Taking advantage of tOMoH and JS's flying visit to the Heimat, Psycho invited the gang for an afternoon of dramming.
The invitation said that the theme would be *drumroll* Maman (or Mum, in English -- or Mom in American). Of course, some toyed with the idea of using *drumroll* as a theme, a threat which others regret not seeing put to action.
Anyway, JS, ydc, GD, Bishlouk,red71, ruckus and tOMoH join Psycho, then, who delegates building the line-up to Bishlouk.
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| A task he carries out dilligently |
dom666 is not at the station where the shuttle is supposed to pick him up. He will let us know almost an hour into the tasting that he is sick.
Psycho tells us (in French, because it is not translatable): "Quand on est petit et pas sage, que dit Maman? 'Attention! ça va Tulli-barder!'"
Tullibardine 10yo 2015/2025 (46%, James Eadie imported by BV Munros, finished in Refill Malaga Butt, C#373085, 630b, CBSC4 13812) (Psycho): nose: fresh, it then turns grassy and wine-y. We have crisp white wine, then olive oil and green olives, perhaps plums, but well hidden. The second nose has a dollop of sweet-and-sour sauce. Weird. There is also a fistful of hay. ruckus finds it spring-like. Mouth: oh! yeah, it is a big wine cask, this. Funnily enough, it flits from white to red. It becomes tannic at second sip, a notch leathery, which puts the fruit (plum) in the shadow a little. Finish: big, grape-y, it has a lick of cork and plum juice. The second gulp brings a cloud of dust. On the late tip, bitter chocolate rocks up, though the bitterness comes from crushed almond rather than a high-cocoa content. It could also be almond brittle. Competent. 7/10
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| Psycho's pigs-in-a-blanket |
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| red71's famous chorizo canelés Psycho's dry sausage on the left, that JS and I almost finished before anyone arrived |
For the second dram, Psycho tells us that: "James Eadie est un embouteilleur independent, et Maman a fait toute sa carrière comme indépendante," which is French for 'freelance.'
Tamnavulin 11yo b.2025 (46%, James Eadie imported and distributed by BV Munros, 1x finished in Refill Bual Madeira Hogshead + 1 x Refill Butt, C#373078 & 800100, 1133b, CBSC4 13813) (Psycho): nose: red71 finds a certain freshness, while I detect musty warehouses. Behind that is butterscotch, followed by kaju katli and caramel-topped flan. Cereals slowly emerge, granola of some kind, brans. Mouth: the wine influence is more pronounced here. We have spices too, namely cinnamon gratings, cloves and wine-soaked orange slices. Perhaps hardened leather too, crackly, and dead leaves. This feels apt for a Christmas market, somewhere in Germany. Finish: boozed-up plum cake, sweet and full of purple fruits. 7/10
We talk about cops.
Psycho: "It's been a while. I'm due a control and, statistically, it'll be a big one."
Bishlouk: "Ah! Cavity search, then."
tOMoH introduces a Camembert-onbridge, because one of the most-well-known brands of cheese, Le Rustique, sports a red-and-white plaid in its wooden cases. That motif is similar to that of the lid on the jars of jam under the Bonne Maman brand. It has the desired effect.
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| And to illustrate... |
Cameronbridge 33yo 1974/2007 (48.3%, Jim McEwan Celtic Heartlands, 1600b, b#0272) (tOMoH): nose: "smells like grain," a few voices go. I have pineapple and citrus peel, red71 has jam -- "Bonne Maman," says ruckus. Maybe it is apricot jelly. There is also a touch of tin that is typical of some grains. Mouth: "it stings!" (Bishlouk) Pure pineapple juice on entry, it develops a jam-jar-lid aspect that works well. Chewing gives a desiccating dimension. JS, on the other hand, finds buttered popcorn. Finish: a blend of pineapple juice and oat milk drunk from a metal cup. The second gulp sees a small explosion of pineapple and even mango that linger for a long time. 9/10
Bishlouk: "From this side, I can only read: 'nique.'"
ydc explains that the next bottle was a gift from her brother. She adds that the link between her and her brother is their mother, whom they call Maman.
Trois Rivières Rhum Vieux (43%, OB, finished in Teeling Casks) (ydc): nose: dried mango slices and curry powder. Bishlouk finds it a medicinal touch -- "That's the Martini!" (ydc) Psycho smells latex -- that must be the nique! Mouth: super fruity, it has grapefruit, pomelo, pink grapefruit, peels and all. It is sweet too, combined with a bold bitterness -- we even have pith. Finish: light and fruity. In fact, the fruit is exuberant, almost too much. red71 calls it a little over the top and, yes, it is close to vulgar. It still works for me. Last to speak is ruckus, who pinpoints lychee. 7/10
tOMoH tells the story of the businessman who visits a factory in China in the 1980s and desperately needs to visit the commodities -- where he finds no paper. (You had to be there)
ruckus tells the group that his mother's name is Gi____. Everybody calls her Gigi. That brought him to the famous song: Dalida - Gigi l'Oloroso
Millstone Oloroso Sherry (46%, OB, B#4) (ruckus): for clarity, the distillery is called Millstone; the family who operates it is Zuidam. A bit like Dornoch is the distillery and Thompson the owners. No-one goes around and calls it the Thompson distillery. Not sure why online resources are so confused when the information is clearly written on the label. Nose: red71 detects sulphur. I have plum-scented erasers, earth soaked with heady wine, a drop of ink and a whiff of rubber. ruckus, who bought this unknowingly in a garage sale, finds it vulgar, while Psycho calls it a bit of a caricature. There is a certain aroma that reeks of wet old socks. Mouth: heavy and heady. Mulled wine, Christmas candles, heady pot-pourri pouches... This is really a Christmas-market lodge, with the sort of random wooden tat and clay pots one can only find in that setting. Finish: mellow and velvety, it quickly turns fruity (grapes, plums, prunes). This finish is clearly the strongest feature, especially the cured-citrus slices that it now gives. The nose is, ahem, particular. The rest is fine. 6/10
red71: "For a Dutch whisky, it's not bad."
red71: "Do you know Chuck Norris's father? He doesn't have one. Nobody fucks with Chuck's mother!"
