01/12/2025 The GlenDronach

The GlenDronach 19yo 1994/2013 (58.4%, OB Single Cask, Oloroso Sherry Butt, C#101, 628b, b#396): nose: same distillery, bottler and supplier as yesterday's, yet it could hardly be more different a dram. This is full-on drinks cabinets, mahogany cases, teak chests, polished dashboards and walnut stain. It is an elegant Sherry maturation, to put it in other words. Behind all that are a pinch of quarry dust and a brush still wet with varnish for scale modelling. Whoever is building those plastic aircrafts is sipping flat cola and munching dried figs and oily chestnuts, from time to time. The second nose adds dark tree bark, mulch and beef-stock cubes. There is not enough camphor or liquorice to call cough syrup; instead, the lasting impression is that of Oloroso and coffee poured on potting soil and prunes. Further nosing unveils dark fruits and berries stored in a black plastic container. Mouth: coating, vinous in a fortified-wine way. Mushroom water, or water used to rehydrate dried mushrooms and raisins. It is dark and earthy, yet keeps a certain sweetness too, closer to currants than to prunes. A soft bitterness emerges (the earthy side, certainly), that could be associated with mocha, or a frying pan of mushrooms deglazed with a dash of Oloroso. The second sip welcomes dried dates in a cup of coffee, sultanas and dried apricots. The earthy coffee is thinned with a generous dose of plum liqueur. Then, we find pearl onions, poached and coated in tar-black honey. Oddly, it works. Finish: a big earthy kick of Oloroso, here. It is a tad overwhelming at first, cloying. Treacle, prune syrup, old Corinth raisins clustered together, mocha custard so thick one could plant a spoon in it and it would stand vertical, and a pinch of cocoa powder. The second gulp is earthier still; caffè corretto rectified with liqueur rather than grappa, pressed raisins augmented with a pinch of soot-y earth, ground cloves sprinkled on dried dates, and cocoa powder dusted on a bowl of beef stock. We find a similar dark-honey tinge as we did on the palate, towards the death. Black sesame seeds coated in dark amber honey round all that off. Wow! This is not necessarily my preferred profile, but it is very well made. I like it better than the first time. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, OB)

30/11/2025 The GlenDronach

The GlenDronach 9yo 2002/2011 (57.8%, OB Single Cask specially selected by The Nectar, Virgin Oak Hogshead, C#4522, 317b): nose: a woollen mill full of Harris tweed. This has the type of warming breath that feels logical on a late-autumn day. It soon gives a waxy vibe and that means the promise of a chewy texture more than the smell of furniture polish, in this case. Dried peach slices, dried mango slices and physalis are slowly joined by a growing flowery perfume. Lily-of-the-valley turns into jasmine, then lilac, more and more fragrant, without ever reaching heady levels. All of a sudden, it stabilises and focuses on wood -- untreated white-wood shelves, to be precise. The second nose has chocolate straight away, caramel flan, fruit squash augmented with lemon-thyme leaves and orange segments, almost too dried to eat. Wood comes back later on, with cask staves. Mouth: delicate for a second, it swiftly reveals a punchier profile in which wood stain takes over the initial peach note. Chewing pours carbonyl on chopped green chilli and red-chilli flakes, and that, in turn, makes room for relentless young wood. A quick look at the label confirms what we may have guessed: virgin oak. That reminds one why not many producers use those casks, and why those who do bottle the resulting whisky young: the wood overpowers the distillate in no time. Here, we have round white pepper, ground galangal, and ginger powder blended with a pinch of asafoetida. It takes a couple of minutes on the palate for the taste buds to finally spot a custardy touch -- a spicy custard, mind. The second sip has a puff of cigarette, then dusty old radiators in full swing. This has its share of dried orange peels, partly crispy, partly blue with mould. Again, keeping it in the mouth stirs the spices, and they become vibrant and louder than anything else. Finish: strong and spicy, it is less woody and, thankfully, fruitier. We have dried peach slices, dried physalis and dried papaya cubes, distinguishable, if coated in ground white pepper, ginger powder and grated nutmeg. It has mixed peel too, shy and seasoned with the same spices. Indeed, it is a warming, spicy number, this one! The second gulp seems a lot fruitier, with orange rinds, juicier than the ones we found earlier, and used as decoration on top of a thick caramel custard. There is sweetness on display alright, yet the dominant, now, is a pleasant bitter note imparted by orange and caramel. Not to be fooled, however: the finish still has ginger powder, asafoetida and even grated lemongrass. Simply, they are no longer as boisterous as they were, upon repeated quaffing. This is good. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)

