Aged sherry v bourbon H2H 40+ years of age - 8 tasted

[lincoln imp]

This tasting started off with good intentions to compare sherry and bourbon casks of at least 40 years old to see which type came out on top.
Usually I would say I prefer 2nd fill sherry casks and then bourbon cask.
I alternated between sherry & bourbon but comparisons were too difficult so it became a regular tasting, so here are the scores for what it is worth anyway.

Tasted in this order

Single grains

Lochside 1964 48 year 41.2% cask 6799 sherry butt The Cooper’s Choice single
89/86/85
Invergordon 1973 44 year 51.5% East Village Whisky Company (assumed bourbon)
85/88/89

Single malts

Glenglassaugh 1968 45 year 44.3% sherry hoggy cask 1601 Rare Cask Release Batch 1 OB
84/85/86
Balblair 1969 43 year 41.4% bourbon 1st Release OB
89/90/89
Benriach 1975 40 year 53% sherry butt 7028 Batch 13 OB
92/94/93
Glenrothes 1970 41 year bourbon hoggy MoS 11026 Malts of Scotland
90/92/92
Glenfarclas 40 year 46% 2010 sherry cask OB
90/91/91
Longmorn 1968 41 year 60.5% bourbon cask 5274 G&M
90/92/91

Brief Tasting Notes

Lochside 1964 grain
The nose is good, smells really sweet, similar to parma violet but sweeter, a nice fudge note, Battenberg cake.
Quite fruity taste wise, a little thin but ok, sweetness is there, it is an icing sugar sweetness but also a slight metallic note is there.
Finish is ok, medium length, no dram but no excitement either.
This is pretty good but not very interesting being honest, still gets a respectable score.

Invergordon 1973 grain
I assume this is from a bourbon cask as it basically smells like bourbon to me mixed with paint notes. Some sugar and fruit do come through like pineapple and pear and it is what I call a strong nose, almost in your face but the chemical notes are not great.
I am sure some will love this and the fruit flavours on the palate are really strong but I am not a big fan of grains I can however appreciate the quality on show here and the fruit notes are really nice.

Glenglassaugh 1968
The nose is not that expressive, muted almost, after a few minutes in the glass, there is a sweet wood note, smells like an older bourbon a little.
No sweetness but not bitter either, neutral then?
It increases in spice but the flavours are not there, the finish is ok but this old boy is not that interesting profile wise, end of.

Balblair 1969
The nose has tropical fruits, the most noticeable is mango, with hints of peach, there is also melon and faint coconut.
The palate is really spicy, quite syrupy but not that sweet at first but some fruity sweetness does come through and it is lingering white tropical fruit.
The balance is good, no rough spots but is does lack a little character, depth of profile etc.
Finish remains spicy and it seems to grow right up until you finish.
I like this , a good whisky but not at the top of the tree when it comes to the older Balblair bottles.

Benriach 1975
This has a rich, spicy, fruity nose, pretty expressive neat. The palate has plenty of spice and plenty of peat but it also has another dimension of the richest stewed dark fruits you can imagine, wow.
There is a candy sweetness with the fruit, the spice, peat and hints of pepper are all in sync, excellent balance.
Finish is long and well just about perfect.
With a little water:-
The nose is even better, everything is stewed loveliness.
The palate has exploded with spice, like a hand grenade has gone off in your mouth, balance is excellent, so tasty, if it was just ever so sweeter it would get 95 points but 93-94 feels right.
The Benriach I have tried so far, a belter

Glenrothes 1970
A nice sweet nose full of white fruits with a wet pebble angle is followed by a palate that is quite tight and really fruity with a peat/pepper side.
The fruit flavours are candied white fruits and as you go on the peat but more so pepper increases.
Balance is good as is the finish.
Water makes the palate creamy, spice still increasing and the fruit is just about perfect so better with a few drops of water.
A very good cask

Glenfarclas 40 year
The palate and finish are worth 91 points the fruit is of the juicy wine gum type ,really good, no flaws.
Good balance, tasty

Longmorn 1968
A good expressive nose is my first thought, it hints at the power on show.
Rich fruit, smells slightly coastal (I know Longmorn isn't) and the palate from the start needs water it is slightly bitter and almost too strong.
With water:-
Palate is manageable now, all the flavours are tightly combined, plum, apple and honey with a little treacle and plenty of spice and a little peat.
This takes water very well and it is best when watered down to around 50%.
A very good whisky that packs a punch and tasty with it.[u[/u]
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Pour me a glass please.