17/04/2025 DW's Easter bash at 3 Greek Street

Hungry for the thrill of his birthday celebration, DW organised a mid(ish)-year bash. Some of the people from the December session are here: BA, JS, SY, YM, JL, SW, DW obviously, some of his colleagues, whose name I do not write down again. There are also others who could not make it last time, such as MSo, SOB, PP, PS and WhiskyLovingPianist. In fact, it is standing room only, so crowded it is. "I had counted on a few drop-offs, but all showed up," DW will tell everyone several times. Ha! Ha!

The format is very informal again: everyone brought things to share that are left on the tables, free to pour.

My own contribution is Poit Dhubh 30yo b.2006 (43%, Pràban na Linne 30th Anniversary Edition, b#230). JS's is The Tomatin 15yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Il Sestante, b.1980s). I try neither of them tonight. There are plenty of others, let us waste no time. Short notes.

Tamdhu 1966/2006 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail The MacPhail's Collection, JF/ABH) (PS)

Nose: old bottling effect, with faint marmalade and licks of metal -- the tin lid of the marmalade jar, it is easy to figure out.
Mouth: very fruity on the tongue, full of satsuma.
Finish: buttery fruit, chiefly melting peach, but also mango. It has a gentle-but-clear note of cork, sadly.
Comment: I tell PS he gave us a sample of this in 2016. He is adamant it is a different bottling (different bottling year). Of course, he is wrong. It impresses me slightly less today, probably because the bottle was opened today, and because it has bits of cork floating in it. It is excellent all the same. 8/10

Imperial 23yo 1995/2019 (45.2%, The Whisky Exchange The Magic of the Cask, Refill Bourbon Barrel, C#7896, 125b) (SY)

Nose: gorgeous yellow fruits (Mirabelle plum, apricot), followed by a faint whisper of mocha.
Mouth: mellow, fruity, full of plums, unripe peaches, and a lick of fruit stones.
Finish: long, hot, baked fruits on a hot metal tray.
Comment: others are less enthusiastic about this one, borderline mean, in fact. Excellent Imperial, as far as I can tell. I manage to spill some on the floor while pouring my own whisky to SOB. A shame. Fortunately, there is still enough in my glass to taste it. 8/10

Glen Garioch 29yo 1988/2018 (46.2%, Thompson Bros. for East Coast Whisky, Refill Hogshead, 72b, b#37) (BB)

Nose: frozen beans (BB). For me, it is greasy-earth-coated fruits, then orchard-tree leaves. A dirty number for sure.
Mouth: a lick of smoky bacon and tons of fleshy fruits.
Finish: rich fruits, followed by oily earth again.
Comment: the East Coast Whisky tastings are not my favourite (I find them too ambitious and lacking in structure), but this selection is certainly redeeming. I love it! 8/10

Glenlivet 1973/1996 (54.5%, Robert Scott Scott's Selection, Oakwood Casks) (WhiskyLovingPianist)

Nose: polished furniture, polished fruit stones. I cannot tell whether it wants to be fruity or not. It is tickling nuts and unripe orchard fruits, though never really reaches either.
Mouth: honey-glazed wood and baked fruits (apples and apricots).
Finish: ooh! What a cracking finish! Hot, custard-y and occasionally minty, it brings back the baked apricots.
Comment: Glenlivet. Rarely blown away by one, yet it is undeniable that they make decent whisky. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist:"Typical that we should sit next to each other."
tOMoH: "We are the only ones taking notes..."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "...Writing down what each other says."
tOMoH: "That's going to the blog. So meta my head is gonna splode!"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Don't say anything else, or I'll have to write it down."

Angel's Envy b.2023 (43.3%, Louisville Spirits Group, Charred White Oak Barrels finished in Port Wine Barrels) (Be)

Nose: of course, it smells nothing like a Scotch. Citrus-sprayed white-wood shelves, custard, perhaps mint drops, and macerating hay too.
Mouth: a little plasticine, if plasticine were liquid. Perhaps a clingfilm taste, clean, thanks Cthulhu.
Finish: soft, creamy, custard-y, very reminiscent of the filling of some sweet or another.
Comment: does the trick. 7/10

Daftmill 2009/2022 (58.6%, OB Single Cask bottled exclusively for Luvians @ The Fife Whisky Festival, C#31/2009, 211b, b#173) (SOB)

