Kilkerran 8yo b.2018 (58.4%, OB Open Day 2018, Recharred Sherry Cask, 18/228): nose: 'robust' is the term that immediately comes to mind. In no particular order, we have wood oil, a thin veil of dark smoke from a wood stove, oily nuts (roasted peanuts), iodine and sea breeze. Further on, we have soft, rubbery tree bark (mulch), a scent that is always a hit with tOMoH, then a whisper of matchstick tips, perhaps more saltpetre than sulphur. An earthier note emerges behind all that, part rich soil, part scorched earth, certainly imparted by the Sherry cask. Matchbox strikers lurk in the shadows, never unpleasant. The second nose adds juicy berries to the mix, almost a paste of blueberries, myrtles, and/or cherries -- and a spoonful of plasticine, just for fun! A drop of water introduces rosehip to the nose, wine-soaked clementine segments, discreet Turkish delights, and chewy fruit sweets. Mouth: matchbox strikers on the attack too, and the least one can say is that this is hot; fiery, even! Amchur, a pinch of chilli powder, ground cloves, ginger powder all form a choir around overtly-woody notes of old bookshelves, sandalwood, and spiked prune juice, augmented with white pepper and ground cardamom. The second sip is fruitier than the first, with currants and candied orange segments, and those fruits almost match the spices. Almost. A few loops around the tongue allow elderberry to show up in all its earthy glory, propelled by the gingery spiciness. Water makes this mellow -- too mellow, in fact. We detect fruit sweets, such as melon Sugus (Opal Fruits, for our British readers, Starburst for the Americans), but, apart from a warm-wood bitterness in the back, it seems to have lost all complexity. Finish: although it is fairly close in character to the nose, the finish comes as a surprise, after this palate. Here are braseros on a ship's deck, (which is to say: embers, dark smoke, and salty sea air), rancio, bitter earth, and dusty shelves. Minutes after swallow, the spices from the mouth operate a comeback, and we have Chinese five-spice and ground cassia bark join the afore-mentioned ground cloves, ginger and amchur. Once again, repeated sipping adds a welcome fruity layer, this time dried currants, dried figs, prunes, and a drop of elderberry cordial. Once again too, all that is gingery alright, and a lick of balsa wood will not let us forget where those spices came from (wood, innit). They turn borderline desiccating, actually. Water works well on this finish. It sheds enough of the spices for one to now be able to focus on the rest, and that is crystallised clementines, chewy fruit sweets that come close to wine-soaked Haribo Bananas. Strangely enough, there is virtually no maritime influence left, at this stage; just confectionary goodness. Nice. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, STL)
31 May 2023
31/05/2023 Kilkerran
25 May 2023
25/05/2023 Balmenach
Balmenach 25yo (43%, Glenkeir Whiskies Glenkeir Treasures The Gold Selection, 213b): this was perhaps sourced from Douglas Laing stocks, still, but, by then, Glenkeir had become a bottler (a company), not merely a The Whisky Shop collection. Nose: a heady mix of wood lacquer and apricot jam, marmalade-glazed nuts, and furniture wax. It has notions of older wood, with an air of dusty bookshelf, though one could easily miss that, if not paying close attention. That all progresses towards dried-out (and much-hardened) citrus rind and solvents (paint thinners, industrial cleaning fluid). It does lose the woody touch entirely, however, and stays a delight for tOMoH -- no doubt some others would have a different opinion: solvents tend to be divisive. A little later, the solvents morph into something else, more petrolic; a blend of lighter fluid, unleaded petrol, and engine lubricant. Still, the wood is not far off, now clearly coated in furniture wax. Wow. The second nose appears more streamlined, perhaps a tad more minty and lively, closer to a walk into the woods or mentholated tobacco than the initial waxy-woody impression. It has something almost perfume-y to it, now, reminiscent of Grey Flannel, as well as distant sea breeze. Mouth: the attack is fleetingly waxy and velvety, yet, almost immediately, the palate becomes frankly bitter, in an old-wood manner. No plant sap, here, but dusty planks aplenty. That calms down to some extent, and a waxy number profiles itself -- furniture polish, floor wax, marble, squeaky under the rubber sole, so waxed it is. Apricot is still present, though the stone comes out more than the flesh, now. The second sip has more yellow fruits: mirabelle plums, unripe nectarines, apricots again. The bitterness of their stones is there alright, yet much less pronounced than before. It is now closer to apple pips -- and that is good news! We also have dark-wood shavings, at this point. Finish: warming, fruity, woody, still bitter, if entirely below the strictest level of what is unacceptable. Seville-orange marmalade, apricot compote stewed with the stones, varnished wood, and a drop of Angostura bitters. The second gulp has Worcestershire sauce too, then ground nutmeg, ground galangal, and soft ginger powder. Yes: it is spicy. Spicy, without being fiery; bitter, yet not off-putting; woody, not plank-y. The death sees wine-cured apricots and Seville-orange rinds, the latter dried to a woody consistency. Very good Balmenach. 8/10
19 May 2023
19/05/2023 Jura
Isle of Jura d.1976 (57.5%, Harleyford Manor for Geoffrey Folley, b.1980s): gotta love a good Single Malt Scotch Whiskey! We do not have Jura often, and this one is particularly interesting -- enigmatic, even. It seems to be a one-off, and a private cask, likely for an American client, considering the spelling of our favourite drink. Anyway, let us dive in. Nose: it shapes up to be a maritime number, with its fair share of brine and sea spray at first sniff. Suddenly, it turns more musky, giving whiffs of leather and a gentle red-wine touch. Iodine-laden sea air comes back, supported by a mineral undercurrent. Here are sea rocks, drying kelp, and crispy samphire that easily match the (growing) wine note. Looking hard, one may find old metal, half eaten by mosses and lichens, and reeking of petrol, just like an old, decrepit car wreck, abandoned in the woods. What a strange, yet fascinating, combination! The second nose is more overtly animal, with red deer in the hills, and foxes' dens. We also find faint hard plastic providing backing vocals. But then, it is meat skewers, barbecue sauce, quarry chippings, and broken pottery. Seriously: what a nose! Water adds sawdust (old, dry-as-fook oak, bark and all), crumbly museum-worthy oilskins, and, generally speaking, an impression that I never got from a whisky distilled this side of the Second World War: that magical blend of jam and metal. Mouth: punchy without being shouty, the attack presents a ladle of synthetic wax (read: plastic), and a spoonful of crushed crayons. The texture matches. Soon, we discover steel: rusty sheet metal, oxidized steel, nuts and bolts, red with a rust acquired during many a season in the open air. It gives an impression of old miniature effect, vaguely briny, vaguely cardboard-y, though that is very diffuse. The second sip is still as big, not fiery. It appears more rocky, with a beach picnic, pebbles in the sun, sea-polished shingles, and a bottle of red wine spilled on copper butter knives. At a push, there may be blackcurrant jam as well, as a certain sweetness joins the dance. It never overpowers a soft metallic bitterness reminiscent of jam-jar tin lids. Sadly, the palate does not stand water as well as the nose, and two drops are enough to make this feel as though it has been reduced below 20% ABV. Hm. Finish: boom. India ink, plasticine so hard it is crumbling, decades-old paint tins that were once opened to paint the boat's hull, then left in the shed, although the boat has long sunk, old jam-jar lids, covered in rust and Verdigris. It is hard to tell if there is a faint smoke, or if it is dusty old metal. One gets to wonder if all that metal is because the screwcap was faulty (as illustrated by the picture of the unopened bottle). In any case, this finish is big, borderline numbing. Hard to detect any brine, at this point, yet it retains a pinch of salt. I find the second gulp very soothing, hitting an ideal balance of sweetness, bitterness, power, and metal or rock. A music journalist would call this a soft-rock, bitter-metal power ballad, without a doubt. It is dry without being drying, sweet without being sickly, bitter without being harsh, and warming, not burning. With water, this is hardly whisky any longer. Careful with the pipette! Only the nose benefits, despite the high original ABV. Water does, however, allow jam to shine in the finish, but to do that, it virtually annihilates everything else, thereby making the whole less convincing. Neat? Amazingly interesting dram. 8/10
17 May 2023
11/05/2023 Bishlouk Aged 53 Years
Bishlouk turned fifty. Since he timed his birth badly, his fiftieth birthday fell during the COVID-19 pandemic. He must have calculated that it would be a lot cheaper to celebrate with friends, if said friends are not actually coming because they are locked down. But those friends are patient, and, three years later, they are ready to par-tay like it is 2020.
