24/01/2026 Burns' Night 2026 -- Nautical but Nice (Part 2)

The story started here.

There is indeed a second row

tOMoH goes for the double-dip with a bottling for Whisky-Schiff Zürich, a festival that takes place on ships. He notes that those ships ('Schiff' is German for 'ship', yes?) operate in fresh water and do not count. Instead, he brought it because it is a catam-Arran.

Arran 17yo 1997/2014 (51.6%, The Whisky Agency & Acla da Fans Acla Selection specially selected for Whisky-Schiff Zürich 2014, Refill Sherry Cask, 120b) (tOMoH)

Comment: others cannot see the Arran character, nor much Sherry, but the dram is nevertheless popular. My full notes are here. 8/10

tOMoH gets up again, this time to unveil the group's bottle. It is from a collection named 'The Sea'. Yes, that one.

Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267) (group)

Nose: we shift gears! Here are leather and shoe polish of a stupendous elegance. It then turns tertiary (yes, I know), with powdered porcini and seared shiitake.
Mouth: a wonderful shoe polish coming out of a tube, then distant sandalwood. Incredibly powerful at second sip too. Is this really 46%?
Finish: long and all-enveloping, comforting as a rustic chair with a coat of oil. The second gulp has a bitterer dark-wood-bench touch and liquorice, bitter, sure, but breath-takingly elegant.
Comment: phwoar! 9/10

The third cake is served, made by STL's daughter.

It does not last long

tOMoH: "You okay?"
STL: "Yeah. So... I don't even want to cut the cake."
ruckus: "I'll eat your piece!"

Psycho: "What does your daughter do?"
red71: "She's a hypnotherapist. You have a problem in your life? She'll fix it. Are you constipated?"

adc and ruckus introduce another pair -- a pair of Taliskers. I warn all that it will not be a fair fight.

ruckus brought a Talisker from the Isle of Skye, where they do water Skye-ing. Groan. Laughter.

adc delegates the introduction of her bottle to tOMoH, who explains he got to try the version of Talisker 10yo that comes in a blue fender in a London shop, one day. The staff were cursing Diageo for using Sherry-seasoned casks instead of proper Sherry casks. The resulting whisky was rubbery and rather unpleasant. Still, a fender... tOMoH had to have it, who then gifted it to adc.

Lots of jokes or actual questions about guitars, but a fender is a nautical accessory that prevents damage to vessels and berthing structures.

Drat! it is the wrong bottle... Oh! well.

This one is "made by the sea," as adc shouts from the other side of the room.

Talistill 11yo 1996/2007 (46%, Taste Still, C#5471, 180b) (ruckus)

Nose: salty air and horsepower. That is followed by boiled sweets. Much later on, a peppery Cologne comes up, old-man style. This is comforting already.
Mouth: it has a big lick of soft rubber, meaning it is fairly bitter, but it stops on the right side. And there are tons of peppery fruits too.
Finish: a huge slap of fruit and slightly-burnt rubber, a dead campfire on the beach, smoked mussels and halved citrus.
Comment: still delicious. What a treat to try this again. Although a well-known bottle amongst this group, it seems we have not had it since 2013. 9/10

Talisker 40yo 1978/2018 (50%, OB The Bodega Series, Finished in ex-Delgado Zuleta, 2000b, b#1048) (adc)

Nose: zomgue. We go into overdrive. Wax, roasted fruits and minute smoke.
Mouth: swarf, hot, dusty boilers, baked apples and a pinch of pepper so restrained it could even be overlooked.
Finish: huge, it has cut citrus, a pinch of salt and a whisper of smoke.
Comment: dom666 is ecstatic. It is his favourite distillery and he has never tried this expression before. In fact, he has, but he is right to be ecstatic: it remains a superlative dram. I hope to spend more time with it at some point. 10/10

Psycho gets up to offer his bottle. I interject. This is the worst spot. Nothing could shine after that Talisker (those Taliskers, actually), and it is unfair to leave that spot to anyone else, so I will take the hit. Since, coincidentally, Psycho's bottling is (likely) from the same distillery as mine, we will have them side by side. Which distillery? Loch Lomond -- favourite tipple of Captain Haddock. Well, mine is undisclosed, but with Captain Haddock's cap on the label, there is little doubt as to its provenance.

Highland Region 21yo 2000/2021 (54.7%, Thompson Bros., 2 x Refill Hogsheads, 589b) (tOMoH)

Nose: flinty and sulphury (Gaija), cheeses (Stilton, Gorgonzola, bleu d'Auvergne -- red71), gas leak (Gaija).
Mouth: bitter and tasteless (kruuk2).
Finish: not bad, fatty (kruuk2), wet cork (STL). Gaija calls it gloriously bad and a capital miss.
Comment: against all odds, hard-to-please-in-chief Bishlouk finds it not that bad. I giggle at others' reactions. Some notes here. I may do a full review one day, if I muster up the courage. Tonight, I do not even try it.

Loch Lomond 21yo 1997/2018 (52.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Barrels, 378b) (Psycho)

Nose: a burst of lovely fruits followed by a waft of coffee (or is it the sludge some are now drinking?) It is a hot Moka tin pot, at the very least.

Mouth: velvety, fruity and inimitable. No other distillate has this texture. Smashed fruits aplenty, elevated with a pinch of chalk.
Finish: waxy fruits blended with wax.
Comment: as it did last year, this amazes. 9/10

red71 announces that the US Navy made a propaganda film in 1994 called Nautical but Nice. He therefore chose a whisky distilled in 1994. He adds that it is a Cadenhead bottling, which is abbreviated as CA on Whiskybase. 'CA' is the hull code for Heavy Cruiser in the hull classification. To make sure we get it, this particular bottle has naval flags all around it.

