25/07/2019 August outturn at Cadenhead's

Yes, another outturn. Yes, two days in a row. We rush through the drams four by four before being told what they are. The quantities are minute, so notes are short.

Balmenach-Glenlivet 14yo 2004/2019 (49.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 210b)
Nose: crisp apple, apple compote and a dash of leather.
Mouth: pepper on apple compote.
Finish: crisp apple, apple compote and even cider.
Comment: this is lovely. I guess it is the Glen Scotia, but it is not.
Score: 8/10

Aultmore-Glenlivet 12yo 2006/2019 (56.4%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b)
Nose: wet straw, white fruit and eau-de-vie.
Mouth: gravel-y, rocky, with unripe stone fruit.
Finish: a bit drying, it has wet straw and soaked stave. It turns bitter and acrid, at the second sip.
Comment: not my thing.
Score: 5/10

Girvan 9yo 2009/2019 (61.4%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, Pinot Noir Finish, 294b)
New livery for the grains. This has the traditional Authentic Collection label, even if it looks like it has spent too much time in the washer.
Nose: dark wine and rancio.
Mouth: syrupy, Port-like, whilst pine-sap-y and strong.
Finish: tannic, wine-y, with notes of liquorice towards the death.
Comment: I recognise the Girvan from the festival. I do not enjoy it more tonight. Others do.
Score: 5/10

Ord 14yo 2005/2019 (54.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 300b)
Nose: sweaty feet. Topical (38 degrees, today), but not necessarily a good thing. Crystallised berries appear later, and a bit of wood.
Mouth: chewy and slightly cola-like.
Finish: long, fresh and woody, it has spearmint.
Score: 7/10

Benrinnes 18yo 2000/2019 (58.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 186b)
Nose: dry hazel wood, extremely dry blood-orange peels.
Mouth: warm apple, cracked black pepper and cloves.
Finish: soft, with pepper and warm mead.
Score: 8/10

Fettercairn 10yo 2007/2019 (57.6%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 312b)
Nose: musky and meaty, leather -- scratch that! It is a full tannery.
Mouth: leather, seal wax, faded leather sofas.
Finish: similar, with a touch of berries to sort of save it.
Comment: despite the finish, I still do not like this.
Score: 5/10

Glen Spey-Glenlivet 17yo 2001/2019 (54.5%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 294b)
Nose: chalky and warming.
Mouth: a bit indistinct, it has shy yellow fruit and chalk again.
Finish: big, chalky. It leaves the mouth well dry.
Comment: meh.
Score: 6/10

Glentauchers-Glenlivet 12yo 2007/2019 (59.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 270b)
Nose: crushed walnuts, dark berries (elderberry, I reckon).
Mouth: soft, velvety, with rancio and walnut skin. This is bitter, like.
Finish: prune stones, bitterness.
Score: 6/10

Springbank 24yo 1994/2019 (50.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Refill Barrel, 312b)
Nose: greengages and roasted carambola.
Mouth: juicy, it has barbecued greengages, grilled plantains and smoked carambola.
Finish: juicy fruit and soft smoke, prunes and bakewell tart.
Comment: this is lovely alright. MSo and I guess rightly that this is the star of the night. It impresses me much more tonight than last night (I was lucky enough to smell it ahead of schedule). "Is it £420 lovely?" is the question bandied about, tonight. It is all allocated via a draw anyway.
Score: 9/10

Tomatin 10yo 2009/2019 (59.1%, Cadenhead Wine Cask, Chilean Red Wine Cask, 294b)
Nose: rather fruity, wine-y, one can almost spot the grape skins, floating at the surface.
Mouth: soft and velvety, with grapes and gentle wine.
Finish: wine. Sauce grand'veneur.
Comment: meh.
Score: 6/10

Mackmyra 11yo b.2019 (49.5%, Cadenhead World Whiskies, Bourbon Barrel, 258b)
Nose: mineral orchard fruit, if it makes sense. Lichen on limestone.
Mouth: light and sweet.
Finish: blackberry, blueberry and raspberry.
Comment: this is nice. A couple of guesses point at the Swede. Rightly. Cadenhead's first Mackmyra.
Score: 8/10

Glen Scotia 27yo 1992/2019 (45%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 150b)
Nose: corpse, dead rat, monkey's arse. Hm!
Mouth: soft and velvety, it has flint and ground fruit stone. Quite a contrast with the nose. The texture is velvety, regardless of the taste. Most bizarre.
Finish: yup! Monkey's arse.
Comment: wow. There are even fewer bottles of this to allocate than of the Springbank. It is an oddball to perplex friends at a tasting!
Score: 4/10