NA, JS, MH, CL, MD, RW, YG, GWST, red71, Gaija, and yours, truly meet our host at Watch Smell Taste for this shindig.
Gaija, JS and I arrive a couple of minutes late -- it is Liège, after all. All the same, we are not the last ones to arrive. It is Liège, after all.
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| Tonight's programme |
Bishlouk opens the ceremony by telling us he never felt much for Speysiders: he thinks that they are a bit same-y, and that one cannot distinguish between Bourbon casks from different distilleries. All the same, he likes Glen Keith, so here is one.
Glen Keith-Glenlivet 43yo 1973/2017 (43.2%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 156b, 17/192): nose: toffee, pear compote, some honey, dunnage warehouse, lichen on stave. JS has delicate soap and custard, for an overall clean nose. The second nose has smoked strawberry and unripe mirabelle plum, quince and pear. Further nosing reveals more floral notes, lily of the valley and kerria Japonica. Much later on, it gains a distinct 1980s-chewing-gum smell, pink, and chemical tasting. Mouth: particularly soft, the attack has a mild bitterness (flower stems, said Bishlouk, a minute ago), as if closed (JS). The second palate is even bitterer, with old bookshelves and bunches of dried-out flowers. After a couple of hours, it has lost all that bitterness, which makes it even more pleasant. Finish: pretty long, a bit dusty, mentholated (Gaija). It turns mentholated indeed, and, if custard ends up taking off, as do cut nectarines, it remains a bitter, woody effort, with sawdust aplenty. The audience reckons it will probably evolve in the open bottle -- and indeed! Only two hours later, all that bitterness has disappeared in favour of pink chewing gum and marshmallow. 8/10 upon opening the bottle, 9/10 later.
red71 [to me]: "Faut noter, ça!" ["You must write that down!"]
The next one, Bishlouk explains, quickly became his favourite distillery, at a time when everyone else filed it under the not-worth-drinking category. It would become a cult distillery in the space of a handful of years. One thing led to another, and he helped select two casks for La Boutique du Chemin -- this is the second.
Littlemill 32yo 1984/2016 (46.9%, The Vintage Malts Whisky Co. The Cooper's Choice The 2nd Release specially selected for La Boutique du Chemin, Bourbon Cask, C#3898, 235b): nose: Bourbon-cask stave, Haribo Peach (Gaija), Muscat (GWST), and a floral touch. In a few seconds, it keels over and unleashes ripe mangoes and mushy peaches. Yellow cake, yellow fruits, and putty, says JS. Soon, it comes back to Bourbon wood. A tantalising nose alright. Later on, it is pure smashed mango. Mouth: well, it is a huge slap of mango, and nectarine turnovers, supported by banana and peach juice (JS). But there is also a metallic bitterness -- the blade of a knife. We find lily of the valley again (Gaija), and some herbs. Further sips are more drying, and, if the fruit juice is well pleasant, it is augmented with crushed Aspirin -- a classic distillery marker. Finish: rather big, very fruity once more, in line with the nose and palate; here are mangoes, nectarines, sawdust, and Alka-Seltzer or crushed Aspirin. This is beautiful. 9/10
Asked why Littlemill was so hated, tOMoH explains that expressions from the 1990s were not all stellar, and some were a little, erm, original. I talk about Dunglass, the legend of soap bars thrown into the wash to stop the liquid bubbling over, and the alleged resulting taste. The conversation moves towards Glen Garioch and Bowmore, and the famous French Whore Perfume notes.
tOMoH: "They stopped, because no-one could tell the difference between the two."
