06/05/2023 Anticoronation

Today, Prince Charles becomes Charles III. As some celebrate this coronation, we meet for non-monarchist drams with a firm plan to not monitor events all day. "We" are JS, OB, Cavalier66 and I.

The soundtrack: Pronto Pronto ??!! (for the sole reason that the last track of CD1 is by a band called CO.RO[nation] -- ha!)

Cavalier66 immediately preys upon the food he brought. In pure Cavalier66 style, he has not had anything to eat since he got up -- presumably six minutes ago. Amongst the goodies, a Royal Oak smoked ham. Also Serrano ham and Comté, plus a potato-flour bread which is delicious, if hard to cut (so spongy!)

OB explains that he brought an apéritif, a French whisky, to celebrate that the French have done away with their monarchy, because they were anticoronation.

Ergaster Nature N°001 (45%, OB, French Oak Cognac + Banyuls + Pineau des Charentes Casks, 1900b, b#0579, b. 2019) (OB): nose: strangely woody for a four year-old, bready (Cavalier66), with something lactic, and caraway seeds (Cavalier66). The second nose has a lot of nail polish and crayon shavings. Mouth: velvety, it quickly turns a little bitter, as well as sweet, somehow reminiscent of Crodino. Finish: mellow, it cannot hide its vin-jaune influences. Or Pineau, since it is N°000 that was matured in Vin Jaune casks. There is a clear taint of apricot too. 7/10

From a four-year-old French whisky to a thirty-eight-year-old Scotch. Ahem. Cavalier66 has us play anagrams, for this one, and it takes a few clues to decipher that with the coronation comes the pledge of allegiance -- which almost spells Glenallachie. We will drink the latter, rather than pledge said allegiance.

Glenallachie 38yo 1973/2010 (44%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS11018, 96b) (Cavalier66): nose: Cavalier66 notes dunnage and sour fruit, whereas I find it is a flowery one (jasmine, lilac) that reveals a juicy fruitiness, chiefly that of mirabelle plums. JS detects apple compote, and it has galangal shavings too, far in the back, mingling with apple peels. The second nose even displays dragon fruit. Mouth: surprisingly dilute and a bit disappointing (Cavalier66). It is delicate, with middle-dry white wine (Chenin blanc), and the soft bitterness of the vine that bore its grapes. Finish: it is gentle, again, in a white-wine way. Cotton Candy grapes, and a sprinkle of burnt-wood shavings. This is boss. 9/10

tOMoH [about the anagram]: "Only the 'h' is not in use, is it?"
JS: "We could use the 'h', perhaps?"
Cavalier66: "Jamaicans would."
tOMoH: "Hallegiance. Jah bless, mahn!"

OB tells us how Ireland left the UK and the Commonwealth because they were anticoronation. Cavalier66 adds that the previous time Ireland had no king was during the Civil War, and that Oliver Cromwell then massacred the Irish, which made them (even more) anticoronation.

Ireland 24yo 1989/2014 (42.2%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams a joint bottling with La Maison du Whisky, Rum Cask, C#16262) (Cavalier66): nose: fluorescent-purple nail varnish, waxy mango peels, butterscotch and glue (JS), bergamot and kumquat, plump satsuma and foliage. Then, slowly but surely, mango rises. It is a grassier number, though, no doubt about it. Coming back to it after the next dram, this smells more buttery, in a smashed-mango-and-apricot way. Mouth: the texture of a good citrus juice, and the taste of juicy mango, alongside the metal of the knife that cut the fruit open. Finish: long, fruity, mango-y, and a little earthy too. The second sip has bread and just what it needs, in terms of fruitiness. Lovely drop. 9/10

vs.

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507) (OB): nose: menthol (JS), and a minute amount of smoke, which surprises us all -- there was none when we had it, ahem, six years ago. Mouth: ooft! Here is a gigantic lick of mango, and a touch of metal. The alcohol is fairly obvious and numbing, but never overtakes the mad fruit. There is even banana in this. Beautiful. Finish: long and boldly fruity. Warming. The second sip is bolder, still, with loads of mango covered in chocolate. Repeated sipping reveals an earthy side too. 9/10

The soundtrack: Helena Hauff - Kern Vol. 5

The next one, I explain, has the seal: "By appointment to HRM The Prince of Wales." Laphroaig are likely mightily against the coronation, because it means they will have to replace their labels (at no small a cost, no doubt).

Laphroaig 28yo b.2018 (44.4%, OB Limited Edition, Quarter Casks + Bourbon Barrels + Sherry Butts) (tOMoH): nose: pure fruit (Cavalier66). We have an enthralling, smoky dark-fruit jam. Mouth: it develops more ash on the tongue, but it is still very much a dark-berry affair. Finish: ash and fruit (Cavalier66). Full notes here. 9/10

JS introduces an SMWS bottling that has "lip-smac-KING" in the name.

