13/03/2026 Caperdonich

Caperdonich 16yo 1972/1988 Benan 1875 (40%, Signatory Vintage Sailing Ships Series No 1, Sherry Casks, C#7130-7132, 1200b, b#135): nose: fairly delicate, it has what one would expect of an elegant Sherry maturation: a lick of encaustic, Medjool dates, dried figs, prunes, currants. Soon, it brings blueberries too, both fresh and dried. Despite what the dried fruits may suggest, it smells like a juicy number, this one! It graduates to smashed plums and pouring honey in a matter of minutes, flirts with rambutan, and comes back to prunes, now earthier than ever -- so earthy, in fact, that it takes on the form of potato peels dripping with lumps of clay. And here are an oiled cabinet desk or a full desk with a leather desk blotter littered with old pens. The second nose is an unsubtle slap of Sherry-soaked currants in the face, welcoming, warming, reminiscent of that bearded friend you have not seen for decades, yet you remember being the life of the party whenever he was there. We have a mix of dried currants, blueberries, prunes and cranberries, with chopped dates to elevate the mix, but not enough to recognise them with certainty. Mouth: a relaxed attack introduces all sorts of dried fruits, chiefly currants, but also prunes, cranberries and Corinth raisins. Those are so dark it is tempting to make a parallel with black liquorice, yet that would be a mistake. No! it stops well short of that kind of rubbery bitterness. Chewing reveals a drop (just a drop) of black-as-night coffee, promptly submerged by a generous pour of plum juice augmented with prune syrup. It has an earthy side too, to be sure; Pedro Ximénez, cream Sherry (remember: a blend of PX and Oloroso), leather saddles and rehydrated-mushroom water. At a push, one may even spot a horse, somewhere, though it is not really animal. The second sip manages to be both juicy and drying, with more of those excellent dried fruits (prunes in the lead, this time), dark honey and earth that reeks of petrichor. This comes close to honey on toasts eaten in a forest clearing in late September. The earthy freshness that comes from chewing may even be the fragrant layer of pine needles on the floor of said clearing. Finish: more of the same; earthy-leathery notes soon succumb to the joint assaults of currants, prunes, cranberries and honey (this time tar-black). It has an almost-minty freshness, which is quite astonishing and comes across as a mint drop dunked into a glass of sweet Sherry, with a bowl of currants to eat along. It is a very-long finish in which the fruity, raisin-y notes recede to make room for bold earthy ones -- liquorice root, now, as well as teriyaki sauce. The tongue is left to deal with cooling embers, and that is pretty pleasant. The second gulp strikes a masterly balance of dried fruits and earthy compounds. Mulch, potting soil, mushroom juices in a frying pan and mocha-flavoured toffee. Despite the fact that the bitterness associated with the latter lingers on the tongue enough to redact the dried fruits, it remains a remarkable drop,nallnin all. When JS opened this, I was nervous it would have suffered from evaporation: at 40% with a level just below the base of the neck, it could have been weakish. Not so. Not even tired -- phew! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

09/02/2026 Belgium #10 -- Old glories

ydc, GD, Bishlouk, red71, JS and I meet (virtually) to try things that the other Belgian tasters have already tried. Things that are too depleted to make samples for everyone. STL cannot join; he is giving blood to a family of clubbed baby seals, tonight.

As usual, everything is poured blind and revealed when everyone has had a chance to try the whisky. Even the theme, I only reveal afterwards.

Dram #1

Nose: it smells great and old-school (Bishlouk), though ydc finds it a little flat
Mouth: a bit light on the palate (Bishlouk), tired (red71) or shot (Bishlouk). ydc, on the other hand, finds it a decent heat.
Finish: it is indeed a smidge dusty and it is time to finish it. At the same time, it still has enough stamina and class.
Comment: disappointed with the welcome this got, tonight. There is some left in the bottle; we will try it again. Full notes are here.

Caperdonich 11yo 1968/1979 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice) 8/10

Dram #2

Nose: fresher and more herbaceous, it has flower stems and mint (Bishlouk). red71, ydc and GD confirm the freshness and go further to call mint menthol. ydc also finds subtle spices.
Mouth: fruity, herbaceous (Bishlouk), daisy stems (red71). Bishlouk says it is not super-high strength, but full on the tongue, with a pinch of spices. red71 calls it oily.
Finish: Bishlouk reckons it could be a Littlemill, albeit a very-vegetal example, exuberant. red71 finds it austere and bitter, peppery. GD detects some ginger.
Comment: "likely a Speysider, perhaps a Glen Keith," says Bishlouk who will then insist he got the distillery right "at some point." My full notes are here.

