11/02/2017 The Trump tasting

Two new additions to the group, one of whom suggested the theme. With the plethora of great puns supplied to support it, it was impossible not to succumb and go with it!
Most attendees have colds at various levels, but they made it.

MR, JS, BA, JH, GL, OB, cavalier66 and myself. We make a slow start, since the guests arrive at various times. They had warned it would be the case.
BA and MR brought a couple of apéritifs: New England IPA from Brewdog vs. Cloudwater, a fruity, murky beer, and a second one that was finished in a Port cask, very sweet.

We start the real deal shortly thereafter -- almost.

Baijiu 10yo (50%, OB) (BA): BA brought this, because it is Chinese. Trump would not like it because it is not made in the USA. To be honest, he is not the only one to hate it. It is vinegar-y and harsh. I seem to be the only person not to find it repulsive.

On to the real real deal.



Penderyn Madeira Finish (46%, OB, 60534) (GL): GL looked through his collection to find something suitably offensive to the POTUS. Anything Scottish would not do it: he says enough that he is from Scottish ancestry. English whisky? The way the English government is crawling at Trump's feet to get a trade deal, it is not very offensive either. Welsh then! Nose: ashes and pears, dried plums, apricot stone. The fruit grows louder and louder. Mouth: fresh, delicate and fruity (plum juice, prunes), pear skins (JH). Finish: fruity, then sweet caramel comes out, PX style, decaying fruit. This would work as an apéritif or dessert. 8/10

BA talks about the Springbank Society. MR asks:
MR: "What do you get for your Springbank Society membership?"
BA: "A warming sense of well-being and little else."

OB comes next and states that the Trump presidency almost makes us mi(ll)ss Bush.
...
It is going to be a long afternoon.

Bushmills 21yo b.2004 (40%, OB, Madeira Wood Finish, b#16296) (OB): nose: delicate (JH), or rather "borderline delicate," says JH, which amuses the doctors in the audience immensely. It is gently fruity, ethereal, with candy floss and earl grey tea (JH in full form). It has an earthy note, and even cured ham (unstoppable JH). White chocolate, melted milk chocolate and a hint of wood. The fruit grows, yet it never reaches the level of the later batches. Mouth: caramel water -- the Madeira is shining. Finish: cold chococcino, gentle chocolate, frappé coffee. The finish is the strong point of this dram, which is very good all around, yet not as seductive as later batches. 8/10

cavalier66: "Imagine how good this would be at cask strength!"
me: "Don't be so French!"
cavalier66: "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"
me: "Don't be so English!"

BA introduces the next one: the distillery is down the road from a failing golf club, something Trump knows about. He adds that the good stuff at that distillery is upstairs, which means Trump will never see it, as he apparently has a phobia of stairs.

Tomatin 25yo d.1978 (43%, OB, 04/8121) (BA): oddly, the distillation date (to the day) is written on the tube, not on the bottle. Nose: bubble gum, tinned pineapple (cavalier66), strawberry, raspberry, squashed bananas and a hint of ginger. This is a nose akin to that of the wonderful 35yo 1978/2013 bottled by Cadenhead. Mouth: pepper, more oomph than the low ABV would suggest, then fruit (pomegranate) and Parma violet (OB). The texture is silky. Finish: fruit! Overripe fruit (banana, grapefruit, apricot) and milk chocolate. Woah! 9/10

BA unfortunately has to leave at this point. To make up for the loss, MR serves her delicious tiramisù. JH and I serve dried sausages (Armagnac and duck), cheeses (blue Shropshire, Chaource) with crackers. cavalier66 brought houmous crisps and popcorn, whilst GL pulls out Lindt chocolates.

Roar!

Brace yourselves...

Next is a duet presented by yours, truly. I am pretty sure the whiskies will not work together, but I will stop at nothing for the sake of a good pun: since Trump has become the POTUS, a lot of inhabitants of the USA have stated their intention to e-Scapa to Canada.

Scapa 14yo 2000/2014 (53.9%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition, B#SC 14 008) (me): this group has not had this; I am proud to right this wrong. Nose: custard, lemon, sawdust -- woah! Hazelnut, croissant and a creamy impression. Mouth: spicy custard, toasted coconut, dry beans, galangal. This is almost spicy cocoa. Finish: hot custard and wood spices. Still a winner, this! 9/10

Five Lakes (40%, OB) (me): nose: nail varnish, furniture polish, turpentine. Mouth: it seems watery, after the cask-strength Scapa, with more wood varnish goodness. Finish: woody, varnish-y. Decent, but obviously not as good as the previous and not as good as previously (due to the sequence, no doubt). Still very close to a rum. 6/10

JS observes that Trump made it very clear it is going to be America First Cask.

