Knowing that tOMoH would be visiting the City of Lights, elskling kindly put a tasting together with some friends. aphex, ben_whisky, cosinus, Garobidou, Piazzolla, Piksi, JS and I meet up with for an evening of libations.
Since some are earlier than the announced starting time, they start with rum. I have a few, but skip several in a vain attempt to catch up. The numbering below is mine only. elskling's overall tally is higher (three units higher, to be precise).
New Grove Royal Rum Blend (45.6%, Grays Inc., 800b, b#8, b.2016, D131/16) (brought by?)
Nose: a whiff of rubber and liquorice, then it turns very sweet, with dark sugars of sorts.
Mouth: it has a certain bitterness, liquorice again (black bootlaces), that precedes a strong woody fruitiness reminiscent of lychee husk, or suchlike.
Finish: sweet, bitter, we find more liquorice bootlaces, and a spoonful of dark sugar. 6/10
Neisson 11yo 2004/2015 (45.4%, OB Single Cask bottled for La Maison du Whisky, 498b, b#409) (brought by?)
Nose: marzipan and chou dough, which is a good start.
Mouth: sea water paves the way for burnt caramel and tyres.
Finish: yeah, it has a strong bitterness of rubber, lightly burnt. 6/10
From here on, all drams are served blind.
Dram #3 (elskling)
Nose: lots and lots and lots of rubber again. I seem to be very sensitive to it, today.
Mouth: very strong on the tongue, it presents cured orange rinds and tyres.
Finish: tyres, tyres, tyres.
Isautier 10yo Apollonie Edition 2023 (58%, OB) 5/10
Dram #4 (brought by?)
Nose: sweeter than its predecessors, this one has sugar-coated apricots.
Mouth: aaaaaand we go back to rubber, this time with a dollop of glue.
Finish: powerful, heavy-handed with the cured apricot, though it has more rubber at the death.
New Grove 2010/2020 (55%, Grays Inc. exclusively bottled for France, Limousin Oak Cask, C#256, 164b, b#104, D095/20) 6/10
Dram #5 (elskling)
Nose: another one that has rubber, this one has a lot of menthol too. Then, we find apricot liqueur.
Mouth: soft, it is balanced by an almond-y bitterness.
Finish: very short and indistinct. Pity.
Isautier 13yo Antoinette Edition 2023 (58%, OB) 6/10
Dram #6 (aphex)
Nose: beside the now-expected rubber, we have mace, hay, and softly-smoky cane sugar.
Mouth: wow, it becomes hugely smoky on the palate, with dry-peat smoke pointing a finger towards darker, moister, earthier peat too.
Finish: warming, this has lots of smoky goodness. Apple compote stewed in a smoke-filled bothy.
Comment: a rum for whisky drinkers, if anything. Some online complain about that, but for this whisky drinker, it is this rum's saving grace.
Diamond 11yo d.2008 Kill Devil (60.9%, Hunter Laing, Port Ellen Cask Finish, 690b) 7/10
Dram #7 (brought by?)
Nose: some rubber (argh!) soon makes way for sundried tomato... and glue.
Mouth: this burns a little. Once past that sensation, we have a sugary sweetness.
Finish: long, syrupy and fruity, it only has a tame bitterness.
New Grove 12yo 2010/2022 (65.2%, Grays Inc. Collection Antipodes selected by La Maison du Whisky, Limousin Oak Cask, C#550, 427b, b#339, D140/22) 7/10
Much to everyone's relief, we leave the rums behind to focus on "real drinks" (© Garobidou). I do like to remain open-minded, but a session like this reminds me that rum is simply not for me.
Dram #8 (Garobidou)
Nose: phwoar, this smells pre-war, with the tin lids and jammy marmalade that betray a long sojourn in glass.
Mouth: delicate, fruity, jammy, it also has gunpowder and oxidised tin lids.
Finish: excellent, still as old school as the nose promised, jams and brass buttons.
