Scotch Whisky Review #213: Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask Black Gold Glenrothes 22 Year (1997)

Distillery: Glenrothes

Bottler: Morrison & MacKay

Region: Speyside

Cask Type: Sherry Puncheon

Cask Number: 7168

ABV: 58.7%

Age: 22 Year and 1 day. Distilled April 28th, 1997. Bottled April 29th, 2019.

Color: 2.0, Treacle. Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Color.

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Nose: There’s so much sherry in the nose that I had to double check that I wasn’t drinking sherry. Molasses/treacle is one of the main notes and is joined by a medley of sticky, dried fruits. Raisins, golden raisins, prunes, and dates are ones I pick out in particular.

Palate: It’s a tad hot at full strength and absolutely needs to be watered down. Before water, it’s a lot of rich sherry and all the raisins. With quite a bit of water, you get a lovely burnt caramel and molasses note. There is once again lots of raisins along with dates. A bit of chocolate syrup and chocolate covered almonds pop up right toward the end.

Finish: Surprisingly short, even after watered down. There’s a hint of chocolate dust and it evaporates.

Conclusion: To call this release by Morrison & MacKay a sherry bomb, much like the SCN Port Charlotte I reveiwed earlier this year, is unfair to other sherried whiskies. This is absolutely a sherry nuke and it might be the most sherried whisky I’ve ever had. The color is as dark as dark can be. The nose is absolutely dominated by the sherry with a fantastic combination of dried fruits and molasses. The palate is a continuation of the good things going on in the nose and adds in another layer of depth with the chocolate and nuts. The finish is a tad disappointing as the party ends far sooner than I’d hope for but on the whole, this is an absolute treat. Would I buy a bottle? Oh yes.

Final Score: 90.

Scotch Whisky Review #213, Speyside Review #89, Whisky Network Review #306

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.