Ben Bracken 12yo (40%, Scotch Whisky Company for Lidl, b. ca. 2007): a confirmed (if undisclosed) Tamnavulin, released shortly after the distillery resumed production, in 2007. Nose: Bourbon-cask power, with lemon drizzle cake, toasted coconut shavings, and lovely vanilla aplenty. After that initial assault, hay and straw make their way to the fore, and it is the end of harvest season, all of a sudden (quite topical, in late August). Then, summer moves into autumn, and orchard fruits show up: Golden apples, Comice pears, even quince, none too ripe. A dash of wood oil tops the composition. The second nose adds a splash of liqueur-y wine, peach liqueur, or lychee-flavoured sake, and a pinch of birch sawdust. Later on, we have biscuit dough, sweet shortcrust pastry, and unbaked pastries of all kinds. Noyce. Mouth: mellow, it flows like caramel, or melted toffee, an impression that is soon augmented by a fruity touch -- a blend of mushy peach and pressed cherry, stuck together with a knob of butter. It is undeniably woody, what with its faint bitterness, and fudgy texture, but that is far from invasive -- very far from it. The second sip recycles the same notes; a procession of fruity fudge and toffee, this time with a smidgen of liqueur, for good measure. To liken it to Edel Tropfen would be a stretch (it is less chocolaty), though some may go there. After all, said faint bitterness could be associated with hazelnut. Finish: fudge, toffee, caramel, and plain, simple goodness. The shy alcohol bite is akin to that of grated ginger doused in Lyle's Golden Syrup, and the whole is reminiscent of Custard Creams, or other biscuits. Repeated sipping emphasises a gentle, liqueur-like nuttiness, underlined with vanilla extract and Bourbon-cask staves, oozing with the stuff. Perhaps stem-ginger syrup is to be found, yet the gingery heat is so tame it is hard to be sure. This would probably be sniggered at by the whisky intelligentsia, classed as an uninteresting, wood-driven, modern malt, but it does the trick without pretentiousness, it cost nothing upon release, and it is laudable for both those qualities. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, adc)
31 August 2023
31/08/2023 Ben Bracken
29 August 2023
26/08/2023 Odds and sods
Many are still on holiday, or already back at work. OB, SOB, JS and I meet for drams nonetheless. Since it is few of us, we have small bottles and samples, and no particular theme.
SOB has early plans and joins us a little later.
The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Memories of Indochina
As an apéritif, OB has Glenrothes-Glenlivet 8yo (70 Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, b. ca. late 1970s), while I pour JS Tamdhu-Glenlivet 8yo (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, b. ca. late 1970s).
SOB arrives, we tidy up the line-up, then start the real thing.
The soundtrack: Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
OB observes that he met SOB for a Halloween tasting, so he brought two Glencadams -- for the Glencadams Family. Except he only has one, and his joke no longer works. JS comes to the rescue with a Glencadam of her own. Phew!
Glencadam 14yo 1964/1979 (45.7%, Cadenhead) (JS): nose: fresh, lemony, it has lemon mint, Mentos lozenges, a whiff of blonde tobacco, then blueberry Gummibärchen. Mouth: absolute perfection. This is a masterclass in balance, with lemon, tarragon, and mint freshness. Finish: extremely long and softly spicy. SOB finds it a lot of fruits and OBE (old-bottle effect). Coming back to it after the next dram underlines a certain bitterness, but all in all, there is little to argue about. I hope we have not peaked too soon! Full notes here. Today, it is... 10/10
vs.
Glencadam 39yo 1973/2013 (44.1%, The Whisky Agency The Perfect Dram, Bourbon Hogshead, 221b) (OB): nose: a lot more expressive and pungent, rich with tobacco, smoked blueberries, and strawberry liquorice. It also has straw, dried raspberry slices, and mushroom-y mint drops (of the crumbly kind). Further nosing brings out Tubble Gum, and, in the back, something almost fishy (I am somehow reminded of salty fishbones), as well as herbs (tarragon, mint). Mouth: mellow, and oh! so sweet, here are honey-glazed mint lozenges, and candied pistachios. Later on, it is chewing tobacco, and cough-relief eucalyptus powder. Finish: sweet again, it feels more compact and more concentrated than the 1964. That makes it a very long finish, teeming with dusty fruit, or ground fruit stones, which imparts a soft bitterness. Spectacular! 9/10
The soundtrack - FYC - The Finest / The Rare And The Remixed
Bowmore 10yo (43%, Prestonfield House Malt, b.1980s) (tOMoH): nose: mud, cockles, whelk, then a drop of brine or vinegar, and moist peat. There are some fruits too, mostly berries. Soot appears on the late tip, proper old school, like. Mouth: that ancient-whisky impression that only comes from glass ageing. Here are marmalade wet, hot metal spoons, and sooty fruits. Finish: big and bold (this is 43%!?), this is earthy and almost dry, now closer to scorched earth than to mud. Full notes here. 9/10
JS: "OME? What's that?"
tOMoH: "Old Miniature Effect."
