04/06/2016 June outturn at the SMWS

Let us get straight to jugular.

36.100 18yo d.1997 Aristocratic pretensions (58.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 198b): nose: lots of wood shavings, a carpenter's chisel and plum juice, as well as a touch of nail varnish. Mouth: powerful, with more wood shavings, yellow fruit and a dash of pepper. Finish: vanilla, scented thyme, and still lots of wood. 7/10

35.146 21yo d.1994 Mellow Yellow (55.4%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill Toasted Oak Hogshead, 270b): nose: rich, with cured meat, marinated game, glue, cooking pasta (!). Mouth: liqueur praline, pheasant breast in a casserole, a touch of glue again, a punch bowl. Finish: yep, liqueur praline, hot chocolate, hazelnut liqueur, wasabi. 8/10

64.70 25yo d.1990 The spicy cake cabinet (55.0%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 210b): nose: solvents, white spirit and lots of wood here too. This feels like an inhaler: very stripping. Roasted pineapple appears. With water, lemon and butterscotch emerge. Mouth: citrus in butter, now, mild heat. Water helps pastry come through. Finish: more fruit, now -- mango, pineapple, guava. Wow! 9/10

G4.8 36yo d.1979 Spinning honey (50.7%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 198b): nose: an avalanche of fruit (overripe cherries, plums, apricots). Water renders it caustic and citrus-y. Mouth: is this a grain? Really? Plum tart and lots of fruit. There is a note of varnish, yet it is not as pastry-like as grains usually are. With water, almond milk, soy milk (though less disgusting, if you ask tOMoH), this is creamy and lovely. Finish: rich and fruity again, this time with a touch of dried fruit -- Brazil nuts, almonds. With water, it becomes more powerful and bitter, closer to a liqueur praline too -- chocolate, nuts and liqueur. Better neat, this. 8/10

5.50 15yo d.2000 Golden Delicious (53.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 2nd Fill Sauternes Hogshead, 60b): nose: pencil eraser (JS), a bouquet of yellow flowers, roasted apples and... shoe polish?... Mouth: melted ice cream (vanilla and hazelnut). This is creamy and wonderful. Finish: yoghurt-y in texture, with double cream, coconut cream, thick custard and some distant fruit. Lovely! 8/10

3.262 19yo d.1996 Medicine for the soul (58.0%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 270b): nose: toasted, smoked barley. Underneath it, carambola shows up, then gherkins in vinegar. Mouth: you know what? It tastes rather bland. Perhaps white wine? Finish: the peat comes back, rather delicate, yet present. The fruit is almost absent. This is weak. Shame, because the nose was promising. It reminded me a bit of the Duthies for Corti Bros. 6/10

41.70 34yo d.1980 C'est magnifique! (48.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 2nd Fill Sauternes Hogshead, 102b): had this one when it came out in March. It is very limited, yet I reckon the price tag deters a lot of people. Nose: lovely sweets from the fun fair (red ones), a faint whiff of smoke, perhaps aniseed (liquorice allsorts) and burnt wood. Sugar cane juice, toothpaste, peppermint. Mouth: overbaked ginger bread, slightly caramelised dough, hot sugar cane juice. Finish: flowery and rich, full of fruity tart and minty infusion. It is good, though around two times too expensive. One would be much better off adding £30--£50 and buying the official release of the same age, in this Old Man's opinion. 8/10

31.32 26yo d.1989 Piri-Piri and Teriyaki chicken (52.7%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 186b): nose: cold coffee, leather belts, then some fruit, far in the back. A whiff of caster sugar and something out of the kitchen. Mouth: tapenade, dark olives, dusty casks, crushed dark cherries. Finish: the dark fruit lives on, as does the cold coffee. The final impression is that of elderberry cordial. 7/10

7.131 11yo d.2004 Nougat and chocolate semifreddo (63.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 168b): this comes recommended by the staff. Nose: plant sap and fresh butter. Mouth: bitter plant sap and a lot of horsepower. Perhaps some squashed strawberries. Finish: mediocre at first, it surprises one with a massive discharge of strawberry jam. Wow. It also has wood and buttery sauce, yet the fruit dominates and saves this. 7/10

Not the most glorious outturn, pleasant times nonetheless.