The Brasserie is in the basement, this year, and that comes with all sorts of hurdles. The queue is long. It is in a relatively narrow staircase. The same staircase is used to go in and out of the Brasserie, leading to congestion, as people are not sure which side of the staircase to stand/walk on. Up- and downstairs, a few stewards regulate the throughput, thankfully, but the staircase traffic could be improved. By the time we finally reach the buffet, one of the dishes is depleted; of course, it is the duck leg, which tortures this duck lover. I go for the haddock instead.
Fortunately, the food is excellent. Well, the Black Forest cake (it is not called 'gâteau,' for some reason) is disappointing, but the main course is excellent. The room, however, is quaint to get into.
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Haddock fillet with turmeric sauce
and salted haddock fritters infused with Starward |
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Black Forest cake and cherry sauce
infused with Craigellachie 13yo |
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Baked lemon sponge and thyme custard
infused with Craigellachie 13yo |
Replenished with food, we go back upstairs and stop at Hidden Spirits, where I bump into SOB and OF. The latter has set up camp there. He tells us the Springbank 32yo is long gone. Drat! At some point, he leans on a partition wall to remove glass shards from his soles and knocks it over, much to one of the exhibitors' fury. His colleague is rather chilled about it. I notice the poor workmanship of the stands (two cardboard plates nailed together), while they take the bottles down to prevent them from falling.
Dailuaine 10yo 2007/2018 (56.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, Bourbon Cask + Heavily Peated ex-Ben Nevis Cask Finish, C#DU718, 300b): nose: cow dung, leather and all sorts of farm-y stuff. It is wine-y too. Mouth: thin and powerful, astringent. Finish: long and light, wine-y and pretty dire, I find. 3/10
Lochindaal 10yo 2007/2018 (53.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, C#LH718, 235b): nose: very farm-y, with dry hay and muddy farm paths. Mouth: more farmland action. Finish: similar; dirty, muddy and farm-y. 7/10
Bruichladdich 15yo 2002/2018 (53.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, C#BR218, 328b): nose: coastal and fresh, but also full of eggs. Mouth: orchard fruit, warm custard and a hint of chilli. Finish: eggs again, unfortunately, orchard fruits past their prime. This is not for me either. The eggs are not overpowering, but I am very sensitive to them, today. 4/10
I finally find an opening at the Single Malts of Scotland stall.
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They have another Benriach 28yo
Just to confuse everyone |
Braeval 29yo 1989/2018 (55.4%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, C#0993, 158b): where else can one have two Braevals in the same room? Two
aged Braevals? Nose: extremely fresh and perfume-y, with faint flowers too. Mouth: thin and acidic, with soft flowers again, candy floss and citrus. Finish: better, it has pastry, powdered sugar and flower petals. Good, though I liked Berry Bros' *** better. 7/10
Imperial 21yo 1997/2018 (50.6%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Barrel, C#2473, 193b): nose: forsythia, sugar-dusted pastry. Mouth: mild, silky, easy. It has yellow flowers -- either that, or I am in a flower mood. Finish: more going on, here, though the dominant is meadow flowers again. 7/10
Tamnavulin 25yo 1992/2018 (50.6%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#5377, 247b): nose: Turkish delights and barley grains. Mouth: soft, light, sweet and mildly fruity. Finish: sweet again, gently grain-y. Nowt wrong with this, really. 8/10
It is too crowded, now. It is painful.
Imperial 22yo 1995/2018 (43.3%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Barrel, C#5410, 202b): who else can showcase two bottlings from the same
closed distillery at the same stand? Not many is who. Nose: very perfume-y again, yet it is more pronounced in this one. Mouth: fruity, with satsuma and pink grapefruit. Finish: überfruity and bootiful. I like this one much more than the 21yo, unlike the staff at the stall. It reminds me of
the recent SMWS bottling. 9/10
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| Great range, this year |
OB and I rush to the shop before last-pour to beat the crowd. There, Ingvar Ronde is signing books. I greet him while OB collects his goodies. AH confirms I am about to be charged for a copy of the Whisky Year Book 2018; I try to explain I was only saying hello, but Ingvar has already signed it for me, leading to much embarrassment and teasing. I buy the book and we go back to the upper floor.
PS is next to AMcR. Those two had a rough start when they met, so I tease PS for hanging out with his new best bud.
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| PS: "He's a good cuddle. Not great sex, but a good cuddle." |
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| AMcR and that glass |
We are stuck between two stands and I take the opportunity to try the official range at one of them.