JS: "I only know OBE."
OB: "tOMoH uses it all the time."
tOMoH: "That's how I can tell who reads me and who doesn't. And you don't."
JS: "What's that chemical smell?"
SOB: "That's the OME."
tOMoH: "I'm happy with that."
The soundtrack: New Wave Hits Vol. 11
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| JS attacks OB's delicious flan tart. We soon all follow her lead. |
SOB brought a Glengoyne. Incidentally, I pulled one out before he arrived. We will have them at the same time.
Glengoyne 14yo b.2019 (unknown ABV, OB, Refill Hogshead + 1st Fill American Oak Bourbon Barrel + 1st Fill American Oak Sherry Puncheon + 1st Fill European Oak Light Sherry Puncheon + 1st Fill European Oak Dark Sherry Puncheon, C#24+3553+206+934+1927, 1b) (SOB): a vat-your-own Glengoyne from when SOB visited the distillery. He went heavy on the Bourbon casks, using very little of the Sherry-cask samples. Nose: although there is virtually no whisky from a Sherry cask in this SOB-special vatting, I find it richer than I expect from a Bourbon-matured whisky. It is buttery as a Glenrothes. Perhaps that is where I draw the (wrong) parallel with Sherry casks -- Glenrothes's buttery character comes from the spirit, rather than the cask, yet, since it is often matured in Sherry, I may associate that butter with Sherry casks. A dumb neural shortcut. Anyway, it opens up to reveal toffee, slightly overdone croissant, then sawdust. Mouth: fairly intense, with milky custard. The second sip feels a tad spirit-y, though aged spirit, if that makes sense. Cassia bark, burnt cake crust, and a lick of wood. Finish: long, coating, cinnamon-y, and gingery. The final note is that of a chicory infusion with oat milk. 8/10
vs.
Glengoyne 30yo 1973/2003 (52%, OB Single Cask, C#1540, 170b) (tOMoH): nose: it is an entirely different expression, at first sniff. Pine sawdust, yellow fruits... A few minutes in, berries invade -- strawberries, fresh and dried. The second nose has extremely-mild smoke, and forsythia, as well as a drop of mint-y gel. Mouth: ooft! So bright. Peach nectar, some distant funk, and pressed fruits (plum, mirabelle plum, peach, white peach, unripe apricot, even greengage) are augmented by a lick of nail varnish. Finish: peach, apricot, mirabelle plum, quince paste, and jellies of all sorts. This is wonderful. Full notes here. 9/10
tOMoH: ""Me neither."
JS: "Does it read, 'marmalade'?"
tOMoH: "'Marmalade wet'. Like pea wet, in mushy peas."
JS: "The water that seeps out of the peas?"
tOMoH: "Yeah."
SOB: "Jus le Pea."
