The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar - Door Number 20

Each day in December until Christmas Day we are opening a door on The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar and posting our tasting notes on our blog.

Day 20. Not long until the big day now! We've not had a bottle from Wemyss Malts for a while so it's nice to see one today. This is called Aromatic Orange Tobacco which is a 1988 Glenrothes 25yo and is at 46%.

On the nose it is indeed aromatic with orange and tobacco. There are darker fruits too like cherries, plums and dates.

On the palate it's a little bit sweet and sour at first but then the sweetness wins through. Hints of marzipan, orange peel and sultanas smother the undercurrent of damp wood and spices. 

The finish has an unusual perfumed note throughout, along with a strong, wood note in slightly treacley syrup.

With water the aromatic note becomes distinctly violet in nature on the nose, and more of the wood comes through. The palate becomes more creamy and sweet and less two-sided than before, with the finish now less perfumed and just lightly sweet until the end where the wood makes a brief, bitter appearance.

This is quite an unusual malt with lots of different things going on but easy to drink.