VIP Prometheus 1988 | 28 Year Old | Speyside Single Malt

Whisky-Online Tasting Notes

Nose: Autumn leaves and wood glue at the start, but the initial waves are dominated by patisserie aromas – Belgian buns, cooked raisins, apple turnovers, Eccles cakes. A subsequent interlude of some old bookcase aromas then becomes more pruney. With a little time in the glass, some chocolate hints appear, then back to more traditional sherry aromas of fruitcake, a whiff of burnt raisins, dark gingerbread, then very faint pine resin, latex, desiccated coconut and apple syrup. The slightest suggestion of a faraway bonfire. This is a long-developing nose of highly complex, interlocking aromas, with an oak character showing real gravitas.
With Water: It releases a Highland Toffee aroma and some flapjack notes.

Palate: Fullish body, warm, spicy mouthfeel. Savoury oak initially, then muscovado sugar, apple fruit leather, the gingerbread from the nose – very dark, almost singed – plus rich fruitcake, stewed orange and some nutty, biscuity notes. Develops faint wood glue and latex hints, then rye bread, treacle tart and cinnamon biscuits. The integration is excellent, with the oak the bedrock of a really powerful, balanced presence on the palate.
With Water: It lifts the acetones slightly, with calvados and pear brandy notes appearing.

Finish: Good length, warm without getting too hot, spicy with a faint sootiness. Walnut cake and clove rock, lingering cooked raisins and dry oak spices.

Comment: A serious, brooding, intense whisky with a truly profound oak structure underpinning the more colourful, fruity touches. As you’d expect, this is not an aperitif whisky – it’s much more of an after-dinner dram ideal for late-night fireside contemplation. The marketing for Prometheus 28 makes much of the lightly peated malt used for this batch of malt from a distillery more traditionally associated (in the old days at least) with full-on sherry maturation, but the smoke is really just a suggestion here, a side-player in the epic presence of an old school sherry cask from the very top drawer. Marvellous stuff.

Pre-Owned Stock

At Whisky-Online we are specialists in old and rare bottles of whisky from days gone by. We are constantly picking up new stock of vintage bottles from various sources and private sales. All the pre-owned bottles on our site are vetted very carefully for authenticity by our team before they reach our website so that our customers can continue to buy with confidence. If we have the slightest doubts about a bottle’s provenance or authenticity we don’t list it, simple as that.

Please bear in mind stock that has been assigned as pre-owned is not in brand new mint condition. As pre-owned bottles will have been subject to natural wear and tear over the years, we strongly advise customers to check carefully the website images to assess the condition of individual bottles prior to purchase.

All stock assigned by us as pre-owned is sold as seen. Our website images of these old and rare whiskies are fair but not comprehensive representations and some flaws may not be visible in these images. It is important, therefore, to contact us for more images or further information before ordering if you have any specific questions or requirements about particular items.

Due to the varying ages and conditions of bottles, labels, corks and their seals, their safe transport without further damage or deterioration is not guaranteed and we recommend that these items are collected in person. If collection is not an option and buyers choose to have pre-owned items delivered we cannot accept responsibility for deterioration to these items during transit.

Please be aware that because of the varying conditions mentioned above there is a risk of seal failure during transit and that we cannot accept responsibility for any bottle leakage that occurs in this way.

Pre-Owned & New Stock

Seal and cork failure are two of the more common issues affecting older pre-owned bottles, but they can occur in new bottles as well. Cork is a naturally porous material and contains irregular air pockets that may compromise the integrity of the closure.

Over long periods of time corks can dry out and shrink, increasing the chances of cork failure and subsequent leakage. However, it is still strongly recommended to store bottles upright at all times, as keeping whisky bottles on their sides can damage the cork and increase the chances of leakage or failure.

When you open a bottle with a cork stopper - no matter how carefully - there is always a chance that the cork may break, particularly for older bottles. We recommend keeping a stock of spare corks in different sizes in case a replacement cork is needed.

We are unable to accept responsibility for the following circumstances affecting either new or pre-owned goods:

• Wear and tear, rust, stains, foxing or any other cosmetic damage to labels, boxes or other packaging where the customer has not requested extra images prior to purchase
• Deterioration to labels/packaging in transit
• Seal failure, cork failure and/or leakage in transit or at any subsequent time after delivery

If you have any questions about the condition of a specific product please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@whisky-online.com.