22/09/2026 The Creators Collection

They are making room on the shelves by hosting a tasting in which we can try entries from the various iterations of this collection. Tonight, we can taste them as part of a flight, just like any other outturn. To spice things up, the good folks at SMWS offer a few venue exclusives to try as well.

35.388 32yo b.2024 Homecoming: The essence of heritage with Shona Hardie -- Snug and toasty (53.9%, SMWS The creators collection, 2nd Fill ex-PX Hogshead Finish, 182b): nose: prunes, raisins, dried figs. Here is an archetypal PX cask at work. Sweet and elegant, it opens a jar of strawberry-and-blackberry jam, spreads said jam on plasticine, adds a spoonful of buckwheat honey, and serves that with a bowl of lychee and purple maracuja on a metal plate. The person serving is a mechanic who just applied grease to a cylinder block and wiped hands with a rag. The second nose is a pint of lukewarm chocolate milk with a dash of windscreen defroster. It is seconds until we find another fruit stash -- blueberries, purple maracujas, pink peaches, dark grapes, slightly-smoked mulberries. It has something pine-y too, and if it is not génépi, it is droplets of pine liqueur. Fruitier yet with water, it adds oranges and blush oranges to the plums. Bizarrely, something in the back feels almost butyric or akin to lactic acid. Mouth: spicier than anticipated, it has dried green-chilli flakes to impart a soft bitterness and heat. A second's chewing coats the tongue with plasticine, adds cut flowers in a vase (daffodils, tulips, irises) and brings us back to fruits, although it is almost only plums, this time. There is a hint of menthol or peppermint, rather subtle. The second sip sprays defroster onto plums and pine needles. Chewing conjures up images of the stale air trapped in a drawer one opens once a year at most, and cinnamon-flavoured cocoa. It acquires lukewarm orange juice, in the long run. With water, it ventures towards wood and plastic, with old chipboards, plastic buckets and hardened plasticine. Desiccated plums are here too. Finish: rancio, plums and prunes enhanced with a dollop of minty or mentholated toothpaste, then clay and chewy cinnamon sticks to accompany some flowers. It is really chewy -- imagine wet chamois leather. Perhaps it has ginger powder too, yet loudest are cinnamon and a peppermint paste. The second gulp gives a slap of fruits (unripe plums and nectarines) and woody notes: dried lemongrass, sawn chipboard and cinnamon yoghurt. Riper and riper plums slowly come back to prominence, however, supported by lovely mixed peel. The addition of water makes this very fruity again; plums, berries, grapes, discreet purple maracujas and a dusting of cinnamon powder. This is excellent. My score may be generous, but I love it. 9/10

149.15 9yo b.2026 Lovely lozenge (63.7%, SMWS In Celebration 28 Queen Street Exclusive Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrel, 196b): nose: sharp and strong, this nose presents eau-de-vie and industrial cleaning alcohol, if not surgical alcohol. Hot desert sand, a distant whiff of iodine, and something that promises to be earthy, but never quite delivers. Further sniffing catches incense, empty husks, bone-dry grist. That is it! It is extremely dry is what it is. The second nose takes a turn towards caramel flan served in a galvanised-iron bucket. Water fertilises the earth from earlier. It does not become muddy, but it is greasy earth alright, good for crops. Mouth: unexpectedly mellow, even juicy. We find plum juice and peach nectar, pressed cotton grapes, silky, sweet. That is quite a contrast with the nose! Chewing stirs that to bring earth to the surface, dried, crusty lumps of earth that make the whole drier again, yet especially numbing. This is one that leaves the tongue shaken as if hit with a lead pipe. Despite that, it still manages to serve some fruits -- greengages in the lead. The second sip is drier; sand, beach sand, quarry dust, shingles, crushed glass. It is not long before that is balanced with a spoonful of light-brown sugar. Water reveals wooden skewers, charred, oily, but with no food left on them. Finish: once past a heat slap on the tonsils, the finish presents comforting waves of warmth, fruity tones (baked greengages come to mind), and a blend of granite. Instead of being overly mineral and desiccating, that granite seems to add structure to the whole, which is nice. The second gulp feels more mineral. Nothing off the scale, but certainly quarry dust and residue on a flint knapper's outfit. It has virtually no fruit left; perhaps ground greengage stones is all. Adding water brings out oily prune syrup. The mineral profile turns earthier and richer. This is nice. I do not know if I prefer it with or without water. 7/10

149.21 9yo 2016/2026 The New Wave: A taste of our next-generation gems -- Machair medley (60%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-PX Butt, 666b): I make no notes on the night other than: "It is really good." I realise the following day that we tried this when it came out.

156.9 10yo 2015/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Breakfast in Seville (61%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 179b): nose: hot plastic! Oilcloth left in a conservatory on a sunny day, the yellow, corrugated-plastic container of that brand of cocoa, also left in the conservatory, plastic buckets and watering cans in the greenhouse... Until a galvanised-iron bucket appears too. Zinc gutters join rubber boots in the greenhouse, as does bird feed, a mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts, oats etc. It stays in the greenhouse, with hoses, planters and earth supplementing the cans, buckets and bird seeds. The second nose blows a whiff of cut flowers (narcissuses, crocuses, hyacinths) and minty almond lozenges. There is a hint of milk chocolate in the background, as well as gunpowder -- or paper gun caps for a toy gun, to be accurate, and that is most unexpected. Adding water renders this more breakfast-y, with lukewarm coffee or cocoa, and hot pains au chocolat, perhaps a couple of oranges not yet pressed. Mouth: hot and acidic, it peddles a heated lemon paste, turnover style. Chewing adds fudge, chewy, sweet and a little earthy, as if one had poured a spoonful of weak coffee onto vanilla custard. The second sip seems more welcoming; hot custard buns and citrus turnovers. Yes, chewing confirms the citrus in particular: it is a lovely calamansi paste in a puff pastry augmented with a generous dose of pepper. Adding water turns the palate into an earthy-fruit jam (elderberry) enhanced with smoked orange segments, which makes it a lot brighter. Finish: assertively metallic, this has a heated knife used to cut fudge into squares. The second gulp seems spicier: white pepper, ginger powder, ground mace. All the same, what dominates is hot citrus pastry and the metal tray it was baked on. Beautifully sweet with water, it has orange marmalade spread onto a pain au chocolat. This one too improves with water. Without it, it is a solid... 7/10

