Old Perth – Cask Strength 58.6%

The big brother to the Old Perth Original. This one is wading in at a whopping 58.6% ABV.

As I mentioned in my review of the Old Perth ‘Original’, the city of Perth was the whisky blending capital of the world and over time became forgotten. In 2013 the now Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers purchased the Old Perth brand from Whyte & Mackay and production started again.

The Old Perth brand is effectively all about sherry, and the ‘Cask Strength’ is their release that builds on the ‘Original’, but is completely undiluted and at cask strength.

It also retails at around £40 – that’s like stepping back a decade on the price-front.

Appearance: Amber with thin & fast-paced legs

Nose: Malty, sweet, and vibrant. Warmed brown sugar, sherry, a dollop of custard and an oakiness all dance around in the nose. And then there’s a lovely warmed nutty toffee aroma. Chopped & dried fruit mix that you’d throw in a cake finally appear. Surprisingly, the high alcohol doesn’t burn the nose.

Palate: Sweet and sherried delivered with a punch. The crackle from the high strength is also quite oily and viscous, but carries a nice crackle. Spicy caramel with an obvious oaky-sherried influence now appears. And right at the end there’s a faint saltiness.

Finish: Medium-long, but beautifully sweet and oily. The second sip of this delivered even more aromatics with a bigger finish.

Conclusion: Like the Old Perth ‘Original’, there’s clearly a youthfulness going on here, but it’s all so nicely balanced and full of flavour. It’s big-hitting and full bodied, and at around £40 a bottle it is quite amazing.

People I’ve shared my bottle with have summed it up quite nicely: “it’s one to have in the cabinet all year round” And at the current price, it’s easy to justify this.