For the next one, Bishlouk explains that he discovered Highland Park with the official 25yo bottled around 2006. He loved it, despite the relatively-high price tag (around 125 EUR, at the time -- LOLs all round). He bought this one to try and recapture that impression; he has not yet tried it.
Highland Park 30yo 1986/2016 (46.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 174b): what a small outturn for two Hogsheads! Nose: typical Bourbon-matured Highland Park, with heather smoke, lavender sweets, gummy bears, burning twigs, and dust (red71). It is heady, and woody, adding birch sawdust to the above. red71 finds it rustic and farm-y. Truth be told, there is a dollop of laundry detergent too, very faint. Chewy sweets remain the backbone of this nose. Mouth: spoiled milk (YG), Pecorino (Gaija). The twigs are a bit invasive, at first, dry and dusty. Heather comes back with a vengeance, but the whole stays rather dry, borderline desiccating, and gently smoky. We have hazel and forsythia branches, both very dry. JS finds it juicy, with grape and violets, which goes to show that no two people's palates are alike. Finish: long, warming, here is a debauchery of burnt twigs and lavender. Total moorland trip. Archetypal Highland Park, really. The second sip has a gentle fruitiness, with blackcurrants, blackberries and elderberries. Yes! It develops a juicy, earthy aspect that bring class to the whole thing. This will likely evolve for the better in the open bottle. 8/10
CL: "La roue tourne. On verra bien." ["The wheel turns. We shall see."]
RW: "Le monde du rhum, c'est beaucoup de branleurs." ["The rum world has a lot of wankers."]
tOMoH: "...who called for more!"
Clynelish 27yo 1982/2010 (51.5%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#5895, 263b, b#130): nose: typical Clynelish of the era, with jam so caramelised it sticks to the cauldron in which it is simmering, and sooty boiler rooms. Hot metal, rusty machinery, and tons of yellow fruits. It has a faint animal lick, but it is very approachable. Plums, mirabelle plums, and nectarines explode in slow motion. Mouth: fat and heavy, it has a mix of burnt wood and caramelised jams (tart jams, says JS), dusty machinery, and a pinch of soot. The second sip has Seville-orange marmalade, the bitterness of mixed peel (bitter-sweet, then), mingling with faint smoke, and a bucket of soot. Galangal shavings make a late appearance, and the whole coats the tongue like a dollop of warm wax. Finish: phwoar! Long, sooty, dusty, this paints the industrial revolution, with a touch of menthol that keeps it fiery. Here is a never-ending finish that stays elegant and, therefore, never outstays its welcome. Over time, more jam comes through, yet never overcomes the metallic impression entirely. I love this, and I am not the only one. 9/10
tOMoH: "Have you tried many Clynelish from the 1980s?"
[No reaction for several minutes]
red71: "He's ready now, you can ask him."
tOMoH: "The time has passed. It would come across as my trying to impose my opinion."
red71: "We'll ask him anyway."
Bishlouk: "Just behind you."
tOMoH: "You're taking your phone with you!? Is it for Google Maps?"
Food enters, provided by Les Fables du Liban. It offers a welcome pause: not even half way through the line-up, and I am already behind.
Amongst the assortment of mezze are what look like snack sausages. JS inquires about them.
JS: "Zwan?"
tOMoH: "They make cocktail sausages."
JS: "Ah! Viennese sausages."
[red71 shows her a picture]
JS: "Do they do other things than sausages?"
red71: "Meatballs, perhaps. For cats."
tOMoH: "They put the same in both."
YG: "A bit more meat."
tOMoH: "...in the one for cats."
red71: "He's a vet. He should know."
With food out of the way, so to speak, Bishlouk explains he fell in love with sherried whiskies through The GlenDronach. He had to stop buying those, because they became too expensive, but he discovered that sherried Glenrothes can be nice too, and he loved this next one."
Bishlouk: "I have not yet put my tongue into this."
