Not that cold, but flipping wet!
Port Ellen 19yo 1982-3/2001-2 (43%, Douglas McGibbon Provenance): I do not have the cask number, or indeed the exact pedigree, for this one. There seem to be four offerings in that range with that age. Nose: it warms me up immediately, with ashes and hot wax, charred nail varnish, burning cinnamon sticks, extremely-dryd fishing nets, left in the sun for months, dry kelp on pebbles, smoked cockles -- this is phantastically peaty and in-your-face, considering it is reduced to 43%. I find it very ashy and smoky, if never really losing that waxy/nail varnish-y touch. Shellac, maybe? I would say engine fumes, but it is more coastal than that; if anything, it is the boiler room of a trawler at sea, eaten by rust and seaspray. Distant bakelite or warm plastic, too. At second sniff, the smoke takes a back seat (the back seat of a diesel bus) and lets the wax drive. Mouth: it still has a bite, but here, the 43% show and feel: it is rather light and thin. The mouth is a lot sweeter than the nose suggested, with pear drops and a minute soapiness, bubble gum, cinnamon sticks and, surprisingly, almost none of the peaty and ashy elements from the nose. Maybe a distant smoke, though I put that down to suggestion. The second sip, strangely, showcases the smoke a bit more, it seems, with ashes and gunpowder, incense and menthol. Finish: amazingly sweet, with all sorts of crystallised fruit (kumquat, pear, pineapple), a pinch of earth and a thin veil of smoke. How unexpected! Also in the finish is more menthol, which I usually do not like, but it is kept in check. The coastal notes have completely disappeared, bar a saltiness that balances the sweetness well. Based on previous, similar experiences associated with the 1983 vintage, I presume this is
Port Ellen 19yo 1983/2002 (43%, Douglas McGibbon Provenance, C#DMG 2736), which seems to be the only 1983 bottled by the company. 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, SW)
Longrow 16yo d.2001 (49.1%, cask sample, Warehouse 5, Rotation 508): this was brought and poured at the after-party
in June, though I never got round to trying it. CD kindly left it behind. Nose: it is always such an eye-opener to have peaty whiskies from various parts of Scotland back to back. Campbeltown is a stone's throw from Islay, yet this Longrow has little in common with with the Port Ellen, in terms of peat flavours. This one is much, much dryer, with sunny farm paths, dried mud, cow dung, diesel fumes and maybe, just maybe, dried seaweed. One can perhaps find the coastal influence, yet it is so subdued it is more less-than-twenty-kilometres-from-the-coast than made-by-the-sea. All in all, this nose is very comforting. Far in the back, we have bergamot, unripe mandarin and its foliage, scented candles, warm plasticine and blue Pelikan glue sticks. Mouth: soft and mild, it grows bigger, with some metal, apricot flesh, spent matchsticks, smoked teas, scorched earth. Amazingly, the fruit sort of dominates the peat, here, which is unexpected. Cream soda, cardamom pods, a pinch of ground cloves, ginger powder... It is quite spicy! The second sip is even numbing. Finish: it all turns smokier, here, but again, fruit-driven. Well, fruit- and mushroom-driven! It leaves the mouth a bit dry, with ground peach stone, spent wick, hot candle wax, spices, diesel fumes and a good dose of fruit -- unripe bergamot and mandarin. Nice! 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, CD)
Loch Lomond 21yo 1997/2018 (52.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Barrels, 378b, 18/227): this was nice, when it came out. I remember thinking it was a Croftengea in disguise. Loch Lomond have become iffy about their brand names. Nose: again, another style of peat, completely! This is fresh peat, turf, bog myrtle, muddy tracks -- really, it reminds me of a hike in the Highlands, under the proverbial rain. The peat here is greasy, dark and moist, and joined by a faint amount of scented wax used to seal love letters. The nose is not particularly complex, if I want to be critical, but it is good at what it does. There might be a herb mix in there, yet not enough roast chicken for a Croftengea -- I now reckon it could also be an Inchmoan. Not that it matters, really. Mouth: waxy and coating, it soon delivers mucho plums, chilli and Romano pepper, ripe-tangerine peel, fresh fig, crayons and a spoonful of mud. The peat and mud seem a lot tamer than in my memory, but that is no flaw. It is a gently-peaty dram with much more to offer. Finish: Oh! my, the fruit is now amazing! Squashed plum, fresh fig, tangerine segments, all augmented with a splash of soaked earth. Banana relish appears, hot candle wax, nail varnish (Barry M's Bright Purple), pine honey, hand lotion, crayons, Chinese gooseberry -- a lot of that, in fact. Excellent Loch Lomond. That distillery is going through a massive shift in perception and it is likely to be one of the future great names. Whiskies like this one certainly contribute to that! 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, SW)
