19/09/2026 Four or more

cavalier66, SOB, YM and JS join me for an afternoon of dramming, using a theme proposed by JS. Interpretation open, as always.

The soundtrack: Noir Désir - 666.667 Club (in which each figure is more than four)

Plenty of things to try, today.
Four or more, of them that is certain.

tOMoH opens the dance with four Connoisseurs Choice.

Dailuaine d1971 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca. 1989) (tOMoH)

Mouth: astringent (cavalier66), punchy for 40% (SOB). I find it mentholated, today. 

Finish: sharp finish in two layers (cavalier66), hints of cardboard in the back (cavalier66). 

Comment: "this tastes like a Connoisseurs Choice mini bottle" (cavalier66). My notes are here.

Score: 7/10

Glenlossie d.1969 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca. 1989) (tOMoH)

Nose: this has quite the strong nose. cavalier66 finds ozone, YM spots nectarines.

Mouth: peppery on the tongue.

Finish: very tannic (YM), interesting and fruitier (cavalier66), mangosteen, maybe (cavalier66). He then adds: "caramelised/crystallised mangosteen, glazed with a touch of olive oil."

Comment: this is the most popular of the lot. My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

YM: "Maybe it's a mangosteen with a mango sauce on top!"

North Port-Brechin d.1970 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca 1990) (tOMoH)

Nose: stewed gooseberries (YM), Bovril, meat and Bolognese sauce (cavalier66), a bit of dampness (cavalier66).

Mouth: a weird weed dankness (YM), punchy (cavalier66), chalky and mouldy (cavalier66), caraway seeds (YM).

Finish: cavalier66 finds it challenging. Tomato sauce.

Comment: this has a four-syllable name to boot. My notes are here.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66: "I had spaghetti Bolognese ice cream, one day."
JS: "What!?"
tOMoH: "He means shaped like spaghetti Bolognese."
cavalier66: "No, ice cream that was spaghetti-Bolognese-flavoured."
JS: "Did you like it?"
cavalier66: "It wasn't unpleasant."

The soundtrack: Apparat - DJ-Kicks

Tomatin 1964/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, IE/14) (tOMoH)

Nose: cardboard pointing at mocha, honeydew melon with a slice of prosciutto (YM).

Mouth: honeydew melon indeed (JS).

Finish: chocolate milk. cavalier66 finds it tertiary, which amuses us immensely.

Comment: My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

cavalier66: "This is quite nice."

tOMoH: "Woah, you keep the English understatement going on."
cavalier66: "It turned from 'quite nice' to 'very pleasant'."

cavalier66: "There is an element of chocolate. But not quality Belgian chocolate. Its more of a bland Swiss thing."

cavalier66 presents a Johnnie Walker Black Label sample from a bottle found in a friend's parents' house. It was bought around nineteen-seventy-four, it was gifted to cavalier66 four his birthday, and he has had it four a while.

Johnnie Walker Black Label (unknown ABV, John Walker & Sons, b. ca.1974) (cavalier66)

Nose: it is more subdued than the first four (cavalier66). I find it watery, but it has soot and ashes. cavalier66 detects old-bottling effect, while YM calls a weird metallic thing (that would be the OBE). Tin lids, silver spoons (cavalier66).

Mouth: leather and pot-pourri (YM). A lot of soot, here; it is a spoonful of soot in a tin lid. It is watery, though, and clearly below 40%.

Finish: caramel, melted milk chocolate, nut spread, and almost no smoky-soot-y aspect left.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66 introduces a forty-four-year-old Invergordon. A double-four.

Invergordon 44yo 1966/2010 (46.8%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, Refill Barrel, C#HH4995) (cavalier66)

Nose: blackcurrants (cavalier66), rum-y (YM). It is unmistakably an Invergordon, with blackcurrants and metal, super sharp. It has a green bitterness, for a moment, then a warmed black bin.

