24/11/2024 dom666's birthday bash

It started in October, with this email from dom666 (translation courtesy of tOMoH).

• I was born on a 24th November
• Farrokh Bulsara (aka Freddie Mercury) died on 24th November 1991
• Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK's Assassin Creep) died on 24th November 1963 (he allegedly committed suicide, like Epstein and, soon, P. Diddy)
• Mobutu Sese Seko completed his coup in the no-longer-Belgian Congo on 24th November 1965
• Yves Coppens discovered Lucy (in the earth with diamonds (written by Jean-Bedel Bokassa) on 24th November 1974
• American serial-killer Ted Bundy was born on 24th November 1946
• Sorley MacLean, Scottish poet who wrote about Talisker Bay, died on 24th November 1996
• Monique Andrée Serf (aka Barbara) died on 24th November 1997
• Flocon de Neige, white-gorilla resident of the Barcelona zoo, died on 24th November 2003
• Issei Sagawa, Japanese cannibal, died on 24th November 2022

• On 23rd October 2024, I feel really well (at least physically)
• On 24th November 1922, Benito Mussolini gained full powers in Italy, and, thanks to him (*), I can, on 24th November 2024, organise the traditional birthday bash, the sixteenth out of a possible seventeen, since the first such celebration in 2008 (* here, dom666 refers to the fact his grandfather had to flee Italy at the time)

[...]

Theme: there are ten or eleven above. What else do you need? I hope to hear some bad puns in a song. I promise not to bring a Talisker (unless you ask nicely).

So, here we are for this yearly event.

The suspects: adc, JS, ruckus, kruuk2, Psycho, dom666, PSc, STL, red71, Bishlouk, me.

dom666 plays "spot the bearded bloke"

It is an ambitious line-up. No time to waste. We gotta move with haste.

ruckus tells us that, for birthdays, one raises a glass to one's health. He therefore proposes in verre levé (in Walloon, in the original text).

Inverleven 1985/1999 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, IH/CHH): a rare Gordon & MacPhail where the bottling code is not compatible with the bottling date. It is genuine, though, no doubt about that. Nose: dusty fruits (apples and pears), and a whiff of vanilla. Mouth: roasted apples, smoked pears, and a serious level of dust, even if it remains well pleasant. Finish: it has a slight bitterness, here, supplemented by a good dose of vanilla and butterscotch. What an ideal starter! 7/10

dom666 [to Bishlouk]: "You're very quiet, today."
Bishlouk: "The one time I say nothing."
tOMoH: "Record him! We'll play that back later on."

JS tells us that the gorilla Snowflake died on a 24th November. Snowflake lived in the Barcelonach zoo. Barcelonach was also the title of a song sung by Freddie Mercury, who died on a 24th November, and Montserrat Capallerdonich. Boom.

Boom.

Drave Boom.

Caperdonich 39yo 1969/2008 (42.2%, Lonach, Oak Casks): nose: phwoar! What an intensity! Apricots, Riesling (PSc), fruity, dry (PSc), it turns into honey-and-flower goodness in no time. Mouth: dry white wine indeed, with lots of lush yellow and an extremely-faint bitterness. Peach skins, apricot skins, perhaps tatters of fruits still attached to the stone. Finish: extraordinary. Long, fruity, with just a lick of distant wood. It does have a bitter touch to it, but it is mostly lush yellow fruits, with hazelnuts added for complexity. 9/10

Bishlouk [to dom666, who reaches for the next bottle]: "What is the link to the theme?"
tOMoH: "Ten minutes before his train left, he picked up a bottle at random."
dom666: "Pretty much. I thought I would find a link on the train."

red71 brought his famous canelés.
They do not last long.

dom666 then explains that he looked for a connection with Sorley MacLean. MacLean is a clan from Argyll, so that did not work (Carsebridge is on the East side). He found out that Sean Connery was linked to the MacLean clan, through his mother. In Connery's filmography, one may find A Carsebridge Too Far. Boom.

Carsebridge 41yo 1976/2018 (49.1%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Hogshead, 144b): nose: custard, vanilla (PSc), crème brûlée (Psycho). In the long run, we have a little varnish, as well as butterscotch and toffee. Mouth: a bitter, squeaky attack, in a rubber-glove way. Chewing gives a fruity custard, though it does not shake off the rubber entirely. One could liken this to some sort of cleaning agent. Finish: long and warming, we have crème brûlée again, butterscotch and toffee. The second gulp even gives some shy tropical fruits and Tonka beans (STL). Boss! 9/10

red71 brought a blood sausage as a birthday gift.
dom666: "Ah! It's a regular."

STL brought a Japanese whisky bottled in 2022, the year Issey Sagawa died, on the 24th November.

Bishlouk: "Je ne suis pas très attire par les Japonais."
all: "Tu l'es plus par les Japonaises."

Ichiro's Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky 115 (46%, OB imported by Number One Drinks / La Maison du Whisky, b. ca. 2022): nose: cherry (PSc), dead leaves, nutty custard. The second nose has a whisper of tobacco too. Mouth: sweet (dom666), round (PSc), inoffensive. It is creamy and nutty, very mildly drying. Finish: peppery (PSc), it has some wood spices, such as ginger powder, and sawdust.  It is fairly moreish, we all agree -- the more one drinks it, the better it is. Sneaky stuff! 7/10

adc: "And the link to the theme?"
STL: "I explained it earlier. You were not listening."
JS bursts in laughter.

PSc: "tOMoH; you're writing all this?"
tOMoH: "I cannot follow. We need Copilot, or another AI to help capture."

Food enters.

Boudin de Liège

Boudin à la Curtius

Boudin aux choux et lardons

Boudin aux poireaux

Boudin aux raisins

Saltuffi
Pâté au foie gras

Paté Pommes / Poires / Raisins

Mousse de canard au Sauternes

Mousse de canard au Porto

Pate aux chanterelles

Calvados-cured Camembert

Epoisse

Truffle Brillat Savarin

Pecorino Toscano

Reblochon Fermier

Whisky-cured Cheddar

Chimay

Reblochon

Régal à la moutarde

red71: "Do you know why cucumbers are wrapped in plastic? So we can eat them afterwards."

Psycho reminds us that, on one fateful 24th November, Ted Burgundy died.

Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood Finish (43%, OB Wood Finish, American Oak Casks re-racked into Côte d'Or Burgundy Barriques, L5 010, b. ca. 2005): nose: a little woody at first (in a rather-elegant way, I might add). After thirty minutes of breathing (we are eating), it turns into a sweet number, with chou dough, a blend of red wine and Bourbon, which I find very pleasant. Mouth: generous, fairly sweet, still, we have peaches, apricots, and a drop of red wine. A slight tannic dryness appears, as does a surprising amount of pepper -- or is it the Port-cured duck pâté? That one is well peppery! Finish: the wine influence is more prominent, here, heavier and headier. Burgundy and tobacco pouches, at once oily and woody. 8/10

tOMoH introduces a Glenturret bottled for La Maison du Whisky, a house set up and headed by the Benitah family, which brings us to Benitah Mussalini. (It is just a pun. Do not send the lawyers, yeah?)

Glenturret 35yo 1977/2013 (47.5%, Berry Brothers & Rudd for La Maison du Whisky, C#25): despite a lukewarm welcome from Bishlouk, this is a fruity masterpiece with a mildly-drying finish of lingering spices. Full notes here. 9/10

PSc consulted the oracles, and predicts Arnmagibbon on the 24th November 2030. Boom. Again.

The Arngibbon 10yo 2013/2024 Speyside Release 5 (50%, Stirling Distillery Sons of Scotland, Bourbon Barrel, C#1793, 222b, b#171): bottled by the folks at Stirling Distillery, while waiting for their own hooch to turn the right age. Nose: fresh, minty, red71 and STL find mushrooms, while PSc and Bishlouk detect spices. kruuk2 notes marzipan, and adc finds something between kaki and parsnip. For tOMoH, it is orchard fruits, hay and herbs, chiefly hawthorn and juniper. Mouth: more orchard-y goodness, and it is also very acidic. Apple peels, quince, bergamot, white-citrus foliage. Finish: apple custard and some spices -- ginger powder, stave gratings. Water changes it dramatically, according to STL, though he cannot say how. I do not add any. 7/10

PSc: "Before the recent Mike Tyson fight, there were women fighting with pillows. They went for it so hard, one got a bloody brow bone."
adc: "?"
PSc: "Not regular pillows, you understand. They were fighting pillows."

Laughter all round.

red71 explains how he did not understand any of the themes, and latched on to dom666's comment of bad puns in songs. He wrote a song about today's event, and sings it to the tune of Hervé Christiani - Il est libre Max -- a proper job he does too. We are all impressed, except for adc and JS, who are in the kitchen and miss it.

Mannochmore 2010/2020 (55.6%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS20008, 299b, b#171): funny that, eh? Two b#171 in a row. How unlikely! Nose: a wall of granite, sprinkled with citrus juice. PSc calls it a whisky de brume (a fog whisky). Water makes it shier before it develops antique bricks, then flour. Odd and interesting. Mouth: quite punchy, would you know? Mineral, industrial, and uncompromising. It feels like licking Verdigris off an oxidised still, or a dusty boiler. With water, it becomes softer and gains toasted almonds. Finish: wood dust, ginger powder, grated lemongrass, ground lime zest. This is brutal, anaesthetising. Water opens it up a little, and reveals aromatic jam -- clementine marmalade topped with thyme or oregano. The tag line from whiskyfun.com was that water turns it into a Rosebank. That is debatable. It is interesting, if fierce. JS loves it. 7/10

PSc brought a second borrowed malt from Stirling Distillery. He does not give a link to the theme.

The Cashly 13yo 2011/2024 Highland Release 5 (50%, Stirling Distillery Sons of Scotland, First Fill Bourbon Cask, C#4416): nose: camphor? (STL, doubting himself). It has something very intense and heavy (STL). Pine tree (red71), hawthorn, oregano, thyme... This is very aromatic too. JS finds it eau-de-vie-like, while I have faded or weathered plastic. Mouth: strangely plastic-y too, teeming with soft plastic and rubber. Finish: long, warming, medicinal. It is decent enough, if not my favourite, today, and not as nice as the Arngibbon from earlier. 6/10

tOMoH produces a Jura bottled for Geoffrey Folley Harvey Oswald, who died on a 24th November (Oswald, not Folley).

Isle of Jura d.1976 (57.5%, Harleyford Manor for Geoffrey Folley, b.1980s): industrial (Bishlouk), sulphur (dom666), soap (STL). It blows up in all directions (Bishlouk and STL). This is as divisive as ever, with adc, Bishlouk and kruuk2 in the believers' camp, and dom666, ruckus and PSc not fans. red71 detects "sweat from the arse crack". He does not say if that is a positive thing or not. One thing is certain: it is a unique profile, unlike anything we have had (or will have) today. My full notes are here. 7/10

La bombe au chocolat

For the next offering, red71 recycles the same little song -- though he does not sing it, this time.

Speyside-Glenlivet 18yo 1995/2014 (62.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 1 x Sherry Butt + 1 x Hogshead, 738b, 14/226): nose: mutton droppings (adc), Highland-cow dung (adc). It is filled to the brim with rancio, and has coprolite, as well as rubber. It gets some leather action, after a while, and polished car cockpits (the polyester kind). Mouth: desiccating, this is a sink for moisture, plank-y, extremely powerful, and a challenge, really. Finish: some horsepower, here! Burning hay, tar applied ten minutes prior, hot metal fences. Water calms it down a bit without changing the character much -- only the intensity. Maybe it adds a little chocolate to the equation. Interesting and challenging. 7/10

dom666 [about his brother dating a celebrity]: "They stuck to mouth contact."
red71: "Many things are possible that involve mouth contact only..."
Psycho: "Mouth-to-mouth."

tOMoH presents a Barbarran, for Barbara, who died on a 24th November.

Isle of Arran 3yo 1995/1998 (60.3%, OB, 1000b, b#102): it seems appreciated all round. Notes here. 7/10

Bishlouk tells how dom666 enumerated personalities who died on a 24th November ("des gens morts"). So he picked a(n alleged) Mort-lach.

red71: "And to think I sang a song!"

Undisclosed Speyside 15yo 2009/2024 (54.9%, Campbeltown Whisky Company Watt Whisky, Hogshead, 318b): nose: Indian sewers (ruckus, who is back from the Subcontinent), tanned leather and ashy smoke, meat, chargrilled to a pile of dusty ash. We have some cereals rearing their heads too, then merbromin. The second nose has a big ashtray, and a dash of coffee. Mouth: plasticine-like porridge, ashes, peppermint, salted liquorice. This is hugely powerful. When the heat mellows down, we have hot custard topped with pepper. Finish: long and devastating, this delivers a wave of peppermint and liquorice. Repeated sipping adds crushed stones, marble-quarry dust, soot, and charred chicken skins. This is mineral, chiselled, straight out of a quarry. Another interesting, challenging number. 7/10

The right box.
The wrong bottle.

dom666 stolidly announces that, after promising he would not bring a Talisker, unless someone specifically asked for it, Bishlouk requested a specific Talisker (the famous 20yo Sherry matured). dom666 still has some, so he brought it. This kind act would hopefully stop Bishlouk lamenting that he had never tried it to-date. Well, at best, Bishlouk can gaze at the box, because, inside the box, dom666 brought the 20yo Bourbon matured. An honest mistake, he says, but it is so funny it is hard to believe.

Bishlouk departs (not out of spite, he says, but who will believe that?)

Talisker 20yo 1982/2003 (58.8%, OB, Refill Bourbon Casks, 12000b, b#4096): nose: smoked peppercorns. This is very smoky, today, and takes on a super-earthy side, with coffee grounds and ground black cumin. Mouth: intimidatingly powerful, even after the previous brutes, it is metallic (hot moka pot) and clearly bitter, yet also faintly fruity (dried apricot timidly raises its hand). Finish: smoky chicory, bitter, acrid. Very unusual: I find chicory-flavoured meringue. This is good, if not subtle, a big, beastly, salty and bitter dram roughly in line with my memories of it. 8/10

kruuk2 admits he did not understand the theme, but dom666 said there were ten or eleven of them. So, kruuk2 brought a ten year-old he bought around the time we started celebrating dom666's birthday.

Laphroaig 10yo 1994/2005 (52.5%, Creative Whisky Company Exclusive Malts): ashtray, lit cigarette, and burnt cereal dust. We end up with chewy berries and rye bread that has spent too much time in the oven. Mouth: sweet and mellow, it is still ashy and grey, but also a lot softer than anticipated. It becomes strongly drying with minimal chewing. Finish: immense, earthy-rusty, it is dry and ashy, austere, and ashtray-like. For those who like that sort of things, this is spot on. 8/10

Excellent tasting, full of silly nonsense as we like it. Fairly grivois again, mind. Our friends' mind is in the gutter, no doubt about it.

21/12/2023 Inverleven

Winter is here!

Inverleven 37yo 1973/2011 (49%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition Deoch an Doras, LD80819): nose: dunnage-warehouse beauty, this. Clay floors, efflorescence on the stone walls, flor on the casks, a whiff of rancio, plump, juicy mushrooms, and dark berries (blackberries, blackcurrants, Corinth raisins). We have something more vegetal too, that may hint at wilted spinach, or leek greens, yet it is so undefined it would be easy to miss. The fruits, on the other hand, become more discernible: overripe blueberries and currants, served on a slate, their juices triggering an aromatic reaction, when they come into contact with the stone. Time makes this juicier and juicier, and resolutely purple, with the occasional green flash of leeks. Cigar leaves show up too, as one tilts the glass. The second nose has gingerbread and dried/candied fruits -- mixed peel would be overstating it, but definitely currants, and cured-and-dried apple peelings, with a pinch of confectionary sugar, in the distance. Shaking the glass a bit adds a whiff of dried cranberries, and a dusting of cinnamon powder -- yum! With a little imagination, one may associate mulled wine with this. I will not go that far: it is much too elegant for that. Mouth: pleasant attack, perfectly balanced. Bitterer than expected, this palate has more green vegetables than purple berries, even if the latter do provide backing vocals. Green indeed (leeks, spinach), and with less-ripe fruits, it continues the warehouse impression, yet differently: the stone walls come out more than the clay floor. We have shiitake broth and crushed blackcurrant (not quite ripe). The second sip starts with oilskins, then moves towards candlewax. It retains some bitterness, yet that seems much less pronounced than at first. It appears a tad stronger, on the other hand -- the alcohol kick, that is. Overall, it is still berry laden (yes, Berry had a brother; no, his name was not Ben) and scrumptious. Finish: clearly a high point, the finish is all about dark berries. It is softly warming as a liqueur would be, and comforting to a degree rarely seen. Prunes, raisins, dried blackberries (fresh too, actually), blackcurrants. Even the slates make a come-back. Almost none of the palate's bitterness is present, here; only that delicate mineral touch. The second gulp is even better, if that is possible. It offers a chewy, berry-flavoured paste and chocolate-and-orange spread, alongside softly-bitterer berry skins -- imagine the residue after those berries have been pressed to extract the juice they contained. Coating, not cloying, full of currants, this is not as exuberant as some of those crazy Invergordons, but there are some common traits. Retro-nasal olfaction brings back a mild bitterness, yet it is perfectly tolerable. I am a sucker for Inverleven. A Lowlander, a closed distillery, one that is neither very well known, nor highly regarded -- right up my alley. This is one superb expression of it. 9/10

Happy birthday, PC!

26/11/2023 James Bond

Two dates in the whisky calendar count more than others, for die Heimatgruppe: Burns' Night, and dom666's birthday bash. Today is the latter. There is even a (manageable) theme, this year. (Remember last year's "theme"?)

For practical reasons, he hosts at adc's again, and if we have to regret the absence of Gaija, STL, Bishlouk, and kruuk2, we should have plenty to drink with what Psycho, PSc, red71, JS, dom666, ruckus, adc, sonicvince, and tOMoH have brought to the table.

A lot, obviously.

PSc quickly declares that there is no link between his first bottle and the theme, but that he wanted to bring said bottle out of curiosity. ruckus carefully studies the label and tells us the whisky was matured in a barrel. Close enough to Barry, for John Barry(l), who composed the James Bond theme.

Whisky Ardent (40%, OB, Banyuls Barrels) (PSc): nose: Stroh (PSc), burning alcohol (red71), apple turnover (Psycho, who just had one for breakfast). I find it a bit green, with a rubbery touch at the back of the sinuses. Mouth: sugar (PSc), cough syrup (adc, PSc), ye olde sweet shoppe (PSc). It is very sweet indeed, with caster sugar turning mouldy green, and medicine capsules. Finish: incredibly close to cough syrup, sweet, vaguely liquorice-y, and teeming with a minty gel. Not exactly a legendary dram, but a decent enough starter. 6/10

[dom666 talks about his collection of glasses to ruckus]
tOMoH [to ruckus]: "You can stop him, if it's not interesting."
ruckus: "There you go."

ruckus [about his recent travels]: "I've been back for two days."
adc: "Where were you?"
ruckus: "Gujarat."
tOMoH: "Le pays préféré des femmes. Parce que, là, les goujats ratent."

sonicvince arrives, delayed by train disruptions.

PSc presents: Dr. Knockad-No. And, if that does not Knockan-do it, PSc has prepared a list of (Knockan-dodgy) alternatives:

• A Knockando to a Kill
• Licence to Kill a Knockando
• Knockando Another Day
• Quantum of Knockando
• Knockando Royale
• No Time to Knockando
• A Knockando is not Enough
• Knockando Never Dies

Ahem. Let us stick with Dr. Knockad-No, shall we?

Naturally, the cork breaks, and PSc outsources the removal to me. I manage like a pro. Not my first.

Knockando 12yo 1987/1999 (43%, OB) (PSc): nose: "it smells of tissue," says sonicvince, who just blew his nose. Sugar and lemon, lemon vanilla, followed by a thin veil of sooty smoke (or smoky soot). Later, we have boiled-sweet wrapper, though not the sweets themselves. Mouth: oily, yet also mildly acidic, a mix of vanilla-ed sugar and lemon zest. The second sip has a  gently-drying touch. Finish: soft, mellow, and elegant, with a very-mild bitterness of lichen on copper. Mostly, it is a lovely butterscotch-y affair. 7/10

dom666: "There is still a bank branch there, I promise you. It's an ING."

tOMoH: "Just like your jersey."

red71: "This is a nose that has body."

tOMoH presents the actor that will forever be associated with the role of the famous spy: Se-an Cnocery

an Cnoc 13yo d.1989 (46%, OB Highland Selection Limited Edition, b#1375) (tOMoH): nose: dusty, herbaceous (sonicvince), dunnage warehouse, musty clay floors, old books in the loft (red71), hay (adc), rancio. adc finds the alcohol very present, at first. In the long run, we have dried pomelo zest, and a salty tang. Over time, farm-y tones appear, farm paths and muddy fields. Mouth: liquorice (dom666), syrupy, after a couple of sips (sonicvince). I find it oily, with the bitterness of olive pits. This is well integrated, and balances that soft bitterness with a delicious sweetness -- honey-glazed almonds, perhaps. It seems woodier at second sip, and reminds me of spelt seeds. Finish: chewy liquorice sticks (dom666 and sonicvince), vanilla ice cream (adc). It is a nice mocha cream by my account, though one that works perfectly for me. Nuts, almond shells, Brazil-nut shells, creamy black tea... It is warming, honeyed, and simply excellent. Wow! Looking forward to spending more time with this one. 8/10

Food enters the scene.

Salt-and-pepper leaven bread rolls

Regular leaven bread rolls

Flandrien Grande Réserve

Comté Grand Cru

Gruyère des Grottes

Calvamembert

Epoisse

Crémeux affiné à la liqueur de noix

Reblochon fermier au lait cru

Saltufo

Boar pâté

Duck mousse

Venison pâté

Pear, apple and grapes pâté

Pâté crème (not pictured)

Chanterelles pâté

White pudding
White pudding with cabbage
White pudding with leeks
White pudding with hazelnuts

sonicvince presents: Moonarranker

Arran 10yo (46%, OB) (sonicvince): note the absence of "Isle of", or even "The" and "Malt". This is just "Arran". It also has an address in Dublin, which is certainly a way to distribute into the rest of the EU, post-Brexit. Nose: smashed overripe banana (soncivince), solvent (red71), porridge, and even a hint of brine. Later on, we have Custard Cream biscuits, coupled with candied lemon peels. Mouth: golden fields of barley, and a velvety texture. It is lively, but not overly so. I have a strong note of pepper, though I reckon it is from the (insanely-good) bread. It is drying and spicy over time, giving out ginger and lemongrass. Finish: powdered ginger and ground pepper sprinkled on lemon-y custard cream. Perhaps it has a pinch of dried sage too? Arran. Great quality, even at the entry level. 7/10

tOMoH presents: Inverleven Let Die (yes, I also believe we have had that before)

Inverleven 37yo 1973/2011 (49%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition Deoch an Doras, LD80819) (group): I will take notes another time. Too busy eating and enjoying the company. Nose: very, very, very good (red71, sonicvince and ruckus). Mouth: acidic sweets (Psycho). Finish: pecan nuts, cashew nuts (Psycho). 9/10

dom666: "God knows all. People from Antwerp know better. (Traditional Antwerp saying)"

The next two both require careful intervention

dom666 explains that everyone knows James Bond, and wonders: "Is he Still Secret?"

Is he?

Secret Stills 01.01 50yo 1955/2005 (45%, Gordon & MacPhail Secret Stills, Sherry Butt, C#1312) (dom666): I am under the impression we have this one fairly often. And then this very blog reminds me we have not had it in five years. Ahem. Nose: well, each time we try this, it has that incredibly-deep layer of shoe polish, precious woods and wood oils, evaporated cola, concentrated wood extracts, and class. Jägermeister (ruckus), wood smoke (red71), boot polish, and... warmed-up black-bin bags. Yes, seriously. It is even pleasant. Thirty minutes later, a bold wave of chocolate mousse mixes with the boot polish. Hours later, all traces of alcohol have made way for concentrated eye makeup and mixed peel. Mouth: sweet and pumped with iodine (adc), it also has musk, rancio, and leather (of course). The second sip unleashes liquorice bootlaces, or soft tyre. It is mellower, later on, with wax, and earthy, citrus-y notes. Finish: Black Balsam (ruckus), Koskenkorva Salmiakki, Angostura. It is long and spicy (ground galangal, sumac, ground cassia bark), more minty, in the long run, and softens, over the space of several hours, though it retains a clear earthiness, with potting soil and coffee grounds. I would give this masterpiece the top score, but it has that liquorice bitterness that I am less fond of, so no. 9/10

vs.

Secret Stills 01.02 21yo 1986/2007 (45%, Gordon & MacPhail Secret Stills, First Fill Sherry Butts, C#1361-1363, 1860b) (dom666): nose: close to hard-boiled egg and vinegar. It is not really sulphur-y, this time, which is great news (we had this once, before this blog existed, and, as can be deduced by the high fill level, we did not like it that much). A touch of butyric, or Parmesan, fusty cheese rinds, and very-dry bunches of flowers. Mouth: wow! Unexpectedly fruity, it has candied apricot and dried peach slices. The second sip is drier, giving ground peach stone, still with tatters of fruit clinging to the stone. Finish: it has a clear smoke that envelops bold fruits dunked in tar. This is so much better than any of those amongst us who have tasted it remembers! It went from a tarry sulphur ball to a gently-smoky, fruity number. 8/10

Spot the difference

Brittle corks, those two

Psycho: "Speculation, which is now called Biscoffication."

PSc accidentally knocks my glass of 01.02, and I end up licking the tablecloth. JS does the same with the milk pot. Perhaps I should drive.

Time for dessert.

The famous (and very light) chocolate bomb

Looks just as rich when cut

ruckus introduces: Daniel Craigellachie

JS and I: "Oh! It's not for Asta Martin?"

Craigellachie 8yo 2013/2021 (61.3%, Asta Morris, Refill Sherry Cask, C#AM067, 706b, b#367) (ruckus): nose: hugely animal from the off, leathery, musky, full of horse saddles, suede game pouches, fox's skins, and Iso Betadine. Mouth: medicinal and very strong. It has dried bandages or gauze, and a sweeter spot. It is pretty fierce, though -- punches a hole into the tongue. Finish: powerful and pungent, full of old, faded bandages, and stale medicine tablets. It is, naturally, very long and invading, a steamroller of a finish that numbs the tonsilses. Boom. 7/10

JS tells everyone that: You Only Glenlivet Wice

sonicvince [looking at the label]: "It is not for Quantum of Sole US importer?"

Glenlivet 26yo 1968/1995 (52.1%, Signatory Vintage selected by, bottled for and imported by Whyte & Whyte for The Spirits Library, Barrel, 95/137) (JS): my full notes are here. For today... Nose: so fruity (sonicvince), maple syrup (adc), tree grille (Psycho), lychee, and a whiff of coffee. Mouth: monstrosly fruity, today, choc-full of rehydrated raisins, figs, and prunes. Finish: more raisins and figs, but also blueberry, now. This easily tickles 9/10

red71 stands up with a cheat sheet. He explains he struggled with the theme, but picked this bottle up, added all the numbers on the label, and reached 4663. With that number in mind, he gives us a charade.

1. I am often stored in a box
2. I am a concern for public health
3. In many countries, one needs a licence to use me
4. I am often associated with steelworks
5. My shape was improved in the XIXth century, benefitting from successive inventions
6. I have played a major role in armed conflicts throughout History
7. I often play a crucial role in police investigations
8. I am a small and hard object, often made of lead, copper, or steel
9. I am thrust at high speed, and my movement is triggered by a chemical reaction
10. I am used in conjunction with another invention that changed the course of History

We guess correctly that red71 is talking about a bullet. He tells us James Bond has dodged 4663 bullets in his career to-date. Or, indeed, 4662, but this will be the 4663rd, he adds.

True, or is red71 full of shit? Who cares? He proves, once again, that, if you say something with enough conviction, someone will believe you. :)

Dodgin' bullets for a livin'

Old Pulteney 2004/2020 (55%, OB Single Cask exclusive to Premium Spirits, American Oak ex-Bourbon Barrel, C#235, 240b, b#039) (red71): nose: salt, iodine, wax (red71), tea cake or gingerbread (Psycho), minty lozenges, and coffee beans. Mouth: hugely honeyed, which is one of the distillery markers, of course. Honey-glazed nuts, then, quickly, behind a strong spicy feel, we have the vivid bitterness of almond skins, stripping the teeth. sonicvince says vanilla, on the other hand. Further sips have Corinth raisins, and ground nigella seeds. Finish: huge, softly salty, full of honey and chocolate milk. Repeated sipping brings  out almond liqueur, spicy, bitter, and injected with sugar. I love it. 8/10

adc observes that one of the James Bond Girls was played by Halle Berry (Bros)

Halle Berry Bros & Rudd

Glenburgie 1983/2011 (56.3%, Berry Bros & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#9806) (adc): an old favourite, this. Nose: wide, metallic, herbaceous, with a whiff of mocha chocolate. It is sweeter with time, thanks to the addition of a spoonful of caster sugar. Mouth: creamy, nutty, it has fresher fruits too, though I am too busy socialising to make note of them. Finish: long. 8/10

Psycho presents: Auchentoshan Connery

Auchentoshan Connery

Auchentoshan 17yo 1999/2016 (55.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, Bourbon Hogsheads, 498b, 16/199) (Psycho): another one we have not had in years (seven, to be precise). Nose: a dose of mint, and a lick of metal. In fact, after a while, it comes across as flinty, or marked with ground coffee, then dusty, butterscotch-y caramel. Mouth: flint dry, yet also caster-sugar sweet. It is very pleasant, leaning on the silky side, in terms of texture, yet it stops at oilskins, which is much more rubbery. It scrapes my mouth like windscreen wipers, while remaining sugary sweet, in a rum way. It emits a numbing, if comfortable, radiating heat. Finish: a bulldozer, it has a long finish that feels like a rum's, with coagulated lumps of caster sugar covered in lichen, and stored in a copper container that is also starting to oxidise. Subsequent sips are mellower, and immediately sweet, like a kouign-amann, or even a caramelised lemon-drizzle cake. Yummy! 8/10

Psycho: "dom666, do you have a glass?"
dom666: "Of course. And since I don't do double-fisting..."
ruckus: "That's my glass."

tOMoH presents; Casino Royale Brackla

Only dom666, JS, sonicvince and red71 have this one. The others sadly have to get ready to leave. I will have it later, when everyone has left.

Royal Brackla 16yo 1970/1986 (57%, OB imported by Zenith, 3600b, b#0471): I take no notes (I have done so before), but it is astonishing to see how well it performs, even in this unfavourable position. Truly a work of art. 9/10

We have no time for the final two drams, but it does not stop sharing the connection to the theme.

tOMoH presents a whisky matured in a table-beer cask. Probably a blonde-table-beer cask -- a James blonde-table-beer cask. Full notes here.

Or is it this guy?

This is Q

sonicvince presents Laphroaig Quarter Cask, celebrating the character Q. No-one tries it tonight.

It is late, people are leaving to catch the train (the last one, in some cases), and I am exhausted, struggling to take notes while socialising. Bah.

Excellent tasting. Great whiskies, food, and bantz. I am simply sad it could not go on for another couple of hours. I am also sad we could not use the following puns

• Ghosted Reserve (for Spectre)
• The Glen Spey Who Loved Me
• St George Lazenby
• Two Longrow Never Die

Next time, eh?