16/11/2021 Glenturret

Glenturret 34yo b.2012 (47.6%, Berry Brothers & Rudd Selected by Berrys', Cask Ref 2): this is the one that started it all. Nose: it feels a bit faded, after spending so long in an open sample. It gives away cereals, gauze and timid fruits that, to be fair, grow bolder with each sniff. Satsuma, kumquat, bergamot, stewed apricot, dried mango slices. The gears shift pretty quickly, and poached quince and poached pear soon join the party, accompanied by a leafy touch that I suspect is clementine foliage. Further on, flowers take over, a combination of lilac and honeysuckle opening up for abundant jasmine. Shortly thereafter, the whole nose fades out, timid and reserved, if well conscious of what it once was. Orange peels then envelop it all, and it starts all over. The second nose brings a whiff of wood, stripped, not sanded, and shiny hot metal, maybe. Over time, a strong scent of candied fruit grows, simmering apricot jam or a marmalade made of satsumas or clementines. Mouth: part acidic, part bitter, this is reminiscent of the afore-mentioned orange peels, pith and all. It has got apricots, satsumas, unripe tangerines, and dried mango slices in a cardboard wrapper, all counterbalanced by flower petals, which is to say: bitterer than they look. Oh! it is velvety and soft, but it is not that sweet. The second sip is more outright fruity, displaying the same sweet citrus, riper than before, and held afloat by acidic clementine-peel sap. That is supported by a tiny-yet-distinct bitterness, in the long term -- likely the clementine foliage from earlier. Finish: long and unctuous. Aside from the obvious fruitiness, this has cinnamon cross buns, cinnamon doughnuts and... rust!? Yes. It provides the same feel as breathing in a cloud of rusty-metal sanding dust. How weird is that? Soon enough, said fruitiness takes control, bright and creamy. Come to think of it, if it has a squashed-mango-like buttery texture, it is closer to clementine-and-milk-chocolate custard than to marmalade or jam. The finish too is both acidic and bitter, although that is not meant negatively at all: it is induced by fruit, not by anything other. This triggered my appreciation of Glenturret. Almost a decade on, it still does not disappoint. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, adc)

13/11/2021 Back-to-Back Minis tasting

Cavalier66, JS and I start the session by discarding at least ten samples, because we have too many. JS and Cavalier66 build the line-up.

Immediately thereafter, Cavalier66 rocks out the cold cuts and bread to go with JS's cheeses.

Parma and Serrano hams (under wraps)
Chaource, Danish blue, Brie, Manchego, bread and olives

Soundtrack: The Unity Mixers - The Full Unity Megamix

Rosebank vs. Rosebank

Rosebank 12yo 1991/2004 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Bourbon Barrel, C#4710, 322b, b#49, 04/0638) (tOMoH): nose: candied vinegar (Cavalier66), sweet-and-sour pork (Cavalier66), perhaps pear drops. The nose is contained, in any case, a little waxy. Over time, a whisper of smoke appears, which is how I remember it from the very first time, before this blog existed. Mouth: prickly and seemingly strong (Cavalier66), and indeed: it has smoked paprika as well as roasted barley. Finish: delicate, but not soft, it has mild smoke here too, roasted barley and Weetabix. A poor literary effort from my part, but a good dram. Full notes can be found here. 7/10

JS: "It's not what I expect from a Rosebank. It's a good 5 or 6."
tOMoH: "What? This is post-war Rosebank? Well, it's even post-Gulf-war Rosebank."