Clynelish 20yo 1994/2015 (55.4%, Cadenhead Wood Range, Sherry Cask, 486b, 15/292) (red71)

Comment: this is good, but is overwhelmed by the competition, tonight. Notes here. 7/10

The soundtrack: the Old Man of Huy - Exit the Dragon

ruckus brought a bottle from a Port that has a ship on the label.

We will let slide the fact that it is a canal boat (hence fresh water).

The boats on ruckus's shirt are sea boats, on the other hand

...albeit small ones, for atoll-hopping in the Pacific

Port Dundas 21yo 2000/2022 (62.1%, Keeble Cask Company Fragrant Drops imported by Perfectdram, American Oak Barrel, C#305291, 187b) (ruckus)

Nose: bleach or disinfectant (ruckus), rhubarb (STL). I have lots of marzipan, on the other hand.
Mouth: phwoar! This is hot and numbing. Soon, caster sugar emerges, as does Demerara starting to cluster.
Finish: huge, sweet, crumbly, gritty. It has golden caster sugar by the boatload.
Comment: another cracking grain. Bizarrely enough, the only grain in this monster line-up. 8/10

dom666 [about a new restaurant]: "Ça s'appelle [Van der Valk] Sélys."
tOMoH: "C'est comme l'Héliport? [another restaurant dom666 likes to talk about] Où tous les véhicules ont des Sélys?" [I will not translate]
JS: "What?"
tOMoH [repeats]: "You're frowning. You don't approve."
kruuk2: "She's right."

adc disappears as the fourth cake enters.

This one is laced with
SC 73 10yo b.2023 (58.2%, SMWS The Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Wasted Degrees Table Beer Quarter Cask Finish)

Psycho brought another one with a ship on the label.

We pair it with CG's bottle, which is another Bowmore, from the shores of Lochindaal, which is close to the sea (it is a sea loch, so, technically, it is the sea). "Also, the chimney of the distillery looks like a ship's mast," CG tells us.

Bowmore 15yo Mariner (43%, OB, L1284/L1304) (Psycho)

Nose: cat litter (Bishlouk), vinegar (kruuk2), pickled pearl onions, perhaps pickled strawbales.
Mouth: French-whore perfume (Gaija), and it does indeed have a clear violet-sweet taste.
Finish: long, it has toasted barley and smoked straw.
Comment: this is never as good as I want it to be. I so want to like it, but the nose is a little disappointing. 7/10

Bowmore 2002/2025 (58.2%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks handselected & exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS25014, 146b, b#50) (CG)

Nose: a darker smoke, linoleum glue, floor disinfectant that is almost bleach-like. Blurry fruits take off, after a while, followed by ink.
Mouth: smoked roasted apples, a lot of horsepower. Then, tropical fruits rise: cherimoya, Ugli fruit. The second sip has a pinch of chalk that feels akin to licking a plasterboard.
Finish: long and irresistibly fruity, with persimmon and peaches rubbing elbows with embers.
Comment: here is an excellent Bowmore. 9/10

Gaija tells us about an artist he saw at Fuse in the not-too-distant past. Then, Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvole Bianche plays, which STL recognises.

Gaija: "Isn't [Einaudi] playing in Belgium, soon?"
STL: "Not at Fuse, in any case."

Gaija tells us that Caol Ila always has a maritime profile, yet it is always easy and accessible. In other words, it is nautical, but nice.

Caol Ila 22yo b.2019 (58.4%, OB Special Festival Edition Feis Ile 2019, Sherry-Treated American Oak Casks, 3000b, b#2977) (Gaija)

Nose: fried bacon, ashes, ink. These are terrible notes for a nose that feels a little indistinct, so far. It is undoubtedly well made all the same.
Mouth: punchy, it rolls out fruits covered in ash. We have prunes and peaches, as well as sauced-up nectarines.
Finish: big, ashy and fruity, it ends on a Merbromin note.
Comment: delicious. I have wanted to try this since it came out; it was definitely worth the wait. 9/10

kruuk2: "A while ago, you could buy a Porsche 911 for not a lot of money."
Psycho: "Depends on the model."
kruuk2: "Yeah, the Majorette [Matchbox] one was cheaper."

sonicvince and dom666 both brought a Laphroaig for the same reason: the drawing on the tube shows the seafront.

As Bishlouk, STL and red71 escape, We embark on another entirely-unfair versus.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask (48%, OB) (sonicvince)

Nose: medicinal, it has ashes and mercurochrome.
Mouth: bold, with lots of smoky roasted apples and quinces coloured with Merbromin.
Finish: there is a loud rubber-camphor duet, coupled with strong cough drops.
Comment: reliable. Dependable. Even this late, it does the job without pretense. 7/10

Laphroaig 31yo 1974/2005 (49.7%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, Sherry Wood Casks, 910b, b#652) (dom666)

Comment: after trying this in 2006 and in 2015, it is clear there will not be a fourth encounter: the bottle is on its last leg. We have this masterpiece just as Tide Lines - Shadow To The Light (Piano Version) is playing. I find it hard to contain my emotions, even as ruckus vocalises his dislike for the song. I make away with a sample, so we will spend more composed time with it in the future. For now, it soars above everything we have had until now. A charged 11/10

STL: "Quel est le thème pour l'an prochain?"
tOMoH: "Maporama. Des étiquettes avec des cartes."
dom666: "Viendrai avec des cartes à jouer. Ha! Ha! Une bouteille avec un as de pique sur l'étiquette!"
Gaija and tOMoH [clearly thinking of the Ace of Spades]: "On te regarde."

