I felt a little worse for wear, this morning, after last night's Ardmore tasting. Better this afternoon, even if I fear this session will not be very ambitious.
The Tomatin 15yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Il Sestante, b.1980s): notice how this was imported by Il Sestante s.n.c., the bar, and not Sestante s.r.l., the importer. We know from Mainardi himself that all his bottlings were done by Gordon & MacPhail, although it is not written on the label. Nose: an elegant mix of encaustic, juicy prunes and minute quantities of soot. The prunes mutate into soaked sultanas, and are joined by a mineral quality -- unpolished granite. A faint note of petrol, distant, and a mere backing singer to the main artist that is fruit. Elderberry, redcurrant, wild strawberry and a touch of wax. It is a shy nose, however; evanescent. Mouth: waxy fruit seems more pronounced on the tongue, with apricots, plums, mirabelle plums and kumquats, dark grapes about to burst, blackcurrants. Pencil shavings join the fruits to add a softly bitter note, perhaps gently metallic, even, which would be the pencil sharpener's blade, but also brimstone. At 40%, this is a soft introduction, rather than fireworks on the tongue, yet it does not lack character. A salad dressing with walnut oil and raspberry vinegar. Finish: plummy to the max, this has all sorts of waxy purple fruits, very juicy. There is a soft woodiness to it, until that raspberry vinegar kicks in to colour the tongue pink, whilst the walnut oil coats the mouth walls. The pinch of soot from the nose has all but gone, yet it lives on through the coal-dusty dryness left in the mouth, minutes after swallowing this, taking the place of the creamy impression that preceded it. Superb! 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
Let us have a second.
Isle of Jura 21yo 1998/2020 (54.2%, Adelphi Limited, Refill Sherry Cask, C#2146, 265b): leftover from the tasting in May. Nose: cranberry compote and bovril, discreet meat, marinating in soaked prunes. It then becomes a little more wine-y, with Madeira and very old brandy, in which the fruit has disappeared in favour of wood -- rosewood, actually. Armagnac and dirty socks are next, which, I will gladly admit, make a strange couple, before it turns sweeter, with warmed maple syrup and fresh doughnuts... aaaaaaand it is back to poached prunes, wines and drinks cabinets. Lychee husk, caffè corretto and a baking tray, after a day of baking. Mouth: full, thick, sweet to the point it is cloying, treacle-like, coated in maple syrup -- you get the picture, I am sure. Below the tongue, the sweetness allows some fruit to permeate (lychee again), alongside rosewood and toasted peaches. There is something remotely animal to this palate, with musk and wet hair in a Clynelish-14yo way, rather than the meat one would find in a Mortlach. Perhaps a glass of Burgundy wine in a room that has a smokeless fireplace? Finish: sweet here too, but balanced -- sweet and toasted, with maple syrup and lychee husk rubbing feathers with burnt cake and gentle liquorice. It is not quite roasted coffee beans, but not too far off either. The second sip is creamy as a mocha custard with chocolate shavings on top. Biscuit crumbs left on the baking tray, and baked a few too many times. Then, red wine appears, elegant and noble, rich, with a few tannins, but it is more of a dessert wine, if not quite a Port or a Montbazillac. Sweetish and full-bodied, still with those toasted touches. Nice. I like it much more than the first time. 8/10
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