29/11/2025 Bowmore

Bowmore 12yo (43%, OB, b.1990s): nose: thirty years later, it still procures a warm, reassuring feeling that is somehow so familiar. Immediately, it is a pleasant fireplace and a leather sofa somewhere outside of which the weather is dreary. It is grey, drizzly and windy, today, so this is particularly spot on. A cat is slumbering near the log stack that is ready to fuel the fire. A deeper sniff helps one figure out that we are not far from the sea: this has iodine and minute sea spray. It also has lichens scraped off sea rocks. Suddenly, it gains a bolder smoke note, as if someone had thrown a log on the fire and that had forced the smoke to find new ways of escaping. The second nose may have timid aromatic herbs, such as thyme or oregano. Smoked crusty bread rises steadily, as do remote mint leaves, which is nice. Mouth: mellow, as if coated in honey. All the same, if kept on the tongue for long enough, it shows more wood, embers and gentle smoke. It also pops a bubble of strawberry-flavoured gum that becomes more obvious when chewing. Yes, despite the wood smoke that is part of its character, this one does not do a good job of hiding a certain fruity sweetness. Chewing some more gives an inflatable party balloon and a few shards of cassia bark, both of which point at a soft bitterness. The second sip appears thinner. It takes chewing again to restore the pleasure of the first sip, really.  At 43%, one gets over the modest alcohol bite quickly and becomes accustomed at no cost. We may well find peppery Mokatine, after a moment. Finish: powerful to an extent, it also seems weak from another angle. We have wood embers and white ash, yet also residue from the bottom of an empty vase. The latter gives a vegetal touch in an evaporated setting that makes the whole feel weaker. It is by no means weak, nor is it under strength -- it is hard to describe. Anyway, embers and sphagnum moss go hand in hand, virtually blocking any honey from emerging, now. The second gulp definitely peddles Mokatine sweets, yet also a minuscule drop of shampoo. Although easily overlooked for some, others may find it more offensive. It dies with lingering mosses and lichens, dried to a crisp and clinging on for dear life to the sides of an empty vase. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)

28/11/2025 Deanston

Deanston 11yo (50.1%, The Hampstead Beverage Collective Explorers & Elements Series, 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Cask, 72b, b#72): nose: woody! A cascade of nutshells of all kinds, followed rapidly by oak and beech furniture that has just been oiled. We then have dark mushrooms (shiitake, maitaki, a cluster of brown beech) and old planks drying in a musty shed. In fact, it is woodier and woodier with each sniff, coming close to woodworm and old garden furniture. Perhaps it has roasted chestnuts, in the back, but not much else, in terms of fruits. The second nose is more welcoming, with cocoa powder with which to make hot cocoa. You know? The one in a yellow, corrugated-plastic tub. Mouth: mellow, juicy, this is full of plums and prunes, for a second. Then, a robust spiciness rises in the form of red-chilli powder. Chewing unleashes melted chocolate (45% cocoa content at most) that actually matches the intensity of the chilli. We have plain crackers slathered in a chocolate spread and augmented with a pinch of red-chilli powder. More-insistent chewing brings back a clearer woody side, but it is less omnipresent and dominant than it was on the first nose. Instead, it is chocolate that rules, now. The second sip is a little more drying than it should be, even if chocolate does most of the talking, thankfully. Maybe we find cherries soaked in chocolate liqueur, now, which is fun. Over time, the palate picks up a remote note of rubber too. Finish: sparkly! Imagine lukewarm chocolate milk blended with cherry-flavoured cola; voilà! The second gulp doubles down on the chocolate-y note. It is still milk chocolate (or chocolate milk, actually), taken with a serving of crunchy dark cherries. The death blows a whisp of wood-oil fumes, which seems the only reminiscence of the bold woody overture. The nose announced something so-so; the rest redeems it. 7/10 (Thanks, Cask Trade)

27/11/2025 St Andrew's Day Whisky Tasting

JS and I are lucky enough to be invited to another Cask Trade event -- this time in the swish Mall Galleries.

We arrive on the late tip and socialise a lot. We try to make the whiskies count.