Littlemill 16yo 1991/2008 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Refill Hogshead, C#DL4064, 276b) 8/10

Bishlouk talks about the various profiles of Littlemill throughout the years -- herbaceous, fruity, chalky...

Bishlouk: "Les années 1990 étaient plus herbacées, alors que les années 1980 étaient hyper fruitées..."
tOMoH: "Dans les années 1980, j'avais les genoux bien verts, parce que je courais dans l'herbe assez."

Bishlouk: "I'm not a fan of ginger."
red71: "He prefers daisies."

Dram #3

Nose: "no note of big, sulphur-y Sherry, despite the obvious cask influence (based on the colour)" (Bishlouk). It smells all sweet and velvety, according to Bishlouk. red71 finds it to his taste (or to his nose, probably). Bishlouk spots rancio and OBE, while red71 has rubber and burnt wood. ydc declares mahogany, to which red71 adds fire starters and barbecue.
Mouth: red71 and Bishlouk note it is a bit low in strength, but not weak. The lack of brute force is not detrimental at all, here.
Finish: fruits, especially chestnuts (ydc), dried fruits (Bishlouk). GD and ydc call it warming and comforting.
Comment: this never disappoints. My full notes are here.

Glenlossie-Glenlivet 21yo 1957/1979 (80° Proof, Cadenhead imported by Mario Rossi, Sherry Cask) 9/10

Dram #4

Nose: herbaceous (red71 and Bishlouk), though red71 is quick to point out that it is lighter than the Littlemill, which was also herbaceous. Bishlouk finds mint and "some kind of perfume." ydc slaps a name on that: Cologne. Bishlouk tells us of meadow flowers too.
Mouth: wild (ydc), it has nothing in common with the nose (GD). red71 has a slight fizz, while I find dark honey tainted with eucalyptus powder. red71 manages to utter that it sticks to the gob and puts one's mouth upside down. Perhaps he tried to kiss Mike Tyson?
Finish: full-bodied (red71), it has green wood (ydc and Bishlouk). red71 finds that it stings a little, though that sting improves at second sip. ydc notices chilli powder in the finish.
Comment: as always, this is a little abrupt at first sip, but grows on the tasters. My full notes are here.

D.town 33yo d.1979 (56.3%, Cadenhead Cask Ends, 3rd Fill Bourbon Cask, 1b) 8/10

red71: "This is very nice. Not sure what it'll give in the mouth, but..."

red71: "What are the nice areas of Charleroi?"
ydc: "Loverval."
tOMoH: "So does JS. We went to the abbey and she said: 'I love Orval.'"

ydc [about ageing Orval in the bottle]: "After five years, it becomes uninteresting."
Bishlouk:"What? Bad?"
ydc: "No, just uninteresting. Elle platisse."
tOMoH: "Elle fait des gaufles, des taltelettes, des cloissants… Elle platisse."

Dram #5

Nose: refined peat (red71 and Bishlouk). "It smells like an old Ardbeg: I cannot find the ash of Caol Ila, so I imagine a pre-1996 Ardbeg" (Bishlouk). red71 cannot find any peat, initially, probably still nursing his wounds from kissing Mike Tyson, earlier. In fact, he finds the nose muted and not very expressive.
Mouth: sweet and full of cane sugar (ydc). Sweetness and smoke (Bishlouk, red71, GD).
Comment: "not bad (for an Ardbeg)" (Bishlouk). He and red71 reckon it could also be an old Ledaig. Calls all round for tOMoH to make them dream with an unattainable reference are replaced with disbelief when they discover it is not only available at the time of writing, but affordable too. A hidden gem that enthuses all -- the great surprise of tonight for everyone. My full notes are here.

Glasgow Blend Limited Edition b.2019 (49%, Compass Box Great King St Single Marrying Cask selected by The Wine Merchant Ltd imported by Compass Box USA, ex-Sherry Marrying Cask, C#35, 132b) 8/10

red71: "It is probably an old thing I cannot afford."
Bishlouk:"You have three children. Sell one."
red71: "They're too old. If I had an eight-year-old daughter, I'd get a good price, but they're all in their twenties. They're worthless, now."

red71 [tries to guess the theme]: "They are poured in ascending Whiskybase ID order!"

Good times. Ridiculous nonsense from all involved.

24/01/2026 Burns' Night 2026 -- Nautical but Nice (Part 1)

adc, JS, dom666, ruckus, kruuk2, Psycho, sonicvince, Mrs. sonic, Bishlouk, STL, red71, Gaija and newcomer CG join tOMoH for this yearly feast. Guests arrive from 16:15 or so, a few at a time until 19:30ish.

