Wow, 1978! Hope it's a good one! Heard only good things about this old Garioch.

Nose: complex, sweet and full of incense at the Buddhist temple, smoked ham, aged maple syrup poured over some crispy Canadian bacon, pinch of cinnamon, burnt banana sugars, the burnt sugar on top of creme brulee, then with more air time the chalky aspects appear dominant over the sweet and salty elements in the beginning, good amount of minerality, burnt herbal buns that are just left on the table.

Palate: medium to full body, initial palate is a sort of wood oil, sweet and oily, slightly salty, ends up getting more sour on each sip, mid palate shows some sour perfume, well done steak thats been left on the table but isn't too cold yet, fleeting golden apples which get more noticeable with each sip, there is this weird feeling of unoffensive perfume though... back palate shows light honey, grass, burnt grass, hay, sweet tar, later on there is like a burnt food and metal flavor profile, wood chocolate.

Finish: medium, metallic sour, sandy but without the salt, quite chalky, gets bitter, burnt peanut shells, sawdust, light menthol, sesame seeds, more or less a slightly minty chalk supported by swimming pool water as well as a light perfume oil that I can't seem to pinpoint.

It was doing so well in the beginning, but that air really changed it, or was it my Glencairn? Not sure why this would get such high WB ratings. Surprised it had a variety of elements going on, but they weren't favorable ones and not much synergy. Are there any good 1978 bottles?

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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