North British 1990 28 Years (Gordon & MacPhail)
Time for a long overdue review of the North British 1990 28 Years from Gordon & MacPhail. Matured in a first-fill sherry puncheon, this promises to be a big sherry bomb. I believe (and correct me if I’m wrong) this is actually one of the, if not the first grain whisky bottled by Gordon & MacPhail.
North British 1990 28 Years (61%, Gordon & MacPhail, Batch 18/107)
Nose: Oh good god, this is not going to be about the spirit, is it? Insanely intense, even more so than some of those crazy Kavalan. There is that light, orange-y, coconut note, but otherwise this is all about raisins, sultanas, cherries, dark chocolate and cinnamon, with a hint of ground coffee beans. Finally a touch of furniture polish and soy sauce. I honestly like more than I expected.
Taste: Geez, yeah, a Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask is pretty much what this is. Somewhat dry and oak-y, but also plums, blackberries, cherries and the like. A touch of espresso too, as well as burnt caramel. Not too shabby at all.
Finish: Long, cinnamon, charred oak.
Score: 86
It’s been a while since I’ve tasted one of these extreme — and I mean EXTREME — sherry matured whiskies. If you like Kavalan’s sherry matured whiskies, you’ll also enjoy this. Otherwise prepare yourself to be flattened by a sherry puncheon. Insanity.
Sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail
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.
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