28/05/2021 Deanston Warehouse No. 4 tasting MkII

Thanks to the samples provided at the distillery, I try those again a couple of days later, outside of the warehouse configuration, with a higher ambient temperature and no rush, so as to make a more reliable opinion.

Deanston d.2013 (58.8%, Cask Sample, First Fill ex-Four Roses Bourbon Barrel): nose: initially, it is almost a Bourbon, with bursts of vanilla and toffee, as well as a bit of oak. Then, that cools off to deliver polished oak doors -- polished, not lacquered, mind! A whiff of nail varnish, before we are engulfed by toffee again. Caramel, a slice of lemon meringue, hints of pine needles, and, for some reason, I want to say pineapple. Later on, wafts of citrus peels and incense come forward, which is as pleasant as it is unlikely. Lavender soap too? It is not soapy per se, though; it is subdued in a Highland-Park sort of way. Mouth: pretty sharp attack that has lemon meringue on a wooden board. Suddenly, a certain spiciness grows, and lemon pickle (not pickled lemons) joins lemongrass, as mango powder and ginger come to the fore too. The second sip confirms the spices, numbing the palate a little, whilst increasing the fruit at the same time: candied orange segments, lemon peels, combava leaves... It is definitely a citric-acidic profile, despite the initial woodiness. Finish: much better integrated than the first time, the finish unleashes molten caramel, toffee and fudge, yet those are quickly met by a woody side that borders on plank-y -- quite the surprise, after so little time in wood! Spices still roar -- this time: white pepper and nutmeg. In my head, that spells a lack of maturity, and it is fortunate that the barrel has had a chance to taint the whisky with the toffee from the Bourbon it previously contained. 6/10

Deanston d.2001 (55.5%, Cask Sample, Bourbon Barrel finished in ex-Fino Sherry Hogshead): nose: wine, marinated meat, a hot oven grille, a shovelful of earth and ink. Oh! It is no 1965 Ardbeg, but ink all the same, if of a more recent kind. Next up are watercolour, dried dates so dry they have lost almost all fruitiness, and, finally, a drop of hazelnut oil. It seems as if this nose is trying to blend mint drops or menthol with a honey glaze, and that works remarkably. Mouth: the sherry is loud, here, if not overpowering. Tons of dried dates and dried figs, served with, well, a glass of sherry. It is also pretty hot, with both chilli pickle and stem ginger. There is a faint bitterness too, hard to discover under the rather bold sweetness. Some earth, a good dose of tannins, ginger and cinnamon, cassia bark and cake crust, toasted for a little too long. The spiciness might be hard to take for some -- it is really rich. Finish: oh! yes, spicy alright. The finish presents some toasted notes too; aniseed-sprinkled peach slices and distant coffee. Again, the sweetness is rather obvious, even though it does not feel vulgar. Crispy, toasted sponge-cake slice (dates, raisins), clootie dumpling or Guinness pudding, burnt panettone and honey-glazed pecans, which gives the whole a mild bitterness too. The sherry is a bit loud, outside the warehouse. I still like it, but less. 7/10

Deanston d.2004 (59.4%, Cask Sample, First Fill ex-Amontillado Sherry Butt): nose: heady, ripe with macerated fruits: peaches, mandarins, plums, grapes in wine -- this is not half wine-y. There is a fresher fruit too, perhaps lychee, yet it is difficult to identify with certainty. It does feel slightly earthy as well, though nothing like an ex-Oloroso cask, thankfully. Leather aplenty, at second nosing, akin to one of those Pakistani leather shops on Brick Lane. In fact, it is at the crossroads between leather goods and a tannery, at times: almost meaty. Almost! Mouth: very sweet to begin with, teeming with sangria-soaked fruits, it then suddenly switches bone dry, the liquid absorbing all the saliva from the mouth and attacking the gum to leave but bare white bone. At the same time, and almost inexplicably, it remains syrupy and fruity. It might well gain a dollop of menthol too. Grape skins, elderberry-liqueur sediment, and blackberry cordial. Finish: menthol indeed, sweet, syrupy wine too, of course, chewy berry cough drops (elderberry, blackcurrant), and a hefty dose of tannins, though it never feels too astringent. Even in the finish, we find this drying-fruit-liqueur side that blends acidity and sweetness in a way that is difficult to comprehend. This is decent and I like it better than on site, but, let us face it, it is a strong sherry more than a whisky. 7/10

26/05/2021 Deanston Warehouse No. 4 tasting

Despite the pandemic, Deanston is conducting some tours (with added precautions, it goes without saying). No chance drop-in; it has to be booked in advance. JS reckoned this Warehouse No. 4 tasting was the most interesting, so here we are, for today's last session.