Bruichladdich 19yo d.1989 (46%, Signatory Vintage for Direct Wines Limited First Cask, C#90, b#87) (JS): arguably, this could have been another Bruich in the wall. You know, for the wall on the Mexican border. Nose: gentle and fruity (recurrent note, eh?), with green grapes, tinned pineapples, then soy milk and crisp pears. Mouth: it has a subtle bitterness of flower-stem sap. Later on, milky fruit, perhaps yogurt. Finish: the fruit explodes, here, with plums, apricot and peach. I was curious about this and worried about its place in the line-up. It is great! 8/10

"Jack Daniel's and ginger ale; best combination!" (JH, who will never be invited again)

The next one has an airplane on the label (Air Force One) and is from an undisclosed distillery -- similar to Trump's tax return.

Speyside Region 40yo 1975/2016 (55%, The Whisky Agency Good Vibes, Fino Sherry Butt, 389b) (cavalier66): first appearance for cavalier66, and he is already trying to show off. Happy days! Nose: rich, chock full of peach flesh and almond milk, it also has a whiff of cork and perhaps nuts. Mouth: milky, with green pepper, ginger and walnut shells; this is gently drying. Finish: fruit and green wood, herbs, milky chocolate. The herbs grow in power. Another very good one. 8/10

Next time Angela Merkel speaks to Donald Trump, she will tell him that he has sehr kleine Hände-lish or kleine-lish Hände.

Clynelish 27yo 1982/2010 (52.6%, Milroy The John Milroy Selection for Acorn Ltd imported by Monnier, Refill Hogshead, C#5886) (OB): nose: oooh! Very waxy, with a whiff of smoke and some sweetness. This is nice! Mouth: candle wax, struck matches and a hefty dose of alcohol. Finish: more of that enjoyable candle wax and struck matches, complemented by toasted bread and hot flour. 8/10

Also, the cork broke

JH leaves, at this point, though he leaves his bottle behind and explains how it fits the theme. More on that in a bit.

"Sorry, I don't want to make you feel old, or anything..." (MR)

MR has no pun for the next one. She had one to fit it into the Lord of the Rings theme, though could not attend that, after all. Nae bother, though, we will have it today. We probably manage to find a distant link to Trump, but I cannot remember.

Bowmore d.1995/1996 (51.6%, unknown bottler, C#31+26+1361+1364) (MR): nose: leather! This smells like walking into a tannery, with tame fruit and light smoke. The fruit grows, without ever really becoming identifiable. Citrus? Mouth: velvety and bitter, if that makes sense -- rubber? Leather belts, shoe polish and apricot stone. Finish: ink, shoe polish. This is a little bitter, big, bold, wild, and timidly fruity. Wow! Leathery, smoky and fruity ride. GL is not a fan, I finish his. 7/10

cavalier66 and OB take a leave. They had the next one ahead of everyone else, and cavalier66 pours his second dram before leaving.

Something that was much talked about over the last two weeks, of course, was Trump's Muslim travel Banff.

Banff 23yo 1976/2000 (55.5%, Signatory Vintage, C#2249, 268b, b#123) (me): I have had this a few times recently, and it is time to share it with this group. Nose: the most complex mix of flowers, oranges, ginger, sawdust, mustard and white pepper. The wood is present, yet not alone. Mouth: mustard heat, white pepper, decaying apricots and pickles. Finish: the heat! Dijon mustard, white pepper and lots of spices. Shortly thereafter, fruit emerges. GL reckons it is past its prime. Considering how OB and cavalier66 are giggling, I am not so sure. I still find it much to my liking. 9/10

The name of the next one, Purple relaxation, JH claims is the definitive anti-Trump, who sort of represents Orange anger.

42.18 9yo d.2006 Purple relaxation (59.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 234b) (JH): nose: cured bacon, Parma ham on cantaloupe melon, even kippers and a splash of squid ink. Mouth: pepper on cured ham, honey on bacon -- wow! Finish: honey-cured ham, cured bacon, walnuts and almonds. I like this a lot. 8/10

The next one, cavalier66 explained before he left -- though it hardly needs an explanation. I will keep it implied.

