17/10/2019 Whisky Squad -- The High-End

Everything is poured blind, as usual. JS and I arrive late "the one time we are ready on time," says BA. I can live with the shame. PP and ZC are there too, as well as nine others.
BA tells the audience he saw JS last night and her reaction made him decide against including a "very nice" tequila in tonight's line-up. Phew.

Dram #1
Nose: pastry, vanilla and a faint metallic whiff. It opens up to reveal peach turnover and a touch of glue. Mouth: pastry and notes of glue alright -- a grain, I am sure. It has a slightly green edge, though I do not find it prominent. Others say it is very herbaceous -- go figure. Finish: lemon juice, sprinkled on sugared pastry and peach turnover, as well as a discreet note of wood spices. Relatively simple, but perfectly drinkable. I reckon a North British. Incorrectly -- it is a rye. Canadian Club 41yo Issue N°1 (45%, OB Chronicles, 7000b, L18239IW09:49) 7/10

The hosts talk about the way that was marketed: "we came across the last hidden cask in the warehouse," then announced a 42yo the year after. Also "limited" to 11000 bottles. How can you misplace that many bottles and how big are the warehouses are the questions on everyone's mind.

BA: "[unknown] has never been through a warehouse. She might have seen one on a picture."
E: "She's never seen one. Unless it's on the way to the salon."

Dram #2

Nose: pastry again, then rubber boots, before turning pretty herbaceous -- dry hawthorn and bunches of dried flowers. Mouth: soft, sweet, gently aromatic, it has maple or corn syrup and tinned peach. This is really very soft and sweet. Finish: very soft, very sweet, very easy to drink, and very much lacking in character, despite some rosemary on baking croissant. I suspect a North American. Indeed, another Canadian made of 97% corn. That explains the maple and corn syrups, then! It is from the Gimli distillery, home of Crown Royal. Entrapment 25yo 1992/2017 (41%, Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling, L7283K1001) 7/10

E [talking about Canadians]: "You tell them to work around the clock and they work."
tOMoH: "It's called slavery."
BA: "They're Canadian. They're happy about it."

Dram #3
Nose: melted chocolate, sticky toffee pudding, mocha chocolate, chocolate thins. Roasted malt surfaces, shy, then polished walnut. Mouth roasted malt alright, it has Kellogg's Smacks and melted mocha chocolate. The coffee flavours are assertive, alongside dark toffee and tree bark. Finish: soft, sweet; it tastes like a grain again, creamy and toffee-led. Perhaps another North American? Hedonism Quindecimus (46%, Compass Box 15th Anniversary Limited Edition, 5689b, b.2015) composed of North British, two kinds of Port Dundas, Dumbarton and a mystery blend. 7/10

Seeing the label, I wonder if I have had this before. Sure enough.

Dram #4
Nose: ah! A single malt. Juicy apricot and quince, bergamot infusion, lemon-and-ginger Greek tea -- this is very fruity! I end up spending a lot of time with the nose. Roasted fennel seeds, apple peel, orange peel and cassia bark. It is spicy without overwhelming the senses. Mouth: mellow and velvety, creamy, even, it has similar fruits (orange, apple, yet also baked satsuma, this time) and soft herbs. I love this. Finish: lovely fruitiness (more apple and orange), a teaspoon of nigella seeds and melted white chocolate. This goes down a treat. I guess a 1992 Longmorn, half-expecting a 1996. Humiliatingly for all, it is The Macallan Whisky Maker's Selection (42.8%, OB Fine Oak, Bourbon and Sherry Oak Casks, L0931H L10) 8/10

tOMoH: "I feel violated."
BA: "When you said you liked it, I felt: YES!"

BA is in stitches. He knows how much I dislike Macallan and is excited that I was proven wrong (for which I am sort of grateful, I suppose).

We operate a last-minute change in the sequence.

Dram #6
Nose: mudflats, cockles and all sorts of farm shenanigans. Crusted mud, timid fruit behind tractor-tyre action -- peach, I suspect. Much later on, it is toothpaste that joins the party. Mouth: spicy, earthy, it has yellow fruit and apple-chip smoke. Refined smoke, mind. Very juicy and a little smoky. Finish: medicinal peat and lots of farm action again. It is earthy with a mild coastal influence -- drying fishing nets and apple-tree fire. Much later on, squashed raspberries appear on top of the peach. That should be a dead give-away, but I am slow to connect the dots, tonight. It is excellent. I am ready to guess an ancient bottling of Lagavulin when BA inadvertently says it is still available for RRP. I am lost. The Ardmore 30yo d.1987 (47.2%, OB, Refill Bourbon + 1st Fill Bourbon Casks, L8 299 2319 08 20) 9/10

Dram #5
The colour alone announces a boisterous Sherry cask, here. Nose: dark chocolate, augmented with a pinch of coffee grounds. Later on, it will turn into concentrated prune syrup. Mouth: super chocolate-y and quite big on the palate. I can see why we end with this, as I think the Ardmore would have struggled a bit. It is rather tannic, with liquorice, cinnamon sticks and cassia bark. Finish: bitter coffee, thin chocolate, cough syrup, cinnamon and wood tannins. It is not really my thing, this. Not bad, but a sip is enough for me. I guess a Kavalan. Daftmill 2006/2019 (57.4%, OB bottled exclusively for Berry Brothers & Rudd, Sherry Cask, C#039/2006, 621b, b#576) 6/10

Good, lighthearted times.