02/09/2026 Caskmasters 2026 London at the SMWS

The Society is organising something new, tonight. Here is the blurb:

Caskmaster is a blind tasting championship designed to test your palate like never before. This new challenge will kick off with heats across all four of our UK Members’ Rooms this summer.

Here’s how it works:

At your chosen heat, you’ll have 30 minutes to nose and taste eight carefully selected Society drams. Your task is to correctly identify each whisky from a lineup of nine whiskies.

The top five finalists at each heat will be revealed live on the night with each securing their place in the Grand Final later this year.

Your ticket includes eight 15ml sample drams and a Society supper, with the chance to progress to the Grand Final on Thursday 12 November at The Vaults.

Aside from the coveted title, the Grand Final champion will receive a lifetime membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in addition to a place on a Speyside tour courtesy of Coppercairn from 12 to 15 March 2027.

Sounds like fun. JS, SOB and YM clearly think the same, because they are all here. As are twenty-or-so other people I do not recognise.

It is a fast-paced affair, during which I take only minimal notes (Bourbon barrel, greasy peat, wine and vinegar, sherbet... That sort of notes), because what counts is giving the right answers in the allotted time. At the end, I will transfer what is left of my drams (most of it) into vials to try them at a more-leisurely pace and in a different order (3, 4, 5, 8, 7, 6, 2, 1) later on. The below is the result of those later leisurely tastings.

On the night

Later on

Dram #1

Nose: heady and plum-y. There are darker fruits at play, myrtles, blueberries, hints of elderberries. Then, we progress towards bread -- a sourdough loaf coming out of the oven (oooh!) and a shortcrust that is slightly too well done, or a blueberry cheesecake, also baked for too long. Deeper nosing unearths oily Brazil nuts, perhaps soaking in prune syrup. The second nose insists on the bakery scents, with crusty bread and turnovers, browned fruit pies, burnt waffles and brown-bread mixed-seed baguette. Mouth: prune syrup it is indeed, sweet, a trifle nutty, and, well, fruity. The heat becomes faintly apparent upon chewing, even several drams in (remember I try them in a different order later on), a generous pour of red-chilli soaking water onto blueberries and prunes. It has a minute bitterness, in the long run -- nothing to complain about. Perhaps grape pips or plum stones. The second sip seems a tad sharper, bitterer; green grapes or blackberries that are not quite ripe enough yet. Once again, though, it is hardly worth complaining about. Sweetness is swiftly restored. Finish: thick, coating, this is a fruity sangria made of fortified wine. At the same time, there is nothing sickly about it. It is balanced, welcoming, and it has the mouthfeel of a blueberry cheesecake overflowing with berries. The second gulp achieves a remarkable journey through the stages of ripeness, from underdone green grapes to dark plums falling apart under their own weight. It ends up settling for blueberry clafoutis.

Comment: I do identify this one on the night. Yay.

41.191 13yo 2013/2026 Zingy Stardust (57.2%, SMWS Society Two To One, 2 x ex-Bourbon Hogsheads finished in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon & Oloroso Hogsheads, 592b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 07/09/2026)

Dram #2

Nose: strongly peaty, this has greasy earth and greased-up deaf guy leather jackets, Barbour grease, rich soil and lubricated rifles. Did I say it is greasy? It has a gentle note of heated seal wax, perhaps a fireplace in a kitchen, yet the peat manifests itself mostly in the form of earth or rich soil. Some metal lubricant appears a little later, a spray of WD-40 or similar, as do cold cuts, more boiled ham or mortadella than smoked ham or dried sausage -- we stay firmly in greasy territory. Perhaps nut-filled blood sausage? We go back to greased-up leather, though. The second nose has more earth, black pudding, crispy, sticking to the pan, and charred bulgogi. Mouth: burning-hot gingerbread is the first thing that comes out. Half-a-chew reveals wine-cured meat, roast beef or the likes. It remains oily, but comes across as very wine-y, now; mulled wine and the spices that go with that: star anise, cinnamon sticks, yet little-if-any clove. Stewed berries come to the rescue (lingonberries, cranberries, cherries), with a few orange segments thrown in for good measure. Only insistent chewing stirs up some smoke from a rustic-kitchen wood stove. The second sip carries on with the wine vibe. It is fruity, a little over the top, really, and earthy. It flirts with the tertiary, though never reaches that stage. On the other hand it adopts a smoked-salmon aspect, oily and smoky more than it is fishy. Finish: stewed berries and a drop of ink. It is not an old Caol Ila, nor an ancient Ardbeg, but there is some ink alright. Smoked plums, charred prunes, and earth, earth, earth. We are really left as if we had just swallowed a shovelful of dark, greasy earth. The 'dark' side may well be enhanced by a pinch of tarry soot, but earth dominates. The second gulp is assertively earthy, juggling smoke and berries behind its back for moral support. Competent effort, despite a possible lack of subtlety.

Comment: the one bold peater of the lot. We are given a choice of three peaty references and I get this one right too.