Rosebank 21yo 1992/2014 (55.3%, OB Limited Edition, Refill American Oak, 4530b) (Cavalier66): nose: hot, peppery popcorn, some plastic, including, but not limited to, cellophane. Also lemon drops, of course -- it is a Rosebank, after all. Later, it is Turkish delights and powdered sugar, chewy sweets, full of sugar and -- wait for it! -- a water-soaked dish towel. Mouth: hot cardboard, lots of horsepower, pepper, all on top of lovely powdered sugar on custard-y pastry. It really is warm, almost hot, veering towards hot metal and fierce lemon juice. Finish: powerful and spicy, it stays on the tongue for a while, though one would be hard pressed to say much is happening beyond the heat. Preserved lemons, probably. JS likes it for its clarity: lemon-y, straight. 8/10

Soundtrack: Dave Clarke - Electro Boogie Vol. 2 -- The Throwdown

Littlemill vs. Littlemill vs. Littlemill

Littlemill 21yo 1991/2012 (50.6%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, C#560, 290b) (Cavalier66): nose: bursting with tropical fruits, this nose has mango and persimmon, quickly joined by a clear bitterness -- aspirin, says Cavalier66, while I say cinchona bark, just to show off my newly-acquired vocabulary. Next up is a drop of varnish of sorts, but there is also drying wax and gritty plasticine. There is something that resembles a paste made of crushed forsythia flowers, which is pretty original, you will agree. Mouth: astonishingly rubbery. It is not at all akin to licking a new rubber joint, but it does have a warm-old-tyre quality; bicycle tubes, talcum powder and all. The second sip cranks up the lemon, and it is lemon detergent on rubber joints in a bathroom, amusingly enough. Finish: long and comforting, it is now pastry-like, with a notch of menthol cream. The second sip has more citrus, this time coming close to lime, maybe pomelo, yet sweeter than both. Not much of the rubber remains. Perhaps cleaning gloves? In any case, it is a citrus-y show, this finish! 9/10

Littlemill 21yo 1992/2013 (49.9%, The Whisky Cask, Bourbon Hogshead) (Cavalier66): nose: crushed aspirin tablets, quinine mixed with muddy clay. It has a certain freshness to it, without displaying any fruit. A minute later, white peach and conference pear make an entrance, then old rubber, tractor tyre that has sat in a sunny field for years meets rubber catsuit. Then, it is porridge, with a tiny spoonful of honey. Mouth: bitter and peppery, heaving with crushed aspirin and quinine, crushed Kaffir lime leaves, Indian tonic residue in an empty glass, sawdust sprinkled on oiled crackers. Finish: a bit of melted chocolate, augmented with crushed leaves. That subsequently turns into chocolate pudding (thick custard). I like this, even though Cavalier66 calls it more intellectual than good. I guess that makes me an intellectual. I better buy slightly-larger glasses. 8-) 8/10

Littlemill 33yo 1967/2000 (49.1%, Iain Mackillop Mackillop's Choice, C#668) (tOMoH): full notes are here. Nose: precious wood, noble lacquers, fig relish, dried dates, nuts in syrup, nut liqueur. Much later on, unlit mentholated cigarettes, mint paste and even a whiff of soft smoke. Mouth: full-bodied, slightly syrupy, it has more fig relish, this time punctuated with liquorice shavings. The second sip seems oilier, silky. Soon, speculoos spice mix appears, brown-sugary, gingery and cinnamon-y, yet balanced. Finish: warming, sweet and harmonious, this is full of gingerbread and speculoos, prior to baking. The second sip is very creamy, dishing out loads of chocolate pudding and banana bread. Water does not change it much. I love this. 9/10

Cavalier66: "[...] flatus."
JS: "Flatus? What is that?"
tOMoH: "Farts."
Cavalier66: "Gas, winds."
JS: "Can you bottle it? Can you put it into a balloon?"
tOMoH: "Give it to the youths in the park?"

Cavalier66: "Some sperm-clinic owners substitute donors' sperm for their own and stuff like that."
tOMoH: "What a bunch of wankers!"

