08.03.2025
Vintage Whisky: How to Choose the Perfect Bottle for Your Collection
Glenfarclas 1991- Vintage Bottles by Damian Baran
When you collect whisky, what is the main aspect when choosing a bottle for your shelf?
Are you guided by the smell? Maybe this bottle reminds you of a familiar smell after opening it, maybe like me you love smoky peaty, marine climates that remind me of long evenings spent by the campfire.
Are you guided by the taste or maybe the finish? Do you love the finish after sherry? Dried fruits, milk chocolate, baked apple and raisins? This will be perfect for you.
Maybe you choose a bottle because of its appearance? The shape of the bottle? Unusual shapes like Ardbeg, Dalmore, Glenglassah or maybe simplicity like Caol ila or Talisker (I am personally on #teamsimpledesign )
Or maybe you are guided by the vintage? There is a lot to write about the latter and we will focus on that first.
Every person has a date that has left a mark on their life, it may be the date of birth, i.e. the same "vintage", maybe it is the date of your wedding, the birth of a child or another important event in your life. I focused my attention on my vintage, 1991 winter, December to be exact.
Laphroaig 23 Years Old 1991 Vintage
The first bottle that hit my shelf with this vintage was Laphroaig 23 Years Old 1991 Vintage, what a bottle, I still have a small amount and I enjoy it in special circumstances. The beautiful green bottle with the black label looks amazing.
Glenfarclas 23 Years Old 1991
The second one is a special bottle for me, Glenfarclas 23 Years Old 1991 '91 from December, the same year and month as my birthday. I bought it for my birthday and I'll probably open it on one of those. I had the opportunity to buy a sample of this bottle, so I know it's worth the wait.
Like most bottles from the Glenfarclas Distillery, this one was matured in Oloroso Sherry casks and its main flavours are lots of milk chocolate, dried fruit, slightly creamy vanilla notes, a touch of oak bitterness and a touch of ginger with a hint of pepper, which gives it a feisty flavour.
Lagavulin 1991
The third bottle Lagavulin 1991 The Distillers Edition is my latest purchase and I am super proud to have it in my collection. I love the Islay vibe, I love smoke, peat mixed with sweet fruit and here we have it in abundance.
North British 31 Years Old 1991 Vintage- Hogshead Spirits
The fourth North British 31 Years Old 1991 Vintage '91 bottle in my collection is from independent bottler Hogshead Spirits and this single grain is a 31 year old North British and here we are dealing with a 1at fill bourbon barrel.
Glendronach 21 Years Old Parliament
For me, the next date is 2018, when after 6 years my current wife and I stood at the altar to say "I do". I was looking for a bottle from the 2018 vintage that would be "fit" to drink for me and my chosen one, so at that moment I chose a classic from Highland and I chose Glendronach.
Glendronach 21 Years Old Parliament Bottled in 2018, this incredibly well-composed whiskey is perfect for both a drink and neat.
- Nose: A delicate combination of ripe autumn fruits - especially blackberries and red plums. Rich notes of Oloroso Sherry and candied oranges. Spices and breakfast cereals, oak flavors with perfect weight and harmony.
- Taste: notes of pleasant Oloroso sherry and plum pudding with chocolate sauce. Vanilla pudding and a bit of white pepper. Great spice notes - cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Full bodied with soft tannins.
- Finish: long-lasting with notes of liquorice, chocolate, spices sprinkled with vanilla pudding and delicate sherry.
Jura 21 Years Old Time
The second bottle is Jura and I must admit that I am not a big fan of this distillery but this bottle made a good impression on me In 2018 @jurawhisky introducing a new offer to the market showed also its two premium editions to the world.
Jura 21 Years Old TIDE and Jura 21 Years Old TIME are two single malts aged in white American oak barrels with a different finish.
Tide aged in virgin American oak barrels and the one I own, i.e. Time, matured in "peated" single malt casks. Abv: 47.2%, colour: golden and 21 Years old.
- Nose: wax, slightly peaty, some vanilla, raisins, oak barrel, wood varnish, coffee, butter rolls
- Taste: oak, slightly peaty, vanilla, caramel, ginger, a bit of cinnamon, oily, hay, dark chocolate, tobacco
- Finish: medium long, roasted coffee, sweet, chocolate, some ginger, peat in the background
About the author
Damian Baran
I am in love with the world of whisky since 2021 after the first films about testing and discovering flavors. the story began with a bottle of Talisker 10, earlier of course brands such as glendifich or johnie walker appeared but it was Talisker that opened my eyes to the diversity of flavors and scents. currently with over 800 whiskies tried and head over heels in love with the climates of islay. finds his flavors in bottles such as ardbeg or lagavulin but I also willingly reach for peated whiskies such as glendronach sweet fruity climates of Speyside.
To the author