Taste Testing The 1977 Convalmore 36 Years Old, Diageo 2013 Special Releases, 58% ABV
Here's one for those who've sipped every major Speyside, sniffed every Islay and want to go further down the Scotch rabbithole; it's one of the most slept on Scotches that at the same time commands great fervour with its diehard fans - this is of course Convalmore.
For starters, Convalmore no longer exists, what remains of the Speyside distillery is now a warehouse used by William Grant & Sons' Glenfiddich and Balvenie as a warehouse, and on top of that, not a single drop of single malt Convalmore whisky was ever bottled during its lifetime, with everything that we know (and love) of it today the result of bottlings made some decade (s) after its closure - there have in fact only been five official releases by its current owner, Diageo, with arguably the Diageo 2013 Special Releases the most famous of them all (it's also what we'll be taste testing today!). This makes it pretty rare and yet at the same time, incredibly sought after given its intense waxiness and fruitiness that has often been touted by distillers as being comparable to or even more so than the perennially beloved Clynelish. This of course has sent Convalmore's prices through the roof, although we will cut to chase and say that having tasted it, it is truly worth every bit of the hype that it gets.
So let's get to know Convalmore!
Convalmore (Convalmore-Glenlivet) was first established in Speyside's famed Dufftown in 1893/1894 as part of the tail end of the Victorian gold rush, and was so named after the Conval Hills whose water was used for the distillery's whisky. It was collectively with its neighbours nicknamed "The Seven Stills of Dufftown", which included Mortlach (1824), Glenfiddich (1887), Balvenie (1892), Parkmore (1894), Dufftown (1896) and Glendullan (1898), with Convalmore (1893) founded just after Balvenie as the town's fourth distillery - it in fact sits right by Glenfiddich and Balvenie, close to the River Fiddich. The town's flagship distilleries were a pretty core part of its local identity, and there was even a famous saying at the time that went, "Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown stands on seven stills"!
In any case construction of the distillery was tendered to local architect Donald Mackay, which was said to be somewhat uncommon at the time with most of its peers built by Charles Doig. Yet, to much dismay, the distillery's owners would soon after face financial challenges that would see the whiskymaker sold in 1904 to the then popular broker-blender W.P. Lowrie, who in turn would face its own difficulties leading to a second sale just two years later (in 1906) to an even larger blender, James Buchanan. James Buchanan by then was already globally distributed with their famous (and very lovable) Black & White blend (the one with the pair of black and white Scottish Terrier dogs), for which Convalmore would serve as a component of. As with many distilleries of the time, fire was not an unreal concern, and so when the distillery was caught ablaze - rather poetically though as some at the time had described, when the fire was met with delicate and powdery snowfall - it would prove an opportune moment for the distillery to undergo some modernisation. With the stillhouse and warehouses spared from the flames, the distillery was able to quickly install two new pot stills and even an experimental continuous still, all whilst on track to reopen the very next year. Whilst details remained sparse, it was noted that the distillery's owners had attempted to produce malt whisky using continuous distillation (much like how grain whiskies are made), although when met with poor results after ageing, was soon to be decommissioned just five years after its installation.
With the era of the Great Merger set upon Scotland's whiskymakers in the 1920's, James Buchanan would invariably join John Dewar & Sons in 1915, before the combined entity would inevitably join the massive force that was Distillers Company Limited (or DCL), which itself would eventually become Diageo as we know it today. As for Convalmore, the distillery would find itself as part of DCL's Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) subsidiary where it would continue to plug on as a supplier of filler malt whiskies for DCL's blends into the next decades. The 1960's would see Convalmore return back to growth as with the broader Scotch market, with the distillery adding two more pot stills and upping the number of its washbacks to six, with also a transition from direct firing to steam coil heating of its pot stills - notably, Convalmore retained its worm tubs, marking it as a rarer instance of a distillery that did not move towards the shell and tube condenser system. This allowed Convalmore to continue to produce its waxy and bodied whisky that continues to be lauded by collectors till this day, even long after its absence. The following decade would see further upgrades, with Convalmore gaining a then innovative and new stainless steel mashtun that came with its new mash house, which would have all but seemed like the distillery was well on the rise. Yet, as we know how the story ends, just a decade later, Convalmore, like many others, would find itself swept up in the infamous Whisky Loch of the 1980's, which would ultimately see to its demise. 1985 would prove to be Convalmore's very last vintage of production.