Added COVID-19 precautions

Only three of us attend. We are led to the warehouse in question, which is a strange mix of concrete floor and low ceiling, casks stacked three high and low-ish temperature. It is neither a racking warehouse, nor a real dunnage warehouse -- much less a palletised one.

Three casks are waiting for us on the floor, and three bottles, drawn from each of the casks, are on a cask top: because of COVID-19, there will be no live valinching, unfortunately.

Deanston d.2013 (58.8%, Cask Sample, First Fill ex-Four Roses Bourbon Barrel): nose: jasmine perfume, mixed peel and confectionary sugar, but also balsawood and sawdust. The wood is not shy, despite the young age. Further are hand cream and cosmetic powders. Mouth: lively, it has bitter marmalade and mild sawdust. Finish: long, mildly bitter, this is teeming with mixed peel, now. 7/10

Deanston d.2001 (55.5%, Cask Sample, Bourbon Barrel finished in ex-Fino Sherry Hogshead): I inquire about the use of a Fino cask: was it a definite choice, or was there a Fino cask hiding in a parcel of random sherry casks? The answer is inconclusive, though Ronnie, our guide seems to think it was a choice to use this unusual sherry. This was distilled from organic barley, he tells us. Nose: pastry-like, this has croissant, plum tart, apricot pie, dates, and a serving of marzipan. Much later on, we have citrus-y custard too. Mouth: slightly overly-baked shortcrust, spicy ginger, cinnamon, a touch of tobacco. It turns a little dry in the long run, producing dried orange rinds and dried kiwi peel. Finish: very long, sticky, sweet, this has more dates, cinnamon and almond cake, as well as overly-baked apricots. Mild chocolate appears, in the long run. I love this. 8/10

Deanston d.2004 (59.4%, Cask Sample, First Fill ex-Amontillado Sherry Butt): this one is fully matured in that butt. Nose: wine-y, it has pickled red onions and old tin cans in a cardboard box. Mouth: I find this a bit rough, almost splintery, with lots of sawdust, ginger shavings and tannins. Finish: this redeems itself with welcome chocolate. 6/10

Unfortunately, I have spent all my disposable on the way here, or I would buy the ex-Fino. JS prefers the ex-Bourbon, of course.

It is a nice touch on the part of the distillery to provide empty sample bottles for the driver. Also, the pours are very generous. On the other hand, the session is pretty short: forty-five minutes to try three generous doses of cask-strength whisky feels a bit rushed to me. It also feels as if the guide is on a strict schedule, and keen to not deviate from it. Considering the pandemic-related restrictions, I cannot blame him for it; it simply is less enjoyable for that.

Fortunately, we have three full samples to try again later. Not a bad thing at all, considering the temperature in the warehouse mutes most of the flavours.

When the tasting finishes, we are left with only fifteen awkward minutes to shop. Worst of all, though: the cafeteria is closed. There goes our plan to eat there. Again, perhaps a consequence of the pandemic, but a pity nonetheless.

For the film buffs, this cask is signed by the cast of The Angels' Share

The iconic main building of the distillery

25/05/2021 Strathisla

Strathisla 15yo (100° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, b.1970s): not sure if this is the version with stencilled flowers or not. Nose: the perfect balance of encaustic/wood polish and wine influence. We have drinks cabinets, teak coffee tables, pickled onions, leather grease (the kind one uses to waterproof a coat), plenty of rancio, and, on the late tip, lichen-covered staves. In the medium term, sangria materialises, teeming with macerated fruits -- orange rinds, berries, peaches, plums, perhaps apricots too, closer to dried than juicy, however. I really want to smell smoke in this, but I do not think I can. Even later, that impression of onions, pickled in red-wine vinegar comes back with a vengeance. This time, it is accompanied by older, dryer wood (old bookshelves) and old newspapers, kept in a damp cellar. There might even be a whisper of old cardboard, on the second nose. The addition of water brings sulphur into the picture, with spent matches, cooled off in cold water, black cumin seeds and nigella seeds. I would go further and diagnose charred raspberries. Mouth: ooft! This is lively and punchy. It is also ample, woody, laden with tannins, and pickled red onions. Decaying plums feature too, antique teak bookshelves crumbling apart (it may be mahogany, but it was too good a pun to pass), and rancio, in the back. After thirty seconds on the tongue, it reveals itself for the old lady it is, with old wood (sawdust, yellowed newspapers) and old liqueurs (plum, elderberry). This is definitely not an easy palate: it is acidic (vinegar), bitter (wood), and, if it is not austere in the mineral way (no chalk nor limestone, no flint either), it certainly is not openly welcoming. Charming, though. As it did for the nose, water pushes charred, sulphur-y notes forward; marinated spare ribs left for hours on the barbecue, until they crumble out of their own accord, nigella seeds, and charred herbs (rosemary, chiefly). Finish: remarkably soft on the way down, milky (full-fat milk, if you please) and velvety, it nonetheless reminds one of its other characteristics, namely old wood (sawdust, newspapers) and wine (red-wine vinegar, pickled onions). The second sip brings fruit into the mix, yet it is fruit that has spent an extended period in wine or liqueur. Plums, peaches, greengages, mirabelle plums, apricots, green gooseberries. are all soaked beyond recognition, made acidic and bitter, as if unripe, by a nasty young red wine (cheap sangria) or red-wine vinegar. Water tones down the vinegar acidity, which allows timid berries to come out, but they are charred too. Again, I find dried raspberries, left to char on the grille until they are but a heap of black ash. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

