The Pride of Speyside in Cask Strength

Douglas Laing recently launched the ‘Remarkable Regional Malts’ as an umbrella brand for the vatted/blended malts combining the highly popular Islay Big Peat with The Speyside Scallywag, Timorous Beastie from the Highlands and the maritime Rock Oyster from the Islands.

Together with a new website (and online store), Douglas Laing has launched a video for the ‘Remarkable Regional Malts’:

After coming out with an annual Christmas edition of Big Peat at cask strength for the past four years (with a new expression just two months or so away), we get a cask strength Scallywag, the Speyside sherry vatted malt that’s comprised of whisky from the Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes distilleries.

 

Photo Credit: Douglas Laing

Photo Credit: Douglas Laing

Douglas Laing Scallywag Cask Strength (53.6% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Bronze, thin legs with very long residual droplets.

Nose: Roasting coffee beans , sherry, salty and sweet alcoholic burn, fresh cherries. This is young-ish spirit with quite a bit of sherry, but there’s also caramel, wood spices, and dried fruit that comes out after a bit of time in the glass.

Palate: Sharp peppery spice, with sherry, ground cinnamon and cardamom, together with some very subdued toffee and honey.

Linger: Pepper on the tongue with chili in the back of the gullet, with the residual flavor you get after sucking a Werther’s Original candy, only nowhere near as sweet.

Conclusion

This is a beautiful example of a vatted malt in which the sum is greater than its parts. This dram is complex and enjoyable, especially if spice and sherry are your thing.

I have to say that I really hope to see a cask strength Rock Oyster 🙂

Official sample provided by Douglas Laing & Co.

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