Since we need a critical mass before we start pouring drams, and since that takes a while, I start composing the line-up. To help wait, Bishlouk pours a gentle gob-wetter: George T. Stagg 17yo 1993/2010 (69.05%, OB Barrel Proof). You read the ABV correctly. Eager to not burn my throat before the party even starts, I skip it; my notes are here.

As for nibbles, red71 brought his traditional canelés.

They do not last long

The soundtrack: the Old Man of Huy - Nautical but Nice

It is a long line-up, for a change. Notes will be scant, busy as I am enjoying the company.

Three bottles are missing from this first half, believe it or not

Now that the line-up is built (pending the contributions of sonicvince, Gaija and CG, who have not yet arrived), JS pulls out a rabbit from her hat as an apéritif. Well, it is a marlin, really, even if many will insist on calling it a swordfish ('espadon', in French).

Or 'espadom', as it will forever be remembered

Suntory Blue Marlin Decanter (43%, Suntory The Suntory Marine Collection) (JS)

Nose: toffee and dusty cardboard, Scottish tablet, then a pinch of lime zest.
Mouth: more toffee, accompanied by more and more lime zest as time goes by. It gives crusty-cake vibes, eventually.
Finish: lime zest and toffee.
Comment: nothing extraordinary (the attraction is clearly the decanter more than the liquid), but it is a pleasant starter, we all agree. 7/10

About the marlin, the fact it is ceramic (it is actually porcelain, ruckus tells us) and the pristine state of the cork.

Psycho: "It's a bamboo cork."

Mrs. sonic is treated to an Irn Bru

kruuk2: "Is this the twentieth Burns' Night?"
tOMoH: "Thereabout. We started in 2004, did not have it in 2005 or 2021. Most of the other years, if not all, yes." [That makes this the twenty-first edition]
kruuk2: "Google Photos pings the memories each year; you can see the early ones; you can see our faces. And..."
ruckus: "What!? What!?"
[Yes, we look younger in the pictures.]

kruuk2's watch

Starter enters

Courgette, leek and chickpea soup

Speaking of kruuk2, he is on next. He has a whole presentation with music and all. Instead of trying to paraphrase it, here it is:

tOMoH: "The party can now start and it is a successful party already!"
Bishlouk: "adc, finish your plate: you may go to bed!"

Glengoyne 12yo (43%, OB imported by Ian McLeod European Office, 100/0000273/16) (kruuk2)

Nose: lemon drizzle and torrents of vanilla. It then unveils crushed almonds.
Mouth: butterscotch, a lick of caramel and lemon curd in a cake -- or buttery cherimoya.
Finish: lovely butterscotch, lemon drizzle, warm flan.
Comment: again, nothing legendary, but it does the job perfectly. 7/10

adc: "I'll get the soup plates."
tOMoH: "Three of us are still eating. STL is enjoying it, dom666 is too busy talking about his Talisker mug to eat faster and I..."
adc [to dom666]: "You have a Talisker mug?"

Gaija arrives with a cardboard crate.

tOMoH: "Oufti! Il a pris une caisse."
Bishlouk:"Il vaut mieux prendre une caisse qu'en larguer une!"

[I shall not translate]

Bishlouk has us picture a beautiful ship with a wooden hull and its three masts, here represented by a wooden plinth and three bottles. He tells us they belonged to a restaurant in the 1990s and were forgotten in a cellar for a long period.

Classy, eh?

The Balvenie 10yo (40%, OB imported by C.V. SCS S.C., LF7032 2901 CSC6, b.1990s) (Bishlouk)

Nose: marzipan (dom666), sponge cake, moist apple cake with poppy seeds.
Mouth: soft, it has flan and caramel, vanilla extract.
Finish: this still has bite for a whisky that has sat thirty years in an almost-empty bottle. A summer's afternoon, says ruckus.
Comment: we continue with the unchallenging-yet-very-pleasant drams. 7/10

dom666: "You always have the last word with the ladies, don't you? 'Yes, darling.'"

The Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood (40%, OB impored by C.V. MCS S.C., Sherry Cask Finish, LF7104 1303 CSC6, b.1990s) (Bishlouk)

Nose: richer and wider, it has a drop of wine, very soft. Perhaps prunes and apricots too.
Mouth: yes, this is clearly full of prunes and cured apricots.
Finish: raisins, prunes, blackcurrants. It has a jammy sweetness to it that is well satisfying.
Comment: Bishlouk points out that this has Whiskybase ID 1. A well-known gateway drug that seems a tad less approachable tonight than in the past, or than other incarnations, perhaps. Several find the Sherry influence too great. 7/10

Psycho: "Rich Indians do not exist."
All: "Have you heard of [Lakshmi] Mittal?"
tOMoH: "So rich he has his own song: 'Je suis Mittal et je le reste...'"
dom666: "And then there is his nemesis: Tata."
Psycho: "Yoyo?"

