Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection The Recollection Series 42 year old Port Ellen 1981, 52.5%

This one is dark, with aromas of plain chocolate, old oak, snuff, tobacco leaf, and briar pipe. Behind that, there are scents of leather, sticky toffee pudding, cinnamon, pepper, black forest gateau, and pecan pie. It’s initially mouth-drawing, with fruitcake, cocoa, pepper, malt, walnuts in syrup, leather, peanut brittle, and a gentle rounded smokiness, growing sweeter as it dilutes, with vanilla, raisin, and black cherry. (181 bottles)