28/03/2018 April outturn at Cadenhead's

Modest attendance, which makes for a relaxed atmosphere and pace. We try everything blind.

Dram #1: nose: crisp apples, then perfume. Mouth: sweet, soft but lively, perhaps a bit too green. Finish: fruit again, and a hint of chocolate. Strathisla-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2018 (53.6%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 228b) 7/10

Dram #2: nose: very grassy, almost metallic. Mouth: acidic, fruity and gently sweet. Finish: sweet and metallic, it has verbena. Nice. I guess correctly that it is Caledonian 30yo 1987/2018 (48.5%, Cadenhead, 216b) and note that I expected more from it. 7/10

Dram #3: nose: hand lotion, flower petals and graphite. Mouth: sweet, fruity, with gummy bears and Valda cough drops. Finish: Valda cough drops indeed, violet boiled sweets and dried blackberry. This makes me think of Invergordon. It is in fact Cameronbrige 28yo 1989/2018 (58%, Cadenhead World Whiskies, Bourbon Hogshead, 228b) 8/10

Dram #4: nose: a mix of Chinese spices and herbs, dried durian and salty fudge. Mouth: salted fudge alright, with a pinch of dried fruits. Finish: dried figs, stollen dough and salted fudge. Glen Grant-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2018 (51.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 264b) 6/10

Dram #5: nose: rotting fruit and meat, marinating in wine. I am puzzled when I am told there is no Mortlach, this month. Mouth: acidic, with plum skins and decaying fruit all round. Finish: big, round and plummy. The finish is sort of ok, while the rest is not my thing. Benrinnes 13yo 2004/2018 (52.2%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b) 5/10

Dram #6: nose: sawdust, wormwood, lichen on staves, then citrus. Mouth: soft, sweet and plummy. Finish: slightly dry, rough, but still pretty fruity. This is probably the highlight of the tasting. Dalmore 16yo 2001/2018 (48.9%, Cadenhead, Sherry Cask, 180b) 8/10

Pulteney 12yo 2006/2018 (56%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b): this is from a bottle, rather than a sample, and not poured blind. Nose: overripe apples, at the point where they turn soft and sour. Mouth: astringent, unripe plums, salty brine. This is strong. Finish: a hint of leather, salt, cracked black pepper and plant stems. 6/10

Dram #8: nose: gently fruity, with strawberry stems and hot, spiked custard. Mouth: herbaceous and gently metallic, as well as milky. Finish: custard and herbs. Speyside-Glenlivet 26yo 1991/2018 (48.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 324b) 6/10

Dram #9: nose: warm wool, a faded wooden box. Mouth: the bitterness of nut shells. Finish: bitter and invading liquorice and unripe nuts. I do not like this. Glen Spey-Glenlivet 16yo 2001/2018 (54.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 288b) 4/10

Dram #10: nose: cedar-wood shavings and dried cattle droppings. Mouth: very sweet, with ground apricot stone. Finish: super sweet, lime-y, with an added touch of acidic bitterness. Longmorn-Glenlivet 23yo 1994/2018 (52.6%, Cadenhead, Rum Cask, 222b) 7/10

Dram #11: nose: honey and the mildest smoke. Mouth: caster sugar, melted honey and more mild smoke. Finish: huge, smoky, it has roasted nuts, coated in honey, and even a touch of tropical fruit. Excellent, this! Highland Park 28yo 1989/2018 (48.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 270b) 8/10

Dram #12: nose: wine, pencil eraser, crayon shavings and warm laundry. Mouth: soda-y apricot or plum juice, thinned down a notch. Finish: is this fruity? It is a very distinctive taste, yet I cannot place it. Bruichladdich 24yo 1993/2018 (46.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 204b) 6/10

Dram #13: nose: überfruity, with lychee, mangosteen, jasmine and that spice mix they bring with the bill in a curry house. Mouth: soft, teeming with more tropical fruit (mangosteen and lychee). Finish: similar fruity notes, with more of that curry-house, bill-time spice mix. Interesting, but the extravagant fruitiness is overpowering and, therefore, a little vulgar. Rampur Select (43%, OB, b.2018) 7/10

Good little session!