Dalmore 18yo 2001/2019 (51.7%, Cadenhead Sherry Cask, Sherry Cask, 246b)
Nose: rancio, flat cola and Chinoto.
Mouth: flat cola, Chinoto and wine.
Finish: sweet as hell, with Chinoto and flat cola.
Comment: a complete one-trick pony, though it remains sippable. We guess a grain. Incorrectly.
Score: 7/10

Cameronbridge 30yo 1989/2019 (57.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 222b)
Nose: fresh salad leaves. It is not very characterful.
Mouth: sweet, honeyed and gently metallic.
Finish: honey, royal jelly and honeysuckle sap.
Comment: this is the grain.
Score: 7/10

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 21yo 1997/2019 (57.1%, Cadenhead Sherry Cask, Sherry Butt, 510b)
Nose: vaguely mineral, with butter, buttercups and a hint of leather.
Mouth: acidic, full of yellow flowers and candied ginger shavings.
Finish: sweet, liquorice-y, pillow-y and minty.
Comment: I tried this last night and find it very different.
Score: 7/10

Good fun, as always. Lots of silly banter, whiskies covering a wide spectrum of tastes, temperatures coming down a little. Phew.

24/07/2019 Whisky 24/7

Meeting up with colleagues for a whisky tasting at Cadenhead's, tonight. Should be alright, should it not? JS even joins us, after being locked out of the shop for twenty minutes. Not out of malice.
We try everything blind, of course.

Cameronbridge 29yo 1989/2019 (57.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 432b): the group is enthusiastic and not shy about sharing impressions, which is always nice. Nose: butterscotch, cinnamon and vanilla. This is floral and sweet, we all agree, with a soft touch of metal and an industrial edge. Mouth: soft and honeyed, it has cracked black pepper on the butterscotch from the nose, and a pinch of dried verbena. Finish: as warm as today's scorching sun, with hot porridge and custard. This seems to be the first-ever cask strength whisky for some, and they are taken by surprise. I like it better than the first time. 8/10

Glentauchers-Glenlivet 11yo 2007/2019 (57.9%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 840b): nose: acidic white wine, almost vinegar-y, unripe lychee, mackerel pâté, strawberry drops and pot ales. It turns grassier as time passes. Mouth: quite sharp and acidic, with notes of cold banana loaf. Time makes it very banana-y, with also dried citrus peel. The citrus grows in intensity as well. Finish: unripe mandarin, sprinkled with white pepper, joined later by squashed banana. 7/10

Speyside-Glenlivet 27yo 1991/2018 (48.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 318b): nose: what have we here? Raspberry, strawberry, cherry stalks and clover. This is a definite departure from the previous drams, with more elegance and fruit. Mouth: strawberries, squashed into a pulp, sprinkled with cracked black pepper. The whole is sweet and velvety, soft and fruity. Lovely. Fruit-tella is my final word. It is very close in taste to those chewy, fruity sweets. Finish: yes, strawberry bubble gum, Fruit-tella, with a spoonful of hazelnut paste. This is really nice! Excellent alcohol integration, with just enough punch and lots of strawberry flavours with a chewy texture. It will remain my favourite of the night. 8/10

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 21yo 1997/2019 (57.1%, Cadenhead Sherry Cask, Sherry Butt, 510b): SP asks if that is the one he bought, but it is not -- that one was a 24yo. This one was bottled a few days ago. In fact, it is not even officially out, yet. Nose: mint and minty toothpaste, at first. It soon develops to reveal elderberry syrup and turns very sweet. Mouth: thick, syrupy, it has elderberry cordial and slightly tannic dark fruits (rancio?), fortified wine and old cork (rancio!) Finish: big, with dried dates, sultanas and prunes on a bed of crushed Brazil nuts. And Madeira wine. 7/10

Springbank 10yo (46%, OB, b.2019): an old classic that does not please everyone, tonight, with a couple of guests finding it too sharp and harsh. Nose; the traditional farmyard wafts, with manure, tractor saddles and tractor tyres. The country boy in me is ecstatic, even now. Behind the farm, dark berries, elderberry and blackcurrant. Later, it is oily fish scales. Mouth: lovely black fruit, with dark prunes, dried figs and farmyard aplenty, as well as a soft rubbery note. Fruity and farm-y, this one. Finish: tractor tyres, dark fruit and liquorice allsorts, bordering on rubber. A classic for a reason. 8/10

