Stewarts Cream of the Barley (bottled 1980s)
Cream no Cream
1 279
Review by @markjedi1
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall79
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- Brand: Stewarts
- ABV: 40%
This world famous blend was first released in 1831 by Stewart & Son of Dundee. Strangely enough, it is very popular in Ireland, even today. It is composed of no less than 50 whiskies and has the reputation of containing a high percentage of malts, including from Islay. The fingerprint malt, however, is the Highlander Glencadam. I found a 1980s bottle in my cabinet.
Ouch, I need to leave this for a while. The nose is rife with OBE, meaning I get swamped in drain and unwashed socks, wilted flowers and sour cream at first. Darn… It takes more than five minutes for the OBE to evaporate and be replaced by banana flambéed, vanilla and candied orange peel.
I had expected a little more creaminess (hey, this is cream of the barley after all), but it is just mildly oily. Cream? No cream. Brown sugar dominates, followed by grain cookies with bits of chocolate. Some dried oranges and a mild smokiness. The Islay in the mix seems rather limited to me.
The finish is its biggest asset. A sweetness from oranges and chocolate lingers beautifully in a smoky jacket and saves the day.
Maybe I was expecting too much?
I have a fond memory of this whisky. Someone had left a bottle for weary hikers in a cairn on a walkway in the Scottish borders. I had more than my fair share from that bottle and a bit of a merry walk back down off the hill. I looked for a bottle to try but I didn't think it was still being produced. Anyway, in that setting, necking from the bottle, it was marvelous. However, I'm sure it would be different from a glencairn at home. Thanks for the review - maybe I'll find one if I ever go to Ireland then.