Psycho explains that Corryvreckan, the famous whirlpool off the northeast of Jura, is clearly nautical, and that the whisky of the same name is nice.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (57.1%, OB, b. ca 2007) (Psycho)

Nose: smoked hay and smoked straw.
Mouth: woah! This is punchy. It has peat smoke cloaking poached apples.
Finish: big, smoky. We detect hay, a pinch of ash, and toasted barley, Ardbeg style.
Comment: this is good. Naturally, it suffers from the sequence -- what would not? 7/10

Jocelyn Pook - The Masked Ball plays. People start talking about Eyes Wide Shut (the track is used in the film) and Kubrick.

tOMoH: "Psycho, tu n'aimes pas vraiment les films de Kubrick. Tu préfères les films de Ku tout court."

We survived the full line-up, somehow. sonicvince, Mrs. sonic and CG take a leave.

The soundtrack: the Old Man of Huy - Another Brick in the Wall

ruckus, dom666, kruuk2, Psycho, Gaija, JS and I have a nightcap. It would not be a proper Burns' Night without a nightcap, now, would it?

SC 73 10yo b.2023 (58.2%, SMWS The Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Wasted Degrees Table Beer Quarter Cask Finish)

Manages to hold its own. Full notes here.

North British 45yo 1963/2009 (50.7%, Signatory Vintage Rare Reserve, Hogsheads, C#117362 + 117363 + 117365, 290b, b#19)

This sails comfortably, even now. It may have one more outing before the bottle is empty, sadly. Full notes here.

117.3 25yo d.1988 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Phwoar. How can this still fly so high at 7 in the morning? Well, it does. Notes.

We decide against the Port Charlotte, this year again. Some are running out of fuel.

Epic.

Dram of the day:

• adc: Talisker 40yo + Caperdonich 16yo
• dom666: Talisker 40yo
• sonicvince: Ben Nevis + Caol Ila 22yo + Port Dundas 21yo + Laphroaig 31yo
• ruckus: Caperdonich 16yo + Arran 17yo + Caol Ila 22yo + Laphroaig 31yo
• kruuk2: Ben Nevis + Laphroaig 31yo + Clydeside
• JS: Laphroaig 31yo + Bowmore MoS
• Bishlouk: Talisker 40yo
• STL: Highland Region 21yo
• red71: Talisker 40yo
• CG: Laphroaig 31yo
• Psycho: Laphroaig 31yo + Talisker 40yo
• Gaija: Laphroaig 31yo + Talisker 40yo
• tOMoH: Laphroaig 31yo + Talisker 40yo

Those fine people have plans on the Sunday. That means many have left when I get up, and those who have not make a quick exit.

More breakfast for the few who do stick around,
including espadom

19/12/2025 DW's birthday bash at 3 Greek Street

Back at 3 Greek Street for DW's birthday event. Hard to accept it has been that long, even knowing we had an intermediary sesh in April.

A merry band of twenty-or-so meet in the tasting room, including CBr, PS, IH, BA, WhiskyLovingPianist, DW, YM, JS, cavalier66, TS, JL, SW.

This year, I am (unintentionally) sitting next to WhiskyLovingPianist from the start. Scribes stick together for a never-ending he-said-he-said joke.

It is a free-for-all, self-service affair, loud, sweaty, and hectic. As a consequence, I do not always know whose bottle I am trying, hence the lack of credit in places. Obviously, notes are sparse as a result.

My own contributions, which I do not try tonight:

Strathisla 1999/2010 Here Come The Rain Again (46%, La Maison du Whisky Belgique, C#45530, 247b) (notes here)

Pittyvaich 14yo 1986/2001 (43%, Ian McLeod Chieftain's, Hogsheads, C#9519-22, 1074b, L1212BB 3 11 58) (notes here)

Let us roll!

Springbank 18yo 1975/1994 (55.8%, Signatory Vintage for the Quincentenary of the University of St Andrews Quaich Society, C#3594, 120b, b#, 94/996) (CBr)

Nose: it has a mineral sweetness, like confectionary sugar on limestone. That turns into cosmetic powder and honeysuckle.
Mouth: ooft! this is bitter. It has a mix of blotting and edible papers, crumpled paper bags and ink. Earthy fruits rise thereafter, slowly.
Finish: a sharp, earthy kick introduces fruits, though it remains a touch earthy too.
Comment: a great Springer from the past, and quite the rarity too. That may play a role in my score. 9/10

Caol Ila Cadenhead 31yo 1984/2015 (54.3%, Cadenhead London Exclusive 20th Anniversary, 168b)

Nose: fishing nets and whelks, a dash of diesel and sand. A textbook Caol Ila, in other words. It becomes sweeter at second nosing.
Mouth: diesel alright, tarry sands.
Finish: long, sandy, tarry, it also has a lot of ashes and dry smoke.
Comment: this is a bit too diesel-heavy for me. A good bottling, but I can see why I did not buy it, at the time. Cadenhead and others have released better expressions from this distillery since. 8/10

Teaninich 45yo 1975/2021 (49.5%, Bartels Whisky Highland Laird, Bourbon Hogshead, C#14796, 35b, b#20) (CBr)

Nose: prunes or cured plums, to be more accurate. Flowers descend onto the world shortly afterwards. It becomes more fragrant when given time, with flower petals (roses, tulips).
Mouth: chewy, almost chalky, though that is quickly overtaken by jasmine or similar small white flowers.
Finish: it is a bit plant-sap bitter, which spoils an otherwise-delicious custard.
Comment: good, not great. Considering the pedigree, I am disappointed. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist [to one of the whiskies]: "If my dog had a face like yours, I'd shave his butt and ask it to walk backwards."

