Convalmore 24 Years Old Rare Malts Selection 59.4% 1978

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

Colour: straw.

Nose: very special, it smells like an un-smoky Laphroaig. Very medicinal, with some bandages, cod oil, lamp petrol, tar… Some funny smells of a brand new tyre. Very special indeed. Gets slightly metallic (oxidised copper).

Mouth: rich and bold, very coating. Lots of wax, eucalyptus and tar. Quite some smoke, smoked tea (Lapsang Souchong), over-infused tea. Very, very interesting – I feel Convalmore was perhaps an overlooked distillery. Anyway, this one is a love-it-or-hate-it malt, and I love it.

Words of Whisky (92)

Nose
Lots of citrus notes at first nosing. Tangerine, lemon, sour oranges. But don't mistake this for a very fruity whisky. It has an interesting whiff of gasoline, as well as a fair amount of candle wax with some coconut shavings and yoghurt.

Taste
Lovely creamy mouthfeel, and surprisingly gentle for its high abv. Although don't think of this as a 'soft' whisky, it is quite bold still. A hit of black pepper immediately after swallowing. Beeswax and wildflower honey, accompanied by lemons. A subtle hint of smoke, menthol and tobacco leaves.

Finish
Lingering on apples and pears, with a trace of menthol. Long.

Comments
Now this is something else. Waxy and fruity, but also that interesting whiff of gasoline, as well as a the spices and smoke on the palate. All of that nicely balanced. Can't ask for much more.

BOW (90)

Convalmore is one of the distilleries that were closed during the whisky crisis of the early 1980’s. The site is now owned by William Grant and the abandoned buildings are used to store casks of Glenfiddich and Balvenie