Early Landed - Late Bottled Brandy 27Y (1993) 51.9 "Thompson Bros"

Early Landed - Late Bottled Brandy 27 Years Old [Thompson Bros] Distilled 1993 - 155 btl. - 51.9% abv.

There’s a lot to digest in the title alone.

First of all, it’s a bottling for The Netherlands.

Second of all, it’s bottled by the Thompson Brothers of Dornoch, Scotland. They are the guys behind Dornoch Distillery and the whisky bar in the Dornoch Castle Hotel. Normally they bottle whisky and their own gin, but apparently they diversified into brandy as well.

Third, this early landed brandy stuff. Early landed is a term I’m more familiar with from the world of rum, but it means the same thing. It simply means that it was transported from its country of origin to Scotland before being bottled.

The label says brandy, because it is not allowed to label it as a cognac. It is a cognac, but instead of being bottled in that region of France, it was transported to Scotland before being bottled, hence ‘brandy’.

Now then, this came out and most bottles were scooped up pretty quickly.

Credits: Maltfascination

Nose: Quite rustic, almost Armagnac-like. Big notes of mocha, cappuccino and other coffee related aromas. Slivers of cigar boxes and tobacco, but also some gentler chocolate notes, soy sauce and mushrooms. Only a sliver of plums, raisins and dates in the background.

Taste: Somewhat dry and not subtle in the slightest. Hints of nougat, black tea leaves and tinned peaches, but also some burnt toast, aniseed, menthol and liquorice root. Maybe some plums, but definitely dark chocolate and resin.

Finish: Long. Lots of mentholated notes, as well as chocolate, juniper and tobacco leaf.

Credits: WordsofWhisky