Comment: we are under the spell, but stumped with regards to what it is. I venture it could be a Banff, but no.
Ballantine's 30yo (43° G.L., George Ballantine / Son imported by C. Salengo, b. ca. 1965) 8/10
Garobidou: "Yeah, perhaps I should have kept it all for me."
Piksi: "If you ever see me split something good, stop me!"
Piazzolla takes the lead for a string of six drams.
Dram #9 (Piazzolla)
Nose: melted dark chocolate, a dollop of mocha, then fruits take off: prunes, figs, raisins, with billowing Gitanes smoke in the background -- welcome to France.
Mouth: chocolate again, prunes, and something very earthy, pushing coffee grounds.
Finish: long, chocolate-y, coating. We have treacle and molasses.
Comment: we talk about a blended malt containing Glendronach, Caperdonich and Balvenie in the Sailing Ships collection. Piazzolla will correct later. It is in fact...
Glendronach 20yo 1970/1990 Araby Maid 1868 (43%, Signatory Vintage Sailing Ships Series No 1, Sherry Casks, C#546-558, 1200b) 8/10
Dram #10 (Piazzolla)
Nose: extremely jammy, here is peach jelly with a dollop of menthol.
Mouth: soft, mellow, jammy again, we now find smoked pineapple.
Finish: much more powerful than the mouth suggested, and also Woodier. It remains a fruity number, but it is pineapple peels (bark?), now, rather than the flesh.
Comment: they call it Mr. Bombastic.
Longmorn 1971/2011 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, AA/JAEA) 9/10
ben_whisky: "Shut up."
Dram #11 (Piazzolla)
Nose: fruits, yet, this time, they are augmented with pickle or red-onion brine. That spells an ancient bottling, probably.
Mouth: a little pickle juice again, but it is mostly jammy in an old-school way, much to tOMoH's delight.
Finish: long, very jammy, it produces a tin-lid note akin to those we found in the Ballantine's.
Comment: amazeboulanger.
Longmorn 1974/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. imported by Moon Import The Sea, Butt, C#7729, 360b) 9/10
Dram #12 (Piazzolla)
Nose: mentholated and fruity, this has a lot of cured fruits too (carambola, no less). In addition, we detect some herbs (marjoram?)
Mouth: jammy, metallic, slightly herbaceous (marjoram indeed, perhaps sage), it has soft wood at second sip.
Finish: big and powerful, it shouts about minty fruits and (unidentified) flowers.
Linkwood 36yo 1973/2009 (49.7%, The Whisky Exchange 10 Years Online, Bourbon Cask) 9/10
Dram #13 (Piazzolla)
Nose: prunes in coffee (why!?), some old-school jam, and tin lids. The latter are almost totally overwhelmed by the previous notes.
Mouth: thick, syrupy, and increasingly earthy, pushing coffee grounds to the fore.
Finish: coffee, mocha chocolate.
Comment: well made, but too much coffee for me. Funny, this definite article in the pre-Billy Walker era (note the absence of capitalised 'D').
The Glendronach 18yo 1977/1995 (43%, OB, Seasoned Oak and Sherry Casks) 7/10
Dram #14 (Piazzolla)
Nose: earthy fruits, mostly dried figs, though perhaps dates too. It also has a whiff of metal.
Mouth: dried figs.
Finish: fruits dunked in chocolate, and an extreme earthy dryness, in the long run.
Longmorn 44yo 1967/2011 (48.3%, Gordon & MacPhail The Dram Takers exclusively bottled for La Maison du Whisky, Refill Sherry Hogshead, C#592, 133b) 8/10
Everyone complains about the quality of that flight, and wonders how to follow that. Until...
Dram #15 (Garobidou)
Nose: not exuberant, but fruity all the same, somewhat understated, delicate, and elegant.
Mouth: here, on the other hand, it is an explosion of tropical fruits. Mangoes, pineapples...
Finish: much fruit again, it still has a minor bitterness that hints at herbs and liquorice allsorts.
Comment: note the typo in Sauternes.
Teeling 24yo b.2016 (46%, Teeling Vintage Reserve Collection, Sauterne & Bourbon Cask, 5000b) 9/10
Dram #16 (Garobidou)
Nose: acidic, fruity, it projects Haribo banana, and an almost plasticine-like, plummy waxiness.
Mouth: unctuous, full of plump apricots, blueberries, and a sprinkle of herbs.
Finish: maracuja jelly, plain and simple. Over time, milk-chocolate praline also develops.
Comment: Irish beauties. How beguiling they are!
Irish Malt 28yo 1989/2017 (49.3%, Antique Lions of Spirits, Bourbon Cask, 209b, b#49) 9/10
Dram #17 (Garobidou)
Nose: vinegar or brine, poured on chalk. Later, we find preserved fruits, mildly salty -- preserved lemons, maybe.
Mouth: mellow, velvety and warming, it has a nutty vibe too -- walnut spread is my guess.
Finish: big, chocolate-y, and lovely.
Aultmore 13yo 2006/2019 Collective #3.3 (48%, La Maison du Whisky Artist Collective, 2 x 1st Fill Sherry Butt, 1548b) 8/10
Dram #18 (aphex)
Nose: this one has a faint smoke, hardened wax, and old-school jams.
Mouth: desiccating, here are dusty hot metal and hay bales about to ignite.
Finish: long, farm-y, and ashy, dominated by crusted earth.
Brora 1978/2013 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, B#RO/13/05, 218b, AC/ADID) 9/10
Dram #19 (JS)
Comment: I skip this one. It stumps everyone, and more than one tell us they have not had more than a few expressions from this distillery. Notes here.
Tormore 29yo 1984/2013 (53.9%, www.whiskybroker.co.uk, Barrel, C#3674, 107b, b#87)
Dram #20 (ben_whisky)
Nose: peach and apricot on the subtle tip. Then, it becomes a hot moka pot filled with tame tropical fruits.
Mouth: slightly earthy, with a metallic bitterness, it presents a gentle fruity explosion.
Finish: very nice, fruity, a bit bitter, and earthy. It is also a tad coffee-like, which will prevent a higher score (personal preference).
Comments: when we tried a sister cask, a couple of weeks ago, it was likened to this here dram. That one seemed a lot fruitier.
Teeling 27yo b2018 (49.8%, Teeling bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange, Sherry Cask, C#6838, 180b) 8/10
Spotting an opportunity, elskling steps in.
Dram #21 (elskling)
Nose: this is rather mute. Some shoe polish, maybe?
Mouth: silky, mellow, unctuous. We have some fruit, but this is a texture story, rather than taste-driven.
Finish: good, long, powerful, it has a dose of fruit hidden by a pronounced Sherry influence.
Comments: this is a more-heavily-Sherried affair. Perhaps it is oxidation, but this makes me think of 117.5 more than anything fruitier.
Teeling 29yo 1991/2020 (46.3%, Teeling bottled exclusively for Celtic Whiskey, Refill Sherry Cask, C#6759, 216b) 8/10
Pizzas are delivered. They will help absorb some of the alcohol. What? Wine? Well, go on, then.
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| L'Anglore 2022 (Piksi) |
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| Savigny-les-Beaunes 2015 (cosinus) |
Dram #22 (elskling)
Nose: blow-dried hair.
Mouth: it feels a bit watery, despite the food-induced respite. One should probably bear in mind the ABV and the number of things we have ingested already. Dried blackberries, dried cranberries, and a dash of brine.
Finish: fairly long.
Comment: shit notes. I am too busy trying to identify the whisky to write much. I fail too, and that is embarrassing, because we had this one in April.
Bruichladdich 15yo (43%, OB imported by Moon Import, Sherry Wood, 2400b, b.1980s) 8/10
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| pouring generously |
Dram #23 (elskling)
Nose: mineral and not a little smoky. It also has musk, on a background of fruit.