3.364 21yo 2004/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Smoked lavender (56%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 217b): nose: I want to say smoke, but it could just as well be old cardboard boxes in a dry basement. Past that (thirty seconds in), we spot crayons, chewy dried fruits (raisins). Oh! there is smoke, alright, coming up a few minutes later; the smoke of a thyme-twig fire next to which someone left a suede pouch. A minuscule amount of shoe polish becomes notionally perceptible, as does the recently-polished plastic dashboard of a newish vehicle. The second nose is less defined. We have dusty old glass bottles, empty for yonks, and musty warehouses, which is to say damp clay and stale air. Deeper nosing brings back some smoke. Mouth: shoe polish is a little more identifiable on the palate. Next to it is waterproofing spray. It is upon chewing that things change for the better: tropical fruits tumble out of a cornucopia, smoked mango, baked plantain, papaya cubes, and even timid yellow maracuja. The second sip has grilled and roasted fruits (mango, pineapple, plum, nectarine), a pinch of ash, charred-wood gratings (hazel) and the soft bitterness of unripe plums. There are smoked brambles too, but, again, the smoke factor is low on this one. Finish: although still fruity, it is cardboard boxes in the basement that catch one's attention. That clings to the tongue and the throat until the taste buds realise some of the fruits have not gone anywhere: papaya and plantain are still here, but not baked, now. The second gulp has crystallised berries and chewy sweets of the dark variety: blackberry, blackcurrant, elderberry in sweet format. It stops short of liquorice, thankfully, and only tickles cough drops. Perhaps it offers mango skins, yet the fleeting lush tropicality of the palate is nowhere to be seen. All the same, this is very good. 8/10

3.365 21yo 2004/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Sweet seduction (55.2%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 211b): is it not crazy that one could try a different SMWS Bowmore every day of a non-leap year? They are wildly different too, so there would never be a dull day (although trends would undoubtedly surface). Nose: generous, greasy peat, fertile soil, dark earth. There is a (cattle-)farm-y aspect too, cow stables or pastures, that almost entirely hides juicy fruits. Indeed, we have plums and peaches trying hard to punch through a wall of leather and cattle hair. Cow dung has a small part too, and it is tempting to picture a horned ruminant taking a dump on a basket of fruits. Unless the cow ate the fruits, then shat them. But cows do not eat fruits, do they? The more we sniff, the closer we come to suede and shoe polish, which is odd, as no-one in their right mind would put shoe polish on suede. The second nose displays aromas of clay beads, crayons and a distant barbecue grille. A marsh-like note appears, lush vegetation growing in suffocating humidity. Mouth: silky and lukewarm, it is very comforting on entry. Warm honey, then the faint smoke of a gas stove, a jam or another, still warm from the cauldron it simmered in. Half-a-chew slaps one in the teeth with cut papaya, even if that pulls a discreet note of violet in its wake. Not to worry! Smoked comes to the rescue and turns the palate into a herbs marinade of the kind they sometimes put on lamb burgers and that holds mostly rosemary. The second sip is fruity, a little smoky and softly bitter. The smoke is reduced to that of a bramble fire, whereas dark wild berries now dominate. Finish: warm and comforting here too, this gives several waves of flavours. First is smoke; then come crayons, borderline waxy; finally, a mix of smashed berries settles, then becomes smoked berries -- smoked on a herbs fire, that is. Tropical fruits do a fleeting dance, for a tenth of a second. The second gulp has blackberry sweets, elderberry drops or liquorice-flavoured Haribo sweets. 8/10

156.7 10yo 2015/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- No mean confection (61.2%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 198b): nose: powerful and metallic, the nose quickly opens up to reveal a mix of spring flowers (daffodils), cut yellow fruits (peach, apricot, nectarine) and plain crackers. It is the aromas that become loudest, fragrant and promise bitterness, which takes us back to metal. That swiftly makes way for sherbet and the smell of straw bales in a barn in a place with a cool and humid climate. The second nose is a wonderful mix of sherbet, flour and chalk or talcum powder. Perhaps it has cosmetic powder too -- it is powdery, at any rate. Adding water evokes a freshly-cleaned bedroom, with soft pot-pourri from the vacuuming, and clean sheets. A minute later, dark chocolate turns into mocha, then chocolate pudding. Mouth: fresh and indistinct at first, it is only seconds before it adopts the bitterness and sharpness of a stainless-steel blade -- pencil-sharpener blade, kitchen knives, that sort of things. Chewing immediately adds a note of milk chocolate and a drop of ink. It is noticeably powerful, without surprise. Straw is in the background, merely a backing dancer, while little of the fruits appear, other than that freshness, which could be associated with unripe nectarines. The second sip is drier. Straw comes back, backed by sherbet and candy necklaces. In other words, it develops a chalky touch, before pouring grenadine syrup on top. Soft and custard-y with water, it has the bitter-sweet taste of Seville-orange marmalade. Finish: it kicks bouteille without aggression. Cut unripe nectarines, flower stems and tons of metal. Cold steel, to be precise. It leaves the mouth throbbing and applies dried orange zest on the taste buds. The second gulp is softer, warm not hot, and peddles gingerbread-y flavours. Sourdough comes out albeit one slathered with apricot jam and a spoonful of marmalade. Water underlines orange marmalade spread on toasted sourdough. It improves with water, in this taster's opinion. Neat, it is... 7/10

Nice wee sesh.

31/08/2026 Bowmore

The month of August has almost disappeared already, and we are behind in tasting. Let us make this last day count!

