Last day of the summer sales, see? PS, GT, Dr. CD and JS are there too, of course.
Invergordon 36yo 1965/2002 (51.8%, Duncan Taylor Peerless, C#15539, 252b, b#45): nose: lovely caramelised pineapple, then a whiff of dark tobacco in the background. It has shiny hot metal too. Let us call it pineapple rings sizzling on a hot metal plate (some kind of alloy with a blue hue), caramelising in their own juice. It being an Invergordon, we, of course, have blackcurrants in vanilla custard, which tOMoH finds unthinkable not to like. The second nose has gingerbread and sponge-y speculoos (the kind they hardly export). Water adds shaved hazel bark and lime zest. Mouth: with that ABV, it is suitably drying, toasted, and bitter with unripe fruits (blackcurrants, obviously). It is rather unripe and bitter, and that detracts from the fruitiness and sweetness, to some extent. Chewing brings about rancio-y elderberry, thick and desiccating, as well as fruity and dark. With water, the palate seems bitterer and drier, especially to the gums around the top incisors. Finish: punchy, fruity, it has razor blades, or pencil-sharpener blades and unripe blackcurrants. The second gulp feels more balanced, with lots of dark fruits (mostly blackcurrant and elderberry), now less bitter. It has some dusty earth at the death, coupled with old staves falling to dust. Water adds steeped bay leaf and cassia bark, which make it drying again. This is very good, if not ripe enough to deserve a higher score. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, PS)
We are treated to another round.
tOMoH: "What are we celebrating?"
GK: "Grimsby beat Manchester United."
JS: "Why did you choose this one?"
GK: "I asked for something up to G [one of the price points]."
JS: "'G' for Grimsby?"
GK: "Oh... I hadn't thought of that."
tOMoH: "Well, it is very good."
GK: "Yeah. I'm not sure which distillery it is."
PS: "Miltonduff."
tOMoH [with help from JS]: "It's Glenburgie."
71.113 29yo d.1995 Desert island sponge cake (48%, SMWS Society Cask, Re-Charred Hogshead, 222b): nose: explosively floral, with daffodils, yellow tulips, irises and dried bunches of honeysuckle, then peach slices and floury pasties. Or is it confectionary sugar? In any case, it is well delicious. The second nose is sweeter, with sherbet and flying saucers (the sweets), and various kinds of confectionary-sugar-coated sweets. Time piles on the sherbet. Chewing adds a lot of fruits, namely peaches, dried banana slices, papaya cubes and faint candied angelica. More sweets come up with time, both of the hard and chewy sorts. Crushed lime leaves mingle with sherbet, after a wee while, and more dried flowers, as well as bergamot foliage, if not clementine peels. Finish: long, comforting and fruity, it is also a tad bitter, dolmas style. It is as if dolmas had been rolled into shortcrust and turned into a pasty. The second gulp fans candied papaya cubes, soaked in wine. Over time, citrus appears too, peels and foliage, rather than flesh. We have tangerine and bergamot once more. Water adds a chocolate-y dimension to the finish, a chocolate stuffed with dried raspberry chunks, that is. Excellent. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, GK)
115.19 27yo d.1992 Venerable vitality (44.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 121b): nose: a little blond tobacco does not hide a burst of blossom. Honeysuckle and apple blossom, and they transform into strawberry coulis and lime Tic Tac. The second nose adds jasmine and apple peels. Mouth: apple blossom it is! We have apple slices too, and a few hazelwood shavings add complexity. It is velvety as nectar, just not full-on fruity. The second sip has cassia-bark splinters, maybe a pinch of black cumin seeds and raisins. It is a strange combination that works extremely well. Further chewing even introduces some chalk. Finish: peaches in syrup, rehydrated dried apricots, and blossom tea. What kind of blossom is harder to tell -- apple? Lilac? Jasmine? Dried fruits rock up at second gulp, such as apricots, papaya, and cubed apple. Yes, dried apple, cubed -- and why not? This is good. 8/10
7.283 33yo d.1990 The sun sets behind clementine clouds (40.4%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 74b): nose: we have fruity red wine (or is it the conversation at the next table?), then apple-flavoured sweets, and we end up with a lump of blue plasticine. Are we building a smurf? That then becomes mortar and grout. It returns to apples, and it is chalky apples, crunchy and acidic. The second nose has more confectionary sugar or sherbet. Mouth: dry white wine (Chenin blanc), Fino Sherry. Yes, this is fruity and also dry and mineral. Pebbles polished smooth by the elements, tonic water. The second sip is a lot chalkier yet, desiccating, with pressed raisins added to keep it tolerable. Finish: long, balanced, it has a great chalky side with lots of dried fruits thrown in. It is fruitier with each sip, in fact, which is good. 8/10
Dr. CD: "They have arseholes in a PR team."
What is this? Another round? They come hard and fast, eh?
53.474 13yo d.2010 Ultimate pub grub smackdown (59.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 214b): drying fishing nets, mussel shells in a wooden crate on the quay. Then, suddenly, it turns all chalky -- and that is chalk, not crushed Aspirin. There is also some earth and chilli flakes, which is unusual . The second nose has warm sand -- black sand, to be precise. Perhaps it has a touch of rubbery earth, if not quite tar. Mouth: strong. We spot ink-stained fishing nets and inky earth. In the long run, this becomes pretty drying, with lots of crushed seashells, more ink, and sea water. It is juicy, then drying. Finish: here is a lovely sweetness deployed over seafood (molluscs and crustaceans). Cockles and mussels in a sweet-and-sour sauce, dusted with confectionary sugar. This is a typical Caol Ila of a certain age, in other words. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Ro)
tOMoH: "You threatened me, two minutes ago."
Cam [paraphrasing]: "It's because it's not what I associate with Tomatin. I felt du[ed."
PS: "Last time I was disabused by tOMoH, it involved a radish and a polar bear."
The next dram came earlier, but, since it is heavily peated, I kept it until now.
121.119 9yo d.2015 I then produced my rapier (62.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 190b): nose: this is a much-earthier type of peat. Mud, then dry paint turn to wet-sand patties over time, and the whole becomes less monolithic. It has cured fruits too, with too much wine for my taste, smoked ham, and hot velvet car seats. Mouth: juicy, this is full of peaches coated in mud, and super-drying, dusty elderberry. Did I say it is drying? Finish: big, muddy, it has fruits (chikoo, of all things) and mud patties doused in chilli oil. It remains earthy and muddy in the long run too. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)
Another one? Well, if you twist my hand...
10.270 11yo d.2009 Vinegar three ways (57.3%, SMWS Society Cask In celebration 19 Greville Street Exclusive cask 2025, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 253b): nose: it is a fruity one, with white plums, and everyone's favourite fruit: baked potato. Huh? Later on, we have ink and a paste made with some kind of herb. Baked spinach, perhaps? Or is it blotting paper? Mouth: another drying number, fruity and muddy, with smoked apples fallen into the mud and quince pumped full of booze. Finish: it is a lot peatier here, with clogged sink, hair balls and build-ups of gunk that have developed their own biotope. GT asked for a bottle kill for this last dram. It is hot and bitter and less to my taste. 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, GT)
GT: "What?"
tOMoH: "The Bunna. The bottle kill?"
GT: "Ah! Don't know what it was. I asked for a bottle kill. [The staff] chose it."
Cam talks about his retirement plans. Once he is a couple of years into his job, he can purchase stock.
Cam: "Yeah, but... tax-free."
Unbelievably, JS and I manage to leave after PS, GT and Dr. CD. This has never happened before that I can remember.
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