Dailuaine 40yo 1983/2023 (54%, Wilson & Morgan Barrel Selection, 1/2 x Sherry Butt, C#701, 297b, b#017, W&M484)

Nose: it has a touch of metal, some shoe polish and membrillo spread on soft leather. Perhaps we spot strawberry coulis too.
Mouth: figs, dark quince paste, dried dates and a lick of leather. It is fairly sweet, but mostly dark -- dark dried figs, prunes and a twist of the black-pepper mill.
Finish: long, generous and fruity, it has a dried-fig paste mixed with orange rinds and a dark chocolate spread. The second sip brings a woodier note of teak plane shavings and toasted sourdough.
Comment: this is pretty good, even if JS is less taken. Hard to accept the price-to-quality ratio, though, whatever the price may be. Considering Wilson & Morgan packaged this in a classy decanter, it is probably not cheap (looking around, RRP ~2400 EUR). 8/10

Tullibardine 18yo 2007/2025 Mellow Melon (54.4%, Highlander Inn Maggie's Collection exclusively bottled for Friends With Drams, C#27, 100b)

Nose: suede and all sorts of leather-processing products, whatever solution they use to soften the hides, for example. Then, we have colour crayons and wax. Further nosing brings a whiff of unexpected sea air -- unless it is from a fast-flowing river. In any case, it is vapourised water droplets.
Mouth: Bright and waxy, reminiscent of apricot or nectarine skins, it still does not shake off its leathery side entirely.
Finish: long and fruity, with a fistful of hay and balls of ginger-cat hair.
Comment: tasty! 7/10

Ardnamurchan 5yo 2019/2025 (58.1%, Cadenhead, Oloroso Cask, 636b)

Nose: wood glue, walnut stain, carbonyl. Later on, we have decaying-wood dust and soot. Later yet, we find some plastic and a Bulgomme table protector.
Mouth: oily in texture, it is cola-like in taste, pumped with liquid gingerbread. It is at once mellow and powerful, which is odd.
Finish: earth, flat cola, crushed bay leaves and green peppermint, followed by dried twigs of lemongrass. It is a long, cola-driven finish.
Comment: my favourite, so far. 8/10

JS: "Sooty sausages? Is that a euphemism for what happens in a gay club?"
tOMoH: "Chimney-sweeping is what happens in a gay club."

Pulteney 11yo b.2025 (46%, Cask Trade Cask & Crust, Refill Barrel, C#504182)

Nose: ooft! this is cheesy. Gouda, Maredsous, Tomme des Pyrénées, Port Salut. Remarkable. The last time I met such a cheesy profile was with an Ardmore by the Thompson Bros. and it was not the same sort of cheeses at all. This has a drop of blue ink too that does not change the fact this is mostly the playground of Tomme des Pyrénées, with a whisper of smoke and some subtle farm-y peat.
Mouth: dry, squeaky as a halloumi and a bit rough, really.
Finish: a lick of wood polish and the plastic/wax skin around a medium-soft cheese (Port Salut, Tomme des Pyrénées, Maredsous, young Gouda).
Comment: what an oddball! Interesting, good, terrible... Everyone will have their opinion. The one thing it is not is boring. 6/10

Ben Nevis 15yo b.2025 (46%, Cask Trade Cask & Crust, Refill Barrel, C#900024)

Nose: peaches and cosmetic powder. tOMoH certainly did not expect such a tantalising fruitiness from something of this age.
Mouth: mellow, fruity, it has peaches and cosmetic powder again.
Finish: very fruity once more, peachy, it has the warmth of a reliable sheepskin rug.
Comment: lovely surprise! 8/10

Glengoyne 1997/2024 (46.3%, Malts of Scotland 20, Sherry Hogshead, C#MoS25033, 180b, b#176)

Nose: earthy fruits, dried dates, dried figs, empty coconut shells. The second nose injects smashed dark strawberries into the mix.
Mouth: it switches the light off, here. Dark mushrooms, cola, dried figs. The second sip adds berries -- smashed strawberries, blackcurrants, perhaps blueberries too, mildly bitter and earthy.
Finish: this finish is so earthy! Mushrooms in soil, porcini powder, which presents a subtle bitterness. It is a long finish, earthy and berry-laden at second gulp (myrtles, blackcurrants, blackberries). Repeated quaffing introduces rotting wood and cork. They are discreet, yet some may be bothered by them.
Comment: delicious... in small doses. 8/10

We are booted out along with everybody else. Actually, we were allowed inside far longer than most.