Bowmore 32yo 1968/2000 (45.5%, OB selected by Brian Morrison to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Original Stanley P. Morrison Company, 1860b, b0518): it is insane to think we opened this here bottle just shy of thirteen years ago and as insane to acknowledge we last poured it over nine years ago. Nose: what lovely fruits! We have smashed strawberries, plump raspberries, greengages and pink passion fruits. It has a whiff of ex-Bourbon Quercus Alba, which is to say a drop of coconut milk and vanilla ice cream. Very, very elegant. For the first time, I reckon, we catch a murmur of smoke. Oh! it is not industrial chimneys; merely the remains of a campfire. Blink and you miss it, though! In seconds, the second charge of fruits is upon us, with pink grapefruit, banana, papaya and cherimoya. That is followed by lichens on staves and Verdigris, yet also various sorts of nougats and marshmallows. That is not all, for honeysuckle, sarcococca, unripe rosehip, and even hazelwood, dried to crumbling, all rock up at some point. Phwoar! Orange-blossom water and rosewater drip onto smashed Cape gooseberries in a kitchen that has a wood stove. Candied berries and pink passion fruits add another layer. The second nose is so full of pastry one gets to wonder whether one is now nosing a grain whisky! Custard-y turnovers (Mirabelle plums, nectarines), buttery couques aux raisins, and those omnipresent passion fruits (smoked, now) complement rubber boots and a gentle wood smoke. Mouth: quite the attack, despite the bottle being half empty for a decade (or half full, you know?), fruity, acidic and a little bitter. Here are gooseberries, Cape gooseberries, pink and green passion fruit, Mirabelle plums and greengages, a drop of plant sap, just bitter enough to be acknowledged, too quiet to be identified. Chewing unleashes a torrent of maracuja, some not entirely ripe, unripe pineapple, pomelo, grapefruit peels and a little wood. Hell! it even has a rubbery aspect, chewy, a tad bitter, closer to root-y liquorice than to crude oil -- it is a Bowmore, after all, not a Port Ellen. The second sip is more-directly acidic, with bright citrus and other tropical fruits -- pineapple, cherimoya, calamansi, calamondin and, of course, maracuja (yellow, now). Rubber plays a game of whack-a-mole, too fleeting to be seen as bold, merely adding a nuance now and then. Finish: it feels brief and abrupt, filled with plant stems and green-wood splinters. Then, all of a sudden, retro-nasal olfaction picks up similar vibes to what we experienced on the palate. Rubbery liquorice allsorts, chewy citrus peels (Shaddock, blush orange) and orange-blossom water sprayed on tar. The intensity of this fruity bitterness is striking. I keep thinking it should not work, yet, not only it does, it leaves me craving for more. Preserved Seville-orange rinds, in brine, which adds salt to the redoubtable bitter-fruity combination we now take for granted. The second gulp gives a similar impression, with minor rubber on the way down, probably citrus peels rather than oil derivatives, and a lot more going on via retro-nasal olfaction: smoked pomelo, melon skins, cigar leaves (unlit), hazelwood sticks rubbed against one another, heated but not ignited. The other fruits (gooseberry, pineapple Mirabelle) are more in the background, now; only a general creaminess subsists. I have always been fond of this bottling, the first 1960s Bowmore in my collection. Now that I spent enough time with it, it is easy to see why: it is a masterpiece! 10/10

17/07/2026 Savoureur’s surprise birthday party

In April when JS and I bumped into PH, she invited us to come back to Limburg today to celebrate Savoureur’s milestone birthday -- unbeknownst to him. Here we are, then, with thirty-or-forty others, some of whom are familiar faces, but mostly new acquaintances to meet.

When Savoureur and PH make it to the venue and he spots us all, he is genuinely surprised and enthusiastic at the idea of spending an evening with friends.

Savoureur: "Thank you all for joining us here, some from outside of the EU, even!"

PH: “I booked dinner for forty people. Some have forgotten to come, but I did not cancel their food. You may have to help eat their share.”
tOMoH [to himself]: “Mission accepted.”

We all enjoy a glass of prosecco before proceeding to the real stuff. It quickly turns into an open bar and I do not know who brought what; notes are scant and I cannot always attribute the bottle to its owner.

James Martin’s V.V.O. (40°, James Martin imported and distributed by Distillerie Riunite di Liquori)

Nose: old-bottle effect, tin lids, jars of marmalade and copper coins.

Mouth: soft, mellow, it still presents hazelnut shells and a lick of copper.

Finish: nutty, timidly leathery, it serves scoops of caramel-and-hazelnut ice cream.

Comment: perfect apéritif.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, T)

Clynelish 22yo 1995/2018 (56.7%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams, Sherry Cask, L18/420)

Nose: musky and husky, it promises dryness and animality. It is a Clynelish, after all. Fox’s skin, dried windfall, nutshells. Deeper sniffing makes it seem a little sweeter.

Mouth: dried dates, dried rugs and super-dry raisins. It is well marked by the Sherry, if not overpowered. There is a bit of rancio and elderberry compote oxidising in a cellar.

Finish: extraordinary balance, here, dry yet elegant, with a dried-fruit touch (prunes, Medjool dates, figs) and a faint animal aftertaste. It is fairly tannic, in the long run.

Comment: good effort. I prefer Clynelish in Bourbon casks, but hey!

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, MG)

Antipasto misto

Flatbread

Ireland 26yo 1989/2016 Volume 6 (53.8%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams Anniversary Edition for 10 Years The Nectar)

Nose: phwoar! An explosion of tropical-fruit custard, with no surprise and for maximum enjoyment. It starts with mango, continues with banana, grapefruit, apricot, berries… You get the picture!

Mouth: sweet and bitter, big, glue-y. It has lots of glue, in fact. Chewing releases an avalanche of fruits, cantaloupe and mango leading the pack.

Finish: citrus flesh, citrus bark, chopped mango in yoghurt, served in a copper goblet. Phwoar!

Comment: this is excellent.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks, F)

White Horse (unknown ABV, White Horse Distillers, b#8734189)

Nose: extremely fishy, it has crayfish, fish sauce, dried fish, salt cod, fish oil sprayed on hay bales. It turns drier and less original with breathing, but the initial impression is gobsmacking. It picks up pickled antipasti, perhaps, though that may be the food interfering.

Mouth: a tad weak at the knee, after two cask strengths, but it holds together. Machine oil, engine grease, sardine tins with a drop of oil still in it. It is really tinny, actually.

Finish: soft, if long, it sticks to the gob surreptitiously, like engine great or petroleum jelly. There is a bit of smoked chocolate at the death, and not much fish left.

Comment: interesting and original. It does not turn me into a White Horse aficionado, though. The tax seal reads 'ministerio', but there is no importer information.

Score: 7/10 (Thank, Savoureur)

Schweine Steaks mit Champignon's sauce [sic]
dazu Gemuüse und Rosemarinkartoffeln
(me)

Putenbrustfilet mit Pfeffer Sauce
dazu Gemüse und Rosemarinkartoffeln
(JS)

Littlemill 13yo 1990/2004 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Oak Cask, C#2974, 449b, b#64, 04/099)

Nose: hay, lemon zest, Aspirin, a drop of hot Merbromin. It also has hot set custard and peach blended into yoghurt. The second sniff brings strong rubber.

Mouth: creamy. No! Milky. It has pulped peach, persimmon (though not as thick), yoghurt, a sprinkling of grated Aspirin, and crunchy heritage apples with a rough skin. It is chalkier and chalkier with time.

Finish: more creamy, custard-y goodness with grated Aspirin peppered on it. Is that a medicinal touch? Perhaps! Medicine tablets. Some whole, some grated, jelly caps full of herbal preparations -- woah!

Comment: very good Littlemill that reminds me of another Signatory bottling we had recently.

Score: 8/10

Glenturret 30yo 1982/2013 (46%, Meadowside Blending The Maltman, Fresh Bourbon Cask, C#258, 242b)

Nose: a mix of strawberry bubble gum, inflatable beach balloons and cat sick. Is that weird or what? It smells like a grain gone wrong -- in a good way! Pineapple and melted plastic having an argument. The second nose is ridiculously fruity (unripe white peach and pineapple) in a chemical way.

Mouth: the bubble-gum-rubber hallucination continues, with melted wellies and torched strawberries. More plastic appears upon chewing (beach balloons), and the dryness that comes with that. Sweeter and even more chemical at second sip, with more bubble gum and Gummibärchen.

Finish: it scrapes a beach ball along the tongue and leaves it all burnt -- or tender, at least. It stays warm and plastic-y in the long run.

Comment: So original, but… it is a little too weird. Very, very particular.

Score: 7/10

Springbank 12yo 1999/2023 (46%, OB Norddeutscher Kaufmann, 236b)

Nose: a weird mix of rubber and farm-y notes. That will be tractor tyres, then, surely. Exhaust fumes, garden fire, faint manure, smoked roasted cereals.

Mouth: Creamy? Dry? It is chocolate pudding is what it is. Chewing brings back the smoked cereals, nice, sweet clusters, augmented with a dash of fortified wine. Breakfast of champions.

Finish: dry, mineral, it has smoked cereals mixed with quarry dust and bone-dry earth patties fallen off a tractor tyre.

Comment: pretty good. Well, it is a Springbank, innit. It is expected.

Score: 8/10

Dessert is served.

Tiramisu [sic]

 

A pause during which I try a Port.
Warre Tercentenary 1970 (unknown ABV, imported and bottled for Percy Fox)
It is very good, despite all the vegetables
sinking to the bottom of my glass.

A waiter brings an unclaimed tiramisu. Guess who claims it!

Me.

Ledaig 10yo 2004/2015 Edition No. 1 The Fat Cat End Bottling(58%, The Scots Whisky Forum imported by Brühler Whiskyhaus, First Fill Sherry Butt, C#15/740)

Nose: super leathery and mineral, yet there is also lychee behind it all (“Lychee or Lydaig?” JS asks) -- or is it rambutan? We have pickled pearl onions, onion relish spread onto lychees… How ancient is this? It smells like a 1970s bottling. Cocoa powder is sprinkled on top, and a dollop of shoe polish adds to the magic.

Mouth: pickled onion alright, sharp, vinegary and, actually, very nice too. Chewing unleashes a torrent of smoke, followed by a nearly-medicinal heat, which is a tad numbing. The second sip adds a spoonful of piping-hot marmalade.

Finish: strongly coffee-like, teeming with mocha and cocoa powder. It is earthy, dry, still good, yet no longer as elegant.

Comment: that nose was a strong 9. The mouth and finish are a little behind.

Score: 8/10

Cake is served.

Baumkuche, or tree cake

Bowmore 28yo 1996/2025 (50.3%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks hand selected and exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Caribbean Rum Cask, C#MoS25039, 155b, b#44)

Nose: pineapple-and-coconut juice with a. Lick of smoke. Next is washing-up liquid (with zero soapiness, mind), citrus and ash.

Mouth: mild, fruity, it has lemon, calamansi, grapefruit, pomelo. Chewing increases that and splashes it with Indian tonic water. There is more and more ash, to a point it is a little desiccating. The citrus stays on top, also desiccating.

Finish: acidic and ashy, it takes a few seconds to turn lemon-y, grapefruit-y, with acidic juice poured onto smashed glass.

Comment: very excited to try this one. It is very good, but I much prefer it the 2004 by the same bottler we tried in January.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, F)

Springbank 1997/20017 (55.2%, OB Vintage, Re-Charred Sherry Butts, B#1, 07/155)

Nose: a blend of shoe polish and mint paste, toasted coconut flakes and smoked caramel — just a wisp of soft smoke, you know. Some decayed pineapple bark rocks up at second nose.

Mouth: creamy, coating, it has melted tar, black shoe polish, rubber soaking in blush-orange juice, a touch of liquorice. Chewing adds desiccating ashes, lint and hardened tar. It is overly rubbery at second sip.

Finish: menthol, tar, lint, dried citrus peels, liquorice root. That combines at second gulp, long, tarry, rubbery, and the liquorice moves from root to allsorts and bootlaces.

Comment: decent.

Score: 7/10

Out of my bag comes 18.15 35yo 1966/2001 Curry powder and dark rum (67.5%, SMWS Society Cask Old Masters Collection, Sherry Cask)

Comments: “It’s like a cannon shot on squirrels or something,” says T. “Intense? Yeah, one could say that!” MG tells us, who will drink it fifty-fifty whisky and water. “It is intense, but also very dry,” F says. Whether they like it or not, I rejoice that I brought something that gets the tongues wagging. Everyone has their own taste; this is unforgettable. Full notes here.

The one-upmanship begins.

76.22 11yo 1989/2000 Quark cream cake (58.5%, SMWS Society Cask, Butt, 498b)

Nose: super-dry and mineral. Quarry dust, chalky sandstone. Maybe Sauvignon blanc and crushed plum stones.

Mouth: it has some fruit juice, but it is mostly desert-dry orange zest more than the fruit’s juice.

Finish: dry, borderline herbaceous, this has lichen on metal pipes.

Comment: never know what to expect from a Mortlach, especially an SMWS Mortlach. This is not a winy beast, but neither is it a fruit deluge like the series bottled around 2011-12. It seems it may have been a Switzerland special, though no access to the bottle means I did not see an importer label.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, T)

Glen Elgin 31yo 1986/2018 (48%, Signatrory Vintage The Un-Chillfilitered Collection Specially Selected by and bottled for The Belux Tour 2018, Hogshead, C#2526, 215b)

Nose: grapefruit peels and zest. There are splashes of yoghurt, but it is mostly a zesty number, with citrus zest on a baking tray.

Mouth: juicy as hell, with citrus and marmalade leading to liquorice allsorts.

Finish: fruity, it has chewy sweets, candied papaya and pineapple cubes.

Comment: fantastic drop.

Score: 9/10

Mortlach 25yo b.2021 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Distillery Labels imported by Kirsch Import, Sherry Casks, 210181)

Nose: cured meat, marinated cutlets, and nuts. Perhaps there are sandstone chippings?