44.53 22yo d.1989 Lip-smacking, chewy and chunky (51.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 279b) (JS): nose: coal, in the back (Cavalier66). Old jam stuck to the cast-iron cauldron. Mouth: chewy (OB), oily (OB and Cavalier66), it has a distinct, industrial-age, dusty-boiler side. Phwoar! Finish: it has the legs of a centipede (Cavalier66, prompting a discussion about cult flick The Human Centipede), buckets of soot, and caramelised marmalade. It is also very waxy (Cavalier66). This is OB's favourite, so far. I like it too, of course. My full notes are here. 9/10

JS plays single tracks.

The soundtrack: Thompson Twins - King For A Day

The soundtrack: King - Love And Pride

Cavalier66, always great at international relations, presents the next one, a Cognac, thus: "The French. You get rid of monarchy, you chop off your king's head, and you don't even make whisky."

Cavalier66 [to OB]: "And you had to bring a fucking French whisky [to ruin my connection]!"

François Peyrot 61yo 1959/2010 (44.2%, OB Heritage, Lot '59) (Cavalier66): nose: wood smoke, but especially gummy bears, Cola Bottle sweets, purple chewy sweets, then soft rubber. We have a note of grapes (raisins, actually), marzipan, and then we are back with wood. The second nose has putty and balls of clay. Mouth: cinnamon-y ginger, modelling clay, dark grapes, peppermint. Over time, the sweetness of chewy (blackcurrant) sweets takes over. Finish: long, elegant, it has a wheelbarrow of fruits, the heat of a mentholated gingery paste, and the chewiness of clay. 9/10

The soundtrack: Echo & The Bunnymen - My Kingdom

The soundtrack: Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

Cavalier66 [about that latest song]: "Because you only see a coronation once in a lifetime."
OB: "Well, I hope I live a bit longer than..."
Cavalier66: "...Charles! That's the only way to finish that sentence."
JS: "Actually, it is for Tal-KING Heads."

Time to attack OB's excellent gâteau basque

The soundtrack: Roadking - SAT015

I bring the next bottle to the group.

Cavalier66: "Always a pleasure to have a dumpy."
[All laugh]
JS: "That is going to be my email signature from now on."
tOMoH: "A Glenlossie. This is about the loss of Charles's title of Prince of Wales."
Cavalier66: "Or the loss of his head when we behead him."

Glenlossie-Glenlivet 21yo 1957/1979 (80° Proof, Cadenhead imported by Mario Rossi, Sherry Cask) (tOMoH): nose: sherries, but not in a bulldog way (OB). Half OBE, half sherry (Cavalier66). It has rancio and more rose water than I remembered too. Mouth: phwoar! This really is a beautiful Sherry maturation, with dry earth, stone-hard, bone-dry raisins. Finish: old dry Sherry, and industrial-era soot, as well as coal dust. This remains amazing. Full notes here. 9/10

The soundtrack: Adam & The Ant - Kings Of The Wild Front

OB explains that the next dram is colloquially known as Red Stripe -- Red Stripe, like the rave beer from Jamaica, a country that wants to leave the Commonwealth, and whose citizens are presumably anticoronation until that departure has taken place.

Laphroaig 10yo (55.7%, OB Original Cask Strength imported by Allied Domecq Zürich) (OB): nose: peaty. Tanned leather, damp earth, ploughed fields. It is very farm-y in an agricultural way, as opposed to cattle farming. We have a vaguely maritime touch too, with kelp, seaweed, and seaweed-wrapped chicken (or rooster, really: it comes across as tough). Finally, here are hard tree bark and old ink. Mouth: dry, earthy, it has elderberries, blackcurrants, and lots of horsepower. This is chewy as a beard, and punctuated by burning hay. Punchy, boisterous. I can see why so many fall for this. Truth be told, I can also see why some grow out of it. Finish: rougher than the 'lossie (OB). There is a clear kick of earthy blackcurrant and elderberry. It suffers from the sequence, but is otherwise a decent whisky, even if it is lacking in the elegance department, perhaps. 7/10

The soundtrack: The Coronation Of King George II

JS explains that Princess Charlotte will never be crowned, and does not move closer to the throne as a result of the coronation, so she is probably anticoronation.

Port Charlotte 14yo 2002/2017 (60.1%, The Creative Whisky Company The Exclusive Malts, Sherry Hogshead, C#1140, 228b) (JS): nose: mud, pastures, muddy pastures. This is well farm-y, and more cattle farm than agriculture, this time. It has dark berries too, mind. The trademark bacon is present, yet subdued. Mouth: berries aplenty, as well as liqueur and earth. It is thick and sticky, faintly animal... and strong. Fierce peppermint ends up poking the tongue relentlessly. Finish: unexpectedly balanced, it has menthol, berries, earth and chocolate, a pinch of coffee grounds, and black-cardamom husk. I need to spend more time with this another day. 9/10

Cavalier66: "It's nice, that Port Charlotte, but it is full on. It's definitely a last dram."
OB: "...ever."
[Cavalier66 chokes -- not to death, I should add]

Good times, even if I am so wrecked from an early start to the day that I do not enjoy it as much as I should. Also, the pace is sporty, to say the least.

31/12/2019 NYE drams at Dornoch Castle Hotel

After a great road trip and before we enter the madness that is a New Year's Eve in the north of Scotland, a few drams. The last few drams of 2019, in fact.

This very cute gold crest watches over our selection

Glen Moray 28yo 1974/2002 (53.4%, OB Distillery Manager's Choice, ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt, 676b, b#617): I had completely overlooked that unassuming bottle, hidden behind others, too busy scouting a bottle for the king of kings. JS is clearly more observant and less pretentious than I am. Nose: old, fruity shoe polish, with toffee, caramel and orange sponge cake (PiM's). The fruit keeps growing too, with pink grapefruit and satsuma kept in a leather pouch. There is even a whisper of soft tobacco, in the back. In the long run, the nose turns proper tropical, with all sorts of fruits. Mouth: marvellously fruity on the palate too, on top of the soft leather that we expected to be the continuation of the nose. Pink-grapefruit segments and satsumas, very fresh and juicy. Finish: it is in line with the nose and palate, with pink grapefruit, blood orange, satsuma, kumquat -- rhaaa! This is comparable to 35.59, perhaps better. What a belter! 10/10

Glen Grant 8yo (70° Proof, Robert Watson imported by Terni Import, b.1971--1976): nose: caramelised biscuits, hints of coffee grounds, overripe, almost-rotten blood orange and cork (adc). Mouth: fresh, it is not powerful, or course. It does have diluted orange juice and sweet pulp. Finish: similarly fresh in the aftertaste, with orange boiled sweets (Sugus), orange pulp and very little coffee grounds, now. It is softly bitter, though that is almost not worth mentioning, so subtle it is. An unchallenging, but excellent drop. 8/10

Glen Moray 38yo 1971/2010 (48.7%, Duncan Taylor, C#7032, 256b, b#155): nose: fruity, it has cherries and blood oranges, yet also a leafier touch, with flowers (jasmine, roses, carnations) and lychee peels. Mouth: what a fantastic balance of blood-orange juice, lychee peels and juicy cherries here too. It is a little lively, or at least, more so than the age might suggest, with a serving of ginger shavings. Finish: take the same and start again (blood orange and cherry), but here, it also has wood, varnished, precious wood. Long, coating and soooo good. 9/10

Emerald Isle 26yo d.1989 (59.2%, Speciality Drinks, C#16244): nose: the expected avalanche of tropical fruit happens, starting with mango, then papaya, jackfruit and something a bit earthier too. Lychee peels, lime leaves, satsuma leaves and a hint of milk chocolate. Mouth: pungent, but balanced, with chocolate-y mango, fresh papaya and buttery jackfruit. Finish: a roundhouse kick of tropical fruit. To be honest, I cannot be bothered listing them. It is buttery, fruity and juicy. Joy. 9/10

Those Irish beauties are a bit predictable and, dare I say, monotonous. There have been so many, over the past five-to-eight years, that one is almost bound to grow a bit immune to them. It is important not to forget that, between 2002 and 2007, Duncan Taylor alone released around forty Bowmore distilled in 1966, 1968 and 1969. There was a sort of good-whisky fatigue then too, I am sure, and the sense that every bottling tasted like the last one and was therefore less and less interesting. Fast-forward to 2020 and those are all highly sought after and highly regarded, but completely out of reach.
I think one should ignore these Irish whiskies at their own peril. One day, they will dry up and become out of reach. I prefer trying them whilst I can. That will not last forever.

CT: "We are  really happy with the way The Vault
was done up. It is a bit quaint, seeing as it is a vault.
It is for little people."
tOMoH: "N, would you like to call HR?"

Ben Nevis 23yo 1996/2019 (52.2%, Thompson Bros. selected by Dave Broom for Amber Light and exclusive to Royal Mile Whiskies, Refill Sherry Butt, 497b): funnily enough, this was rated 92/100 by whiskyfun.com yesterday. Soon at an auction near you... Nose: typical Ben Nevis, with shoe polish, cured red meat on the bone, earth and lots of dirt, as well as some fruit. Overripe dark grapes, overripe plums, soaked plums, sangria, bloody steak (which is not a fruit, let us be clear: you are not a vegetarian if you eat bloody steak; you might be, if you eat fucking potatoes, though). Mouth: more traditionally fruity, on the palate, with red berries, cherries, soaked apples, oranges macerated in wine, lingonberry compote with a game dish (pheasant? We saw lots, during our excursion, earlier). Finish: wine-y, full of sangria and macerated fruits, blended with dark chocolate. Yes: dark chocolate and dried raspberry chips thrown in. We are in complete disbelief, with regards to the 92/100. Which is not to say it is a bad whisky. For me, it is 7/10

Glen Grant 38yo (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, SC295, b.1970s): pre-war Glen Grant, then. Nose: woah! This is an old Cognac, grape-y as fook, but also noble and elegant, with freshly-polished, leather-bound books, truffle oil, maraschino cherries and some old bottle effect. Mouth: the same harmonious balance hinted at by the nose. Old Cognac from before the Napoleonic wars and elegant leather, as well as excellent, truffle-oil-speckled maraschino cherries. Finish: long and unbelievably balanced, with similar notes of noble leather and fruit. Amazeboulanger. 10/10

Time to dress up and upload some food. Lots of food.