The Balvenie 15yo 1980/1996 (50.4%, OB Single Barrel importedby CV. MCS S.V., C#13570, L41476070544) (Bishlouk)

Nose: ooft! This is jammy from the off, then it gets a wad of plasticine before vanilla appears, with Scottish tablet and sticky toffee pudding doused in custard right behind.
Mouth: woof! Another one that has lost none of its bite over the past decades. Toffee emerges from the depths with a bit of chalk. It is warming and comforting, with a glazing of hot marmalade.
Finish: very long, full of warm toffee and butterscotch, hot custard and caramel.
Comment: love it. 8/10

The main course is served.

Haggis with a mustard sauce (not pictured) and roasted vegetables

The menu has never been this simple; it lets the ingredients speak, and they do that really well. Everyone is enthusiastic.

CG joins us.

STL pulls out a bottle with ships on the label. He adds that it is a Burnside for Burns' Night.
red71: "And the cork does not break."
STL: "Never, with me."

Blended Malt 27yo 1994/2021 (47.5%, Le Gus't Selection for Nanyang Whisky, Bourbon Hogshead, C#3525, 240b) (STL)

Comment: big and punchy, it works really well, tonight. My full notes are here. STL brought this a couple of years ago and I liked it as much then as I do tonight, which is more than when I had it on its own from another bottle. Bottle variation? 8/10

Message on a bottle

STL added a custom label, kruuk2 style.
The AI he used to make it clearly did not know what
Charles Montgomery Burns looks like, but -- hey!

JS presents a bottle with a ship on the label (and on the box).

Caperdonich 16yo 1972/1988 Benan 1875 (40%, Signatory Vintage Sailing Ships Series No 1, Sherry Casks, C#7130-7132, 1200b, b#135) (JS)

Nose: subtle Sherry, with dried dates and dried figs, but also quince paste and a whisper of gauze, followed by rancio.
Mouth: cough syrup (kruuk2), camphor (Gaija), pressed apricots and tarry hairballs. Despite the low ABV (Bishlouk and red71 note the lack of horsepower), it feels full to me.
Finish: long, it has sticky dark honey and physalis coated in it.
Comment: we have stepped up, all of a sudden. 9/10

red71: The worst note on Whiskybase is 79: a certain Bishlouk."

dom666 [talking about Layla]: "What was his name again? Harrison!"
ruckus: "Ford?"
tOMoH: "Mr. George Harrison Ford T."
kruuk2: "Did he live in Seraing?"

adc introduces a Clydeside only available at the bar of HMS Glasgow, a warship built in Glasgow and with whom the distillery now has a long-term partnership.

Clydeside 6yo 2019/2025 HMS Glasgow (46%, OB, Guyanese Rum Cask) (adc)

Nose: wonderful yellow fruits, physalis, nectarines, peaches, and sweet green citrus. It then gives barley sugar, vanilla and citrus mixing in an unusual way.
Mouth: sweet, it has a dose of cane-sugar juice, honey-glazed caster sugar, pears, nectarines, and even mandarins. Wait! Is this gravel? This is delicious.
Finish: apple, marzipan (kruuk2). The rum influence is clear, but delicate: it is sweet and fruity, not sickly.
Comment: another excellent Clydeside. 8/10

Chilling

sonicvince tells us Bruichladdich Rocks comes from an island, and that island probably has rocks in the sea.

ruckus: "Tous les Islay viennent d'une île."
tOMoH: "Non, seuls les Égyptiens viennent du Nil."

[I shall not translate]

Bruichladdich Rocks The Rhinns of Islay: A Land Apart b.2011 (46%, OB, French Syrah Casks, 61810511050) (sonicvince)

Nose: a whiff of sulphur and matchsticks. It is a little winy too, while Gaija has a strong kiwi scent, as well as medicine. The wine influence gives leather, rather than vinegar, which is good.
Mouth: lots of mushroom cooking juice, then a little burnt-wood gratings. We finish with warm, acidic cranberry juice. Gaija finds it funky -- I agree.
Finish: big, long and sticky, it has a pronounced salinity, with crushed sea sand, still wet from contact with the sea. Mind you, it also has pressed plums and raisins.
Comment: decent, but it is still not my favourite entry in the Bruichladdich range -- not even if we limit that to the discontinued ones. This is predictably divisive amongst our group; STL and Gaija love it, the wine-lovers they are, dom666 and Bishlouk much less. 6/10

Mrs. sonic serves the first cake. She brought a canister of whipped cream, which saves us whisking a shirt.