MD: "What a treat! Distilled in 1610, bottled in 7154. It is the first 5544yo whisky."Bishlouk: "Those are the cask numbers!"
Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2016 (53.7%, Claxton The Single Cask, Sherry Butt, C#1610-7154, 669b, b#554): nose: it clears the nostrils, this one! With little surprise, seeing the colour, we have wood stain, cured meat, game sauce, and a big, fat, wine-y tomato sauce with chilli. Or is it raisins and cough syrup (JS)? After a bit, terracotta, scorched earth, and bucketloads of pickled red onions take over, accompanied by Worcestershire sauce, or teriyaki, actually. It comes pretty close to Tabasco sauce. Mouth: musky, animal, and rather sharp. Others are rejoicing that it has no sulphur, but I do detect matchbox strikers, and the whole is fairly desiccating, with an aggressive rancio. It really is animal, though -- fox skins, dead raccoons, skinned hedgehogs. Subsequent sips are in line. It is not complex or my preferred style, but it is good at what it does. JS finds it intensely sherried, yet also a little one-note. Finish: dark wines, moist soil, dark berries (elderberry most of all). It is cloying, in the long run, with treacle and tapenade. This one is definitely not my favourite style. 7/10
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| Has anyone seen a Sherry-matured whisky? |
Springbank 19yo 1997/2016 (58.8%, Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting, Re-charred Sherry Butt, C#606): nose: the farmyard™. Farm paths, pastures, leather, cowboy boots, tractor saddles, heated straw bales, cow's behind, cow dung... and tapenade!? JS corrects me: vinegar and barbecue sauce. The second nose brings a lick of lemon peel, as well as some pepper. It turns more lactic later on. Mouth: it is definitely tapenade that complements the otherwise farm-y profile. The palate falls into the trap of becoming a huge moisture sink, giving a whole new meaning to the word 'desiccating'. I can feel my cheeks shrinking. An hour later, it calmly asserts its power, dominating, smothering the memories of the other drams. This is a destroyer, in my view (in the best possible way), while JS calls it complex with finesse. Finish: it stays dry and drying, with ground bone, but also tractor-engine oil, coal dust, and onion peels. An hour or two later, ink appears, yet the farm-y aspect never goes away. It turns out I have tried this one twice before, in November 2016 and in April 2022. Good to be able to try it from a freshly-opened bottle for (hindsight) comparison. Tonight, it is... 8/10
Bishlouk: "I tried many, and could not find one that consistently pleased me -- except for Caol Ila."
Caol Ila 36yo 1980/2016 (52.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 210b): nose: drying fishing nets, squid ink, old parchments, a sprinkle of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. There is a mineral aspect to it, with granite and cinders (JS), as well as petrichor (JS). With time, it morphs into oyster sauce and tamarind concentrate, yet the ink comes back shortly thereafter. The second nose has lemon and pomelo. Mouth: fishing nets, ink, old diesel, and the engine it is supposed to fuel. Yes! This is oily -- the oiliest tonight by some margin; it spills lamp oil, yet also drying rancio. The second sip brings more fruits of the orchard kind -- smoky fruits. Lovely. Finish: a ganja note (JS). Hemp indeed, hessian, fishing nets, oil and ink intertwined. It is stupendously long and warming, part trawlers, part hessian sacks, part ink. There is literally no surprise here. It is the symphony that one might expect from a Caol Ila of that period. I tip Bishlouk that Psycho has another thirty-year-old Caol Ila bottled by Cadenhead, and that I hope we can try them back to back, one day. 9/10
tOMoH: "Watch it! We have a fan of the 12yo, here."
Gaija: "Well, I like the older ones too..."
tOMoH: "There's one for the blog!"
The next one, Bishlouk explains, is from the distillery that made him fall for whisky. The cork breaks upon opening, thereby proving its authenticity.