Glenallachie 12yo (46%, OB, b.2018): nose: gentle, elegant-ish, yet a bit characterless. Perhaps it is too late for this. Mouth: yes, it is nice, it has a good strength to complement a mix of fruit and sugar. Finish: honey, roasted nuts and mixed peel. This is good. 7/10
Benrinnes 26yo 1991/2018 (49.2%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#509, 165b): nose: minty mouthwash, toothpaste and pine drops (Gocce Pino). Mouth: pine needles and forestry. Finish: mild chocolate, toffee and dark chocolate chips. It would be an archetypal Benrinnes, were it not for the chocolate in the finish. Great dram from the days when Benrinnes still distilled three times. 8/10
Glenallachie 18yo (46%, OB, b.2018): nose: a bit more leather, but otherwise close to the 12yo. Distant fruit. Mouth: again, nothing sticks out, which is good or bad, depending on what one is looking for. It is a good Speysider. Finish: orange-y chocolate. Nice. 7/10
This place is much too busy!
Glenallachie 25yo (48%, OB, b.2018): pickled jam, extremely-sweet pastry (it is essentially a sugar slice). Mouth: sweet palate, with fruity jam, nigella seeds and dried apricots. Finish: good balance, with lots of crystallised fruit (apricot) and spices. Lovely, this. The slightly higher ABV is an adantage. 8/10
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| We try this, quickly |
Exhibitors are wrapping up. From the balcony, I spot the Benromach guy I met on the tube yesterday and decide that will be our final stop. He welcomes us and seems prepared to pour us one last one. Yay. I give him the last drops of my Inchmurrin 20yo, he gives us...
Benromach 1998/2018 (60.1%, cask sample, First Fill Sherry Butt, C#1): this is the unreleased first cask distilled after Gordon & MacPhail bought the distillery, in 1993 -- it took that long to refurbish it. Nose: extremely powerful, it burns the nostrils, even after such a long afternoon. Once past the burn, meat emerges, lichen and fig skins. Mouth: mellow, despite the strength, nutty, with discreet cured meat. Finish: very sweet, with lichen on staves and soaking berries. Love this. When it is bottled, it will be auctioned for charity. Be ready! 8/10
The first day is over. We spend another five minutes talking to OF, then vacate the place. Crowds are staggering, outside.
Our next step is CS's hotel, where we meet up with him. We then walk back to tOMoH towers for the after-party, where Cavalier66 and Mrs. Cavalier join CS, dom666, JS and me for "a few" drams. I had prepared four, CS brought four, JS one and Cavalier a dozen. I take no notes, pictures below.
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| Rosebank 30yo 1987/2018 (43%, private cask sample, Bourbon Cask) (me) |
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| Bruichladdich 19yo 1989/2009 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#90, b#87, L09/205) (JS) |
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| Brora 21yo d.1982 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#279, b#343) (me) |
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| Clynelish 23yo 1974/1998 (59.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection, 1625b) (cavalier66) |
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| Carsebridge 52yo b.2016 (40.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#1, 260b) (cavalier66) |
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| Bowmore 30yo (43%, OB,ceramic bottle, B230 10/01 , b.2006) (me) |
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| Laphroaig 32yo b.2015 (46.6%, OB, ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogsheads, 21835, 5880b) (cavalier66) |
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| Dailuaine 20yo 1992/2013 (54.1%, Whiskybroker.co.uk, Bourbon Barrel, C#3127, 30b) (cavalier66) |
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| Yoichi 19yo 1987/2006 (63%, OB Single Cask Warehouse #15, C#113200) (CS) |
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| Kawasaki 1982/2011 (65.5%, OB for Whisky Live Tokyo 2011, Sherry Butt, C#7414, 674b) (CS) |
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| Karuizawa 1984/2012 (64.5%, OB Carpe Koï for The Whisky Echange, First Fill Sherry Cask, C#4021, 275b) (Cavalier66) |
How do you follow those Japanese destroyers? I have two ideas. CS chooses the first of those, whose aim is to top them (the other option was to go for something elegant). He goes for option 1 because he doubts it can be done. The fool.