Dumbarton 48yo d.1964 (50.1%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, Refill Hogshead, C#HH 9345) (cavalier66): I was tempted to offer my 46yo, then thought someone would probably bring a Dumbarton. Hopefully, we will get to try this 48yo vs. my 46yo at some stage, though. Nose: polished dashboards, teak cabinets, wood varnish, walnut stain, prunes. Mouth: this is soft, fruity, nutty, with a hint of rubber. Finish: sweet, now, with prunes, some rubber -- actually, lots of it. It is very rubbery, then happy fruits join in. Beautiful, if not the most accessible grain. 9/10

Only MR, JS and GL are still with me. Realistically, we have had enough whisky. All the same, I feel the urge to show off and please -- yes, it is that time.
MR explained how EG once tried (unsuccessfully) to convince her to open a Glenturret she had. We had two at the latest tasting in this venue. Ha! Ha! I cannot find them, however. Ah, well. Instead, it will be...

Lochside 30yo 1981/2011 (54.9%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Hogshead, 246b, 11/396) (me): I pour this and have the guests try it blind and, even after saying it is one of the nine that could or have produced single blends and listing the other eight, neither GL nor MR can name it. Ha! Ha! I think JS got it. "Is it a closed distillery?" asks MR. Of course, it is! I am the Old Man of Huy! Nose: dunnage warehouse, unripe, dark cherries, bay leaves, dusty books -- the dunnage warehouse, ffs! The fruit soon turns tropical, with mango, Chinese gooseberry, orange, grapefruit -- rhaaaaa! Perfume and crayons make a late entrance. Mouth: sparkly and tickling, fruity (cherry, mango and grapefruit again). Finish: fruity dunnage warehouse, fruit and flint. This is an unlikely combination of austerity (mineral notes) and fruitiness (mango, Chinese gooseberry and cherry). It is even better than I remembered it. JS tweets a picture, which gets prompt, angry reactions from OB and cavalier66. The latter swiftly replies with a picture of his own, unopened bottle. Yay! 10/10

It is 1:45 am. GL and MR escape.

Marvellous tasting, once again. It went on for longer than planned, yet the pace was very good, as it allowed us to enjoy the drams without the hindrance of an inebriated state.
Great puns, a team in good form, cracking drams all round, delicious food, superb music and enjoyable conversations. Cannot wait to do it again.

Over the course of the afternoon and evening, we hear:

Flowers For Bodysnatchers - Love Like Blood
Hoshin - Path Of Dissolutions
The Cure - Disintegration

25/04/2015 Golden Promise

There is one particular bottle I want to open, it has a golden label, the theme is based around that.
Only Glengoyne and Macallan still use Golden Promise barley, these days. Most distilleries have replaced it with Optic, presumably because it is cheaper or grows more reliably and efficiently.
That being said, anything with gold or promise in the name will do, as will anything which comes in the colour gold. Considering the usual colour of whisky, that should not be too restrictive.
No-one brings a Gold Bowmore, which disappoints me immensely.

Despite running a poll months ago to determine the best date in a democratic way, 50% of the participants flake out ahead of time, with 25% more flaking on the day (when asked what time they will finally make it in, an hour after the projected start time). Ah, well. More for us.

This one sees only JS, idealrichard and myself, with PS making a late appearance. Considering he had not voted for this date, the visit is appreciated.
The weather is relatively sunny and mild, but it is windy and I am starting a cold (it will prove to be a full-blown flu); we stay indoors.

Scapa 14yo (43%, OB, b. ca 2006) (offered by JS): look at all the golden sun rays on that label! Nose: light and fruity, with melon and grapefruit peels. Mouth: pink grapefruit, with sweetness and bitterness bouncing off each other. Finish: fleeting vanilla and lots of pink grapefruit again. Perfect as a light, summery dram. 8/10

Glen Scotia 17yo (40%, OB, b. ca 1999) (me): golden neck plus golden lines around the box. Nose: oily and earthy, coastal, yet it remains light and summery, with macerating apples. Pear toffee and fine machine oil, watch oil, to be precise (PS, later in the evening). Mouth: an apple bake on the tea shore. Finish: more baked apples and coastal stuff with a wee bit of leather. Love this. 8/10

Benriach 1976/1991 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) (me): golden cap. I was disappointed when we had this in July last year. Today? Nose: some fruit with lots of burnt leather. Caramelised (burnt) pears and more white fruit in the back. Burnt peach too. Mouth: peach again, then orange. Finish: the fruit tickles somewhat. This is crisp and long and, well, very nice. Still not what I expected from that vintage from that distillery, but better impression than the first. 7/10