SC 73 10yo b.2023 (58.2%, SMWS The Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Wasted Degrees Table Beer Quarter Cask Finish) (SOB): nose: it is a table-beer smack in the face to me, whilst JS thinks it is growing between FWP and soapy 1972 Edradour. Later on, I have gingery strawberry bubble gum, sweet, sparkly, and fruity at the same time. JS adds that it smells like liqueur. I spot a very faint, distant sense of nappy glue (which has everyone in stitches). It is a blink-and-you-miss-it thing, though. Soon, we are back in strawberry territory. The second sniff has lemony sparkling water. Mouth: potent, obviously (look at that ABV), it seems closer to a gin than to a whisky. Let us take stock, for a bit... Liquorice, rubber, menthol, juniper and cubeb pepper, candied pineapple cubes, dusted with a pinch of grated chalk, topped with myrtles. How interesting! Finish: the beer comes back and sparkles on the tongue, backed by a dose of wood. Warm beer, warm ginger beer, cinnamon, and a twist of lemon juice. This (likely/unlikely) Aultmore is divisive to say the least. Who else would release something like this? I like it a lot. Sadly, SOB does not. 8/10
The soundtrack: OMD - Dazzle Ships
Caperdonich 27yo 1974/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Refill Hogshead, C#DL475, 300b) (OB): nose: reminiscent of the 1973 Glengoyne from earlier, though hairier (OB says it is because of a heavier spirit; I only go with my instinct), warmer, almost uncomfortably so. We have straw bales, hay, menthol ('tis the day, innit!), and clods of earth and grass. Crummy Marseille soap also rocks up. Belatedly, we spot something plant-like, yet it is hard to identify. Mouth: more mineral than expected, and a lot bitterer too. We have black marble, beach pebbles (no other maritime note, however), perhaps liquorice. Later on, we see watercolour, and a spoonful of elderberry cordial. Finish: gently explosive, bright, it has honey and dark clay. The soft back of the palate throbs with desiccated stem ginger. This is very good, yet it is in the shadow of the competition, today. Still, I find it better than the sibling we had at CYWL. 8/10
The soundtrack: Zanias - Chrysalis
OB: "My full initials are OMB."
Scapa 25yo 1975/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Sherry Cask, 540b) (tOMoH): nose: nail varnish and fermented prunes, a bit smothered by the Sherry. Mushrooms, marzipan, tree bark, dried peach peels. Mouth: chewy dried berries, sultanas, currants, elderberries, and blackberries, which bring a certain bitterness. Finish: dark-chocolate coulis, blackberries, blackcurrants, and shards of cassia bark. Lovely drop, not stellar. I feel more generous than the other time I had this. 8/10
The soundtrack: Der^ek Mar^in - Midnight Affair 3
Springbank 24yo (47.6%, OB for Springbank Open Day 2023, Oloroso & Port Oak Casks, 1920b) (SOB): nose: a farm-y Springbank! Concrete farm paths beaten by the sun, dust and dirt, crumbly earth and peat, hay bales, and... flexible glowsticks sold at a fun fair. Water mutes it a bit, but it ends up giving papier mâché, and it seems more lemony too, without being frankly fruity. Mouth: fairly intense, it glows on the tongue like embers, desiccates the gums, and melts the teeth. That is caused by a clear acidity that walks hand in hand with a nice fruitiness, unripe gooseberries and blackberries. Water makes it more accessible, with a dollop of peach jelly. Finish: again, citrus accompanies a combination of ashy embers, squashed plums, and pressed currants. SOB finds it a dank finish of mouldy warehouses, but I am not convinced. In any case, it warms one up, that is for sure! Water allows sooty fruit jams to shine -- always a great touch. It is stupendously drying too, yet remains excellent. 9/10
OB and SOB have to leave shortly, so we shrink the line-up to try just this one.
Linkwood 26yo 1975/2002 (56.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection, b#5373) (tOMoH): nose smoke from an old, dusty boiler. Mouth: drying AF, and hot. Once past that, we have hot jam from a red-hot cauldron. Finish: much fruitier than one would have thought, with all sorts of jams again, wrapped in a coat of hot embers. Lovely whisky. Full notes are here. I will miss this bottle when it is empty, which is imminent, now. 9/10
Another terrific afternoon.
