Because we cannot do a Kinclaith tierce each year. Not even ten years apart. Ahem.
Mosstowie 35yo 1979/2015 (48.1%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Bourbon Barrel, C#25756, 171b): nose: delicate and floral, it presents saxifrage, lilac, honeysuckle, faint jasmine and maybe bluebells. That suggests a combination of white and purple, surely. It promises a tame, woody bitterness, white wood or plant sap. The whole is ethereal, ideal for spring, or the beginning of summer, which is topical, since that is the period we are in -- though the weather hides it well! Further nosing includes meadow flowers -- daisies, cornflowers, myosotis, perhaps buttercups. Mind you, we also spot cut hazel as we tilt the glass. The second nose flirts with scented nail varnish, lipstick, or other cosmetic artefact. That said, it takes very little effort to fall back onto a flowery character -- one that seems grassier, now, with cut lawn and hedge trimmings. Mouth: yes, it is very spring-like, bursting with flowers of all kinds (lilac, daisies, cornflowers), a dash of plant sap (is it dandelion stem?) and a dose of a sweet gingery paste, Boule Magique style. It is augmented with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder too, giving the whole a slight bakery feel. Cinnabuns, runny apple turnovers dusted with cinnamon... Yum! The second sip has unsweetened apple juice, perhaps enhanced with a drop of quince juice. Chewing injects hard candy; it points at violet sweets, but only the texture, not so much the taste. Crystallised Seville-orange segments, maybe? Finish: a beautiful, light, floral profile is on show. We come back to white flowers (lilac, jasmine, lily of the valley), and add a fifty-fifty mix of crushed mint and stem ginger. It is indeed sweeter than the nose would have us think, although it retains the spicy freshness. The second gulp carries on, and it is lush to see that fresh, fruitier aspect riding on a spicy backbone. Now, we find ginger powder and ground mace pushing sliced Golden apples and, perhaps, grated dried slices of pineapple or raspberry -- those two are so similar it can be heard to tell them apart. Ahem. A strong 8/10 that could very well become 9 on another day.
Mosstowie 36yo 1979/2015 (45%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Bourbon Barrel, C#25757, 150b): nose: even more flowery, this one has dominant yellow flowers (forsythia, daffodils, tulips, yet also honeysuckle) and crusty bread not fully baked yet. Like its sister cask, it promises a soft bitterness, yet, here, that manifests itself with a pot-pourri pouch -- one that contains meadow flowers. It is once more a tranquil, delicate nose that does not shout, and one that would be easy to miss in festival conditions, I suspect. Today, it shines. There is a leafy note coming from the back, part ivy, part mint, all gentle, and a spoonful of honey, when one tilts the glass. The second nose is fruitier, with kiwano, dragon fruit and jackfruit turning earthier as time goes on, as if mangoes grew underground (in which case one would have to go to the mango, obviously). Mouth: a modest attack, elegant rather than brash, it delivers on its promise of bitterness with some leaves alright. Half a chew is enough to unleash a strong fruitiness, however: apricots, peaches, nectarines, longans and, more surprisingly, blueberry squash. It is fairly thick, coating, acidic, and softly bitter, as if not all the fruits were ripe yet. Over the space of a minute or two, the texture becomes that of chewing gum, and it presents cinnamon powder. The second sip feels a little nutty or liqueur-like... At least until one chews, at which point, it regains its fruity splendour, now greener and less ripe -- green gooseberries, unripe greengages. Finish: well, it remains fruity, pulpy, with similar peaches and apricots (both smashed), yet what stands out is a yoghurt-y, root-y addition. I want to say tamarind paste, but it is not that acidic. Pulped chikoo, maybe? Some yoghurt with a tablespoon of mango powder? That might well be it! The second gulp confirms tamarind paste, yet it is diluted in coconut yoghurt, with some cherimoya slices thrown in for good measure. Ooft! Only at the death is there a minute note of older wood (which is nae bother at all). Stupendous drop. 9/10
Mosstowie 36yo 1979/2016 (46.8%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Bourbon Barrel, C#25758, 178b): nose: what!? This one is peaty! Have Master of Malt mislabelled a sample of Craigduff? I may have bought some around the same time. Bah! This nose has mud patties drying in the summer sun and farming tools (ploughs, harrows) from which dried lumps of mud are falling. Oh! There are plenty of meadow flowers, to be sure. Simply, they are hidden behind the crusty mud. Also on display are dry hay and chargrilled orchard fruits (mostly apples), which confers this a barbecue-in-the-fields feel. How unexpected! Shaking the glass dispels the earthy smoke, which allows fruits to enjoy some attention. Let it sit for a second and the muddy smoke comes back. The second nose has pencil shavings, apple peels, the clay floor of a smoke-filled bothy, and, with vigorous shaking, dried crayons. Behind it all, a fistful of cranberries licked by billowing smoke. Mouth: ...and muddy it is! Roasted apples covered in crusted mud, chargrilled apples whose peels came off in parched ashy dust, and, well, burnt-paper ashes. Chewing gives embers, torched orchard fruits (torchard fruits?), and, generally, produces an interesting mix of juicy and ashy fruits. It feels less muddy here, even if some of that remains. The second sip fleetingly has a vaguely-aquatic feel akin to dried algae on the shore of a mountain loch. Quickly, we return to fruits, now mostly berries, and a notch more wine-y than before -- cranberry or lingonberry compote, even smoked elderberry, though less syrupy. Finish: long, it continues the ashy-muddy-orchard-y story. Apples on the barbecue, forgotten for hours and hardly recognisable, their flesh lost in the midst of embers and ashes. The second gulp sees berry compote spilled onto the earthen floor of a smoky bothy. It is sticky, acrid, yet warming and somehow comforting. And increasingly woody too, like a pile of logs for the fire. It certainly grows on tOMoH. This is a proper surprise! Mind you, it is almost certainly not what it claims to be either. 8/10
Happy birthday, Kim Clijsters (it was yesterday, I know).
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