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Coleburn 1981 38 years old private collection gordon macphail

Coleburn 1981 38 Years Old (Gordon & MacPhail)

28 June 2019 0 comments Article Coleburn, Reviews, Scotland, Speyside

Do you realise how rare Coleburn is? There are only 87 of them registered in Whiskybase, and the last time one was released was almost five years ago, by Gordon & MacPhail. This legendary independent bottler has now released a new Coleburn.

Coleburn was mothballed in 1985 and was traditionally used for blends, but Gordon & MacPhail chose to mature this new 38-year old release in a refill Sherry hogshead. Only 101 bottles are available worldwide. And I was lucky enough to receive a sample.

One caveat though: it was only a 1cl sample. That’s not me complaining, but just me letting you know that it is a little more difficult to judge a spirit on such a small amount.

Coleburn 1981 38 Years Old (55.9%, Gordon & MacPhail, C#476)

Nose: Fruity (forest fruits, blackcurrants, dark cherries), with a hint of espresso and varnish, as well as leather. There’s walnut skins and orange marmalade too, with just a hint of rose water and elderflower, and even a touch of licorice, mushrooms and soy.
Taste: Tannins, somewhat astringent. Lovely exotic fruits with proper orange zest and pink grapefruit to start, but also leather, tobacco leaves and a spicy jab. Finally a hit of menthol as well, but the oak spices are dominant.
Finish: Some soft dried red fruits and lingering spices. Slightly dry.

Score: 89

The nose is balanced, rich and beautifully complex, but the palate is a little overdeveloped, I feel. Very high-level stuff though.

Sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail

Thijs Klaverstijn Kingairloch 3
Thijs Klaverstijn

Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.

Tags: 1981, 38yo, coleburn, gordon macphail, private collection, speyside

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