25 August 2023
25/08/2023 Glenturret
Glenturret 1966/1987 (43%, OB ceramic decanter, 500b): perhaps one will remember this as the opening dram at this tasting. Nose: unusual and a little weird, this nose has a drop of acetone on old leather, and a dash of pickle brine on cardboard. It is odd and puzzling, but it is a Glenturret from that era, after all; they are not exactly known for their easy, appealing profile. It grows warmer with the next sniff, in a lighter-fluid way, and the briny cardboard morphs into greasy newspapers that were used to serve fish and chips, which is to say we can smell oil and malt vinegar, I suppose. Deeper nosing gives a fleeting impression of a bathroom's downpipes, after the cleaners have mopped the floors (detergent, moisture, and funk, in other words). Even further on, a coconut door mat appears that comes pretty close to a bear-skin rug by a fireplace -- musky, rough, drying, and warming, all at once. Brine and acetone remind us that they are part of the ride too, though. The second nose seems cleaner: bathroom disinfectant without the funk, and even a dusting of cosmetic powder. Finally, distant nuts appear -- a bowl of walnuts left out for a week, that have gone soft and stale. Brine and vinegar still gently show their faces on and off. Mouth: with a soft and honeyed attack and the texture of pouring honey, the palate is clearly sweet with natural sugar. There are dried chilli flakes in golden pouring honey that is spread on cardboard. The latter becomes more obvious and more briny as one swirls the liquid in the mouth, yet it remains stupendously honeyed throughout. A pleasant surprise. The second sip has candied strawberries, which is even more surprising. They are half-dunked into liqueur. Perhaps that is what gives this an almost-almond-y bitterness. It is lukewarm and fizzy, and, if it remains on the sweet side, it certainly has less honey than before. In fact, it seems thinner with each sip, slowly but surely going from a pouring-honey consistency to some kind of dissolvent, over the course of four sips. Nutty and sweet it stays, however. Finish: mellow, it offers walnut cream, and a dollop of honey to accompany it. There is a certain bitterness to this finish, and it still comes across as a bit of an oddball, yet it is closer to walnut skins than it is to brine on cardboard, now. It also leaves the tongue craving for more. The second gulp tickles the gums with a gentle spiciness that showcases spearmint, stem ginger, and candied mace. Here too, the sweetness survives, though it is less easy to associate it with honey. Over time, cardboard seems to grow bolder -- a worn-out cardboard box, collapsed, then splattered with crumbly dry earth and soot. That is right: an acrid, tarry dust ends up coating the uvula. The least one can say is that this is not a boring whisky! 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
Happy birthday, MV!
22 August 2023
22/08/2023 White Horse
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| This counts for two of your five-a-day! |
White Horse (70° Proof, White Horse Distillers, b. 1960s): nose: strangely clean -- as in: degreased with white vinegar. Acetone, metallic kitchen surfaces, cleaned with a vinegar solution, bone-dry white wine... I was half-expecting something wild and uncouth, full of old-school peat (depending on when in the 1960s this was bottled, it may contain Malt Mill, after all), but it is far from that. The dirtiest it does is send a whiff of warm corduroy settee. Over time, that warm corduroy grows and grows. It goes from a plush townhouse to a country manor -- cue fireplace, and a game casserole being prepared in the kitchen down the corridor. Still not exactly industrial-revolution grime, nor muck-smelling farm paths, but rustic alright. Yet it goes back to white wine so dry it feels as though it will make my nose collapse for lack of moisture. Further nosing oscillates between wood-stove warmth, (very-)faint toffee, possibly lightly smoked, and dried watercolour pots. Mouth: ooft! Dry it is. Gravel, beach pebbles, long-uninhabited mussel shells. There is a salty and acrid taste that floats on an otherwise mellow texture, somewhere between avocado skin, earth patties, softly stone-baked in a wood oven, oyster sauce, and mussel soup (or is it caricoles?) with garlic butter and herbs. Most unusual! It has something remotely fruity too, likely green grapes, unrecognisable, because of the dryness of the wine that they were turned into. It is softly smoky too. Again, we are not talking about steam trains, boiler rooms, or peat furnaces, here; more smoked mussels or oysters, smoked tofu with dark soy sauce. Anyhow, it works. Finish: astonishingly, the afore-mentioned dryness all but disappears upon swallowing. Here, it is mostly (dry-)white-wine-infused caramel, or toffee. That does not last long: soon, we have a strong vine bitterness. Despite the modest strength, the finish is fairly long, if rather simple. Sadly, if those initial toffee notes are up my alley, the lasting bitterness, if tolerable, is less of a win for tOMoH. Repeated sipping changes the balance to put the emphasis on the toffee, though the bitterness dies hard. A drop of lime juice complements the picture, which is welcome, in this context. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, WK)
Happy birthday, ruckus!
18 August 2023
13/08/2023 Barbie
With the film about Mattel's iconic doll still in cinemas, receiving a lot of attention, this was the best (if most unlikely) theme for the August tasting in ze Heimat.
adc, JS, red71, STL, Psycho, sonicvince, kruuk2, and dom666 join me to share laughs and drams.
 |
| kruuk2 brought a gift. "Your reward for making up dumb themes!" At least, tOMoH gets to show off legs. :) |
kruuk2 {about his recent road trip in Morocco]: "I reached my destination, which was Meknes."
sonicvince: "Wait, my geography of Morocco is a bit..."
tOMoH: "You see Schaerbeek? A bit south of it."
kruuk2: "There's also Liège, rue du Moulin... right next to Super Poulet."
 |
| But we have work to do. |
dom666 spills a bucket of water on the tablecloth while pouring himself a glass of water (not the first time, despite his claims). After we have mocked his very own watershed moment, he receives a towel to mop it up.
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| tOMoH: "Careful now. That also doubles up as your bib." |
Aside from the whiskies, we are having a pot luck, today: various bits and bobs generously supplied by all guests.
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| dom666's nuts |
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| Tapenade toasts, courtesy of red71 |
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| STL's daughter's biscuit-and-mocha cake |
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| kruuk2's finger-licking cakes |
I have hardly slept, and am more interested in enjoying the company so appalling notes again.
adc presents: Ben Brac-Ken
Ben Bracken 12yo (40%, Scotch Whisky Company for Lidl, b. ca. 2007): nose: inoffensive, it has corn syrup, custard, crusty choux dough, toffee, fudge, vaguely-paprika-ed cinnamon. Mouth: gently spicy, with black pepper, cinnamon, ginger powder. Next sip has a hazelnut cream. Finish: shortish, here are cinnamon shavings on vanilla custard, peppery and cinnamon-y, Lovely starter. Hope to try it again. 7/10
red71: "Are you trying to tell us something?"
sonicvince, who has not seen the film, presents the next dram: "I'm sure there is some singing in Barbie (the film), and there is bound to be someone whistling."
The Whistler Mosaic (46%, OB, ex-Bourbon Barrels + finished in Sicilian Marsala Casks, L21/014 152, b.2021): nose: a heavy note of peppermint, and ginger toothpaste. It grows rather woody (in a good way), adding a pinch of grated chalk to the mix too. adc finds butter caramel, whilst I detect dusty birch shelves. Mouth: fudge, melting and quaffable, like chewing on molten wax. It has a notch of soft spices, now closer to turmeric than the above. adc reckons it tastes a bit like limoncello. Finish: another fairly short one, it has toffee (melted Toffee Penny), melted caramel, and a pinch of wood dust (sawn old wood shelves). 7/10
kruuk2 explains how the next one fits into the theme: "10 is the age at which girls play with Barbie. And why Arran? Why, because Barbie wears a miniskirt, which, as any French-speaking Belgian knows, s'arrête Arran del'touffe [it stops within shaving distance of the bush]."
On a less-vulgar note (kruuk2, tsk!), I observe that Barbie is obviously the shortening of Barbarran.
The Arran Malt 10yo b.2006 (46%, OB, 120206): nose: lemon-y to the max, it smells like Cif Citron, says sonicvince. Pomelo foliage, pinched-and-rubbed pomelo peels. Over time, peach skins grow and grow. Great nose. Mouth: lemon-y, fresh, a tad bitter, with a pinch of grated effervescent tablet. Finish: it is extremely crisp, lively, fresh, fruity, and it display the characteristics of tonic water -- or crushed Alka-Seltzer. 8/10
The next one is mine. I bring a gentle, girly dram with a blonde tube. Just like Barbie.
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| Spot the streak of blonde hair on the tube |
Tomintoul 16yo d.2004 (46%, OB, Sauternes Casks, 5094b): nose: crushed cardamom on lemon pudding. Mouth: a little spicier than the nose suggested, yet it is an approachable one that puts everyone on the same page. Lovely drop, with a tiny bitterness that comes unexpected (pomelo peels) and ground cardamom again. Finish: wider and longer than the previous, this is rich, juicy, and a little bitter, overflowing with green citrus. I love this. Full notes here. 8/10
STF: "It's a Burnside."
adc: "Yes, and the connection to the theme?"
STF: "Burnside. That was the theme."
All: "Barbie."
STF: "Oh! Drat. I was daft as Ken, on that one."
Speyside 27yo 1994/2021 (47.5%, Le Gus't Selection special bottling for Nanyang Whisky, Bourbon Hogshead, C#3525, 240b, b#224): "Distilled at Speyside Distillery" should actually read "Distilled at a Speyside Distillery." This is allegedly Burnside, or tea-spooned Balvenie, not Speyside, aka The Spey. I thought this was the one I tried a while ago, but it is not. Strangely, it does not have a Roman numeral, despite being from the Selection collection. Nose: rich AF, it has custard (sonicvince), tons of peach skins, cured fruit, almond skins, and it opens up to reveal unripe pineapple, and citrus slices (unripe oranges). Mouth: incredibly bitter (certainly when compared with the nose), ground cardamom, then peach stones, ground almonds and hazelnut skins. The second sip displays more cream, with a custard-y texture. A lick of metal joins the nut skins (not the scrotum, naughty reader!) Finish: long, ripe with citrus-y pastry, almond-and-lemon cake, crisp-dried citrus peels, and gingery, cinnamon-y, cured orange rind. Very good! 8/10
dom666 brought the next one, because it has pink on the label.