Unfortunately, this was not available to try

(Thanks SW for the pictures)

17/03/2018 Saints and Snakes

Saint Patrick's Day, today. The patron saint of Ireland famously drove the snakes into the sea. Successfully too: not many snakes left in Ireland. On top of being a good day for Ireland to obliterate England in the Six Nations, this is the perfect opportunity to drink whisk(e)y. The theme, therefore, is Saints and Snakes, inspired by JS.

The suspects: PS, JS, OB, cavalier66 and me.

PS builds most of the line-up and decides to go for ascending ABV.

Left to right

The soundtrack: Ab Ovo - Empreintes

Jura 8yo (40%, OB imported by Verschave, d.1970s) (OB): easy! Jura is Iri... no! There is a snake on the lab... no! OB brought this because he bought it from pat(rick) gva. Top start. Nose: pickled lemons, margarine (PS), vinegar-y fruit. The fruit turns slightly tropical, with banana and papaya (mañana, lalala, batata). Mouth: soft, delicate, with diluted peach juice. This is a frail lady with lots of charm. Fruit and dusty spices. Finish: quince, satsuma, a hint of pepper and dried mandarin peels. PS: "I'll add water to this first, because I'm a nice person. I'd like this to go on record." Water kills it, giving it a cardboard-y touch. Well done, PS. 8/10

cavalier66: "I had a Cooley that had gone off. It had lost all its taste."
PS: They're called permanent employees, not coolies."

The soundtrack: Iarla Ó Lionáird - I Could Read The Sky

Coffey-still label

Invergordon 41yo d.1971 (41.6%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#1, 252b, b#75) (cavalier66): Invergordon is in Ireland! No. Ha! Invergordon uses a Coffey still (in fact, it is drawn on the label), and Aeneas Coffey was Irish! Yes, but no. Celebrity chef InverGordon Ramsay famously ate a live snake on television, a few years ago. Nose: wood, liquorice, bitter blackcurrants, splinters, wood varnish and ground cardamom. Mouth: full, oily, fruity and varnish-y, it has more liquorice too. Finish: discreet rancio, liquorice and lots of blackcurrant, as well as a whiff of butterscotch, in the back of the throat. 8/10

tOMoH: "It is good, but you have to like the wood."
OB: "...and, boy! do we like that!"

Food enters. cavalier66 brought cheeses (Irish feta, Irish Mancheg O'Cheese), bread (O'Live bread, spelt bread), two types of jams and Serran O'Ham. I complement it with Fantastic O'Sausah-gee. Everything is tops.

OB knows France will soon be defeated by Wales in the Six Nations, and spews venom in anticipation.
OB: "How does a Welshman find a sheep in tall grass? Very satisfying."

St. George b.2017 (43%, OB, B#SM017) (JS): not sure the Irish would enjoy St. George, patron saint of England, celebrated on St Patrick's Day, but it is a saint alright, and therefore in theme. Besides, this is American whiskey. Nose: "a taste I cannot place" (OB). "Freedom?" (tOMoH) Unusual, to say the least, with chemical flavouring, warm plastic, some herb (mint?), menthol, eucalyptus, pear drops and white-board marker. Mouth: fresh, oily, it has olive oil and the softness and velvet that go along. Finish: pencil rubber, plasticine, mentholated dough, crayon shavings. 7/10

Munch!

We talk about the blender's nosing glass, which cavalier66 experienced in February again.
cavalier66: "The blender's glass is good for nosing."
OB: "You have to be an expert at brown-nosing."

vs.