Lochside 1981/1998 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, no screen print) (cavalier66)

Comment: we had this one previously, so I take no notes. It is still excellent, even in this hectic environment. 9/10

Blair Athol 26yo d.1976 (46%, Direct Wines First Cask, C#7601, b#224) (CBr)

Nose: wonderful, lush fruitiness. We have prunes, peaches, cured dried apricots.
Mouth: quite biting for the ABV, it has cured fruits too, a faint lick of cork, and wine gums. There are a few splinters, but it is not woody per se.
Finish: I want to say gravadlax, for some reason (it is such a cool word, after all!) It has a touch of gravy, which starts with the same four letters and may explain, thickened wine sauce, glazed button mushrooms...
Comment: bloody hell, First Cask! Never seen a bad one. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's just a thing. It's its own thing."

Blended Scotch Whisky 1979/2016 (53.3%, Berry Bros. & Rudd exclusive to Royal Mile Whiskies, Sherry Butt, C#4, 385b)

Nose: cherry turnovers and berry-flavoured sweets.
Mouth: initially fruity, it quickly turns woody and spicy, with galangal paste, crushed ginger and all. Then, it goes back to lovely berries and even lychees.
Finish: mango custard, smashed rambutan, unripe blueberries. This is delicious. It even has a blast of mango at the death.
Comment: the nice surprise of the evening. I would go to 9, were it not for that woody bitterness. 8/10

Glen Garioch 27yo 1998/2025 (57.1%, Thompson Bros. for East Coast Whisky, 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel, 97b) (DW)

Nose: very fresh and clean, citrus-y, it has lemon mint and even menthol.
Mouth: ah! It is a slightly astringent number, not soapy, but pointing in that general direction. It stays on the right side of what is acceptable. Chewing brings a spicy custard, with vanilla, chocolate and ginger powder -- lots of it.
Finish: powerful, pungent, spicy, yet also custard-y in texture, and a tad acidic. There has to be a lot of calamansi and Sicilian lemon in this, foliage included. That competes with a soft earthiness.
Comment: great act. I preferred it the previous edition, though. 8/10

Irish Single Malt 28yo 1989/2018 (45.1%, The Whisky Agency Ten Years TWA, Barrel) (cavalier66)

Nose: P.E.A.C.H.! Cured persimmon too.
Mouth: well, it is ridiculously fruity.
Finish: more fruity debauchery.
Comment: I tell PS this is Allison Doody in The Last Crusade. How topical: Irish inside, German outside, just like this bottling by The Whisky Agency. Ha! Ha! It is as good as the first time, if not better. 9/10

The Arran Malt 10yo 2008/2018 Fourth Release (55.4%, OB White Stag, Bourbon Barrels, 875b, b#640)

Nose: fudge, custard and a nut paste or another (probably chestnut). It may even have soft smoke.
Mouth: a little spice and a lot of chocolate. White pepper, smashed rocks and chocolate custard.
Finish: lots of cracked black pepper and the same nut paste as before that still appears to be chestnut.
Comment: pretty good. 8/10

Burnside 1993/2017 (54.6%, Spirits Shop' Selection imported by Sansibar, Bourbon Hogshead, C#1796, 209b)

Nose: initially a little mute, it wakes up to medlar and unripe chestnut, (not quite) green hazelnut and unripe almonds. There is plasticine in the background.
Mouth: lots of waxy plasticine, here, and chewy fruit sweets. They are not Starburst, but it is a similar in texture as when one lets Starburst melt on the tongue. There are also berries of some kind.
Finish: long and fruity, in a way. This is smoked berries and crushed bay leaves.
Comment: good effort, despite the weird use of an apostrophe. 8/10

Kildalton 22yo 2003/2025 Chapter Twenty (53.7%, Decadent Drinks Whiskyland, 2nd Fill Barrel, 247b) (DW)

Nose: crushed seashells, mud patties, inky cuttlebones, tarry sands.
Mouth: woah! this is inky. Ink, diesel, petrochemicals in a water puddle, seashells after a black tide, and sea water.
Finish: surprisingly soft, custard-y, it has smoky fudge, smoky chocolate custard, yet also seashells full of diesel and cracked black pepper. The death brings souped-up vase water, which is interesting, after all that sea water action.
Comment: good. 8/10

Glasgow 1770 8yo 2017/2025 (54%, OB Bourbon Cask Matured, First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrels, B#1, C#17/264 + 17/269 + 17/272 + 17/674 + 17/676 + 17/699, 1400b)

Nose: it feels a tad spirit-y, but we still find apples, followed by a soft earthiness. Does it peddle washing-up liquid, in the long run?
Mouth: bubble gum cranked up to 11, black pepper. The main picture is that of strawberry bubble gum, though.
Finish: bigger than expected, in line with the mouth, which is to say: bubble gum and pepper.
Comment: another nice surprise that deserves a generous 8/10

Ben Nevis 12yo 2012/2024 (53%, Stillwater, Oloroso Barrique, 300b)

