‘Butterscotch & Vanilla & Toast & A Generation 30-Year-Old’ (as the name suggests) is a 30-year-old blended grain Scotch whisky from Atom Labs UK
Appearance: Dark orange, very autumnal. Lots of medium/thick legs form immediately when swirled and cling to the glass for quite some time
Nose: Initial good hit of alcohol, followed by almost burnt caramel, a whisp of smoke, butterscotch, brown sugar and maltiness. Quite a deep aroma set, not light or airy in any way. There’s also some fruitiness in the form of plum, blackberries and mixed dark fruit. After a while, some icing sugar comes through, adding a confectionary sweetness.
Getting cardboard now?
The alcohol stands the test of time, hasn’t really diminished at all. I want to say that there’s a citrus edge to it, more orange than lemon.
Palate: Lovely oily delivery, very viscous. Cherryade, and spices. It’s quite Christmassy! There’s a mixture of sugar and butter coated fruits in here. From oranges and a touch of peach to grapefruit bitterness and raspberry. It’s very surprising!
There are those furniture polish and wood elements that you often get in other whiskies, that ‘old hotel’ effect.
Now, there is a distant twang of a metallic/copper taste that isn’t complimenting the whisky. It doesn’t take anything away, but I’d prefer it wasn’t there.
Finish: The finish for me is a mixture of the milky, butter notes, the fruits and grapefruit bitterness and a touch of spice. It does leave the heat in the jowls.
Overall: The years maturing have definitely done wonders for this grain whisky. There’s a plethora of layers, many many aromas and flavours going on and a really nice balance too. It’s sugary, fruity & spicy. Other than the negligible distant metallic tinge, this is a triumph