16.105 12yo d.2013 Neat and tidy (62.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Sherry Hogshead, 321b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 07/09/2026)

Dram #3

Nose: enticing nose that delivers custard, lemon pulp and pine-wood shavings. This has to be a Bourbon barrel, surely. Further on, we find smoked pineapple, grapefruit zest and a drop of... What is it, exactly? It feels like wine, at first, but quickly morphs into something else; wood oil, then solsonggju (Korean pine liqueur). We then proceed towards a mechanic's rags stained with engine grease, and there is even a soft metallic edge to this, unless it is candied papaya cubes. The second nose mixes citrus juice and a generic cleaning spray; it comes across as fresh and welcoming. If any metal remains, it is overpowered by the white-wood cutting board it rests on. Mouth: metallic and fruity in equal parts, this definitely has candied papaya cubes on arrival, augmented with a lick of pencil-sharpener blade. Chewing unveils royal-blue ink, including a minor bitterness, then opens fruitier tastescapes, with unripe mango, green banana and unripe pomelo. Indeed, it is bitterer than sweet, just like unripe fruit. The second sip is as fruity, acidic, and seems to have shaken off most of the metal. We have bitter zest sprinkled with sherbet and a few pine needles. Finish: past a slightly-stunning alcohol bite, it unfolds wave of fruits after wave of fruits. At first, those carry ripe sweet citrus (calamansi, yuzu, Buddha's hand), while later ones revert back to unripe citrus (pomelo, clementine) and green banana. In other words, we go from acidic-sweet to acidic-bitter. All the same, a spoonful of lime custard sticks to the back of the throat. The second gulp is in line: fruity and acidic. The earlier bitterness makes way for a numbing quality, and the tongue feels as though it had been slapped with a wooden plank.

Comment: even the general, colour-coded profile, I get wrong, on this one.

113.82 15yo d.2010 Whisky gobstopper (55.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 157b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 04/09/2026)

Dram #4

Nose: a bold Sherry maturation, with tawed leather, Barbour jackets under the rain, soaked prunes, potting soil wet with peach nectar, and liquid shoe polish. It could have turned heady, but it remains elegant, even if it walks a tightrope. A couple of minutes in, we have waxed walnut (the wood, not the nut), whether that is rustic armchairs or polished dashboards, and mushrooms that have released most of their water in the pan. The second nose is closer to fortified wine; all the fruits above are here in liqueur form. It overpowers everything else, apart from chocolate coulis. Mouth: ooft! It is sweet. Overly sweet. Sticky raisins, prunes, dried figs, dried cherries and cranberries. Chewing adds a gentle savoury nuance reminiscent of the gravy in a steak-and-ale pie. It is thick, coating, perhaps not as cloying as treacle, but not that far off either. It really is gravy and compote, ready to be served with a roast. The second sip confirms the chocolate coulis from the nose. Liqueur-infused strawberries topped with dark chocolate coulis. It could quickly turn sickly, this. Finish: the gravy is almost chocolate-y, here. Raisins, waterproofing grease for leather, wood buried under a layer of dark wax, mushrooms and the pan in which they were fried, deglazed with a generous dash of Madeira wine. The second gulp has melted dark chocolate, and smashed strawberries join pressed raisins... on a millstone! That is right: it has a faint mineral touch too. It dies with the bitterness of fruit stones and pips.

Comment: on reveal, it turns out I guess 4 for 5 and 5 for 4. This is an unpeated Inchmoan, which is one of the peated makes of Loch Lomond. It makes no sense.

135.73 16yo d.2008 Yellow bellies and gingernuts (54.5%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill STR Barrique with New Toasted Heads, 237b) 6/10 (I finally try this on 04/09/2026)

Dram #5

Nose: this is dry. Hay bales in the barn and coffee fumes. A few minutes' breathing transforms that into a freshly-watered planter, or a forest clearing after a light rain. That spells petrichor, I suppose. Moist soil, at any rate. We come back to coffee and add pains au chocolat, hot on the tin tray. An earthy number indeed. The second nose has caramel rice puffs, nail varnish and even a drop of brine in the middle of an identity crisis: it does not know if it wants to preserve in salty or in sugary water, or to be a salty or sugary preservative. Sweetness definitely wins upon repeated sniffing. Mouth: a bold sweetness punches above its weight. Sultanas, Smyrna raisins. How unexpected, after that nose! Chewing simply increases the sweetness, turns it into honey, one in which bush flowers are soaking (lilac, forsythia). Forsythia is right, as it ends up developing a mild bitterness that is mostly obfuscated by the smashed-sultana sweetness, mind! The second sip has yellow fortified wine, if such a thing exists -- imagine physalis liqueur, perhaps. Chewing dials up the sweetness, yet it becomes gravel-y, after a while. Genuine mineral power, or numbness? Who knows? Finish: the sweet madness continues. Dried gooseberries, sultanas, dried strawberries and lily-of-the-valley coated in honey. More and more petals come up, in the long run, taking this to the floral side, which is a surprise, after the earthy nose. I am tempted to guess it is from a Manzanilla cask, but none is advertised. The second gulp feels as if it had licked raw granite and the tonsils capture a pronounced bitterness (chicory, cold coffee, mocha, dandelion stem) that tries (and fails) to hide behind a shroud of honey.

Comment: on reveal, it turns out I guess 4 for 5 and 5 for 4.

68.139 16yo d.2009 Sparkling Spanish sangria (57.3%, SMWS Two To One, 2 x ex-Bourbon Hogsheads finished in 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Butt, 528b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 04/09/2026)

Dram #6

Nose: this one has pollen and cosmetic powders, sherbet and scented flour -- scented with a dash of orange-blossom water, that is. That turns woodier, all of a sudden, and we enjoy essence of hinoku, rosewood and litchi chinensis. This is a fragrance dispenser giving calming aromas and essential oils. Very elegant, hinting at Japan, in a way. The second nose is as powdery, which is astonishing. Peaches, turnovers covered in confectionary sugar, Sunride-grapefruit zest, sherbet, peach-flavoured candy floss, and, only in the background do we see shades of fragrant wood. Mouth: it carries on with the woody tones and balances a dead-branch bitterness that is never plank-y with cut yellow fruits, such as nectarines (not fully ripe). Chewing adds a few leaves, but that does not spoil the creamy texture at all. Daffodil petals provide a silky, cushion-y touch. The second sip injects a pinch of chalk (or talcum powder, really) and surfs on the same fruity wave as earlier. It is warm, not spicy. Finish: it steps firmly into the flowery world, here. Daffodils, forsythia, irises. That said, it also has notes of juicy peach, nectarine (riper than before) and Mirabelle plum, as well as lychee or rambutan. We find a hint of rosewood too, and other woods. In fact, we are enjoying a cup of orange-blossom tea and sliced nectarines, while soaking in a hinoku bathtub. Life could be a lot worse. The second gulp is even more delicious, warm, fruity, buttery. We have peach turnovers and cut nectarines in a warm custard.

Comment: this one, I guess correctly. YM does not like it and guesses, correctly, that it is the Paul John because he has never had one that he liked.

134.19 6yo d.2017 Mango muscovado memento (58.4%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 187b) 8/10 (I finally try this on 07/09/2026)

Dram #7

Nose: oily nuts and peppery pastrami, smoked salmon, pastramied salmon, cured meat and wood-fire smoke. A drop of nail varnish joins the dance too, then we have a leather jacket and a game pouch. It has a hunter allure, really, though more the gear and outdoorsy outfits than the kills themselves. Leather morphs into smoke, game pouches into dried earth, leather grease into gunpowder and ashes. Fruit stone ashes, singed peach flesh. We spot caramelised lingonberry compote too. The second nose is the wooden interior of a small fishing boat, since it now has a discreet saltiness mixing with varnish and old paint. In the long run, we perceive weathered metallic instruments. Mouth: it arrives on the tongue with fortified wine and a berry liqueur, nut oil and redgrapes. Chewing shovels a heap of dried earth onto that, adds oily wood (redwood) and spices (gochujang comes to mind). It is bold, warm, woody and oily alright. The second sip seems even stronger. It is milky, borderline creamy, has many a smashed berry, earth, but also a lively chilli paste or chilli oil. Melted chocolate blends with that chilli oil. Ha! Finish: more fruit, here, with red grapes, mulberries, cranberries, some in a sauce, some not, and a hefty serving of chilli paste poured onto scorched earth for a proper warming effect. It develops clementine juice at second gulp, albeit one in which Thai red chillies have soaked overnight. The more one sips this, the closer it gets to a dash of liqueur heated in a zinc spoon with a lighter. Odd.

Comment: many find this strongly peaty. I do not, but it does have an earthy character. I guess it right based on the final cask type.

71.118 19yo 2007/2026 Peat-a-boo! (59.4%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrel finished in 1st Fill STR ex-Oloroso Barrique, 216b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 07/09/2026)

Dram #8

Nose: we have crusty chocolate-and-orange sponge cake and muffin with the same taste, slightly overdone. Unexpectedly, chalk dust follows, or antibacterial chalk, to be precise, and a pinch of mocha grounds. Deeper nosing adds a lick of fortified wine, with soaked raisins and prune juice, as well as oily wood bark. It alternates between dry and juicy in a subtle way. The second nose adds all sorts of fragrant tree barks -- eucalyptus, cypress, orange tree, apple tree. Mouth: it is immediately spicy, as fiery red chilli peppers, even if it cools down fairly swiftly. Past that, we find melted chocolate punctuated with herbs, which is to say it has a lovely chocolate-y, creamy texture and a vegetal bitterness too that could be citrus foliage. Chewing confirms the latter and adds zest and mixed peel, the sugar of which renders the palate quite moreish, if hot. The second sip is almost as spicy, but that is now balanced by a clean fruitiness. Orange, certainly, yet also apples, now, warm apple juice, in fact. Perhaps apple turnovers on a white-hot tin baking tray. Finish: it is sweet, here. Mixed peel and marmalade. Indeed, it does not lack bitterness, just like a good Seville-orange marmalade. A long finish, warming, comforting enough, it keeps that bitter edge, flirting with warm metal, and that may not be for everyone. The second gulp revises the chocolate-y flames and enhances it with cut apple slices and grated green grapes and green chilli.

Comment: I manage to swap 3 for 8 and get it wrong as a result. Bah.

108.77 15yo d.2010 Fifty shades of earl grey (63.9%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrel finished in 1st Fill #3 Char Barrel, 216b) 7/10 (I finally try this on 06/09/2026)

Food enters while the scores are added.

Good, copious, adequately greasy, if a little meat-heavy

The presenters are gobsmacked. This is the best-scoring session in the whole country. Considering the number of serious whisky geeks in the city, I find it hardly surprising. It is always amusing to see the Scots' preconceived ideas put right: enthusiasts in London tend to be more aware than those in Scotland. After all, they drink much more Buckfast and vodka than whisky, north of Hadrian's Wall, from what I have observed.

They then announce the scores.

SM: "I will read the name and the matching score, if that's okay."
JP: "In reverse order!"
SM: "Joe Bloggs?"
Joe Bloggs: "Yes!"
SM: "Thank you for taking part!"

Room. In. Stitches.

SOB and JS score 3; I score 5; YM scores 6. The winner scores 7 (out of 9). There are three 6 and two 5. With the 7, that makes six people. Only the top five will go to the final, so there will be a tie-breaker upstairs.

That is right,: I make it to the second round. It is even more fast-paced and I take even fewer notes. I am out of vials, which means I will not try those later.

The five of us competing for places 2 to 5 are told that this second round is not timed (there is no time limit, despite the rules saying it is a five-minute thing), but we are timed (in case of a tie, the fastest answer will prevail). I mean, the rules also say notes are not allowed, but they provide a notepad and a pen. Go figure.

To distract the spectators, they serve dessert, profiteroles and macarons, of which I take no picture.

Dram #1

Comment: I am convinced this is 59.108, which we tried recently. It is not. A second pass will embarrassingly reveal an entirely-different profile too. From dark and heavy to something lighter and more ethereal.

122.85 12yo 2013/2025 (60.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 202b)

Dram #2

Comment: the distillate is, again, so obfuscated by wood-management shenanigans that I fail to recognise one of my favourite distilleries. Worse: I truly believe, incorrectly, that it is 121.126, which we had last month. This one is not my thing at all.

46.167 12yo 2014/2026 See the wood for the trees (58.1%, SMWS Two To One, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill Bodega ex-PX & 1st Fill ex-Ruby Port Barrique, 547b)

Dram #3

Comment: another one hidden behind three different types of casks and, therefore, unidentifiable. Except I should recognise it because we had it last month. Bleh.

59.108 14yo 2012/2026 Veritably vivacious (57.4%, SMWS Two to One, 1st Fill ex- Bourbon Hogshead & 1st Fill American Oak ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 572b)

Poor show on this second round. I am the worst scorer and end up in sixth place. Only the top five will go to the finals, so that is me out of the competition. Worst of all, though, the fifth place goes to a Frenchman. That hurts my national pride.

Well done, everyone! YM finishes second which is very impressive. When I congratulate him, he tells me: "It's really luck. Had they chosen bottlings from ten years ago, when they were matured for longer in refill casks, someone like you would have had an unfair advantage. You could have pinpointed the distillery characteristics, maybe even [guessed] the specific bottling."

Class answer. Best wishes for the final!

Note for next time: no point paying attention to the official tasting notes. They are sometimes funny, but usually do not match my perception at all. It is also time consuming to read them.

07/02/2026 February outturn at the SMWS

It is that time of the month again. I join PS, Dr. CD, GT, JS, YM and HT to try the highlights.

9.313 17yo 2008/2025  Honey, I'm home! (55.6%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrel finished in 1st Fill ex-Sauternes Barrique, 311b): nose: gingerbread and paper paste. It has a certain funk and decaying berries too. It is a tad earthy, muddy and fusty, with a drop of nail lacquer. There are fruits in the background, trying to make their way up, though they never quite manage. Mouth: as cloying as jam that has simmered, then cooled off, solidified, and lost all of its moisture. It is extremely sweet and a bit acidic, perhaps elderberry jam and biscuit à la cuiller. The second sip is almost spoiled by half-a-teaspoon of Marmite. Finish: hot jams here too, and what appears to be hot metal. Strong liquid indeed, it stuns the taste buds a little. Is that industrial cleaning agent? Ha! No it really is hot metal -- so hot it cauterises the mucous membranes of the mouth. 7/10

I notice that the group behind me left without touching their cheeses. I try to blag them, but DS will have none of it. It all ends in the bin, much to my chagrin.

128.34 10yo 2014/2026 Dragon fruit soup (60%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrels finished in 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 312b): nose: the glass has been sitting there for thirty minutes or so, which may have made a difference, but, after JS told me she was disappointed with the lack of promised dragon fruit, I find this a right slap of tropical edibles (papaya, persimmon), before confectionary sugar rocks up -- Boudoir biscuits and apricot turnovers dripping with fruit syrup, followed by sherbet. Mouth: ooft! That is sweet. Palo Cortado comes to mind, tawny Port, then that moves towards bitterer notes closer to coffee, albeit a heavily-sweetened one. We have wine-cured marmalade and orange rinds too. It is more acidic at second sip, mixed peels and a pinch of ash. Finish: decaying peaches, Palo Cortado Sherry, a hint of rhubarb in a cupful of hot marmalade. Lots of exotic fruits at second gulp, mango and persimmon leading the charge, followed by peach, carambola, dragon fruit and baked Korean pear. Sure, the Sherry is loud, but it is a good dram, comparable to 128.18, in my mind. By the way, the bottling date engraved on the bottle suggests this is actually eleven, not ten. 8/10

PS hands me his glass. He ordered it, did not like it, added water and likes it even less.

68.142 11yo 2014/2025 Frangipane and apple granny (56.5%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in ex-Rivesaltes Barrique, 302b): (with water) I find it pretty good, though it turns extremely bitter ten seconds after swallowing. GT reckons it would go well with goat's cheese -- bang on! An ash-dusted goat's cheese would be ideal. I crave cheese, now and resent DS for throwing perfectly good cheese in the bin, earlier (he is really just following his health-and-safety rules). 6/10 (Thanks, PS)

59.97 18yo 2007/2025 Highland modernity (52.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 265b): nose: this is a buttery one, even if PS promised all kinds of flowery activity. Sure, there are some daffodils, tulips and such, but, mostly, it is butter. Dried flowers appear in the long run -- forsythia and kerria Japonica. Mouth: it is plant-stem soup, not awfully bitter, but green and vegetal alright. Chewing adds a dose of powdered sugar followed by citrus foliage. Finish: very sweet, it has tangerine segments rolled into confectionary sugar. It reclaims that butteriness at second gulp, yet that is more a comment on the texture than taste-related. Indeed, the taste is that of tulip petals and forsythia in bloom. 7/10

122.84 9yo 2015/2025 Mango tango (58.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 184b): nose: lots of pastry and no smoke (nor the trademark roast chicken). Shortcrust, turnovers, jam on toast (apricot). That is followed by talcum powder sprinkled on a baby's cheeks. The second nose has sherbet and heaped tablespoons of confectionary sugar, with also citrus (calamansi and pomelo, toned down with smashed bananas). Mouth: thick apricot jam develops a chalky edge and hot steel. The second sip has more apricot, this time with the hot metal blade more obvious that cut the fruit. Finish: similar, for a second, then it delivers a burst of tropical fruits (papaya, some exotic peaches). Repeated quaffing brings candied fruit cubes (pineapple and papaya), along with a spoonful of fruit juice on the side. 8/10

One last one? I am ready to leave, but PS highly recommends the next one. Only available in the members' rooms, it is clear it is a now-or-never dram. That is enough to make me disregard my hate affair with SMWS Inchmoan dating from 135.11.

135.77 9yo 2016/2025 Restored to mint condition (61%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 197b): nose: a lovely farm-y peat introduces juicy fruits (peach, nectarine, apricot). It is a fantastic interplay between peat and fruit that usually does not come out until a whisky has spent at least twenty years in a cask. Oh! and the peat is so farm-y. Even lychee shows up at second nose, augmented with a drop of mercurochrome and a sprinkle of ash, later on. Mouth: mellow, if a tad peppery, it has the same velvety fruits (nectarine, peach, apricot, plantain, now) rolled up in farm-y mud. There is a hint of chalk, or chalky fertiliser, the kind one carries in hessian sacks that Dr. CD is so fond of (agricultural lime, or 'aglime' for short). The second sip welcomes a flinty Fino, fresh, fruity and mineral. Finish: an explosion of peaty fruits. Nectarines fallen into mud, peaches trampled by cows, apricots thrown into a peat fire. Perhaps my score is overly generous, but I find this fantastic, today. Annoyingly, YM does too, and snatches the last bottle. 9/10

157.1 8yo 2014/2023 Toasty, roasty and oaky (60.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Butt, 622b): nose: a lot of dried dates and a drop of rye? With time, we have butter, oily wood and a syrupy white Sherry that resembles a sweetened version of Manzanilla. Mouth: oh! This is very woody. Oily teak and mahogany turn into darker-wood cabinets (walnut, iroko) and beef stock. The second sip has Demerara sugar and thick syrup. Finish: big, oily, woody. Oiled wood, tan shoe polish. What an unexpected delight! 8/10

YM: "I mean: who amongst us can say they don't have contacts with a Jeffrey Epstein, a Harvey Weinstein, or a Gary Glitter?"
tOMoH: "Well, the way I see it, either you know a person like that, or you are one."
PS: "I'll raise my hand and say I don't [know anyone like that]. But I'm glad you didn't say Jimmy Saville."

Good session. Fun times.

12/01/2019 Jas's leaving do at the SMWS

Jas is the latest casualty at the SMWS bar, though she was beaten to it by the manager, who left earlier this month. Never met him during his tenure.
No politics here, however; only whisky. For the occasion, punters can buy a flight of five drams for a set price. Woo.

105.24 25yo d.1992 Such stuff as drams are made on (49%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 215b): nose: liquid nougat, perfume and much fruit (peach, overripe apricot), a dash of nail polish too. It becomes more lime-driven, with perhaps a touch of handwash. Mouth: melted milk chocolate and peach slices, apricot peel... This is very soft, with a small pinch of crushed chilli--no! paprika! Finish: very fruity, it has a hint of cinnamon, cassia bark, bay leaves, soaked cardamom pods, and still those lovely apricot and peach, as well as a splash of milk-chocolate coulis. Great drop. 8/10

7.212 25yo 1993/2018 Mile-high coconut cream pie (51.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Red Wine Barrique, 246b): nose: flowery, it has gerania (lots, hence the plural form), then it changes to deliver flour and confectionery sugar, augmented with crushed bay leaves. Mouth: super soft, luscious, fluffy, pillow-y, it has apricot doughnuts, jammy muffins and sweetened marmalade. Beau-ti-ful! Finish: the fruity, sugary story continues, soft and sweet, with warm apricot turnover and marmalade on scones, clove and nutmeg. Another pretty one. 8/10

76.59 23yo 1985/2008 Oliver Twist whisky (61.8%, SMWS Society Cask): this is a private bottle, picked from a regular's vast collection to celebrate the occasion. Nose: another very fragrant number, with honeysuckle, forsythia, ivy, viola (that cute, purple garden flower), primrose -- boy! is this flowery. At the back, it has sawdust from the driest shelves, ground to, well, dust. Mouth: a tickling sensation on the tip of the tongue, like a fizzy drink -- a fizzy blackberry drink. Some pepper grows in intensity, never becoming too bold. Finish: long, very fragrant and flowery again, it has honeysuckle and forsythia reminiscent of the nose. This is a great Mortlach, as in: not a meaty one. "Good for Veganuary," says JS. :-) 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, PS)

7.185 27yo d.1990 Sweet, smooth, s'more (58.1%, SMWS Society Cask, Refil ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 150b): more honeysuckle and a walk in a greenhouse (is that tomato stems?), then it opens to reveal snowberry (that is a blast from the past!), gorse, all sorts of bushes and the berries that grow on them. Mouth: it is mellow on the palate, but it has an edge all the same, with green chilli and raw cardamom pods to supplement the flowery notes. Finish: oooh! this is warm. It has lots of flowers (again), a drop of chocolate coulis and honeysuckle sap. Good whisky, but the overall integration is not as successful as 7.212's (same distillery, hence the inevitable comparison). Water makes it unbalanced, more chocolate-y, but not in a good way. 7/10

135.11 13yo 2005/2018 Paddle steaming (57.1%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 309b): bottled for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Society, this has the modern bottle shape with the old-school label design. I spotted it a few weeks ago; good to try it at last. Also, it is not as if I tried Inchmoan every day, is it? Nose: VINEGAR! This is really difficult. It has the astringency of pickle vinegar and pickled onions on top of the tame leather that is more expected of this make. A few seconds in, the peat becomes more discernible, farm-y, with mud and farm paths, yet it retains that strong, vinegar-y side. Mouth: mellow, round, soft, almost. Until the vinegar catches up and the palate becomes awful for a moment. Soon, however, mud and farm paths come back and solve it all... for now! It is pretty spicy, with mango chutney, nigella seeds and asa foetida. Finish: here, it is an onslaught of peat, dried mud, farm paths, dried wellies. It is not bad, after all, but that vinegar-y nose sure is a turn-off! 5/10

114.3 13yo 1990/2004 (54.5%, SMWS, 643b): you guessed it; this is not at the bar either, but offered by another regular -- Dr. CD. It was bottled many years ago to celebrate the opening of the SMWS Queen Street venue, in Edinburgh. I have wanted to try this for a long time! Nose: flinty leather, lots of flinty leather. It quickly becomes extremely farm-y, with farm paths and tractor tyres, drying mud and ploughed fields. Mouth: it appears soft, until one realises it is full of horsepower. The farm-y notes are perpetuated on the palate and it is sensational. Finish: long, never-ending, with similar farm-driven notes of drying mud, farm paths, diesel and tractor saddle. Simple-ish, perhaps, yet deadly efficient! 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)

G8.9 29yo 1989/2018 Butter, Scotch and butterscotch (60.1%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 181b): nose: very solvent-like, very cleansing, though it means: 'stripping,' rather than: 'soothing,' in this particular case I fear already that this is a Cambus that will make me regret trying it as soon as the sun rises. Coconut chocolate, very coconut, but strong, white chocolate. I smell enough alcohol in this to strip my nose clean. Mouth: quite bland, almost like neutral spirit, for a bit, at least. The alcohol takes over, with maybe a little coconut. The third sip brings some dark berries that remind me of Invergordon. Although, by that point, my taste buds are anything but fully functional, mind! Finish: almost pure alcohol, with perhaps a drop of plum juice (slivovice), and the most minute coconut touch. I can feel the headache coming (as it turns out, I will be hungover as fuck tomorrow, stripped tongue and all. Thanks, Cambus!) Again, the third sip displays enough berries to keep it mildly interesting (currants and blackberries, dark cherries), but the morning-after effect prevents it from scoring higher. 5/10

One last one.

Lindores Abbey New Make b.2018 (63.5%, OB, B#LAD/PS/2018): nose: pear eau-de-vie (typical, for a new make). This is not my style at all. Nuts, urine and decayed redcurrants. Mouth: more fruity shenanigans, with plums and currants, all a bit shaky and not really integrated. Finish: indistinct fruit here too. This is OK, not quite ripe, in my opinion. 5/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)

I manage to make it home intact and have some food. Tomorrow, I will want to put my head in the freezer. Ah, well.
Fare well, Jas! Actually, chances are I will see you on Friday again.

16/11/2017 Whisky Squad -- High End

Several of the characters who regularly feature on these pages have told me about Whisky Squad and encouraged me to take part. The opportunity never presented itself -- or, to be honest, the themes never fully convinced me to make plans on a school night. This, however, is called High End. If anything will pull me out of the solace of my shadowy cave, it is the promise of golden decanters poured by supermodels into Swarowski tumblers, whilst the audience sits in platinum-plated Bentleys.

Amusingly enough, Cadenhead is hosting a shindig on the same night. The whole street is celebrating Christmas and how better than by pouring whisky to everyone? Representatives from Dalmore and Cotswold are present, the shop is packed, the mood is merry. JS, EC, OF, cavalier66, jazzpianofingers, DW and others are there, happily trying whiskies and rums.

Around 19:00, JS and I take a leave with two more (N&C), since we are attending the Squad do at the Red Lion pub. That is the most common pub name in the whole country. Try locating it, ha!

The four of us are last to arrive and BA is about to start when we do. Yes, BA is the Whisky Squad.
Six Glencairns in front of each person, all will be tried blind. We are all encouraged to try the whisky together, then guess the ABV, the age, the provenance, the price tag. BA tells us the bottle prices range from £150 to £375. High End? We will see about that. ;-)

Dram #1: nose: perfume-y, with rose petals, dry earth and ivy leaves. The audience says Turkish delights, which I can understand. Mouth: fresh, if dry. The perfume has gone, leaving only dust and earth, perhaps gunpowder tea. Finish: drying tea leaves, green and black, gunpowder tea again. The perfume comes back too, discreetly. This is very good, elegant and delicate. The tea could be too much, but it is not. I guess the ABV right, everything else, we all get wrong. It is Aberfeldy 28yo b.2017 (40%, OB, First Fill Casks + Refill Hogsheads + Sherry Butts, b#ABZB02133, L152872 A805 2307) 8/10

Dram #2: nose: wine, fortified or not, and nuts. The back of the nose is a little spirit-y for me. Mouth: varnish-y, spirit-y, woody, with the decomposing carcass of a dead animal. I immediately think of Mortlach. Finish: spicy, mildly meaty, with coating corn syrup. Water pumps it up with nutty butter. This is not my thing. No-one guesses any detail accurately. BA explains it is a £150 Diageo blended malt containing produce from their twenty-eight active distilleries -- including Roseisle, which means this is 3 or 4yo: Roseisle started producing that recently. It is Collectivum XXVIII (57.3%, Diageo, Refill American Oak Hogsheads, Refill European Oak Casks, 3105434231) 6/10 (pushing it)

Dram #3: nose: ha! I come alive again! Extremely flowery and fruity, with honeysuckle, carambola, lychee, jasmine and physalis. Very beautiful. It seems to grow thicker and more suave, with squashed apricots and scented plasticine. Mouth: "cola," says my table mate. Flower petals, mango juice; this is perfectly balanced, elegant, fruity and rich, soft and well-mannered. Finish: fizzy, with lots and lots of lovely fruit. If BA had not given the price range, I would guess this is a 1960s Bowmore. In the circumstance, I am wondering if it is the Garden Festival decanter. Killer dram, in any case. BA seems delighted that JS and I like it so much. He bought the bottle recently, after long hesitations. He knew we would be there and that helped him decide, he says. True or not, it is nice to tell us that story. :-) I guess 45% and the highest price tonight (£375), which is the only thing remotely correct BA will get from the audience. It is Littlemill 1985/2013 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, B#RO/13/02, 260b, AC/ADIA) 10/10

Dram #4: nose: sweet sherry influence, I say (PX or Oloroso). It moves on to give more fruit (blood oranges) and soap. It feels warm. With water, the nose becomes very fruity, with sweet lipstick. Mouth: sweet and fruity, it has figs, prunes... and a lot of power. Some suggest it could be Bourbon, but then it has no vanilla. Finish: sweet, with some mulled-wine spices and toasted milk buns. I had it one point higher, but it turns out to be rather tiring a profile. BA puts us all out of our misery and reveals it is the £180 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Grinsell's Wood Ballaghtobin Estate (57.9%, OB Virgin Irish Oak Collection, Finished in Virgin Native Irish Oak Hogshead, B#1, Tree #07, b#0754). BA is excited about the wooden plinth and its bottle spur. Click. He also mixes up blended and pot-still whiskeys; a quick word in private and he happily corrects his explanation to all, which is pretty elegant. 7/10

BA hints at things to come

Dram #5: nose: pine wood, the smoke from a fruit-stone fire, a whiff of ash, apricots, peaches. JS mentions the Dovr-Toutes-Mares Port Ellen from Dornoch and she is right: fruit and ash, akin to that stellar dram. Fruit-tree wood on a bonfire -- the smoke grows bolder. "Smells of what you get behind...  kebab fan," says one co-taster. Wax and plasticine are here too. Mouth: unripe-orange juice, served with caramelised, barbecued cutlets. This has a perfect balance, with wax and souped-up raspberries. Finish: a huge peat discharge, now. It opens up to reveal lots of fruit as well; juicy peaches and a drop of raspberry. Nice, perhaps a bit too peaty for me, tonight, yet awfully well made. BA reckons it is close to a Brora, while I think it is a 1992 Ardmore. It turns out I tried this last month and am unable to recognise it. It is in fact a £205 Inchmoan 1992/2017 (48.6%, OB Island Collection Vintage Release, Refill Bourbon Barrels), LB/166/17) 9/10

Dram #6: nose: smoke and biscuit (digestive biscuits or Custard Cream -- without the custard). A pine-wood fire, with some berries thrown into the flames. Mandarin segments, Kashmir curry (mango and almonds in a creamy sauce), squashed strawberries. Mouth: squashed berries here too, the tiniest veil of smoke, maybe, but it is really fruity, here, with also a hint of minty freshness. Finish: lovely fruit, with a distinguished cloak of smoke. Cracked black pepper appears once we are told what it is (suggestion, eh?), though nothing overpowering. This is ca £200 (down from £265) and, if we list the island whiskies that this could be, it is only BA's clue about the ABV that tips off the provenance. It is Talisker 25yo b.2013 (45.8%, OB, 5772b, b#0042) 8/10

Great session, pleasant, entertaining and it shook some of my prejudice too. Good night out.

01/10/2017 The Whisky Show 2017 (Day 2 -- Part 1)

The story starts here.

First, breakfast. We go back to The Modern Pantry and all have the Dhansak veal mince omelette. I had it yesterday and loved it. Instead of the green juice, I take the orange one. Full of carrot, ginger ad other healthy stuff. The whole sorts me out.

A quick walk takes us to the venue, where the queues are already long, but they are made enjoyable by some sharing souls (chiefly PS who brought the 6th release of Brora and other bits and bobs). I pour my Benriach 1976/1991 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) to whomever cares to try it, and we are in in no time at all.

We never made it to the Loch Lomond stand, yesterday, so it feels right to start there, today. GM recognises me from the previous years and teases me for not joining them yesterday. Fair enough. There is a lot of work, here.

JS asks OB, dom666 and me if we want to attend a mini tasting in the Secret Garden on the theme Japanese whisky. OB dares not join -- after all, he cannot place Japan on the map. dom666 and I say yes. A chance to sit down and relax. With Dave Broom.

I manage to catch the very Dave Broom for a second and exchange a few words, mostly about our surreal encounter on Islay, this summer. We will see him on Wednesday for another shindig. He confirms the content will not be the same. It is a yes for the Secret Garden, then.

Back to Loch Lomond.

Glen Scotia Double Cask (46%, OB, 15121F/15120B, b. ca 2017): nose: cut apples, apple crumble and a minimum of smoke. Mouth: hot custard poured on apple crumble. Can you tell I am looking forward to dessert? Finish: slightly dry, it has roasted apples, tarte tatin and a drop of caramel. 7/10

Glen Scotia Victoriana (51.5%, OB, 19121F/19121B, b. ca 2017): nose: this is manlier, with petrol, metallic tools and lime, maybe cold, diluted coffee. Mouth: apple compote on a cast-iron stove, metal and smoke. The whole is gentle, though. Finish: long, with warm compote and hot iron, as well as dark chocolate and a drop of black coffee. This reminds me of the fabulous 12yo we had in Dornoch. 8/10

Glen Scotia 25yo (48.8%, OB, American Oak Barrels, b.2017, 16122F/16122B): nose: butterscotch, shortbread, sweet and salty, with caramelised honey and sea-salted caramel. Mouth: soft, creamy, with lots of salt and shortbread. Finish: salty shortbread and pastry. This is great. 9/10

Inchmoan 12yo (46%, OB Island Collection, 15531F/15530B, b. ca 2017): this Inchmoan is made in three different types of stills (pot, Lomond and Coffey), matured separately, then married together. Nose: lots of bandages, coal and smoke from a stove. Mouth: soft, velvety and milky. Finish: peat, burnt wood, honey and roasted corn. I like this. 7/10

Inchmoan 1992/2017 (48.6%, OB Island Collection Vintage Release, Refill Bourbon Barrels): this one, we are told, is made in two types of stills only (pot and Lomond, I think), then matured separately and married. Nose: gentle, with peach and heavily-faded leather. Mouth: it is a bit more acidic here, but still soft and gentle, with unripe mirabelle plum. Finish: finally, some peat appears, mild and pleasant, with a tiny bitterness. 8/10

Yes, good products again, at Loch Lomond. dom666 falls for their single grain, which is only called that because it is distilled in a Coffey still: it is in fact a silent malt -- 100% malted barley distilled in a Coffey still. The Japanese call that a Coffey malt, not bound by the SWA's rules.

Hunter Laing, here we come!

Tormore 28yo 1988/2017 (50%, Hunter Laing The Old Malt Cask, Sherry Butt, C#13189, 391b): nose: green hazelnut, unripe medlar, thin and spirit-y. Warm wood joins the game, alongside sweet green grapes. Mouth: yup, it has the sweetness of green grapes. Finish: nice, with the fruitiness and the sweetness of white wine, yet it feels a bit green for my liking. 7/10

Time for the Secret Garden, which is soon rechristened the Whisky Jungle. I immediately wonder if it is such a good idea after all. It is too early for me to need to sit down, and, let us face it, Japanese whisky is not exactly my bag. Nothing wrong with it; I simply have no time, money, or shelf space for it.

The Hakushu Distiller's Reserve (43%, OB imported by Morrison Bowmore, LX7 ALA): nose: super elegant, with jasmine and honeysuckle, honey and powdered sugar. Fresh. Mouth: delicate, custard-y and flowery. Finish: again, subtle, fruity, with flowers (jasmine) and honey. We had this last year, in this very garden, as part of a tasting on the theme peat. I detect no peat, this time. Broom claims there is a little of it, but I think he is on the sauce. 7/10

Hibiki Japanese Harmony (43%, Suntory Whisky imported by Beam Inc. UK): nose: very grain-like, with lots of chou dough and a touch of Virginia tobacco, soft chocolate and lychee. Mouth: creamy, velvety, with custard and milk-chocolate coulis. Finish: soft, sweet, dough-y, with chou dough, flower paste and jam. Succulent. 8/10

Nikka From the Barrel (51.4%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky, 5-4-31, ?1506): the HRMC sticker is on the bottle code, hence the question mark. Nose: dried fruits (figs, dates) and a slightly medicinal note. Mouth: very velvety, with spices and nuts, hazelnut paste. Finish: nuts and overripe red apples. This is still not totally my style, but it is drinkable. 7/10

DB: "This is a bottle that fits in your hand. I'm from Glasgow. We don't always tend to use a glass."

Mars Komagatake (52%, Hombo Shinshu Nature of Shinshu imported by Number One Drinks Company): now, this is new to me! A whisky from Osaka. It is not imported into Europe, which explains. Courtesy of Dave. Nose: more farm-y, it is still elegant, with decaying red grapes. Mouth: more powerful, spicy as hell, whilst remaining a fruity type. Finish: big, powerful, with a subtle farm-y note and nuts. 7/10

DB: "This is a raucous, boisterous night out in Osaka!"

Nikka Coffey Malt (45%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky, 6/08F38001): nose: lemon pie, custard and toffee. Mouth: pastry, toffee and a little custard. Banoffee pie is what it is! Very creamy. Finish: lots of grain character -- custard, banoffee pie, banana sponge cake, vanilla. 8/10

Chichibu 2012/2016 The Peated (54.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt imported by Number One Drinks, Bourbon Barrels, Sherry Butts, Hogsheads, 76350b, b#5200): nose: farm-y, in an elegant way. Mouth: custard, toffee, shortbread and a hint of smoke. Finish: hot custard, toffee, brownie, roasted beans -- though I do not think it is coffee. 7/10

DB: "The smoke is like cow breath." AND HE IS RIGHT!
tOMoH: "How do you know that?"

Well, it was a brilliant time, after all. Good whiskies, a nice presentation and some quiet tasting, rather than frantic elbowing at the stands.

We join up with the rest of the gang and imagine the bouncers touting: "Mitsubishis? Supermans? Masterclasses?"

We go for lunch. That mini-tasting had hefty pours and the water came late. I am not my usual self.

Read on here.