Decades apart

I actually did the same comparison as ralfy in August 2011, when my brother-in-law and I discovered a less than sealed but full bottle of old JW red likely from the late 70s or early 80s. It was in our father in law's house. We went out and bought a miniature of current JW red, and the difference was phenomenal. In other words, the old one was drinkable, the new one was awful.

Recently, he was giving away some of his bottles. My BIL and I fought over the JW blue but I finally convinced him to take it, and my wife brought home an old bottle of JW swing. I happened to buy one recently in the Newark duty free. So one day, probably when my BIL is in town, we'll do a head to head.

I guess the attraction to reviewing 2 bottles that were produced decades apart is that you can find differences in style and quality that my have changed only incrementally over the years. But as we know, there is so much batch variation nowadays, I think doing the same comparison in 20 years Metin today's stuff might be hit and miss. I mean, just compare Aberlour A'Bunadh batches 33 and 36. Worlds apart and yet only a year apart.....

Well if it would somehow taste the same, it would mean there was no justification for large market players for maintaining so many different distilleries all over Scotland. Got an old '83 red label in the cabinet, I tastes different, wouldn't necessarily say better, but there is a clear difference