31/10/2019 November outturn preview at the SMWS

Yes, mid-week. HT, SD and JS are there.

9.170 24yo 1995/2019 Australian outback (53.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-PX Hogshead, 195b): nose: pine nuts, at first, that soon make room for overly-baked apricot tart. Insistent nosing shows just how strong this is: it burns the nostrils. Next up is a mahogany drinks cabinet, elegant and polished. Mouth: soft, silky and almost bland. It has the texture of squashed apricot, but little taste. Is that a touch of cigar smoke? Yes. Finish: silky, soft and sweet, it has thick dark-chocolate pudding and a touch of overly-toasted coconut shavings. Good. 7/10

35.245 16yo 2003/2019 A conversation piece (54.9%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill Barrel/Custom Cask, 250b): how dark is this one, then? Nose: full-on polished dashboards and a shoemaker's workshop -- leather, polish, polished wood, varnish, lacquer, peculiar glue -- but also seared shiitake mushrooms, pickled onions and roasted peach stones. Mouth: mellow, with nut liqueur and a lick of soaked staves. Whilst keeping it in the mouth, it starts to tickle, with dried ginger shavings and dried lemongrass. Finish: super-nutty, here, it has polished walnut shells. Really nice. But it turns plank-y at the second sip. 7/10

36.167 21yo d.1997 Nuts in velvet (58.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 148b): nose: pine needles in custard, body butter, then a little dry tobacco leaves. Pineapple peels, pomelo skins... it really smells a lot like moisturiser! Mouth: mellow again, it has a creamy, yoghurt-y texture, augmented with cracked green pepper and green chilli. It develops a slight bitterness, too: cucumber skins, to be precise. The second sip is very acidic, with grapefruit and unripe lime, as well as ginger. Finish: it is bitter, here, with large gherkins, cucumber skins again, before a citrus-y acidity storms the scene, carried by cinnamon and nutmeg (JS). Excellent nose. The rest does not live up to the expectation, as far as I am concerned. 7/10

66.157 20yo d.1998 Eternal bliss! (59.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 253b): nose: barbecued peaches and char-grilled pineapples, yoghurt, burnt pine cones, embers. This is the best nose of the night, so far. Much later on, farm-y scents appear: farm paths, farmyard, henhouses, barbed wire. Mouth: citrus-y yoghurt and a softy-soft palate, though the citrus grows in intensity (lemon and grapefruit). Unripe Chinese gooseberry and crystallised pineapple drops also emerge. Finish: long, earthy (scorched earth), peaty (baked clay), and citrus-y (lime, grapefruit), it also has pineapple and Turkish delights. I like this a lot. 8/10

26.129 8yo d.2010 Pineapple ramen (57.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 231b): nose: wow, this is waxy and a half, with candle wax, apple peels, waxy mandarins, mango skins and grapefruit segments -- this is beautiful! Mouth: it starts mellow, yet turns fiery quite quickly, with soft red chilli, shredded mandarin peels, a pinch of nutmeg, bay leaves... no! Kafir lime leaves and solidified candle wax. It manages a lovely balance of spices and fruit, this one. Finish: long and very fruity, it has soft citrus, a drop of milk chocolate, chocolate pudding and a pinch of nutmeg here too. Drat. I like a young Clynelish. The second in a row. Am I in trouble? 8/10

Good times.