall balance is at a high level. However, it lacks prominent obvious elements, making it somewhat niche for connoisseurs. Its intense umami is free of off-putting notes, making it impossible to get tired of drinking. 【Very Good】 One of the Manager's Choice releases from 2009, Royal Lochnagar 1994, 14-year-old maturation. Among this series I've tasted, it was particularly delicious. Also, after bottling, it seemed to improve further, so I purchased a few bottles and let them rest. Approximately five years later, my urge to drink it became too strong to resist, so I finally opened it. Previously, when I tasted it in a shot, I didn't have the luxury to pick up its complexity. This time, however, it seemed even more complex, allowing for a deeply enjoyable tasting. Such high-level balanced types are typical of my favorite style. This bottle, like the 80s Samaroli I mentioned in a previous article, is rare as it retains important elements like body while still having maturation depth. Moreover, achieving this high-level balance as a single cask is impressive. Truly deserving of the Manager's Choice title, it's one of the exceptional malts from recent distillations. Feeling the future of whisky, being able to carefully taste such a bottle is a joy indeed.