Carsebridge 1965/2017 (unknown ABV, cask sample, C#9, Station Ref #1805): nose: an appealing grain nose, with all sorts of wood lacquers and varnishes, then bakery goodness; vanilla extract, toasted coconut, candied pineapple, mixed peel, soaked in Bourbon, and olive oil. A moment later, fresh paint, turpentine, cellophane and plastic products come rushing in, maybe with industrial glue too. Scratching deep, I detect a note of pine sap, yet it is very faint. Soaked staves. Later on, fudge and Scottish tablet, spiked with Bourbon and coming straight out of the oven come tickle the nose. Mouth: mellow and gently acidic, it is tinned-pineapple juice, coconut milk from a tin opened too long ago, which is to say it is tainted by a metallic note, glue. That tin-and-pineapple combination is strong! American cream soda, pine essence, warm lemonade, as well as something green and bitter -- laurel leaves, perhaps? Repeated sipping sees some spices, as if balsa-wood shavings had been added to it, but, considering how long this has spent in a cask, the wood is remarkably discreet. Finish: long, coating, it has glue and that bitter, green touch to accompany more tinned pineapple (slices, this time), pine essence, custard powder, butterscotch and crystallised pomelo segments. All in all, it is vaguely woody, but very ester-y, with solvents and lots of fruits, both cooked and fresh. 8/10 (
Thanks for the sample, kind donor)
Carsebridge 52yo 1964/2017 (41.7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#2, 285b): nose: annoyingly, tough perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems very similar to the above, with solvents, fruits and wood. In no particular order, we have industrial glue, vanilla extract, fudge, glycerine, pear drops and lacquered coconut shells. This time, however, we also have berries: raspberry coulis and dried strawberry slices. Stewed rhubarb and caramel flan, butterscotch and piping hot chocolate éclairs. Mouth: very fruity, it has pear drops, candied pineapple cubes, crystallised citrus, baked banana, coconut notes and stewed persimmon, all augmented with a drop of bitter tonic, borderline metallic. That lick of metal could be a herbaceous tone gone extreme too -- tarragon or fresh oregano, maybe. It doesnae last, though: soon, it is custard-y chocolate éclairs on the tongue too, perhaps served with a spoonful of caramel coulis. Finish: I hate to say it, but I like this one better than the first. Better balance. Custard powder, powdered sugar, and a deluge of pineapple drops and crystallised pomelo segments, pear drops, lemonade, timid raspberry coulis, stewed rhubarb (sweetened). On top of that: baked custard (not quite as caramel-y as a crème brûlée, though), hot flan, treacle. Well, I never! I wonder where they got this Carsebridge. In any case, it is one of the best TBWC bottlings I have tried. 9/10
Carsebridge 50yo 1965/2015 (40.1%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular, Refill Hogshead, C#DL10993, 101b): nose: this one feels heavier on the nose, whatever that means. More wood and less fruit than in the previous two. It is pine-like, with resin and minty Gocce Pino, yet I also find older-wood markers, such as blotting paper, old books and even soaked cardboard. There might be a drop of glue amidst all this, hardly worth mentioning, at this stage. On the other hand, I can clearly smell tinned pineapple, yet it is the kind that has been on a buffet plate for too long and has gone stale. After a while, the nose becomes this strange combination of powdered-sugared pear drops and bung cloth. I like it. Far in the back, fresh paint reminds one that this is a grain whisky. After the first sip, the nose adopts toasted notes of coffee grounds, black cardamom and toasted bread. Mouth: soft and velvety, this one has the perfect strength for me, today, even though I am dead certain others would find it too weak. Cellophane, pine essence, bubble gum, at the point it loses whatever artificial flavouring it had. On the back seat, we see pear drops, pineapple drops, dried banana slices, raspberry drops and glycerine, vanilla extract and butterscotch. The texture makes me think of fudge: buttery, coating and chewy. It remains a little musty, though not quite bung-cloth-like, now. Finish: very elegant, it has the same beautiful cooked fruits and woody tones, none too loud. It is assertive, not boisterous. In the finish too, the wood seems to be older, and results in old books and even earth, as well as toasted notes of cake crust and, perhaps, a spoonful of coffee grounds. Pineapple is still there, hardly noticeable, pear drops, dried brambles (the plant, not the fruit), treacle and liquorice powder. This one, despite the just-legal ABV, feels the most warming of the lot, so far. Probably the wood. 9/10
