Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
One of my favourite things to do as I sip a pour of whisky is to consider what was going on when it was made. It's one of the true privileges of the drink that we love; its inherent stability, allowing us to enjoy it for many years. It allows a literal window into the past, the liquid's own past, yes, but also ours.
First, there's the age statement or vintage. In imagining what we were up to at the point it was created makes us realise we've grown older together. Sometimes, when we're really lucky, we can even go beyond our years and enjoy something older than us, a true 'time machine' experience.
Then, there's also the sensory indulgence at play, where aromas and flavours can quite compellingly take us to a certain memory, moment or place, almost as if we've travelled through the glass.
But, for this vPub, I'd like to focus on a third layer; that of the vintage bottling itself. Some are dusties; long-ignored but eventually discovered languishing on a retail shelf, or perhaps in a relative's cabinet, patiently waiting to be found. Some are deliberately sought out at auctions or through trade, either because they are loved or because they are legendary. Sometimes though, just for the pure sake of curiosity.
I've been lucky over the years and collected a few curious, long-discontinued bottles, some antique and others a little more contemporary. These, while not particularly valuable, can be considered possessing some of the properties we might imagine in a time machine; the ability to let us see a little of the past, specifically whisky's past. This won't be a better-then-or-now comparison, we've had fun with that before, instead I hope it will help us look at the landscape of whisky, past and present, its health, aesthetic and its general evolution.
I'll uncork (carefully!) some old, affordable, patient bottles and try to tap into any clues they're willing to give us about their past and see what it tells us about the present.
As always, it would be great to welcome you there.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Opening
1:11 - Intro to topic
2:38 - Welcoming in the lounge
11:55 - Three ways of tasting the past
18:45 - Vintage Glenfiddich 12yo & 18yo
20:55 - Abusive low-level storage
39:55 - Vintage Aberlour
47:20 - Vintage Glenmorangie
53:33 - Vintage Tomatin
1:01:10 - Discovering dusties on my doorstep
1:10:46 - Vintage Highland Park
1:34:08 - Summarising and vintage Longrow
1:51:36 - Quiz at the End
One of my favourite things to do as I sip a pour of whisky is to consider what was going on when it was made. It's one of the true privileges of the drink that we love; its inherent stability, allowing us to enjoy it for many years. It allows a literal window into the past, the liquid's own past, yes, but also ours.
First, there's the age statement or vintage. In imagining what we were up to at the point it was created makes us realise we've grown older together. Sometimes, when we're really lucky, we can even go beyond our years and enjoy something older than us, a true 'time machine' experience.
Then, there's also the sensory indulgence at play, where aromas and flavours can quite compellingly take us to a certain memory, moment or place, almost as if we've travelled through the glass.
But, for this vPub, I'd like to focus on a third layer; that of the vintage bottling itself. Some are dusties; long-ignored but eventually discovered languishing on a retail shelf, or perhaps in a relative's cabinet, patiently waiting to be found. Some are deliberately sought out at auctions or through trade, either because they are loved or because they are legendary. Sometimes though, just for the pure sake of curiosity.
I've been lucky over the years and collected a few curious, long-discontinued bottles, some antique and others a little more contemporary. These, while not particularly valuable, can be considered possessing some of the properties we might imagine in a time machine; the ability to let us see a little of the past, specifically whisky's past. This won't be a better-then-or-now comparison, we've had fun with that before, instead I hope it will help us look at the landscape of whisky, past and present, its health, aesthetic and its general evolution.
I'll uncork (carefully!) some old, affordable, patient bottles and try to tap into any clues they're willing to give us about their past and see what it tells us about the present.
As always, it would be great to welcome you there.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Opening
1:11 - Intro to topic
2:38 - Welcoming in the lounge
11:55 - Three ways of tasting the past
18:45 - Vintage Glenfiddich 12yo & 18yo
20:55 - Abusive low-level storage
39:55 - Vintage Aberlour
47:20 - Vintage Glenmorangie
53:33 - Vintage Tomatin
1:01:10 - Discovering dusties on my doorstep
1:10:46 - Vintage Highland Park
1:34:08 - Summarising and vintage Longrow
1:51:36 - Quiz at the End