Thanks, Cask Trade! Great to catch up.

The whole shindig was organiseed
for the launch of this collection

23/11/2025 Superheroes

ydc, GD, adc, Psycho, Bishlouk, STL, red71, sonicvince, JS, PSc and I join dom666 in ze Heimat to celebrate his yearly shindig. kruuk2 sadly calls off, due to an emergency, and ruckus is climbing mountains somewhere.

It takes a wee while to get going, owing to the number of bottles and the effort it takes to build a line-up, but, soon, it is all systems go.

Work.

GD and ydc brought the first bottling back from a trip to the Vosges. They explain that, with all the Anschlußing going on in the region in the past, the Vosgians could easily have become Germans, i.e. supervillains. (This is a joke, not a reflection of today's Teutons, okay?)

Meyer 6yo b.2019 Hohwarth (40%, OB, Sauternes Casks finished in Pinot Noir Casks, 950b) (ydc + GD)

Nose: it smells blend-y, which is logical. It has cured apples, wet cardboard and pickle juice. More fruits appear over time, apples and quince, followed by toffee and dried apricots.
Mouth: peppery rocket, cardboard again, gherkins and dried apple peels. It takes a turn towards dried plantain skins and blackcurrant skins at second sip, macerating in their own juice.
Finish: a bit young and grainy, it has cardboard, unsweetened cereals and a dash of grape juice or pressed gooseberries.
Comment: a decent starter that is more than a curiosity. 6/10

Bishlouk: "adc, you're on your own, at the end of the table..."
adc: "Yes, on purpose. Same at the cinema. I like being in the back. If there is no-one in front of me, even better!"
tOMoH: "That's called a television."

sonicvince: "I wonder if I have had COVID thirteen times without knowing. Mrs. sonic often tells me it smells this or that and I can't smell it."
tOMoH: "Does she say it smells of your farts? And you go: 'No, no, all good!'?"

Psycho brought a Corsican single malt matured in wine casks. He tells us it is the Black Knight, aka Bruce Winesky. Sinking to new lows.

P&M Signature b.2018 (42%, OB, 6600b) (Psycho)

Nose: pine and sugar (ydc, red71, adc), génépi, dried pine needles (adc), le Bassin d'Arcachon (ydc), pine needles on a sandy beach (sonicvince). It plays the pine-needle note to death. But, if one likes that...
Mouth: mountain-flower honey, conifer resin and daffodils macerating in a honeyed solution.
Finish: simple, it has toffee and pan-fried plantain.
Comment: divisive. I think it works, even if it is hardly whisky. 6/10

adc: "What was the name of the actress in The Horse Whisperer?"
tOMoH: "Roberta Redford."
Bishlouk:"She's dead, now."
dom666 + tOMoH: "So is the horse."

Psycho presents Ben Grimm Bracken, aka The Thing. 

He also breaks his first cork of the day, and the vacuum technique to extract the remainder cracks everyone up, as per usual.

tOMoH: "New vacuum cleaner, adc. Do you still have the other one?"
adc: "I have... [she counts] four of them."
GD + ydc [look at each other]: "We fell small, now, with only two of them!"

Ben Bracken 12yo (40%, Scotch Whisky Company for Lidl, b. ca. 2007) (Psycho)

Nose: strawberry bubble gum, dust (adc).
Mouth: maple syrup.
Comment: I know this one well (proper notes here) and spend more time socialising than taking notes. I like it. 7/10

Psycho looks for a new cork in the cork basket.
tOMoH: "Alright, Psycho? Can you find one?"
Psycho: "The thing with [the original] one is that its girth is pretty wide."
Bishlouk: "Yeah, but it is broken!"

sonicvince brought a Tomatin.
STL: "Is it for Leguman?"
No, it is a Tomatin Decades, because, sonicvince says, superheroes have been around for decades.

Tomatin Decades b.2011 (46%, OB, Bourbon & Sherry Casks, L030556, 9000b) (sonicvince)

Nose: adc finds cork and a wet wild plant. As for me, it is tropical fruit (papaya and maracuja) as well as passiflora for a delicate vegetal touch.
Mouth: it is lively, acidic, and ripe with tropical fruits, now chiefly pineapple. Chewing reveals a pinch of quarry dust, yet it is far from a mineral number.
Finish: long and bold, it explodes with tropical fruits, supported by a lick of green plant stem. The second gulp adds cut mango and includes the skin too for that extra bitter touch.
Comment: this one is always a pleaser. 8/10

Psycho introduces General Glenn(burgie) Talbot, one of The Hulk's archnemesis.

