Vallein-Tercinier ‘Lot 56’ (41.2%, OB, Cognac, Petite Champagne, 2015) Five stars Isn’t it a little strange that they did not wait until this year to bottle this old glory, so that it would have been a 60 years old? Some Scots would have done that, for sure

. Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather less ‘direct’, less extravagant than the 1965, and more on sweet/fruity herbal teas. Cedar wood, honeysuckle, elderberry blossom, Timut pepper… There’s also some celery, some black earth, some mushrooms, some old Pu-erh tea, some spearmint… In fact, it’s astoundingly complex, with a dazzling freshness and no over-woodiness whatsoever. Impressed again. Mouth: the most fantastic herbal tea ever. Some kind of herbal blend that cures everything, with an earthy side, some liquorice wood, grapefruit, very old riesling, sultanas, a drop of baiju, and perhaps even Japanese sake. Fabulously complex. Finish: long and more on citrus, grapefruits and mandarins, and a very delicate tannicity. More Timut pepper. Comments: yet another very glorious Vallein-Tercinier. This is lace. Would dethrone many Scottish malts that some are trying to sell for ten times the price (yeah, the ones in those cumbersome decanters that even Gaga would find inelegant). SGP:661 - 93 points.