03/11/2025 Balmenach-Glenlivet

Balmenach-Glenlivet 19yo 1961/1980 (46%, Cadenhead): nose: it presents a wonderful mix of apricot jam and honey-glazed sage. Then, out of nowhere, a cloud of thyme smacks one in the nose, almost smoky. Very seasonal. It continues with a proper thyme infusion, the kind mothers used to bathe their infant in to sweat out a cold, several decades ago. Now, let me be clear: the sweet, jammy side from earlier does not leave entirely, but it very much fades into the background, replaced by old copper coins in an old leather pouch -- so old, in fact, that it is all hardened and crackly. We find all sorts of old, oxidised metals, actually: copper, zinc, lead and iron, with a veil of dust covering all of them -- thyme dust. How comforting! Rustic cuisine for wounded souls, this is. The second nose is earthier and more root-y, with dried earth, dried galangal roots, dried sugar beets... Oh! Black shoe polish applied onto combat boots (ABL 1972, for those who know). That is augmented with a spray of windscreen defroster, which is well unexpected. Even more unexpected is that it works! Decaying mosses and sphagnum join later, akin to the residue at the bottom and on the sides of an empty freshwater aquarium. Mouth: it reclaims its jammy character on the tongue, with peach jelly, apricot compote and stewed Mirabelle plums. A bit of chewing pushes a metallic shade to the front, and we are suddenly invaded by sheet metal, steel, copper sheets and aluminium cans. Lurking in the background, herbs are obviously on the prowl, waiting for their moment to strike. It is sage and thyme again, a bay leaf or two, hawthorn and gentian. Further chewing adds tree bark, gently smoked. All those herbs and metal, naturally, provide some bitterness, yet it is a balanced bitterness: dry, and not at all a nuisance. Imagine a cup of green tea, perhaps. The second sip has stagnant water and dried algae encrusted on the sides of a glass vase. That is soon submerged by lukewarm coffee, then topped with caster sugar. As earlier, the undeniable bitterness is balanced by a pleasant sweetness. It even has soot, after a while, splashed with milk, and Mokatines, at once bitter and sweet. Finish: coffee-soaked custard-cream biscuits, mocha custard, and crème brûlée topped with lemon-thyme leaves. If that reads like a departure from the nose and palate, it really is not; it seems their logical continuation instead. Soothing, comforting, it will not allow the obvious bitterness to be anything else than a supporting act. How it achieves that is by putting the focus on creamy, sweet dessert-y notes: crème brûlée or panna cotta, custard, tiramisu, lukewarm cappuccino, or affogato. There are fewer herbs, here; a distant, lonely bay leaf in the custard, at most -- and why the hell not? The second gulp is in line, yet milkier. It is single cream, rather than custard, which removes nothing from the overall comforting feel. Superlative dram. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

01/11/2025 All Saints at the SMWS

It was made clear to tOMoH that tOMoH should definitely visit the SMWS on the 1st November. There was, of course, no obligation, but Dr. CD would bring something special that tOMoH would certainly want to try. tOMoH is prone to FOMO, so, tOMoH is going to the SMWS.

Glenwyvis 4yo 2020/2025 (57.9%, OB for Christopher Davies, Oloroso Firkin, C#90, 48b): nose: a big Sherry maturation, with a little mineral touch (limestone, slate, brimstone) and smoke. It has an elderberry-like, rancio-y sweetness in the back, and a whiff of animal musk, warming and comforting (musk rat, water vole, or a fox's den). Later on, we have a whisper of Cologne too. The second nose has melted dark chocolate and cocoa-bean shavings. Mouth: big, it has a strong alcohol kiss, hair balls and an avalanche of juicy raisins. There is a lick of old, dusty boiler too, with corroded metal and, well, encrusted dust. The second sip is drier: limestone dust, limescale, brimstone again, sand paper, even. And then we come back to berries -- elderberries, blackcurrants and prunes. It has a drop of hot water too, in which Kluwak nuts have soaked. Finish: remarkably behaved, sweet, with a pronounced bitterness to round it off. The sweetness (raisins, prunes, cured peaches) lingers and leaves a comfortable glow. The second gulp is warmer, giving away hot zinc, hot coffee grounds and hot dusty boilers. My first Glenwyvis, and it is rather convincing. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)

78.90 10yo 2014/2024 Tempura gâteau train ride (57.9%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 192b): nose: treacle and Kluwak nuts. What!? Here is a note I have never used before, and now twice in as many drams. Anyway, this is full of beef stock, Bovril, stock cubes (Maggi, Knorr, you know the score). It also has dried mushrooms and root-y aromas. In other words, it is an earthy one. Burnt paper appears as one tilts the glass. The second nose has a fairly-ashy touch, whereas water reveals dark honey (tar-like, to be accurate). Mouth: strangely, it is prunes and raisins, rehydrated and mixed with burnt paper. Chewing adds sweetness... and spices! Curry powder, chilli powder, ground cassia bark, garam masala. The second sip is sweeter yet, with fruit jellies, candied angelica and chewy Turkish delights. Finish: huge, earthy and prune-y, it gains liquorice allsorts upon repeated quaffing. Perhaps we also detect Vegemite, though it is sweeter than that. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, GT)

4.394 15yo 2010/2025 Pâtisseries and perfumeries (61.8%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 232b): nose: smoked mud. This has a very farm-y and smoky profile, soon topped with lemon-drizzle cake. The farm-y tones calm down at second nosing, leaving fruits (some of them smoky) to do the talking. Mouth: oh! how lemon-y. White grapefruit, smoked pineapple, smoked papaya cubes (!) and a whisper of seafood (cockles?) The second sip is teeming with citrus fruits -- calamansi, pomelo, shaddock, Ugli fruit, maybe even cherimoya. Finish: huge (check out the ABV), it has smoked and preserved lemons and bright, sun-drenched hay fields. Fruitier with each sip, this falls under the weight of pineapple, grapefruit, pomelo and calamansi. Excellent surprise. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)

76.72 20yo 1989/2010 Sunday Roast (59.2%, Society Single Cask, First Fill ex-Sherry Butt, 565b): nose: pickle brine is soon joined by mussels in wine (it is a month in -ber, after all) and crushed seashells. The second nose brings preserved lemons and grapefruits, and even tame pastry, to an extent. Mouth: this is unexpectedly balanced. It peddles sweetness, fruitiness and a mineral touch. Indeed, it has candied grapefruit and quarry dust caught in a deep debate. Finish: desert dirt, quarry dust and bone-dry grapefruit zest. On top of that is a good dose of plank-y birch. A good Mortlach, even if I reckon that parcel of casks peaked a little later on, when they hit mid-to-late twenties. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, GT)

What a trap! I went, thinking I would be out in thirty minutes or so, and ended up staying more than two hours. :-)