This audience is usually more unruly.
They seem captivated by the 2.5 distillation explanation, though

(Paul) John 7yo 2011/2019 (55.4%, Cadenhead World Whiskies, Bourbon Hogshead, 348b): nose: peppermint, hot sands and, finally, warm earth and soft peat smoke. Later, it is candied ginger and dried mixed peel. Later yet, the peat becomes more prominent and inky. Mouth: big, powerful, it has a lick of smoke, peppermint, sand and sea air. It is a Goa-trance beach party, where the sand has been trampled by ravers until the wee hours. Finish: it is smokier here, though it retains the peppermint and spearmint, augmented with cinnamon, ginger shavings and liquorice-root shards. Everyone is flabbergasted that this is from India and admirative of the quality. Of course, I saw the label before the big reveal. 8/10

Islay PBS b.11/06/2019 (58.5%, Cadenhead 1842): PBS stands for plain British spirit. Because it is bottled from a cask in the Campbeltown shop rather than a licensed bottling plant, this cannot be called whisky. Only 100% malted-barley spirit aged for more than three years in oak is inside the bottle, though. Nose: super meaty, with tatters of skins still attached to the meat. It is pretty stripping too, with that hot sand again, and mud, this time. I find it quite medicinal, actually, with bandages, gauze and disinfectant. Baked cherries make a late appearance, before ink shows up too. Mouth: hot sands here too, warm, dry earth, crusty earth, even, a hefty dose of spices (galangal and chilli). The whole is well balanced and rather pleasant -- and divisive, as expected. Finish: super peaty, now, with crusty earth, pine-tree bark and crushed pine cones. This is decent, but not my favourite style, especially with temperatures in excess of thirty degrees outside. The meaty side of the nose is particularly not my thing. Mortlach fans will probably disagree. 6/10

Would we like to try something else? asks our host. Is the Pope a catholic?

Cognac Grande Champagne Grosperrin 32yo b.2018 (52.8%, Cadenhead, 384b): nose: super-fruity from the off, with loads of dark grapes, soaked sultanas and prunes in juice. Mouth: velvety in texture, it has pressed prunes, juicy sultanas, fresh, juicy figs and pomegranate sorbet. Finish: huge, wide and fruity AF, it has prunes and overripe dates written all over it. This is spectacular. I dare call it the best Cognac Cadenhead has bottled, though it does not have the complexity of a good whisky. 8/10

Is there anything else we would be interested in? What about Japanese whisky? I venture, knowing full well that, if I do not, someone else will. Do we try Japanese whisky? But of course!

Mars Komagatake (52%, Hombo Shinshu Nature of Shinshu imported by Number One Drinks Company, 36P47): I tried this a couple of years ago at the Whisky Show. Back then, it was impossible to get in Europe. Now available in some shops. Nose: cardboard and lukewarm jasmine tea. A strange combination, but it does work. Later on, perfume bubbles up. Incidentally, KH observes that the shelf in the toilet is full of perfume and Cologne bottles. "It reminds me of all my previous boyfriends," she says. "I am wearing them all!" "That is where they came to cry, then!" Mouth: soft and velvety, it has a good dose of fruit too (plums and lychees). Finish: soft and elegant, the finish has the trademark Japanese fruit and flowers. This is velvety and well made. Similar verdict to when I tried it for the first time. 7/10

Good night out, as usual. The pace was a little strange, at times, with the first three drams polished in forty minutes, then more than twenty minutes of interlude before dram #4 arrived. We finished late too, as our host covered so much ground -- some of it, was perhaps too detailed and technical. It means we finished much, much later than planned and the shop was closed when we did. Ah, well. :-)
By the time I have taken all my pictures and I come out of the basement, everyone has gone to a nearby pub. Since it is a school night, I decide against it.

14/07/2019 All-day breakfast session

You will have noticed we are not celebrating Bastille Day. Oh! no.

