Glenlivet 1978 A.D. Rattray 34 Years Old

sample from a friend

Nose: Here's a pretty flower. Obviously extracted vanilla, and a touch of the citrus- orange and grapefruit- honey and very fine caster sugar. Really floral, almost like some Borderies and Petite Champagne cognacs. In fact, it almost draws out red fruit and berry nose. Rose petals, orange blossom, honeysuckle. Screw it: strawberries and raspberries in cream. I like nosing this a lot. Eventually, I got very subtle tropical fruit such as mango and papaya. Pineapple for giggles. And apricot (from the tropics. We can square this circle, right?) It's like somebody dumped in a load of Borderies cognac into a whisky cask, and found out that it turned out pretty swell.

Palate: Thick, and a little more oak forward on entry. Vanilla, orange blossom honey mixed with heather and lavender honies. Crystallized fruit. You see that there's the fruit and floral influence. After the midpalate, it turns more on lemon rind. Lightly malty. Very trace hints of some of the fruits from the nose.

Finish: The wood sticks out a bit here, too, but fades over time, turning more on zest, vanilla, wax, honey, a few flower petals, and some strawberries. It's a little nutty-oily on pralines, something for which I'm always keen. The wood is just a smidge loud for me- not at all heavy for a gem of this age, but it distracted me from what was otherwise awesome stuff. And so it turns out just a hair shy of excellence. B+/A-

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