Talisker 25yo b.2009 (54.8%, OB Natural Cask Strength imported by Diageo Greece, Refill Casks, 5862b, b#2695): oh! This is much more mineral than expected, with pebbles, sea rocks, and rubbed flint (Gaija). After a while, there is a twist of the pepper mill too, though nowhere close to the levels found in the 10yo. Even further, we have elderberry lily of the valley (it is fast becoming the note du jour), honey (JS), and even some wood, after a moment. Mouth: we stay on the austere side, with a flint-y, rocky palate, rocky but plane, so polished by the elements as to be smooth (I know). The careful analysis reveals a timid fruity side too, with cut berries (raspberries?), and velvety flower petals. That mingles with quarry chippings and stone dust. Make no mistake: it is a mineral number, first and foremost. Composed (JS), certainly, yet mineral all the same. Finish: long and powerful, with more pepper than promised (it is a Talisker, after all), in a creamy-pepper-sauce fashion, and metal filings, which impart a clearly drying touch. I prefer my Taliskers a little more nuanced, but this is clearly good whisky. 8/10
North British 50yo 1962/2013 (57.2%, Hunter Laing The Sovereign, C#HL9930): nose: grainy (JS), it has a rancio-y bakery scent, with shortcrust and caramelised apricot. Mouth: velvety, it has confectionary sugar, caramelised apricot and cane sugar. Finish: big, sweet, it exhibits products of a bakery -- turnovers, crumble, and baked fruits, of course. Lovely drop, but, as the notes suggest, it is rushed. 8/10
Bishlouk: "Yes."
GWST: "From one cask only?"
Our host does a quick poll to determine the favourites. My own top three contains the Clynelish, Caol Ila and Littlemill, though the order is less obvious. The result is thus:
1) Springbank (19 points)
2) Clynelish (10 points)
3) Caol Ila and Highland Park (both 8 points)
5) Talisker (7 points)
red71 [to Bishlouk]: I only have one thing to say: can't wait for you to turn sixty!"
Great tasting, without a doubt. One of the best this year. Only the quantities and the pace were a little, ahem, ambitious. Those were all full drams, and cramming nine in three hours (including a break for food, for those who had ordered it) was always going to be too quick for me. I know I was not the only one who had to virtually down the Talisker and the North British. Too quick to be healthy. A pity, because each of those deserves one spend more time with it. Ah, well. It was great to get to try them at all.
Back on neutral ground, JS goes to sleep.
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| Gaija: "I think we can make an exception." |
10 May 2023
06/05/2023 Anticoronation
Today, Prince Charles becomes Charles III. As some celebrate this coronation, we meet for non-monarchist drams with a firm plan to not monitor events all day. "We" are JS, OB, Cavalier66 and I.
The soundtrack: Pronto Pronto ??!! (for the sole reason that the last track of CD1 is by a band called CO.RO[nation] -- ha!)
Cavalier66 immediately preys upon the food he brought. In pure Cavalier66 style, he has not had anything to eat since he got up -- presumably six minutes ago. Amongst the goodies, a Royal Oak smoked ham. Also Serrano ham and Comté, plus a potato-flour bread which is delicious, if hard to cut (so spongy!)
OB explains that he brought an apéritif, a French whisky, to celebrate that the French have done away with their monarchy, because they were anticoronation.
Ergaster Nature N°001 (45%, OB, French Oak Cognac + Banyuls + Pineau des Charentes Casks, 1900b, b#0579, b. 2019) (OB): nose: strangely woody for a four year-old, bready (Cavalier66), with something lactic, and caraway seeds (Cavalier66). The second nose has a lot of nail polish and crayon shavings. Mouth: velvety, it quickly turns a little bitter, as well as sweet, somehow reminiscent of Crodino. Finish: mellow, it cannot hide its vin-jaune influences. Or Pineau, since it is N°000 that was matured in Vin Jaune casks. There is a clear taint of apricot too. 7/10
From a four-year-old French whisky to a thirty-eight-year-old Scotch. Ahem. Cavalier66 has us play anagrams, for this one, and it takes a few clues to decipher that with the coronation comes the pledge of allegiance -- which almost spells Glenallachie. We will drink the latter, rather than pledge said allegiance.