Bishlouk mocks krruk2's technique: "It looks like churros!"

CG shows us a bottle with a lighthouse on the label.

Scapa 25yo d.1980 (54%, OB, 2000b, b#00496, 05/08032) (CG)

Nose: a wide slap of earth and smashed berries. This is impressive! It also has a confectionary note; bubble gum and pineapple drops.
Mouth: quite a bite, followed by confectionary again. We have candied angelica, and jellied leaves and pistachios. Meow! There are some smoked pineapple chunks too at second sip.
Finish: long, leafy, with more candied angelica doused in jelly.
Comment: boss. CG is not taking the piss for his first appearance. What a dram! I may like it even better than upon first encounter. 9/10

Gaija screams and sniggers.

tOMoH: "You okay?"
Gaija: "I just saw the second row of the line-up."

dom666 presents a bottle with a boat on the label, and exactly the one I thought and hoped he would bring.

It matches my polo shirt, although the clouds of my shirt have been replaced by gulls on the (more-recent) bottle, amongst various other minor differences.

Old Pulteney 21yo (46%, OB, American ex-Bourbon and ex-Fino Sherry Casks, L12-044-1B R12/5019, b.2012) (dom666)

Nose: roasted and poached apples.
Mouth: definitely roasted apples, topped with a heaped spoonful of honey. It is a tad drying, but remains fruity on the tongue.
Finish: melted salted butter blended with custard. The second gulp adds a wonderful toffee.
Comment: the Maritime Malt, they call it. Perhaps not as maritime as the tagline suggests, but pleasant all the same. This is the first incarnation in this livery and sports the Whisky Bible Award sticker. 8/10

The second cake enters, augmented with Irish Mist (65° Proof, The Irish Mist Liqueur Co. imported by Heublein Inc., b.1970s).

red71 on cutting duties

The soundtrack: _Ruckus_ - Nautical but Nice

tOMoH presents another obvious contribution: a Bunnahabhain, with its Captain Bird's Eye-like logo. Not just any Bunna, though: this one also sports an anchor, a sail boat and a shipwreck.

Bunnahabhain 23yo 1998/2022 (49.7%, OB Fèis Ìle 2022, Calvados Cask Finish) (tOMoH)

Nose: leathery earth. Yup! This feels peaty.
Mouth: a smidge drying, with bletted fruits. It is not long before it shows its true power -- and it is more powerful than the ones that came before, even than the Scapa, it feels.
Finish: tart apples and a lick of peat smoke.
Comment: love it. Better notes here. 8/10

dom666 blows raspberries.

tOMoH: "Great fart impression!"
dom666: "Did you see that? And with the mouth, no less!"

adc is sporting a life vest.
Talk about taking the theme seriously!

Continue reading here.

09/09/2025 Member Take Over: Ian Hunter aka Mr. Closed Distillery

When this event was announced, I could not remember meeting or hearing about Ian Hunter. When PS underlined he was nicknamed Mr. Closed Distillery, my curiosity was obviously piqued. I also thought it was a little weird that we had never crossed paths.

Tonight is the night, then, when we verify if this Mr. Closed Distillery is whom he claims to be.

I join JS, DW, PS, GT, Dr. CD, YM and others on the top deck. One look at the host, and I realise we have met -- at DW's Easter bash. Phew! That bodes well.

Despite tube strikes, most people made it. We start on time.

Hunter wastes no time. He tells us briefly when he became a Society member (2002), not how or why, then dives straight into the whiskies and the memorabilia he brought along, documents from yesteryear, some frankly depressing when one compares prices and selection with today's.

Take this 2002 outturn brochure, for example.
The Lowland page advertises an Inverleven,
a Rosebank and a St Magdalene.
One could buy all three for... £159

I take scant notes. The pace does not allow it and I want to enjoy the company. We try everything blind.

Dram #1

Nose: powerful nose, with marzipan soon overtaken by honeysuckle. This is bright, lively, and a tad minty, perhaps. The second nose brings honey.
Mouth: punchy, it has a mix of peach and red chilli pepper.
Finish: long, wide, fruity, it delivers peaches and peach stones, as well as a tame lick of chocolate.
Comment: with a few vague clues, I guess Coleburn, then Convalmore, even if it is clearly not the profile of the latter. We struggle to pinpoint it until the reveal. Then, it becomes embarrassingly obvious. Caperdonich is not really a rare sight at the SMWS, even these days. That said, no-one has had this older bottling. And it is very good.