Braised pork jowl

Gin-cured salmon

Three-way beef

Chocolate parfait

Lemon sorbet, meringue, cheese cake and macaroon

Christmas pudding and what seemed like a Comté

The food is even better than the previous years and I feel less bloated, despite eating three of those lemon cheese cakes (I cannot stand waste). Well done!

We have time for one more round before the street party starts. Let us make it count.

adc has a gin-based cocktail from the courtyard.
They have braseros there, one of which smells
of burnt rubber

Glen Scotia 30yo 1975/2006 (47.5%, The Whisky Fair, Rum Barrel, 96b): nose: diesel and engine oil, hard plastic, plastic buckets, boiled swede and oilskins. Later on, rye bread appears. What the deuce? Cold barbecue grille and burnt pencil shavings -- this is all over the place. Mouth: oily, silky, apricot-juice-like in texture, but metallic and powerful in taste, bringing clean machinery to the fore. Hairballs and steel, hemp sealant for pipes (that thing that looks like hair) and salt. Finish: a bizarre-but-supremely-interesting mix of freshly-cut fruit, knives of all sorts, diesel and plastic. The finish is the clear strong point, here. What a funny old Glen Scotia. Believe! 8/10

Ardmore 21yo 1998/2019 (51.5%, Thompson Bros., Refill Hogshead, 256b): nose: strawberry and cheese (Reblochon, Comté) -- again: WTF? Cut peach in rose water, rose petals, plasticine, marshmallows, soft and fluffy. Mouth: soft, gentle, with canary melon, especially the skins, unripe quince and growing white pepper. The second sip sees marshmallow come back, accompanied by strawberry pralines. Finish: amazingly fruit, with distant strawberry and lots of citrus (grapefruit and dried lemon peel). No peat whatsoever (an Ardlair, perhaps?) Liqueur praline, on the other hand, is very present. Mon Chéri and Edle Tropfen. Excellent. A good dram to finish the year with. 8/10

Boom.

Now to start the year... Oh! One of our table mates insists on offering me a dram. That is very kind, of course, yet it limits what I start the year with -- it would be rude to order something that costs £100, would it not?

66.143 20yo d.1998 Steam trains and puffers (55.8%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 237b): here is another similarly-aged Ardmore we want to try. How topical, then, to order it now, so we can side-by-side it with the above? Nose: dirtier than the Thompson Bros.', it has burning alcohol, burnt caramel, burnt wood and turpentine. Mouth: thin and strong in alcohol, it has surgical spirit, medicinal alcohol and squashed apple pips. It is very drying and rather unpleasant. Finish: long, thin, full of ethanol and surgical spirit. Not a patch on the other. It feels like a new make, surprisingly, with burnt wood and drying ash. Not my thing at all. 5/10 (Thanks for the dram, DMcL, I chose poorly)

Annoyingly, DMcL and JMcL leave us, making it impossible to return the favour tonight. Ah well, tomorrow.

Now, to start as we mean to go on, the real first dram of 2020.

Caol Ila 17yo d.1969 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice): nose: meaty and charcoal-y, it has burnt rubber (adc), burning leaves, forest floor and wild mushrooms, scorched earth, charred pineapple, bicycle inner tubes, roasted lychee. It does display a microscopic touch of sulphur, but it is not loud at all. Mentholated talcum powder on bicycle inner tubes. Mouth: soft and silky, surprisingly so, it has cold custard, cold, flat cola, pineapple juice from a char-grilled fruit, tinned-lychee syrup, old, tarry, mouldy rope. The fruit shines stronger than the undeniably-present diesel on the palate. Old fishing nets, oil spills reaching the sandy beach. Finish: oh! my god. The power of this thing!! It is so assertive, at 40%! Coal, straight out of the industrial revolution, a camp fire in a bothy, a leaking diesel engine, burnt wood, steam-train tenders and boilers, full of coal, coke near the factory's furnace, oil spill again... we have a winner! The finish goes on forever too, evolving to unveil gunpowder, in the long run. It would be a top score, save for the meaty note, which I find out of place. 9/10

They do not kick us out to close the bar early, this year, but it feels enough. Happy new year! Let 2020 be better than 2019!

Zzz.

30/09/2018 Whisky Show 2018 (Day 2 -- Part 2) Six Whiskies of the Decade

Oliver Chilton (OC) and Sukhinder Singh (SSS) co-present this masterclass. The theme is simple: it is the Show's tenth anniversary; the sponsor (SSS) and the organiser-come-bottler (OC) chose their favourite whiskies bottled exclusively for The Whisky Show over the past ten years.

This is what they look like

Chilton opens the proceedings by underlining all the whiskies today, "were found in boxes marked: 'SSS drink'. So, you're basically drinking Sukhinder's stock." Ha!

Lochside 46yo d.1964 (42.1%, TWE, C#8970, 139b): need I say more? This is one of my favourite whiskies ever. I am a bit sceptical regarding its position in the line-up, but am delighted to try it again. I monitor Cavalier66 from the corner of my eye: he has never had it. Naturally, his reaction is positive. Nose: exuberantly fruity, with a touch of dignified wood. Yellow passion fruit, says cavalier. It has had an hour or so to breathe and it is a delight. Mouth: dunnage warehouse, magnificent. Finish: perfection in a glass. That drop of tropical fruit in the finish just slays you every time. 10/10

Sukhinder explains that the paperwork promised a single malt, but he was puzzled when he tried the first sample. Scratching the paint on the cask, they found out it was in fact a single blend. Only Lochside and Ben Nevis did this, blending malt and grain produced at the same plant before putting it into casks. The result after a long ageing period is something that is more than the sum of its parts, as illustrated on 31/12/2014 and 29/10/2017, amongst others.