Mouth: mellow, with just a minor sparkle, it has blush-orange segments, pink grapefruit and ripe blackcurrants. Chewing opens the door to a water cannon shooting blackcurrant juice. cavalier66 mentions Ribena. Posh.

Finish: blackcurrant paste or fruit-flavoured marzipan. It has gingerbread spices too (ginger, cinnamon).Comment: this is amazing.

Score: 9/10

YM rolls out a Hazelburn from the infinity cask of the Cadenhead shop in Campbeltown. He adds there are "way the fuck more than four" casks that went into this bottling.

Hazelburn b.2026 (59.5%, OB Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive) (YM)

Nose: orchard fruits (cavalier66), punchy incense, ash, soot and toasted cereals. The second nose adds a touch of surgical alcohol.

Mouth: punchy, it has ashes, wood gratings, anaesthetics, soot (SOB). It is bright, powerful and soot-y at second sip, a trifle medicinal, fleetingly. cavalier66 finds green bananas.

Finish: soot (SOB), Ardbeg levels of soot (YM), and sweetness. This is naked power. The second gulp has a strong Bourbon-y vibe. JS says it tastes like white-grape juice.

Comment: delicious.

Score: 8/10

SOB: "I had a chance to buy it. I said no. Then I tried and I regretted it a bit."
tOMoH: "To quote GL: 'You can't buy everything.' But GL is an idiot [for saying that]."

Time to eat something.

Comté, smoked salmon, oak smoked Wiltshire ham, prosciutto di Parma

Langres, Tomme d'Aydius, Gouda 48 months,

Wild boar saucisson

SOB also brought pastries ("because I knew JMcD was not coming"), but I fail to take pictures.

The soundtrack: Iarla Ó Lionáird - The Seven Steps To Mercy • Seacht gCoiscéim Na Trocaire (because seven is more than four)

That will be referred to throughout the rest of the tasting as the Irish funeral music.

YM brings us a Thompson Bros. Mystery Malt that can be one of more than four bottlings they did. It is also a four-year-old, he discovers when he opens it.

Mysterio!

Lochlea 4yo (48.3%, Thompson Bros. Mystery Malt, Refill Bourbon, B#2, 172b) (YM)

Nose: strawberries and grain. It is not grain-y, mind. There is simply a little grain, alongside cream and caramel.

Mouth: thin and spirit-y, it has distilled cardboard, if that makes sense. Chewing reveals a creaminess of vanilla pudding. Corn syrup emerges at second sip, though nothing sickly. cavalier66 finds it a tad yeasty.

Finish: boozy (SOB), lemon-y (YM), laundry detergent (YM), laundry taken out of the washing machine (cavalier66). SOB adds cocoa beans. It has caramel poured onto vanilla pudding stored in a cardboard box.

Comment: decent, not that exciting, it still grows on me over time.

Score: 7/10

SOB tells us he decided to go with six as an underlying theme. The first whisky he brought was made of barley kilned for six hours. He adds that J & A Mitchell, the producers of this whisky, have four-not-more single-malt brands to their name (Springbank, Hazelburn, Longrow, Kilkerran). Also, the equipment they use was manufactured by Four-syths. Boom.

cavalier66 [observing SOB's generous pour]: "This is almost up to the four-centilitre mark on the glass."
tOMoh: "And I hear no-one complain!"
JS: "You have not even tried it yet."
cavalier66: "You're right. I take it back."

Springbank 30yo b.2026 (47.8%, OB Open Day 2026, Bourbon + Oloroso + Rum Oak Casks, 1572b) (SOB)

Nose: phwoar! Sophisticated nose (JS). "Where is the dirty funk?" asks cavalier66, who says this has an occasional whiff of celery. Berries and the shrub they grew on, a whisp of smoke, dark grapes and greengages.

Mouth: waves of celery (cavalier66), celery leaf (YM), a mix of plums and tractor fumes on a field. It develops a striking strength, over time, a few dead leaves and a pinch of scorched earth.

Finish: burnt, scorched earth, myrtles and blackberries trampled into earth, aged funk (SOB), tertiary funk (cavalier66). SOB calls it funk-adjacent, which slays us all. It has more and more berries with time.

Comment: magnificent. "A Springbank with a dinner suit and white tie." (cavalier66)

Score: 9/10

The soundtrack: The Pussycat Dolls - PCD (a group of more than four girls)

tOMoH [about the music]: "I found this downstairs. I like it, but I need to be clear about that."
SOB: "You found it downstairs in a package with your name on it?"

SOB brought the sixth edition of the White Stag. He tells us Arran is a five-letter distillery and they also use Four-syths equipment. He adds that it is called Arr-an and is distilled at Lochranz-arr, which is on point for Talk Like a Pirate Day. He then points out that his previous pour was also related to TLaPD: Spring-walk-the-plank.

SOB [struggling to remove the wax seal]:" I can't get it to open!"
cavalier66: "That's still too much wax on the top."
tOMoH: "Is that a Clynelish, then?"

Arran 23yo 1997/2021 6th Release (53.8%, OB White Stag, Sherry Hogshead & Sherry Puncheon, B#6, 995b) (SOB)

Nose: vaguely pickled, it has caramelised apples and a fruity eggnog, complete with foam and all. It has a murmur of quarry dust and a lemon-y side too. The second nose gains toasted bread. A hint of dark-grape juice (or wine) rocks up a bit later.

Mouth: lemon-y and mineral. It is on the limestone side of things, acidic and abrasive. The second sip adds a lick of lime, maybe zest, even dark rubber -- and it gets darker with each sip to end up with liquorice.

Finish: coating, lemon-y. Tropical lemon (YM jokes), camphor, a strong cough syrup, liquorice allsorts and liquorice bootlaces.

Comment: good.

Score: 8/10

cavalier66: "I think it's really good, but I think it suffers from coming after the Springbank."

SOB: "I had a ticket to see Cate Blanchett, tonight. I sold it on Twicket. But I managed to have a ticket for last week."
tOMoH: "Well, that's no use, anymore!"

tOMoH presents a whisky that was part of the Special Releases four or more years ago.

SOB: "Did you notice this is one point four UK units per serve too?"

Dalwhinnie 30yo b.2019 (54.7%, OB Special Releases 2019, Hogsheads & Butts, 7584b, b#3278) (tOMoH)

Nose: "unmistakable Highland nose -- you can smell the heather" (cavalier66). It is quite herbaceous, with thyme dust, dried sage and, of course, metal, which is not that far from sage anyway. We have a minty paste too. The second nose brings acrylic paint, paint thinner, latex.

Mouth: strongly mentholated, it kicks like a motherfucker. Roundhouse kicks executed with steel-toed boots. The second sip is even more powerful, lively as a bronco. Mulch comes up more than wood shavings, and chocolate chips.

Finish: mentholated is right! Peppery, fresh, herbal.

Comment: looking forward to spending more time with this one.

Score: 8/10

The soundtrack: East 17 - Wathamstow (four blokes and seventeen is more than four)

cavalier66 explains that a friend of his had a private cask of Bruichladdich. It is four-teen years old. When cavalier66 asked him what MHYVHS meant, he was told it is Hebrew for a four-English-word whisky-club name (which I agree to not disclose to protect the innocents). SOB adds that Bruichladdich is the only distillery to ever do a quadruple distillation.

Bruichladdich 14yo 2009/2024 (57.9%, OB Private Cask Bottling MHYVHS, Bourbon Cask, C#1475) (cavalier66)

Nose: a slight bread-y note (cavalier66). I disagree. Lichen and empty vases for me. Gluten-free bread (SOB), dirt and dust on a windscreen. After a while, we get wafts of suede. It is caramel-y at second sip.

Mouth: caramel, toffee and a whole lot of spices. White pepper, ginger powder, asafoetida, whole mace.

The second sip hits just as hard, just as spicy, and adds a spoonful of marmalade.

Finish: very dry, Sauvignon Blanc style. Roast beef is lurking too. The second gulp brings marmalade or apricot jam, which is a welcome addition.

Comment: alright.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66: "Petrichor. What do you call 'petrichor' in French?"
tOMoH: "Erm. I don't know. Pétrichor? [It is.] You'd prolly call it 'undergrowth after the rain'."
cavalier66: "Oh. And in Dutch?"
tOMoH: "I don't know, but it'll be more guttural."

YM introduces an Ault-more (four or more, geddit?)

73.63 11yo d.2002 Vanilla spice latte (59.8%, Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 426b) (YM)

Nose: boozy and sweet (YM), suede, leather, but also a lot of (citrus) jam. It then evolves towards nuts. The second nose plays a metallic note.

Mouth: it has got some fruits, but it is mostly heat. Green chilli, bay leaves, pickled okras, chilli pickles. Slightly tamer at second sip, it blends mango pickle, chilli pickle and marmalade.

Finish: "has the taste of a youngish SMWS single-cask whisky" (cavalier66). Big, uncompromising, it has chilli pickle mixed with sweet jams and jellies. It stays fiercely hot at second gulp. Numbing.

Comment: simple, nondescript, yet perfect for where it is in the line-up.

Score: 6/10

The soundtrack: Ravi Shankar - In Concert (Shankar plays the sitar, an instrument with more than four strings)

JS unveils her Braes of Glenlivet, one of the few distilleries that count more than four syllables.

Braes of Glenlivet 22yo 1989/2011 (60.2%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, C#1051, 267b b#69) (JS)

Nose: At this point, it feels a little neutral. Dried peaches, perhaps.

Mouth: strong, but strangely balanced, with dried citrus peels.

Finish: long, custard-y, it has custard-filled buns or doughnuts.

Comment: my palate is tired. It is good nevertheless. My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

SOB: "Did you say there was a distillery with three letters?"
tOMoH: "Yeah."
cavalier66: "Why?"
tOMoH: "Because."

The soundtrack: The Unity Mixers - Dance Computer Volume 3 (a series that is more than four instalments long; I stupidly do not play Volume 4. Bah.)

To accompany the music, we have a parting dram of Port Charlotte 14yo 2002/2017 (60.1%, The Creative Whisky Company The Exclusive Malts, Sherry Hogshead, C#1140, 228b) for which I take no notes.

We never try this, after all

07/08/2026 Whisky Fringe 2026 (Day 1 -- Part 1)

Back in Edinburgh for another edition of the Whisky Fringe. The train was cancelled, this morning. We had to take another one, two hours later, which made us rush and join the queue a little too close to the opening time, without a proper meal. Not without food, though: we stopped in a wee shop for sarnies. The queue is just long enough to eat half of them and line our stomachs a little.

It seems the show has grown quite a bit, since last year, with more exhibitors and a whole new room called Lost Distilleries. As the name suggests, that one focuses on hard-to-get drams from closed distilleries, and one obtains drams in exchange for tokens, which cost £5 each. We could end up spending a lot of time (and money), there!

Oh! and there is a welcome dram from a closed distillery.

Port Dundas 15yo 2010/2026 (46%, Signatory Vintage The Un-Chillfiltered Collection, 1st Fill Sherry Hogsheads & 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels, L26/63)

Nose: buttery pastry, very sweet, doughnut, custard cream.

Mouth: the doughnut parade continues, which is ironic, considering we had no time to stop for doughnuts on the way here. There is also a corn-husk bitterness.

Finish: sweet doughnuts served on a metal plate (zinc?)

Comment: nice starter.

Score: 7/10

Now perusing the bottlings in the Lost Distilleries area. The selection is impressive. In fact, it is phlabberghasting.

A Glen Flagler? A Kinclaith? A Killyloch?

The most saught-after Glenlochy?

It is hilarious to see most people gravitate towards the Port Ellen, a Diageo Annual Release, at that, when there is much rarer stuff to explore. That said, I have tried or own ninety-five percent of what is on offer and elect to spend little time here. Perhaps others feel the same.

To note: the Rosebank is the official 31yo that we tried last year. It is offered this year as a halftime-orange dram again. To have it here too feels like a gaffe-and-a-half!

We continue our journey downstairs to the tent.

Balblair 12yo 2014/2026 (56.1%, Little Brown Dog Small Batch, Calvados Cask, 290b)

Nose: it has gherkin, then brine an moist paper bags from a perfume shop.

Mouth: very brandy-like. Plum, greengage, gooseberry, apple.. That last one is suggestion speaking, surely -- Calvados, innit.

Finish: yes, this is a fruit eau-de-vie in character, with crunchy apples and unripe plums.

Comment: it is okay. A bit thin and eau-de-vie-like for me.

Score: 6/10

Orkney 24yo 2001/2026 (53.1%, Little Brown Dog Small Batch, Refill Hogsheads)

Nose: comforting and medicinal nose, with old bandages, embrocations, age-old gauze. Roasted apples are behind, as are smoked apples and a bit of tobacco too (cigar).

Mouth: rather juicy, it has tobacco and gauze, through which pressurised fruit-juice steam has been pumped.

Finish: long, warming. Someone is smoking a cigarillo whilst roasting apples.

Comment: very, very good.

Score: 8/10

Caol Ila 12yo 2013/2026 (57.3%, Little Brown Dog Small Batch, Refill Bourbon Barrels, 384b)

Nose: spirit-y, it opens up to give a naked sweet crust (no topping). Fortunately, pressed apricot rears its head.

Mouth: ha. Very thin and very spirit-y, as if custard (without vanilla) and corn syrup (without sweetness) had a bastard child.

Finish: not much, here either. Wet cardboard with confectionary sugar. JS finds it a skunky aftertaste, while I find it astringent.

Comment: an unpeated Caol Ila. A curiosity that does not work for me. I remember trying the official unpeated expression, many years ago, and thinking the same. It must have been 2011's Special Release version or 2012's. It appears Caol Ila without peat is simply not whisky that works for me.

Score: 6/10

Invergordon 7yo 2017.2025 (58.8%, Little Brown Dog Small Batch, Virgin Oak Casks, 300b)

Nose: a lot of custard, at first, but that Irn Bru note so typical of rye whiskies appears at the end. Warm pastry, pie or other.

Mouth: a rye it is! Irn Bru, polished metal and something much weirder. Fart? Or is it the three blokes near us?

Finish: this is the best part, with custard sprinkled with Irn Bru, and smoked raisins.

Comment: a rye produced at the North-Highland grain distillery. The finish makes this interesting, not memorable.

Score: 7/10

LBD: "I hate these pourers. There is no stopper."
JS: "They're great, aren't they?"

Drookit Dug 10yo (45.1%, Little Brown Dog, Final Batch)

Nose: it smells very blend-y. Dusty cardboard, corn syrup... That dissipates and gives couque suisse and craquelin.

Mouth: the briny jelly of preserved pistachios, mocha custard.

Finish: lovely custard, but the cardboard-y element is hard to see past, and the alcohol is not elegantly integrated.

Comment: meh.

Score: 6/10

Aberdeenshire 12yo (46%, Little Brown Dog, b. ca.2026)

Nose: Scottish tablet, toffee, even fudge. Mostly fudge, actually. And thick ashes.

Mouth: mocha bitterness complements a custard-y texture (again). Melted chocolate with orange rinds and too much milk.

Finish: orange juice punctuated with melted chocolate chips.

Comment: decent likely Geerie.

Score: 7/10

Kingsbarns Doocot (46%, OB, 90% Bourbon + 10% STR Portuguese Red Wine Casks, b. ca.2026)

Nose: bluberry madeleines and blackcurrant cheesecake.

Mouth: it tastes younger than the nose suggested, with windscreen defroster complementing an undeniable fruity backdrop of unripe currants and gooseberries.

Finish: pleasant and comforting, it has blackcurrant cheesecake and blackberry sundae.

Comment: it is okay.

Score: 7/10

Glen Moray 18yo 2007/2026 (54.7%, Keeble Cask Fragrant Drops, Refill Bourbon Barrel, C#357, 218b)

Nose: a peaty Moray? This was announced as a lemon bomb, but it smells pretty earthy to me, with mud patties and farm paths. If there is any lemon, it is smoked. Antiseptic or dishwasher tablet (JS). Lemon rises timidly, given time.

Mouth: green olives meet dishwasher tablets. Chewing injects stringent lemon alright, but it is not that dominant, even if it becomes stripping, over time.

Finish: more dishwasher tablets (well spotted, JS) mixed with mud.

Comment: competent.

Score: 7/10

Tamnavulin 12yo 2013/2026 (60%, Keeble Cask Fragrant Drops, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, C#111516, 195b)

Nose: dried grass, hay (is that not the same thing?), mulch, custard powder, maybe a metal straw?

Mouth: hm. Naked. New ropes, turpentine. It is stripping. My tongue feels abused.

Finish: it is better here. It shows some fruits (plums, berries, not very ripe) and ginger biscuits. Or is that my craving those shortbreads they just put out at the stand? The next gulp is a tad more complex, but still not easy.

Comment: disappointing.

Score: 6/10

Kingsbarns Coaltown (46%, OB, ex-Peated Casks, b. ca.2026)

Nose: banana skins? That quickly makes way for baked bread -- baked to cardboard, in fact. We can hear the French residents of Auld Reekie slicing their wrists in despair -- and they are right. Cereals follow, mostly dry as stale granola.

Mouth: toasted cereals indeed, a bit of soot, charred husks and windscreen defroster sprayed onto raw cereals.

Finish: rough, it has defroster spray and bitter currants. Maybe cardboard too.

Comment: not for me.

Score: 5/10

Dalmunach 7yo d.2018 (55.4%, Blind Summit, Amontillado Sherry Hogshead, 170b)

Nose: Mokatines and warmed digestive biscuits are joined by a soap bar. That turns very buttery with a moment's breathing. Later on, we discover plain coffee.

Mouth: cardboard, Horlicks, Mokatine again. It is supremely drying at second sip and rather spicy too.

Finish: ashes, rocks, fruit stones (dry, stripped of any flesh). Long finish, almost invasive.

Comment: okayish.

Score: 6/10

Halftime is looming. Time to decide what to do.

This poster comes in handy

Mossburn thought it useful to specify that 100 ppm
classes as heavily peated :-)

Continue reading here.

14/06/2026 The after-party

Sure, we had a mad dash for bottles last night, but those who are still around (adc, JS, elskling, EG, ruckus, EJ, sonicvince, Psycho, pat gva, YdS, PS, Gaija, tOMoH) meet up at various stages to enjoy more whisky at a reasonable pace in a drop-in setting.

But first, brunch at Kafé Kübe, which OB and CB join.

I arrive almost an hour late, owing to two
hundred glasses to clean
(a Dornoch copita and a stemless Highland Park are nowhere to be found)

Spinach and halloumi beigel

EG explains: whisky

With some food in, we head to tOMoH Towers for drams. The idea is to spend quality time with friends, so notes are scant.

Freestyle

Glenmorangie 10yo (43° Gay Lussac, OB imported by Schutz & Cloos, b. ca. 1985) (Psycho): a well-known dram that still does the trick. 8/10

House of Scotland 8yo (43°, House of Scotland imported by Bergia di T.&E. Arango, b. ca.1980s) (elskling)

Nose: soft and dusty, it has lots of OBE, but is mostly discreet. The likes of jam jars show up, as does lemon marmalade.

Mouth: mellow and berry-like, it has vanilla custard and a pinch of ashy dust.

Finish: long, with a touch of tobacco and grilled honey -- as in: honey slathered on bread, then toasted.

Comment: very good old dusty hailing from a blender/bottler in Campbeltown.

Score: 8/10

MV and AL who could not be here this weekend, call at this stage to sing a song.

103.12 30yo 1972/2003 Caramel and eucalyptus (53.3%, SMWS Society Cask) (EG)

Nose: burning fruits. Apricots ablaze.

Mouth: baked apricots, some of which dried, others juicy, a tad bitter.

Finish: more juicy goodness, yet it has a minerality too and a bitter side.

Comment: even SMWS guru PS does not recognise the distillery number. Upon reveal, I realise I have chased these old Lochnagars before, never successfully.

Score: 9/10

Kawasaki 33yo 1976/2009 (65.6%, Chichibu Ichiro's Choice imported by The Number One Drinks Company, Refill Sherry Butts, 432b, b#283) (PS)

Nose: flames, ragged leather and burnt flesh (PS, in facetious mode -- that would be the motorcycle namesake). Burnt tyre, petrol and engine oil, yeah? (tOMoH follows suit). sonicvince emits a simple "Mmmh!" Apple and tinned pineapple (sonicvince and PS). It feels very Sherried to me, with prunes and kerosene, perhaps a dash of coffee.

Mouth: rancio, earth, and fewer prunes.

Finish: long, it rolls out blackberries, blackcurrants and dry warehouse clay.

Comment: twelve years have passed since we had our first Kawasaki. I prefer this one, I think. Of course, it is now unobtainable, much to everyone's chagrin.

Score: 8/10

Essy approves of Kawasaki

Glenglassaugh 30yo 1976/2007 (45.3%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogshead, C#2381, 260b, b#226) (PS)

Nose: surprisingly mineral, it has peach yoghurt and sawdust from a circular saw.

Mouth: jammy and fruity, it has peach jelly and thin fruit juice.

Finish: lovely fruity profile balanced with a sip of black coffee.

Comment: this has been on my list of things to try since it came out. Glad to have a chance.

Score: 9/10

PS: "This is far from being a substandard dram."

Chichibu 2009/2012 The Floor Malted (50.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt distributed by Japan Import System imported by Number One Drinks, 8800b, b#8142) (EG)

Nose: it is a tad indistinct, with custard and fruity flowers.

Mouth: fresh and mineral, it tastes like fruits cut on slate.

Finish: lovely fruitiness, mostly peaches and nectarines.

Comment: another good Chichibu.

Score: 8/10

JS pulls out her own Chichibu London Edition b.2023 (51.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt imported by Speciality Drinks, 1949b, b#1843) to compare it with the above. The opinions are divided on which is better than the other. EG and I prefer JS's (notes here). pat gva prefers EG's.

EG pours his Real Dry sparkling white wine. Alcohol free (0.5%), it is meant to reset the palates and refresh the minds.

pat gva: Is that prosecco?"
EG: "Do I look like an Italian?"

Psycho tells a daft story. pat gva laughs so hard he chokes.

EG: "Too strong for you? 0.5%?"

Random nibbles
Nachos, biltong, nuts

3.217 16yo 1997/2014 A delicatessen shopping basket (55.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 609b) (EG)

Nose: farm-y and salty. One could say 'saltmarshes' with confidence.

Mouth: pearl onions, smoked prunes, smoked figs.

Finish: beautifully mellow, with a lick of smoke.

Comment: wow!

Score: 8/10

Gaija enters the scene and pours us a surprise one.

Mystery dram (Gaija)

Nose: super herbaceous, it has heather twigs, oregano and mizunara staves.

Mouth: juicy, a trifle pine-y, with a dollop of mountain-flower honey.

Finish: aromatic, it has oregano, twigs, bracken and dried roots.

Comment: we narrow it down to a middle-aged Bowmore for travel retail, but not the exact bottling, nor even the range. I trawl through my sample boxes to find another, similar expression, to no avail. Must have emptied it.

Bowmore Aston Martin 22yo b.2022 (51.5%, OB Masters' Selection, 12800b) 8/10

Gaija's Glenglass-socks

Bunnahabhain 1989/2001 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail The MacPhail's, JA/ACC) (Psycho)

Nose: gas, sewers, pickled onions.

Mouth: mellow, juicy, it develops a chalky, eggshell-y side.

Finish: soft, it dishes out orange pulp and pepper-topped custard.

Comment: one we have had several times. It is a competent effort. Others appreciate it more than I do. Of course, the competition is fierce, today.

Score: 7/10

ruckus and EJ join the gang.

3.213 18yo Fresh, inviting and energetic (56%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (JS)

Nose: dry and citrus-y, it has orange peels and the bitter oil that comes with that.

Mouth: citrus-y, crystalline, it veers towards leather.

Finish: sweet and citrus-y, it showcases cherries (EJ), candy sweets (JS) and Mon Chéri (EJ).

Comment: JS pulled this out last minute to have it against 3.217. They are wildly different. Full notes here.

Score: 8/10

PS asks if he may open the door for air. YdS is fanning herself with a napkin.

JS: "I'll give you a fan."
pat gva: "She's got a fan. It's Chinese."
YdS: "It's not Chinese. It's international."

EJ: "How do you pronounce it? Glen-glass-ow?"
PS: "Glen-glass-okh."
EJ: "Glen-glass-sock."
Psycho: "Kh. Like Mo-kh-ammed."
JS: "That is why you get stopped at airports!"

Poit Dhubh 30yo b.2006 (43%, Pràban na Linne 30th Anniversary Edition, b#230) (tOMoH)

Comment: pat gva and elskling show no interest at first and are dubitative when I insist. They seem pleasantly surprised when they finally do try it. Full notes here.

Score: 8/10

ruckus teases EJ about ageing.

tOMoH: "What are you doing with this guy?"
JS: "He's very competent in his cooking skills."

Invergordon 37yo 1972/2009 (46.6%, Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Barrel CC#60478/63675, 259b, b#236) (JS)

Comment: chemical to start with, it paves the way for peach and almonds (pat gva). ruckus finds blackcurrants. Full notes here.

Score: 8/10

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

Comment: full notes here.

Score: 8/10

Psycho: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
EJ: "Because you're sexaaaaaaaay."
ruckus: "She's very good at lying."

Others have the following in no particular order.

Glenlochy 29yo 1980/2010 (52.8%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogshead, C#2649, 265b, b#71) (tOMoH)

Inver-Regal (43° Gay Lussac, J.H. Wham & Son (Largs), for testing purposes only, b. pre-1991) (tOMoH)

Pittyvaich 14yo 1986/2001 (43%, Ian McLeod Chieftain's, Hogsheads, C#9519-22, 1074b, L1212BB 3 11 58) (tOMoH)

Laphroaig 28yo b.2018 (44.4%, OB Limited Edition, Quarter Casks + Bourbon Barrels + Sherry Butts) (tOMoH): especially for Psycho, who had left when we tasted it last month.

Abhainn Dearg b.2023 (61%, OB X Cask Type, PX Cask) (tOMoH)

Braes of Glenlivet 22yo 1989/2011 (60.2%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, C#1051, 267b b#69) (JS)

Bladnoch 20yo 1990/2011 (60.6%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre for Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Barrel, C#30005, 194b, b#131) (JS)

(pat gva asked about Càrn Mòr, yesterday)

Laphroaig 10yo (90 U.S. Proof, OB imported by Julius Wile, b.1975) (pat gva)

Bruichladdich 20yo 2001/2021 (53.1%, Sansibar-Whisky, Sherry Hogshead, 318b) (elskling)

It is close to 20:30 when the last ones leave. Precious moments.