PS, JS and CB join me for an all-day breakfast party. JS suggested the theme whilst having breakfast at Café Bluebell, earlier this year. We thought it would be fun to, say, have a cup of tea-ninich with a little-millk.

tOMoH: Toast, Butter, Morels (works better in French, yet: toast, beurre, morilles)

Transferred into this.
See actual bottle
opposite

Tobermory (40%, OB, b.1980s) (me): nose: floral and gently earthy, it has distant honeysuckle and, perhaps, dusty apples. Time brings overripe apples and pear on a pewter plate. The nose turns more and more floral ,the longer it is in the glass. The second nosing pushes forth lacquered wood as well. Mouth: mildly acidic, it carries on with apples, augmented with dried sage (it is a tad metallic) and dried cork. Dark plums arrive next, soft and juicy, velvety, thick. The palate has more softly bitter wood. The alcohol bite is more pronounced than expected too. Finish: excellent mix of dusty fruit, metal-tainted apple, plum skins and nectarine stones. At the death, dry raisins show up, giving an impression between Oloroso and PX. Very nice! 8/10

PS: "It's fresh."
tOMoH: "Exciting."
PS: "It's fresher than Jimmy Saville at a children's ward."

JS says a full-English breakfast always has a baked tomatin on the plate

The Tomatin 15yo (40%, Sestante, b.1980s) (JS): nose: baked berries, dark-cherry coulis, decaying pears, toffee and oranges (PS), candied citrus peel. A super-enticing nose that fills me with excitement! Mouth: peach, dark plum, ripe fig, and an unusual mix of persimmon and carambola. The second sip is more bitter, but treads carefully. It is orange zest, not rubber. Finish: long, lingering, coating. It perpetuates the orange zest, alongside dark plums, figs and juicy dates. Spectacular dram. 9/10

CB: on a Sunday, I like to have a long-morning breakfast.

Longmorn 1983/2014 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail) (CB): nose: the first sniff is muscular and sweaty. As soon as I say that, it turns very citrus-y, with heaps of lemon zest. The lemon zest grows in intensity too, supported by orange blossom and mint lozenges, fragrant honeysuckle and... basil. Superb. Mouth: ooft! Orange nectar, mixed with peach nectar. This is amazeballs. The bitterness of Seville-orange marmalade develops and provides a wonderful balance to the unabashed fruit. PS claims it gets more tannic -- and he is right, I am annoyed to admit. Finish: more marmalade goodness, a pinch of ground cinnamon (JS) and sandalwood (PS). It does become gently woody, though never over the top. Excellent. I had doubts at first (the Mortlach-like sweaty muscle of the nose), but this quickly becomes an all-round winner. 9/10

Sourdough bread
Mackerel pâté
Houmous
Ashen goat's cheese
Italian dry sausage

CB: how do you like your eggs? Card-boiled.

Cardhu 21yo 1991/2013 (54.2%, OB, 6000b, b#4653, L3169LS000 00041606) (CB): nose: boiled sweets -- lots of them! Crystallised fruits, then warm straw and jellied coriander leaves. Much later on, pencil eraser shows up, mellow, marzipan-y custard. Love this. Mouth: a pinch of pepper and apricot, apricot compote, apricot jam, nigella seeds. Peach flesh, squashed mango, even. Finish: big, punchy and super-fruity. This is full-on apricot compote with nigella seeds sprinkled on top of a ladle of custard. We do not get to try many Cardhu, unfortunately -- we even joke that we would pass one, unless it is called Cardow. This one here, proves that we should try more (not that there are many to try, mind!) 8/10

CB: "The only thing flat-earthers have to fear is sphere itself."

PS: "There was a flat-earther conference somewhere, after which they claimed to have had visitors from around the globe."

PS could not find a link with the theme, but wanted to bring the following anyway. After a moment, I declare the full Scottish breakfast to be generally ri(o)ch. We will not find or look for a more suitable pun.

Glen Garioch 1994/2011 (53.9%, OB, North American Oak Barrels, B#32, 118 112172) (PS): nose: leather and dry hay, dried mudflats. After a while, more floral notes appear -- heady violet, purple viola; we talk about FWP, although there is none here. Earth and peat also appear, very softly. A dash of wine vinegar? Check. Water leads the nose towards ink calligraphy on cardboard. Mouth: robust, it has leather and scorched earth, as well as nuances of elderberry and squashed blackberry, sprinkled with mild spices. Water tones down everything but the spices and cranks up the ink instead. Finish: very nice, refined peat, warm straw and hay again, touches of violet and elderberry jam. This is remarkably good and more than a little complex. The nose is not totally my thing, but the palate and finish easily make up for that. 8/10

PS: "You can't get rid of Bell's decanters They're the cockroach of the whisky cellar."
CB: "They're very good for clay-pigeon shooting."

tOMoH: the waitress asked me what I wanted for breakfast. I told muffin.

