Linkwood 23yo 1998/2021 (53.3%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength exclusively bottled for TyndrumWhisky.com, Refill Sherry Hogshead, C#13808, 267b, 21/214): nose: an enticing chocolate-y-caramel-y aroma coming out of prunes and raisins. It has a spoonful of (cold) apple sauce, smashed pineapple and a drop of coffee. Deeper nosing brings that all closer and spills it on oilcloth, which is a little surprise. The second nose sees pressed sultanas, piña colada (no rum, no coconut), maybe one bright-red candied cherry, and, belatedly, a heap of oiled wood planks waiting to be burnt in the fireplace. Mouth: sweet and fruity, it has sultanas, honey-glazed pecans and macadamias, and dried dates. Chewing adds marzipan to the equation, tones down the initial heat, and pours a blend of pineapple juice, hot chocolate and bitter coffee (thankfully, only a drop of that one). Say! This is brilliant. The second sip is fruitier yet, with a mix of pineapple, apple, nectarine and apricot, augmented with a fistful of sultanas. Ridiculously good. Finish: hot and warming without being spicy, this exudes oiled wood furniture, toasted bread slathered with honey, rehydrated sultanas, perhaps Mirabelle plums in a tart filling, and piping-hot pineapple rings straight out of the oven (oooh!) It is powerful and leaves the tongue a bit stunned, but, all in all, it is gorgeous. The second sip is sweeter, if that is possible. It is a procession of sultanas, dried dates, smashed pineapple, dried mango slices, and dried apricots. Naturally, there is still some honey to coat all that, though it is less obvious than earlier. Delicious. I can see this getting an additional point in other circumstances. 8/10
Caol Ila 15yo 2005/2021 (57.5%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength selected by The Whisky Exchange, Refill Sherry Hogshead, C#301507, 266b, 21/022): nose: how ashy this is! Cigarette ash, the ash box of a fireplace insert, an extinguished campfire the morning after. That opens up to give drying fishing nets and smoked seafood (shrimps, squid, smelt), as well as tarry sands soaked with sea water. In fact, the tar recedes and the water turns cleaner. The second nose seems a tad drier, still brimming with ash, now spread onto scorched earth. Much of the seafood has disappeared, making room for a whiff of rubber. Mouth: surprisingly sweet, after all that ash and seawater on the nose. The palate has honey-glazed scallops, and cockles coated in caster sugar. Chewing merely amplifies those, maybe adding a ladle of sea water. Indeed, it is alternating between sweet and salty. After a minute-or-so, it suddenly acquires a bold dose of black pepper, yet shortly does an about-face and settles for mocha chocolate -- ha! The second sip is just as sweet, or so it seems. Confectionary sugar, those pink-and-white marshmallows, fish in a caster-sugar crust, and cockles wrapped in candyfloss. Finish: ashy, salty and incredibly sweet. We have molluscs glazed in honey, then rolled in ash to form a batter. The second gulp has a mix of wood oil or walnut stain, flat cola at room temperature, hot coffee and smoked honey. It works. The ever-reliable Caol Ila! 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment