29/01/2021 We had a long row

Longrow 7yo 2000/2008 (55.8%, OB Wood Expressions, Refill Bourbon / Gaja Barolo Finish, C#12120): nose: greasy, oily rags used by a mechanic to disassemble and clean an engine. There is a lot of metal in there to accompany the grease -- gun oil, gun metal, a toolbox full of dirty tools. Suddenly, the nose switches to a farmyard, with tractor diesel, but also rich, freshly-ploughed soil, farmland paths and muck. It only takes a minute (girl) to turn full-on manure, augmented with a pinch of ash and smelly cheese rind (Stinking Bishop, probably). The only wine influence, thus far, is the earthiness; after all, vines grow in earth too. I have had red wines that felt earthy like this. Maybe Cabernet, but do not quote me on that. Eventually, a thick cloak of candlewax wraps everything else, supported by burning candle wick. The second nose has an almost bacon-y tang to it, Grills or Frazzles. I must say I am not insensitive to it. Mouth: lively on the tongue, it lacks neither wax nor heat. Chopped Scotch bonnet peppers, mixed with thick elderberry, squashed blackcurrant and cranberry compote, at once jammy and earthy. There is a distinct smoked-earth character down the back, and the mechanic's shenanigans manifest themselves in the form of diesel fumes, here. The bacon notes are here too, flirting with fallowed fields under the summer sun. This palate is simultaneously bone-dry and juicy, earthy and fruity, and it achieves that balance in a way that is remarkable. The wine character just about makes it through, which is good: it does not feel like a particularly sophisticated wine; rustic, waxy and coating, almost invasive. Finish: big, robust, smoky, it has smoked berries, embers, ashy earth, dirty old rags, even if whatever oil or grease on them has now completely gone. A handful of Grills, a sip of elderberry cordial, a spoonful of piping-hot cranberry compote, a pinch of ashy earth -- oh! in the long run, it is pretty ashy indeed. The whole is reminiscent of a well-maintained pig farm; one where the pigs are clean, roaming freely and happy, before they are turned into bacon rashers. Frazzle dust, at the bottom of the pack, barbecue sauce on overly-grilled spare ribs, charred lard skewers. I like this more than the first time, though that is from a cerebral point of view, rather than pure pleasure. I do find it enjoyable, yet it is perhaps not something I would drink lots of. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, PS)

28/01/2021 Extracting the Inchm-urine

112.54 18yo d.2001 Uncle Monty goes burgling (54.2%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Red Wine Barrique, 264b): nose: this is mostly mute. An aluminium kitchen sink, maybe? After several minutes of warming up the glass in the hand, it does wake up a little, and then it is a mix of peach bubble gum, marshmallow and a heady white wine, as syrupy as a white Port. The far back of the nose picks rubber boots and oilskins, subtle. Chewy strawberry sweets end up arriving (think: Fruitela), preceding a spoonful of sesame oil and a bowl of peanuts. With time, the nose opens up to reveal cotton candy, peach Melba and powdered-sugar-coated pastry, hot out of the oven, hot metal grille and all. Repeated sniffing hints at how pure, light and strong this is, almost perfume-like. It smells... dangerous! Mouth: the first sip is as sharp and rugged as the first nose was subtle; this has the integration of a young-ish whisky, certainly bumpier than the drams of the previous days. Once the attack winds down, one will recognise the white Port from the nose, the peach and, at a push, the oilskins. The tip of the tongue is under a bitter siege, the sweetness being almost absent, at first, replaced by a pinch of chilli powder. Over time, it gains an almost-chocolate-y texture that becomes reminiscent of raspberry PiM's. Actually, that is it! Raspberry PiM's. Finish: big and flavourful, it has caramelised apricot compote, polished walnut and, generally speaking, it feels like a grain, which is odd, even if Inchmurrin is distilled in Lomond stills straight-necked pot stills. Sharp, metallic to a degree, it quickly finds its feet and brings back raspberry PiM's and bitter Seville-orange marmalade, vanilla extract, powdered  sugar and volatile alcohol vapours. This finish leaves the side of the tongue lacerated, as if cut and burnt by a hot knife -- against all odds, that is pleasant! A little numbing too, though. This makes me think of a Cambus from beginning to end. I just hope it does not have the same effect on me (next day: no, it does not). I like it more than the first time. It takes a while to reveal itself, and still will not please everyone, but I had a good time with it. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, JMcC)

