Douglas Laing have released a new, cask strength, Edinburgh-themed variant of their Lowland blended malt, The Epicurean, following a one-off competition between Edinburgh’s top bartenders. The great and good from Edinburgh’s bar scene were invited along to Nauticus, a brilliant cocktail and whisky bar in Leith, to try their hand at blending together a selection of Lowland malts. Each bartender’s creation was then judged by Fred Laing Jr, with Lindsay Blair from 56 North being crowned the winner. Blair’s recipe was then scaled up to produce 600 limited edition bottles which will be available from local specialist retailers by the end of the month.
Cara Laing, Director of Whisky at Douglas Laing, said of the new release: “The Epicurean’s Cask Strength Edinburgh Edition celebrates our Capital City and its impressive array of bars and spirit experts. With summer just around the corner, this is perfect timing to release this fresh and zesty Lowland Malt. We’d recommend enjoying it straight-up or long with ginger ale or apple juice to further enhance those tangy, slightly spicy, sweet flavours.”
The Epicurean Cask Strength Edinburgh Edition
Blended Malt
Douglas Laing
600 bottles
53.3% ABV
£44.95 here
Nose: A little spirity to begin, then there’s white grapes, apple skin, fizzy lemonade, kiwi, and lemon parfait. Some white chocolate, fresh cut grass, and a white pepper spiciness too.
Palate: A woody entry, with pine, green stems, and rather drying, fresh oak. Then a touch of vanilla, with root ginger, lemon peel, and Granny Smith apples.
Finish: Quite drying again, with fresh oak, nutmeg and a mustard seed spice.
Overall: Pleasant, if fairly simple, and a little spirity. Lots of sensation, but not too much in the way of depth of flavour. It’s enjoyable enough on its own, but I can imagine this would make a really tasty long drink – those zingy, citrusy, green fruit notes would undoubtedly work well in a highball or Collins. At under £45 a bottle it’s also pretty good value when you consider the strength of the whisky – a little really will go a long way with this one.