The following years would see its equipment stripped away, with the building itself sold to William Grant & Sons in 1990 (visitors to the estate can still see remnants of Convalmore in the form of its pagodas, although the distillery no longer exists and therefore cannot be entered as it is today a warehouse for Glenfiddich and Balvenie), although it is worth noting that Diageo continues to own the Convalmore brand. And so going back to the whisky itself, whilst Convalmore is best known for its vibrant fruitiness and luscious waxiness, given its status as abit of a blender's workhouse, unfortunately not much was recorded as to how the whisky was made. Today, if you do want to try Convalmore, given that the distillery never released an official bottling during its lifespan, the closest possible examples would have to come from Diageo's Special Releases (2005, 2013, 2017), the Rare Malts Selection which featured a 1978 Convalmore, or the newer Prima & Ultima release which showcased a 1984 Convalmore - or otherwise your best bet would be to dig into the stables of the likes of Cadenhead's, Douglas Laing, Gordon & MacPhail, First Cask, Ian Macleod, Signatory Vintage or SMWS; that is, the legacy Scotch independent bottlers!
With all that said, today we're going to give arguably the most famous Convalmore a taste test - this is the 36 Year Old 1977 Convalmore that was released as part of the 2013 Diageo Special Releases set!
Let's go!
Whisky Review: 1977 Convalmore, 36 Years Old, Diageo 2013 Special Releases, 58% ABV
Tasting Notes
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Immediately vibrant and fruity, with distinct and surreal tropical fruit aromatics, of tinned peaches, gooseberries, guavas and apricots. It's heaps of freshly harvested fruit coated in honey and maltose, at times with almost a herbal quality, of manuka honey and a touch of eucalyptus. It's then garnished with exotic purple florals of lavender and fresh linen, that's set against the exuberant fruit basket, and with time gets more malty and almost creamy, with more rustic cereal tones. Finally, a subtle yet firm base of leather and stewed plums and prunes that amp up the bright top notes.
Taste: Medium-bodied here, it's honeyed yet a touch nippy. There's first a herbal bit of eucalyptus, then more of a classic Highland and Speyside character of stewed apples, leather, plums and prunes. It's herbal and leathery, with candied and stewed fruits set between, drizzled with candied maltose and herbal honey, and then a more delicate tropical fruit muskiness of soursop. Dripping with candied honey, it's then counterweighted by a touch of dried sour plum rancio.
Finish: Spicy and long here, with cloves and szechuan peppercorns, there's also still some of that medicinal cough syrup and leather, with now heaps of dried sour plum rancio. It's even alittle doughy, with an almost fermented sourness to it, super malty then with a whole bit of barley sugars. It's herbal honey and maltose over guavas right through the spicy finish, with then a lingering doughiness.
My Thoughts
The legends are true! This Convalmore is nothing short of a tropical fruit bomb that's dripping in candied, honeyed waxiness! Yet, at the same time, that's not even the whole story! But first, let's address the aromatics - right from the moment it hits the glass, it's immediately filling up the entire room with vibrant tropical fruit tones! It's enough to make you start to lose your mind just a little, with this immense heap of freshly harvested tropical fruits that are rendered so evocatively and with such clarity! It's fruity, floral and always with a herbal side to it. Really delightfully, there's also this almost gristy bit of rustic cereal touch to it that just adds to that allure of verdant, countryside provenances.
What felt particularly impressively was then how even with this unmistakable distillery character of fruits and wax, that it's still integrating that really old school Highland / Speyside touch of apples, leather, plums and prunes to it that makes sure you remember where it came from! Seldom do whiskies so deftly integrate both their own identity with that of its regionality, and here we see it displayed to perfection.
On the palate, the tropical fruits come down a notch, although the candied waxiness only draws louder, and this goes all the way through the finish. Here we instead find more earthiness, herbal tones and musky rancio that carries this really old school, almost antique touch to it, treading closer to an almost umami savouriness. It almost feels like a page out of a traditional Chinese medicine hall's recipe book and right out of one of those glass jars of sundried herbs and tonics. It's quite a transition from its aromas, and yet into the finish it morphs once again, now much more spicy, with a long, waxy finish stacked with dried sour plum rancio, medicinal cough syrup, earthy and sweet barley sugars and just a streak of guavas. It's incredibly malty, long and lively!
Altogether, what an experience! It is as fruity and waxy as is foretold, but that's not even the most interesting part about it! A definite must try!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
