Glen Elgin 2007 13yr Càrn Mòr - Strictly Limited

PX Sherry Butt, 47.5%

Glen Elgin is a distillery I always seem to forget and then when I re-discover their whisky, I'm like "Ah, I do love Glen Elgin!" And then I seem to forget about them again. Sorry Glen Elgin.

Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers are a company based up in Perth, Scotland who have a few sub-brands under them. One of these brands is Càrn Mòr, and as it says on their website "Càrn Mòr is our range of rare and utterly unique independent bottlings. As each release is strictly limited in batches, once it’s gone, it’s gone" And just as this particular bottle was released very recently, it did indeed generate a lot of interest and sold out very quickly. I managed to snag one from Tyndrum Whisky just in the nick of time.

Maybe it's the fact the liquid looks more like flat Coke, rather than whisky that people went mad for this. But colour maketh not the quality, does it. Many times have I bought a sherried whisky based on the darkness and discovered it was bloody awful. Luckily, I bought this bottle based on a sample that Mark at MSWD sent me - so I wasn't buying blind (thank you, Mark)

So I guess that last sentence sort of gives the game away now, doesn't it.

Appearance: Deep & dark polished walnut with thin oily legs.

Nose: Rich, deep fruity sherry. There's actually a nice feel of age as well. That lovely waxen furniture polish note that I am drawn to is also there. Now more notes of warm stewed prunes, blackberries &apples appear with a hint of creaminess and sweet pastry.

Held longer in the glass and caramel appears with a stronger wave of that furniture polish. A great nose indeed.

Palate: Sweet, mouth-coating, and tingly. Heaps of sherry sweetness flow over the mouth but it doesn't overly dominate. The actual distillate and personality of Glen Elgin is there and hasn't been lost, and it gives the liquid a good backbone.

A second sip delivers more of a toffee-tone with some nutty tannins and burnt sugar. It's full of flavour, for sure.

Finish: Medium-long. Sweetness lingers alongside some dry tannins and gentle pepper warmth. It's very easy to reach over to refill the glass.

Conclusion: I think this would have been even better had it been released at cask strength or around the 50% mark. But that being said, I do think this is a fantastic sherried whisky and I'm really glad I managed to get one. And the price-point is fantastic (Circa £70 at the time of writing)

It's also lovely to be reacquainted with Glen Elgin again. Ah, I do love Glen Elgin!

You can find out more about the Càrn Mòr independent bottling range here