16/06/2025 Strathmill

Strathmill 11yo 1985/1997 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Oak Cask, C#2342, 2460b, b#95, 97/617): nose: oh! it is a lovely dusty one, with old fruits, dried and chewy. Dried apple slices, dust-covered easy-peelers, and a pinch of ground white pepper. It is far from a peppery nose, yet it displays a softly-spicy touch. It has got a fresh kick too, minty, somewhat leafy -- laurel and olive-tree leaves. The nose becomes bolder as it parades strawberry foliage on a wooden board. The second nose adds hardened raisins, or prunes splashed with ink. An odd combination augmented with white-wood shavings and one preserved cherry -- unless it is a bunch of dark grapes. Mouth: urgh! Very bitter, borderline shampoo-y, this takes a few seconds to feel more welcoming. Fortunately, enduring the pain for that short time seems enough: soon, we are treated to crystallised orange segments, crushed clove, and the most subtle violet sweets. The initial bitterness never truly disappears, but it is quickly reduced to a vaguely-earthy note -- mushrooms, mulch. The second sip is still as difficult upon entry, and it is with a huge relief that the bitterness comes back down, leaving citrus peels, cassia bark and ground clove. A cold mulled wine, in a way. Finish: sweet as hard-candy, it is not violet, here, so much as liquorice. Oh! it is far from offensive; merely a root-y type of earthy sweetness. This finish leaves the mouth throbbing gently as would a camphor-flavoured mouthwash. Unusual, but not without merit. The second gulp feels more traditional: woody and creamy, it has a little fruit too, whether that is squashed strawberries or black-cherry jam. It has an unexpected pinch of grated medicine tablet (Zyma Fluor comes to mind), which brings us back in the bitter realm, albeit one that is tolerable. It is alright, this. 6/10

13/06/2025 Old Fettercairn

Old Fettercairn 10yo (43%, OB, L4165G1): nose: a typical Fettercairn, which is to say: a bit bizarre. It has brine, pickled gherkins, cardboard, and some farm-y aspects too -- a mound of muck drying in the summer sun. Cardboard soon takes the lead, and it is complemented by billowing cigar smoke. With a few minutes of breathing, that morphs into ink-stained blush oranges, also wrapped in smoke, and a touch of strawberry chewing gum. Just how weird can this be. eh? The second nose is drier. It exhibits a bunch of dried flowers (carnations and lunaria) and woven straw upholstery from a smoker's house. In the long run, we might even spot a desert-dry hand-soap bar, or the beige leather interior of a 1970s car that belonged to a smoker. Even the label colour points towards that! Mouth: briny cardboard it is! Peach juice tainted with a mix of cork and smoky cardboard. It has ashes of burnt paper, ground peach stone in the fruit's juice, bone-dry leather, still attached to the carcass of an animal dead in the desert for weeks, and the bitterness of very-dry blush-orange zest. There is a tame spiciness too, probably ground mace or amchur. The second sip starts off juicy, yet that is quickly matched by this peculiar mix of brine-soaked straw, dried zest, and desiccating spice powder. Here too, the feeling is 1970s, when everything was beige and faded orange, because everyone smoked absolutely everywhere. Finish: gentle and fruity for a second, it resumes its strange ways quickly: cardboard, dried zest, cork shavings, coarse white pepper, and brine. It leaves the tongue dry and slightly stripped. The second gulp has a drop of chocolate milk, when one gives way to one's imagination, yet it remains largely the same: zest, brine-stained cardboard, and ground spices. Never a dull day, with this distillery! It must have its afficionados, yet it is easy to see this being pretty divisive. 6/10 (Thanks GN)

09/06/2025 Mosstowie tierce

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).

06/06/2025 Blair Athol

The soundtrack: Lustmord - Rising (06.06.06)

