As every year, we have a triple birthday to celebrate -- this year with a triple theme. As every year, none of the birthday boys is here.
Ardmore 19yo d.1990 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Direct Wines First Cask, Bourbon Barrel, C#30109): nose: a delicate peat smoke that brings me back to the gardening days of my childhood; they invariably ended with a garden fire to burn leaves, cut grass and weeds -- before the world understood the risks and toxic effects of such fires, obviously. Smoked roots, weeds on the fire, burnt riverbanks, hay, grass, burnt by the scorching sun, earth by the hearth. Behind that, a fruity note grows, though I struggle to identify it... Smoked plums? Peaty Peach? Next up is a gentle lick of wood varnish, then mocha cream or crème brûlée. Mouth: moist. That is the first thing that comes to mind. Peach skins, dried apricots, papaya cubes, even. Oh! this is nicely fruity. A pinch of red-chilli powder gives a spicy touch that is so tame even PS would not complain. In the background and only coming through via retro-nasal olfaction, smoky wood appears, akin to cherry-tree logs in the fireplace. Even the smoke is fruity, on this palate. In the long run, a bit of vegetal smoke shows up, juicy weeds thrown onto the fire, roots included... yet fruit reclaims its rightful place. Finish: although it is reduced to 46%, it lacks no power. It is a combination of the smoky notes from the nose and the fruity tones from the palate. Peach, apricot and papaya come and go, letting scorched earth linger in the aftertaste, which gives a pleasant, toasted impression. Coffee grounds, the spent wick of a scented candlestick. What a wonderful drop! I liked it the first time, and still do. 8/10
Bruichladdich 25yo 1993/2018 (49.3%, Cadenhead Single Cask for the 25th Anniversary of Bresser & Timmer, Bourbon Hogshead, 240b): I loved this when STL introduced me to it. Will it live up to my memories? Nose: carambola, cucumber and candle wax, celery sticks and, amongst other things that start with 'c', violet stems. Carambola becomes more pronounced, joined by guava, prickle pear, mango skins and unripe persimmon. This really is becoming tropical and a half! Coconut fruit (the flesh around the nutshell), coconut yoghurt, then Kaffir lime leaves, pomelo peels -- phwoar! Cucumber peels too, come to think of it. Maybe this has something of a gin & tonic (without the horrible gin part, though -- would that merely be tonic?) Mouth: holy molly! It is as good as the nose: Guava, carambola, pomelo skins, coco, yoghurt, prickle pear -- this is full of win! It retains the freshness of cucumber (the taste, a little less), crisp celery sticks, and it also has some herbs (lemon mint, wild chamomile, which tastes like pineapple). Pineapple comes in to stay, in fact, foliage included. Yeah: it may be fruity, yet it also has herbaceous touches like that; Kaffir lime leaves and clementine foliage. Finish: it is the same debauchery here, with pomelo skins, guava, carambola and celery rubbing feathers with prickle pear and a notch of ground paprika. Yum! Peach yoghurt balances the acidity of the fruits, and there might even be an extremely-soft bitter nuance, which I associate with cucumber peel and lime leaves, or clementine leaves, covered in milk chocolate. This dram is a work of art. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, STL)
Secret Highland Malt d.1994 (47.78%, Cask Sample, C#11): this cask sample bears no age statement, but it was drawn in late 2020, which makes it a twenty-six-year-old. The other night, several wondered whether it was a Clynelish. That will be my C dram, even if it is not. Nose: bramble, honeyberry, faint pollen and lots of yellow fruits (mirabelle plum, papaya, jackfruit, butternut and quince jelly) and pineapple turnovers. The nose becomes more intoxicating as time passes, giving more waxy and furniture-polish-y notes than fruit, with the same effect as sniffing wax or furniture polish: intoxication. Do not try this at home, kids! Mouth: meow! this balance... Überjuicy fruits, with quince, ripe golden apple, mirabelle plum, white peach, waxy apricot and yellow watermelon. Perhaps canary melon too, but then splashed with rum. A drop of dark pouring honey augments the palate, blended with a dash of beeswax to boot. The texture is waxy, chewy and coating, leaving the mouth salivating. The yellow fruits are really something! The roof of the mouth ends up detecting tinned pineapple that has spent far too long in the tin -- that is fleeting, however. Finish: similar story, the finish sees a mixture of juicy yellow fruits and mouth-coating beeswax, alongside a spoonful of set honey, so sticky it is borderline drying. Further sipping transforms that into clear pouring honey, still sticky, apricot jam and marmalade, not quite bitter, yet one that has a tang alright. Tinned pineapple makes a comeback, as does fruity yoghurt. Wax-coated papaya is the last thing to rock up. Cracking dram! Hope it is bottled and released in the not-too-distant future. 8/10
Happy birthday, MD, FH, JPH.
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