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.