Soundtrack: Fuse Presents Hell

StilL 630 vs. StilL 630 vs. StilL 630

StilL 630 15mo 2015/2017 X-7 Mesquite Smoke (50%, OB Experimental, C#15-66, b#177) (JS): nose: roasted nuts and baking clay, old leather boots and faded belts, bread and porridge (Cavalier66). That cereal character translates into slightly underbaked dough, even. Mouth: caramelised puffed wheat, roasted malt, crusty bread, now baked for too long, the crust having turned black. Finish: dark cocoa beans, mildly roasted, chocolate pudding, spread onto steamed wholemeal bread. 7/10

StilL 630 24mo 2015/2017 X-8 Chocolate RP (50%, OB Experimental, C#15-38, b#47) (JS): nose: sewers (Cavalier66, obviously still under the aftermath of COVID-19), coffee (JS), coffee liqueur, kahlua. However, this is also very sweet, almost sickly. There is varnish, corn syrup and hand cream. Mouth: very, very sweet, it has coffee-flavoured toffee (Caramella Mokatine), kahlua ice cubes. Over time, the coffee taste becomes bitterer. Finish: long and coffee-laced, with roasted coffee beans and coffee-flavoured toffee, caramel and mocha. This one is definitely for coffee lovers. 7/10

StilL 630 16mo 2015/2017 X-9 Cherrywood SMB (50%, OB Experimental, C#15-65, b#161) (JS): nose: Christmas cake, marmite (Cavalier66), Parma ham (Cavalier66), and some bread too. The sweet and the savoury compete in a fascinating fashion, here. Mouth: honey-cured ham, oily Serrano ham and Parma ham. We are eating those hams, yet that has nothing to do with our perception of this dram: it really is that savoury. Finish: tamer than the other two in the finish, it has hints of X-8's coffee, in which ham would be soaking. The last thing to come to attention is, again, Mokatine, the coffe-flavoured toffee. All these are solid efforts. Amazing to find such a result after only one-to-two years in wood. 7/10

Ten minutes in, glasses shift, and it turns out we have no idea which is which, so take the above with a pinch of salt. We will try them again another day.

Sountrack: Xymox - Subsequent Pleasures

Brora vs. Brora vs. Brora

Brora 20yo 1982/2003 (58.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection, b#5382) (tOMoH): we tried this a while ago (full notes here), but it feels like the right opportunity to share the remainder. Nose: wax and spent wick, sulphur-y jute sacks, stacks of limestone blocks in the rain. This is more mineral than I remembered, becoming almost chalky, in the long run. The second nose sees, if anything, more spent wick, and adds soot and caramelised marmalade. Mouth: boom. A pinch of soot, hot candle wax, grated limestone, heated almost into a paste. This palate has spent wick until you die. The second sip displays ground black cumin, on the other hand. Finish: ash, stewed apricots, hot wax, spent wick again... My notes are a bit repetitive, I know. The flavours are loud, but seamlessly integrated. One thing that comes out is blow-torched marmalade, the top of which is turning into a crusty skin. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, pat gva)

Brora 25yo (56.3%, OB, b.2008, 3000b, 7th Release) (Cavalier66): nose: let us crank up the wick, and even the chalk. Next, watered-down marmalade or quince jelly becomes dominant. The lower ABV seems palpable, but the markers are there: the wax (scented candlewax), the marmalade, the farm-y touch (even if it is less manure than clean hessian sacks used to carry hay). Over time, a dry, dusty-earth note grows, as do verdigris and dry lichen. Finally coffee sweets turn up (again!?) Mouth: the palate is a lot farmier, yet, here too, it is pronounced hessian sacks and sulphur-sanitised jute bags, as well as limestone blocks and lime fertiliser. The second sip is very peppery. Finish: long and assertive, it is rustic and balanced. Spent wick, soot, dark ash spread over dry, crusty earth, burnt Sienna earth. 8/10