Mouth: woah! It is a meaty yoghurt. Rosemary, roast beef, blush-orange rinds and a drop of wine, very dark and musky.

Finish: lots of blood oranges and rosemary, oil -- it is marinated orange wedges, really. It also has distant cinnamon sticks. The second gulp is drying and makes the gums throb.

Comment: works well.

Score: 8/10

The GlenDronach 20yo 1995/2016 (54.4%, OB Single Cask, bottled exclusively for Whisky-Museum Kyrburg Kirn, Pedro Ximenez Puncheon, C#3805, 662b, b#381)

Nose: Madeira wine or Sherry. It is extremely winy. That opens up to give melting dark chocolate in a Glendronach fashion, roast beef, and other cured meats in the background. It is a little fresher at second nose, with minty cotton candy and onion relish.

Mouth: very-dark chocolate melted into a puddle. A little musky at second sip, it sees a fox rolled in melted chocolate and sprinkled with dust.

Finish: ink, liqueur chocolate, it comes a bit too close to Edle Tropfen for my taste, but narrowly escapes sickly disaster.

Comment: JS detects soy sauce and everything she does not care for in official Glendronachs. It is not bad, but less my profile.

Score: 7/10 (Thanks, Savoureur)

Time to go. I have eaten so much I am about to explode.

As we depart, Savoureur insists we smell two drams. He tells us both are Macallan 2006/2020 (57.3%, Gordon & MacPhail Speymalt, C#9672, 294b). One is one of the guests', the other is his own bottle that he brought to London last month and has, therefore, matured for three additional days in the UK. Geekery aside, they do smell different. How much of that is due to the fact one was open a month ago, the other today, and what is the result of one spending three days in the UK is, of course, anyone’s guess. Full notes here.

Happy birthday, Savoureur!

29/06/2026 Bowmore Rare Bottlings at Bar Lotus

Last week, BB tipped us this event when we met. Tonight, JS and I meet here for the first time. cavalier66 joins us, who has been before. Only six of us, tonight, amongst whom Gunooner.

Bowmore 29yo b.1979 Bicentenary (43%, OB, Sherry Casks, 24,000b)

Nose: tarry passion fruits, purple maracuja and soot, followed by jams and jellies of all sorts. It is definitely fruity, yet the fruitmonger used to be a chimney sweep. cavalier66 finds it a touch of petroleum, as well as medicinal and herbal notes. For me, it is asafoetida that emerges, and a butyric side. cavalier66 finds pickled onions.

Mouth: salty and briny, it soon gives more soot and charcoal dust. Grilled fruits follow suit, with chargrilled peaches and persimmons. It has burnt-wood gratings too that never overpower the fruits.

Finish: thin and short, it has the allure of a dry white wine, Sauvignon blanc, ashy and mineral. The second gulp adds hardened rubber and crushed pistachio shells.

Comment: "bottled for the Italian market," our host says. It has no tax seal and no importer indication, which would have been illegal in Italy (and still is). The paperwork is, indeed, in Italian, though. I suspect an Italian box to complement a UK bottle. In any case, despite being excellent, it is not the best of the Bicentenary expressions I have had the pleasure to try (the honour would belong to this one). Finally, the paperwork is clear: this is a vatting of ten different vintages, the most recent of which is 1950, aged twenty-nine. Written black on white.

Score: 9/10

Our host regrets that he forgot to pour us the welcome drink. It is a Lagavulin. With a mix of gratefulness and disbelief, I put my glass to the side. I am not tarnishing old Bowmores with a peaty Lagavulin!

Bowmore 34yo 1968/2002 (41.40%, Duncan Taylor Peerless, C#1427, 210b, b#060)

Nose: coconut and yellow passion fruit (cavalier66). This is a fruity killery of the highest calibre. Carambola, mango, jackfruit, yellow maracuja, persimmon and lychee grow at second nose, buttery peaches and overripe apricots join them. cavalier66 detects anchovies. Must be the pizza from his lunch stuck between his teeth!

Mouth: floral (cavalier66). It has a vague floral hue, almost impossible to read underneath the cascade of fruits. However, that comes with grains of soot on the tongue. The second sip is a notch bitterer, with ground mace and a lick of rubber amongst the now-dominant nectarines.

Finish: big, surprisingly minty, fruity and a tad peppery (think: peppermint). It takes two gulps for yellow fruits to come to the top, but when they do, they rule. cavalier66 talks about elderflower cordial.

Comment: with exactly zero surprise, this is fantastic and will remain the dram of the night for JS and tOMoH.

Score: 9/10

Our host, paralyzed_frank, asks us if we want to try a certain Glenlivet. He says he does, so he will pour it for all. Another dram for the back of the queue, as far as I am concerned.

Bowmore 21yo d.1973 (43%, OB)

Nose: pickled onions ("of the dark-brown variety, hanging at your aunt's for several years," says cavalier66). It really is onion-y: onions that have fermented in the larder and dripped, decayed red onions, smoked and smashed on earth, acetone (cavalier66).

Mouth: pwah! Parma violet, lavender, perfume of you-know-whom. This is too much, even for me. Crystallised violet sweets come out on top and almost save it, but it sadly only has a novelty value. The second sip is even more violet-y, too much for tOMoH, who is usually not at all negatively-impacted by this well-known taste.

Finish: long, bitter, violet-y. It is less sweet -- or it has fewer sweets. Instead, it tickles perfume. A sentiment which is confirmed with the second gulp.

Comment: 750ml bottle (not 75cl), no US Proof nor importer information. paralyzed_frank explains it is a UK version from before 70cl became the standard; I beg to differ: that was in 1991; this is twenty-one years old distilled in 1973. It was bottled 1994 or 1995. Besides, the earlier bottlings indicated 75cl, not 750ml. Which market was this for? South Africa? Anyway, this is not my thing.

Score: 6/10

Bowmore 21yo (43%, OB imported by Carmi Zvi, F158, b. ca. 2000s)

Nose: an earthier number, it has warm rubber and heated liquorice allsorts. It also smells a lot stronger than its predecessor. Preserved lemons, dried and salty. Some fruits emerge at second nosing, mostly apricots, fresh and dried. There is a pinch of dried herbs too, likely tarragon and oregano.

Mouth: sea salt (cavalier66), crystallised liquorice, a lick of anthracite, and chewy blackcurrant cough drops. There is a veil of smoke, but it is hardly noticeable.