He also breaks another cork.

Glenburgie 19yo d.1995 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Direct Wines First Cask, 3 x Hogsheads, b#197) (Psycho)

Nose: dusty peaches served on cardboard plates. This gets fruitier and fruitier, juicier and juicier. Then, it peddles cosmetic powders.
Mouth: peach stones with fruit flesh still attached to them. Confectionary sugar, cosmetic powder, sherbet, flying saucers.
Finish: long, fresh and fruity, full-on peach debauchery.
Comments: this is a small masterpiece. 9/10

ydc: "I like it. Do I need to be more loquacious? Accurate?"

Bishlouk shows the next bottle: "The label looks like an American comic from the 1960s."

The Nameless One 18yo 1995/2014 (46.8%, The Whisky Mercenary, Sherry Cask) (Bishlouk)

Nose: a little gamy, it has cured meat and rancio aplenty. Then, it is leather and farm paths. The second nose is fruitier.
Mouth: fruity, if robust, it has ripe carambola leaking in a leather game pouch and bright passion fruits. The second sip adds guava and small Egyptian green bananas. Lovely!
Finish: lots of fruits again (pink-grapefruit segments, pink maracuja) and a drop of ink.
Comment: fruity drop from start to finish for this presumed Glenfarclas. Love it. 8/10

Food enters. The usual selection of cheeses, pâtés and a white pudding with bread rolls.

STL shows us three pictures. They are clues that hint at three names of heroes (not super-, but hey!) We find them easily. Those three names are written on the label of the next bottling.

Clockwise: Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford), Maverick, City Hunter

Waterford 3yo 2019/2022 Heritage: Hunter 1.1 (50%, OB Arcadian Barley, 45% First-Fill US Oak Casks + 18% Virgin US Oak Casks + 21% French Oak Casks, B#HE01E01-01, 9048b) (STL)

Nose: heavy and woody, deep, soaked. Here are mahogany drinks cabinets in which the drinks have leaked for years, oily and oiled oak, precious and exotic woods. This is heady!
Mouth: fairly bitter on the tongue, borderline plank-y, which is in line with the nose, yet very unexpected of something so young. Bitter, bark-y, though it gains pressed sultanas, in the long run.
Finish: long and woody.
Comment: my first Waterford. I knew it was a divisive distillate, now I feel I can emit an opinion. It is not really my thing. 6/10

sonicvince presents the figure of authority in Batman: Commissioner Gordon (& MacPhail).

Glen Keith 28yo 1993/2021 (51.8%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength UK Exclusive, Refill American Hogshead, C#97142, B#21/143, 230b) (sonicvince)

Nose: sawdust and crushed dried strawberries.
Mouth: lightly acidic (Psycho), it has beefed-up strawberry yoghurt and peppery sawdust.
Finish: long, spicy and fruity.
Comment: we tried this in August 2024. It is just as good today. Maybe, one day, I will spend enough time with it. 8/10

JS proposes a bottling by the Silver Surfer Seal.

Littlemill 23yo 1990/2013 (54.8%, Silver Seal, C#33, 290b) (JS)

Nose: grapefruit rinds, hot pineapple purée, dried mango slices. It becomes juicier at second nose, though sonicvince finds honey.
Mouth: a crescendo of acidic fruits, starting with mango and ending with grapefruit.
Finish: PSc detects loads of vanilla, whereas all I have are explosive fruits.
Comment: JS served this for the same occasion, ahem, seven years ago, and we have not had it since. It is still cracking and I am looking forward to spending more time with it. 9/10

sonicvince: "Anyone wants half a roll with me?"
tOMoH: "Only a wimp would take half a roll!"
Bishlouk: "I'll take half a wimp roll, thank you."

red71 unveils a Bowmore and tells us that inverting the syllables gives Morebow -- and more bow points at Green Arrow.