Mouth: mud, smoked red onions, pearl onions, and a dash of brine.
Finish: long, big for the actual ABV (when revealed), and musky, although it remains quite mineral.
North Port 14yo d.1968 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice imported by Co. Import for Mauro Orlandi of the Club delle fattorie, Series 16, 120b) 8/10
Dram #24 (elskling)
Nose: old ink and earthy jam.
Mouth: this is rather acrid, sooty, but also jammy. A tell-tale sign of yet another ancient bottling.
Finish: yes, the soot remains, jammy and simply impressive.
Comment: we are going fast, hence the short notes. The quality is ridiculously high. I am tempted to score this one higher, but I have to admit it would be an emotional number, rather than a deserved one.
Linkwood 1984/1995 (50%, Brae Dean Int. imported by Moon Import De Viris Illustribus, Oak Cask, 750b, b#322) 8/10
Dram #25 (elskling)
Nose: minty, full of herbs and weeds of all kind. Rocket, mint crumbles, then, suddenly, strawberries take over.
Mouth: mint crumbles are confirmed, augmented with basil and marjoram.
Finish: milky, creamy, it has lemon mint as a focus point.
Comment: the shape of the bottle makes me guess the Talisker bottled by GMP in 1977 for the Queen's Jubilee. Wrong.
Glen Avon 25yo (40%, Avonside Whisky imported by "Il Sestante - s.n.c.") 8/10
Dram #26 (elskling)
Nose: cleaned bathroom -- as in: squeaky-clean wash basins, not soap. This is extremely elegant.
Mouth: mineral, it has limestone, limescale, lemon juice, and smoked rubber, whatever that means.
Finish: distant burnt wood dunked in water, and unripe hazelnuts.
Comment: motherfucker. This is amazing.
Talisker 25yo b.1977 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail bottled to commemorate The Queen's Silver Jubilee) 9/10
Dram #27 (elskling)
Nose: very deep, we find jams and mint chocolate introduce mentholated tobacco.
Mouth: it has this characteristic note of jam, soot and metal that can only be found in ancient bottlings.
Finish: velvety and surprisingly punchy at the same time, this has "crushed mint crumbles" written all over it.
Comment: look out for the screen-printed flowers.
Strathisla 15yo (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail Deluxe Quality imported by Co. Import, b.1970s) 9/10
Dram #28 (Piksi)
Nose: lemon-y and mineral, it has a dollop of mustard (or is that post-reveal suggestion?)
Mouth: super fruity, here, with green grapes, at once acidic and mineral. More citrus rock up, calamansi, and pomelo, as well as cardboard via retro-nasal olfaction.
Finish: almond cream (cosinus) and orangettes (chocolate-coated candied orange rind).
Comment: Piksi admits he had a hard time containing himself when I suggested the first may be a Banff.
Banff 29yo 1975/2004 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#3323) 9/10
Dram #29 (elskling)
Nose: we have got fruit in a wooden crate, left in a farmyard.
Mouth: malty, spritzy, and a tad mineral, this gives a whiff of soot, after time on the palate.
Finish: earthy, chalky, with a minor muskiness.
Comment: this one was JS's favourite at Aurora Brorealis. A decade later, it still slaps.
Brora 35yo b.2012 (48.1%, OB Natural Cask Strength distributed by Diageo Italia, 1566b, b#0498, L2142LS000 00036105) 9/10
Dram #30 (aphex)
Nose: super farm-y on the nose. We see a procession of raw hides and cow's behinds. Later on, it becomes full-on citrus -- lemon, calamansi, Buddha's hand.
Mouth: soft and elegant, we have some sugar and lots of citrus. Sugar-coated candied lemon segments.
Finish: smoky-and-a-half, relentless, but also balanced. More citrus in this finish to ease the effect of the smoke.
Comment: phwoar!