Finish: bigger, longer, more sherried. It has liquorice, soot, tar, creosote and lint. It is not a brutal finish, but it sticks to the gums like a petrolic Sherry.

Comment: several of us expected this one, being likely distilled in the 1980s, to be the violet-y one. How surprising that it has none of that, when its more-ancient equivalent is plagued by it. Did they mix up the glasses upon serving?

Score: 7/10

A fly sets camp in JS's glass. paralyzed_frank traps it and removes the glass.

Barman: "I'll give you another one."
tOMoH: "I have a fly in each of my glasses!"

Bowmore 36yo 1972/2008 (45.4%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Fresh Oloroso Sherry Butt, C#3890, 540b, b#6)

Nose: prunes, sultanas, dried figs, a whiff of hashish. It is earthy and a bit, but also promises dried fruits. The second nose is super lush, with prunes and raisins aplenty. It adds a drop of ink, black as night.

Mouth: rancio, elderberry jelly, smashed prunes, dried Medjool dates, fig relish. It has an acidic touch and a slight bitterness -- the Sherry, clearly. The second sip has a mineral touch akin to prunes smashed on pebbles. Ginger and cinnamon powders become more intense with time.

Finish: big, earthy, it has bucketloads of prunes, figs and pressed blackberries. The second gulp is similar: dark, juicy and a little mineral in a tickly way.

Comment: excellent.

Score: 9/10

Bowmore 18yo d.1971 (57.3%, Sestante)

Nose: this is much more austere and mineral, with volumes of pepper and billows of smoke. Smoked pepper ground in a granite mortar, let us say. The longer it sits in the glass, the more mineral it becomes too. The second nose has dried onion peels and candle wax.

Mouth: onion syrup, sweet and pickled, totally weird. Confit d'oignon, JS tells us. It also has a prune-cut-on-slate vibe that is rather original. The second nose seems more nosebleed, drying and numbing, like granite.

Finish: pickled onions again, dripping with syrup. JS is right: it really is confit d'oignon! The dichotomy between syrupy sweetness and pickled acidity is surprising. The second gulp serves that confit on a hot tin plate.

Comment: not an easy one, but very good.

Score: 9/10

Bowmore 16yo d.1973 (62.8%, Sestante)

Nose: this one is even more austere, boiler rooms and dusty machinery. "Blind, would you say Bowmore?" cavalier66 asks. Nope. It is closer to Glen Mhor or Millburn. Metal filings covered in dust, quarry dust. The second nose is austerer yet, if that is possible. It is more and more numbing, like chilli flakes, yet also metallic.

Mouth: confit d'oignon here too, hot metal (zinc, galvanised iron) and hardened rubber, bizarrely enough.

Finish: the Industrial Revolution has begun! Hot dusty metal, smoke, hammered zinc, coal (cavalier66), galvanised iron. The second gulp is numbing, and, considering the ABV, it is hardly unexpected.

Comment: the staff tell us it is close to Baiju. Fortunately, I disagree with them. Wholeheartedly. This is uncompromising, and really a style I appreciate.

Score: 9/10

Punter: Such and such has tried four hundred Ben Nevises. One hundred and thirty from 1996."
tOMoH: "Does he have a girlfriend?"

Bowmore 22yo 2002/2026 (51%, Thompson Bros. for Bar Lotus, Refill Barrel, 88b)

Nose: extremely custard-y, it has flan tart and banana bread.

Mouth: ginger, a touch of smoke, tree bark, ginseng and rose water.

Finish: smashed banana served in a rubber bowl, dried algae and the residue in an empty vase.

Comment: this is good, but it is hard not to think it is a grave sequence mistake.

Score: 8/10

paralyzed_frank: "I started drinking whisky a year ago."

Our jaws drop in disbelief. It explains the missing bits. Not what is there.

Glenlivet 1946/1972 (43%, Berry Bros. & Rudd)

Nose: boiled potatoes sprinkled with soot. It is most particular! Cinnamon powder ends up making its way through. Then, we have lemons, crisp and acidic in a forest of Epiceas. The second nose has a drop of lemon juice on limestone, effervescent reaction and all.

Mouth: OBE in full effect. This overflows with the tin lids of marmalade jars and copper coins (remarkably not oxidised). It has the bitterness of brass, which makes one think of playing the trombone.

Finish: long and fairly fruity, it has prunes and fresh figs, followed by jam-jar lids and a pinch of soot.

Comment: it is not terribly complex, but very good.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, paralyzed_frank)

Lagavulin 25yo 1990/2015 (44%, The Syndicate, C#4394, 243b)

Nose: vase water, musky hairballs, gunpowder, smashed dried algae. It also emits gas and lingering septic-tank odours -- in a good way. That dissipates to give dust, ash and burnt hair.

Mouth: dry, hairy, it has horse's hair and fairly-new rope. Chewing releases juicy dried fruits, prunes or soaked raisins, then rancio and fermented-onion juice.

Finish: juicy and prune-y, it is also smoky as fook. We have smoked prunes and smoked red onions, caramelised or in a relish format.

Comment: really good. Glad I saved it for last.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, paralyzed_frank)

Good night out. The venue is a little hard to find, with its half-down shutter, I stopped twice to look at the cat in front, without realising it was the place. The selection inside is very impressive and the vibe is as geeky as it gets. Somehow, I did not feel entirely at home, but that must be me.

As for the tasting itself, it was not a guided tasting. More a preselected flight of eight(*) with an imposed pace -- a pace that suited me perfectly.

(*) with inexplicable detours, which I found weird and a little hazardous.

29/06/2026 Bowmore

In preparation for tonight, you understand.