Bowmore 12yo 2001/2013 (52.9%, The Whisky Agency Liquid Library, Refill Butt, 484b) (red71)

Nose: "Fifty Shades of Islay, at first dusty, then very good" (PSc) tOMoH points out that is only two shades. It is farm-y, with ploughed fields all round. Soon, violent fruits rise, as do cold ashes (PSc).
Mouth: it showcases very-dirty farmland, with muck on the side of the paths, and torched soil in planters. Chewing shows fruits again (peaches, nectarines). The second sip adds a pinch of chalk and metal filings.
Finish: another mix of scorched earth and torched fruits, this also has red chillies and fiery ginger.
Comment: what a class act! 8/10

ydc polls the audience to know what the name is of the prison where the villains are jailed, when caught by Batman. It is, of course, the Arkham-urchan Asylum.

sonicvince: "I would have said April O'Neill, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
red71: "That's not worth Leguman, but..."

Ardnamurchan 5yo b.2022 Second Release (53.2%, The Whisky Exchange April Fool, First Fill Bourbon Casks, 1575b) (ydc + GD)

Nose: a pinch of moist clay and lovely strawberry sweets. Fruit stones are next, maybe a mineral touch, and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
Mouth: yup, clay and strawberries. This is delicious, viscous, chewy. It then develops scorched earth. It feels chalkier at second sip.
Finish: long, acidic, earthy. It has dark, inky algae in the back. It gives me the impression of licking black ink off the bottom of an empty vase -- yes, one would need a long tongue to know.
Comment: excellent. 8/10

First cake.

ydc on shanking duties

dom666 brought something from Campbeltown, near the Hulk of Kintyre. Groan.

Springbank 21yo b.2000 (46%, OB imported by Fourcroy) (dom666)

Nose: Dr. Pepper, flat cola, grated cinnamon, crushed dried raspberry. What a nose!
Mouth: fantastic rancio with parched mud, tarry mud patties caked on tractor tyres and bitter blackcurrants.
Finish: slightly-drying finish with tons of fruits. Cream Sherry, which is to say the dryness of Oloroso and the sweetness of PX combined.
Comment: fares so much better today than at Burns' Night 2023 when it faced an ancient twelve-year-old and another twenty-one-year-old. Today, it shines on its own. 9/10

We talk about my misadventure with a bottle of Laphroaig.

tOMoH: "We had the real deal at hand, which is genuine without the shadow of a doubt."
dom666: "Yeah, I'd bought mine from La Maison du Pékèt [instead of du Whisky]."
Laughter all round.

tOMoH introduces a distillery no-one has had apart from JS and adc. Abhainn Dearg, pronounced Aveen Djarek for the Aveendjers or Avenger-eks. (Thanks for the inspiration, JS)

Abhainn Dearg b.2023 (61%, OB X Cask Type, PX Cask) (tOMoH)

Nose: baked breadstick (Psycho), fish (Bishlouk), burnt peach pastry, some rubber, industrial glue and a hot plastic bag. The second nose sees melted chocolate and strawberry filling in a chocolate biscuit.
Mouth: oh! yeah, this feels plastic-y alright, rubbery, a little drying. Then, the alcohol becomes desiccating and peppery. The second sip is softer-ish (it is still a brute), creamy and chocolate-y.
Finish: long and chocolate-y. This goes from challenging to delicious over the space of fifteen minutes. It will likely benefit from breathing in an open bottle too.
Comment: as expected, it is not as good as it was at the distillery, but what a nice souvenir. Bishlouk disagrees, who empties his glass in the sink (and will consequently never be invited again). 7/10

adc is relieved that it is her turn, at last. She produces her bottle -- a bottle wearing a cape!

And she goes...

Kilchoman

Kilchoman

Héros de l'Univers

(Y'know...)

Kilchoman, the peaty superhero -- ha! ha!

She adds that all that American-superhero malarky is of a certain generation. Previous ones had other heroes, such as the Four Musketeers -- D'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Port-os, hence a Port-cask-matured whisky.

Kilchoman 6yo b.2024 Port Cask Matured (50%, OB, Ruby Port Casks, 24/96) (adc)

Nose: ooft! Mud, bay leaves, cassia bark, and piles and piles of mud that turn into empty-aquarium residue.
Mouth: honey and mud, smoked earth, ashes and some smoked cut slices of peach and nectarine. It is hot on the tongue, but keeps it all entertaining by not playing the mud/peat card exclusively.
Finish: it is very smoky and ashy, with mud and torched chocolate.
Comment: works a treat, today. Very efficient. 8/10

Second cake.