Carsebridge 38yo 1976/20 (55.8%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection for La Maison du Whisky Exclusive Bottling, Hogshead, C#130950, 184b): is it not amazing to have a thirty-eight-year-old whisky that is twelve years younger than the second-youngest whisky in the line-up? What a wonderful time capsule whisky is! 1976 saw the Portland Trail Blazers win their first NBA championship, the Summer Olympics take place in Montréal, and Wings top the year's charts with their single
Silly Love Songs. It was also the year of a severe heatwave that would be talked about for generations -- that recurring reference became boring quickly, as we started suffering yearly heatwaves. Enough nostalgia. Nose: infinitely more herbal than its older siblings, this one has verbena and marjoram, dried sage, thyme, almost metallic. It is also much more powerful, if not quite stripping, and that translates into solvents, with turpentine and pine essence, white spirit and lint-y hospital corridors. I smell virtually no fruit or pastry, unless it is so smothered in thyme and other herbs it is unrecognisable. Later on, the nose takes on an almost-earthy character, for a second, with plant pots, soil and tagetes. Mouth: citric on the tongue, it has pomelo, ripe lime, bergamot, unripe mandarin, and enough horsepower to stun a horse. With power. Peel zest, apple mint, American cream soda, pine liqueur (if such a thing exists), perhaps unexpected walnut shells, pine sap, lovage seeds, candied ginger and candied angelica. It is lively and fresh, silky in texture and comforting in nature. It might be just less silky than the fifty-year-old. Finish: meow! All the citrus is here, although blended together so seamlessly that it is hard to describe it more precisely than "citrus." The herbs are gentler in the finish, with lemon mint and kaffir lime leaves coming through most. Baking soda, kumquat foliage and a huge pine influence -- thuja branches, douglas-fir bark, cedar sap and something between Suc des Vosges and candied angelica. A metallic note is also present, if subtle, the residue of the knife used to cut all the above. Nothing to worry about, for all who are allergic to metal. Again, little pastry to speak of. It coats the mouth as custard or choux dough would, no more, no less. Great selection by LMdW. I love it. 9/10
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| Love the different shades too, ranging from almost green to gold, via hues of brown |
Carsebridge 1965/2017 (unknown ABV, cask sample, C#9, Station Ref #1805): nose: an appealing grain nose, with all sorts of wood lacquers and varnishes, then bakery goodness; vanilla extract, toasted coconut, candied pineapple, mixed peel, soaked in Bourbon, and olive oil. A moment later, fresh paint, turpentine, cellophane and plastic products come rushing in, maybe with industrial glue too. Scratching deep, I detect a note of pine sap, yet it is very faint. Soaked staves. Later on, fudge and Scottish tablet, spiked with Bourbon and coming straight out of the oven come tickle the nose. Mouth: mellow and gently acidic, it is tinned-pineapple juice, coconut milk from a tin opened too long ago, which is to say it is tainted by a metallic note, glue. That tin-and-pineapple combination is strong! American cream soda, pine essence, warm lemonade, as well as something green and bitter -- laurel leaves, perhaps? Repeated sipping sees some spices, as if balsa-wood shavings had been added to it, but, considering how long this has spent in a cask, the wood is remarkably discreet. Finish: long, coating, it has glue and that bitter, green touch to accompany more tinned pineapple (slices, this time), pine essence, custard powder, butterscotch and crystallised pomelo segments. All in all, it is vaguely woody, but very ester-y, with solvents and lots of fruits, both cooked and fresh. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, kind donor)
Carsebridge 52yo 1964/2017 (41.7%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#2, 285b): nose: annoyingly, tough perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems very similar to the above, with solvents, fruits and wood. In no particular order, we have industrial glue, vanilla extract, fudge, glycerine, pear drops and lacquered coconut shells. This time, however, we also have berries: raspberry coulis and dried strawberry slices. Stewed rhubarb and caramel flan, butterscotch and piping hot chocolate éclairs. Mouth: very fruity, it has pear drops, candied pineapple cubes, crystallised citrus, baked banana, coconut notes and stewed persimmon, all augmented with a drop of bitter tonic, borderline metallic. That lick of metal could be a herbaceous tone gone extreme too -- tarragon or fresh oregano, maybe. It doesnae last, though: soon, it is custard-y chocolate éclairs on the tongue too, perhaps served with a spoonful of caramel coulis. Finish: I hate to say it, but I like this one better than the first. Better balance. Custard powder, powdered sugar, and a deluge of pineapple drops and crystallised pomelo segments, pear drops, lemonade, timid raspberry coulis, stewed rhubarb (sweetened). On top of that: baked custard (not quite as caramel-y as a crème brûlée, though), hot flan, treacle. Well, I never! I wonder where they got this Carsebridge. In any case, it is one of the best TBWC bottlings I have tried. 9/10