Miltonduff 15yo 1995/2011 (56.3%, Gordon & MacPhail Reserve imported by Classic Wines Imports for Park Avenue Liquor Shop, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#9461, 198b, b#120, AH/ABBB) (me): hint: it is an anagram. Nose: oh! metal and sulphur are the first things that spring to mind, unfortunately. It has loads of floral notes, but one has to work a bit to find them, initially. They do overcome the sulphur, eventually, and are joined by jammy peaches. PS finds boiled sweets and barley water; CB concurs. Mouth: pungent and biting, it has iron filings, hot peach jam and wax. No sulphur to note, here, which is much more pleasant. It is powerful, on the other hand! Finish: long, powerful and jammy, it has peaches and nectarines, sherbet, candied and crystallised berries, cut raspberry, with the taste of the steel blade still tainting the fruit. Pity about the initial sulphur-y note. It was not there when I opened the bottle. Other than that, it is a slightly-challenging, but nice dram. 7/10

Once again, PS could not find a connection with the theme for the following dram. JS points out that the label notes read, "maple syrup on pancakes." Very breakfast-y!

G5.4 18yo d.1993 Sweet treats (65.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, New Toasted Oak Hogshead, 247b) (PS): did you see that ABV? Phwoar! This is one of the very few I have not yet tried in that parcel of casks that produced the legendary G5.2 and G5.5. PS knows me well! Nose: Scottish Bourbon (PS). It is teeming with blackcurrants and blackberries on a metal plate. You can still smell the steel blade on this one too ("there is no place like chrome," says CB). Mouth: the blackcurrant hits immediately, shortly joined by a hint of metal... and a high-horsepower steamroller. Once the delirium-inducing ABV dissipates (a bit), it turns into blackcurrant juice through and through. Finish: huge, but not in a way that it floors you as, say, an old Tullamore would. It has the alcohol kick, of course. What comes out the most, though, is the blackcurrant again. The reader will understand that it might not be the most complex whisky in the galaxy, but it is amazing at what it does. This is totally my style. 9/10

We wrap up. Seven drams seem enough before a school day, especially when the last one is that strong.
Excellent afternoon.

PS's pet wombat was well-behaved

30/06/2019 James Bond

Jimmy has terrible taste in drinks, but his adventures make for great puns. BA, cavalier66, JS and I assemble to share some of them.

The soundtrack, in no particular order (because I forgot to make notes in real time):
He Said - Take Care
The Chameleons - Strange Time
David Sylvian - Everything And Nothing
The Trashcan Sinatras - Obscurity Knocks E.P.
Dead Can Dance - Towards  The Within
One of JS's compilations. I only remember a Radiohead track and something by Hooverphonic.

cavalier66 opens the ball with two bottlings from Malts of Scotland. From a range known as Diamonds, due to its drawing of a diamond on the label. Why two? Well, because one diamond is long-lived, but Diamonds are Forever.

...and with two of them, this tasting could go on
for a looooooooooong time!

Glen Scotia 40yo 1972/2013 (44.9%, Malts of Scotland, C#MoS13024, 96b) (cavalier66): nose: musty staves, mushroom-y warehouses, olive oil (cavalier66) and rum, oozing from wooden casks. This smells sweet and mellow. The second sniff brings marzipan, which is always a good thing to me. Mouth: oily indeed, it has orchard-fruit goodness and, perhaps, a little wood bitterness (dry hazel). Finish: pear compote, apple, syrupy jam. I am still hungover from last night, but I love this all the same. 9/10

Banff 37yo 1975/2013 (42.9%, Malts of Scotland, C#MoS13023, 96b) (cavalier66): nose: watercolour and pencil erasers, then dry paint, dry-brushing style. Later, it is an unusual chilli-mayonnaise that fills this Belgian with joy. Mouth: mellow, round and buttery in texture, it has the taste of custard, mixed with chilli-mayonnaise. Brilliant. The second sip has more yellow fruit. Finish: long, it leaves the mouth slightly dry, as if covered in ashes. It is mildly spicy, not quite mustard-y -- it is more the subtle bitterness of a sip of black tea. cavalier66 cannot not show off and remind us that he tried three MoS Banff in Glasgow, this year, and that this very one was his least favourite. BA finds it "eminently pleasant." I am on his side. 9/10

JS presents Daniel Craigellachie.

