1980s Tomintoul Glenlivet 12 Year Old Highland Malt ‘old perfume bottle’

Colour: Full gold.

Nose: Starts malty and mentholated, rather toasty as well, with a little smoke (or burnt cake) and notes of earl grey tea getting then more butterscotchy and honeyed. It’s smooth but somewhat dense and rather complex. Very nice floral notes too (fresh chamomile). Also a little liquorice. An excellent surprise beyond the fancy bottle.

Mouth: Firm, just as malty as on the nose but maybe also more caramelly. Hints of bubblegum and marshmallow plus a little grenadine, honey-coated nuts, violet sweets, vanilla fudge.

Finish: Rather medium-long, malty, grainy and fudgy, somewhat in a style that reminds me of some good old aged blends.

Comments: A perfect all-rounder that didn’t lose much steam. Very good!