Nose: a mix of mint and clean horse's hair.
Mouth: it stings a bit, and it is pretty fresh, still. Peppermint? Light, ethereal, yet also fiery.
Finish: toilet cleaner (in a good way), pine freshness, and a spoonful of gingery cinnamon.
Comment: probably not worth the hype, in tOMoH's opinion. Hype aside, this is fine. 7/10

Springbank 23yo 1993/2017 (50.4%, Murray McDavid Mission Gold Limited Release, 1st Fill Koval Bourbon Barrel Finish, C#150033, 165b) (Ia)

Nose: wow! This one is very citrus-y, calamansi and green grapefruit, augmented with greengage. I find this nose as fruity as that of a 1965 vintage from the same distillery, tonight.
Mouth: ooft! It is a Springer alright. Soot, dusty hay bales, old warehouses... and a heap of plump fruits: Mirabelle plums and greengages the loudest. The second sip is somewhat bitterer.
Finish: phwoar! Incredibly fruity (well, it is not a 1964 Bowmore either), teeming with white peach and Korean pear. It is vaguely farm-y at second gulp, but the fruit does not disappear.
Comment: tOMoH's dram of the night. 9/10

Ben Nevis 22yo 1995/2017 (44.7%, Whiskybroker, Hogshead, C#570, 233b, b#20) (MSo)

Nose: a bit of earthy funk and musk, a whiff of cork, but, above all, a lot of fruit. A lot of fruit. Mostly plums.
Mouth: fruity plasticine, perhaps a lick of cork, yet it bothers me much less than it does everybody else.
Finish: round and fruity, it has waxy apricots and plums.
Comment: another one widely decried. Is it corked as they say? Undoubtedly. That is not strong enough to remove all its qualities, however. 8/10

MSo: "Children bring a joy to you, which you would never otherwise know. But they're c*nts."
[tOMoH makes a note.]
MSo: "Don't attribute that to me. Use my obfuscated name."

9.79 22yo d.1991 Quiet Time Dram (57.7%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 238b) (YM)

Nose: pine-y and a little closed, really. New bottle.
Mouth: wow. It is huge on the tongue, in pure SMWS fashion. Chalky, it also has mouldy-orange rinds.
Finish: yup, it is big, citrus-y (oranges) and a tad earthy, typical of the Glen Grants of that era.
Comment: being harsh, I rate this 7/10

Strathmill d.19?? (unknown ABV, cask sample) (SW)

Nose: dusty animal fat.
Comment: I am chatting and stupidly do not take many notes. 7/10

Be: "Did you try the Hellyer's Road? I felt violated!"

Longrow b.2022 (54.8%, OB Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive) (PP)

Nose: roasted barley and smoke. Longrow just has something comforting for this country boy, and this one is no exception. It is farm-y and countryside-like to a tee.
Mouth: it turns rustic, with  a healthy fire in the kitchen's hearth, smoked cereals and embers.
Finish: long, incandescent, warming and comforting. Smoked cereals again, a farmhouse breakfast table, ashes.
Comment: is it very noble or complex? No. Does it tick my boxes? Yes. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "What makes a giraffe? Is it the long neck, or is it the pattern?"

Laphroaig 10yo (43%, OB for Travel Retail, LF0026) (BA)

Nose: a whisper of peat smoke and some roasted fruits. Persimmons, apricots, peaches. BA finds it a little filthy, and, indeed, it has vase water. It is mostly fruit, though.
Mouth: juicy, fruity, plum-y. There is a whisp of smoke, and vase water too.
Finish: long, swamp-like, it unfold bog water, smoky peaches, chargrilled cherimoya and carambola. Let us cut to the chase: phwoar!
Comment: perhaps I am being overly sentimental with this. It is from that era when Laphroaig imported malted barley from the mainland and their supplier could not meet their peaty specification. The secret to the fruitiness of those pre-1983 distillations that enthuse me so much. 9/10

SW: "I'm a vegetarian on a diet."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "That's a great combo..."
[The smell of weed comes through the window.]

tOMoH: "WhiskyLovingPianist, it is so nice to see you!"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "It is nice for you to see me!"

tOMoH: "I need to go to the toilet."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "I've never seen you go to the toilet. Also I've never you in broad daylight."
[tOMoH laughs]
WhiskyLovingPianist: "I'm going to the toilet, you should write that down."

Good night out. Lots and lots of silly nonsense alongside meeting up with people whom I had not seen for years, in some cases.