Bunnahabhain 18yo XVIII (46.3%, OB, P029602 15 12297 16:15) (idealrichard): look at all those golden writings! Nose: a distinct sherry influence, here, with hot leather, soft raisins and dried figs. Mouth: black bun, caramelised dough. It is rather salty too (idealrichard). Finish: a whisper of peat, balanced out by the sherry notes -- raisins, dried figs, and leather. Very pleasant. 7/10

Five Lakes Canadian Whisky 3yo (40%, Five Lakes Blend, EMB 62140 549) (me): another golden cap and golden line, another one idealrichard has never had before. Nose: rum, through and through, Armagnac (idealrichard), hot cane sugar, perhaps even piña colada. Finish: rum again, with lots of sugar. Not blinding, well pleasant. Amusingly, I find out later I have not had this one at a tasting since the same day last year. 6/10

Ardmore 25yo 1988/2014 (45%, Gordon & Co. Pearls of Scotland, C#2455, 300b, L14 043 PB) (idealrichard): more golden writings. idealrichard bought this one because he liked the official 25yo so much and was disappointed with it. The comparison, although inevitable, likely did this particular bottling a disservice. Now that he has digested that, how does this one fare? JS finds it peaty, but crisp and delicate at the same time. Nose: super dry earth. And hay. Think a hay stack in a dry, crusty field, under the midday sun. Mouth: dry earth again, with lots of pepper, this time. Finish: dry, peaty and fruity. It is not a 1992, but it is pretty solid and good value for money. 8/10

Glen Elgin-Glenlivet 30yo 1978/2009 (49.1%, Cadenhead Chairman's Stock, Bourbon Hogshead, 234b) (me): of course, this is the bottle that triggered this theme -- look at that bling label! One needs sunglasses just to look at it! Nose: perfume-y, with a touch of leather. Flowers, a few fruits, then the trademark earth -- it is a Glen Elgin from the 1970s after all. Mouth: rose water, orange blossom, a pinch of earth. This is complex and lovely. Finish: long and pleasant, flowery and beautiful, with a little touch of burnt sienna. Apple and blackcurrant crumble, light dessert pears and toffee (PS). Wonderful Glen Elgin, at the magical crossroads between old-school austerity and new-school attractiveness. 8/10 likely 9, once it has had time to open up more.

idealrichard has to leave, which makes this a perfectly-paced lineup, probably. PS walks in an hour later and has the Benriach, the Glen Scotia and the Glen Elgin, as well as the following two.

4.172 13yo d.1999 Tangerine trees and marmalade skies (60.1%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 235b) (PS): if Macallan still uses Golden Promise, Highland Park belongs to the same group. Alright, then. Also, marmalade is golden. Nose: vinegar, earth and heather or lavender. Mouth: warm, with hot honey, cough syrup. That was heather honey, of course. Finish: a whiff of light smoke, a tame heather fire, hot toddy. A good HP that probably reminds me a bit too strongly that my cold is getting worse and worse. 7/10

G7.2 27yo d.1984 Fascinating and inspiring (60.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 270b) (PS): if I remember correctly, this one picked the gold medal at a recent Girvan tasting PS posted about. Or something. Nose: corn on the cob, varnish, wood shavings, ground coconut. Mouth: warm and comforting, though it comes full of wood splinters. Or is that my throat getting sore? Finish: pineapple and coconut (piña colada), custard and even blackcurrants. A wonderful Girvan. 8/10

Another very good tasting, despite the low turnover. Good drams, good pace, good to catch up with friends I had not seen in a while.

25/04/2014 An impromptu tasting

Psycho cannot make it to the tasting on Sunday, so he pops in today for a dram or two. Or ten.
Psycho, JS, adc and myself.

A tasting with no ambition whatsoever.

Littlemill 8yo (40%, OB, clear glass): nose: overly ripe fruit, raisins, fruit cake (Psycho), dark chocolate/orange PiM's. An interesting blend of wax and fruit -- peach jelly and a gentle whiff of smoke. Mouth: the texture is that of fruit juice, honeyed and acidic, with a drop of lemon juice (that'll be the Acidity, then). Finish: creamy, fruity. It then evolves towards bitter cream coffee and mild tobacco. A most unexpected configuration. Very interesting. 7/10

Formal dress mandatory

vs.

Littlemill 8yo (40%, OB, green glass): nose: rougher, dusty, with old newspaper and Calvados, believe it or not. Mouth: quite vinegary. Another strange combination, this time old books and peach stones, alongside green hazelnuts. Finish: milk chocolate with a coffee flavour. Less good, this one, though not bad either (thanks mars for both samples). 6/10

Tomatin 16yo 1995/2011 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive for Inverness Airport, Refill Bourbon Barrel C#5128) (brought by me): nose: slightly acidic (Psycho), foot and camembert (adc), flowers about to wilt (peonies, to be precise), carnation in bloom. It finishes with ripe pears. Mouth: a little honey, flower juice, very refreshing. Finish: stringent, but also flowery and filled with honey.