Bowmore 20yo 2005/2026 Ronald's Choice (56.5%, Cadenhead Barrel Royale, Bourbon Barrel): nose: bacon and wood stain. Yup, here are Frazzles, Grills, Walker's recent-ish bacon crisps (certified without bacon, I am convinced) juxtaposed with Carbonyl, Ronseal, and other wood oils for decking. Further nosing does away with that and replaces it with warm plasticine and flowery shrubs (lilac, magnolia). That latter note is not very bold and it soon recedes to allow bacon back. This time, it is crispy rashers on a toasted onion beigel. What do you mean, "it makes no sense"? It is heady and ester-y, maybe has a hint of pickled pearl onion, which goes well with the dominant bacon. Is it a drop of black ink, in the back? The second nose has fleeting purple fruits that soon open the door to earthy aromas: clay floors and mounds of dug-up field earth strangely go back to blueberries in seconds. It seems to settle for brambles, hawthorn and other berry-bearing bushes, which is very nice. Mouth: warm, almost hot, it is ink that is reaching boiling point and warm Ronseal wood stain. It cools down a bit after spending some time on the tongue, which allows plasticine to take over -- plasticine filled with wood oil or wood stain, surely enough. Against all odds, chewing releases tropical fruits, yet they may not be fresh. Instead it is chewy mango-flavoured sweets, as if Gummibärchen came in mango flavour (do they?) That is enhanced with a drop of crisp citrus juice (Ugli fruit or sweet grapefruit) and a generous dose of wood oil, still. The second sip is pretty punchy again, acidic and fruity, perhaps with less wood stain. Chewing seems to revive that, but, in fact, it is now much closer to gooseberries, currants and myrtles. The bitterness has shifted from wood oil to brambles and no-one is complaining. Stubborn chewing brings forth some earth, but it is now a fruity number. Finish: quite the rollercoaster, it starts off farm-y, would you believe?, continues with tropical fruits (mango and papaya, mostly) coated in melted cheese (Appenzeller -- go figure!) and witnesses bacon squirting wood oil and Carbonyl from the side line. Waxy cheeses such as Gouda and Jarlsberg keep growing after that, which is as sticky as it is mesmerising. Highly unexpected. 'Barrel Royale with Cheese', they should have called this! The second gulp dials down the cheese to 0.5 and focuses on earthy berries, not quite ripe, at that. Blackcurrants, elderberries, blackberries, sloe berries. It is a trifle bitter, but it remains acceptable. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SOB)

Next, we will have a younger one that is actually older. Are you following?

3.217 16yo 1997/2014 A delicatessen shopping basket (55.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 609b): nose: big, musk-ular Sherry maturation, wet cat's hair and fox's skin in the drizzle. It has bruised and cured quince and apples, lukewarm caramel and a spoonful of melted chocolate, perhaps. Fig paste spread on overly-toasted bread or Biscotte, and open bottles in a teak drinks cabinet. This is really a bold Sherry cask and one would be tempted to guess Oloroso. Deeper nosing unearths (pun obviously intended) rancio, before taking us back to animal scents -- lynx, fox, wolf, hyena. However, at this stage, those animals have been rolling in fig relish, Corinth raisins and dried dates, then sprinkled with cocoa powder. They have enjoyed it too. No need to call the RSPCA. The second nose has gooseberries and unripe redcurrants, a tad green, and promising to be bitter, yet that is counterbalanced by currants and candied citrus segments (green grapefruit and oroblanco). How far we have come from wet foxes, eh? Deeper nosing brings up some kind of green tart; not apple, not greengage. Gooseberry tart? Does that exist? Of course! Water increases the pickled-pearl-onion smell and the musk. Ammonia? To be fair, it smells sweeter too, but all in all, it is a trifle less interesting (to tOMoH). Mouth: somehow, this is reminiscent of Greek wines (Udo Jürgens to the rescue). It is strong, assertive more than bold, and sweet, yet not as syrupy as Sherry. It has chewy sweets and dried currants, notes that chewing magnifies. It verges towards blackberry cough drops or even chewy liquorice sweets, yet those currants are never out of sight. The second sip rolls out fig paste punctuated with droplets of melted chocolate (low cocoa content) and berry liqueur. It is small enough quantities to not come across as liqueur-like, but it is there. Chewing, again, propels raisins to the fore, soaked in hot water, and said hot water served alongside. Wet animal fur is right behind, albeit less musky than on the nose. The bitter aspect turns almost rubbery with water, which one could take or leave, based on preference. You like chewing a dandelion stem or a car window seal? This is for you! You do not? Well... Finish: a lot fresher than expected, it still is a big Sherry cask full of chewy sweets and currants, yet, instead of the musk from the nose, we have black liquorice bootlaces and an almost-minty mouthfeel akin to caramelised fennel or lovage seeds. It is a very-long finish, by the way -- the kind one knows immediately that a few sips of water will not dissipate. The second gulp shows just how earthy this can be: beside a strong alcohol kick, it piles on a few shovelfuls of fertile-but-dry earth. There is a general impression of burning that could be construed as a heap of peat by an open fire, but I do not think it is peat. It is earth by a fire, the fuel for which is undetermined, but could be oil. Water improves it by peddling prune ice cream or beetroot sorbet served with a dash of elderberry liqueur that one enjoys while sitting on a tyre. It is weird enough to work! 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

25/06/2026 Cask Trade x Watches of Switzerland

Back at the same venue as in 2024 for a tacit seventh anniversary celebration. There is no mention of age, but tOMoH can count -- ha!

I am flying solo, tonight, and the misery of an hour-long bus journey to effing Regent's Street in the middle of a heatwave tests my resolve. But the industry is in turmoil and Cask Trade, like all other players, needs all the support they can get. I will play my part by trying the whiskies they so willingly pour me. How selfless can one be?

I start on the bottom floor, conveniently close to the buffet.

Kilarrow 11yo 2015/2026 (50.6%, Behind The Cask distributed by Japan Import System, 1st Fill Barrel, B#BOW-15, C#302, 317b, b#305)

Nose: herbal, it has wet bracken and mashed algae, but also iodine and cured bacon.

Mouth: earthy and punchy, it has more cured bacon laid on a vanilla-custard bun. Unusual combination!

Finish: a little green in terms of alcohol integration, with burnt hay most prominent. It is long and muddy, with also crushed fruit stones and a soft bitterness. Muddier and siltier in subsequent sips, it fans a stronger burnt impression.

Comment: alright. Others are much more partisan (in favour or against) than this taster. The huge white label confuses more than one visitor. It is the equivalent of the first page of a book, open for signing.

Score: 7/10

Buffet, here I come!

As good as always, plenty of vegetarian options, fresh and refreshing

This edition, I did not see anyone picking the cress with their fingers and discarding it on the plate
(yes, it was a recurrent fixture)

Aberfeldy 12yo 2014/2026 Series 027 (52.8%, North Star Spirits celebrating 10 Years ...of North Star Spirits, Refill Bourbon Barrel, 320b, b#051)

Nose: baked plums and nectarines, as well as a touch of wax or plasticine. The second nose has a very-elegant Cologne (the hell if I can identify it!) and, maybe, a mint filling.

Mouth: a tad of wood spices and hot fruit stones, pressed plums too, which adds a lovely fruity dimension. It turns slightly chalky at second sip.

