Dornoch is sadly a no-go area for tOMoH, this year, but cyberspace allows for virtual gatherings with the Dornoch crew.
This session tonight is meant to feature old and rare bottles. The line-up was announced a few weeks ago, and there were a few interesting things indeed. The event also has guest hosts: not all the whiskies are from the Thompson collection; instead, several of their friends have selected a whisky and will present it.
We do start with drams selected by the twins, however.
Dornoch d.2019 (62.16%, Cask Sample, C#182): this is an experimental peaty batch, of which we are told there are two casks. Nose: flinty and mineral, the nose has slate-y smoke (think: smoke coming out of a chimney in a slate roof?) The second nose has smoky, rubbery leaves. Mouth: now we are talking! Lots of mineral notes again (slate), and smoked vegetation. Several people say agave and tequila, and I can see why. It has got that mezcal-y smokiness. Finish: warming, the smoke mutates, now turning into coins (some nickel alloy?) BA mentions 50p coins, which seems spot-on. He is good, our BA. 7/10
AMcR: "I don't have the samples in front of me, but does this taste like a green-dumpy, 1970s Glendronach?"
Jura 30yo 1990/2020 (46.4%, Thompson Bros. for The Whisky Find, Refill Hogshead, C#5317, 163b): this is the latest of a small series of 1990ish casks of Jura that have received praise from everyone who has tasted them. Nose: Fruittella, dried pear slices (adc), as rubbery-chewy as they are fruity. Mouth: pear drops, boiled citrus sweets. This is fresh, lively and resolutely fruity. Finish: long, big and very fruity, in a chemical way, this has mixed peel and candied angelica, on top of the fruity sweets. Ace. 9/10
Secret Highland Malt d.1994 (47.78%, Cask Sample, C#11): this one may be a Clynelish, though PT explains nothing was written on the cask and, therefore, he does not know himself. Nose: mentions of wax and fruit fuse from all sources, and indeed: seal wax, oily-plant leaves, then white wood and nail polish. Mouth: despite the modest ABV, it feels robust. It is also rather fruity (plums, mirabelle plums, apricots), the fruitiness being counterbalanced by a mild, leafy bitterness. Finish: waxy plums, waxy apricots, dark grapes and more tropical fruits (someone ventures starfruit, and I agree). Very nice. 8/10
The inevitable discussion about names takes place: if it is this good, does it matter what it is? From a pricing perspective, of course, it does. Different people buy different whiskies for different reasons, and not stating the name, for whichever reason, removes a proportion of the customer base. That dictates how much a bottle can be sold for, which, in turns, prescribes the maximum cost of the cask.
Chichibu London Edition b.2020 (53.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt, ex-Bourbon Casks, 1736b) (presented by Billy Abbott): nose: warm pastry, smoky ovens, then spices (chiefly turmeric). Mouth: very sweet, here, it has warm croissant and hot rosemary-like menthol. Finish: it is long, warming, yet also menthol-fresh. Further, one spots fruits and focaccia. Great balance, great strength, great integration. This is annoyingly enjoyable. Annoyingly? It might be neither old, nor rare, yet it is certainly not cheap! 8/10
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