27/01/2021 One blend

Blended Scotch 39yo 1979/2018 (53.3%, Berry Bros & Rudd exclusive to Royal Mile Whiskies, Sherry Butt, C#4, 385b): nose: the first whiff brings purple nail varnish (something between Gemey's Mellow Mauve and Maybelline's Mauve in Manhattan, for the connoisseurs), soon joined by leather pouches (I would say 'handbags' if I knew what they were!) Then, it is apricot clafoutis and plum tarts, yet not for long: chalk and shaving foam take over a second later. It then seems to settle for cologne and dried herbs in the fashion of an herbarium, with also a bouquet of freshly-cut forsythia in a vase, in the next room. Settle? No! The flowery touch grows in intensity and freshness, until that is met by a vaguely rancio-y elderberry cordial, macerated plums and a dollop of moustache wax. The second nose has something closer to chocolate -- maybe Brazil-nut butter? Panna cotta? Lastly, wormwood shows up. Mouth: the palate has plum wine from the get-go, fruity liqueurs (plum, blueberry, raspberry), more of that moustache wax, and mellow flower petals. That aside, I seem to detect some metal too, cutlery or otherwise, poached pears and poached quince. The second sip welcomes clementine segments, marinated in some kind of punch, tinned pineapple cubes, also soaked in punch or liqueur, and then the wood starts talking, softly, but recognisably. Apricot stones, walnut shells, teak furniture. In the long run, lychee makes an entrance, though it is drowned in liqueurs. Finish: a sponge cake, infused with fruit liqueur; mellow, soft, fruity, though it retains a gentle kick. At this stage, the wood influence is also more clearly felt, with a fair share of bitterness propped up by galangal, wormwood, walnut wood, apricot stones, both dry and oily, if that makes sense (roasted?) Macerated citrus makes a late comeback, unrecognisable, so long it has spent in liqueur. Soaked staves, on the verge of rot. After a while, lychee rocks up in the finish as well, also rather efficiently concealed by liqueur it is bathing in. Lychee liqueur it is, then. Pretty good, this. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, BB)

26/01/2021 One Invergordon

Invergordon 45yo 1964/2009 (43%, Forbes Ross & Co. Private Cellar Cask Selection): nose: delicately-roasted malt, wood varnish, a cup of cappuccino on a lacquered coffee table, but also corn syrup and dark pouring honey -- or is it maple syrup? Roasted pecans, honey-glazed nuts, old-yet-well-maintained leather sofas, dried dates and something more animal, like a pet rabbit's cage. Caramelised puffed barley, custard-cream biscuits, coated in a honey glazing. Breathing time gives it a more straightforward woodiness, with fudge, butterscotch and furniture wax. Mouth: wow. Syrupy, juicy, quaffable, it frolics on the tongue, silky and seductive, giving ripe-apricot flesh, dried dates, dark honey and maple-syrup biscuits. Roasted pecans come back, giving a slightly toasted edge. Then, it is walnut stain, a polished dashboard (a Bentley's, no less), grilled coconut chunks and coconut oil. The balance seems perfect at 43%, neither too hot, nor weak, with just enough horsepower to keep one engaged. Finish: lovely feeling on the way down, with apricot flesh again, maple syrup, sweet-corn mash, dried dates blended into a pulp, coconut cream, polished dashboards here too, melted fudge and butterscotch. The death has a minute, blink-and-you'll-miss-it bitter note, maybe of a less-ripe nut. Mostly, it is creamy-sweet goodness, with coconut yoghurt, walnut oil and a drop of manuka honey. Love it. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, PS)

25/01/2021 Burns' Night 2021 -- but not really

Tonight is Burns' Night, though celebrations have been cancelled, like everything this year.

Royal Lochnagar 19yo 2000/2019 (55.5%, Edition Spirits The First Editions, Refill Hogshead, C#HL16350, 384): nose: orange liqueur, Cointreau style! Orange milk, creamy orange praline filling, and something nuttier... Hazelnut paste? Macadamia butter? The citrus-y/orange-y profile soon comes back, this time supported by shiny, waxy furniture -- a leather sofa would be my guess. The nuts turn bolder, now converging on hazelnut vinegar, apple-pip vinegar, before backtracking towards macadamia butter. The orange liqueur is never too far away, though. The second nose seems a tad grassier, with hay and kumquat foliage. Mouth: well, it is orange liqueur on the tongue as well, no question about it! Cointreau, booze-injected PiM's (now, there's an idea!...), marmalade, all that before a similar woodiness as the nose's creeps in, with the gently-bitter arms of an armchair (for those who have ever licked those), brambles and orange peels, then mandarin peels and liqueur pralines. The bitter touch grows more intense with every sip, but it stays under control. Next to the orange, it feels as though a touch of red-apple juice appears, crisp, acidic, waxy, balanced by the woody undertone. Very good alcohol integration and silky mouthfeel, although a pinch of chilli powder shows up, in the long run. Finish: quaffable, softly warming and comfortable, it delivers everything it did promise; an old-school marmalade, polished armchairs, orange liqueur and liqueur pralines. The second sip sees a note of chocolate, which underlines the praline impression. Nutty body butters too -- macadamia, shea, cocoa. Maybe baked apple is progressively coming up too? A drop of rum? Yes! A rum-soaked, orange-paste-filled soft cake, PiM's style (if you still refer to Jaffa Cakes, you have not lived). Lovely drop! I find it much more convincing than the first time. Context, eh? 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, DW)

