25/09/2026 DW's Pre-Show bash at Milroy's

Yes, it is called Milroy's again. Bye-bye, 3 Greek Street! Well, the address has not changed.

Anyway, DW gathers us for a wee tasting the week before Whisky Show. BB, BA, cavalier66, YM, PS, SW, JL, CDn, IH, JS, DK and Gx join DW. And myself, obviously.

As usual, it is fast and furious, rather than an analytical tasting. We freestyle our way through whatever everyone has brought. For the record, my contributions are Dalaruan (46%, The Lost Distillery Company Archivist’s Selection, B#1/i, b#298) and Royal Lochnagar 10yo b.2006 (57.2%, OB The Manager’s Dram, European Oak Cask, b#1189); JS brought Dailuaine 29yo 1982/2012 (60.6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams). I do not try any of them tonight.

Ocean Whisky Victory (42%, San-Raku Ocean distributed by Japan Import System) (BB)

Nose: spirit-y and green. It smells a little rough around the edges.

Mouth: very neutral. Sweetened water, caramel soaked in water, Βανίλια and a bit of cardboard.

Finish: Werther's Original, cardboard and stale caramel.

Comment: a decent blend and a decent starter.

Score: 6/10

Nikka Apple Wine (22%, OB, 128510622) (JL)

Nose: unfuckingsubtle. Sickly sweet. Causes diabetes just smelling it. Candied apples, pine-needle liqueur, salmiyakki without the liquorice, vanilla biscuits.

Mouth: apple juice. It is still unsubtle, but it is no longer sickly. In fact, it is very pleasant, I am surprised to find out.

Finish: juicy apples, apple juice, cloudy apple juice.

Comment: off the back of the Victory, JL fishes this out of a cabinet. I love it. Objectively, it is vulgar, of course. But it does the trick. Probably works a treat as a highball too.

Score: 6/10

Glen Keith 28yo 1993/2021 Release No.39 (52.2%, Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers, Rye Barrel Finish, C#4827, 294b) (DW)

Nose: Gummibärchen. This is one of the fruity Glen Keiths, even though the bottle was opened only ten minutes ago and it has not had a chance to open up.

Mouth: mellow, chewy, it develops a soft bitterness on the tongue.

Finish: long and warming, with remnants of the earlier fruits.

Comment: nice. It will likely become even better after breathing.

Score: 8/10

Inchgower 24yo 1990/2014 (~54%, duty paid sample, C#5567) (CDn)

Nose: mineral, it has crushed rocks, then gauze and old cardboard packaging.

Mouth: what a split personality! On the one hand, it is fresh as water sprayed onto rocks; on the other, it has dusty cardboard.

Finish: big and blend-y, it has cardboard and rocks wet with sea spray. It is fruitier with water.

Comment: CDn explains he was sent this duty-paid sample that was a contender to be a Manager's Dram, one year. Talk about an exclusivity!

Score: 7/10

Ardmore 26yo 1997/2024 Summer (50.3%, The Whisky Exchange The Seasons, De-Char Re-Char Hogshead, C#901299, 211b) (DK)

Nose: a wonderful farm-y nose, full of mud patties and cow pastures. Next, we have cigarette ends, extinguished in a fruit bowl.

Mouth: soft and fruity, remarkably mellow but not weak. Apricot slices dunked into ink. Chewing turns it darker and darker.

Finish: long, fruity and a tad earthy-ashy. There are hints of peat, even. It leaves the tongue numb.

Comment: very good. What a reliable distillery that is!

Score: 8/10

Glenburgie 17yo 2009/2026 (53.7%, Thompson Bros., 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels, B#2, 1134b) (BA)

Nose: butterscotch and Custard Cream biscuits topped with a drop of caramel and shoe polish.

Mouth: caramel, fudge, chocolate custard and butterscotch indeed. A pinch of lemon zest too. It is dangerously easy to sip.

Finish: beautiful custard, flan and a drop of caramel for a softly-bitter touch.

Comment: very good, though I struggle to find it exceedingly exciting, tonight.

Score: 7/10

Longrow 15yo 2004/2019 (52.4%, OB, Fresh Rum Casks, 911b) (DW)

Nose: smoked metal. Cast iron and the smoke that comes from heating iron to melt it, probably. Some scorched earth, maybe, though that may just be suggestion playing tricks with my brain. It definitely has crushed seashells, on the other hand.

Mouth: the maritime influence is more pronounced, here. Candied seashells, razor clams, wet sands, fishing nets, scorched earth wet with sea water.

Finish: scorched earth again, backed by ozone and sea spray. It has a lick of menthol as well.

Comment: I love this. It is objectively not better than the previous dram, but it works better for me tonight.

Score: 7/10

Springbank Cask Owner's (unknown ABV, OB Private Bottling) (BB)

Nose: farm paths in the summer and cut orchard fruits. A cowboy walks past, clad in suede clothes. Yes, it looks a bit tacky.

Mouth: ooft! This has an unlikely mix of mint lozenges, jelly sweets and leather boots in desert dirt. There is rubber at second sip, if only a little.

Finish: dry leather, tumbleweeds and cut orchard fruits embellished with a pinch of desert dirt.