24/05/2021 Blue Spot

Blue Spot 7yo (58.7%, OB for Mitchell & Son, Bourbon Barrels + Sherry Butts + Madeira Casks, b.2020): nose: light and ethereal, this has morning dew and rising sun leaping out of the glass -- glad I waited for a sunny morning to try this! Next up is fruit on a wooden cutting board, more peach than persimmon, yet it is juicy alright. There is a wooden desk in a sunlit conservatory, perhaps a whiff of hazelnuts in a cardboard box, until nut oils appear (hazelnut and walnut), as well as walnut stain. The second nose goes further and adds a mix of wood varnish and acrylic paint, which hints at solvents, I suppose -- not unheard of in a fruity whisky. Balsa wood is the last piece that comes top it all off. Breathing does it wonders: fruity chocolate ends up appearing (banana-flavoured Jacques). Water cranks up the fruit, and adds a flowery scent too (jasmine, cherry blossom), though also wet paper and line-drying linen. Citrus makes an entrance, calamansi and lemon. Mouth: oily and nutty, it only takes a second for this to turn rather fruity indeed, with lovely peach slices, and also pretty strong. It has cassia-bark splinters, habañero shavings and Port-marinated hazelnuts. The texture becomes buttery with time, the spices cool off, and only that fruity-nutty profile subsists. The second sip has a hefty dose of mango powder, sprinkled on dried mango slices. Unfortunately, water increases a slightly-unpleasant green bitterness, whilst also toning down all the good parts. Finish: not too far off the palate, this finish has creamy nuts and ripe peach, maybe dried mango, covered in wood spices (mace and mango powder), yet it also feels young and green, with a bitterness that reminds me of asafoetida -- and that will not please everyone. The death has that wonderful buttery feel that wraps and irons out everything else. Water works oddly well on the finish: it makes it creamier, decreases the bitterness and helps it deliver a modest vanilla-ed tropical-fruit kick (papaya and dragon fruit). Oh! It is no Gelston 26yo, but it is pleasant enough. There is huge potential on display, here, but why bottle this so young? 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

20/05/2021 Glenallachie

Glenallachie 12yo 2007/2020 (61.7%, Cadenhead Specially Bottled for Cadenhead's Whisky Shop Berlin, Sherry Butt, 606b): nose: nutty and a tad wine-y, this has almond paste, chocolate coulis and more and more pronounced red wine, not far off the stage at which it turns into vinegar. Canola oil, Madeira wine, plum liqueur, fermented cranberries... It is pretty sour indeed. A few minutes into this nose, it takes on an unexpected medicinal-come-metallic tint -- imagine Merbromin in a tin can. Soon, it goes back to almonds, yet, this time, it is the skins, as if stripped off the nut itself by a wine bath. The second nose has damp earth and humid leaves, just fallen on the forest floor. Perhaps one may find a pouch of pipe tobacco as well. With water, this acquires hazelnut paste, in a marzipan-made-with-hazelnuts sort of way, not Nutella. It allows the autumnal dead leaves to feature more prominently too, which I see as a good thing. Mouth: wine-y, nutty, and rather stripping, at cask strength. It is sun-drenched, heady red wine all round, with heaps of black pepper. The tin is present, though it is far in the background. This mouth is mostly about the red wine. Almonds have become hazelnuts, served with a cranberry compote and a wine sauce (yet no meat). Huge pickled red onions show up with the second sip, not extremely acidic, yet well briny (it is a sweet brine) -- or is it onion relish? Sweet-and-sour sauce and sriracha sauce, punctuated by drops of melted hazelnut chocolate. Well, it might be almond chocolate again, mind. Water keeps this wine-y and pushes the red onions front and centre, yet they are sweeter than ever, the sweet-and-sour aspect becoming sweet and sweet. Wine-y chocolate in the back, still. All in all, an improvement on the cask-strength palate. Finish: more chocolate-y in the finish, it is still drenched in bold red wine and sprinkled with black pepper. It is a long finish, acidic, sour and oh-so-wine-y. This time, it makes me think of Patras wine, which is usually around 79% ABV (not really, but it is strong). Almost all in this whisky points to Mare Nostrum. A late, mulled-wine nuance takes us to the Alps, I suppose, parts of which are on Italian soil. I rest my case. Water improves the finish too: chocolate takes over, almost entirely eclipsing the wine. It leaves a creamy, hazelnut and milk-chocolate feel in the mouth, the kind that makes me crave another praline. "Nog maar eentje chocolade, dan!" Altogether, though, this is too wine-y for me. 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

