03/11/2024 + 09/12/2024 Belgium #9

Another virtual tasting spread over two episodes to accommodate the busy schedules of our friends.

adc, sonicvince, kruuk2, Psycho and JS join me for the first, while ruckus, red71 and Bishlouk attend the second. Below is an aggregated account of both sessions.

We start the first session a little late, thanks to technology. Whoever invented COMputers, eh?

Dram #1

Nose: lemon and mint (adc), lemongrass (adc and sonicvince), light in alcohol (adc), perhaps an Irish (adc). Not very expressive on the second night, even as a starter. Bishlouk finds it evolves over fifteen minutes, and soon detects a little smoke.

Mouth: oily and fatty (kruuk2). Bishlouk has a fine peat smoke here too. The first sip was uneventful, he says, but there is plenty of action from there onward. ruckus, on the other hand, finds it syrupy, as does red71, who calls it sugary, and suspects it is not even a whisky.

Finish: Tomatin? (Psycho) It is a little marked by wood (kruuk2), but also has pastry (Psycho). A very-long finish with a delicate bitterness. Smoky, woody, and watery, according to Bishlouk. For ruckus, it is drying.

Comment: this never fails to win crowds. Bishlouk ventures it could be a Highland Park. Geographically sound. ruckus kicks himself for not recognising it: he has a bottle. Full notes here.

Scapa 14yo (40%, OB, LF340RGK, b. ca 2006) 7/10

kruuk2: "Scapa moyen d'avoir du whisky?"
Psycho: "Qu'est-ce que c'est que ces fourberies?"

(Best not to translate.)

Dram #2

Nose: rural or agricultural (adc), dried cow dung (adc). sonicvince thinks it could be a grain, while adc has gingerbread. kruuks finds it less characterful, diffused and light (adc and kruuk2). Citrus-y (sonicvince), it has dusty toffee, a spice cabinet (Psycho), passion fruit (sonicvince), carambola (adc), fresh figs (sonicvince). Bishlouk says it is very different from the first. red71 has toasted bread, which, Bishlouk adds, is very diffuse. ruckus thinks it is much more assertive than the first, which is interesting. I find cardboard-y toffee on the second night again, whereas Bishlouk calls it a bit flat and indistinct. On the late tip, he picks out a dried bunch of flowers.

Mouth: a little grain-y here too (sonicvince), it has lemon curd (adc), and is rather chewy (sonicvince). Astringent (Bishlouk), with a flatter texture (red71), and it is rather austere (red71).

Finish: it leaves a drying mouthfeel (kruuk2), astringent, borderline desiccating (kruuk2). Psycho finds it slightly bitter, whereas sonicvince finds it a short finish, yet a well-pleasant one. Bishlouk calls out the come-back of the astringent side, though it is a rather short finish, all in all (ruckus). red71 thinks it is sour, ruckus dry, red71 bitter. ruckus observes a note of Communion wafer, which triggers red71 into reminiscing edible paper and flying-saucer wafer.

Comment: generally liked on the first night, save for kruuk2, who is allergic to the distillery's output. Bishlouk does not like this, red71 finds it not great. ruckus likes it, even it he would not buy a bottle, and, of course, so do I. It tastes like an old-school blend, from where I sit; perhaps not very sophisticated, but full of old-fashioned charm. Full notes here.

Tobermory (40%, OB ceramic decanter, b.1980s) 7/10

Psycho: "La solution [aux cyclistes], c'est la voiture australienne. Là-bas, ils ont pas des pares-buffles; ils ont des pares-kangourous."

tOMoH: "C'est Walibi, ça, le parc kangourou?"

Dram #3

Nose: a blast of conifer bark, hay or straw (adc), pepper (sonicvince). adc likens it so a rivulet (adc, in riparian mood). One for a dark, gloomy day (adc), more rural (sonicvince). On the second night, it comes out much more exuberant, overflowing with flowers and fruits (Bishlouk). Littlemill-y or Rosebank-y, he adds. Floral, vanilla-ed, this has ripe fruits (Bishlouk). red71 calls out that the exuberant fruits fade out. ruckus has wood (ho! ho! ho!), planks, old cupboards, and old wooden artifacts ("medieval dildos," Bishlouk is quick to specify).

Mouth: astringent (adc), it has cinnamon and ginger powder, yet is also fruity (sonicvince) and acidic (kruuk2). According to Bishlouk and red71, a similarly-exuberant fruitiness struggles to conceal an austere background.

Finish: anaesthetising (adc), it bites a bit (kruuk2). We have some mushrooms via retro-nasal olfaction. Psycho calls it a persistent finish that sticks to the mouth. It remains fruity and floral throughout (Bishlouk), but red71 finds a harder, earthier touch too. ruckus is now certain it is not Littlemill, though he does not clarify why.

