Blair Athol 25 year old (D.1997, B.2023) Douglas Laing's XOP/ 55.7%/ 0.7l

Fred Laing's XOP series debuted in 2014, a dozen or so months after the division of Douglas Laing & Co.'s assets between the two Laing brothers.

XOP stands for Xtra Old Particular and refers to the finest single malt and single grain casks from the family stock. The Blair Athol 25 year old on display here was distilled in August 1997 and aged for over a quarter of a century in a refill hogshead cask number DL 17229. Bottled in March 2023 at cask strength (55.7% abv), natural colour and unchill-filtered in an edition limited to 273 bottles. (Official tasting note.)

Nose : very traditional Highlander, crushed nuts, honey and milky breakfast cereal.

Taste: lots of warming spices on the palate, juicy, sweet and peppery at the same time, and fruity candies to sweeten it up.

Finish: The spiciness of the spices mellows on the finish, some herbs, vanilla and breakfast cereal.