Blair Athol 14yo 2008/2022 Release No. 101 (53.1%, Angus Dundee Distillers for Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers bottled exclusively for Whisky Bible imported by MetaBev Korea, Sauternes Hogshead Finish, C#807414, 278b, CBSC4 11681): a bottling for South Korea. One does not see that every day, eh? Well, unless one lives in South Korea, I suppose. Wonder how it got here... Whisky Bible (the shop, not the book) also had an exclusive Miltonduff in the same Infrequent Flyer range, as well as an official-bottling single cask of Arran. Nose: dessert wine and nail varnish. It is generally discreet, however, and a tad indistinct at first sniff. Shaking the glass pushes big wafts of polished furniture, teak, mahogany or redwood. Red wood, in any case (the colour, not the species). That wood seems to crawl back into its roots with a few seconds of quiet, and the nose goes back to sweet aromas -- now, we have puffy and slightly-oily muffins, cupcakes and rum baba. Suddenly, we are treated to a big slap of honey-glazed strawberries, followed by raspberry muffins served on a wooden board. The short version is that this is sweet, not sickly. The second nose has an unexpected mix of coins (brass, nickel) and desiccated pot plants, then fallen leaves and honey-coated banknotes (of the paper kind, not the current synthetic ones). Later yet, it displays qualities close to those of the liqueur de chicon that we tried many moons ago. Mouth: punchy, nutty, sweet, it also has a clear bitterness that hints at a nut liqueur or another. Moving the liquid in the mouth adds a creamy texture and transforms the juice into an almond paste. It is potent, not fierce, and has a lick of tree bark, when kept on the tongue for an extended period of time. The second sip is sweeter yet, and a trifle bitter -- not chicory-bitter; closer to almond liqueur. And lovely that is, too! It has a bite of raspberry-filled dark chocolate, PiM's style, and a lick of wood again. Finish: soaked cask bungs, honey-coated wooden cutting boards, and a gentle spicy note, somewhere between milled white pepper and grated nutmeg. Those spices give a lasting mouthfeel more than they give taste -- slightly numbing. The back of the palate registers a lingering sweet-wine note that comes close to syrupy. The second sip is sweeter and bitter too. The overall feeling it provides is that of a shot of eau-de-vie sweetened with cordial, taken with a honey-glazed strawberry. It works a treat! Water makes the whole more diffuse without changing it much. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

01/06/2025 Masters of the Juniverse

It seems to be harder and harder to find a date that works for a tasting, but we still manage, albeit more rarely than I would like.

When we do have a date, it is perhaps as challenging to find a theme -- not for lack of ideas; rather for inclusivity reasons: it needs to be a theme that inspires guests, and one that is wide-ranging enough to allow rummaging in one's collection without the need for a new purchase.

JS observed that June is here, and, with remarkable flair for a good pun, she suggested Masters of the Juniverse.

JS, YM, OB, BA and MJ join me for an afternoon of dramming. JMcD calls off, unfortunately.

Just as I hoped, someone brings a figurine.
Just as I predicted, that someone is BA.

YM presents: Masters of the Jenevers (or Masters of the Junipers).

Jenever spelled with a 'g'

Zuidam 15yo 2008/2023 (38%, OB, American Oak Barrel, C#55, 284b, b#150): nose: pleasant and fruity, Bourbon-y (OB), it has similar notes to "that beer brandy that I actively hate, but I like this" (BA). This has citrus zest too. The second nose introduces a whiff of coffee. Mouth: a slap of honey, really. It is very Bourbon-y before revealing plenty of gin spices. All the same, those spices are well behind the Bourbon influences (vanilla, toffee). Finish: delicate, ripe with toffee, a hint of vanilla and mint drops. In the long run, juniper ends up peeking through as well. I like this better than the first time, I think. 7/10

tOMoH presents: Miodulok

Miodula Presidential Blend (40%, Mundivic, Oak Barrel, C#256, b#268): short notes for this. YM detects chocolate and nuts, MJ has holly, OB calls it sweet, while BA and I compare it to mead. Full notes here. 7/10

JS introduces: Prince Glenc-Adam

And if you think that sounds familiar, it is because JS used the same pun for another tasting in 2022. When the juice is so good, who cares that the pun is recycled?

Glencadam 14yo 1964/1979 (45.7%, Cadenhead): nose: YM says it smells nice (clearly inspired, our YM), while OB observes we are definitely switching gears, and calls out bruised apples (OB). Mouth: weedy and hoppy (BA), leafy and herbal, almost soapy, though it stays on the right side (OB). Finish: OB confirms the hoppy note in the aftertaste. My full notes here. 9/10

YM, when he read the email with the theme, wondered what a Juniverse is. He typed it into a search engine. One of the first results was a weird Japanese-anime blog of sorts. so he brought a Japanese whisky. Or, at least, a whisky sold by a Japanese company: none of us knows what it actually contains, yet we all reckon the marketing stories are hardly believable.

Kaiyō Japanese Sakura Wood (Cherry Blossom) (54%, OB Exclusive Single Barrel hand selected by Binny's Beverage Depot imported by Park Street Imports, Japanese Sakura Wood Cask, C#9921): nose: very fragrant, especially after the Glencadam (OB). It smells like the back of a lawnmower (BA), freshly-cut grass (BA), lilies (MJ). All that converges towards incense and somehow "reminds" me of a temple or a shrine in Japan, even though I have never been. It waltzes from ashy to leafy, from grassy to burnt wood. Later on, it pushes wafts of cask scents in a musty warehouse. Mouth: sharpish attack, with parched yuca leaves, dried bunches of flowers and incense ash. BA finds a certain sweetness that he attributes to the Sakura cask. "Damp wood, which is less my thing" (YM). The second sip has more ashes, and that gives it a clear bitterness. Finish: flower nectar, rather sweet. Perhaps honeysuckle sap? It retains a little of the ash of the nose, but it hardly compares. Wood dust and old, decaying staves come up with the second gulp. Another UFO from YM, really interesting, and, for me, enjoyable. 7/10

BA presents: The Adam Malt.
He adds that the bottle bears Sorceress-like wings, which is perhaps less far-fetched.