The English Whisky 3yo 2008/2011 Chapter 6 (46%, OB, ASB Casks, C#482-483-484-485-486) (PS): transatlantic battle, this is! This one, of course, is English, and the logo is St. George, patron saint of England. He is pictured slaying the dragon, which could be seen as a glorified snake. Nose: it smells of potato! Fits the Irish theme to perfection, then. "You'd better drink it quickly, before it's taken over by some blight," says PS. Boiled potato with the skin on (cavalier66), raw cereal and European holly (also known as Christ's thorn, here is another connection with saints). Mouth: thin, almost watery. There is really not much in this -- perhaps a hint of disinfecting solution. Finish: young, barley-like, with a touch of subtle smoke. This is nice enough, but far from life-changing. 6/10

vs.

The English Whisky 3yo 2008/2011 Chapter 11 (46%, OB, ASB Casks, C#632-633-634) (PS): "what the hell is an ASB cask anyway?" I hear you ask. It stands for American Standard Barrel. Fancy way of saying 'Barrel,' then. Nose: gently smoked barley. This could as well be a young Ardbeg, though it is not as peaty. Mouth: as thin as its predecessor, it has light vinegar, barley water and a few grains of coal dust. Retro-olfaction brings charred cherry tree. Finish: peat is the great equalizer, here, and makes this more interesting than the unpeated Chapter 6. The smoke is gentle and hovering rather than cloying, but there is definitely smoke from a campfire. 7/10

The soundtrack: Hoshin - Path Of Dissolutions

St. Rathclyde 11yo 2005/2017 (55.6%, Douglas Laing Old Particular, Sherry Butt, C#DL11484, 306b) (PS): three in a row for PS, and this one is borderline, when it comes to its affiliation to the theme -- I love it for that. Nose: burnt toast, burnt caramel, tar, the inside of my food-recycling bin, decaying fruit and unripe currant, as well as a dash of coffee. Mouth: initially velvety, but charcoal soon appears. Burnt berries, caramel sticking to the pan. Finish: a huge berry flavour (redcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry), caramel and plums, macerated in thick wine. Sherry matured grains are always unusual; this is no exception. 8/10

vs.

St. Rathclyde 13yo 2001/2014 (64.4%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Editions, B#ST 13 002) (JS): late addition to the line-up by JS, who agrees this is the best moment for a head-to-head with its fellow saint. It is not often that we have two young grains from the same distillery! Nose: almost silent, after the monstrous sherried one. This is more typical of a grain whisky, with chou dough, turnovers and bakery shenanigans. Mouth: soft and velvety, it is sweet, with icing sugar and lots of bakery shiznit. Finish: sweet, sugary, even, with apple turnovers. I reckon the sequence does not do it justice, unfortunately, and it would score higher in other circumstances. Still a more-than-decent 8/10

PS: "This one is nervous, important and smooth. The other one is a bit different."

cavalier66 pours the next dram blind, from an unmarked sample bottle. Jokes about urine soon abound. Obviously.

The soundtrack: Brad Fiedel - Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Blind #1 (cavalier66): nose: "A hint of important Armagnac" (PS) "...with smooth yellow passion fruit" (OB). It is a passion-fruit debauchery, with also squashed banana and green grape. Very fruity, this. I venture it is a Cognac, possible an Old Brothers. Mouth: thin, acidic, and still fruity, with mango and maracuja. Finish: thin, watery. A clear line-up mistake, unfortunately. It is Irish Reserve 26yo (46%, unknown bottler Superior Reserve for Aldi, b.2017) I assume that under better circumstances, it would score 8/10

Kinobe - Butterfly

Glenallachie 39yo 1973/2013 (48.9%, Maltbarn #13, Bourbon Cask, 51b) (cavalier66): one has to love those micro-bottlings. Fifty-one bottles. Is that limited, or what? cavalier66 claims a caterpillar is like a small snake that turns into a butterfly -- and there is a butterfly on the label. Lolle. Nose: jammy, but it quickly becomes mentholated, with apricot jam, chutney, toasted crumpets and compote. Mouth: soft, gently acidic and fruity, full of satsumas and roasted orange rinds. Finish: lots of fruit and a bit of smoke. The fruit is tropical alright, and there is a pinch of spices thrown in the mix (nigella seeds). Excellent. 9/10

PS: "I used to have long hair."
OB: "That ship has sailed."