SSS: "Only three of those were released, I think, and I believe this was the first."
tOMoH: "Four, and Scott's predates yours by a little [five years, in fact]. Though in fairness, yours is better."

Everyone needs a smartarse. The room is full of them, today.

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507): we had this one for St Patrick's day, this year. It was lovely, but because of that, I cannot say it is the one that excites me most, today. Nose: mango and guava, exuberant, but also less elegant than the fruit in the Lochside, really. Satsuma, tangerine and cantaloupe melon. Mouth: extraordinary balance, with a pinch of white pepper, sawdust, and lot of fruit. Finish: a fruity explosion, tropical, lush, with mango, guaa, persimmon and also rhubarb. Despite the nose being more vulgar than the Lochside's, it is still worth top score. 10/10

Sukhinder explains they very often add water to the whisky before bottling, so as to obtain the optimal ABV. Sometimes even in the cask.

Springbank 24yo b.2017 (51.7%, Elixir Distillers Art of Whisky, 191b): nose: sooty as an old chimney, old stoves, coal buckets. This is Victorian working class personified. Mouth: unexpectedly full of fruits. Fruit with a pinch of soot, coal dust and white pepper. Finish: warming, very long, never-ending and distinctly elegant. That mix of fruit and coal/soot is terribly efficient. 9/10

OC: "I'm not a chemist. I have a degree in philosophy. It drives you to drink, but it doesn't help."

SSS (upon meeting Chivas Bros representatives in Whisky Live Tokyo): "You're so lucky. You have the best distillery in the world."
Reps: "Yeah, Glenlivet."
SSS: "!?!?!? No."
Reps: "Glen Grant? Scapa? Lochside? Aberlour? Not Caperdonich?"
SSS: "Longmorn!"

The following time they met, the representatives told him he was right, that the staff now was raving about Longmorn and that they would do more with it soon. Ten years have passed and not much has happened, SSS says.

Longmorn 31yo 1978/2010 (58%, Speciality Drinks Masterpieces, Bourbon Cask, 135b): this is probably the one I am most excited to finally try. It was bottled the year before I started coming to this festival. Nose: a hint of liquorice and lots of berries. It also has a buttery touch to it; I first think of avocado, but it is in fact mango. Mango, papaya, blueberry, baked banana and tender wood. Mouth: acidic passion fruit, green grapefruit (Sukhinder says pink, but he is clearly wrong), mandarin and the bite of pepper. This is a heartwarming palate, truth be told. Finish: pink grapefruit, mixed peel, orange drops. Superb balance, with lots of fruit, good alcohol level and a whisper of Virginia tobacco. Wow. 9/10

SSS: "It was wonderful. Peachy, peachy, peachy."
tOMoH: "Ya, ya, ya-ya"

Clynelish 18yo b.2014 (50.6%, The Whisky Exchange): nose: leather, jute sacks, sulphur. This one is dirty and farm-y, with tractor tyres and saddles. The jute/hessian and sulphur grow more intense, which I am not very happy about. Mouth: hot, it has candle wax, spent matchsticks, boiled daffodils and burnt wick. Finish: big, dirty, sooty, with spent wick. Later, the waxy character comes back stronger, with furniture polish. All in all, though, this is my least favourite of the set by a comfortable margin. 7/10

Sukhinder tells the audience that Port Ellen is not his favourite distillery. He started collecting it, because it was closed and he thought there was therefore a remote chance to own all the bottlings. That was of course before the hype made their prices so unreasonable.

SSS: "Some names no-one talks about. You can't buy Ardbeg, but Glenburgie is cheap and it's nice."

I do not have the heart to tell SSS that Glenburgie is cheap because no-one talks about it.

Port Ellen 27yo 1983/2010 (51.3%, The Whisky Exchange for The Whisky Show 2010, Sherry Cask, 60b): nose: tar, petrol, diesel, even, a cockle shed on the pier, a fishing boat in the harbour. Mouth: similar notes, really; sea water, diesel, fishing nets, seafood. Finish: petrolic and salty, with the sweetness that the Dovr-Tvtes-Mares also had. 1983 is clearly my favourite vintage for Port Ellen. It is lovely. I preferred some of the earlier drams in this class, though. 9/10

A lady in the audience asks: "Would you drink a good whisky for the rest of your life, or several less good whiskies?"
SSS: "Hard question. Probably a good one."
Lady: "Which one?"
SSS: "I don't know. There are so many."
Guy in the audience: "You would probably choose a 1964 Bowmore."
SSS: "Five days a week. Not seven."

Talking about the price of similar bottlings:
SSS: "One is £100, another is £150..."
Cavalier66: "The exchange rate, isn't it?"
tOMoH: "The Whisky Exchange rate!"