Psycho invites us to change rooms and eat. red71 goes wash his hands.
red71: "tOMoH! There is no paper in the toilets!"
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| In better news: two batches of pasta salad with cucumber and chicken |
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| Not much remains after our efforts |
ruckus and red71 brought something from the same distillery. ruckus because of Maman-nochmore. red71 has a longer story.
red71: "Someone asked me for my name. I said, 're-re-re-red71.' The guy asked me if I had a stammer. I don't, but my father had. And the employee at the register office was a proper arsehole about it. Well, my father would have called my mother (In French), 'Ma-ma-ma-mannochmore."
Mannochmore 13yo (54.8%, Dràm Mòr, Refill Bourbon Oak Hogshead, C#3088, 275b, b#257) (ruckus): nose: gravy and egg white, Horlicks, porridge. We note some fruits and a pinch of ash too. It has a dirty touch that reminds Bishlouk of some Ben Nevis. red71 observes dusty cardboard. Mouth: it kicks harder than expected. Ground pink pepper, sawdust and chopped prunes. Chewing makes it juicier, yet it remains a woody affair. Finish: it seems tamer, here, meaning less punchy. Ink-stained prunes and plums, gravy again, cereal dust, gravy granules, tannins. It does the trick. 7/10
vs.
Mannochmore 15yo 2007/2022 (54%, Signatory Vintage The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Cask Strength exclusively bottled for Whisky Club Luxembourg & Whiskyworld Massen, Hogshead, C#6680, b#224) (red71): nose: buttery (Psycho). Indeed, it is croissant dough and Kouign-Amann, buttercups, daffodils, even narcissuses. There is a whisper of waxy plums, then honey starting to settle. The second nose has dry, earthy prunes and the associated syrup. Mouth: very similar to the Dràm Mòr on the tongue. Strong, peppery, dusty. It is clearly woody too, with dark wood falling into rot, mushroom-soaking water and pan-gratings at second sip, in which were fried mushrooms. Finish: long, it has slightly-rotten tree bark. The second gulp is earthy and prune-y. Same general quality as its sibling. 7/10
We tease Bishlouk about his haircut.
GD: "Are you sure it's head hair, not body hair?"
tOMoH: "It's anal hair climbing up his back. Sorry, it was too tempting."
Bishlouk: "Bah! I hear that once a week."
red71: "...and consider that he works from home four days a week!"
Last-minute line-up change: Bishlouk swaps the next two bottles, confident that the Mannochmore duo are a perfect introduction for his own bottle.
Bishlouk, armed with decades of research, tells us that Ben Nevis is a mountain. We are all stunned at the revelation. He adds that a mountain is shaped like a woman's breast, which is a very motherly thing.
Ben Nevis 21yo (53%, Artful Dodger, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, C#674) (Bishlouk): nose: it has a dirty-Ben Nevis profile, with wet plaster, unripe orchard fruits and a warm Flokati rug, if not sheep skin with tatters of flesh still attached to it. It then pushes warm umeshu and rambutan. Bishlouk finds it an industrial side, with turpentine and white spirit. I tell him he should drink turpentine and white spirit, because they are much cheaper, while noticing cranberry sauce. Mouth: hairy, greasy, it has shiny engine pieces (cylinder heads) splashed with unripe plum juice. It feels a little green and bitter, but full of charm nonetheless. Despite that, each sip has a drop of windscreen defroster that I enjoy, but is not for everyone. Finish: it starts off on the dirty side, then quickly acquires a bitter fruity profile, with unripe orchard fruits (plums are really prominent). 8/10
Time for ydc's desserts. Finger-licking good.
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| Chocolate fondant (bottom) and a cake with chocolate granules (top) |
JS presents 99.13, whose name is Exotic scenes in a Bedouin tent. She tells us of the Bedouin keffiyeh, the well-known headscarf that often has a motif that looks like... that on the lid of a Bonne Maman jar.
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| Case in point (Hergé, Coke en Stock, Casterman) |
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| And to illustrate that Hergé was not making it up... |
99.13 31yo 1980/2011 Exotic scenes in a Bedouin tent (43.8%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 98b) (JS): tOMoH tried this one earlier in the week, so these will be short notes. Nose: fruit turnovers, or, at least, pastry, that much is really clear. Mouth: jammier than the other day and still exquisite. Finish: "It lets itself drink," says Bishlouk, who is the source of many a dad noise, all of a sudden. I adore this. 10/10
GD explains he opened the door of his drinks cabinet and saw the next bottle, the label of which sports a duck. He thought it is a drake and spring is around the corner, so it must be looking for a female to make her a mum."
Caroni 18yo 1997/2015 (50.5%, Whisky-Fässle, Barrel) (GD): nose: corn syrup and rye (as in: rye whiskey). Then, we have plastic and shiny new tyres, as well as oilskin. Mouth: hot, it has plastic, melted cellophane and torrefied coffee. Finish: melted plastic here too, oilskins laid on a stove to dry. Psycho calls it volatile, to which Bishlouk replies: "Of course! It's a duck." It is another good Caroni. 8/10
We reach the end. Everyone observes how reasonable we were, today, and that it is just as well. Indeed, it must not be Burns' Night line-ups every time we meet.