The Arran Malt 1999/2010 (54.6%, OB Anniversary Bottling for the 15th Anniversary of the Isle of Arran Distillery, Bourbon Casks finished in Amontillado Sherry Casks, 5640b): nose: it is almost game-y, wine-y, with sauce grand'veneur and oil cloth, none sickly, thankfully. Mouth: citrus-y, it has a clear orange-y note (YM). "I feel like I should get orange" (MJ). Discussion follows about suggestion from the orange box. Blush orange, wine-cured orange, dried orange peels. BA finds it flinty. The citrus-y elements really take off in the long run, not just zesty, but acidic too, with fresh oranges. Finish: long, warming, zesty and summery. This has a remarkable balance. It has more citrus upon repeated quaffing, and a sprinkle of white pepper. 8/10

JS [about K-pop]: "In the early acts, nobody could dance. It was pathetic and I loved it."

OB presents: Skeletormore

Tormore 27yo 1992/2019The Dram With The Mash Tun Tokyo (44.6%, The Whiskyfind, C#101154, 276b): a bottle OB opened in 2022, but we did not give enough attention, then. Nose: metallic chocolate. This has hazelnut spread on a tin knife. The metallic bit is almost perfume-y, spirit-y, with a whiff of Teflon-plated baking trays. With time, it gains chicory infusion and waves of passion fruits. Mouth: mellow in a similar way to pouring honey left on a metal tray. Then, fruits start to grow, with cut peach slices and smashed apricots. It is a little warmer at second sip, yet still juicy, metallic, and amazingly fruity. Finish: long and fruity as hell. Here are warm mangoes, smashed apricots or apricot compote. It is a jammy, juicy, lush number, and it is excellent. I immediately think of the other beautiful expression we had recently. OB is as glad as I am to try this again in a setting in which it shines brighter than in 2022. 9/10

Family picture

MJ looks over his shoulder, spots the SMWS bottle that comes next, and asks if it would be appropriate for him to step in. He reveals an additional bottle from, he explains, a distillery that thinks it is the Master of the Universe.

24.156 12yo d.2008 Utterly unctuous (63,7%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts finished in 1st Fill American Oak ex-PX Hogshead since 2018): nose: wine and chocolate, oily teak. One can also feel the relentless power under the bonnet. From that point onward, it is leather and burnt chocolate, as well as torched blush-orange peels. Mouth: drying, Oloroso-style, but also fairly fruity, with more of the same blush-orange peels. It is powerful, yet not ridiculously so, despite what my co-tasters of the day say. Perhaps there is a small note of fried egg at second sip, weird, but not a bother. Finish: long and powerful, it is also very, very bitter. Oh! not bitter as if sucking on a dandelion stem (do not try). No, it is orange peels, cured grapefruit rinds, mixed peel and Seville marmalade. 7/10

MJ talks about ortolan buntings that were part of François Mitterand's last supper.

YM [to OB]: "Have you had it?"
OB: "No. It's illegal."
tOMoH: "...and no Frenchman would do something illegal."

YM presents: Encounter of the exotic, which, he says, seemed to fit the He-Man universe. He adds that this was bottled for the Japanese branch of the SMWS, which was good enough a connection to the J-universe.

68.44 8yo d.2011 Encounter the exotic (57.3%%, SMWS Society Cask imported by Japan Import System, Re-Charred Oak Hogshead, 262b): nose: crazily, it feels punchier and stronger than the Macallan that came before. We have white wood and wood dust. Not much else. YM finds gooseberries. He is clearly inebriated. BA says he could drink this as a cordial. It has a strong metallic note, after a moment. Water somehow makes it even more neutral, with wood shavings soaking in water. Mouth: lemon zest mixed with vanilla shavings. Perhaps notes of golden grass? It feels as though the ABV prevents this from telling all its story. Let us add water, then... It turns fruitier, yet also bitterer. Finish: warm, dangerous, close to grainy in that I can see this going to one's head. The more one drinks it, the more sweet mint drops (dragées) come out. Water gives it an Indian-tonic vibe, with a similar balanced bitterness and tame fruit. This is good. 7/10

