1970’s Ainslie’s Royal Edinburgh 5cl

Ainslie’s Royal Edinburgh (40%, OB,, blended Scotch, +/-1970)

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Ah yes, it’s one those old blends that could get rather vegetal, with notes of stewed vegetables, beans, even asparagus… But there, in the background, Old Clynelish is roaring, with various minerals, a fat and waxy ‘lighter’ smoke (coal), some graphite, coal tar, seawater…

Mouth: Brilliant blend, to Old Clynelish what White Horse used to be to Lagavulin. Dry, fat, mineral, oily, waxy, salty, coastal, thick and distinguished at the same time, and actually very chewy given that it’s a blend at some low strength.

Finish: Long, with a little more citrus. Ashy aftertaste. Comments: you just ‘ate’ some whisky, you didn’t drink it. One of the best old blends.