38.13 24yo 1980/2005 Eiswein and red peppercorns (57.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill Hogshead, 268b) 8/10

Dram #2

Nose: mint crumbles, sherbet, it is rather sweet, then develops a soft citrus-peel profile and adds cosmetic powder.
Mouth: it has quite a bite, acidic and citric. It is also powdery without being chalky. The second sip is spicier, with a good dose of chilli.
Finish: chocolate rolled in rose petals. The second gulp presents dandelion stems, which is to say: plant bitterness.
Comment: Ian tells us it is a divisive distillery, which PS confirms by staring at me. I conclude that it is Cambus and dare not touch it. The man said Speyside, though, and it does not smell like a grain. Good thing I do not say anything, because it is, in fact, Pittyvaich. A Pittyvaich we have already tried in this very room, actually! More than a decade ago, granted.

90.5 10yo 1992/2002 Kola Kubes and Lilt (59.4%, SMWS Society Cask, 248b) 8/10

IH: "It has a cult following."
PS: "It's spelled with an 'n', not an 'l'."

Dram #3

Nose: this is bursting with jelly capsules, followed by fruits. It is like pulling peaches out of a plastic medicine jar. It probably smells much better than it reads.
Mouth: it has citrus foliage, but it is mostly lovely  fruits. Strawberries, rosehips, Damson plums, apricots and the softest puff of blond tobacco.
Finish: juicy Mirabelle plums and apricots.
Comment: this is excellent and my favourite, so far. I liken it in my head to 45.19. That was good, but this one is even better.

45.9 27yo 1975/2003 Cherry on top (50%, SMWS Society Cask) 9/10

Dram #4

Nose: a little brimstone mixed with juicy fruits (kumquat, calamondin, tangelo). It is also mineral and gives a whisper of Hardois the dog, wet or not.
Mouth: mosses on slate, corroded metal, fresh fruits and dried orange.
Finish: long, it is a steamroller, assertive, not aggressive. It has stewed orange segments simmering in a cast-iron pot.
Comment: some guesses, including Brora, which this obviously is not. I silently think Glenlochy, but we are told it is an Invernessian distillery. The crowd narrows it down to Millburn. It is even one we have tried before. I like it better today. Crazy how much more approachable it seems, tonight. The magic of a well-crafted sequence, eh?

87.6 16yo 1983/2000 (57%, SMWS Society Cask) 9/10

Dram #5

Nose: phwoar! Behind the obvious shoe polish from the no-less-obvious Sherry cask, it is absurdly fruity, with exploding lychee, dragon fruit, mangosteen and rambutan. Coffee pops in and out too, waving like a line-drying leather belt flapping in the wind.
Mouth: it is very powerful, even now, numbing and clearly fruity. Here are lychee, kumquat, mandarine, apricot.
Finish: long, warming, it rolls out the chocolate carpet, which is quickly trampled on by fresh citrus and cut plums, with shy lychee now in the background.
Comment: what a way to finish! The colour worried me, but this turned out to be precisely my kind of dram. Colloquially known as Mandarins in a well seasoned roasting tin, a name that appears nowhere on the label, it is remarkably different from 92.7, which shared the ABV and the cask type, though from another vintage. That one was sadly smothered by the Sherry.

92.9 20yo 1981/2001 (61.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Sherry Butt) 9/10

There. We just finished five drams in exactly one hour.

And what drams!

Beside the pace, which was too fast for me, it was a great tasting. Unpretentious, factual. I liked that Ian did not bring the obvious or more-prestigious closed distilleries. I was also glad the venue did not crowbar a current bottling into the line-up: seeing the calibre on display, that may have degraded the experience, as JS says.

I did regret that IH read tasting notes from the outturn brochures of the time, or notes he found online. For the one instance where he did not find any note (the Dallas Dhu), he even had Co-Pilot produce tasting notes for him, which I thought bizarre. Now, notes can be a useful guideline, but I find it a pity to read us those notes before we can try the drams and make our own opinion.

Off tasting, we have...