Comment: excellent.

Score: 9/10

Others now gravitate towards IH's prestigious bottle.

cavalier66: "Remember that time we had eight Port Ellens?"
DCn: "Yeah."
cavalier66: "We started with eight..."
CDn: "We had the other eight three years earlier."

cavalier66: "I wasn't at that one.
"CDn: "It was nice."
cavalier66: "It was also at eight in the morning..."
tOMoH: "Oh! baby..."

Bruichladdich 25yo 2010/2026 The Laddie (61%, OB Valinch Limited Edition for UK Academy April 2026, 2nd Fill Bourbon Cask, 7b, b#007) (JL)

Nose: super dry, it has a Highland coo that just had a shave, and the razor used to shave it is there too. It opens up to shine a minty gel.

Mouth: quite big, it reveals suede and soft leather with time.

Finish: huge finish, teeming with Trefin mint sweets and camphor. It is a tad numbing, really.

Comment: rather nice.

Score: 7/10

Port Ellen 29yo 1978/2008 Eighth Release (55.3%, OB Annual Release, B#8, 6618b, b#5394) (IH)

Nose: greasy, tarry earth. It is super dark, super petrolic. It moves towards ploughed fields, tractor fumes and citrus zest after a while. JL smells wood glue.

Mouth: it turns very maritime, now, with fishing nets, kippers and lots of petrol floating on sea water. It gains citrus turnovers at second sip.

Finish: charred grapes (JL), ink, smoked dark grapes, smoky cotton buds (JL). It is much earthier at second gulp, but revives the citrus turnovers, now slightly charred.

Comment: it is alright. Very good, even. But it is hard to accept the cult status these Port Ellens have achieved as totally justified, based on quality alone.

Score: 8/10

Cooley 11yo 1992/2019 (52.9%, Cadenhead specially bottled for Cadenhead's Whisky Shop London, Barrel, 198b) (DK)

Nose: warm wax and struck matches, hot orchard fruits. Keep sniffing and it will give windscreen defroster as well.

Mouth: rotten fruits on the palate, or overripe, at least, with an acidity that flirts with rotten apples (bruised, really), and metallic bitterness.

Finish: we come back to orchard fruits (not rotten). The second gulp gives us more fruits and thyme.

Comment: DK reminds us that he bought this seven years and a week ago. How time flies!

Score: 8/10

JL [to SW]: "Have you seen the time?"
JS: "Are we being kicked out?"
tOMoH [to JL]: "I can still insult your marriage, you know?"

137.10 8yo d.2012 Smoky, sweetie, meaty (64.7%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 231b) (PS)

Nose: oh! what is this? Liquorice rolls? Marker pens, white boards and lots of herbs -- dried sage, lemon thyme. It is earthy-minty at second nose.

Mouth: chewy as fook, it has mud and a rising heat. In fact, it is very hot. We find a bit of Parma ham shortly after the taste buds get accustomed to the heat. The second sip brings a lick of suede and earth. It is red hot, though.

Finish: big, buttery, it juggles herbs (basil, oregano) with muddy tones.

Comment: impressive, for the heat, if nothing else.

Score: 7/10

Teeling (58.8%, OB Single Cask imported by Teeling Whiskey Company for Binny's Beverage Depot, Bordeaux Red Wine Cask, C#35340) (YM)

Nose: it is caramel and fudge with alcohol on steroids. It somehow has a cast for a broken leg, then hot metal pipes.

Mouth: it feels plastic-y for a second, then offers lovely fruits, mainly nectarines and plums. Chewing underlines plastic and nectarines.

Finish: lukewarm (it is not meant as an insult) and kind of fruity. It is a bit generic a finish, but I am perhaps a trifle toasted.

Comment: nice enough.

Score: 7/10

BA: "I have a tasting in Ipswich. It's a group who want to do a gentlemen's club."
DW: "What does it take to be a gentleman? Shagging someone's wife? Or some wife's son?"
[We laugh]
DW: "Please remove the wife bit from your notes."

CDn is about to leave when he realises there is a Lochnagar on the table. He stops to try it and seems to appreciate it.

So many others we do not try.

PS brought this classic

cavalier66 and BA brought the same bottle

DW brought the remainder of a bottle he had bought for a party at cavalier66's

SW shows off the new wares

BB proves he is a Japan fanboi

cavalier66 brought the remainder of this that we had an eternity ago

An interesting-looking Moray that I will never try

YM brought souvenirs from Campbeltown

PS took this prestigious drop with him

Another of cavalier66's sample

Imported whiskey from cavalier66

Someone brought this bottle
which we tried a year ago

cavalier66 brought this masterpiece

Another cavalier66 special, this
legendary Irish from many moons ago

BA put this rum under my nose first thing,
then I still failed to try it

Time to go.

29/06/2024 Drams in Paris

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

elskling: "Why did you split this?"
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

Piksi [to ben_whisky, about another Longmorn he owns]: "Yours wasn't as good."
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.

L'Anglore 2022 (Piksi)

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

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."

Having a good time

I pour mine.

aphex, cosinus, ben_whisky:"Ooft! This one has horsepower!"
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

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

The above triggers a twenty-minute discussion about profile change and conservation.
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

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.