Nikka Coffey Grain (45%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky, 6/04F101511): nose: walking into an Ikea (freshly-sawn pine wood), a pinch of dried herbs, and a vague note of outer sole (rubber?) Mouth: soft, pleasing, it still has pine planks, though young enough to be full of vanillin. Finish: a softly-bitter spiciness (ground cardamom) crowns an-otherwise creamy custard. 7/10
kruuk2: "The whole bottle would be too much!"
dom666 brought his Coffey Malt to try it back to back with the Coffey Grain, but I have another grain idea -- an idea which will stop us repeating an experience we had five years ago. And, since the bottle belongs to this group, when is a better occasion? Also, it is in theme: it is a Caledonian; to go to Islay, one takes the Caledonian MacBrayne from Ken-nacraig.
The Cally 40yo 1974/2015 (53.3%, OB, 5060b, b#3642): totally unfair fight, I know. To counter that, I have it at the end of the tasting, but, for everyone else, it comes now. Nose: wallpaper glue (kruuk2), pot-pourri, wet sand (sonicvince). adc produces a bottle of BioLevel detergent, and, indeed, it has a very clear similarity. Pine needles, Harpic Air Freshener, ground cherry stones, and crushed mint leaves. Mouth: it is a supreme mix of pine-needle-scented air freshener, and powerful wood glue. We talk of MDF (glued sawdust) and OSB (plywood pressboards, pressed wood shavings) -- the DiY specialists are keen to show off their science, which is both amusing and unlikely. This here dram is glue-y, yet also staunchly elegant, made bolder and more showy by a sprinkle of spices (ground ginger, ground mace, lovage seeds, crushed bay leaves, and roasted galangal shavings. Finish: a spoonful of honey (sonicvince), Gocce Pino, (fairly fierce) menthol, shards of cinnamon bark, and more crushed bay leaves. Maybe lovage too, but it is less well defined. This is rich and never-ending, although not stupendously complex, but it is so well made everything else is forgiven. Show-stopping grain. 9/10
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| Same drink, different label |
tOMoH reminds the group that Barbie drives a car -- a Chevrolet Corvette, they point out. Therefore, we will have a Cor-vettercairn.
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| Boom. |
Fettercairn 28yo 1988/2017 (48.9%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams special edition for TastToe, 16/06009): nose: feet and biscuit (adc), butter biscuits, cheese rind (sonicvince), fermented apple, and something acidic (sonicvince). One could easily deduce that it is lactic acid, or a drop of vinegar. Mouth: round and sugary (red71), a tad drying, and strong, it shows pronounced ethanol, warm white vinegar, and a herbal note of straw. Finish: long, drying, but also rewarding, herbaceous, in a dry-grass way, or hay. This is weird and wonderful. Astonishingly whacky, it puzzles everyone, and I love it for it. Full notes here. 8/10
As everyone looks forward to the next one, JS asks the others who makes Barbie: "Mattel!" Yes, and reversed? With the help of alcohol, it only takes them several minutes to finally utter: "Lettam." Lettamill, then.
Littlemill 24yo 1990/2014 (50.6%, Maltbarn No.28, 158b): nose: not at its most expressive, today, yet, it still exhibits a carousel of fruits, with papaya, dried mango slices, wood-dust-covered cherries, tinned peaches, but also hand cream, and scented talcum powder. sonicvince finds a faint plum-skin aroma, while I detect bergamot foliage and Kafir lime leaves. Mouth: powerful, it has rubbery lime leaves, chewy dried mango slices, and that trademark Aspirin bitterness because of which Littlemill can sometimes be divisive. Finish: huge, woody, fruity, and Aspirin-y. Excellent. Full notes here. 8/10
Psycho is about to depart. STL asks if he may try his bottle prior. Psycho was about to leave it behind, but agrees this is a better solution. He tells us that Ken has a hairless chest, so he brought something to make hair grow on one's chest.