76.157 18yo 2006/2025 Tales of the Worm Tub: Behold the beast (54.3%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Butt, 534b)

Nose: thick leather boots, rancio, smoked ham. Then, it shifts towards hair lacquer. The second nose adds cracked black pepper and shaved wine-soaked cork.
Mouth: wine-soaked orange segments, pressed, and most of the moisture removed. Chewing injects sangria and soaked citrus peels. The second sip is drier, full of dusty elderberry and blueberry skins.
Finish: long, wine-y and fruity with a bitter orange-peel aftertaste -- in a good way.
Comment: DW tried to impress us with a recent Caperdonich and came back with this Mortlach. Woops! It is good all the same. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, DW)

38.43 32yo 1992/2024 Homecoming: The essence of heritage -- Bar-room buzz (49.6%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-PX Barrique, 213b)

Nose: coconut wood shavings (JS), an avalanche of candied papaya, dried peach cubes and mint crumbles in the back. There is also a bunch of flowers in there, somewhere -- carnations, tulips, chamomile, canola. The second nose is more leisurely, with soft leather sofas and many cushions. It stays floral, almost hay-like.
Mouth: initially chewy, it becomes unctuous, milky, if not custard-y. We have mushy peach flesh, timid maracuja, a pinch of mint, plum, white peach, mango, palak.
Finish: mellow and custardy, it peddles white-peach flesh before expiring in a puff of mango pulp. The second gulp is in line. Maybe, we imagine vanilla-filled milk chocolate?
Comment: what did I say about recent Caperdonich, at the beginning of the tasting? This is stupendous. Simply beautiful. I like it much more than the first time we had it. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, DW)

Well, that set us back an hour, ha! ha!

Good night out again.

10/08/2025 A few drams at the SMWS

The television at the hotel has a collection of German channels. One spends twenty minutes advertising for a ten-CD compilation of the work of Roger Whittaker, "unser Roger", "der Seigneur des Schlagers." It amuses me immensely. I will find out a few days later that said Roger, an Anglo-Kenyan man who died in France, did not even speak German. He learnt his songs phonetically.

More seriously, they were showing Party Zone and Chill-Out Zone on MTV, last night, shows I have not seen since the 1990s. The selection was a blast from the past too.

Party Zone

Age Of Love - The Age Of Love (Radio Version)

Cherry Moon Trax - In My Electric House

Talla 2XLC - The Eternal Mystery

Chill-Out Zone

Single Gun Theory - Fall

Electrotete - I Love You

Goldie - Inner City Life

Adam F - Circles

Carl Craig - Televised Green Smoke

Computerjockeys - How Fish Do

Wellington now wears a septuple cone-hat

Anyway, JS and I are still in Glasgow today, and the SMWS is open. Would be rude not to visit the cosy and spacious venue in a discreet basement across the street from The Good Spirits Co. But before that...

Everything Bagel, White Chocolate & Coconut Pudding
2 x Lemon Poppy Seeds

At the venue, as often, it takes a few exchanges for the staff to gauge (incorrectly) where we are on our whisky journey.

JS: "Where can we see what you have available?"
Waiter: "This booklet has the new outturn..."
tOMoH: "We have the same outturns in London. We are more interested in things we cannot find elsewhere."
Waiter: "So, this booklet has the new outturn, and if you tell me what type of profile you like, I will guide you."
JS: "Do you have 162.4?"
Waiter: "I *think* it is sold out by the bottle. perhaps by the dram... No, also sold out. I have .5 and .6."

162.5 5yo d.2019 Invigorating and refreshing (61.1%, SMWS Society Cask Whisky Wanderers Festivals 2025, 1st Fill Chinkapin Oak Barrel, 269b): nose: deep and wide, it is also pretty woody. Dark-wood planks, seasoned pine cone, heady mahogany or teak oil. It is ester-y and goes to one's head quite quickly. Mouth: woody indeed! Wood oil, carbonyl and polished mahogany cabinets. It is also hot. Chewing brings out some toffee, but it remains a hot and warming number. In the long run, we find fierce citric powder, Fizzy Cola Bottles (the sweets) and chilli powder. Finish: hot cola alongside polished shelves. There is a hefty dose of polished wood, in fact, and hints of shoe polish, more esters and other volatile compounds associated with wood-treatment agents. Also cola. Very-strong cola. 7/10

162.6 5yo d.2019 A Hebridean idyll (61.4%, SMWS Society Cask Whisky Wanderers Festivals 2025, 1st Fill Chinkapin Oak Barrel, 234b): nose: similar, yet different in that it is more toasted. Toasted wood, toasted brown bread and Tabasco splattered over shelves. Only later do we perceive volatile wood oil and wood polish. The second nose brings baked plums. Mouth: cola in this one too, cinnamon cream and freshly-oiled shelves. The second sip has cured candied papaya cubes. Finish: clean and more precise than its sibling. It is less woody, has as much, if not more cola, more cinnamon pastry and liquorice sweets. In fact, it is a little numbing in a pleasant way. It dies in a puff of pine-tree honey. They both play in the same ballpark, but we prefer this one. 7/10

When we visited Raasay, the girl doing the tour told us that the proprietor liked chinkapin oak, as if it were a slightly-eccentric but completely-understandable personal preference. Based on these two, it would appear that chinkapin helps whisky mature more quickly than quercus alba or quercus robur. Those woody notes after only nine years...