Comment: sonicvince loves it, kruuk2 likes it too. Bishlouk suspects a Lowlander, probably a Littlemill, were it not for the austere background that throws him off.

Glen Elgin-Glenlivet 30yo 1978/2009 (49.1%, Cadenhead Chairman's Stock, Bourbon Hogshead, 234b) 9/10 (full notes here)

ruckus: "I just did a search for medieval dildos. The results are interesting."
He then carries on, and finds a steam dildo.

Dram #4

Nose: "I think I'll like #3 more." (kruuk2) Rain and chalk (sonicvince), a tranquil force (adc), a whisky cave (adc, referring to that place on Mull), rain-soaked cliffs. (sonicvince). A herbaceous explosion with a fruity layer behind it (Bishlouk) -- oranges, says ruckus. It is not as expansive as a 1984 Littlemill, says Bishlouk, but well fruity and floral anyway.

Mouth: oily (adc), aromatic, it has oregano, marjoram and rosemary grown on dry land (adc), thyme (sonicvince). sonicvince finds it less aggressive than the Glen Elgin. "So much going on, on the palate!" (ruckus) Each sip is different, with more fruit complementing the floral notes each time (Bishlouk). All find the alcohol very-well integrated (remember they are trying it blind).

Finish: it is an onion, full of layers (Psycho). Whiffs of lemon (adc). kruuk2 says it has changed, over ten minutes, and is now excellent. Bishlouk tells us it has the austerity of an old thing from the 1970s.

Comment: less aggressive, they said; only 10% higher. Guesses about the ABV on the second night range from 49 to 55%. Ha! Ha! St. Magdalene. Hard to beat. Funnily enough, Psycho started a whole discussion about the distillery just before trying this, yet no-one joined the dots. red71 and Bishlouk wax lyrical about this. Bishlouk is reminded of the 40yo Littlemill Cadenhead bottled in 2017. red71 even prefers this to dram #3. Full notes here.

St. Magdalene 26yo 1982/2009 (59.1%, Douglas Laing for The Whisky Shop Glenkeir Treasures Cask Strength Selection, 144b) 9/10

Psycho and kruuk2 tell the story of dom666 being asked to leave, alongside everyone else, at the end of a whisky festival, and his replying to the organiser: "I don't like you."

tOMoH: "We were at Kilchoman, a couple of weeks ago. The [person] at the bar said they have importers in France, Germany etc. adc asked about Belgium. The [person] replied The N_____ is the importer for Belgium. I smiled and said: 'Ah! You have to deal with [organiser].' The [person] rolled [their] eyes. It's interesting talking about [that organiser] abroad. It gives a new perspective on them. Especially from those who aren't too keen."

Psycho: "Don't know what to think about that person's tastes, or about their relationship with dom666!"

Dram #5

Nose: adc does not find it extraordinary. sonicvince has cold coffee and varnish, while kruuk2 has cold Nescafé capsules, which is an interesting precision. Rancio aplenty on the second night, elderberry jam, pressed currants, almond essence (ruckus). Bishlouk finds it a sweet sensation (he's such a good vibration), and red71 confirms by noticing pastry.

Mouth: adc revises her judgement and finds it excellent on the palate. Bitter (Bishlouk), almond-y (Bishlouk), hot (Bishlouk). "It warms one up," red71 confirms. I detect hot chocolate pudding.

Finish: carambola (sonicvince) and milk coffee. Woody (red71), medieval dildos (Bishlouk), pastry-like (ruckus). Bishlouk wonders if it is even whisky, upon first gulp.

Comment: this wins hearts. It is as good as ever. 55% (ruckus), Sherry cask (red71), more traditional than the previous two (Bishlouk). Full notes here.

Bunnahabhain 27yo 1978/2006 (55.6%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Sherry Butt, C#2542, 509b, b#84, 6/0098) 8/10

red71 [after ruckus finds almond essence]: "I hope I don't find engine oil, now!"
tOMoH: "Why? That's what you like best..."
red71: "True."
tOMoH: "That said, if your engine oil smells like this, I want to know the make of your car!"

Bishlouk: "Ah! It is a Sherry butt. You were right, red71."
ruckus: "We stay on anal territory."

Results:

kruuk2: 4, 3, 5, 1, 2

Psycho: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2

adc: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3

sonicvince: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Bishlouk: 4, 3, 5

red71: 4

sonicvince:"Les trois derniers m'ont vraiment scotché."
toMOh: "Bien joué."

adc: "It's the first time I do a tasting with earbuds, and I can hear things. And the radio doesn't bother me."

tOMoH: "Us, on the other hand..."

Roll on the next one!