24/01/2021 A new Laphroaig on a snowy day

Apparently, this one came out in the last few days. Oh! and today saw a snow storm at tOMoH Towers.

Laphroaig 24yo 1996/2020 (51.8%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, ex-Jack Daniel's Cask, C#1-104, 217b): nose: a pleasant whiff of waxes (seal and candle, predominantly), scented pencil erasers and envelope glue. Naturally, there is a fair bit of peat as well, yet it is not invasive. Tractor diesel in a plastic jerrycan, stored in a barn. Then, it turns more medicinal, with gauze, embrocation, old tincture of iodine and carbolic soap. The sort of things that would make one fall in love with Laphroaig again -- or remind one why one hates it so much, I suppose. Very dry hessian sacks, smoked hay, bloomy-rind cheese. It reminds me of reading yellowed-out parchment scrolls by the fireplace (not that I have ever done that...). Ink, old cardboard, merbromin, and that is where the medicinal lot picks up. The second nose has polished furniture, chesterfield sofas, the smoking room of gentlemen's club, hot cigars, and still those wonderful cherries. Mouth: huge, and also rather sweet, the mouth has caramelised cherry jam, simmering in the cauldron, on the naked flame, soot, more seal wax and dusty charcoal. The texture is fruity-sweet, yet sooty-dry at the same time. At times, it feels like munching on a piece of old gauze, sprayed with antiseptic; at others, it is a spoonful of cherry jam -- how weird is that dichotomy? That sweet, caramelised, fruity touch is impressive to say the least, though it never completely eclipsed the medicinal dimension. Think of a bandage dunked into jam and soot. Reads odd? Well, it works a treat! Finish: big, it combines the fruit and soot from the palate, with a little more emphasis on the soot, I would say. Grated charcoal, ash, burnt paper, hot metal and seal wax. The finish sees a gentle bitterness, certainly imparted by the metal (is it cast iron, by the way?), which is not a bother at all. It leaves the mouth salivating and as if coated in a thin layer of mossy, boggy peat that comes out of nowhere. Bandages, gauze and rubbing alcohol, neoprene, Reflex spray (the athletes will know) round off the picture, even though they remain background nuances, here. Very weather-appropriate a dram, this. It warms one up with the heat and smoke, promises more comfortable days with fruity jam, and heals with a collection of medicinal ointments. 8/10

22/01/2021 Springbank Society

Springbank 15yo 1997/2013 (56.5%, OB Springbank Society, 10y Refill Bourbon Hogshead + 5y Fresh Madeira Cask, 600b): nose: seal wax and a faint smoke from the fire that melted the wax in the first place. Nail varnish, scorched earth, dry hay and even a gentle petrolic touch. It becomes more and more farm-y as time passes, with the hay morphing into farm paths and the nail varnish into horse hooves -- a stylish horse wearing hoof varnish. There is a berry note as well, that hints at red wine -- a robust, rustic red wine, drunk in a rustic country house. There are also chestnuts in their shiny shells and a mahogany coffee table. Speaking of coffee, mocha shows up too, in the long run. Later on, steamed banana makes an entrance, as unexpected as it is welcome, and mingles with the aforementioned wax. Mouth: warming and comforting, spicy on the tongue, surreptitiously, but surely anaesthetising the gums. It has hot candlewax, dried mud on tractor tyres, a pinch of soot, maybe even burnt tyre (not in an invasive way), charred hazel and tar. It is surprisingly tarry and tyre-y; that almost completely overshadows the wine-related berries from the nose. They are there alright, but covered in earth and soot, kept on the inside of a tyre. It remains pleasant nonetheless, mind! The darkest blackberries do appear, eventually, smoked blackberries. Finish: ink, soot, charred wood (hazel here too), charred, red-wine-marinated, barbecued ribs, charred beetroots, charred parsnips. Well, there is quite a bit of char, is the short version. :-) Smoked blackberries, smashed on a slice of charred bread, charcoal crackers, topped with a smoked-berry jam, hot rubber, diesel, petrol, or warm engine oil. Repeated sipping brings the wine back, rustic but elegant, sincere and, actually, pretty good, especially on this cold January evening. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, BC)