Glen Garioch 1971/2011 (43.9%, OB Single Cask specially selected by The Whisky Exchange for Whisky Show 2011, North American Oak Cask, C#2038, 194b) 9/10
Piazzolla announces his imminent departure. elskling will not have it.
Dram #31 (elskling)
Nose: vinegar-y chocolate, pickled onions and lots of India ink.
Mouth: this is kicks-like-a-mule chocolate in cream. It is entirely-desiccating, 163%-cocoa chocolate, cocoa powder and coal dust. They call it chocolate, but one might as well lick a piece of charcoal.
Finish: amazing finish, again, incredibly chocolate-y, and super dry. It dies with candied fruits coated in dark chocolate.
Comment: I have been eyeing those aged bottlings for a while. Good to try some and confirm they are not really for me. Too much vinegar on the nose, and too desiccating on the tongue. Fans of the style will disagree. I will live.
The GlenDronach 41yo 1972/2013 (51.7%, OB Limited, B#9, Oloroso Sherry Butt, C#702, 448b, b#238, LG71062) 8/10
Piksi [to Piazzolla]: "Thanks for leaving, or we would not have had tried the Glendronach."
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| Having a good time |
I pour mine.
Piksi: "It's balanced in that it burns everywhere the same."
Dram #32 (tOMoH)
Comment: I skip this. We had it multiple times (notes here). Tonight is its swan's song: the bottle is empty.
Glenlochy 17yo 1977/1995 (61.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection imported by Preiss Imports, 95/250)
Dram #33 (aphex)
Nose: dry earth, some smoke, ashes, fishing nets and sand dunes.
Mouth: rancio, ginger, smoked plums.
Finish: undergrowth, petrichor, smoked raspberries, chocolate plums, in the end.
Comment: it is hard not to notice that the RRP (~450 EUR, 540 EUR at time of writing) is laughably disconnected from the quality of the juice. Price aside, it is a solid drop, though. Sadly, I take no picture of the bottle.
Laphroaig 18yo 2004/2022 (50.1%, Douglas Laing Old Particular imported by La Maison du Whisky, Refill Barrel, C#DL15857, 270b) 8/10
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| Gimme some more! |
Dram #34 (brought by?)
Nose: monolithic Sherry maturation. Here is a huge slap of leather. We are at a ranch, stacking hides in a barn.
Mouth: big, it has smoked dark cherries. It becomes drying, earthy, with blackberries and elderberries. It is actually desiccating, after a short while.
Finish: again, very dry, earthy, a dusting of ash on dark cherries.
Comment: not too taken by this one.
29.260 19yo d.1999 A visceral, elemental experience (56.9%, SMWS Society Cask, First Fill Spanish Oak Oloroso Cask, 507b) 7/10
ben_whisky: "I didn't throw up."
Dram #35 (cosinus)
Lovely dry earth and oily nuts. Others find a lot of peat -- they are clearly drunk.
Comment: a UFO that makes me think of the Wire Works that we had recently. Very interesting.
Hellyers Road 6yo New Vibrations (70.1%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, American Oak, C#16315.10) 7/10
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| Perhaps cosinus is a bit too enthusiastic about his own bottle... |
elskling decides we cannot finish on "that thing [that] should not be in the line-up."
Dram #36 (elskling)
Nose: some earth, sea dredging, and slowly-decaying blueberries.
Mouth: fresh, sweet, fruity. Blueberries, raspberries, and some concrete dust. An unexpected combination, but it works.
Finish: dark and fruity, long and wide, this has crunchy peach and smoked blueberries, with a spoonful of greasy earth.
Comment: this is amazing. Love it. Who would have thought this distillery could produce anything good, eh?
Bowmore 26yo 1995/2021 (50.4%, The Nectar 15 Years The Nectar) 9/10
Good to see some friends for the first time in ages, and meet others for the first time full stop. It is always useful to put a face on a name you know from online.
It was a few more drams (and different alcohols) than I am usually comfortable with (no sore head in the morning, mind), and the pace was a tad frenetic for me. Regardless, good times were had.
