Old Perth Manzanilla Limited Edition

Old Perth’s history dates back to 1908, with grocer Peter Thomson’s whisky blends. Up to the ’70s it was known to contain a high proportion of malt whisky, including quality sherried single malt. In 2014 the Morrison family (previously owners of Bowmore, Auchentoshan, and Glen Garioch) brought it back, doubling down on its virtues to reinvent it as a blended malt (100% malt whiskies), and 100% sherry matured.

We’ve featured Old Perth in previous years, but never one like this limited edition. Instead of the more common oloroso or PX, this is a vatting of 11 handpicked manzanilla sherry casks (6 hogsheads and 5 butts). Manzanilla’s essentially a type of fino sherry that must be made around coastal Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Aged under a layer of flor yeast, it’s a dry, slightly salty (think sea spray) style of sherry, but can still be fresh and zesty in character.