Scapa 12yo 2009/2022 (48.2% OB Distillery Exclusive, First Fill American Oak Barrels, 1998b, b#226, LKNS 2095): nose: softly maritime, as if eating a spoonful of vanilla pudding by the sea -- on the shore of Scapa Flow, say. However, that maritime side, if it does not fully disappear, clearly lets the sweeter aspect take over: vanilla custard, vanilla sugar, sweet shortcrust pastry, mince-pie casings. A whiff of chamomile sneaks in, and then, it changes, and takes a rubberier path. It does not turn rubbery, to be clear; stale plasticine is as far as it gets, topped with a pinch of dried herbs (oregano, mostly). Of course, this is a Scapa, so none of that shouts. No, it all sings quietly and harmoniously. The second nose introduces fluffy green grapes and white peaches, soft, fleshy and appetising. Beside the green leaves of those peaches, this brings back the salty sea air for a second round, and even adds fresh whelks. Fascinating! Mouth: bolder than expected, the palate has toffee, butterscotch, and, well, booze. One would be hard pressed to guess the meagre ABV: it tastes rather stronger. A tame bitterness teases the tongue, which I will liken to too generous a pour of herbs-infused grappa on butterscotch. Indeed, it is butterscotch's game, with boozy caramel, almost sickly. Almost. Chewing provides lichen growing on unpolished granite, and a sprinkle of quarry dust. The second sip does not deviate much. Perhaps it is more mineral than custardy, now, yet we are we are talking about similar notes, and none clearly smothers another. Chewing some more reveals pressed dark and green grapes, and blackcurrants, enhanced with a dash of lychee juice. Finish: in terms of strength, this is a masterclass of balance, low enough for even neophytes to not be put off, yet strong enough for Gauloises-sans-filtre chain-smoking Frogs to be able to feel the burn, and not call it weak. This finish recycles some of the same notes, namely butterscotch and vanilla pudding, augmented with a dash of booze and quarry chippings. The bitterness from the palate is here too, easily bested by the loch of souped-up custard. The second gulp puts the spotlight on custard, which is now borderline minty, so fresh it comes across, then adds butterscotch once more. A novelty: a wave of chocolate teases the roof of the mouth -- hazelnut chocolate, to be precise. Cannot go wrong with that, eh? 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, adc, and happy birthday)
Scapa 19yo 2000/2019 (49.9%, Chivas Brothers Distillery Reserve Collection, 1st Fill Barrel, C#26, 312b, b#38): nose: same provenance, no question about it. A faint whiff of sea breeze opens the dance, with a pinch of oregano (rosemary too, this time), and a dollop of custard. That custard takes off, with menthol in a JATO role. A few sniffs in, we find smashed blackberries and blackcurrants -- a nice addition. Deeper nosing latches on to those berry notes, and, down the rabbit hole, we detect the presence of dark smoke, albeit fairly indistinct (diesel, maybe). We come out of that smoke with newfound fruits, yellow this time: peaches and cured apricots. The second nose has Mirabelle-plum jam (or compote, since it is warm), baked peaches, and hot custard from a tin, however strange a concept that may read. All those fruits end up boiled into baby food, and become less and less distinguishable. On the other hand, cast iron emerges slowly, before crusty white bread shows up, baking in the oven. Mouth: clean and to the point, it has warm yoghurt, punctuated with slices of tinned peaches. Chewing just once infuses that with a thick black smoke, metallic as if coming out of a corroded car's exhaust pipe, acrid. It is but fleeting, however: in no time at all, we succumb to a tsunami of fruits: peaches, nectarines, Golden Delicious apples, Korean pears. It retains a gentle metallic touch throughout, and does unearth berries, eventually, brighter than on the nose (strawberries, rather than blackcurrants). The second sip is at once mellower (flower petals, watered-down fruit juices), and drier, close to licking a slate. or munching on quarry dust. That dryness is fleeting too, and minimum chewing restores the juicy-fruity glory. Golden Delicious apples come out particularly strongly, very juicy, with a tame bitterness imparted by their pips. Finish: warm peaches of the fresh kind mingle with tinned fruits. It is properly metallic, tin and stainless steel, yet the consequent bitterness is only anecdotal, akin to a lid on a jar of jam: sure, it is there, but the fruits dominate easily. One may add baked nectarines to the lot, by the way. The second gulp injects liqueur pralines into the finish, strongly boozy, but far from sickly. This is no Edle Tropfen! Chocolate is virtually undetectable. Masquerading in its stead, we have a hardened-banana-filling shell of sorts. Chocolatiers of the world, here is a source of inspiration, for you. With imagination (or a lack of it), one may picture banane flambée, but it is not exactly that. Torched banana-vanilla custard would be closer. Oh! and retro-nasal olfaction sees timid lychee like a mole out of its molehill. The death brings back a certain herbaceousness, without rendering the whole bitter, sappy or dry. It is just balanced. Killer dram. 9/10
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