Caol Ila 25yo (43%, OB, b. ca 2010): nose: Iso Betadine (sonicvince), gauze, bandages, plaster glue. Later on, we have waxy lemon zest and dried bulrush too. Mouth: a huge slap of gauze and old bandages, tincture of iodine, and muscle-warming spray. It is boldly medicinal, perhaps augmented by a seaweed poultice. Finish: unexpectedly maritime, with sea water, kelp, and only minimal medicinal touches, now. Excellent drop. "Cannot help but wonder how it would fare at cask strength," says STL, who obviously spends too much time in France. 8/10
red71 worked hard to find something to fit the theme, he says.
STL: "...and not from 1959!"
red71: "But, in 2012, in Paris, they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Barbie. This here bottle was distilled in 2012."
tOMoH: "1959-2012, fiftieth anniversary?"
Kilchoman 2012/2019 STR Cask Matured (50%, OB Limited Edition, Shaved, Toasted, Re-Charred Red Wine Casks, 14,500b): nose: crushed raspberries in mud. It has more and more earth with every passing second, and it turns muddier and muddier too. Then, we have anchovies, cigarettes, and myrtles, which is a (welcome) surprise. Mouth: soft and velvety in the attack, the mud soon rallies, and takes centre stage, backed by dried chilli flakes. The texture is chewy and the whole coats the teeth. Finish: silt, mud, vase water, loads and loads of boggy peat. It becomes cloying, in the medium term, which prevents a higher score for me. It is good, but does not go the distance -- like listening to someone playing the trombone: you do not want to hear too much of it. 7/10
dom666 notes that the word of mouth (le bouche-à-oreille) about the Barbie film is positive.
tOMoH: "Le bouche-à-oreille, c'est bien, mais ça ne sauve pas des vies, contrairement au bouche-à-bouche." [Word of mouth is good, but it doesn't save lives, unlike mouth to mouth.]
dom666: "Le bouche-à-bite est mieux, alors." [Mouth to dick is more pleasant, then.]
sonicvince chose the next bottle, because Barbie is causing a real cinematic storm, or indeed, a tempest.
Bowmore 10yo b.2012 (55.1%, OB Tempest, B#IV, First Fill Bourbon Casks, 11000b, L122384): nose: refined smoke and oily blonde tobacco, as well as raw shortcrust. Behind all that, clay and plasticine mix with lemon-flavoured gum. Mouth: a burst of fruit, not just citrus, but mango and starfruit, or is it mangosteen? There is a dose of peat, yet it is remarkably subdued. Finish: a little masterpiece with a complimentary combination of embers, burning peat, and juicy fruits. This is even better than the other time, and the score will reflect that. 9/10
Excellent tasting, with a wide variety of drams, delicious nibbles, and tons of silly nonsense. Good times.
7 August 2023
07/08/2023 One Cognac
François Peyrot 61yo 1959/2010 (44.2%, OB Heritage, Lot '59): nose: well, there undeniably is a lot of wood at play, oily and flirting with exoticism (mahogany, teak), yet also a pronounced fruitiness, with plump grapes and greengages, lychees and overripe apricots. Then, something leafier appears; vine leaves, leafy hazel branches, and strawberry stems, leaves and all. Perhaps we find a faint earthy-rubbery note, old tyres that have been going up and down a dirt track in very dry conditions for years to carry mirabelle plums from the orchard to the market. Finally, a sprinkle of talcum powder. The second nose is more unabashedly woody, polished dashboards, and... No! The same fruits come back. Mouth: similarly fruity, and similarly woody. Now, we have model paint (Revell or Humbrol, but definitely dark ghost grey), unripe grapes on the vine, plum juice, spilled on a mahogany countertop, and wood oil. It is acidic, now, dissolving moisture from the cheeks. An acidity that comes from the fruits, alongside a mellow waxiness. No strong bitterness from the wood -- merely a nuance that adds an extra dimension. Finish: awfully fruity, here, it displays a bitter lick of exotic wood, yet shines with its fruity sweetness. Plums, wine-cured lychees, dried apricots, browned nectarines, and a dash of hazelnut milk. The second sip seems even fruitier and more ester-y, as if augmented with a drop of white spirit. Grapes, stewed quince, lychee, and it dies out on a pillow of Cotton Candy grapes. Very good, though I would say it lacks complexity to score as high as the first time. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Cavalier66)