18/05/2021 Longmorn

Longmorn 20yo 1999/2019 (55.2%, OB The Distillery Reserve Collection, 2nd Fill Butt, C#10448, 732b, LKNN2778): nose: how interesting! It is fruity from the word 'go,' yet also flowery; mirabelle plums and plum compote, as well as forsythia, daffodil and elderflower. That is matched by strong elderberry wine. Behind that initial red/yellow assault, gentle wood rears its head, garden furniture, more than chests of drawers. Over time, the wine impression becomes stronger and stronger, headier and headier; overripe dark grapes, elderberry cordial, fermented dates and, lastly, even chocolate (liqueur pralines, really). A whisper of sawdust (from old, dry wood) makes its way in, as one tilts the glass. The second nose is winey to a point it feels meaty, with roast-beef in a sauce grand'veneur, served with lingonberry compote. With water, the berries and flowers turn into oilskins at first, then back to mirabelle plums, though more elegant than ever. The heady liqueurs end up peeking through, though, slightly less aggressively than before. There is a whiff of leather too, now. Mouth: oh! it is liqueur pralines alright. Edle Tropfen, cherry liqueur, brandy-macerated berries, booze-enhanced cranberry compote. It is also powerful to the point of being numbing, not unlike a horseradish sauce. The meaty side surfaces on the tongue too, with roast-beef again, supplemented by an unexpected portion of banane flambée, doused in honey mustard. Surprising. This sweet-yet-savoury, savoury-yet-sweet profile makes me think of Madeira wine more than Sherry, but what do I know? Even one drop of water changes this radically. The reduced mouth has juicy mirabelle plums, with little of the spicy, meaty notes from before. If anything, it makes it closer to white Port or Fino Sherry. Finish: odd. On the one hand, it has the lusciousness of a well-matured malt, on the other, it feels rough as a three-year-old. It has chocolate of the milk kind, fruit liqueur again, yet also green brambles and a less-than-optimal alcohol integration. Banane flambée makes a comeback, more sickly flambé rum than strictly banana, to be precise. There is a pouring of bitter coffee, black and lukewarm, as well as a rancio aftertaste that strips the teeth clean and coats the gums. And then, via retro-nasal olfaction, a sliced, fortified-wine-marinated celery stick appears. Water brings more chocolate and less distraction. Along with the chocolate, a nip of white Port or Fino Sherry again. Clearly, water makes this more simple, yet also more enjoyable, in my opinion. Not too taken by this one. 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

16/05/2021 Kavalan

Kavalan 5yo 2015/2021 (54.8%, OB Solist, Vinho Barrique, C#W151203043A, 213b): nose: immediately, this reminds me why I do not taste Kavalan very often: it is a heady mix of heavy wine and astringent wood with high-octane alcohol. Teak furniture, newly assembled and given a generous lick of teak oil (I understand one is not supposed to oil teak that much), toasted bread, dunked into a bowl of fortified wine, grilled dried dates and fortified-wine-soaked blotting paper or cardboard -- picture a bottle of Port on its flank on a teak desk, the content emptying on the desk blotter. Add a fistful of honey-glazed pecans, left under the grill for a little too long, and a glass of Pedro Ximénez for kicks: it is sweet, yet it retains a whiff of dunnage warehouse too. Simmering in a broth, bay leaves tickle the back of the nose, as one tilts the glass. Mouth: thick and spicy, nigh-on fiery, this has a red-chilli relish spread on a teak chest, with dates and pecans thrown into the mix. To extinguish the roaring chilli fire, you down a glass of syrupy sherry -- a daft thing to do, as it only fans the flames, of course. Boy! this is thick and coating. It turns musty too, almost cork-like on the taste buds, drying. I suppose that, if one consumes too much sugar, one ends up dehydrated too, and that is how this feels. The aggressive woody tones recede, the chilli calms down over time, leaving but the cloying sweetness. Treacle soon dominates this palate. Treacle and cough syrup. Finish: it is all thick and coating syrup, here, with a notch of wood remaining, enough sugar to give one diabetes with a single look, and that drying cork touch, yet it all feels more balanced than the palate, in that the chilli is only in the background, now, much more tolerable as a result. Phew! The second sip brings about something toasty, reminiscent of a liquorice-flavoured cough syrup. It does remain sweet, there is no question about it! Exhausting whisky, this. I cannot see how one could drink more than one glass -- or why one would want to. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