Nose: blueberries fallen into the mud. It is not as dirty as party sludge (remember that?), but it is not clean either. Prunes, blueberries, and also an oaken shield.
Mouth: ooh! This is fruity on the palate. Lots of berries, currants and black pepper.
Finish: super creamy, now, custard-y. It has hints of chocolate and buttery fudge.
Comment: annoyingly, this is very good. As it turns out, it is yet another distillery to keep an eye on, ha! ha! 8/10

Millburn 22yo 1969/1992 (51.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary Bottling, Oak Cask) (SW)

Nose: peach stones, polished wood, cured fruits.
Mouth: rehydrated raisins and a lot of drying wood spices.
Finish: woody, it also has Cognac, which means fruity shenanigans.
Comment: not my favourite Millburn. The label fell off in a flood. One wonders if more than the label was damaged and that is why the whisky, if decent, is a little underwhelming (for a Millburn). 8/10

DW: "I almost drew a cock-and-ball on your notebook."
tOMoH: "I think you'll find it's a cock-and-balls. Or did you want to draw a Hitler?" [who famously only had one bollock]
DW: Yeah, a Hitler."

Sweet 48yo 1972/2021 (46%, J.G. Thomson)

Nose: bah! Full-on baking scents, marzipan and baked choux dough.
Mouth: soft and sweet, it is a pastry attack alright, with custard and apple turnovers.
Finish: lots of blackcurrants. There must be a good proportion of Invergordon, in this. There may be a drop of grape juice too, which presents a tiny bitterness.
Comment: delicious. 8/10

Talisker 25yo b.2008 (54.2%, OB Natural Cask Strength imported by Diageo Greece, Refill Casks, 9708b, b#0104) (cavalier66)

Comment: I finish JS's glass who has had enough. I take no notes, convinced I have had it before, but apparently not. The closest is the version from the following year. This one is good too. 8/10

Glen Scotia Victoriana b.2025 (54.2%, OB, Bourbon + First-Fill ex-Pedro Ximénez + Deep Charred American Oak Casks, L1 148 25)

Nose: rubber, black liquorice bootlaces, but also cotton candy and a shoemaker's workshop, which spells polish and sole glue.
Mouth: apple juice, then fresh green grapes. There is quite a bit of horsepower on display too.
Finish: "a butyric candy" (WhiskyLovingPianist). It is very sweet and very fruity, full of apples and grapes pressed into a delightful juice.
Comment: totally unlike my memory of the Victoriana expressions I tried between 2016 and 2019, which, as I remember them, were very-smoky affairs. This is super welcoming. Another nice surprise. 8/10

Glen Garioch 19yo b.2025 (48%, Whisky Souls Living Souls, First Fill Sherry Butts) (SW)

Nose: clay and plasticine, some herb or another.
Mouth: plasticine juice, peach and clay.
Finish: a little soft and shy, this most certainly suffers from the sequence.
Comment: we will try this again another time. 8/10

We are all kicked out at 22:00. JS and I manage to escape, while others hit the bar downstairs.

Survived another one!

I think the only things I did not try were a Scallywag and BA's White Peak 7yo 2018/2025 (52.4%, Elixir Distillers The Whisky Trail, 4 x New Bourbon Barrels, 1254b), which we tried in October.

Oh! And cavalier66's Caol Ila 30yo 1984/2014 (52.8%, The Ultimate Rare Reserve, Hogshead, C#6261, 228b, b#42) (already tried) and his Imperial 20yo 1995/2015 (46%, The Ultimate, Hogshead, C#50234, 281b, b#44, L15/1482) (he breaks the cork and cannot open it; we had it last year).

BA worked in the shop, today. :-D

15/11/2025 OB the Ba(n)ker

OB is sadly leaving the country for the Land of Inferior Chocolate. We cannot let him go without one last hurrah.

cavalier66, JMcD, SOB, YM, WhiskyLovingPianist and JS join me to wish OB farewell.

With enough whisky to make sure he never reaches his destination

With the number of whiskies and guests, much time is spent on logistics, banter and rushing through drams. Notes are consequently succinct.

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Le sortilège

cavalier66 opens fire with a North of Scotland, which is as far away from OB's destination as any Scottish distillery can be. It is 44% ABV, which is OB's age today -- or 44.4%, to be precise, two third of 66.6, the Devil's number. cavalier66 argues that OB is selling his soul to the Devil by going to Neutralandia, and will turn into a full devil himself. The label, in pure Douglas Laing fashion (the parent company of Hunter Hamilton), tells of great expectations, which is what OB has for that new life, and of a great single blend -- and cavalier66 adds that OB is a great man we are losing.

cavalier66: "If I remember correctly, the nose is more impressive than the rest."
YM: "Should we put it into a dickhead glass?"

North of Scotland 39yo d.1966 (44.4%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, C#HH2240)

Nose: raisins, dusty sultanas, dried peach slices. It has a whisper of cured meat, honey-glazed pork roast or such. Beyond are vanillin and candied citrus. Perhaps a sprinkle of white-wood dust too. More and more pineapple and papaya cubes emerge with time.
Mouth: candied orange segments ride on a fairly-thin body, then we get pineapple cubes dunked in marmalade augmented with a dash of wine.
Finish: an explosion of raisins and resins, and the most distant dark-wood sawdust -- an old shelf sawn in smaller chunks. It has tannins, though they merely add to the complexity.
Comment: wonderful old grain. Cue memories of a time when these were "just there" and no-one was buying them. What a way to start! 9/10

tOMoH explains that OB is e-Scapa-ing from London.

