31/10/2020 November outturn at the SMWS

JS and I join Dr. CD, PS and GK for a last hurrah for a while. Flat fee, five drams and a cheeseboard, as per usual.

I cannot say I find the list exciting, this month, but I suppose there is an oldish Caperdonich. In the worst case, today is an opportunity to try it... except it is not: only half the bottlings were delivered, and then almost only the cheapest ones. That makes the flat fee almost more expensive than buying by the dram. It is not the first time it happens and it annoys me. "We have drams priced at £5, £10, £15 and £20. For a flat-fee of £30, you may select five £5 drams and a cheeseboard" is what it feels like.

Anyway.

9.184 16yo d.2003 A study in pink (53.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 201b): nose: pine sap in the background, masked by strong scents of lemon-y pine, crushed pine cones, cedar wood, almost splintery. There is something else I cannot quite identify -- JS reckons talcum powder and she might be right. Talcum powder on clean linen, perhaps dried Kaffir lime leaves. Time makes it bubble gum-y. Mouth: dry and metallic, it is also strong; peppery to the point it feels poorly integrated. There is a dose of fruit, in the back of the throat, outweighed by a clearly metallic bitterness. Finish: a little sweeter, here, it has confectionery sugar and caramel in the making, yet there are remnants of the bitterness too (sage, marjoram, verbena). Not a disaster, but also far from stellar. 7/10

113.34 30yo d.1989 Magically Mediterranean (50.4%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 177b): the one expensive dram delivered on time, and it counts as two. Another blow. Nose: pear and apple skins, macerating in fermenting juice, then whiffs of a bakery and a spice merchant (flour, ground cardamom, ground coriander). At last, a shy maritime character appears, which is very surprising, then dry hay. Thirty minutes in, the whole turns into nail varnish and cosmetic powders, with a glass of peach juice near the makeup mirror. Mouth: soft and mellow, it has cracked black pepper amongst confectionery sugar, and a dash of white-grape-and-peach juice. Finish: long, relaxing and warming, with dry hay, rock salt, rosemary, mezcal or tequila!? It leaves the mouth a little dry, as if covered in smoke is what it does. It feels rather strong in the finish, and has the bitterness of shaved cork. 8/10

I share my Pittyvaich 14yo (54.5%, James MacArthur Fine Malt Selection imported by Pevarello, b. ca 1990) with my tablemates, who seem to enjoy it. See here for notes.

44.132 12yo d.2007 Cracking black pepper nuts (61.4%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 280b): nose: an old-school dram, wearing a woollen cardigan, slippers and a pipe. Soon, a drop of lemon shows up, then stale tobacco and, suddenly, unscented washing-up detergent, then pickle vinegar and hand wash (with more of a scent, this time). Weird. Mouth: prickly, cucumber-y, it becomes rather spicy, showcasing ginger, galangal and lemongrass -- lots of the latter. It is also jellied as fook. Finish: a lot softer than expected, it has corked water, but also a certain sweetness of preserved apricots and cucumber jelly. 7/10

The Lakes N°3 b.2020 (54%, OB The Whiskymaker's Reserve, PX, Oloroso, Cream Sherry and Red Wine casks, 9700b): nose: wood varnish mixed with butyric. It soon becomes woody, woody, woody. An orange-y note grows, with blood-orange skins, crystallised orange and pink-grapefruit skins. It redeems itself after a difficult start, in other words. Mouth: a soft blend of blood-orange peels, wood varnish and baby sick, in keeping with the nose, but may not please everyone. Finish: big, boisterous, slightly bitter, it has blood-orange pith ad pink-grapefruit peel. Not bad, perhaps a bit dull. 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, PS)

Bimber Re-Charred Oak Casks (51.9%, OB, Re-Charred American Oak Casks, B#01/2019, 5000b): nose: very custard-y, this one exudes melted βανίλια and crystallised, minty sweetness. Soon, warm, soaped-up laundry rocks up too. Mouth: mellow without losing punch, it simply is not spicy at all. Custard and warm βανίλια all the way. Finish: more vanilla custard, with a pinch of herbs on top (thyme and fresh mint), as well as caramel flan. It feels like any old Bourbon-matured whisky, inoffensive, decent, but also rather generic. I do not understand the hype. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, PS)

10.201 6yo d.2013 Panel-punch of peat-smoke (60.2%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Moscatel Hogshead Finish, 304b): nose: very peaty. Peat bricks, smoked ham, barbecued bacon, then ash and carbonyl. It also has flame-dried algae and burnt wet wood -- or wet burnt wood? Mouth: toasted algae, barbecued bacon again, ashy and oily smoked ham (a contradictory combination, I know) and smoky chocolate. Finish: earthy, muddy, the finish has baked, boggy peat bricks, oaky bacon and greasy nori, robusto-cigar ash and more smoky chocolate arrive on the late tip. 7/10

Pleasant time with friends, though if the above is not clear, I have fallen out of love with the Society, somewhat. The prices have skyrocketed (I do not expect the same prices as ten years ago, yet also cannot welcome prices that are consistently £100 higher than Cadenhead's or others' for similar offerings), the selection has become very young (my first glance at the outturn showed a 28yo Caperdonich and five more whiskies sharing fifty-two years between them, one being sixteen), more and more bottles are impossible to purchase (allocated via a ballot or sold out in minutes), more and more cannot be tasted (because they are not available at the launch), and even the cheese boards are shrinking madly (three pieces of cheese and four crackers in total) Add to that that every single time in the past couple of years we have spent money at the bar (as opposed to the pre-paid flights of the new outturn), there have been mistakes (poured the wrong dram, charged too much per dram, charged for too many drams, and even charged the tab of someone else altogether) and the COVID-19-related lockdown that kept the venue closed for months, and one has lots of arguments not to renew one's membership.

Just as I think that, the whole venue is offered cake (walnut and coffee or chocolate -- I go for chocolate). To say all is forgiven would be daft, but it certainly makes for a better overall experience.