Glenallachie 38yo 1973/2010 (44%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS11018, 96b) (Cavalier66): nose: Cavalier66 notes dunnage and sour fruit, whereas I find it is a flowery one (jasmine, lilac) that reveals a juicy fruitiness, chiefly that of mirabelle plums. JS detects apple compote, and it has galangal shavings too, far in the back, mingling with apple peels. The second nose even displays dragon fruit. Mouth: surprisingly dilute and a bit disappointing (Cavalier66). It is delicate, with middle-dry white wine (Chenin blanc), and the soft bitterness of the vine that bore its grapes. Finish: it is gentle, again, in a white-wine way. Cotton Candy grapes, and a sprinkle of burnt-wood shavings. This is boss. 9/10
JS: "We could use the 'h', perhaps?"
Cavalier66: "Jamaicans would."
tOMoH: "Hallegiance. Jah bless, mahn!"
OB tells us how Ireland left the UK and the Commonwealth because they were anticoronation. Cavalier66 adds that the previous time Ireland had no king was during the Civil War, and that Oliver Cromwell then massacred the Irish, which made them (even more) anticoronation.
Ireland 24yo 1989/2014 (42.2%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams a joint bottling with La Maison du Whisky, Rum Cask, C#16262) (Cavalier66): nose: fluorescent-purple nail varnish, waxy mango peels, butterscotch and glue (JS), bergamot and kumquat, plump satsuma and foliage. Then, slowly but surely, mango rises. It is a grassier number, though, no doubt about it. Coming back to it after the next dram, this smells more buttery, in a smashed-mango-and-apricot way. Mouth: the texture of a good citrus juice, and the taste of juicy mango, alongside the metal of the knife that cut the fruit open. Finish: long, fruity, mango-y, and a little earthy too. The second sip has bread and just what it needs, in terms of fruitiness. Lovely drop. 9/10
vs.
Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507) (OB): nose: menthol (JS), and a minute amount of smoke, which surprises us all -- there was none when we had it, ahem, six years ago. Mouth: ooft! Here is a gigantic lick of mango, and a touch of metal. The alcohol is fairly obvious and numbing, but never overtakes the mad fruit. There is even banana in this. Beautiful. Finish: long and boldly fruity. Warming. The second sip is bolder, still, with loads of mango covered in chocolate. Repeated sipping reveals an earthy side too. 9/10
The soundtrack: Helena Hauff - Kern Vol. 5
The next one, I explain, has the seal: "By appointment to HRM The Prince of Wales." Laphroaig are likely mightily against the coronation, because it means they will have to replace their labels (at no small a cost, no doubt).
Laphroaig 28yo b.2018 (44.4%, OB Limited Edition, Quarter Casks + Bourbon Barrels + Sherry Butts) (tOMoH): nose: pure fruit (Cavalier66). We have an enthralling, smoky dark-fruit jam. Mouth: it develops more ash on the tongue, but it is still very much a dark-berry affair. Finish: ash and fruit (Cavalier66). Full notes here. 9/10
JS introduces an SMWS bottling that has "lip-smac-KING" in the name.
44.53 22yo d.1989 Lip-smacking, chewy and chunky (51.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 279b) (JS): nose: coal, in the back (Cavalier66). Old jam stuck to the cast-iron cauldron. Mouth: chewy (OB), oily (OB and Cavalier66), it has a distinct, industrial-age, dusty-boiler side. Phwoar! Finish: it has the legs of a centipede (Cavalier66, prompting a discussion about cult flick The Human Centipede), buckets of soot, and caramelised marmalade. It is also very waxy (Cavalier66). This is OB's favourite, so far. I like it too, of course. My full notes are here. 9/10
JS plays single tracks.
The soundtrack: Thompson Twins - King For A Day
The soundtrack: King - Love And Pride
Cavalier66, always great at international relations, presents the next one, a Cognac, thus: "The French. You get rid of monarchy, you chop off your king's head, and you don't even make whisky."
Cavalier66 [to OB]: "And you had to bring a fucking French whisky [to ruin my connection]!"