Scapa 19yo 2000/2019 (49.9%, Chivas Brothers Distillery Reserve Collection, 1st Fill Barrel, C#26, 312b, b#38)

Nose: bakery scents (WhiskyLovingPianist), brighter (cavalier66) and chalkier (WhiskyLovingPianist) [than the previous dram]. For me, it has sweet grapes, nectarines and a spoonful of honey.
Mouth: it has body and acidity to complement a clear custard-y profile.
Finish: long, sweet and citric, with calamansi and Ugli fruit playing first and second trumpets.
Comment: WhiskyLovingPianist teases that Scapa is a lower-tier distillery, but really, everyone agrees this is "not bad," even if they are in denial about its true greatness. My notes are here. 9/10

cavalier66: "A little bit of soap in this. Is it just me?"
tOMoH: "Just you."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Soon as you said it..."

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Chronicles of the red sun

SOB explains that the theme, OB the Ba(n)ker, made him think that bakers no longer use imperial measures, but that bankers still occasionally talk of shillings or guineas. He therefore brought an Imperial.

Imperial 26yo 1994/2020 An ever changing world of impossibility (45.3%, The Whisky Exchange for Whisky Show, Barrel, C#5874, 198b)

Nose: pure ozone photocopier (cavalier66), citrus (WhiskyLovingPianist), glossy magazines, ozone indeed, vine leaves and flowers -- chiefly carnations.
Mouth: photocopied flowers (cavalier66), certainly glossy magazines. This is boldly flavourful and a trifle bitter.
Finish: creamy, custard-y, long and fudgy. The death brings a hint of mocha-y rubber or rubbery mocha -- who knows?
Comment: excellent. More nostalgia about Imperial (tsk! WhiskyLovingPianist again). I have to remind him that the ones that came out twenty years ago were not all stellar. This one is excellent. 9/10

tOMoH: "Glossy magazines."
cavalier66: "Top shelf."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Oh..."
cavalier66: "Don't go there!"
tOMoH: "Are the pages stuck together?"

Gruyere, a cheese from OB's destination

WhiskyLovingPianist: "I think Mark Watt owns most of the Imperial that came out around that time."
cavalier66: "Wasn't it Elixir [Distillers]?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "He bought it in bottles."

Alp Blossom, with the Alps having a foot in both France and Switzerland
(and Italy, Germany and Austria, but EG, MV and JH are not here)

cavalier66: "You can barely tell you're drinking alcohol at all..."
OB: "One could say: fruit."
SOB: "Write that down, tOMoH!"

WhiskyLovingPianist brought houmous and guacamole.
The latter turns out to be green tzatziki

OB opens, then closes the next bottle.

OB: "Ah! Okay. I've had bad luck with broken corks, lately..."
tOMoH: "So you put the cork back in to double your chances."

cavalier66 also brought beetroot-cured smoked salmon

OB presents his favourite bottle of whisky. Not his favourite whisky, not his favourite bottling, but his favourite bottle. He tells the story of how he acquired it, how he randomly met the bottler in a bar in Japan, and rolls out more incredible anecdotes all linked to this.

Tomatin 38yo 1976/2015 (47%, OB imported by Japan Import System for Whisky Hoop, C#31, 190b)

Comment: I know this from a previous encounter and take no note, today. It is still amazeboulanger. 10/10

OB: "Switzerland, as a tourist destination, makes no sense, because it is so expensive."
cavalier66: "And a bit boring, to be honest."
tOMoH: "Unless you want to ski."
cavalier66: "Even then, skis resorts are a bit boring."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's all downhill from here!"

JMcD: "Last time, there was a debate about chocolate..."
tOMoH: "No, there wasn't. No Swiss was here, so, no, there could have been no debate [about who makes the best chocolate]."
OB: "That's right. The best chocolate is French."
JMcD: "Wait! French?"
tOMoH: "Only for those who think that Belgium is a province of France."
cavalier66: "Well, half of it is..."

JMcD presents a whisky from the Old Bakery distillery.

Old Bakery 8yo (47.2%, Old Bakery Distillery for Gerry's, American 40% Toasted Oak ex-Bourbon Casks finished in Cuban Rum Barrels, b#7B)

Nose: cucumber juice poured on rubber, a new snorkel, nail polish thinner, with lemon rinds in the back and cypress resin.
Mouth: oh! yes, this has a strong rum-y side, with rubber, hevea brasiliensis and chewy wood, cork style.
Finish: bold, rubber, with enough pineapple to fill a wheelbarrow.
Comment: ideally placed, after the previous glories: so different it not only stands out, but stands its own. 7/10

The words on the label make little sense, on the other hand

WhiskyLovingPianist: "Dave Broom's Atlas. First edition, there were 3,500 whisky distilleries. Latest edition, there are 5,000."
tOMoH: "And that's just in Scotland! Nay! The Highlands!"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Just in Glasgow!"

SOB notices that cavalier66's shirt is covered in Drambuie bottles.

JS: "How is this Drambuie thing?"
YM: "It's sweet and flavoured with herbs."
tOMoH: "It's called aqua vitae -- or uisquebaugh."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "You're such a ninja."

WhiskyLovingPianist wanted to pour the following bottling, Pink wafers in a ladies hat shop, and suggested Bundt Day / confectionary as a theme to be able to do so easily.