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| Tullamore 38yo 1952/1991 (68.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary Commemoration) (me) |
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| We will need more whisky, next time... |
Dailuaine 10yo 2007/2018 (56.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, Bourbon Cask + Heavily Peated ex-Ben Nevis Cask Finish, C#DU718, 300b): nose: cow dung, leather and all sorts of farm-y stuff. It is wine-y too. Mouth: thin and powerful, astringent. Finish: long and light, wine-y and pretty dire, I find. 3/10
Lochindaal 10yo 2007/2018 (53.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, C#LH718, 235b): nose: very farm-y, with dry hay and muddy farm paths. Mouth: more farmland action. Finish: similar; dirty, muddy and farm-y. 7/10
Bruichladdich 15yo 2002/2018 (53.1%, Hidden Spirits Highproof, C#BR218, 328b): nose: coastal and fresh, but also full of eggs. Mouth: orchard fruit, warm custard and a hint of chilli. Finish: eggs again, unfortunately, orchard fruits past their prime. This is not for me either. The eggs are not overpowering, but I am very sensitive to them, today. 4/10
Braeval 29yo 1989/2018 (55.4%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, C#0993, 158b): where else can one have two Braevals in the same room? Two aged Braevals? Nose: extremely fresh and perfume-y, with faint flowers too. Mouth: thin and acidic, with soft flowers again, candy floss and citrus. Finish: better, it has pastry, powdered sugar and flower petals. Good, though I liked Berry Bros' *** better. 7/10
Imperial 21yo 1997/2018 (50.6%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Barrel, C#2473, 193b): nose: forsythia, sugar-dusted pastry. Mouth: mild, silky, easy. It has yellow flowers -- either that, or I am in a flower mood. Finish: more going on, here, though the dominant is meadow flowers again. 7/10
Tamnavulin 25yo 1992/2018 (50.6%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#5377, 247b): nose: Turkish delights and barley grains. Mouth: soft, light, sweet and mildly fruity. Finish: sweet again, gently grain-y. Nowt wrong with this, really. 8/10
Imperial 22yo 1995/2018 (43.3%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Barrel, C#5410, 202b): who else can showcase two bottlings from the same closed distillery at the same stand? Not many is who. Nose: very perfume-y again, yet it is more pronounced in this one. Mouth: fruity, with satsuma and pink grapefruit. Finish: überfruity and bootiful. I like this one much more than the 21yo, unlike the staff at the stall. It reminds me of the recent SMWS bottling. 9/10
Glenallachie 12yo (46%, OB, b.2018): nose: gentle, elegant-ish, yet a bit characterless. Perhaps it is too late for this. Mouth: yes, it is nice, it has a good strength to complement a mix of fruit and sugar. Finish: honey, roasted nuts and mixed peel. This is good. 7/10
Benrinnes 26yo 1991/2018 (49.2%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#509, 165b): nose: minty mouthwash, toothpaste and pine drops (Gocce Pino). Mouth: pine needles and forestry. Finish: mild chocolate, toffee and dark chocolate chips. It would be an archetypal Benrinnes, were it not for the chocolate in the finish. Great dram from the days when Benrinnes still distilled three times. 8/10
Glenallachie 18yo (46%, OB, b.2018): nose: a bit more leather, but otherwise close to the 12yo. Distant fruit. Mouth: again, nothing sticks out, which is good or bad, depending on what one is looking for. It is a good Speysider. Finish: orange-y chocolate. Nice. 7/10
Glenallachie 25yo (48%, OB, b.2018): pickled jam, extremely-sweet pastry (it is essentially a sugar slice). Mouth: sweet palate, with fruity jam, nigella seeds and dried apricots. Finish: good balance, with lots of crystallised fruit (apricot) and spices. Lovely, this. The slightly higher ABV is an adantage. 8/10
Benromach 1998/2018 (60.1%, cask sample, First Fill Sherry Butt, C#1): this is the unreleased first cask distilled after Gordon & MacPhail bought the distillery, in 1993 -- it took that long to refurbish it. Nose: extremely powerful, it burns the nostrils, even after such a long afternoon. Once past the burn, meat emerges, lichen and fig skins. Mouth: mellow, despite the strength, nutty, with discreet cured meat. Finish: very sweet, with lichen on staves and soaking berries. Love this. When it is bottled, it will be auctioned for charity. Be ready! 8/10
Our next step is CS's hotel, where we meet up with him. We then walk back to tOMoH towers for the after-party, where Cavalier66 and Mrs. Cavalier join CS, dom666, JS and me for "a few" drams. I had prepared four, CS brought four, JS one and Cavalier a dozen. I take no notes, pictures below.
The Karuizawa was mine. Can't you tell by the doctor's writing on it? Excellent after party, where quite amazingly as well as the astounding selection above we declined (failed to drink, did not taste, left untouched, turned down) two more Yoichis, two Hanyus, a Convalmore and a 1955 Bowmore - albeit the last one unwittingly. For me 'twas the only fitting way to end a day that started on 8 official Port Ellens. (Did I mention the Port Ellens?)
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha! Yes, that is how we roll. :)
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