The soundtrack: A Cryo Chamber Collaboration - Yog-Sothoth

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507) (OB): I missed this at the Whisky Show Old & Rare last year, so I am very pleased to have a chance to try it after all! This is Irish, hence in theme. Nose: wide and assertive, with in-your-face mango, motherfucker! Mango, a touch of clogged sink, strawberry jam and warm bread. Mouth: soft, buttery and fruity. Mango, papaya, apricot, carambola, maracuja and milk chocolate. Finish: amazing fruitiness here too -- maracuja, mango, avocado and milk chocolate. An Irish beauty. 9/10

vs.

Irish 26yo 1989/2015 (46.9%, The Whisky Agency imported by Bartels Rawlings, Barrel, 146b) (OB): sneaky OB brought this just in case. It comes out of a bag surreptitiously and we declare we have to have it opposite Emerald Isle. Nose: more leathery, this one. Lots of fruit, of course -- in fact, it would be super-fruity, were it not compared to the even fruitier Emerald Isle. This one is earthier. Fruit and mud. Mouth: velvety, with a faint acidic note, carambola, pomelo, lime and smoked paprika. Finish: bitterer finish, it balances out the acidity of the mouth with lots of fruit again -- mango, pomelo, lime and crushed basil. Amazing, though it suffers from the comparison with the previous dram. 8/10

Irish duo

PS offers a dram of Cotswold to OB, but struggles to open his bottle.
tOMoH: "This is why you need Continentals: we come with tools and know-how."
PS: "When I look at you, I think: tool."

Slaney Malt 11yo 2001/2013 (57%, Limerick Selection, C#9929, 235b) (JS): another Irish one. It is St Patrick's Day, after all! Nose: barley and lots of fruit. Of course, after the older beasts, the fruit seems tame. Satsumas and pineapple shavings. Mouth: buttery, acidic and fruity -- acidic butter, then. :-) Finish: lots of chocolate, pears, chocolate-covered pears, chocolate-coated mangoes. Beautiful, but it is having a hard time, in this sequence. 8/10

vs.

Cooley 11yo 2001/2012 (55.9%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection imported by Pacific Edge Imports, Barrel, C#3443, 210b) (tOMoH): nose: warmer, with green banana, says everyone. Pisang (banana liqueur), pomelo. This is amazing. Mouth: soft, it has lemon, pomelo and green banana. It is quite spicy, but sweet and fruity too. Wonderful. Finish: banana liqueur and sweet pomelo. This is excellent. 8/10

cavalier66: "I'm just obsessed with buying. Is that the same as collecting?"

The soundtrack: Mark Knopfler - Privateering

Lochside 28yo 1981/2009 (56%, Blackadder Raw Cask, C#617, 96b, b#83) (cavalier66): finally, someone brings a Blackadder. JS and I had this years ago; good to have another go at it. Nose: herbs and fruit -- tropical fruit, even. After the old Irish, this feels perhaps less exuberant, but still reeks of mango and oregano. Fruit comes out more and more -- papaya, mango... and class. Mouth: buttery, fruity as hell with some spices too (red chilli), peach, oregano and rosemary. Finish: warm and fruity, it has hot mango jam. Not sure what else to say. It is buttery and rich, fruity and excellent. Wonderful Lochside. 9/10

PS: "If you're in the crowd and you've taken the Blackadder, please report to the medical tent."

cavalier66: "This is middle ground between masturbating on your own and the Whisky Show."