Craigellachie-Glenlivet 19yo 1962/1982 (80° Proof, Cadenhead) (JS): one of JS's latest acquisitions. It has had no time to gather dust! Nose: fresh and lively, it has touches of metal and hawthorn infusion -- the old bottle effect, no doubt. Further, it is light peach, dried mud, dust. The second sniff has rose petals and a notch of rubber. Mouth: superb balance, with sweet jams, golden syrup, but also cracked black pepper. Finish: it becomes unexpectedly peppery, here, but not overly so. More rose petal and rubber shavings. Stunning dram. 9/10

Artisan bread and mozzarella brought by cavalier66
Capricorn's goat cheese, courtesy of JS

BA brought home-made madeleines.
They remind me of something -- cannot think of what...

I introduce Pierce Berry Brosnan.

Glenburgie 1983/2011 (56.3%, Berry Bros & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#9806) (tOMoH): nose: blatantly more potent, this one has sawdust, peach stones, apricot jam, and I thought ground white pepper, but cavalier66 nails it: chalk. Mouth: spicy apricot compote, with a noticeable wood influence, minty splinters and peppery fruit. This is spicy... and chalk-y. Finish: long, throat-coating, with scorched apricot compote, pine cones, perhaps even black cardamom. 8/10

Another pair follows, that we will have head to head: cavalier66's Roger Bowmoore (who drinks martini), and BA's Bowmore, which was distilled under the supervision of James (McEwan and kept in) Bond. The full James Bond experience!

3.278 20yo d.1996 Dirty martinis in the boat shed (52.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 252b) (cavalier66): nose: dirty peat, a bunch of flowers on a pile of mud, pineapple rings, woolly socks and earth. Mouth: the palate is much more fruity, tropical, even, with pineapple rings, juicy satsuma segments and mandarins. Finish: yep, the finish is very tropical as well, with roasted pineapple and pink-grapefruit peels. Excellent. 8/10

vs.

3.243 17yo d.1997 Dark, smouldering flamenco gypsy (57.1%, SMWS Feis Ile 2015, ex-Sherry Butt, 594b) (BA): from the colour and the number of bottles, it is clearly a sherry butt, although it would not say, on this special label. When I saw the name, I thought the connection would be: The gyspy who loved me. But no. Nose: heavy sherry, innit. Leather, all sorts of farm-y, tractor-y shenanigans. With water and time, it turns softer and fruitier, with yellow fruit and grapefruit peels. Mouth: smoky prunes, ripe plums, soaked in mulled wine, or in sangria. This is just as remarkable as .278, if driven by the sherry. Dark currants, elderberry, dark-cherry compote. With water, the berries morph into sweet citrus. Lovely. Finish: big, peaty and loaded with dark fruit. Water brings the finish in line with the reduced nose and palate, allowing citrus to emerge, loud and clear, and complement the peat. Wonderful drop. 8/10

That russet hue, on the left!

I like the Bourbon cask better, but both are impeccable, really. Whilst I try to finish these in a timely fashion, the others have a beer, courtesy of BA.

cavalier66 takes a leave. He has a crochet showdown to attend. One to go for us. BA's 007-year-old grain whisky.

Invergordon 7yo 2006/2015 (66.3%, whiskybroker.co.uk, Refill Sherry Butt, C#901446, 11b, b#6) (BA): you read right: eleven bottles only. I joke that it is so rare, and we have had enough as it is. BA can and may easily not open it and go home with it. He sheds a tear opening it, lamenting he will now never be able to flip a seven-year-old Invergordon bottled by Whisky Broker (if you do not get the sarcasm, this would likely not fetch a high price on the secondary market). Nose: ooft! it is strong. Porridge, hot custard and grapefruit peels dried to a crispy state. Water makes it all oats and porridge, with a sprinkle of dried lime peel. Surprisingly, with or without water, none of the trademark Invergordon markers appears. Mouth: soft and lemon-y at first, yet the heat becomes more and more intense. Hot, grapefruit-y custard and lemon-y porridge. It has tiny notes of metal too. Water gives it milk chocolate with lime stuffing. Finish: huge, hot, it has similar citrus-y notes (grapefruit, pomelo). Water enhances the citrus -- still lime and pomelo. It is not complex, but perfect for the circumstance. And for a 7yo grain, it exceeds my expectations. 8/10

No Casino Royale Lochnagar or Sean Convalmory. We said no to cavalier66's Sean Caroni rum, because, well, rum. Also, it is nice to finish a James Bond tasting after 007 drams, not 008.
My hangover is slightly better. Thanks for asking. :-)