48.41 25yo d.1988 Pink wafers in a ladies hat shop (48.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 239b)

Nose: it starts off woody, if not plank-y. Dusty shelves and dried staves. It quickly opens up to reveal orchard fruit -- conference pears, poached apples, and a whiff of dried rosemary too. The second noses serves peaches.
Mouth: lemon-y and herbaceous, it has calamansi juice and limoncello, pineapple turnovers sprinkled with dried rosemary, then cypress branches coated in Golden Syrup. The second sip has a bitter lick from the rosemary, and that complements the fruit well.
Finish: pastry aplenty, still with a softly-bitter-herbaceous note. It is essentially peaches and herbs.
Comment: lovely. The bitterness will prevent a higher score today, but in other circumstances, who knows? 8/10

JS: "WhiskyLovingPianist, what is that bread you brought?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Heritage sourdough."
JS: "Oh, really? Is it made with Maris Otter and brewer's yeast?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Yeah, and the Thompson Brothers' spit."

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Beyond the gate to the eternal slumber

tOMoH explains he looked for a Swiss bottling. The only one easily accessible was this Arran bottled for a Swiss festival. He added the Barrel Bonfire, because OB is making a bonfire of his London life, at the moment.

Arran 17yo 1997/2014 (51.6%, The Whisky Agency & Acla da Fans Acla Selection specially selected for Whisky-Schiff Zürich 2014, Refill Sherry Cask, 120b)

Comment: a citrus malt, especially the finish. Full notes here. 8/10

vs.

Arran 11yo b.2024 Edition 2 -- Barrel Bonfire (50%, OB The Signature Series, Peated Quarter Casks, 14822b)

Comment: full notes here. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "This is really pastry. It is almost in the Nordic- sorry! in Nordic Zone of Whisky Show. Did you go to Nordic Zone of Show, SOB?"

OB presents a Brora from his birth year, because he wants to finish the bottle before he leaves.

Brora 27yo 1981/2009 (51.3%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld, C#291, 330b, b#76)

Nose: ashy and waxy, it has nectarines and bubble gum of some sort.
Mouth: acidic and ashy, it also has a touch of yellow fruits. I find it very bitter in the long run.
Finish: more ash and wax, soot, desert dirt. WhiskyLovingPianist calls it sugary, almost sherbet-like.
Comment: WhiskyLovingPianist says "lovely" and "comfort," while cavalier66 says it is almost more Clynelish than Brora. I find it delicious. Better than previous times (here and here), in fact. 9/10

cavalier66: "I've had some that were not as good. It wasn't Duncan Taylor -- who was it?"
tOMoH: "Chieftain's and Dun Bheaghan. Ian McLeod and Wm. Maxwell."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Yeah, they were quite poor."
cavalier66: "I've had three or four of those, and..."
tOMoH: "Do you want a dickhead glass to say that?"

SOB went for the banker side and brought a Springbank. In a Madeira Cask. He also brought Madeira, tough not the one the Springbank was aged in.

Barbeito Madeira Bastardo Duas Pipas (unknown ABV, OB Reserva, B#2, C#46+735)

Nose: butter not far from turning rancid, pressed raisins (sultanas, to be accurate), dried figs, then it turns drier, earthier
Mouth: earthy-mushroom-y profile submerged by dried dates and prunes. It is syrupy at second sip, almost cloying. Then, that dissipates and leaves Manzanilla and prunes.
Finish: coating, incredibly sweet, with rehydrated dates and figs. Incredibly, it is sweeter and juicier at second gulp, with Smyrna and cloudberries or salmonberries.
Comment: pleasant, and an adequate break in the line-up to recalibrate. 7/10

vs.

Springbank 8yo 2017/2025 (54.7%, OB Springbank Society, Fresh Madeira Cask, 1761b, 25/169)

Nose: it is dramatically farm-y with a mineral touch. We have sun-baked farm paths, tractor tyres in the summer, with a rubber that suggests quite a bit of Madeira indeed. Then, it peddles walnut stain, peppery earth, dark-strawberry (Benihoppe, Camarosa) coulis, and black bun dragged through a dry field. A drop of water reveals a scrumptious berry paste and increases the lovely fruitiness.
Mouth: oh! my, this is so farm-y. Peppery clay pots dragged through a field of dark earth. That pepper is strong! Is this a mislabelled Talisker? Water adds loads of wine-y fruits such as lychees and peaches.
Finish: strong, dark, peppery again. Juicy prunes, Corinth raisins, and, especially, a lot of earth and chilli peppers. Even with water, it remains on the side of earth and prunes, with only the spices taking a bit of a subtler front.
Comment: JS is not a fan -- too farm-y and impacted by the Madeira. I find it works well. 8/10

JS says she chose the next bottle, because OB is leaving UK to go to CH-i-CH-ibu. I add that OB is our resident expert on all things Japanese.

SOB: "Chichi-bye?"

Chichibu London Edition b.2023 (51.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt imported by Speciality Drinks, 1949b, b#1843)

Comment: I take no notes to avoid being too behind. It is well liked all round. For today, it is 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "What does 'CH' stand for?"
tOMoH: "Chwitcherland."
cavalier66: "Canton Helvetica."
tOMoH: "Confédération helvétique."

cavalier66: "Do I detect a touch of red-wine cask?"
tOMoH: "Is that your glass of Madeira?"

cavalier66 checks online and confirms the Chichibu was partly matured in wine casks.

WhiskyLovingPianist: "When was the last Show you attended?"
tOMoH: "2018."
cavalier66: "No. When was last Show you attended."