14/05/2021 Whisky-Online Auctions' First Cask tasting Part 3

Third and final act of this Whisky-Online Auctions triptych dedicated to First Cask. Tim Roberts, Wayne and Harrison Ormerod chair from aback, whilst Lee 'Connas' Connor presents.

As the previous times, I try these superficially, keeping enough to spend more time with each dram at a later date.

Linlithgow 24yo d.1975 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#96/3/4): nose: haha! Verdigris, lichen on old wood, sugar, oozing through staves and crystallising, then a farm-y wave. That is right: there is definitely muddy peat, in there. Mouth: all is more gentle, here, with yellow flowers, yet also some limestone. A faint whiff of smoke wraps the whole. Finish: big, wide and a little austere. This has the same herbaceous and mineral profile of the nose (lichen and crystallising sugar), with crushed gravel, now. The audience reckons pencil, and I do see the connection, in that it feels softly waxy and has a gentle wood bitterness. I reckon we peaked too soon. 9/10

Connas found a newspaper clip about a court case
that involves St Magdalene whisky being stolen

Glenlivet 24yo 1976/2001 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#5527): nose: wax, apple peelings, a pinch of cinnamon, pear-scented varnish, and a cloud of sawdust. Mouth: an acidic attack that also has fierce pomelo and combava adding a gorgeous, fruity touch. Perhaps bergamot too? Finish: very long, fruity, citrus-y again (lime, pomelo), and a bit bitter, in a crushed-aspirin sort of way. The death sees an unexpected red-fruit Calippo flavour too. 8/10

Connas: "It's quite wood-forward on the nose."

Macallan 20yo 1975/1995 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#8899): nose: sherbet, chalky raspberry candy, crushed tablets (I am struggling to pinpoint the accurate name). Later, pear and peach appear amongst the chalky tablets. "Parma violet?" asks HO; "Pez?" asks JS; "Smarties?" JS continues (referring to the US incarnation, a tablet candy). She is pretty close, in that it makes me think of those candy necklace (candy-raver alert!) The exact thing, however, is Dextro Energy tablets, vaguely fruity and chalky as fook. Mouth: yes, this is sweet and a little chalky again, with sherbet and fruit-tree wood. It becomes quite woody over time, with a definite bitterness to complement wild (rasp)berries. Finish: orange joins the raspberry, yet this also has cassia bark and fruit green tea. It is a little too astringent and bitter for my taste, even if it is not flawed either. Further sips are fruitier -- and I like them better for it than the first. 7/10

TR: "I'm finding most of the drams quite bitter. It's the wood, I guess..."
WO: "And the dodgy plastic caps!" :-)

Glen Grant 20yo d.1976 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#2880): nose: wormwood and old shelves, an old kitchen table that has recently had a lick of varnish, burnt caramel, treacle and a pinch of coffee grounds. Mouth: oily and compact, this has lots of caramel, crème brûlée, mocha, tiramisù, even. Actually, it goes as far as treacle, come to think of it. Finish: mildly toasted flavours surface, here, with mocha, burnt caramel, black-sesame paste and chewing tobacco. It is creamy alright, but that feeling is drowned by the toasted notes, which, for all their omnipresence, do not quite deliver aniseed or nigella seeds. Perhaps a bit too much for me, this. I preferred it C#2886. 7/10

Connas talks about maturation. He has a couple of good slides about the solera system that is so widely used in Spain's bodegas.

Highland Park 20yo d.1974 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#4329): nose: dried apricot slices and chlorophyll chewing gum. That dissipates quickly to leave a very shy nose -- I find a little lavender gum, but I reckon that is suggestion, base on the provenance. The nose does grow in intensity, thankfully, with lovely lavender and a delicate smoke. Mouth: perfect balance, with a bit of citrus, the thinnest veil of smoke, and the trademark heather. Lemonade becomes more prominent with each sip too. Finish: gently toasted, this has burning brambles, yet also a herbal liqueur and lemonade. Yes: lime and pomelo lemonade, which, really, we should call lime-onade and pomelade. The finish does retain a certain bitterness, which will prevent a higher score, tonight. 8/10

Connas introduces the next dram as, "the Beast of Speyside, meaty and sometimes willingly sulphur-y."

