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Whisky Index : Vintages - year of distillation

Whiskies by vintage.

Browse our whisky database by the whisky vintage. This is the year the whisk(e)y was distilled.

 

Issue 112 Out Now

Whisky Magazine Issue 112

Tamdhu, Coopering, Toronto

 

35

Talisker Talisker 35 Years Old. Very pleasant and moreish, lighter than I thought it would be for its age.

40

Old Pulteney 40 Years Old. The sherry dominates on the oaky side. Too much for me but if you like woody corpulent whiskies, thi

1926

The Macallan 1926, 60 Years Old. A privilege to taste such an old whisky but I just cannot handle such woody astringency.

1937

The Macallan 1937, 36 Years Old. Blindfold, I am not sure I would not recognise this as a Macallan until that familiar finish.

1938

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1938, 60 Years Old. A great age, but it has matured beautifully.

1940

The Macallan 1940, 35 Years Old. Not quite the complexity of the 1946 and 1948. Oaky woodiness begins to intrude.

1943

Private Collection Glenlivet 1943. The Glenlivet is another whisky that I have encountered at great ages, often past their best. This s

1945

The Macallan 1945, 56 Years Old, Vintage. Very lively, but ill-tempered. I kept expecting it to propose the return of military service, or dem

1946

The Macallan 1946, 52 Years Old. A whisky of seductive charm.

1948

The Macallan 1948 Select Reserve. Paler in colour and lighter in body, but what a palate...great Speyside whiskies once tasted like th

1949

The Macallan 1949, 50 Years Old, Millennium. A beautifully composed, luxurious whisky.

1951

The Macallan 1951 Vintage. I am a great devotee of the older Macallans, but this one is too woody for me.

1952

Glenfarclas The Family Cask Release 3 1952 Cask 1713 Plains Hogshead 55 Years Old. Remarkable.

1955

Glenfarclas 1955. The russet colour promised something more luxurious, but this whisky is not as rich as it was.

1957

The Family Casks 1957 Release II Cask Number 2115. Too long in the wood.

1958

Highland Park 1958. Some drinkers might perfer this great whisky slightly younger and fresher. Those who like a touch of

1959

The Glenlivet 1959 Cellar Collection. Vivid descriptors, but the flavours are very restrained. A most elegant whisky.

1960

Convalmore 1960, Rare Old. Try it with a book at bedtime.

1961

The Macallan 1961 Vintage. This one I loved. The flavours have melded beautifully, in what must have been an excellent cask.

1962

Glen Moray 1962, Ed Dodson's Last Manager's Choice. As appealing and intriguing as a cupboard full of granny's jams for a young pilferer (I was one!). Y

1963

Scott's Selection North of Scotland, 1963. Very rich for a grain whisky. Not much dimension. No flavour peaks.

1964

Girvan Single Grain 1964. I've always had a soft spot for this distillery's Black Barrel, and I like this version even more. N

1965

Kingsbury Glenturret 1965. Very much the house style. Has not gained, or lost, much by such a long maturation.

1966

Auchentoshan 1966, 31 Years Old. A fine whisky, but does something as fresh and soft benefit from quite so much ageing?

1967

The Glenlivet 1967 Vintage. Lots of flavour development. I enjoyed this one.

1968

The Glenlivet 1968 Vintage. Has the complexity I expect from The Glenlivet.

1969

The Glenlivet 1969 Vintage. A little woody.

1970

The Glenlivet 1970 Vintage. Enjoyable, but I expected a little more.

1971

Glen Moray 1971 Vintage. Glen Moray has never been seen as a glamorous malt, but it gains mystery with maturity.

1972

The Glenlivet 1972 Vintage. A little woody. Choice of cask?

1973

Rare Malts Cardhu 1973, 25 Years Old. For teatime – more fun than Darjeeling.

1974

Rare Malts Glen Ord 1974, 23 Years Old. Far paler and less sherried than the main version from this distillery. I would like at least some s

1975

Ardbeg 1975. Ardbeg is one of my great favourites, and this is one of the best versions I have tasted recently.

