Royal Brackla 24yo 1975/1999 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#5447, b#267): nose: oooh! Meow. This has apricot stones and fragrant prunes. It is extremely elegant. It gives an impression of velvet drapes that is most comforting. Then, it is dried dates, dried figs, crushed, oily Brazil nuts with the skin on. Once it is on that oily-nutty territory, it does not look back, oscillating instead between hazelnut, walnut, macadamia and pecan. The prunes are now an afterthought, competing with a lick of nail varnish. Pity, because that initial wave was super-enticing! The second nose has blueberries and currants, though it cannot decide between raisins and sultanas -- it is probably a blend of both. Mouth: nut oil indeed! Very-ripe-hazelnut oil, walnut oil with a dash of raspberry vinegar, even a drop of orange-blossom water. This feels fruity with no more precise indication of which fruit (something oily and vaguely citrus-y; bergamot?), fresh (apple mint) and simply well balanced. The second sip is more clearly citrus-y, giving satsumas and clementines, flirting with citrus peel, in places, meaning it does not lack bitterness. Repeated sipping accentuates that bitterness, which reaches metallic levels -- not quite pencil-sharpener blades, but razor blades or sharp kitchen-knife blade all the same. The bitter bite of the butcher's knife in the cold morning. Finish: now, the fruit takes off! It is prunes again, figs, figs, figs (fresh), some dried dates too, and dried currants, soaked back to life. That fruitiness might also encompass quince paste, pear jam, or caramelised apple compote. In any case, it is well juicy, syrupy and sticky. After a while, a minute bitterness appears on the centre of the tongue, close to lichen on stave, yet sweeter; likely a stave coated in apricot jam. It is a calmly warming, comforting finish if there ever was one, perfect for a bright-yet-brisk October morning. Wonderful. 9/10
Happy birthday, Red71!
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