The Unique Blend was bottled in 2015 by Samaroli’s Scottish-based bottling arm, Coilltean, from selected cask no. 18. This particular blend is rumoured to contain a very healthy amount of Speyside and Glen Garioch 1980 vintage single malt, with some North British grain whisky, and matured for over 35 years. Bottle 511 of only 540 produced.
Appearance: Very dark caramel, almost Cola brown. Some thick trails and a decent swirl mark. A few teardrops and a thick viscous film form on the inside of the glass immediately.
Nose: Honey cereal, dark fruits, confectionary sugar and some lovely rich cola concentrated syrup. It’s a deep and luxurious nose, with a good helping of ethanol, given the ABV.
Sugar-dusted orchard fruits, some dusty bookshelves and a soft layer of vanilla add a mellow element.
This blend has a friendly and inviting nose, I could sit with it for ages.
Palate: A semi-oily mouthfeel, it’s a shame the ABV is 40%, I’d love to see how unctuous this would be at a higher strength.
Caramel, vanilla, heaps of black pepper, after a while, and this orchard fruits.
The cereal notes are consistent with the nose, which is nice.
Some sherry maturation-type notes are more evident on the palate. Cherries and a faint sulphur smoke.
A slight blood-orange bitterness emerges after a time too.
Finish: The blood orange, black pepper and faint sulphur linger for a medium amount of time.
Overall: It’s a very nice blend but I can’t help but feel that it should be amazing, given that it’s apparently 35 years old.
