Avonside-Glenlivet 1938, 33 Years old

I'm marking my 800th whisky review with this remarkable pour. This whisky was distilled long ago, in 1938, before World War II and when televisions were first sold. It then spent 33 years aging in a sherry cask before being bottled. In the 1970s, the previous owner of Pepsi acquired it for his collection. He passed away in 2014, and his immense collection of rare whiskies went up for auction. Eighty-three years after its initial distillation, it reached my possession, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste like a certain collector did... I enjoyed it. Avonside-Glenlivet was one of Gordon & MacPhail's early bottlings, and releasing a 33-year-old whisky in 1971 was quite uncommon. When I discovered that "the perfect collection" was heading to auction, I resolved to acquire a bottle. As an enthusiast, I've seen many current releases, but the auction displays were astounding, featuring bottles I'd never encountered. Many are uncatalogued and lack online reviews. These bottles existed decades ago, and their prices are staggering. I spent a week researching the entire collection before the auction, ultimately winning ten bottles, including this Avonside-Glenlivet. It's bottled at 43% ABV with a deep copper hue. The nose is exceptionally sweet and refined, offering notes of quince dessert, glazed pork, pork chop, dates, and sherry spice, along with oranges, molasses, and prunes. Rum notes are also present. Upon tasting, it reveals marzipan, cake, and passion fruit. The palate is a genuine sherry explosion, dominated by sherry, sawdust, aged oranges, prunes, and a mild spice. A second taste brought forth intensely sweet orange caramel, pepper, and astringent qualities. The finish continues this profile with pepper, sherry, and cherry syrup, followed by licorice, rum and raisin ice cream, ginger, and cinnamon. In conclusion, this is a flawless whisky. The history is captivating, and the spirit itself is exceptional. It's packed with flavor, elegance, and complex notes, truly a sherry powerhouse. Today, a bottle commands around $3800 (which I didn't pay), and for that price, this level of quality is precisely what one should expect from a single malt (labeled as pure malt). My rating is a perfect 100 out of 100. A magnificent experience. Cheers!