A Birthday Tasting

It’s my birthday today, I’m 26 years old, I already have grey hair on my head. But if this year of travel has taught me anything so far it’s that I absolutely no reason or cause to complain about anything in this life. So with that in mind we’ll skip all the usual crap people write about the imaginary woes of aging and get down some proper gibberish. I don’t really like birthdays, not my own anyway, it’s not a strong dislike but more or a complete indifference. I can enjoy them very much when I am in good company and I’m not adverse to mild celebration. I’m not not fussed either way. Having said that I do believe that it is a good opportunity to spoil yourself with a fine dram (or twelve). It also seems appropriate that while on the road where great drams are few and far between, a birthday is as good an opportunity as any to break out something special if you have it. I have something that I’ve been sitting on for a few months now and I think it’s time to break it open. I was planning to save it and open it with certain notorious friends in Paris later this year but, to be honest… it’s getting pretty heavy…

Huacachina, Peru. That well known spot for locating ancient and rare bottles of whisky.

When I was still in Pisco earlier this year we took a weekend trip to a place called Huacachina, it’s a fascinatingly bizarre spot but not the sort of place you’d expect to find antique bottles of whisky. I was in the bar one afternoon and I spied the above bottle sitting atop an old beer fridge behind the bar in plain view. Needless to say I had trouble believing what I was seeing at first. On closer inspection the bottle appeared very genuine and very old, the Royal Warrant states to ‘his majesty the king’ which places it any time before 1952. Although the bottle shape, label and spring cap all look decidedly 30s/40s to me. The wee Peruvian man at the bar who sold it to me (for 200 soles which is roughly £55) said he obtained it from a ‘grateful traveling Englishman’ or so the translation went. He was insistent that it was from 1914, although, seeing as this bottles’ pride of place was on the beer fridge, he didn’t exactly scream ‘whisky expert’. So I don’t know too much about it other than that it is pretty old and, mercifully, very genuine. I did worry as the lead foil seal was not present but after popping the spring cap and having a sniff it was clearly the real thing. I’ve tried quite a few different versions of old White Horse through the years but not one from before the 1950′s I don’t think, so this should be interesting. These old White Horse blends are very heavily dominated by Lagavulin and Malt Mill, two very birthday friendly distillates (probably).

If anyone at Diageo would care to take a note of that serial number on the label and check to see when this was bottled I'd be very grateful.

White Horse. Spring Cap. Peruvian Import. Bottled 1930s/40s. Proof/contents not known.

Colour: Gold

Nose: Old reeky peat, metal polish, minerals and cow stables at first sniffing. There is an obvious old bottle effect here with all the metallic aspects but it is also surprisingly potent and fresh as well, that’s spring caps for you I suppose. Gets quite mentholated with notes toothpaste, mouthwash and also some quite medicinal touches like antiseptic and Birch Beer. Very reminiscent of the old Mackies Ancient Scotch actually. The peat is pretty hefty here, very simmering, earthy and tarry with some huge notes of engine oil and old boilers in the background. A very powerful whisky considering the years it’s spent in bottle. Some dusty notes of coal and old sheds now with sheeps wool, wet rocks and flints. It is mainly on industrial, medicinal and peat aromas but there are a few glimmers of fruit still in there which give a startling complexity to the whole thing. Goes on with some soft notes of dung and compost (in a nice way), becomes a little vegetal and develops some sweetish notes of fudge and caramel. Brilliant stuff.

Palate: A massive barrage of fat oily peat, mixed nuts, damp sackcloth, candle wax and salty mead (?). Huge presence on the palate, just brilliant. After so many years the peat is powerful but so velvety and soft, like a luxurious peat glue being squirted round your mouth. Very oily with quite a few sub flavours that live up to the complexity of the nose very nicely. I could drink a lagoonful of this nectar, in fact I’m having to top up my sample as I type (well… it is my birthday). Further notes of fresh bread, spices, cloves, orange bitters, dark chocolate and eucalyptus all bubble through in time. Not much point in continuing this as it is degenerating into MaltPorn.

Finish: Very long with more truckfuls of peat, medicinal oils, seaweed, wet earth, mulch and some little flecks of green fruits.

Comments: The Mackie’s Ancient Scotch was the company’s Malt Mill based blend at this time while the White Horse was generally more Lagavulin based (although it is very likely that there are a few casks of Malt Mill in this bottling). This is really reminiscent of the Mackies, that huge fat peaty quality is pretty unforgettable. It is also quite striking how those dry seaweed notes are so similar to the modern 16yo Lagavulin. All in all a fascinating piece of history and an excellent dram, there is just nothing like this kind of whisky made anywhere any more, the texture and flavours are just incredible and so distinctively old school. Highly recommended birthday material.

Score: 93/100 (same as the Mackies)

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