St. Magdalene 26yo 1982/2009 (59.1%, Douglas Laing for The Whisky Shop Glenkeir Treasures Cask Strength Selection, 144b) (tOMoH): another saint. Someone had to and it was always going to be me. Nose: much more austere than anything today, but also creamy; it has mint, avocado stone and horsepower. Mouth: fruit and gravel, pears and black pepper. Finish: pepper, herbs, orchard fruit. I am taking dreary notes, at this point; it is a great drop. 9/10

cavalier66: "Can I point at your t-shirt?"
PS: "This is a t-shirt, not OB."

The soundtrack: Various - Romeo + Juliet: Music From The Motion Picture - Volume 2

The English Whisky 5yo 2010/2016 (59.7%, OB Founders Private Cellar, Bourbon & Virgin Cask, C#365, 285b, b#148) (PS): we are flirting with dangerous ABVs, by now. The EWC have since done away with the St.-George-slaying-the-dragon imagery, as they thought it appeared too nationalist. But this was bottled pre-Brexit, before that was a concern. Nose: barley, faint smoke, fruit and mint as backing vocalist. Mouth: warm, farm-y, with a medicinal touch to it. This is powerful and warm. The hot exhaust pipe of a wood stove. Finish: a mix of wood and fresh fruit (apricot, peach). Warming, but balanced and, well, excellent. 8/10

The soundtrack: Noir Désir - Des Visages Des Figures

By the pace at which the soundtrack is changing, it is easy to derive how intoxicated we are -- at least, I am. Regardless, I promised myself I would not let this gang be thirsty, and I want to use this opportunity to open something... a little special. As I expected, I break the cork (ensue lots of jokes about Cork, in Ireland), but I manage to extract it without damage and I have a replacement handy.

There has been a cork-up

Tullamore 38yo 1952/1991 (68.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary Commemoration) (tOMoH): this is Irish. Many Web shites confuse this with Tullamore Dew. The names are related, but Tullamore Dew has not contained any Tullamore for quite a while, seeing as the distillery ceased production in 1954. This is not the Dew (a blend), but the single. Unlike the Knappogue Castle bottlings of Tullamore, this is also not watered down. Not one bit. There is no typo: it is really sixty-eight-point-nine percent ABV. Nose: concentrated, herbaceous and medicinal; hawthorn, rosemary, sage, tannis (or at least, what I imagine tannis smells like), verbena and earth. despite the high ABV, this feels perfectly balanced. Metallic? Not quite. Mouth: surprisingly balanced here too -- this, after all, is the highest-ABV whisky I have drunk (I later realise we had a Belgian Owl bottled at a hefty 74.1%, several years ago). The mouth has the same herbs as the nose. It is hot, but not ridiculously so (sixteen drams in, you understand), displays lots of medicinal touches (bandage, gauze, Flexium spray) and horsepower alright. I think the 41yo Tullamore we had with adc seemed more powerful, but then, that time, we had not had such a long afternoon prior. Finish: huge, wide and powerful, with more herbaceous and medicinal notes: bandages, gauze, compression straps, bandage glue, aromatics and a mix of botanicals as one could make gin with. "Imagine this at cask strength," I tease cavalier66. Although balanced, this is devastating, hardly tolerable, so powerful it is. What impresses me is the medicinal aspect. Impossible to relate it to the earlier Irish whiskeys we had today. Herbaceous, medicinal, it has hawthorn and bandages, verbena and gauze strips, oregano and ground apricot stones, a hint of smoked ham (Serran O'Ham, probably) and not the tiniest bit of fresh fruit. This dram is MURDERAH! 10/10

I am embarrassingly tipsy, now. Ah, well. cavalier66 forgets a bottle and loses his keys... in his pocket, JS passes out, OB leaves a box behind and PS... well, he is seasoned. I do not think I am the only one in that state.

Case in point: I have no clue what is happening, here.

What a tasting. Again. I will be much less enthusiastic tomorrow morning, but for now, it is bliss.

