21/12/2014 Winter solstice

It has proved impossible to get a committed date from my co-tasters to attend a tasting since September. A shame, of course, yet that should not prevent me from enjoying myself (and make them jealous in the process).
A friend gave me a freebie, recently, that I want to drink up. Looking at my boxes, I see I have two obvious sparring partners. Here is a good opportunity to celebrate the longest night of the year. Or the shortest day, depending on how you look at it. Apparently, the Earth is slowing down, by the way, which means it is the longest night ever. Yes, the longest night in 4.9 billion years.

Off we go.

Dallas Dhu 10yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, b. late 1980s/early 1990s): nose: dust and old books, as is typical for these old bottles. Citrus and heather are here too. Satsumas, unripe oranges and walnut shells. Toasted bread gone cold. Mouth: watered-down grapefruit juice. Perhaps this has been in the bottle for too long. It lacks energy a bit. Almond milk comes out after a while, still with a zest of citrus and a late twist of white pepper. Pleasant, if (too) subtle. Finish: finally, it wakes up! Wood, nutmeg, white pepper and the bitterness of walnut skin in the shell. Celery stalks? Now, that is unusual! A decent 10yo, this. Not too complex or characterful, yet it does what you would expect from a whisky that age. 7/10

Dallas Dhu d.1969 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. mid-1980s): there were two versions of this: a 15yo and a 16yo. Not sure which one this is, as the age is not written on my mini. Nose: behind the traditional dust, we have orange rinds, mud and -- oh! Lychee!? Promising, yet not very assertive. Wait. Time and oxidation help a lot: mud comes out much more, though it is unlike any other whisky-born muds around. Satsumas, clementines, dust and mud. Later, cedar wood appears. Yum! Mouth: a bonded warehouse! Lichen, moss, ageing (decaying) wood, clay floors, nature trying to reclaim its dominion. All of a sudden, almond milk spills over to a point it feels like Amaretto. How bizarre! Cane sugar, a drop of lemon juice and almond milk. Finish: it is tame, but much is happening in this finish. Old books? Check. Creamy almonds? Check. Citrus? Check. Wood goodness? Check. Both coconut and vanilla are there, as well as more Amaretto. This is unexpectedly vibrant. Very nice, even if it leaves the bitterness of vinegar in the aftertaste. 8/10

Dallas Dhu 34yo 1979/2014 (55.5%, Cadenhead Cask Ends, Bourbon cask): nose: a whole different game, this. Much more expressive, with quince, ripe oranges, juicy satsumas and exotic fruit -- mango, durian, coconut, barbecued pineapple (I kid you not). Mouth: perfect balance, innit. Custard first (the texture), then the fruit salad resumes -- ripe clementines, jackfruit, green mango, grapes, underripe green melon, too. A pinch of turmeric completes the picture. Finish: lots of woody goodness -- vanilla, butterscotch, custard, toasted coconut. The yellow exotic fruits appear later -- papaya, mango, durian. The second sip brings  nice, milk chocolate (Belgian, naturally). Hail the oldest bottler in Scotland. 9/10 (thanks SW for the sample)

Mix of all three: cannot bring myself to do it, this time. Bah! of course, I can! Nose: interestingly, the fruits have gone to make room for beef stock, old leather, cured meat, roasted walnuts and chestnuts. With no added sugar. Blackcurrant jam? Elderberry? Some dark fruit, in any case. Mouth: mh! This seems completely flat, now. Perhaps a touch of almond milk. Other than that, not much is happening. It is silky, though. Black olive pits? Black bun stuffing? Maybe in the far back. Finish: oh, yes! The finish is balanced, with tapenade, crushed walnuts, dark grape juice (no, not wine) and quince jelly. Love it. 8/10

Good bye, autumn. Welcome, winter.

You missed out, suckers!

06/12/2014 December outturn at the SMWS (bis) + after-party

We have no fear and a few more bottlings to try. And cheeses to eat.