Brora 13yo 1982/1996 (59.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection) (tOMoH): there is not enough left in this one to make three parts, and I prefer sharing with those who have not yet had it, so my notes are de facto short. Full notes here. Nose: the farmiest of the three noses, it has the trademark ploughed fields, alongside hessian sacks, disinfected with sulphur. That said, this nose is mute, compared to the other two. Mouth: hot. Candlewax, hot limescale, a few grains of soot, and hair balls. Perhaps there are a few dried mint leaves too. Finish: Cavalier66 finds manure. For me, it is the freshest of the lot, almost minty, lemon-y, and long, if quite narrow. 8/10

tOMoH: "The 25yo is growing on me. It's an 8/10, but still good."
Cavalier66: "Is the Rare Malts a 9?"
tOMoH: "No, an 8 too. I like it better than the 25yo, but only by a hair. They're on a similar level."
Cavalier66: "What kind of hair?"
tOMoH: "A pubic hair?"
Cavalier66: "It's a horse's hair! Full of manure..."
tOMoH: "Pubic hair can be full of manure too..."

Excellent tasting. It is good to share and clear up some samples.

11/11/2021 One dram at SMWS

Quick stop at the SMWS to say hello to PS. He lets me try his dram.

31.38 32yo d.1988 Slippers by the fire (43.5%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Cask Finished in First-Fill ex-Sauternes Barrique, 124b): nose: fruity and sweet, teeming with prune syrup and pressed dried dates. The nose has a lick of nail varnish too, albeit in a secondary role. Mouth: syrupy, sweet, it is obviously an active sherry cask, though not of the earthy type. Dried dates, prunes, figs, apricots, all slathered in thick syrup. There is also a gently bitter note of wood spices. Finish: the wood is louder, here, spicy, toasted, borderline liquorice-y, yet the dried fruits are still present as well, thick and jammy. This spent twenty-seven years in a Bourbon cask!? The Sauternes finish clearly messed it up metamorphosed it. Not much of the distillery character survives, if any. That said, it is far from bad; a nice £75 bottle to sip. Trouble is: the introduction price is £425... 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, PS) 

08/11/2021 Banffire Night 2021

I was hungover on the 5th, hence the delay. Get over it.

Banff d.1974 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca 1990): there is a version of this mini with the code IJ/AJA. This has no core. Not sure if the juice is the same. Nose: a warm, fuzzy combination of brine (Old Mini Effect -- OME) and pressed apricots. We have encaustic, oiled furniture, mild gherkins, lukewarm apricot jam with hardly any sugar in it. At some point, a vague metallic hue seems to emerge, even if it is tin knives, rather than anything more noble. Obviously, it is a knife that has been used to spread apricot jam onto Melba toast. That is right: the pickled, woody notes given by the OME turn into dry, toasted bread, over the space of a couple of minutes. It is now noticeably more cereal-y, with Horlicks and Ovaltine. Perhaps a dollop of engine grease rubs feathers with burnt pizza dough, at second nosing. Furniture oil resurfaces, later on. Mouth: it remains pickled on the palate, if not overly so: cucumber in brine and mild gherkins (not the sweet-and-sour kind, however) frolic with bold cereals and Melba toasts, overly-toasted crusty bread, malt, Weetabix and Horlicks. If there is any jam left, it is closer to shrivelled, unsweetened fruit than to juicy compote; apple slices so dried up that they have taken in some of the pips' taste -- yes: one could call that bitter. The second sip has a wave of fruit-tree-fire smoke, discreet, but distinctive. It is rather bold, for 40%, and the texture is thinnish, if clingy. Finish: at last, amongst the malty notes, a spoonful of jam re-appears, sweetening the finish somewhat. It is a very small spoon, though, and whatever sugar there is cannot really compete with the drying, desiccating cereals. A layer of ground white pepper rises, fine and ashy, and it takes control, over time, like sawdust will suffocate everything else, in the right amount. The long-lasting impression is that of a blend of fruit-tree-fire smoke and very-hard, overly-baked Biscotte (Melba toast). Next step: the water fountain! Probably the worst Banff I have had, which is not saying much, as all the others have been excellent. 6/10