Don’t worry, we’re not taking any sides in the long-running dispute over the removal/theft (delete as appropriate) of Ancient Greek sculptures from Athens by the 7th Earl of Elgin in the early 19th century. The Elgin Marvels we are concerned with are liquid in form, with two outstanding bottlings from the lovely wee town at the centre of Moray Speyside.
A tale of two marvels
These Elgin Marvels may come from the same town, but they tell two vastly different sides of the whisky creation story. At 33 and 38 years old, they are both graceful elder statesmen of Elgin, and are united not only by lengthy maturation but by their intense fruitiness.
But it’s in their maturation journeys that our Marvels have taken entirely different paths to what they have developed into today.
Cask No. 35.405: Statuesque elegance has had a lot more of our input into what it has become over the course of 38 years. It started out with two bourbon hogsheads, one from 1987 and the other from 1988. When they reached 31 years of age, we transferred each one separately into first fill Pedro Ximenez barriques, where they remained until they were 34-years-old. At that point, we added the contents of the 1987 whisky into the 1988 cask to marry, then at 36-years-old we moved the entire contents to a second fill bourbon barrel, where this whisky has spent the rest of its time marrying in that cask.
The result of that complex journey is a beautifully complex whisky, with a range of flavours ranging from bread and butter pudding through to Belgian dark chocolate-coated brazil nuts and spiced poached pear with blackberries.
Cask No. 7.286: Fruit bomb frieze, by comparison, has been left very much alone since it was distilled back in 1992 and given 33 years of undisturbed maturation in a refill bourbon hogshead. The result? A no-nonsense, obscenely luscious old fruit bomb, featuring the kind of juicy extravagance you’d associate with earlier eras of this make; with luscious notes of cherry, mango, pineapple jam, fizzy refresher sweets and fruity cold-brew coffee, along with all manner of notes from sweet coconut cream, mint toffee and aged pipe tobacco to overripe papaya, gentian and more passion fruit.
A society work of art
You can appreciate these Elgin Marvels entirely guilt free and without concerning yourself with themes of looting, cultural identity or repatriation. They don’t belong in any museum. Their true beauty lies in their destruction – the breaking of the seal, the twisting of the cork, and the deeply satisfying glug of sublime aged single malt into your glass. Or you could choose to display them as your own Society work of art on your whisky shelf – at least for a while.
CASK No. 35.405
Statuesque Elegance
Dried Fruits & Spices
Wow, the plethora of aromas was, given the journey this whisky has had, no surprise. After plenty of discussion the following picture emerged. Imagine sitting on a well-polished, never-ending, antique olive ash dining table in a cathedral-style sherry bodega in Jerez being served Thai green curry. On the palate we were treated to dessert; an opulent bread-and-butter pudding, spiced poached pear with blackberries and Belgian dark chocolate-coated brazil nuts. Add a drop of water, if you wish, and you will be rewarded with an incense-smoked old fashioned cocktail followed by rose and basil dark chocolate macaroons and calissons d’Aix, a traditional French candy made with almonds, orange peel and royal icing.
CASK No. 7.286
Fruit Bomb Frieze
Ripe Fruits & Honey
The neat nose was redolent with chocolate-coated cherries, coconut, vanilla ice cream, chocolate stout and the umami richness of stock cubes. We also found fruitier qualities, such as dried mango, raisins and plum wine. Water brought honey, orange bitters, marmalade, teak oil and candied hazelnuts. The palate was immediately dominated by fruits; superbly vibrant and luscious notes of cherry, mango, pineapple jam, fizzy refresher sweets and fruity cold-brew coffee. In time all this evolved beautifully to passion fruit and waxiness. With water the Panel felt a bit lost for words. Just sheer layers of fruit! We found all manner of notes from sweet coconut cream, mint toffee and aged pipe tobacco to overripe papaya, gentian and more passion fruit.