Time to clap and leave. It is great to see OC more relaxed than he has been (I suppose ten years of Show make one so). I tell the MCs their openness about water addition should lead to their using Chilton-filtration, which makes OC giggle. There will be another masterclass here shortly. As for us, we go for food.

17/03/2018 Saints and Snakes

Saint Patrick's Day, today. The patron saint of Ireland famously drove the snakes into the sea. Successfully too: not many snakes left in Ireland. On top of being a good day for Ireland to obliterate England in the Six Nations, this is the perfect opportunity to drink whisk(e)y. The theme, therefore, is Saints and Snakes, inspired by JS.

The suspects: PS, JS, OB, cavalier66 and me.

PS builds most of the line-up and decides to go for ascending ABV.

Left to right

The soundtrack: Ab Ovo - Empreintes

Jura 8yo (40%, OB imported by Verschave, d.1970s) (OB): easy! Jura is Iri... no! There is a snake on the lab... no! OB brought this because he bought it from pat(rick) gva. Top start. Nose: pickled lemons, margarine (PS), vinegar-y fruit. The fruit turns slightly tropical, with banana and papaya (mañana, lalala, batata). Mouth: soft, delicate, with diluted peach juice. This is a frail lady with lots of charm. Fruit and dusty spices. Finish: quince, satsuma, a hint of pepper and dried mandarin peels. PS: "I'll add water to this first, because I'm a nice person. I'd like this to go on record." Water kills it, giving it a cardboard-y touch. Well done, PS. 8/10

cavalier66: "I had a Cooley that had gone off. It had lost all its taste."
PS: They're called permanent employees, not coolies."

The soundtrack: Iarla Ó Lionáird - I Could Read The Sky

Coffey-still label

Invergordon 41yo d.1971 (41.6%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#1, 252b, b#75) (cavalier66): Invergordon is in Ireland! No. Ha! Invergordon uses a Coffey still (in fact, it is drawn on the label), and Aeneas Coffey was Irish! Yes, but no. Celebrity chef InverGordon Ramsay famously ate a live snake on television, a few years ago. Nose: wood, liquorice, bitter blackcurrants, splinters, wood varnish and ground cardamom. Mouth: full, oily, fruity and varnish-y, it has more liquorice too. Finish: discreet rancio, liquorice and lots of blackcurrant, as well as a whiff of butterscotch, in the back of the throat. 8/10

tOMoH: "It is good, but you have to like the wood."
OB: "...and, boy! do we like that!"

Food enters. cavalier66 brought cheeses (Irish feta, Irish Mancheg O'Cheese), bread (O'Live bread, spelt bread), two types of jams and Serran O'Ham. I complement it with Fantastic O'Sausah-gee. Everything is tops.

OB knows France will soon be defeated by Wales in the Six Nations, and spews venom in anticipation.
OB: "How does a Welshman find a sheep in tall grass? Very satisfying."

St. George b.2017 (43%, OB, B#SM017) (JS): not sure the Irish would enjoy St. George, patron saint of England, celebrated on St Patrick's Day, but it is a saint alright, and therefore in theme. Besides, this is American whiskey. Nose: "a taste I cannot place" (OB). "Freedom?" (tOMoH) Unusual, to say the least, with chemical flavouring, warm plastic, some herb (mint?), menthol, eucalyptus, pear drops and white-board marker. Mouth: fresh, oily, it has olive oil and the softness and velvet that go along. Finish: pencil rubber, plasticine, mentholated dough, crayon shavings. 7/10

Munch!

We talk about the blender's nosing glass, which cavalier66 experienced in February again.
cavalier66: "The blender's glass is good for nosing."
OB: "You have to be an expert at brown-nosing."

vs.

The English Whisky 3yo 2008/2011 Chapter 6 (46%, OB, ASB Casks, C#482-483-484-485-486) (PS): transatlantic battle, this is! This one, of course, is English, and the logo is St. George, patron saint of England. He is pictured slaying the dragon, which could be seen as a glorified snake. Nose: it smells of potato! Fits the Irish theme to perfection, then. "You'd better drink it quickly, before it's taken over by some blight," says PS. Boiled potato with the skin on (cavalier66), raw cereal and European holly (also known as Christ's thorn, here is another connection with saints). Mouth: thin, almost watery. There is really not much in this -- perhaps a hint of disinfecting solution. Finish: young, barley-like, with a touch of subtle smoke. This is nice enough, but far from life-changing. 6/10

vs.

The English Whisky 3yo 2008/2011 Chapter 11 (46%, OB, ASB Casks, C#632-633-634) (PS): "what the hell is an ASB cask anyway?" I hear you ask. It stands for American Standard Barrel. Fancy way of saying 'Barrel,' then. Nose: gently smoked barley. This could as well be a young Ardbeg, though it is not as peaty. Mouth: as thin as its predecessor, it has light vinegar, barley water and a few grains of coal dust. Retro-olfaction brings charred cherry tree. Finish: peat is the great equalizer, here, and makes this more interesting than the unpeated Chapter 6. The smoke is gentle and hovering rather than cloying, but there is definitely smoke from a campfire. 7/10

The soundtrack: Hoshin - Path Of Dissolutions

St. Rathclyde 11yo 2005/2017 (55.6%, Douglas Laing Old Particular, Sherry Butt, C#DL11484, 306b) (PS): three in a row for PS, and this one is borderline, when it comes to its affiliation to the theme -- I love it for that. Nose: burnt toast, burnt caramel, tar, the inside of my food-recycling bin, decaying fruit and unripe currant, as well as a dash of coffee. Mouth: initially velvety, but charcoal soon appears. Burnt berries, caramel sticking to the pan. Finish: a huge berry flavour (redcurrant, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry), caramel and plums, macerated in thick wine. Sherry matured grains are always unusual; this is no exception. 8/10

vs.

