Glen Mhor 30 Years Old 1982 Cask #DL 9183 (Douglas Laing)

A 30 year old Glen Mhor from the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, distilled in 1982, from cask DL 9183, bottled at 50%, one of 228 bottles. Glen Mhor was an Inverness distillery whose worm tubs gave it a rich, oily body. Its make went largely into blends; single malt Glen Mhor is rare and mostly from independents.

The spirit was distilled slow in the Inverness stillhouse, the worm tubs lending weight, building the distinctive Glen Mhor style. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the oily fruit. In its ethereal years the malt is waxy and oxidative, faded esters and a touch of sotolon (maple, dried fig). A slow maturation suits the full, oily make, the fruit turning waxy with time. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits both bourbon and sherry. The oily, waxy texture is a mark of well aged Glen Mhor. Years in oak round the spirit, the orchard fruit deepening to dried fruit and beeswax. With Glen Mhor gone, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At cask strength 50% it is full bodied. Baked apple, wax and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is rich and oily, the full spirit shining through. It finishes full, oily and waxy. This is a full, oily Highland single malt of real age.