Mortlach 22yo d.1975 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#6257): nose: great! It is a light, fruity Mortlach. Citrus-y and ethereal, it has  ground cardamom rubbing feathers with apple mint and crystallised apple slices. Mouth: fresh, sweet and fruity, this is teeming with candied fruit. There is also a gentle chalkiness to it, though that is not a bother, at such a low level. Finish: a soft bitterness that is soon eclipsed by waves and waves of lovely fruit candy. Very nice. Boiled sweets, hibiscus (Connas), fruit drops. 9/10

Connas [I paraphrase]: "I reckon it is the only whisky tonight I could have identified blind."
tOMoH: "You introduced this as the Beast of Speyside and meaty. This has nothing of those characteristics..."

Connas: "You're right, but it has Mortlach's texture."

Ardbeg 19yo d.1974 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask for The Sunday Times Wine Club, C#4380): nose: ash and eternal darkness. This has tar, old ropes, tapenade, cut turf bricks, drying on a stack, sphagnum moss and the shroud of an old ship. Mouth: smoked seashells, tarry, smoked whelks, boat-engine diesel... This is firmly petrolic indeed, very much like the 1974 we had recently. Finish: smoked mussel shells and kelp, more diesel and tar. Unfortunately, and just as it was with the Port Ellen on the first night, the dilution is very perceptible, here -- the only one tonight in which it is. For that, it loses a point. It may seem unfair, but life is unfair. 8/10

Short notes. It is late. I will come back to it later. It is a killer dram, without a doubt. It might not be C#2738 (few things are), but it is obviously from the same bloodline and I love it.

The Linlithgow is the overwhelming winner of tonight's popularity contest; it certainly is mine. One person preferred the Macallan, one liked the Highland Park best, a couple of votes go to the Mortlach, another couple to the Glen Grant, and, much to my surprise, not a single vote goes to the Ardbeg.

Quality night, with more interaction and better banter than on the second tasting. If my scores are to be believed, this line-up one had the weakest drams, despite having the most impressive list of names, but it was just as interesting as the other two evenings, really. That comforts me in my opinion that there is not a dud in that collection.

14/05/2021 Crabbie

Crabbie 28yo d.1992 (45.5%, John Crabbie & Co. Single Cask, Bourbon Cask, 260b): a reliable source tells us this is from a famous distillery in the Livet valley. Nose: it has the delicate malted barley and sweet lemonade that I have come to associate with a Speysider in its mid-twenties. It has caramel flan, lemongrass or combava leaves, lime and pomelo peel, as well as a drop of lemon tonic. There is something darker too, maybe cola residue, at the bottom of a glass that has dried overnight, yet also ground sumac and ground mace. The second nose has paper paste and a dryness that borders on chalky, now, still with that citrus-y touch. Mouth: strangely bitter and chewy, both of which are reminiscent of soft rubber. Citrus soon enters the dance: first lime, then pomelo peels (the fruits it comes from barely ripe) and a ladle of bitter, salty lemon tonic. This mouth is totally unexpected; the freshness of the nose has morphed into something almost too concentrated for me. It is lime-Schweppes margaritas, bitter, acidic and salty, with a fruity hue in the background. It becomes more pleasant as the palate gets accustomed to it. Lastly, a pinch of red-chilli powder sets the tongue alight. Finish: that fruity hue shines brighter, here, with glowing pomelo and lime wedges on salt-frosted cocktail glasses of tequila and citrus tonic. Again: bitter, acidic, salty and with a (more obvious, now) fruity background. The second sip brings tropical fruits forward (carambola and giant granadilla), which prompts me to review my initial score. Due to its originality and the tropical factor, this cannot be less than 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW)