JS asks for any expression of Glasgow. They have one -- by the dram only.

156.5 9yo d.2015 A glass full of summer vibes (62.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 207b): nose: flower stamens, confectionary sugar, powder puffs, cotton-candy -- ho! ho! ho! This is very appealing. It has lukewarm custard slathered onto birch shelves, and chocolate éclairs. The second nose raises ironed linen. Mouth: milky, sweet and mellow, it still has some kick (look at the ABV!). Numbing custard, cream of Tartar. Chewing enhances the creamy-pastry aspect, Bourbon cream, or even toffee and fudge. The second sip has less personality at first, but quickly wakes up: warm milk cereals sprinkled with herbs. Finish: toffee to the max, including the slight earthy bitterness of caramel. It has burnt sugar at second gulp, but shakes off most of the bitterness to focus on a delicious hot sweetness. Perhaps it adds torched coconut shavings to the lot. 7/10

105.44 35yo d.1988 Honey jam (48.1%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 218b): nose: we dial up the complexity, of course. All sorts of flowers, starting with roses and carnations, continuing with black tulips and pansies, ending with cherry blossom and berry flowers. There is even a hint of jasmine at play. Mouth: oh yeah! Flowers in a bath of prune syrup, lychee juice... The power of suggestion tells me honey-glazed apricots and fruit tartlets too. Finish: long, fruity, it has plums, peaches and apricots augmented with a lick of Verdigris, a layer of bone-dry lichen and saxifrage. This is in a different league altogether, of course. 9/10

Uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!

The staff recommend a few things.

12.80 34yo 1989/2023 Heaven in a leather hammock (59.2%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, Oloroso Butt + 1st Fill Ex-PX Butt Finish, 452b)

Nose: Sherry, prune syrup, dark grapes soaked in brandy.
Mouth: leather, rancio, elderberry. It heats up the palate with burning mixed peel.
Finish: very sweet finish, it has jams and candied raisins.
Comment: lovely drop, but more Sherry than we would like. 8/10

94.51 27yo d.1997 Whispers of Spring: A journey of reawakening -- Verdant reawakening (55.8%, SMWS The Creators Collection, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 247b)

Nose: in pure Fettercairn fashion, this is weird and loaded with hay. Metal too?
Mouth: jellied lime peel. What!?
Finish: surprisingly sweet and vibrant, it has more candied and jellied lime goodness.
Comment: I find it appealing to a degree, but it is so unique others will undoubtedly disagree. 8/10

115.29 32yo 1991/2024 Visions of the Basque Country (47.4%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 152b): nose: cut lychee, cut greengage, jasmine, lilac, nectar-filled honeysuckle, cherry blossom and flowers from some kind of berry tree. We do have primrose too, syrupy pear liqueur and lemon foliage. The second nose is similarly ethereal. Mouth: sweet-citrus foliage, chalk gratings. The second sip has firmer fruits, mandarines and clementine zest. Finish: big, flowery and mildly chalky. It is fairly strong and has lingering flowers intertwined with citrus. The second gulp slaps refrigerated marmalade onto the gob to match a rather-assertive alcohol. JS adores this. 8/10

38.42 31yo d.1992 Cigars in sweetie jars (50.3%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, ex-Bourbon Hogshead + 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel Finish, 189b): nose: freshly-cleaned pillows move towards warm sofa cushions in a warm living room in the autumn. The second nose sees pineapple, which is less folkloric, perhaps. Mouth: chocolate milk tainted with citrus juice (pomelo, calamansi). This is both creamy and fruity, a little sparkly too. The second sip brings soda to the scene, citrus-y soda, augmented with citrus foliage. Quite peppery and numbing, even now, though not overly so. Finish: ooft! Tropical fruits rise, mango, persimmon and maracuja, all joined by cherimoya and citrus at second gulp. This is exquisite. 9/10

Funny how the staff insists on helping us choose based on flavour profiles, then consistently recommend bottlings in their own favourite style, only for us not to like them as much as they do. We choose one and bang! Success. :-)

It is the end. A couple of guys just arrived in our little space wearing too much cologne. The kitchen smells were a little distracting, but temporary, and I was fine putting up with them. Cologne, on the other hand, is more durably intrusive. Anyway, it is otherwise a great venue. Time for the train.