BOOM!

Once again, there is a surprise, in the morning

03/03/2018 March outturn at the SMWS

46.58 24yo d.1992 Living the high life (53.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 282b): nose: over-baked cake crust, warm corduroy, a warm (but dry) shower hat, warm hay. Later on, hot lemon tart comes out. Mouth: hot lemon pie, curd, green chilli -- this is hot, actually. Finish: milk chocolate, green chilli and chocolate pudding. Decent. 7/10

5.62 17yo d.2000 Crumbled sweets in a leather satchel (58.8%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead, finished in 1st-Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 240b): nose: incense, pencil lead, shaved crayons, burnt sandalwood, plasticine, pencil rubber. Mouth: red chilli, Alka-Seltzer. This is spritzy and hot, with a pinch of ash, too. Finish: warm, it has hot custard, oregano, crushed thyme and crayons. I like this a lot. 8/10

G4.16 35yo d.1982 Mellifluous contentment (49.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Sauternes Barrique, 216b): nose: chou dough with sprinkled herbs on top (marjoram, rosemary), rosewater and a metallic whiff, powdered sugar, caramel, then shoe polish. Mouth: soft, gentle and sweet, with a drop of almond milk. Finish: sweet and mellow, with watery custard and coconut yoghurt. 7/10

59.27 20yo 1983/2004 Dry and herbal (54.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 243b): an old thing, not behind the bar. Nose: peppermint, mentholated tobacco, strong and assertive, orange peels. Mouth: soft, orange-y, satsuma-y, even. This has hot paprika too, though not too much of it. Finish: the bitterness of orange pith, the acidity of citrus and the mellowness of warm orange juice. Nice. 7/10 (Thanks, PS)

39.156 9yo d.2008 Fun in the sun (58.5%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 138b): nose: dark chocolate, elderberry truffle. Mouth: almost silent and thin in texture. It has a bit of dark-berry juice. The heat grows over time, with cracked black pepper. Finish: it becomes more assertive in the finish, with elderberry, blackcurrant, bitter, dark chocolate -- and then the heat grows again. 7/10

41.102 13yo d.2004 Kiwi marmalade on a hot cross bun (55.6%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Oloroso Butt, finished in 1st Fill ex-Red Wine Barrique, 258b): nose: wide nose that displays buccaneered meat and untanned leather, then turns softer and sweeter. Heady wine -- the Oloroso is loud, I find. Mouth: mellow, full of red grapes and elderberry. Liqueur appears -- berry liqueur, of course. Finish: eau-de-vie-marinated meat, lots of heady red wine. This is very interesting, though not something I would choose to drink very often. 6/10

93.81 11yo d.2006 Maple peat-smoke bacon doughnut (58.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 180b): nose: ah! A non-sherried Glen Scotia, with farm-y characteristics. It has dry hay, dry manure, mud and engine fumes. Mouth: soft, with chocolate coulis, greengage juice, maple syrup. Finish: it gets dirtier, here, with oily rags, engine fumes and maple-smoked bacon. Naked, smoky stuff. Funny that the only official bottling that comes close to this style is the Victoriana. 8/10

28/02/2018 March outturn at Cadenhead's

Ha! It is happening again! Gone are the standing tastings in the shop; this one is a relaxed sit-down in the tasting room, and everything is tasted blind, in a bid to counter label-buyage. At least, that is the intention. And in proper nosing glasses, no less!