Cut by yours, truly

tOMoH somehow remembers a bottle that was meant for Burns' Night 2024 that went AWOL and that he forgot to put into this here line-up. He tells everyone that Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Wayne (Batman) are both upper Far-class.

Glenfarclas-Glenlivet 11yo 1980/1992 (59.6%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary Bottling, Oak Cask) (tOMoH)

Comment: in order to not fall behind too much, tOMoH skips this one altogether. Others seem enthused by it. My notes are here.

Psycho and PSc prepare for a duel, a battle of the groans.

PSc has an Ardbeg Uigaedal Vador (groan), or an Uigaedzilla (double groan).

red71: "Make him stop!"

Psycho has a Commissioner Gordon (& MacPhail), which was done already, so he prepared a backup link: it was distilled in 1996, a year that saw the release of a film version of The Phantom.

He is so proud of himself that he breaks the cork.

Ardbeg 1996/2005 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, C#906, JE/GI) (Psycho)

Nose: barley and cereal, in pure Ardbeg fashion. adc finds it a certain sweetness. I detect a whiff of coffee, and that is not the sludge everyone else is sipping. We also have scorched earth and sands licked by a flamethrower.
Mouth: oh! This is ashy, drying. It has crushed (ground) seashells full of sands, salt and iodine. It picks up boozy caramelised custard at second sip.
Finish: a blend of sweet and ashy, confectionary or caster sugar and fine white ash. The second gulp brings smoked cereals too. Wow.
Comment: here is one we had not had for years, probably decades, as it seems to predate this little blog, and it still does the job. 8/10

vs.

Ardbeg Uigeadail b.2004 (52.4%, OB, Bourbon + Sherry Casks, L4 187) (PSc)

Nose: lots of ink, iodine, a drop of Iso Betadine, soot, cork and burnt toffee.
Mouth: ash-dusted toffee and lots of chilli. It is surprising how hot this is, after a few drams that were much higher in alcohol. Chewing cranks up the ash and ink -- so much so I find it a bit unbalanced.
Finish: it is better here, long, with clay dirt, dust and the bitterness of crushed bay leaves.
Comment: this is okay. I am less taken than others. 7/10

We talk about Skye.

dom666: "You should not go to Skye in August. Unless you're a duck."

Unbeknownst to all, a new bottle enters the party to face the last one in the line-up, that was moved in the original sequence.

dom666 open a Torabhaig -- or a Thor-abhaig. Because it is from the 57th Parallel (57.1, to be precise), whereas Talisker, dom666's favourite distillery, sits at 57.3. It is also bottled at 57.1%, but is neither fifty-seven years old, nor from 1957. At least, it is not a supermarket whisky, unlike its neighbour at 57.3. ;-)

To fight Thor-abhaig, tOMoH pours a Glen-Loki.

vs.

Boom.

Torabhaig 7yo 2018/2025 (57.1%, The Dornoch Distillery Co. for Thompson Bros., 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels) (dom666)

Nose: iodine, old bandages, followed by a big burst of farm-y scents, part ashy fields and cindered pitches, part tractor fumes. It is smokier at second nosing, with earth fields saturated with diesel fumes, and root vegetables just as gorged with the same fumes. With water, all we have is ashes.
Mouth: spicy, gingery and peaty in a muddy way. It is very powerful, even this late in the game, a tad herbaceous, but mostly earthy. The second sip is pepperier, overflowing with cracked black pepper and bay leaves that have been dragged into a field. Water pours seawater and adds a bunch of samphire.

Finish: bold, it acquires dark chocolate, maybe liquorice bootlaces (the red variety). The second gulp is creamier, with the chocolate putting on a milky coat. Water adds pan-seared algae.
Comment: a very-well-made, muscular animal that I hope to explore further in the future. Careful with water, though. Since I like it better than upon first encountering it, it will be a generous... 8/10

vs.

Glenlochy 29yo 1980/2010 (52.8%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogshead, C#2649, 265b, b#71) (tOMoH)

Comment: I take no notes, tonight (here they are, from another time). It is 21:15. We have been drinking around twenty drams over almost eight hours. It still slays. Universally liked. 9/10

Phew! We made it, somehow. Excellent tasting as usual. Lots of banter, nonsense and laughter, satisfying food, and a wide variety of whiskies all combined to create unforgettable moments.

Happy birthday, dom666!

Psycho was on a mission and broke 3/4 of his corks