Bladnoch 16yo 1991/2007 (51%, La Maison du Whisky Belgique Taste Still, C#8411, 126b) (me): it has been a while. Time to revisit it. Nose: leathery and as un-Bladnoch-y as can be. Fox skin, distant coffee, musk, wet alley cat (Psycho). Behind all that, strawberry, some wax -- one gets to wonder if this is not a mislabelled Clynelish! Mouth: creamy and peppery (Szechuan), still unlike any other Bladnoch, I think. Finish: sparkly and spritzy, Acidic (Psycho), with cola. Very nice, but an oddball. Mystic - Ritmo Del Bladnoche would work great on Sunday, but we have other plans. :-) 7/10

Five Lakes Canadian Whisky 3yo (40%, Five Lakes Blend, EMB 62140 549) (me): Canada law apparently allows blenders to use a certain percentage of other alcohol in the mix and still call it blended whisky. Crazy. This one reeks of rum, so go figure. Nose: rum, grain (JS). Chock full of cane sugar and woody rum. Psycho finds dry tree bark and Rhum Agricole (cane juice rum) in it. Mouth: sweet and gulpable. Syrup and rum again. Finish: long and sweet, syrupy (maple syrup, surely ;-) ) and pleasant. A drop of coffee complements the whole. More interesting than good (the Old Man of Huy is not a rum fan), but boy! is it interesting. Not ordinary, this. 5/10

Knappogue 36yo 1951/1987 (40%, Terra Knappogue Castle, Sherry Casks) (adc): the bottle is on its last leg, so great to try this Tullamore once more. Nose: grass, flint, wax, honey, then daffodils. The mini drop of Five Lakes that was likely still in the glass renders this even better than usual -- rounder and more enticing, with a note of lovely toffee. Mouth: thin and lively, with a very distant hint of brewing coffee. Finish: long and soothing, far from invading. Honey and toffee pudding. An outstanding dram, still. 8/10

5.31 11yo (57.7%, SMWS Society Cask, b.2011) (JS): one of Psycho's favourite distilleries, therefore it seems in order. Nose: ginger bread (Psycho), herbaceous, vanilla, varnish (adc). Mouth: gently spicy, creamy and coating. Pleasant alright, this. Finish: vanilla, pastry, herbs. Yep, good one. 7/10

76.82 15 yo (56.7%, SMWS Society Cask, b.2011) (JS): nose: smoked ham, butter caramel sweets (the golden, flat one in Quality Street tins). At second nosing, it smells of boats. The kind of tar they spread below the floating line to keep it waterproof, to be precise (adc). Mouth: jam, all of a sudden, with a dash of black pepper. Oily. Finish: pepper, wax, jam -- very, very good. 7/10

Banff 23yo 1976/2000 (55.5%, Signatory Vintage, C#2249) (me): nose: Psycho finds it volatile. It is light, orangey and ashy. Vegetable soup (Psycho specifies it is the green-tomato kind). More seriously, hay, hydrocarbon, an oil refinery (adc). Mouth: lovely marmalade with a hint of oil products (or is it mustard?) Good balance. This is lovely indeed, spicy and lively. Finish: yep, marmalade, kumquat and, on the sides of the tongue, Dijon mustard (the grainy kind). Preserved lemons, Moroccan citrons. What a drop this is! 9/10

Ardbeg 25yo Lord of the Isles (46%, OB, OB, L5 285 2138 4M1) (adc): nose: a campfire dying out (Psycho), dried dung (adc), the traditional Ardbeg barley and the extremely refined peat that one can only find in those Ardbeg from the 1970s. Dried lemon zest, damp coal (Psycho). Mouth: this is pornomaltic. A perfect balance of tame peat and basalmic vinegar (© Fixou). Finish: peat, sea salt, sea spray, brine, preserved lemons, pleasure. One of the few contemplative drams for me. I continue to think that those reduced small batches are superior to the single-cask Ardbeg from the same era. Let the shark fight over those. The only reason the Lord does not get top score from me is that it is not moreish -- a dram is enough. 9/10

Well, that was not so lightweight as anticipated. Great, relaxed session on the terrace, enjoying the sunshine.

And a chicken pie to boot, w00t!