10/05/2021 Bruichladdich

Bruichladdich 26yo 1994/2020 Black Art (45.1%, OB, B#08.1, 12000b): nose: an unusual cocktail of melted iron and red wine. Chaff, hay, desert dirt, tennis court, dry grapes (I want to say Malbec, but I would be talking out of my arse), joined by super-dark berries (closer to Merlot, then, eh?), brambles and a dollop of modelling clay, painted black. Although the wine is well present, it is nowhere near as invading as it was in the previous editions I have tasted. The nose turns warm and waxy, in the long run, and it allows redder fruits to emerge, slowly and timidly: strawberries at first, bilberries, cranberries and even blackberries. All that is still accompanied by hues of waxy clay and joined by a pinch of salt. The second nose brings some flavours to the table (somewhere between lilac and gorse flowers) and a glob of wax. Mouth: well, this behaves like a red wine on the tongue. Clay, hay, dried grape skins, and a lovely spiciness that grows in intensity (ground cinnamon and cloves). In hindsight, it is reminiscent of mulled wine, if less warm and less heady. The second sip is all warm wax, coating, chewy and gently drying, whilst the third adds a layer of blue mould (the dusty kind that grows on dairy), interlaced with no-less-mouldy berries. Finish: it is clear in the finish that this is whisky alright, with blonde barley caressing pineapple slices and nutty custard, whilst also retaining some of the wine-induced elements (and ditching others). Here are earth and berries, yet none of the tannins. It is a long finish that seems to sparkle more intensely over time, and it reminds me of red sparkling wine, perhaps Fragolino, though not quite that. In any case, it is subtle, almost discreet, despite it being 45.1%. Very likely, that subtle character is what stops this becoming tiresome (I found previous Black Art expressions very tiresome), but it is slightly disconcerting, in the beginning. Still, I find this a huge improvement on some of the earlier incarnations. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SA and JW) 7/10

06/05/2021 Ardmore again

66.92 9yo 2007/2016 Simply delicious (57.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 24b): nose: a deep peat bog, moist and spongy, topped with strawberry jam. It is a farm-y type of peat, wet farm; farmyard and farm paths after the rain, muddy fields under the rising spring sun, even some (freshly-dropped) manure. It seems to emit chalk too, though that might be the sugar from the strawberry jam starting to set. Redcurrant jelly and gooseberry coulis almost completely mask new leather boots, and there is a drop of rubbing alcohol too. The second nose hints at plasticine -- a kind of plasticine that would smell like dried, tropical fruit. That is right: I now get mango paste. Finally, watercolour (brown, if you must know) and cucumber peel round off the nose. If anything, water amplifies the rubbery dried fruit, and puts it in a velvet purse, until plasticine and watercolour smother all that effortlessly. Mouth: punchy at cask strength, it has a hefty cassia-bark note and cracked black pepper to complement the strawberry jam. Thirty seconds in, muddy boots rock up, meaning rubber, crusted earth and leather, splashed with lemon juice -- odd and unexpected, but efficient. Plasticine shows up with the second sip, punctuated by fiery black pepper, ground cardamom, dried mango slices and dried apricots, perhaps. Toasted elements come into the spotlight, in the long run -- black cumin seeds, black sesame seeds and burning earth. Water dilutes the rubber almost beyond recognition (almost!) and dials up the chemical fruit (pineapple drops). Finish: similar notes in the finish, with lemon, leather, earth/mud, soft rubber, strawberry jam. Soon, the mud catches fire, and it becomes closer to scorched earth or clay in the oven oven, despite the humidity never really disappearing. Repeated sipping reveals lemon or lime juice, dried-mango paste and plasticine, stale pineapple cubes, cold cigar butts in an ashtray... and swimming-pool water (I guess that means chlorine), as unexpected as it is warming. I was wondering where the peat had gone; water brings it back from the dead, subtle, subdued, yet ever present, and carrying lovely, juicy pineapple chunks, and the most minute melted milk chocolate. This is excellent. 8/10

04/05/2021 The Founder's Tale

Dear reader,

You may  recall that, over a year and a half ago, tOMoH and friends attended an SMWS event during which the SMWS founder, Phillip 'Pip' Hills, talked about the early days of the SMWS and other adventures of his. You may also recall that the event left a bitter taste, for the value for money was lower than it was north of the border, and the drams offered were seemingly random drams available from the bar at the time. Finally, you will remember Hills was promoting his new book, which we all received a copy of on the night.

Well, tOMoH finished reading the book. No, it did not take him a year and a half. It took him a year and a half to start it, then a few days to devour it.

Let us get this out of the way: Pip Hills's The Founder's Tale: A Good Idea and a Glass of Malt, Birlinn, 2019, is not a book about whisky. As The Way of Whisky, it is a book about life, which happens to mention whisky with some frequency. Indeed, it is an autobiography, or, more accurately, selected excerpts from the life of Pip Hills. And what a life!

Here is the entertaining tale of a man who turns out to be a resourceful adventurer; he seems to have travelled everywhere on the planet, can build or repair anything with only minimal or makeshift tooling and has done both those things within the financial constraints that apply to any regular person. If this book were made into a television series, it would probably rival MacGyver.

What is more, it is not just the content that is good: Hills is a talented storyteller, and an excellent writer. His style captivated me, as the stories filled me with disbelief, made me laugh wholeheartedly, and shed a tear in the space of three pages.