From here on, we (attempt to) stop saying the word 'the'. For each 'the', the person who said the word has to pick a sample from OB's bag o' tricks. It leads to hilarious situations. That lasts until OB's bag is empty.

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Chronicles of a pandemic

YM looked for an OB to bring (Official Bottling), but could not find an interesting one. He looked for a connection to bankers; none. Oban? He does not have any. So he took this bottling.

tOMoH: "It reads 'pudding' on the label. OB baked pudding."

Speaking of which...

9.210 17yo d.2003 Nostalgia-filled trifle pudding (56.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 205b)

Nose: apple pie? This is really, really closed, at first nosing. There are blackcurrants in the medium run, I suppose, maybe vapours coming out of a baker's oven too. Water opens it up and it releases perfume.
Mouth: hot marmalade, lemon marmalade, even, green chilli, split stones and orange peels so hot they are barely recognisable. This is hot. Water brings orange juice.
Finish: long, a tad metallic and hot again, with sage and bitter orange rinds. Water mellows it down. It becomes juicy and fruity.
Comment: challenging today, this will likely improve in the open bottle. 7/10

OB pulls one out that he wants to share before he leaves the country, especially with cavalier66, the only enthusiast in town who has never had it. Yes, the theme is a lot easier for some people than for others, is it not?

117.3 25yo 1988/2013 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Comment: I skip it and keep it for later.

For the next one, cavalier66 has a whisky distilled in 1981, which is OB's year of birth. It is a Rose-bank(er), from a lost distillery -- "and we are about to lose OB" ("to alcoholism," adds WhiskyLovingPianist). cavalier66 explains he had preselected several bottles to pick from. This is the one that OB guessed correctly, so he brought it.

Miraculously, the cork does not give in

Rosebank 25yo 1981/2007 (61.4%, OB Natural Cask Strength, 4710b, b#01138)

Nose: musty warehouses, soaked corks, mushrooms in planters. Later, it is a ball of cat's hair, warming. It also has gum. It promises to be drying (it singes the nostrils), with hot blankets and herbs on cobblestones.
Mouth: fiery, it has quarry dust, strawberry-flavoured toothpaste, and a lot of red flowers (carnations, peonies, begonias, dahlias).
Finish: huge. Flowers on fire. There is a fair amount of fruits too, baked nectarines in front.
Comment: at last, tOMoH tastes this legend. It is very good. However, for the price it commands, one can obtain better things (including other from the same distillery), in my opinion. This confirms that 1981 is not tOMoH's favourite year for Rosebank. The Rare Malt is also too hot for its own good. Still... 9/10

cavalier66: "I'm trying to think of what it reminds me of. I think it reminds me of itself."

YM chose a bottling called Spices and syrup, which are things one might use when baking.

94.30 11yo d.2011 Spices and syrup (62.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill #3 Char Barrel, 224b)

Nose: toffee and milk chocolate. WhiskyLovingPianist detects English rye whisky. Obviously drunk. Well, there is a soft lick of Irn Bru on a sheet of metal, I suppose, which spells rye. Further nosing has warmed cardboard and chocolate slabs on a wood plank.
Mouth: ooft! it is a little grain-like, with melted chocolate that gets added chilli pepper over time. The second sip has quarry dust, heat and a little fruit.
Finish: hot and softly metallic, with dark chocolate and aluminium cans. Hot Dr. Pepper, cassia-bark splinters, later on. It is a bit drying, though that is tolerable.
Comment: I really like this. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "You could try Rosebank for free at th-... at Show."
cavalier66: "No, you can say it, now."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Not for Show!"

JS points out that our guest is OB a(n asset) Manager('s Dram), rather than a banker.

Oban 19yo (59.5%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Cask, SE 102, b.1995)

Comment: a dram I know very well and, therefore, take no notes for. It is universally liked, and as good as it always is. Incredible how well it fares, at this late stage, after the heavy hitters. 9/10

WhiskyLovingPianist observes the ABV is high, yet well integrated.

WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's almost as if we didn't just have eighteen drams!"

cavalier66: "This is rather good."
tOMoH: "What a shocker! Kept a decent dram for last!"
cavalier66: "Well, it comes after..."
tOMoH: "Sixteen drams."
OB: "Huh?"
tOMoH: "One of them was a Madeira."

cavalier66 gets up and prepares to let his offspring in, who forgot the key."

tOMoH: "You'll want to stay a little longer."

I remind OB and cavalier66 that, in 2017, they left a tasting early and missed a dram, which only JS, GL and MR ended up enjoying. cavalier66 knows immediately and exactly what I am talking about. Time to pour it again.

cavalier66: "And it is from 1981. OB's year!"

Lochside 30yo 1981/2011 (54.9%, Cadenhead's, Bourbon Hogshead, 246b, 11/396)

Nose: olive oil and fruits (cavalier66). It is fruits in various stages of ripeness (WhiskyLovingPianist).
Comment: I reviewed this masterpiece yesterday (quality check, you understand), so no notes today. 10/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's when the tropics become dusty."
YM: "this, I think, you could snort."
cavalier66: "I know the word to describe this whisky: 'exquisite'!"

I still have a dram, which I kept for now.

117.3 25yo 1988/2013 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Comment: it still rawcks, even after the glorious Lochside. Fuller notes here. 10/10

Well, that was an epic send-off. Goodbye, OB! Come see us again!

In pure English fashion, cavalier66 left us half a bite of pie.
Could not possibly finish it; that would be rude!