Poit Dhubh 21 Year Old Gaelic Malt Scotch Whisky

The 8 year old of Poit Dhubh (see the review on this blog) impressed us so much that we needed to get a hold of some more, and since the only one available to us in Nova Scotia was the 21 year old, the 21 year old was what we got a hold of. It's a lot more expensive, coming in at $139.81 as opposed to $50 for the 8 year old. The 8 year old impressed us and the 21 year old impressed us too. However, did it impress us 2.8 times? The truth is, although the 21 year old is really good, we think we actually prefer the 8 year old. We do recommend trying the 21 year old. It's a damn fine scotch. Perhaps it's more of a special occasion scotch.

There's a lot of complexity with the 21 year old, which presents itself at 43% and comes in a more Scottish (European?) 700ml bottle rather than the Canadian (North American) 750ml. It also prides itself on being unchilfiltered, which is something to look for.

The nose begins with dark fruits, apples and cherry and a charry smoke scent that's much stronger than the 8 year old. There's also spice and a hint of ginger. After drinking it, we let it sit for a while, and let the liquid settle at the bottom of the glass (as we are now in the habit of doing). This final few drops brought out something unique, a sudden intense caramel and burnt sugar smell and stronger elements of cherry, while the smokiness faded away. A definitely interesting effect.

The palate is sort of amazing. There's a whole range of flavours that swirl and mix. It's hard to even focus on one as another comes rushing in. There's chocolate and leather and more ginger, this time definitely hot fresh ginger that burns the mouth in a pleasant sort of way, while an underlying candy sweetness adds its flavour and evens it all out.

We came across something new in this drink as there is a kind of hotness to this scotch that we've never quite experienced before. Not quite hot and not quite spicy, but something that gives the feeling of both. We noticed it more in the 21 year old, but it's there in the background of the 8 as well.

The finish has a very satisfying touch of smoke. It's really the perfect amount of smoke, enough to establish itself, but not enough to become overbearing. It's subtle and gentle. And to compliment it perfectly, there's more fruit, specifically apple that gives it a contrasting sweetness.

This Scotch is good and as it ends up, it is better than the 8 year old, but sometimes people are weird, and even though we know its better, the 8 year old is the preferable dram. Having this, and saving it for sporadic sampling will be a welcome occasion however.