Convalmore Diageo Special Releases 2017 32 Years Old 1984

An official release of Convalmore, a 32 year old, from 1984, at 48.2%, 3972 bottles in all. Convalmore was a Speyside malt distillery whose spirit went almost entirely into blends. James Buchanan owned it from 1906, using the malt at the heart of his Black and White blend.

Made in copper pot stills before the distillery closed, building the old fashioned Convalmore style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the robust malt. Ethereal and old, decades draw the malt to a waxy, honeyed delicacy of sotolon, old oak and dried fruit. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the waxy, fruity core over the decades. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Dufftown warehouses. Most Convalmore went quietly into blends, a little surviving as single malt. Years in oak round the spirit, the fruit deepening to dried fruit and honey. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 1985.

At its natural 48.2% it is concentrated. Baked apple, honey and a waxy depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Wax, malt and orchard fruit fill the middle. A long, fruity finish carries a waxy weight. This is a single malt from a silent Dufftown distillery.