Along the chapters, we encounter a number of colourful, larger-than-life characters, and situations so implausible that they simply cannot be made up. The book tells how the author came to own his famous Lagonda (and, incidentally, how much he paid for it), several boats, casks of whisky (of course) and various companies, as well as the parts that his many friends played. It also tells the fortunes and misfortunes that go along with each of those. It is honest in portraying the charismatic main protagonist as someone who, in more ways than one, flies by the seat of his pants (or "think[s] on [his] feet," as he says himself). Indeed, Pip Hills comes across as a character who, faced with a challenge, embraces the chance to grow; someone who, when seeing an opportunity, seizes it. In other words: he makes lemonade with the lemons that life sends his way. A refreshing take on the famous: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" interview question.

Nevertheless, the man is very lucid regarding his luck. He acknowledges that the circumstances were very different in the early-1980s and that he foresaw a market that, at the time, virtually did not exist in the UK. There are some advantages to being a trailblazer, and this tale illustrates that perfectly.

This work is also a humbling life lesson, as one inevitably compares the author's life to their own. Few are those who can look back and say they have achieved as much as Pip Hills. Fewer still do so with the modesty that common decency requires.

After my encounter with the author, my simplistic analysis was: posh Edinburgher buys whisky for his posher mates; his mates tell their mates; things grow out of control; the SMWS is born.

Humble pie has been eaten, and that hasty judgement has had to be revised. Based on the book, it is apparent that Pip Hills is not exactly rich and never was; he is simply in that category of people whose relation to money encourages them to spend it as it comes in. He does/did count some affluent people amongst the seemingly infinite pool of friends he maintains, but not all of them are/were.

I sincerely hope the book is made into a cartoon one day -- each chapter an episode. There are a lot of inspiring lessons in there for all to learn, and treated with such humour and candour that the whole is accessible to all.

If the above was not clear, tOMoH recommends the book.

What else but an ancient SMWS bottling to punctuate that?

18.15 35yo 1966/2001 Curry powder and dark rum (67.5%, SMWS Society Cask Old Masters Collection, Sherry Cask): nose: as bold and muscular as the colour and ABV might lead one to think. This has camphor, cypress resin, wood polish by the bucket, rich-but-dry earth, sawn redwood, naphtha and, generally speaking, it gives the feeling of walking into a sawmill, or a dense-forest clearing. Blackcurrant and myrtles emerge, after a wee while, served on a wet-card plate. I detect a bowl of warm porridge in the next room, grapefruit zest and teak oil. Yes, it invariably comes back to heavy, heady woody notes, which, of course, is great for those who are into that sort of things (I am). It is relatively clear that this powerful spirit attacked the wood with a pickaxe and extracted loads from it! Woodworm and crushed walnut shells, wood polish, maybe even shoe polish. The second nose turns up the meatiness one may associate with an Oloroso maturation (there is no indication on the label that that is the case, but it seems rather obvious), and it has pastrami, for a fleeting moment. Then, the wood comes back, softly bitter, in the fashion of Gingerino or Chinotto. With water, it becomes total grapefruit, with desiccated zest spilled on a plain table partly eaten by woodworm. The diluted nose definitely has garam masala, too. Mouth: surprisingly approachable, at first, it gives an unexpected fruitiness, again in the form of grapefruit. Oh! it is acidic alright. The immense horsepower soon catches up, and so does the wood factor. Redwood oil, gently bitter, encaustic, sawn (dried) logs, garam masala, ground mace, ground ginger, nutmeg, amchur (mango powder) and (desiccated) grapefruit zest is never far behind. Spectacular. Water increases the grapefruit-like acidity, while the sawn logs and other wood elements become mere backing instruments. Finish: again, it feels surprisingly moderate, and it is only after ten seconds or so that the warmth becomes apparent -- once one's body realises there is a gaping hole where one's digestive system used to be, presumably... ;-) This finish blends the acidic sweetness of fruits (without surprise, grapefruit is still prominent, pink grapefruit, yet also pineapple) and the bitterness of woody undertones (ground avocado stone comes to mind). The second sip sees yoghurt tame the wood, a gingery type of yoghurt, and even melted chocolate of the bitter sort. A bowl of melted dark chocolate, punctuated by grapefruit zest, grated ginger and a drop of cypress sap. Water turns that on its head, and wood takes over -- a derelict sawmill, in which the cut logs and sawdust have not been touched for decades, nutmeg, amchur, and grapefruit, taking it easy in the back, its acidity almost completely swapped for the bitterness of its skin. Formidable. Uncompromising. Love it. 9/10