Mini SBT 2014/September from Oshima-san SAMPLE A

Regarding the regular Mini SBT sessions with my malt friend Oshima-san, there was a sample from September that I had forgotten to publish. Starting with Sample A: (The following is a blind tasting description.) ・Mini SBT 2014/September from Oshima-san SAMPLE A Aromas are vibrant and floral, with grapefruit, white wines like Chardonnay, faint peaches and nectarines, banana milk, white flowers, and a plant-like freshness that feels youthful yet slightly transparent. It's delicate but develops creaminess over time, with gently refined grains, an old-world charm without pretension, and a slightly ethereal nuance. On the palate, it has a smooth mouthfeel with subtle nectarine and cream, soft grains with their umami, a texture that lingers on the tongue, refined sweetness with transparency, and a faint tarry peat in the finish. It's quite briny, with a creamy aftertaste. 【Good/Very Good】 The whisky is vibrant and fruity, with a clear nuance that gradually becomes creamier. The good malt character was evident in both aroma and flavor, with an old-world texture and peat nuance that lingers on the tongue. While there was a slightly ethereal quality, it remained a lively and delicious malt. I hesitated between giving it a 'Good' or 'Very Good' rating. It's an official watered-down bottle, and considering its old-world character, it might be a standard bottling from the 80s-90s with around 10-15 years of aging. The diverse, vibrant fruits with a grape-like quality and a peat character distinct from island malts led me to guess the distillery. 40-43% ABV, old bottles from the 80s-90s, aged 10-15 years. ・Guesses: 1. Springbank 2. Glenrothes 3. Glenturret I also considered GlenDronach. While I thought of Highland malts due to the peat character, no specific distillery immediately came to mind that would match this fruity profile. The old-world fruitiness, which could be from long aging or changes over time, made me consider the possibility of a Dalwhinnie-type whisky (short-aged, watered-down with long-term aging post-opening), but that would make it too difficult to narrow down the distillery. (laughs) With this tasting and my guesses, I sent a reply email. The correct answer was... Glenmorangie 1963 Official 25 Year Old ANA Edition 43% ABV It was an old official Speyside malt that wasn't short-aged but rather well-matured. While I managed to capture some aspects like old peat and body changes from aging, I think I could have tasted it more deeply. In particular, I was unsure whether the fruitiness came from long aging or age-related changes, but it seems to be both. This kind of differentiation, as I've written about before, is extremely difficult for me. I believe that if I'm more conscious while tasting, I'll be able to understand these nuances better. Moving forward, I'll continue to drink with a stoic approach. #Glenmorangie (GLENMORAY) #SBT