7 January 2013

06/01/2013 Chris's birthday at the SMWS

It was only going to be a quick dram at the local, but given the group of merry people who were there to celebrate a birthday, it went on for a lot longer than foreseen.

Girvan 48yo 1964/2012 (49.5%, TWA + TWE, ex-Sherry Butt, 487b) (myself): Fixou raved about this one not too long ago. Good to get to try it, then. Nose: gingerbread aplenty, with some honeysuckle. Mouth: black grapes, black currant, a little liquorice -- this is amazing, in fact! Finish: wood varnish and liquorice at first, then a flash of dark fruit again. Fantastic! The dark fruit fades away after a couple of sips, but the first is miraculous (thanks PS). 9/10

50.50 22yo 1990/2012 Conifers, grasses and flowers (54.1%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 122b) (JS): nose: animal and leathery at first, then turns more velvety. Fermenting apples and other decaying fruit. Mouth: Peppery with a pear sweetness. Unusual combination. Finish: more white pepper.

2.40 25yo 1976 (58.1%, SMWS Society Cask) (me): nose: very heavily sherried, this. Rancio, Madeira, heavy, fortified wine, chemical, paint-related solvents. Mouth: more fortified wine, grape liqueur, elderberry, pepper -- this is quite hot! Finish: this is not whisky, it is sherry on steroids! Powerful, with notes of dark cherries and grapes. Interesting, but not an every-day dram (thanks Chris).

33.114 11yo 1999/2011 Sweet versus savoury (56.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 630b) (everyone, tasted blind): nose: a bit of elegant smoke. Mouth: ripe, dark cherries. Finish: lovely, balanced smoke and dark cherries. Not the best notes, I know, but we get the drams out of thin air, at this point. Am stunned that this young Ardbeg is not more aggressive (thanks Ian).

29.126 17yo 1995/2012 Protects against vampires (60%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 187b) (everyone, tasted blind): nose: a lot more flowers, this time, colone, honeysuckle, pears and apples (J). Mouth: rose water, honeysuckle and colone again. Finish: tulip, strangely enough. Someone else shouts Laphroaig. J agrees there is some smoke in it and it must be that -- she is also astonished that she likes it. I get none of that and think of a Speyside, but then I have just had a grain, a sherry monster and another peater griffin. My taste buds and nose are not to be trusted, then. :-/ (thanks Geoff)

G5.7 19yo 1993/2012 All Day American Breakfast (64.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 237b) (me): right before leaving, I realise I have not tasted this Invergordon, which is a shame, as that is the last bottle of it (edit: I actually had it when it came out). Nose: gingerbread, bakery. Mouth: toasted cereal, pepper -- this is spicy, in fact. Finish: bakery galore. I keep being interrupted, so cannot take insightful notes, but this is another great dram. It took me a while to try a good Invergordon, now I seem to like them all, yay (thanks SMcD).

Enough for one evening. The place is closing anyway and we are kicked out. Good times, unexpectedly animated.

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