Finish: finally, the trademark Aberfeldy nuttiness appears. Hazelnut, creamy almonds and Brazil nuts. It is, however, not entirely devoid of orchard fruits.

Comment: nice.

Score: 7/10

Goalong 5yo b.2026 (48%, OB)

Nose: bright yellow, this is cereal-y and it has dried citrus peels (grapefruit and calamansi come to mind), but also toffee, butterscotch and vanilla cream filling from the biscuit of the same name.

Mouth: mellow, this is much to my liking, with custard cream (the biscuit fill), butterscotch and a soft bitterness.

Finish: mellow again, it has toffee and custard with a minor kick

Comment: it is not particularly original or remarkable, but pleasant and well made. My first expression from this Hunan-province product.

Score: 7/10

Glen Keith 33yo 1993/2026 (44.6%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks handselected & exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS26010, 158b, b#42)

Nose: bursting with juicy yellow fruits and candied tropical ones, chiefly chewy pineapple and papaya cubes.

Mouth: acidic and fruity, it unveils more pineapple, candied and fresh, dried papaya and mango slices, and even a bit of passion fruit -- no! lots of it. It starts on the low, only to explode in seconds.

Finish: long, it is an eruption of tropical fruits, now, with but a minute bitterness towards the death.

Comment: pfff! Kirk Barleycorn and his pals done it again. SA must have been well seduced in Germany, because he brought four bottles of it to this here shindig. I could not try it in April, so well glad to do so now.

Score: 9/10

Burnside 36yo 1989/2026 Episode 4-- Mr. Buckie & Friends (51.9%, Lucky Choice Whisky Joint Bottling With Amoy Whisky Society, 1st Fill Oloroso Barrique, C#2520559, 180b)

Nose: all sorts of baking scents, with dough, flour and confectionary sugar, followed by lots and lots of citrus peels, full of their bitter oils.

Mouth: mellow and much darker, this palate has the Christmas pudding JW talks about to all to whom he pours this dram, even if it is not overpowering. It is closer to warm marmalade to my taste buds, thick, syrupy and coating.

Finish: overly Sherried, according to my preference. Holly berries, cranberry sauce, lingonberry compote. JW says spiced plums and sticky dates.

Comment: is it not weird that this is the third 36yo Burnside we come across in a fortnight? Milroy's and C.Dully's came before. JW, who is manning the stand with a fantastic-looking pink bow tie, tells me he sold yet another cask recently too. In any case, the Sherry maturation places it lower than the others for me. Personal taste, innit.

Score: 7/10

At the entrance table:

tOMoH: "Is this one available to try?"
Him: "Yeah. Would you like it on its own?"
tOMoH: "Why? Is it supposed to be served as a highball? I see glasses of iced water next to it..."
Him: "I don't know, I don't really work here..."

A Secret Distillery Guarded by Badgers 8yo 2016/2025 (46.3%, Master of Malt Single Cask, Refill Hogshead, 435b, b#332)

Nose: musky, it has hay, straw and an animal's den (to say 'badger' would be succumbing to suggestion). Something much more perfume-y rocks up  at second nose, then more hay. That last one is now more-clearly defined and louder.

Mouth: dry and hay-like again. It tickles leather and suede.

Finish: leather, hay, dried berries -- so dry they are virtually tasteless. It remains musky, though!

Comment: it does not take a David Attenborough to guess the distillery with a clue like that. The proprietors usually do not mind the name being used, but who knows why this one does not have the naming rights.

Score: 7/10

Nc'nean 8yo b.2026 Siobhan Mackenzie in Collaboration with Cask Trade (54.5%, OB bottled for Cask Trade, STR Cask, B#89)

Nose: velvet, corduroy, drapes heated by the sun. Follows a crazy waxy-plum note, peaches and nectarines. The heat takes off, in the long run, almost singeing the nose's hairs, but it is mostly a waxy-fruity one. Dark grapes soar. It becomes closer to doughnuts with time.

Mouth: surprisingly indistinct on the palate, it soon rolls out plums and baked nectarines on a velvet plaid. Little spices to speak of and practically no wood.

Finish: mellow and pastry-like, it turns bitter and woody in the second gulp -- not really in a good way.

Comment: my first Nc'nean, at last. I cannot say it is a hugely convincing encounter, despite the good first impression. Needs revisiting. This was bottled to celebrate the launch of Cask Trade's registered tartan, created by Siobhan Mackenzie.

Score: 6/10

Another punter approaches me.

Him: "May I ask what you're taking notes about?"
tOMoH: "You. 'Great taste in whisky, good appearance...' I'm taking notes on the whiskies, of course. So I can remember them tomorrow. Will you remember?"
Him: "No."
tOMoH: "There you go."

We chat a for a few minutes. Here is another person who tells me I have a nice handwriting. generations of teachers turn in their graves. I ask him if he can help me re-read myself, because I will struggle to decipher it tomorrow. We talk about the stagnation (the crash) of the whisky market and how nice these events are.

We have time for another couple, if we play our cards right. It is the royal 'we': my new buddy has had enough of my sarcasm.

Glen Scotia 7yo 2016/2024 (56.4%, OB Exclusive Cask specially selected by Jeroboams, 1st Fill Tawny Port Hogshead, C#24/59-7, 231b)

Nose: old ropes and dried nets (no fishy note, though). There is a whiff of rose perfume, perhaps tobacco too.

Mouth: wine-y on the tongue, it has cured oranges, wine-soaked lychees, rambutan in sangria. For some reason, celery dunked in sangria comes to mind. I cannot explain why, because it is not in-your-face.

Finish: long, it combines a slap of wood and a dash of deep red wine. The second gulp is woodier, borderline plank-y.

Comment: it is okay. The Korean editions were more to my taste.

Score: 7/10

Aberlour 19yo 2006/2025 (50.8%, Highlander Inn, Bourbon and Pedro Ximenez Cask, C#900338, 210b, b#55)

Nose: scented erasers and plasticine, earthy plums, yet not earthy enough to be prunes.

Mouth: mellow, it combines the bitterness of peach stone and the softness of peach flesh with a dollop of hazelnut spread with excellent results.

Finish: ooft! A lot bolder, here, with chestnut purée and smoked peach. Becomes bitterer upon repeated sipping.

Comment: another good selection, TM!

Score: 8/10

One of the stalls has a Torabhaig (OB). I am offered it; my glass is not empty. By the time it is, All bottles have been filed way. It is the rule of the game and I accept it.

Time to go. I bid goodbye to the Cask Trade folks, congratulate SA on another successful event and depart into the heat of the city.