Wee Mongrel Batch 1 20y/o Blended Malt 52.3%ABV 30ml

A sleeper hit in 2021 from the independent bottler Little Brown Dog Spirits - it was launched at 49 pounds for a 500ml bottle and then jumped to over 100pounds as people went crazy for it. One of 850 bottles. This was a blend from some old Edrington stocks mixed together in a single sherry butt - there have been a few of these blends released by independent bottlers most were from a parcel set aside for a planned special 40 year old edition of Famous Grouse that never happened as Edrington needed to sell to help pay for the massive overspend on the new Macallan building- the Vega 40 and 41 from North Star are from this parcel too. This one tastes like a successful salvage job to me hence the low age statement of 20y/o, I imagine a lot of this is 45y/o Edrington stock mostly Macallan that had passed its peak and become too tannic and astringent so then some younger 20 year old Tamdhu or Glenrothes were added reduce the oakiness, freshen it up and take the edge off. You can taste some really old whisky in this blend - proper dunnage warehouse notes - earthy mushrooms, nutty rancio notes and then some super sweet sherry, raisins and apples that cover up some mouth drying woody off- notes of the older whisky.