Port Ellen 19yo 1982-3/2001-2 (43%, Douglas McGibbon Provenance): I do not have the cask number, or indeed the exact pedigree, for this one. There seem to be four offerings in that range with that age. Nose: it warms me up immediately, with ashes and hot wax, charred nail varnish, burning cinnamon sticks, extremely-dryd fishing nets, left in the sun for months, dry kelp on pebbles, smoked cockles -- this is phantastically peaty and in-your-face, considering it is reduced to 43%. I find it very ashy and smoky, if never really losing that waxy/nail varnish-y touch. Shellac, maybe? I would say engine fumes, but it is more coastal than that; if anything, it is the boiler room of a trawler at sea, eaten by rust and seaspray. Distant bakelite or warm plastic, too. At second sniff, the smoke takes a back seat (the back seat of a diesel bus) and lets the wax drive. Mouth: it still has a bite, but here, the 43% show and feel: it is rather light and thin. The mouth is a lot sweeter than the nose suggested, with pear drops and a minute soapiness, bubble gum, cinnamon sticks and, surprisingly, almost none of the peaty and ashy elements from the nose. Maybe a distant smoke, though I put that down to suggestion. The second sip, strangely, showcases the smoke a bit more, it seems, with ashes and gunpowder, incense and menthol. Finish: amazingly sweet, with all sorts of crystallised fruit (kumquat, pear, pineapple), a pinch of earth and a thin veil of smoke. How unexpected! Also in the finish is more menthol, which I usually do not like, but it is kept in check. The coastal notes have completely disappeared, bar a saltiness that balances the sweetness well. Based on previous, similar experiences associated with the 1983 vintage, I presume this is Port Ellen 19yo 1983/2002 (43%, Douglas McGibbon Provenance, C#DMG 2736), which seems to be the only 1983 bottled by the company. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
Longrow 16yo d.2001 (49.1%, cask sample, Warehouse 5, Rotation 508): this was brought and poured at the after-party in June, though I never got round to trying it. CD kindly left it behind. Nose: it is always such an eye-opener to have peaty whiskies from various parts of Scotland back to back. Campbeltown is a stone's throw from Islay, yet this Longrow has little in common with with the Port Ellen, in terms of peat flavours. This one is much, much dryer, with sunny farm paths, dried mud, cow dung, diesel fumes and maybe, just maybe, dried seaweed. One can perhaps find the coastal influence, yet it is so subdued it is more less-than-twenty-kilometres-from-the-coast than made-by-the-sea. All in all, this nose is very comforting. Far in the back, we have bergamot, unripe mandarin and its foliage, scented candles, warm plasticine and blue Pelikan glue sticks. Mouth: soft and mild, it grows bigger, with some metal, apricot flesh, spent matchsticks, smoked teas, scorched earth. Amazingly, the fruit sort of dominates the peat, here, which is unexpected. Cream soda, cardamom pods, a pinch of ground cloves, ginger powder... It is quite spicy! The second sip is even numbing. Finish: it all turns smokier, here, but again, fruit-driven. Well, fruit- and mushroom-driven! It leaves the mouth a bit dry, with ground peach stone, spent wick, hot candle wax, spices, diesel fumes and a good dose of fruit -- unripe bergamot and mandarin. Nice! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, CD)
Loch Lomond 21yo 1997/2018 (52.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Barrels, 378b, 18/227): this was nice, when it came out. I remember thinking it was a Croftengea in disguise. Loch Lomond have become iffy about their brand names. Nose: again, another style of peat, completely! This is fresh peat, turf, bog myrtle, muddy tracks -- really, it reminds me of a hike in the Highlands, under the proverbial rain. The peat here is greasy, dark and moist, and joined by a faint amount of scented wax used to seal love letters. The nose is not particularly complex, if I want to be critical, but it is good at what it does. There might be a herb mix in there, yet not enough roast chicken for a Croftengea -- I now reckon it could also be an Inchmoan. Not that it matters, really. Mouth: waxy and coating, it soon delivers mucho plums, chilli and Romano pepper, ripe-tangerine peel, fresh fig, crayons and a spoonful of mud. The peat and mud seem a lot tamer than in my memory, but that is no flaw. It is a gently-peaty dram with much more to offer. Finish: Oh! my, the fruit is now amazing! Squashed plum, fresh fig, tangerine segments, all augmented with a splash of soaked earth. Banana relish appears, hot candle wax, nail varnish (Barry M's Bright Purple), pine honey, hand lotion, crayons, Chinese gooseberry -- a lot of that, in fact. Excellent Loch Lomond. That distillery is going through a massive shift in perception and it is likely to be one of the future great names. Whiskies like this one certainly contribute to that! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
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