1976

Aberlour 1976. A little more roundness would have been appreciated.

1977

Glenmorangie 1977. Very juicy wood, but just too much of it?

1978

Rare Malts Port Ellen 1978 20 Years Old. An expressive, arousing, version of this fine malt.

1979

Murray McDavid Highland Park 1979. Very good indeed as a lightish, delicate, interpretation of Highland Park.

1980

Cadenhead's Bladnoch 1980, 17 Years Old. Slightly lean. Where is the fruity softness of Bladnoch?

1981

Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila 1981. A beautifully balanced, rounded, example of this distinctive malt.

1982

Mackillop's Choice Linlithgow 1982, Cask 1336. Very pungent and powerful for a Lowlander. Tending toward harshness. This seems typical of these las

1983

Signatory Millburn 1983. Confusing aroma, but otherwise the most enjoyable Millburn I have tasted.

1984

Cragganmore 1984 Distillers Edition, Ruby Port Finish, 12 Years Old. Connoisseurs might miss the austerity of the original – or enjoy the added layer of fruity, winey,

1985

Gordon & MacPhail Inverleven 1985. Not much complexity, but an unusually summery whisky.

1986

Connoisseur's Choice Bladnoch 1986. The light touch of sherry helps bring out the soft, fruity, flavours.

1987

Gordon & MacPhail Scapa 1987. A complex, delicate, well-balanced vintage.

1988

Aberlour 1988, Distiller's Selection. An astonishingly malty whisky. For someone who wants to taste the eponymous ingredient, this shows i

1989

Cadenhead's Rosebank 1989, 9 Years Old. All of the characteristic floweriness of Rosebank, but with some roundness.

1990

Murray McDavid Rosebank 1990, Sherry Cask. The flowery youth of the whisky and the freshness of the sherry cask achieve an interesting harmony.

1991

Evan Williams 1991, Single Barrel. Where did she go? Will she return?

1992

Springbank 1992, 7 Years Old, Da Mhile Organic. Lively and refreshing, but the flavours have not combined and fleshed out as probably they will in a

1993

Knappogue Castle 1993. The vinho verde colour suggests a very light whiskey, and this certainly is, in both body and flavou

1994

Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon, 1994. Another great vintage from Heaven Hill.

1995

The Arran Malt First 1995, Limited Edition. The early releases were promising, and this one has matured well.

1996

Blackadder Arran 1996 Raw Cask. Slightly gin-like. I have preferred bottlings that had more contribution from the wood. A touch of v

1997

Balblair 1997 Vintage. A stunner.

1998

Celtique Connexion Islay Single Malt Spirit Safe and Cask , 8 Years Old.

1999

The Whisky Exchange Isle of Jura 1999, 5 Years Old. Why wasn't this done years ago? More please. Captivating.

2000

Glengoyne 2000 AD. Delicious example of maltiness in a whisky. I always enjoy Glengoynes very much, but they invariably

2001

Craigellachie Hotel Glenfarclas 2001 Single Cask Bottling. In each corner, a fighter rather than a boxer. Not much refinement, but plenty of punch.

2002

Craigellachie Hotel Glenlivet 2002 Single Cask Bottling. Very sherryish, but just enough of the Glenlivet's fruity-flowery character sings through. Beautiful

2003

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2003. A no nonsense, yet elegant Bourbon.

2004

The Arran Malt Machrie Moor,Peated 2nd Edition 2004. A moody offering from the Arran Distillery team.

2005

Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Straight Rye 4 Years Old 2005. This is a clever, tricksy rye. Worth a look.

2006

Limburgers Two Years Old, 2006. An aromatised whisky ? Odd,rather well constructed but leave a sickening feel. Like a cough syrup.

2007

The Macallan Easter Elchies Seasonal Cask Selection Summer 2007. This is all about power, show and bravado and misses out on elegance depth and nuance. Some will lov

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