Carsebridge 50yo 1965/2015 (40.1%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular, Refill Hogshead, C#DL10993, 101b): nose: this one feels heavier on the nose, whatever that means. More wood and less fruit than in the previous two. It is pine-like, with resin and minty Gocce Pino, yet I also find older-wood markers, such as blotting paper, old books and even soaked cardboard. There might be a drop of glue amidst all this, hardly worth mentioning, at this stage. On the other hand, I can clearly smell tinned pineapple, yet it is the kind that has been on a buffet plate for too long and has gone stale. After a while, the nose becomes this strange combination of powdered-sugared pear drops and bung cloth. I like it. Far in the back, fresh paint reminds one that this is a grain whisky. After the first sip, the nose adopts toasted notes of coffee grounds, black cardamom and toasted bread. Mouth: soft and velvety, this one has the perfect strength for me, today, even though I am dead certain others would find it too weak. Cellophane, pine essence, bubble gum, at the point it loses whatever artificial flavouring it had. On the back seat, we see pear drops, pineapple drops, dried banana slices, raspberry drops and glycerine, vanilla extract and butterscotch. The texture makes me think of fudge: buttery, coating and chewy. It remains a little musty, though not quite bung-cloth-like, now. Finish: very elegant, it has the same beautiful cooked fruits and woody tones, none too loud. It is assertive, not boisterous. In the finish too, the wood seems to be older, and results in old books and even earth, as well as toasted notes of cake crust and, perhaps, a spoonful of coffee grounds. Pineapple is still there, hardly noticeable, pear drops, dried brambles (the plant, not the fruit), treacle and liquorice powder. This one, despite the just-legal ABV, feels the most warming of the lot, so far. Probably the wood. 9/10
Carsebridge 38yo 1976/20 (55.8%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection for La Maison du Whisky Exclusive Bottling, Hogshead, C#130950, 184b): is it not amazing to have a thirty-eight-year-old whisky that is twelve years younger than the second-youngest whisky in the line-up? What a wonderful time capsule whisky is! 1976 saw the Portland Trail Blazers win their first NBA championship, the Summer Olympics take place in Montréal, and Wings top the year's charts with their single Silly Love Songs. It was also the year of a severe heatwave that would be talked about for generations -- that recurring reference became boring quickly, as we started suffering yearly heatwaves. Enough nostalgia. Nose: infinitely more herbal than its older siblings, this one has verbena and marjoram, dried sage, thyme, almost metallic. It is also much more powerful, if not quite stripping, and that translates into solvents, with turpentine and pine essence, white spirit and lint-y hospital corridors. I smell virtually no fruit or pastry, unless it is so smothered in thyme and other herbs it is unrecognisable. Later on, the nose takes on an almost-earthy character, for a second, with plant pots, soil and tagetes. Mouth: citric on the tongue, it has pomelo, ripe lime, bergamot, unripe mandarin, and enough horsepower to stun a horse. With power. Peel zest, apple mint, American cream soda, pine liqueur (if such a thing exists), perhaps unexpected walnut shells, pine sap, lovage seeds, candied ginger and candied angelica. It is lively and fresh, silky in texture and comforting in nature. It might be just less silky than the fifty-year-old. Finish: meow! All the citrus is here, although blended together so seamlessly that it is hard to describe it more precisely than "citrus." The herbs are gentler in the finish, with lemon mint and kaffir lime leaves coming through most. Baking soda, kumquat foliage and a huge pine influence -- thuja branches, douglas-fir bark, cedar sap and something between Suc des Vosges and candied angelica. A metallic note is also present, if subtle, the residue of the knife used to cut all the above. Nothing to worry about, for all who are allergic to metal. Again, little pastry to speak of. It coats the mouth as custard or choux dough would, no more, no less. Great selection by LMdW. I love it. 9/10
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