St. Rathclyde 13yo 2001/2014 (64.4%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Editions, B#ST 13 002) (JS): late addition to the line-up by JS, who agrees this is the best moment for a head-to-head with its fellow saint. It is not often that we have two young grains from the same distillery! Nose: almost silent, after the monstrous sherried one. This is more typical of a grain whisky, with chou dough, turnovers and bakery shenanigans. Mouth: soft and velvety, it is sweet, with icing sugar and lots of bakery shiznit. Finish: sweet, sugary, even, with apple turnovers. I reckon the sequence does not do it justice, unfortunately, and it would score higher in other circumstances. Still a more-than-decent 8/10

PS: "This one is nervous, important and smooth. The other one is a bit different."

cavalier66 pours the next dram blind, from an unmarked sample bottle. Jokes about urine soon abound. Obviously.

The soundtrack: Brad Fiedel - Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Blind #1 (cavalier66): nose: "A hint of important Armagnac" (PS) "...with smooth yellow passion fruit" (OB). It is a passion-fruit debauchery, with also squashed banana and green grape. Very fruity, this. I venture it is a Cognac, possible an Old Brothers. Mouth: thin, acidic, and still fruity, with mango and maracuja. Finish: thin, watery. A clear line-up mistake, unfortunately. It is Irish Reserve 26yo (46%, unknown bottler Superior Reserve for Aldi, b.2017) I assume that under better circumstances, it would score 8/10

Kinobe - Butterfly

Glenallachie 39yo 1973/2013 (48.9%, Maltbarn #13, Bourbon Cask, 51b) (cavalier66): one has to love those micro-bottlings. Fifty-one bottles. Is that limited, or what? cavalier66 claims a caterpillar is like a small snake that turns into a butterfly -- and there is a butterfly on the label. Lolle. Nose: jammy, but it quickly becomes mentholated, with apricot jam, chutney, toasted crumpets and compote. Mouth: soft, gently acidic and fruity, full of satsumas and roasted orange rinds. Finish: lots of fruit and a bit of smoke. The fruit is tropical alright, and there is a pinch of spices thrown in the mix (nigella seeds). Excellent. 9/10

PS: "I used to have long hair."
OB: "That ship has sailed."

The soundtrack: A Cryo Chamber Collaboration - Yog-Sothoth

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507) (OB): I missed this at the Whisky Show Old & Rare last year, so I am very pleased to have a chance to try it after all! This is Irish, hence in theme. Nose: wide and assertive, with in-your-face mango, motherfucker! Mango, a touch of clogged sink, strawberry jam and warm bread. Mouth: soft, buttery and fruity. Mango, papaya, apricot, carambola, maracuja and milk chocolate. Finish: amazing fruitiness here too -- maracuja, mango, avocado and milk chocolate. An Irish beauty. 9/10

vs.

Irish 26yo 1989/2015 (46.9%, The Whisky Agency imported by Bartels Rawlings, Barrel, 146b) (OB): sneaky OB brought this just in case. It comes out of a bag surreptitiously and we declare we have to have it opposite Emerald Isle. Nose: more leathery, this one. Lots of fruit, of course -- in fact, it would be super-fruity, were it not compared to the even fruitier Emerald Isle. This one is earthier. Fruit and mud. Mouth: velvety, with a faint acidic note, carambola, pomelo, lime and smoked paprika. Finish: bitterer finish, it balances out the acidity of the mouth with lots of fruit again -- mango, pomelo, lime and crushed basil. Amazing, though it suffers from the comparison with the previous dram. 8/10

Irish duo

PS offers a dram of Cotswold to OB, but struggles to open his bottle.
tOMoH: "This is why you need Continentals: we come with tools and know-how."
PS: "When I look at you, I think: tool."

Slaney Malt 11yo 2001/2013 (57%, Limerick Selection, C#9929, 235b) (JS): another Irish one. It is St Patrick's Day, after all! Nose: barley and lots of fruit. Of course, after the older beasts, the fruit seems tame. Satsumas and pineapple shavings. Mouth: buttery, acidic and fruity -- acidic butter, then. :-) Finish: lots of chocolate, pears, chocolate-covered pears, chocolate-coated mangoes. Beautiful, but it is having a hard time, in this sequence. 8/10

vs.