#1 Nose: green grape, strawberry, strawberry stems, then meadow flowers. Mouth: acidic, it has more green grapes and green hazelnut. Finish: milk chocolate, fermented green grapes, dandelion stems. I guess this is the Auchroisk and I am right. Auchroisk 11yo 2006/2018 (46%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 783b) 7/10

#2 Nose: unripe redcurrants, brambles, bramble sap, squashed cherries, strawberry coulis and milk-chocolate coulis. Mouth: unripe berries, redcurrants, raspberry jam. Finish: raspberry coulis, milk-chocolate coulis, sticky toffee pudding. I venture Benrinnes, but it is Tullibardine 24yo 1993/2018 (43.6%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 444b) 8/10

#3 Nose: crushed-yellow-flower sap, butter, straight out of the refrigerator, dandelion broth. Mouth: soft, creamy and flowery, with an acidic bite to it. Finish: nutty, grassy and long. Glenrothes? The butter, you see... Dailuaine-Glenlivet 13yo 2004/2018 (46%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 1 x Bourbon Hogshead, 432b) 6/10

#4 Nose: fruity, with unripe lychee and green bramble. Mouth: unripe and not my thing. The second sip is mellower, until the unripe bitterness comes back. Finish: bit of meat and a heavy bitterness -- unripe fruit stem, some mellowness too, but it is mostly bitter. This is the most popular dram tonight, which I cannot understand. Linkwood-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2018 (53.7%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 498b) 5/10

#5 Nose: sweet pastry at first, then cured ham, gunpowder and, finally, polished dashboards. Mouth: oily, with a certain nuttiness -- hazelnut oil. Finish: more hazelnut oil on a crisp salad, with a drop of vinegar too. Glen Spey-Glenlivet 22yo 1995/2018 (57.9%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 438b) 7/10

#6 Nose hazelnut shells, vinegar, unripe greengages and tins of paint. Mouth: rotten plums, crushed hazelnut shells, vinegar. Finish: chalky, dry, with crushed nutshells. Aultmore, perhaps? Teaninich 11yo 2006/2018 (55.2%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 450b) 6/10

#7 Nose: this is more old-school, with hay and a hint of fruit, leaves and dried banana skins. Mouth: acidic and fruity, with dried banana skins again. Finish: warm porridge and a strong acidity. Creations blend, I imagine. Aultmore-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2018 (51.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 450b) 7/10

I suck at this game, do I not? No-one else is doing better, mind. And some are even cheating!

#8 Nose: lemon tart, a hint of coffee, varnish, apple turnover. Mouth: coconut yoghurt, custard, lukewarm, sweet and beautiful. Finish: superb coconut-y custard and lemon pie. This must be the Strathclyde. Strathclyde 28yo 1989/2018 (55.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Barrels, 390b) 8/10

#9 Nose: red grapes, red-wine vinegar. It opens up to reveal jammy doughnuts. Mouth: lukewarm cherry jam and cranberry compote. Finish: berries, mostly: cranberry, bramble and cherry. No idea what this is, but it is good. Benrinnes 20yo 1997/2008 (54%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Bourbon Barrels, 408b) 8/10

SW does away with the blind tasting and announces the drams from here on.

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2018 (56.2%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Butts, 1524b): nose: butter, crushed mint leaves, avocado, then a whisper of smoke. Mouth: acidic, melted butter. Finish: green, acidic enough, with crushed mint leaves again. Meh. 6/10

Light Creamy Vanilla 26yo b.2018 (43.8%, Cadenhead Creations, B#8): nose: dunnage warehouse, lichen on staves and raspberry bubble gum. Mouth: soft and fruity, with more raspberry bubble gum. Finish: soft and fruity, it has similar notes. Good drinking whisky, if a bit monotonous. 8/10

SW: "I'd rather stab my eyes with a blunt pen [than drink the next one]."

Ledaig 20yo 1997/2018 (52.8%, Cadenhead Single Cask, 1 x Bourbon Hogshead, 222b): nose: teriyaki sauce, spare-ribs on the barbecue and a whiff of pickled onions. Mouth: hoisin sauce, teriyaki. This is sweet and roasted. Finish: char-grilled spare-ribs, after they were marinated in teriyaki and hoisin sauces. Sweet and smoky alright. 7/10

OF: "It's an Ardbeg that's had a troubled childhood, this."

Good night out. The outturn is also better than I anticipated.