Friday 7 March 2014

St. Magdalene 1982/2008 Blackadder Raw Cask

Scottish Calvados

http://www.axmaltwhisky.co.uk/85.html

Another week, another lost distillery, This week it's St.Magdalene's (Linlithgow) turn. Closed like so many others in 1983, the distillery however was preserved as they turned the old buildings into apartments.

I remember driving past the old distillery in 2012, I only started drinking single malts a year earlier and I had no idea that this was one of the famous lost distilleries, nor did I know its name.

Now almost two years later, I'll my first taste. Another Blackadder raw cask, this is the second one I tried, after a Lochside from 1981 and I must say that this is a great bottler, and I'm quite digging the raw cask concept.



The Whisky

Colour is rather pale, non-chill filtered, no colour added, and at a whopping 61,8% cask strength!Like a previous review on this site said: quite the bang for your buck! But it needs a few drops of water.
http://www.blackadder.nu/newidx.php?page=shownews&site=INT&news_id=54&cat_id=1


Nose: Surprisingly light, a faint whiff of peat, lemon and oranges. Farmy quality, with grassy notes but also chloride scents? Strange for an inland distillery, maybe they came with the peat.
Taste: a nice and fruity dram, very hot due to the high alcohol percentage. Very prominent flavour of pears, reminds me more of a nice calvados from Normandy than the average scotch.
Peat, apples, powerful peppery notes and yet again some saltiness.
Finish: Grand dry finish, with black pepper and lemon.


The Verdict

Not as amazing as the last two drams from lost distilleries I had, but this one was reasonably cheaper than the others. Actually It came at a great price and I'm glad I have this bottle. Will I run to the store to buy some more? probably not, but I'll certainly enjoy the one that I have. So if you want to try the St.Magdalene before the last bottles are locked away in some rich man's safe, this is the one to try, it comes at a great price and is an extraordinary malt.

Score: 85