François Peyrot 61yo 1959/2010 (44.2%, OB Heritage, Lot '59) (Cavalier66): nose: wood smoke, but especially gummy bears, Cola Bottle sweets, purple chewy sweets, then soft rubber. We have a note of grapes (raisins, actually), marzipan, and then we are back with wood. The second nose has putty and balls of clay. Mouth: cinnamon-y ginger, modelling clay, dark grapes, peppermint. Over time, the sweetness of chewy (blackcurrant) sweets takes over. Finish: long, elegant, it has a wheelbarrow of fruits, the heat of a mentholated gingery paste, and the chewiness of clay. 9/10
The soundtrack: Echo & The Bunnymen - My Kingdom
The soundtrack: Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
OB: "Well, I hope I live a bit longer than..."
Cavalier66: "...Charles! That's the only way to finish that sentence."
JS: "Actually, it is for Tal-KING Heads."
 |
| Time to attack OB's excellent gâteau basque |
The soundtrack: Roadking - SAT015
I bring the next bottle to the group.
[All laugh]
JS: "That is going to be my email signature from now on."
tOMoH: "A Glenlossie. This is about the loss of Charles's title of Prince of Wales."
Cavalier66: "Or the loss of his head when we behead him."
Glenlossie-Glenlivet 21yo 1957/1979 (80° Proof, Cadenhead imported by Mario Rossi, Sherry Cask) (tOMoH): nose: sherries, but not in a bulldog way (OB). Half OBE, half sherry (Cavalier66). It has rancio and more rose water than I remembered too. Mouth: phwoar! This really is a beautiful Sherry maturation, with dry earth, stone-hard, bone-dry raisins. Finish: old dry Sherry, and industrial-era soot, as well as coal dust. This remains amazing. Full notes here. 9/10
The soundtrack: Adam & The Ant - Kings Of The Wild Front
OB explains that the next dram is colloquially known as Red Stripe -- Red Stripe, like the rave beer from Jamaica, a country that wants to leave the Commonwealth, and whose citizens are presumably anticoronation until that departure has taken place.
Laphroaig 10yo (55.7%, OB Original Cask Strength imported by Allied Domecq Zürich) (OB): nose: peaty. Tanned leather, damp earth, ploughed fields. It is very farm-y in an agricultural way, as opposed to cattle farming. We have a vaguely maritime touch too, with kelp, seaweed, and seaweed-wrapped chicken (or rooster, really: it comes across as tough). Finally, here are hard tree bark and old ink. Mouth: dry, earthy, it has elderberries, blackcurrants, and lots of horsepower. This is chewy as a beard, and punctuated by burning hay. Punchy, boisterous. I can see why so many fall for this. Truth be told, I can also see why some grow out of it. Finish: rougher than the 'lossie (OB). There is a clear kick of earthy blackcurrant and elderberry. It suffers from the sequence, but is otherwise a decent whisky, even if it is lacking in the elegance department, perhaps. 7/10
The soundtrack: The Coronation Of King George II
JS explains that Princess Charlotte will never be crowned, and does not move closer to the throne as a result of the coronation, so she is probably anticoronation.
Port Charlotte 14yo 2002/2017 (60.1%, The Creative Whisky Company The Exclusive Malts, Sherry Hogshead, C#1140, 228b) (JS): nose: mud, pastures, muddy pastures. This is well farm-y, and more cattle farm than agriculture, this time. It has dark berries too, mind. The trademark bacon is present, yet subdued. Mouth: berries aplenty, as well as liqueur and earth. It is thick and sticky, faintly animal... and strong. Fierce peppermint ends up poking the tongue relentlessly. Finish: unexpectedly balanced, it has menthol, berries, earth and chocolate, a pinch of coffee grounds, and black-cardamom husk. I need to spend more time with this another day. 9/10
OB: "...ever."
[Cavalier66 chokes -- not to death, I should add]
Good times, even if I am so wrecked from an early start to the day that I do not enjoy it as much as I should. Also, the pace is sporty, to say the least.