Douglas Laing is well known for the fantastic range of single cask releases, and also thier range of top quality blended whisky. Recently they have added a new blend to thier portfolio, The Epicurean, this is a blend of lowland whisky and will sit Along side such heavyweights like Big Peat, Timorous Beastie, Scallywag and Rock Oyster.

Douglas laings The Epicurean, tells us the story of a 1930s Glasgow man, a real cheeky chappy who was always the life and soul of the party, a true connoisseur of fine food and drink, ( a bit like Fred no doubt) The Epicurean is described as a blend of  some of the finest malts the lowlands has to offer.  This bottle as all bottles from Douglas Laing is NCF, natural colour and is a small batch release, it has been bottled at 46.2%abv.

Nose.. This has that typical subtle lowland nose, lots of delicate floral notes,  blossom trees and fresh cut meadow aroma,  fresh cut fruit, apples, pear and some apricot, a little sweetness arrives from some caramel, butterscotch and vanilla, a little candied orange is detectable with ginger and a subtle nuttiness.

Palate.. First thoughts are this is quite creamy, very fresh tasting with fresh fruit in the foreground, poached pear and honey , stewed apples and cinnamon with some gentle oak and citrus notes.  Subtle notes of roasted almonds and caramel bring the sweetness with delicate malty notes creeping in towards the end.

Finish.. A delicate malty finish with some sweetness.

Thoughts.. This is just exactly what I expected from a lowland expression, lovely subtle flavours, delicate aromas and a very fresh creamy taste.  Too many people overlook the lowland expressions because they don’t have this big, bold in your face kick to the knee caps type of flavour, but this is just as big but in a delicate sort of way.

A big thank you to Craig for the sample.