Following on from Part 1.
I have a stinking dehydration-induced headache, despite having had no alcohol for two days. Might as well give that headache a good reason to be there!
Dram #5
Springbank 10yo (57.2%, OB Local Barley, Sherry Casks): because, you know, if you are going to make a Sunday-morning headache worse, it is best to start with a high-ABV dram. This is unreleased yet. Nose: well, the sherry influence is obvious and a half. Exotic woods (teak, ebony), drinks cabinets (Sherry and Port, heavy and sweet), then something that reminds me of Styrofoam beads... In fact, it is black packing peanuts, soaked in peaty whisky (read here to find out how I know that smell so well). A few minutes in, it becomes farmier, with muddy paths and dirty ploughs, then sweet, with dried dates and dried figs. The details do not tell, but I would be surprised if there was not a single ex-Pedro Ximénez cask, in this. It seems to become sweeter and sweeter, too, with plum jam, before the wood come back in full force (ebony, loud and clear). The second nose brings a spoonful of raspberry coulis, dunked into a cup of coffee, as well as a whiff of leather and a pinch of herbs. Mouth: mellow and sweet, with more plums and figs than wood, it is soon clear that those have been soaked in rum to rehydrate. Swirling the whisky around the tongue for a bit, one detects farmland soil, rich and greasy, mahogany and coconut. Maybe a distant note of rubber? Hard to tell. In any case, it is not the bad kind of rubber, bitter and desiccating -- not at all. Finish: here, it has chocolate, calming and comforting, if only for a moment. Mocha soon replaces the chocolate, augmented with dried-fig paste and a few timid chilli flakes in pot soil. The nose is good. The rest is efficient, if rather simple. 7/10
Dram #6
Springbank 8yo (56.8%, Cask Sample, Fresh Pedro Ximénez Hogshead for 18 months): nose: sweet and fruity, it has dried dates, quince paste and dried apricots, Dr. Pepper and a gentle smoke to boot: smoked jams to begin with, it morphs into burning cherry-tree logs in the space of two whiffs. In the long run, a more farm-y side emerges, with muddy wellies and tractor-engine oil, when it escapes the farm, yet stays firmly in the countryside, with a drop of ink, then elderberry liqueur in the making and musty cellars. Mouth: dryer on the tongue, it boasts a combination of wood polish, pot soil, currant jams, softly-smoked quince paste, ink and PVC tank tops. Yes, that last one surprised me too. The jams grow in intensity, cranberry and blackcurrant, almost liquorice-y in their mild bitterness. Finish: seemingly monochord at first, with a nice, if lonely note of plum jam, it takes ten or twenty seconds before muddy farmland joins the dance, alongside gentle smoke and dirty rubber boots. It remains rather sweet altogether, with elderberry and blackcurrant, yet the same bitterness appears as on the palate; not quite liquorice, but definitely in that category. Good, in small doses. 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment