09/06/2021 Watt Whisky & Friends Zoom catch-up

This is an informal catch-up session for those who could not attend at least three virtual tastings (one Watt Whisky tasting, one Electric Coo tasting, one Campbeltown Whisky Company tasting).

Only six of us join Mark and Kate Watt. Since we are all drinking different sample sets, it is a complete free-for-all. JS and I are having the samples from the Electric Coo tasting that took place on the 29th May, that we could not attend.

By the way, The Electric Coo Series was created by Mark and Kate Watt (of Watt Whisky and Campbeltown Whisky Company) and David Stirk (formerly of Creative Whisky Company). Watt is an SI unit of power, often linked to electricity; a stirk is a cow, male or female, between one and two years old. Electricity. Cow. Electric Coo.

Together, they bottle under CWC, which stands for both Campbeltown Whisky Company (the Watts) and Creative Whisky Company (Stirk's old company). Half the releases were selected by Watt; the other half by Stirk. MW tells us they would not have bottled something that the other did not approve of. Other than that, "David went for the crowd-pleasers."

MW: "I met David Stirk in 1998. I realised you either like him or you don't."
KW: "A bit like you!"

Blended Scotch Whisky 27yo 1993/2020 (41.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, Refill ex-Sherry Butt) (selected by MW): this comes from Edrington stocks, we are told, and it was already blended when they bought the cask. No-one knows what it contains. Nose: cracked black pepper sprinkled on raspberries, mildly rubbery peaches. Then, out of nowhere, an unexpected whiff of ox-tongue stew appears, and leather boots with rubber soles. Maybe pencil erasers too. Mouth: peppermint, chewy dried mango slices. Finish: pleasant. Not hugely long, but perfectly balanced, with dried apricots and more dried mango slices. Good start. 7/10

Invergordon 32yo 1988/2020 (50.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, finished in ex-Brandy Butt) (selected by MW): nose: lots of ginger, but the obvious background is pineapple and hair lacquer. There might even be some new shoe laces, somewhere. Mouth: ester-y, mentholated and varnish-y, this is certainly fresh and a little heady. Finish: fleeting. It quickly comes back, full of lacquer and grapefruit zest, which is to say: a little bitter. 7/10

On how they divide the tasks in the business:
KW: "He does the accountancy. As soon as I see a spreadsheet, I switch off."
MW: "Which is odd, because, in the house, I don't even have access to our bank account."
KW: "You do. You've just forgotten your login."

Macduff 12yo 2008/2020 (55.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, Sherry Butt) (selected by DS): nose: caramel and cured meat, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and a bottle of red wine. This is a very nicely-balanced wine maturation, so far. That surprises me, truth be told. I am not a fan of those. Mouth: dry, earthy, it soon shows dark berries and currants (elderberries and blackcurrants, mostly). Finish: oh! This is lovely. Teeming with dried currants, it is earthy, almost rancio-y. Dried elderberries, dried cranberries. 8/10

SL [from the audience]: "You say you don't turn down many samples. Well, neither do I. You say you have a list of whiskies that you want to buy. Well, so do I. It is just on a different scale."

KW explains that the coloured labels on the Watt Whisky bottlings are the colours that MW smells when tasting the whisky. KW says it is weird, but I can relate: I have had yellow and green whiskies before. Also, SMWS Categorise their styles with colours too, these days.

NWW [from the audience]: "Composers have it. They hear music and they see colours."
tOMoH: "Isn't that the acid, though?"

MW: "We didn't want to do the regions, because everyone does it. Speyside is green; islands is red; Islay is usually blue; Campbeltown... tends to be brown."

Croftengea 13yo 2007/2020 (52.2%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, Hogshead) (selected by DS): nose: gingery bubble gum, timid peat of the vegetal kind (as in: it smells of moss, not meat), and a whisper of bacon. Lovage seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, mukhwas also feature. In the long run, all that freshness is augmented with a gentle note of sulphur. Mouth: spicy, lively, it has mentholated ginger bubble gum that remind me of Boules Magiques. The peat, here, is very subtle. It does turn a little chalky, in the long run. Finish: not much of the trademark roast chicken, but there is some lovely, chewy, earthy clay, as well as dark raisins. 8/10

MW: "If we'd had to go to Japan, Taiwan, Belgium..."
tOMoH: "Love how you put Belgium on the same level as Japan and Taiwan. Just as far from Campbeltown, is it?"
KW: "It's further to go from Campbeltown to Glasgow than from Glasgow to Belgium, so it might as well."

MW: "Funny how company expenses change when it's your own company."

Caol Ila 13yo 2007/2020 (50.9%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, ex-Ruby Port Hogshead) (selected by DS): nose: right! Here is bacon, baked earth, fine ash. In the long run, ink and seaweed cakes too. Mouth: warm, warming, peaty and comforting. I find it closer to teriyaki and barbecue than seafood, but that is OK. Perhaps kippers. Definitely kippers, actually. Finish: long and bold, it is full of teriyaki tofu and barbecue sauce. I half-wanted to hate this, but it is great. MW says the same. 8/10

MW: "Sauna flavours."

Caol Ila 12yo 2008/2020 (54.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, STR Barrique) (selected by MW): nose: powerful. Fierce. Almost brutal. It certainly clears the nostrils. Faded leather, bacon rolls, tins of dark-blue paint, hot clay pots, straight out of the oven. Perhaps a smidge of ink too. Mouth: lots of ink, now. Royal blue. Finish: another assertive one, it has ink poured onto a burning haystack. It is a very long finish, with clay amphorae being shaped on the potter's wheel. This is excellent. My favourite tonight, rather unexpectedly. 8/10

MW: "When I was at Royal Mile Whiskies, there was a piper across the street -- the worst piper in the world. I was dreaming of winning the lottery, buying all the Bell's decanters and throwing them at him."

Chilled session. We clock off much later than is reasonable, but good times were had. And good whiskies. Well done, CWC!

24/05/2019 Campbeltown Festival 2019 (Day 2 -- Part 3) The Big Cadenhead Tasting

Like last year, this one is hosted by Jenna McIntosh and Cameron McGeachy for their respective ranges, both chaperoned by Mark Watt.

N from Brighton [who arrives late]: "Too excited to get a cup of tea..."
tOMoH: "You Englishman, you!"

The hosts explain that the exclusive bottlings today are on sale in the Cadenhead tent and are accessible only to those who are present here, which will be verified by way of a wristband.

CMcG: "Your wristbands are high value..."
MW: "I think some of them are already at auction..."

CMcG: "There are no stupid questions!"
MW: "Is Cameron small, or is he just far away?"

We try all blind.

To business!

Dram #1 (CMcG): nose: jammy and fruity, with apricot, peach and rose-petal, honey and dusty books. Good start! Mouth: it turns drier and more leafy than expected (dry leaves), with wood honey and smoked porridge. Finish: long, honeyed, it has dead leaves, gunmetal and ivy. It is a good starter with a nice nose, though it fails to win me over. CMcG reveals a mixture of Invergordon, Glenfarclas and Glenlivet. Blend 45yo (43.1%, Cask Sample) 7/10

MW: "Some 45yo whiskies, you're pretty much licking a tree. If you're going to lick a tree, make sure you go higher than a dog can pee!"

Dram #2 (JMcI): nose: more wood, tree bark, mulch and tea biscuit. JS finds Port in the nose as well. Mouth: bitter, wine-y, it has tannins and a distinct bite -- too much of a bite, actually; I find it unbalanced. Finish: wine-y, this one tastes like dark-grape wine, cherry fruit and unripe blackcurrant. Meh. Girvan 9yo (61.4%, Cask Sample, Pinot Noir Cask) 5/10

I may not like it much, but I appreciate it was daring to serve a red-wine-matured, twelve-year-old grain whisky!

Someone confused Moon Import with moon export!

Dram #3 (JMcI): nose: unripe fruit, including waxy apricot, sprinkled with peach liqueur and even walnut liqueur. Mouth: soft, velvety, fruity, peachy, it presents notes of apricot too, ripe, this time. Finish: a mushroom cave, dunnage warehouse, timidly-tropical fruit. I first guess an Inchmurrin, after AMcR, who is in the room, ventures a Littlemill. In hindsight, it is obviously a Littlemill. The one that came out yesterday. Excellent, and well done JMcI for offering something that 85% in this room will not be able to buy a bottle of. Littlemill 27yo 1992/2019 (49.8%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Hogshead, 270b) 8/10

Dram #4 (MW -- I think): nose: petrolic, with sweet Demerara sugar and vapours of a plastic-manufacturing factory, plastic buckets. Mouth: super cereal-y and plastic-y. This is big and biting (no surprise when you see the ABV). Finish: lots of plastic here too, rubber, dark sugar, oil and all sorts of petrolic notes. It is a rum, which, in hindsight, is also quite obvious; not far from some of the Caroni, Fiji and Venezuela rums that have been released in recent years. This is Dictador. Nice, but not my thing, today. Colombia 26yo (69.4%, Cask Sample, 20y in Bourbon Cask + 6y in Port Cask) 7/10

anonymous: "Is it for sale?"
MW: "It will be for sale... in the future!"

Dram #5 (CMcG): nose: cow dung, muck, dry sands, crusty earth and dried apricots. Mouth: soft and gentle, it showcases fruit and hemp, in stark contrast with the nose. Finish: lots of delicate fruit, hints of smoke, linen and clean laundry, hot cotton. Cooley 11yo 1992/2019 Open Day "Big Tasting" 2019 (53.4%, Cadenhead Malts Festival, Barrel) 8/10

MW [about the counter-intuitive age statement]: "It turns out that, unbeknownst to me, it's illegal to mature Irish whiskey outside of Ireland. It's a fairly new rule... from 1985."

Dram #6 (MW -- I think): nose: mud, earth and clay. It is simply earthy. Mouth: earthy, muddy, with clay and bogs. Finish: you guessed it! Mud, clay, earth, crusty earth. This one does what it does really well, but it is as one-dimensional as a stroke on a chalkboard. Good for countryside boys like myself; to say it is memorable would be a huge overstatement. Bunnahabhain 5yo (unknown ABV, Cask Sample, 3 x Bourbon Hogsheads) 6/10

The tasting finishes. The tent is still relatively busy with people queueing for bottles, but it feels over. Many are flying out in the next hour, even more are scrambling to Islay for the next festival. The French/Swiss(no-sky) pour us a few things to finish off -- two of which I will end up trying tomorrow, after "forgetting" overnight. The one thing I do remember is this.

Springbank 12yo (46%, OB Ceramic Jug, b. ca. late 1980s): a very well-known jug that I cannot remember having actually tried prior. But of course, I do not remember much, at this point. Nose: pickled onions and orchard fruit. This seems to be a typical profile for those ceramic decanters -- Bowmore Bicentenary was also pickled-onion-led fruit. Mouth: I find it soft, fruity and fresh, which is a trademark of Springbank's distillate from that era, I suppose. Finish: soft, fruity and fresh. Ahem. I am drunk, aren't I? I am embarrassed: this is clearly good. In my current state, I cannot do it justice, unfortunately. 8/10

Working on international relationships since...

Time to bid good bye/farewell, retire for a refreshing shower and a short lie-down. I start wondering why humans drink (merriment? Catharsis? As a social conduit? To enable a spiritual connection?) Yeah, I also only think of those things when under the influence. It was high time I stopped! :o)

Quick stop at the shop, as Paul McCartneux wants to browse

In comes the evening and supper at the Harbourview Grille. And it is...

Soup of the day

Grilled-halloumi salad

Seafood pasta for adc

HAGGIS F-IN' NACHOS B!TCH3S!

On the harbour front, the scene is so strange I wonder if I am hallucinating. Huge lorries deliver huge metal tubes. It turns out Campbeltown is no longer the whisky capital of the world, but it has become a capital manufacturing hub for wind-turbine parts -- and timber, as we saw two years ago.

25/05/2018 Campbeltown Festival 2018 (Day 3 -- Part 2) The Big Cadenhead Tasting

From lunch, we have to walk fast to the warehouse where this tasting is happening. In fact, everyone is there already, although they are queueing outside. The queue is so long that I have more than enough time to run back to meet Hedley Wright (chairman of J&A Mitchell), have a brief but friendly chat with him, and still be on time to find a nice seat.

Meanwhile, BH and BC drink proper stuff

This is a big duel between Jenna McIntosh (JMcI), who is in charge of Cadenhead's own ranges (Authentic Collection, World Whiskies, as well as that range with the closed distilleries and the one with the various cask maturations), and Cameron McGeachy (CMcG), who looks after the international ranges (Small Batch and Single Cask). JMcI is introduced with A-ha - Take On Me, while CMcG walks in, sporting boxing gloves, to the tune of... something no-one recognises. Survivor - The Eye Of The Tiger would have been so adequate, here! Mark Watt (MW) referees the fight, responsible as he is for both those channels.

Risin' up
Back on the streets...

Each of the contestants has brought one bottling available in the shop, one soon-to-be-released bottling for their respective ranges, and one exclusive cask sample.
The tasting is in the remote warehouse where the 175th Anniversary tasting took place last year, and it is fooking hot, inside.

"You don't get this at Springbank," says JMcI, defiantly.

JMcI presents: Macduff 29yo 1989/2018 (55.1%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Refill Sherry Butt, 190b): nose: some vinegar, unripe hazelnut, grape stems and grape pips. Mouth: big, boisterous, even, with hazelnut vinegar, raspberry vinegar and some spices. This is anaesthetising. Finish: softer now, with hazelnut paste and raspberry. This is good, but not balanced. Too hot. I tried it in the shop, a couple of weeks ago, and was not more impressed then. 6/10

CMcG presents: North British 32yo 1985/2018 (55.2%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 1 x Sherry Butt, 582b): nose: solvents and paint stripper, as well as wood lacquer. MW says he "would drink this through a shoe." I hope it says more about his taste than it does about his habits. Mouth: glue and rubber mats. It seems hot, though I am now wondering whether that is the pepper from lunch. Finish: it almost redeems itself, here, with blackcurrant and fruity turnovers. All in all, I do not like it much more than when it came out. 6/10

CMcG presents: Glenturret 31yo 1986/2018 (44.5%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Sherry Hogshead, 210b): nose: fresh cork, soft and plump, alongside waxy apricot. Mouth: much softer than expected, it has squashed apricots again. Finish: more apricots with just a tiny spoonful of hazelnut paste. 7/10

MW: "That's a very good Glenturret. It didn't taste like a Glenturret."

JMcI breaks a glass.

CMcG: "Not the first time Jenna's glassed someone."
MW: "Scotland. The only country that uses 'glass' as a verb."

JMcI presents: The English Whisky d.2009 (61.9%, cask sample, C#18/50-1): a peaty expression. Nose: leather and cow stable, dry hay, flames. Mouth: smoke, of course, but it is subdued. Lots of boiled sweets are the centrepiece. Finish: cereals, burning hay and melted boiled sweets. 7/10

JMcI presents: Aberfeldy 22yo (52.2%, cask sample): nose: fresh and youthful, with honeysuckle buds and Virginia tobacco. Mouth: soft, sweet, it has raspberry jam. Finish: honey, caramelised puffed rice (Kellogg's Smacks), and even coffee beans. This works less well, for me. 6/10

MW (to the room): "I'm looking forward to you trying to flip a bottle of Aberfeldy!"

CMcG presents: Bowmore 17yo (54.2%, cask sample): nose dry earth and lovely fruit, in the back. Mouth: big, pungent and elegant, with some smoke and lots of fruit. Finish: long, wide, earthy and well fruity, with whispers of mango and maracuja. 8/10

The tasting finishes. Queues start to form to buy the exclusive whiskies. The Bowmore, in particular, proves popular. I kept a drop of everything for MSo to try, since he could not make it in. When he joins me, he is only interested in the Bowmore, the label-drinker -- what a shame!

A lot of people I meet after the tasting are disappointed with the event and the selection. They feel they were let down. Dicks. Yes, the 2017 edition was more special. Cadenhead was 175 and pulled all the stops to impress the world. It worked: that was a legendary tasting. The company is now 176, hardly a milestone. Someone's forty-first birthday is rarely as baroque as their fortieth. Fact of life. Get over it. It is good to come back to reality, actually. That makes the really special events even more special.
And screw those who complained that, "there was not even a Littlemill, this year." Spoiled brats.

Whilst the lot is queueing for bottles, I sit on the lawn and pour whisky to friends -- Balvenie-Glenlivet 12yo 1979/1992 (59.5%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 150th Anniversary). That, of course, attracts attention. Someone approaches me and asks if I would pour it to him, were he to give me some money. I tell him to pass his glass and ask where he is from. He turns out to be florian09, who has been looking for me for two days. Once he is done with the Balvenie, we have...

Ardlussa 12yo (40%, Eaglesome Campbeltown Commemoration, b. ca. 1985): nose: honey, hay and soot. Mouth: soft, honey-like, though much more assertive than the ABV suggests (bear in mind we have had cask-strength whiskies for several hours too). Finish: big, slightly drying, with lots of juicy apple and crumbly pear. 8/10

The afternoon unfolds, lazy and comfortable, on the sunny lawn. Life does not suck, right now.
Many (the Swissky Mafia, jazzpianofingers, the French contingent) soon make their way to Islay, though.

I am not attending the closing dinner, tonight, and there will be no after-party either (until tomorrow). The festival draws to a close, as far as I am concerned. Once again, I did not have one drink from the bar, sadly. The one time I considered it, everything was crossed out as unavailable.

24/05/2018 Campbeltown Festival 2018 (Day 2 -- Part 2) The Directors Cut (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)

JS and I rush down a sandwich on the way to the tasting. I spot the proprietor of Springbank from a distance, but no time to say hello. We make it to the last remaining seats just on time. The guy next to me complains that my food box is on the table, ruining the smells. I tell him it is empty, but will put it elsewhere. Five minutes later, he realises the smell comes from the burger stall outside and apologises -- mine was not even a burger!
The event takes a lot of time to start -- so long I have to run to the loo. I come back as it begins.

Mark Watt (MW -- head honcho of cask selection for Cadenhead), Findlay Ross (FR -- Springbank distillery manager) and Ranald Watson (RW -- Springbank director of sales and marketing) are MCing this. We are never told who is the Good, the Bad or the Ugly. Each has selected two casks for today, and it is a battle of sorts.

Remember I am tipsy. Notes are therefore short and not very good.

None of them played Morricone

FR presents: Hazelburn d.1997 (52.4%, cask sample, Refill Sherry Cask): the oldest Hazelburn in the warehouse, and possibly one of the earliest distillations. Remember Hazelburn, an old Campbeltown distillery, closed in 1925. Springbank started making whisky in the fashion of Hazelburn in 1997. It is triple-distilled and non-peated. Nose: soft, with apricot pie. Water makes it richer, somehow. Mouth: more softness, pillow-y apricot and peach flesh. Finish: crème brûlée, flan tart and caramelised apricot compote. 7/10

MW presents: Macallan 29yo d.1989 (±44%, cask sample, Bourbon Cask): the room roars with disbelief when MW says what this is. Although tOMoH is completely immune to Macallan, it still has loads and loads of aficionados. Or sheeple who drink labels -- who knows? "This was distilled before the Teletubby distillery was built," starts MW. "I was nine years old when this was distilled. It sat there doing nothing... A bit like myself," he continues. "You wouldn't pick this for a Macallan, as it has no expensive packaging." He knows how to work an audience, MW. Nose: green grapes, perfume, flowers. This is lovely, soft, delicate and fragrant, with hints of cologne. Mouth: soft, sweet and velvety like a vendanges-tardives wine, close to sorbet, or ice-cream shavings. Finish: soft again, with fruit and chocolate. 8/10

MW reminisces his early days at the Craigellachie Hotel: "the only reason I got the job is that I could reach the top shelf... and my sister slept with the manager."

The following day, Facebook is full of messages from Cadenhead's London shop explaining they have no idea what is coming out when and urging people to stop calling them about that Macallan they have never heard of. :-D

The barbecue smell from the burger stall comes back in full swing.

All smell of hamburger, now

RW presents: Springbank 27yo d.1990 (43.7%, cask sample, Refill Oloroso Cask, C#590): the oldest cask of Springbank owned by the distillery. Nose: a walk in an orchard, with added lychee and chocolate-topped custard. Mouth: fruity, lively, fresh and vibrant. Hyperactive grape juice. Finish: super fresh again, with grapes aplenty and apricot stones. Lovely. 8/10

RW: "It's great having a Findlay you can blame everything on."
MW: "I used to have one of them."

RW presents: Springbank d.1991 (48.7%, cask sample, Refill Oloroso Cask, C#5?2): nose: more herbaceous, but it has crisp fruit -- pears, Chinese gooseberries, lime and vanilla pods, or custard. Mouth: the acidity of lime. This is lively and amazing. Finish: bitter as lime peels, grapefruit peels. This is acidic, powerful, yet elegant. Possibly the best dram we will be poured all festival. 9/10

The embarrassing moment when jazzpianofingers and I
run after a guy who is not whom I think he is and struggle
through ten minutes of an awkward conversation

RW: "When you have 13000 casks to choose from, it's not easy to decide which one to choose for a tasting."
MW: "It sounds like an afternoon's work!"

RW: "Frank buggered off to Bushmills, for some reason..."
MW: "And this is a technical term."

RW is talking about Frank MchHardy, who left Campbeltown to go make possibly the best spirit ever to grace the Bushmills stills. McHardy came back to Springbank in 1991. This cask is one of the earliest whisky distilled after his return.

MW: "This is a cask that'll be bottled... soon-ish."
Audience: "When?"
MW: "Like Tuesday, or something."

OO quintuple-fists his exit

MW presents: Kilkerran d.2007 (58.1%, cask sample, Sherry Butt): Springbank allows Cadenhead to bottle one of their whiskies each year. This suggests Cadenhead will bottle a Kilkerran in 2018 -- the first independently-bottled Kilkerran, except for warehouse-tasting bottles. Nose: a creamery, with all sorts of dairy. This is also big and sherried, with lots of tanned leather, prunes in syrup and a whiff of smoke. Mouth: hot, caramelised prunes, pickled, red onions. Finish: big and sherried again, though in a strange, onion-relish sort of way -- smoky relish, that is. 7/10

FR presents: Longrow d.1994 (54.2%, cask sample, Refill Bourbon Cask): FR explains this is the oldest cask of Longrow the distillery owns. It certainly is the oldest Longrow I have had, what with it being 23 or 24. Nose: smoke, of course, but also a pronounced, coastal character -- sea air and seaweed. Mouth: soft, it still has lots of... I do not finish my notes. :-) 7/10

To the courtyard, for some fresh air.

26/05/2017 Campbeltown Festival 2017 (Day 3 -- Part 3) Cadenhead's 175th Anniversary Dinner

Proper stag do, I tell thee!

The official festival is coming to an end. The final event is not unlike a farewell dinner, during which the organisers send punters away for a year. It is meant to be a grand finale in the town hall's reception room, with MC Mark Watt presenting.

This guy is training on the valinch

Once again, we are sharing the table with MSo and EC's stag do -- although EC is not here any longer, too busy preparing for his big day.

The first dram is served. Here too, everything we are served is from cask samples. They are not bottled for the general public.

Arran 1995/2017 (48.5%, Cask Sample, C#12/64-4): this is from Arran's first year of distillation; I would not be surprised if it were from the very first distillation, even. Nose: slightly woody, with almond milk, apricot stones, custard and almond spread. Mouth: velvety, with warm, crushed banana. Water irons out the imperfections and makes it proper banana purée. Finish: almond shells, coconut shells and more bananas. An OK dram; I am not fully convinced. Better with water, in any case. 6/10

CBr reprazent da S.E.A.A.
Seth Efrican Arsonist Arseociation

Food is served. No starter, today -- straight to the main.

Hallibut

Chicken Balmoral

MW: "Those of you who were at my tasting didn't have enough closed distilleries, so we'll have a Glen Mhor... just because we can."

Glen Mhor 1982/2017 (50.8%, Cask Sample, C#1352): nose: ashy, with orange peels and physalis. Mouth: warming, drying and austere. Hot gravel, hot pepper, heated sawdust. Finish: orange peels, spicy and fruity, dried and ground, with crushed mint added for fun. 8/10

Surprisingly few butt-plug jokes, or fires,
considering how much that bung was passed around

Dessert.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Cranachan

MSo has a chin-stroking moment
as a consquence

MSo: "What was your favourite dram, so far?"
tOMoH: "Millburn 1974, Springbank 1965, 1967 and 1968, Macallan 1962, ..."
MSo: "What festival have I been to!?"

The third dram is Springbank 2003/2017 (57.7%, Cask Sample, C#980). It is uncomfortably hot and I have had enough to drink, however. This one, I sample and leave it at that. Time to hit the sack.

Finish the story here.

26/05/2017 Campbeltown Festival 2017 (Day 3 -- Part 2) Cadenhead's 175th Anniversary Tasting

This year is a bit special, for the oldest independent bottler in Scotland. Wm. Cadenhead is turning 175. Not bad, for a business that started selling whisky to grocery shops and public houses in 1842.
There have been announcements and small celebrations since January, and preparations since 1992, if the people in charge are telling the truth. Two days ago, all that anticipation came to an apotheosis, as the specially-labelled 175th Anniversary Collection was made available for purchase. And then disappointment kicked in for the many, many people who could not get any of the special bottles (the lucky ones were part of a draw), as well as resentment towards certain individuals who managed to bypass the draw and score the whole collection, then saw fit to parade on social media. But karma is a bitch.

Anyway, today's lineup was never announced, yet there was no doubt Cadenhead would probably pour some of those special bottles to the fortunate ones who scored tickets to this masterclass, which Mark Watt is presenting. And indeed, all six are here. And two more. Wow.

Watch and fucking drool!

Hielanman Spirit Drink 45yo 1971/2017 (38.8%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, 75b): this is not whisky, since it is below 40%. Rumour has it that it is from a fine Speyside distillery. I expect it to be educational. Nose: fruity, with honey, hay, peach and melon. Mouth: soft, mellow, peachy -- soft, but by no means watery or tired. In fact, it is rather lively, with honey and cut flowers. Finish: now a little weaker, though it retains the honey and flowery touch. It sold out yesterday, unfortunately. 8/10

MW: "I buy whisky to drink. Sometimes, I even pay for it."

The one with the skirt is a man.

By the looks of it, he is being potty trained ;-)

Littlemill 26yo 1991/2017 (52.6%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary): nose: extremely fruity, with mango and milk chocolate, cut grass and decaying tropical fruits (the clogged-sink or hiking-boot smell). Mouth: meow. Fruity and velvety, peachy, apricot-y, mango-y. Finish: hiking boots and clogged sinks, tropical fruit left in the fruit basket for too long. Amazing. 9/10

Rosebank 25yo 1991/2017 (50.5%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, Barrel): nose: so many flowers and perfume. This smells of gentleness and distinction. Mouth: peach and buttery apricot jam, melted white chocolate. Finish: flowery and balanced, with lots grapes and orchard fruit. Superlative. 9/10

The moment tOMoH realises the Banff
is the dog's bollocks

Banff 40yo 1976/2017 (51.2%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 192b): nose: this is slightly more austere, with flint and mustard, a strong mayonnaise and seaside custard -- it makes no sense, but that is what it evokes to me. Mouth: good balance, with a bit of barley, then balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Finish: mustard and home-made mayonnaise, olives. The balance is unbelievable. Emotional. 10/10

Talking about the well-known bombing of Banff, during the war:
MW: "When they finally milked the cows, that's when they discovered Bailey's."

Convalmore 40yo 1977/2017 (56.8%, Cadenhead 175th anniversary, Butt, 522b): I cannot keep up with the pace. Rather than downing this, I put it in a sample for later.

MW: "I got the job because I could reach the top shelf. That's why Cameron doesn't work there."

MS is not playing Tetris on his phone -- he is taking notes

Caperdonich 39yo 1977/2017 (50.4%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, Sherry Butt, 462b): nose: a lot of alcohol and a huge sherry influence, nutty and leathery. Mouth: an unbelievable balance of leather and chocolate, toffee, butterscotch. Finish: long and wide, with chocolate and leather saddles, more butterscotch and dried fruit. Wonderful. 9/10

MW: "We nearly bottled this last year. Then we realised it was a butt... and it wouldn't fit through the door."

MW: "I happened to have a bottle of Caperdonich 1972 on me. You always need to have a bottle of Caperdonich on you."

Heaven Hill 20yo 1996/2017 (50.8%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, Barrel): nose: spearmint (JS), liquorice. This is sweet and syrupy, slightly leathery too. It has notes of sweet chocolate and candyfloss. Mouth: candyfloss again, dark wood and corn syrup. Finish: chocolate, with perhaps a little bit of coffee. This is nice. 8/10

Ardbeg 23yo 1993/2017 (52.4%, Cadenhead 175th Anniversary, Hogshead): nose: smoke, smoked mussels, fishing nets. Mouth: more fishing nets and lovely seafood. Finish: drying, with fishing nets again and smoked cockles. Nice. 7/10

Here is to another 175 years

We need a nap. That was exhausting.

Next episode here.