- Nose
- wow, very fragrant. The more 'direct' notes are those of old leather, coal smoke, prunes and library dust. There's a sherried fruitiness, with fruit compote and plum jam, but it's pushed aside by this lovely pre-war style of coals, herbs and oils. I couldn't possibly mention everything, but I also noted eucalyptus, pine resin, fruit cake, camphor, tobacco, herbal liqueur, raspberry ganache, mint, cedar, caramelized sugar… All of this on a background of typical 1940's-1950's blend notes.
- Palate
- the first thing that struck me was “babelutte”, a kind of hard butter toffee typical for the Belgian coast. Quite spectacular. Then the other notes appear: smoke, wax, sultanas, almonds, mint, red fruit gums, Turkish delight… It keeps developing on toffee / mocha / chocolate notes, really great. Hardly any oak, hardly any bitter notes, no dryness whatsoever – rather perfect. Maybe a few metallic notes but very few considering it spent nearly 40 years in glass. Actually it's an asset here.
- Finish
- really long, with smoke and soft resin. Hints of tea as well.
