North of Scotland 51 Years Old 1970 Cask #DL 14548 (Douglas Laing)

Part of Douglas Laing's XOP Black Series for their oldest and rarest single casks, this 51 year old North of Scotland was filled in 1970. It is drawn from the silent Cambus distillery in the Lowlands, the plant George Christie converted from the Forth Brewery and ran until its 1980 closure, and is one of 215 bottles from cask DL 14548.

Christie ran the patent stills on an unusually broad spirit cut to keep more flavour, and over five decades in a single ex-Bourbon barrel it has reached the most fragile stage of maturation. Here the spirit is fully oxidised and concentrated, having lost a large share of its volume to evaporation, and the oak influence is total without tipping into harsh tannin.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 40.7%, the proof has fallen close to the floor purely through fifty one years of angel's share. Vanillin from the broken down lignin carries vanilla, caramelised hemicellulose adds toffee, and a nutty depth and polished old oak come from decades of slow oxidation. The grain's light maize backbone still shows through, carrying a soft, ethereal sweetness on a long finish.