When I read on the internet that Douglas Laing was about to release a limited edition of their Lowlands blended malt The Epicurean, a huge smile formed on my face. As a dedicated fan of this moustached muchacho, I could not wait to find out what this special bottling would look like. Well… meanwhile, I learned more. The so-called Glasgow Edition got created in close cooperation with eight of the city’s most respected mixologists and marks the most high-percentage Remarkable Malts expression to date; no less than 58.6 per cent ABV does this boisterous bon vivant bring to the table! While the official tasting notes mostly point out the citrusy and grassy qualities within The Epicurean – Glasgow Edition, I first and foremost made out a lot of sweet and spicy notes. But hey, ain’t that one of the things that make our hobby (or should I rather say passion) so much fun? When we sip a dram, we all have different sensations, connotations and preferences. Yet in the end, there is one thing we all agree on. And that is the simple fact that whisky is one utterly fascinating spirit. I toast to that with another glass of The Epicurean’s first but hopefully not last limited edition! Rock on, you sharp dressing, cone wearing and joy giving wild cat!
by Tobi
Eye: A bit darker than the regular version, but still rather light.
Nose: The first sniff is surprisingly sweet and delicate with an abundance of raisins, fudge, honey pie and cocktail cherries. Have Douglas Laing used an increased proportion of PX cask-matured whisky in the new recipe? At a later point, the sour notes that dominate the standard version of The Epicurean pierce through. They appear in the form of lemon juice, champagne and gooseberries. Although this is the most powerful Remarkable Malts bottling so far, the alcohol – albeit strong and solid – is not too stingy. It is nicely woven into the malt’s feisty fabric.
Palate: There certainly is a lot going on in this muscular Lowlands whisky, which is sweet, sharp and spicy all together. Among others, we get to taste honey-glazed lemon cake, unripe peaches, thinly cut ginger and slightly burnt raisin bread. Oh, and let’s not forget the green apples and the freshly picked trefoil either.
Finish: Long n’ strong. The Glasgow Edition of The Epicurean leaves behind pleasant traces of beeswax, apricot and white pepper. The spirit’s high ABV of 58.6 per cent also makes itself known during the finish.
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- The dram
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- The label
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- In the glass
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- Promo shot (taken from DouglasLaing.com)
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Lowlands)
Aged: NAS
Alc. volume: 58.6 per cent
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
# of bottles: 3,000
Price range: ~45.00 Euro
More info: http://www.douglaslaing.com/ (Bottler) ; http://www.bremerspirituosencontor.de/ (Importer)
BarleyMania | Whisky & Whiskey 
I really liked this whisky as well!
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Cheers, Jason. Glad to hear you liked The Epicurean’s first limited edition, too. :)
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Have you tried a side-by-side compare and contrast?
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Yes, when I wrote my review for the Glasgow Edition, I sipped a glass of the Regular Version on the side. It was really good fun trying to identify similarities and differences between the two malts. Besides the fact that the Glasgow Edition is (obviously) a lot stronger, I also found it to be more spicy and sweet than its non-limited counterpart. The sourness that dominates the nose and palate of The Epicurean is also present here, albeit in a less dominating way. In the Glasgow Edition it interacts very nicely with the aforementioned sweet and spicy notes, thus making the spirit noticeably more complex.
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