Cooley 11yo 2001/2012 (55.9%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection imported by Pacific Edge Imports, Barrel, C#3443, 210b) (tOMoH): nose: warmer, with green banana, says everyone. Pisang (banana liqueur), pomelo. This is amazing. Mouth: soft, it has lemon, pomelo and green banana. It is quite spicy, but sweet and fruity too. Wonderful. Finish: banana liqueur and sweet pomelo. This is excellent. 8/10

cavalier66: "I'm just obsessed with buying. Is that the same as collecting?"

The soundtrack: Mark Knopfler - Privateering

Lochside 28yo 1981/2009 (56%, Blackadder Raw Cask, C#617, 96b, b#83) (cavalier66): finally, someone brings a Blackadder. JS and I had this years ago; good to have another go at it. Nose: herbs and fruit -- tropical fruit, even. After the old Irish, this feels perhaps less exuberant, but still reeks of mango and oregano. Fruit comes out more and more -- papaya, mango... and class. Mouth: buttery, fruity as hell with some spices too (red chilli), peach, oregano and rosemary. Finish: warm and fruity, it has hot mango jam. Not sure what else to say. It is buttery and rich, fruity and excellent. Wonderful Lochside. 9/10

PS: "If you're in the crowd and you've taken the Blackadder, please report to the medical tent."

cavalier66: "This is middle ground between masturbating on your own and the Whisky Show."

St. Magdalene 26yo 1982/2009 (59.1%, Douglas Laing for The Whisky Shop Glenkeir Treasures Cask Strength Selection, 144b) (tOMoH): another saint. Someone had to and it was always going to be me. Nose: much more austere than anything today, but also creamy; it has mint, avocado stone and horsepower. Mouth: fruit and gravel, pears and black pepper. Finish: pepper, herbs, orchard fruit. I am taking dreary notes, at this point; it is a great drop. 9/10

cavalier66: "Can I point at your t-shirt?"
PS: "This is a t-shirt, not OB."

The soundtrack: Various - Romeo + Juliet: Music From The Motion Picture - Volume 2

The English Whisky 5yo 2010/2016 (59.7%, OB Founders Private Cellar, Bourbon & Virgin Cask, C#365, 285b, b#148) (PS): we are flirting with dangerous ABVs, by now. The EWC have since done away with the St.-George-slaying-the-dragon imagery, as they thought it appeared too nationalist. But this was bottled pre-Brexit, before that was a concern. Nose: barley, faint smoke, fruit and mint as backing vocalist. Mouth: warm, farm-y, with a medicinal touch to it. This is powerful and warm. The hot exhaust pipe of a wood stove. Finish: a mix of wood and fresh fruit (apricot, peach). Warming, but balanced and, well, excellent. 8/10

The soundtrack: Noir Désir - Des Visages Des Figures

By the pace at which the soundtrack is changing, it is easy to derive how intoxicated we are -- at least, I am. Regardless, I promised myself I would not let this gang be thirsty, and I want to use this opportunity to open something... a little special. As I expected, I break the cork (ensue lots of jokes about Cork, in Ireland), but I manage to extract it without damage and I have a replacement handy.

There has been a cork-up

Tullamore 38yo 1952/1991 (68.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary Commemoration) (tOMoH): this is Irish. Many Web shites confuse this with Tullamore Dew. The names are related, but Tullamore Dew has not contained any Tullamore for quite a while, seeing as the distillery ceased production in 1954. This is not the Dew (a blend), but the single. Unlike the Knappogue Castle bottlings of Tullamore, this is also not watered down. Not one bit. There is no typo: it is really sixty-eight-point-nine percent ABV. Nose: concentrated, herbaceous and medicinal; hawthorn, rosemary, sage, tannis (or at least, what I imagine tannis smells like), verbena and earth. despite the high ABV, this feels perfectly balanced. Metallic? Not quite. Mouth: surprisingly balanced here too -- this, after all, is the highest-ABV whisky I have drunk (I later realise we had a Belgian Owl bottled at a hefty 74.1%, several years ago). The mouth has the same herbs as the nose. It is hot, but not ridiculously so (sixteen drams in, you understand), displays lots of medicinal touches (bandage, gauze, Flexium spray) and horsepower alright. I think the 41yo Tullamore we had with adc seemed more powerful, but then, that time, we had not had such a long afternoon prior. Finish: huge, wide and powerful, with more herbaceous and medicinal notes: bandages, gauze, compression straps, bandage glue, aromatics and a mix of botanicals as one could make gin with. "Imagine this at cask strength," I tease cavalier66. Although balanced, this is devastating, hardly tolerable, so powerful it is. What impresses me is the medicinal aspect. Impossible to relate it to the earlier Irish whiskeys we had today. Herbaceous, medicinal, it has hawthorn and bandages, verbena and gauze strips, oregano and ground apricot stones, a hint of smoked ham (Serran O'Ham, probably) and not the tiniest bit of fresh fruit. This dram is MURDERAH! 10/10

I am embarrassingly tipsy, now. Ah, well. cavalier66 forgets a bottle and loses his keys... in his pocket, JS passes out, OB leaves a box behind and PS... well, he is seasoned. I do not think I am the only one in that state.

Case in point: I have no clue what is happening, here.

What a tasting. Again. I will be much less enthusiastic tomorrow morning, but for now, it is bliss.

BOOM!

Once again, there is a surprise, in the morning