21/01/2021 Another blind dram

Nose: cereal and grist, augmented with a drop of dry white wine, chaff, iron tonic, husks, and it takes a third sniff for something sweeter to appear -- pressed sultanas, maybe... but also a whiff of soap bar. Further breathing allows cooled-down baked apricot to emerge, though it does not shake off the soap-bar or foamy-detergent-water hind note. It bothers me not, yet it is certainly there. In fact, I would class it as foamy smelling, with cola foam on top of the soap one. Barley sugar and barley water liven the nose up, after a moment. The second nose reveals something more velvety -- apricots, probably? Waxy mirabelle plums? A faint note of faded leather is late in the ring and completes the picture. Mouth: barley water again, mixed in with some kind of flower sap... and foamy soap. It is not off-putting here either, but it is present. Plum and apricot flesh rear their heads in the distance, though what is more obvious is saxifrage and violet. The whole is strangely integrated, to a point I question my taste buds -- is it really that bitter and soapy? There is a mix of young fruit liqueur and ink, with a drop of petrol added for shits and giggles. Finish: a faithful continuation of the nose and palate, the finish has iron tonic and barley water, baked apricot skins, barely-ripe hazelnuts. The second sip is geared towards apéritif mixers and fruit liqueurs, with plum, yet also chemical-tropical fruits. It comes close to fruit purée in a plastic tub; only a purée made with fruits that could and should be riper to be truly enjoyable. Not bad, yet also not great. It turns out to be another I enjoyed much more the first time. Bunnahabhain 22yo 1991/2014 (47.2%, Whiskybroker.co.uk, Sherry Hogshead, C#801580, 206b, b#4) 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, JW)

20/01/2021 Back in the saddle

Three weeks without a single tasting note published... Time to remedy that! With a blind dram, of all things.

Dram #1

Nose: soft and sweet, the nose emits a mix of gently-fragrant flowers (violets, primroses, corn-flowers, forget-me-nots) and boiled sweets (violets, albeit of another kind, strawberry bootlaces, purple marshmallow). Soon, yellow meadow flowers join the dance (buttercups, daisies), as does a lick of plaster glue. Weird. Perhaps a note of plasticine? Dried-up wax? The second nose brings out darker fruit, be it dark cherry, blueberry or plum -- or a combination of those. All in all, it is a remarkably quiet nose, though. Mouth: it wakes up on the tongue with the acidic bitterness of dandelion sap, hiding a bag of sweets as best as it can. Chewy plasticine rocks up next, though it does not carry the nostalgic comfort that it should; instead, it is marred by the now frankly-bitter plant sap. The second sip is unfortunately not much more convincing, still bitter as adult life. It makes me think of a very young, white Rhine wine of mediocre quality. The hazelnut nuance that appears via retro-nasal olfaction does not help: we are talking about unripe hazelnut, also very bitter. Finish: the finish happily lifts up the whole a little, with Tubble Gum, plasticine (the good kind, this time) and almond paste in the same fashion as the Pogues did. Hazelnut paste, crushed green hazelnut shells, copper coins, covered in verdigris, maybe even a copper knife, coated in stale mustard. Very odd! I liked it during the Christmas bash, but today, I am not a fan. At all. Burnside 26yo 1991/2018 (46.7%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Barrel, 174b) 5/10 (Thanks for the sample, WK)

01/01/2021 New Year's dram

Slaney Malt 11yo 2001/2013 (57%, Limerick Selection, C#9929, 235b): nose: buttery tropical fruit, sweet and soft-fleshed; mango, jackfruit, dragon fruit, grapefruit. All of those are on the subtle side, as if seven years in an open bottle had faded them. Tonic water and lemonade soon enter the scene, followed by curry leaves and clementine foliage. White peach, white kiwi and perhaps a drop of milk chocolate. Later on, a note of oily walnut tickles the nostrils. Mouth: acidic and creamy, the palate displays passion fruit, blended with pomelo and lime. It seems almost effervescent (lime tonic water, I guess), but has a certain oiliness to it as well. Avocado oil, macadamia-nut oil, and gorgeous, juicy fruit. Tonic water transforms into lemon-y hazelnut paste, acidic, bitter, whilst still creamy. Soon, passion fruit steps back into the spotlight. Finish: mango comes back, as does jackfruit. They prop up the now-expected citrus (lime and pomelo) and fruit pulp (the afore mentioned buttery side). There are touches of hazelnut, or macadamia, bringing a very faint bitterness in the finish, as well as some melted milk chocolate -- oh! Yes, it remains creamy until the end. What a wonderful drop! Solid 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)