Just JS and me, today. Incredibly, PS is not there. He is, in fact, sunbathing at the seaside, something so out of character it needs to be mentioned.
121.114 8yo d.2015 Citric peppermint smoke (61.9%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 230b): this comes recommended by the staff as a substitute for 163.2, which is sold out. Nose: spring flowers on steroid. Daffodils, forsythia and yellow tulips. However, there is also a veil of earthy smoke that I initially blame on the next table's drams, but is definitely from this one. The second nose has a vague rubbery note and softer earth, maybe potting soil. Water turns this ashy. Mouth: bright and sharp, it pushes a delicate whiff of scorched earth, or smoke in a bothy with a clay floor. The second sip is still lively, sparkly, with sherbet and lime zest. Finish: warm and flowery, here are heated forsythia and honey-glazed lemon zest. In the second gulp, we have a soft vegetal note, mint tea or otherwise. Water makes it too hot. Another good (peated) Arran. 7/10
149.8 8yo d.2016 The fable of the tortoise and the hare (61.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 174b): nose: powder puffs, cosmetic powders of all sorts, old oilcloth tablecloths, clean linen, and a whiff of tame coffee. As one tilts the glass, metal rises. Mouth: sweet upon entry, it quietly takes on a kitchen-y profile, with clean Scotchbrite pads. The second sip has oily dolmas and a nice vinaigrette. Finish: the strangest combination, part sweets, part sparkling mineral water, part Alka Seltzer, part flower stems. Desiccating as fook, though it kind of works. JS finds it juicy, on the other hand, showing once more that perception is a very personal thing. 7/10
59.89 17yo d.2007 Tempura toast (56.4%, SMWS Society Cask, American Oak ex-Oloroso Butt + 1st Fill Spanish Oak ex-Oloroso Butt Finish, 498b): another staff recommendation. Nose: it smells like an empty oven, initially. Then, smoked currants appear, which is as enticing as it reads. It remains a hot-metal affair all the same, despite the clear sweetness. Baked prunes, baked plums, stewed nectarines. The second nose has a nice hazelnut chocolate. Mouth: thick, coating, oily and fruity in the way of prunes or currants. Velvety, rich, faintly earthy. Perhaps we spot trifle, or sticky toffee pudding. The second sip seems earthier and more drying, desert dirt and crusty earth. Finish: the kind of dram people not in the know call: "Christmas in a glass." It has clotted cream topped with a berry coulis, caramel cream, and maybe some chocolate. The dominant is easily prune, though. 8/10
52.45 30yo d.1993 Sea breeze through quince trees (51.7%, SMWS Vaults Collection, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 187b): nose: light and ethereal, it has a whiff of weed, but that is fleeting. Soon, it is submerged by jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, snowdrops, and white magnolia. Regardless of what the label reads, I find nothing coastal or maritime, here. Instead, it is poached apples and baked peach slices. The second nose brings raspberry into the mix, but also fresh butterhead lettuce and scented talcum powder. Mouth: soft and light, what strikes first is a certain chalkiness. Oh! it is nothing too drying, but it certainly has chewy powder -- speaking of which, chewing unleashes some fruits, baked apples and sliced nectarines with a splash of pomelo soda. The second sip is richer, juicier for a second, with squashed raspberries augmented with a drop of lemon juice, then served on limestone. Finish: a lovely woody touch introduces citrus-y tonic water, lime or pomelo Schweppes, which means it is pretty chalky and bitter, I suppose. The second gulp is just as good, long with a subtle bitterness in an otherwise increasingly coastal dram (battered fried fish, of all things!), sprinkled with chalk and lemon juice. This is obviously not in the same league as the first three, yet I flip-flop between a strong 8 and a weak 9. Bah! 9/10
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