MJ departs (with a sample of the last dram).

tOMoH presents: Man-at-Ardmore

Ardmore 1992/2010 (49.4%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Barrel, C#5014, 158b, b#169): nose: soft leather, smoked raspberries, and the same Bouvier-des-Flandres scent I mentioned in relation to a Balblair, a while ago. Well, this is closer to the house that dog lived in than to the dog himself, but still. It is very farm-y, this, farm paths and mud patties. Mouth: mellow, creamy, it has raspberry-filled milk chocolate and a square of dark chocolate on the side, which adds a slight bitterness. Finish: phwoar! Smashed raspberries and dark chocolate. Lovely. Full notes here. 9/10

BA [about the new Dornoch distillery]: "It's in Dornoch. Nothing is more than ten minutes away [from anything else in Dornoch]."
tOMoH: "Ten minutes is even stretching it."
BA: "Dodgy knee, mate!"

tOMoH and JS present: Evil-Lynlithgow -- two of them, so that is Two Bad covered too. :-)

JS's was distilled in June to boot.

Linlithgow 25yo 1982/2008 (59.2%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection for La Maison du Whisky Collectors' Edition, Wine-treated Butt, C#2201, 388b, b#313, 8/513) (tOMoH): nose: sooty-and-a-half, it soon picks up a faint note of wine. Mouth: och! meow. It has yellow flowers, cut peaches, white plums... Phwoar? Finish: sooty fruits, mostly white peaches, and even passion fruits. Full notes here. Today, it is 9/10

vs.

Linlithgow 22yo 1975/1998 (51.7%, Signatory Vintage Silent Stills, C#96/3/01, 335b, b#243, 98/0632) (JS): nose: orchard fruits, roasted apples and nut liqueur. Mouth: it displays the St Magdalene austerity, combined with the fruits of the Lowlands. Extraordinary. Finish: sweet soot. Incredible orchard-fruit juice spilled over soot-y gravel. Phwoar again! Full notes here. 9/10

OB and YM prefer the 1982, while BA and I vote for the 1975. Both are phantastic. To think I used to not like mine that much...

tOMoH [to OB]: "I was sure you'd had the one for LMdW, but my blog says you haven't. But if you're sure you've had it, give it to someone else."
OB: "No. I'm not sure."

BA: "Neither of them is stabbing me behind the eyes, which is the effect many St Magdalene have on me."

BA: "How hard life is!"
OB: "How much does it suck, right now?"

BA presents: Orko-ney

An Orkney 16yo 2004/2020 ((59.1%, Campbeltown Whisky Company Watt Whisky specially bottled for Watt Whisky Buds, 2 hogsheads married together in a Brandy Butt, 290b): nose: mud patties, cured apples, leather, and no wine stain whatsoever. Dried peat comes out later, as does crackly-dried plasticine. Mouth: strong, it is fresh, but also earthy. It has a generous dose of cracked black pepper. Chewing unleashes some fruits that I identify as blackberries. Finish: bog myrtles trampled into the mud. BA and YM find tinned peach, nectarine and artificial orange drink (YM). BA specifies it is Raspberry-Ripple Irn Bru. 8/10

We talk about undisclosed distilleries. YM jokes about the whiskies that are marketed as made at a distillery on the isle of Jura.

tOMoH: "There are two distilleries on Jura."
BA: "Yeah. Lussa makes gin exclusively."
tOMoH: "That's right. Still a distillery."
BA: "If you go to the hotel, the other building on Jura, you can taste it."

OB flatteringly announces that JS and tOMoH are the Masters of the Universe, so he brought a bottle he opened with us on the weekend in which he made that opinion.

Port Ellen 22yo 1978/2000 (60.5%, OB Rare Malts Selection, 4580b): nose: this is super mineral, brutal and relentless. It has leather, berries squashed in moccasins. Ashes too, elevated by chocolate, in the long run. Mouth: immediately austere, full of quarry dust, stone chippings and rusting tools. It is desiccating, sandy, and, at this strength, how could it be otherwise? At the same time, it is also strangely sweet, like only Port Ellen can be. That carries over at second sip. The mix of austerity and sweetness is simply staggering. It is saltier at second sip, with cockles and beach sand mixed with a sweetness reminiscent of brown sugar. Finish: huge, and it proves a timebomb, in that it starts off sweet, then blows up on the way back up the oesophagus. Earth and crème brûlée emerge at second gulp. It becomes saltier upon repeated sipping, but the overall mood does not diverge too much. It does gain a lick of chocolate, however. This is what one might call a killery. Like Killery Linton. Tonight, top score. 10/10

After that intensity, everyone is whiskied out. Another excellent afternoon has been had.

Happy birthday, JS!