Glen Elgin 12 Year Old Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) - 1980s Bottling

A very rare Glen Elgin bottled by White Horse Distillers some time during the 1980s (possibly earlier). Comes with its original presentation box which is damaged as pictured. One only from a private collection. 43% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... With the White Horse on the label. Colour: gold. Nose: wonderful at first nosing, phenolic and resinous, with also some meaty notes and quite some soot and a little metal polish. Very old style. Becomes more mushroomy after a while, slightly mouldy and certainly earthy. Some smoked tea, camphor, hessian, wax polish… It’s all very complex and quite close to earlier versions from the 1970s as far as I can remember (right, I have my old notes). Mouth: excellent attack, really big, very peppery, smoky and much drier than expected. Some tar and liquorice wood, soft chilli, something like mustard, bitter caramel, very dry herbal teas (thyme) and even something that I almost never get in whisky: garlic. Not kidding (no I haven’t been eating garlic for days). Finish: rather long, dry, smoky… Also ashes and wax. It’s only in the aftertaste that something sweeter appears. Apple juice? Oranges? Comments: huge personality. Maybe it’s not ‘classically good’ but very interesting it is.
83 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com