116.20 26yo d.1987 Fascinating complexity and finesse (61.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Virgin Oak Puncheon, 452b): nose: dried ham, Serrano ham, dried sausage, pine cones, paint, cigar boxes and tapenade. Mouth: silk and cotton, with a dash of allspice. Finish: warming, with a controlled sherry influence (hazelnuts, walnuts, raisins, chocolate) and a zest of peat smoke. I reckon this is the best Yoichi I have had. JS agrees. 8/10

25.66 23yo d.1990 Bette Davis doing DIY (57.8%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 157b): nose: spring flowers and bushes (kerria Japonica, brambles), but also unripe apricot. Mouth: more spring flowers and bushes of all sorts, black pepper, plant juice and the associated bitterness. Finish: the flowers soon vanish in favour of fruit, still not too ripe (apricots and peaches, carambola). Lovely! 8/10

G12.1 11yo 2003/2014 Oh, so sweet (58.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Re-Charred Hogshead, 246b): according to the SWA, this is a grain (hence the number). It is in fact whisky produced in a continuous still (or Coffey still) from 100% malted barley. Nose: varnish and lots of alcohol. Mouth: much more balanced, throughout, full of honey and onion relish. Finish: vanilla, then banana and tropical fruit. Love it. 8/10

G13.1 4yo d.2009 A complete revelation (58.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Virgin Oak Puncheon, 622b): this one is grain whisky produced from a mixture of grain and malted barley. Nose: coffee and spirit. Quite feint-y. After 20 minutes, blackcurrant and blueberry show up. Mouth: coffee bitterness then pastry dough. Finish: coating, jammy pastry, full of blackcurrant. Very good for a four-year-old, but on the expensive side. I gave it a 7 to begin with. With more time, it deserves more. 8/10

We decide to not go for 1.183, after everyone tells us it is not worth it. Interestingly, I notice both 1.183 and 118.3 are available at the bar. 11.83 is nowhere in sight, but it gives me a theme for a future tasting.

With the addition of sausage, today

After that session, We elope to a secret venue, where a friend kindly lets us taste his dram.

90.5 10yo 1992/2002 Kola Kubes and Lilt (59.4%, SMWS Society Cask): nose: coffee, in a not-too-pleasant way. I reckon I am not going to like this much. Immediately, though, citrus kicks in (lime, lemon, grapefruit) and cut apples. Mouth: acidic at first, before it becomes amazingly sweet -- almost sugary. This is like candy floss. Finish: barley, sugar and a bit of cork -- wow! Unlike what the nose suggested. With water, the finish turns into blueberry juice, plain and simple. Great, this! 8/10 (thanks RT + PS)

05/12/2014 December outturn at the SMWS

Time flies. It seems like there is a new outturn every couple of weeks.
I am meeting up with MJ who experiences withdrawal symptoms. Quite understandable, seeing as we have not had a formal tasting since September!

120.7 14yo d.1999 Sweet, fragrant and satisfying (55.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill Bota Corta, 517b): upon greeting the staff at the bar, CD makes me order this one. He insists so much I think I will not like it (CD and I have wildly different tastes). Then I nose it and MJ decides to take the same. Nose: liquorice, syrup, apples and a touch of leather. Mouth: slightly drying, earthy, with prunes and dried orange peels. Finish: prunes in syrup, with earth in the far back. Moscovado sugar, caramel, ginger bread, and even, in the end, the dry bitterness of green tea. Not my favourite profile, yet I have to agree CD was right, this time. This is very well made. 8/10

5.42 13yo d.2000 Bathed in a baker's shop (59.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 274b): nose: alcohol! Turpentine, nail varnish. This is spirity, with a bit of vanilla. Mouth: warming, displaying acidic sweets and verbena. A few metallic notes too. Finish: interestingly, the verbena and sage notes soon make room for crushed biscuit (speculoos), then milk chocolate. Not too impressed. 6/10

B3.1 3yo 2011/2014 A little box of treasures (53.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, New Charred Oak, 238b): nose: : a new distillery and my first SMWS bourbon. Nose: ginger bread, cinnamon, herbs (ginseng, I believe). Mouth: easy and balanced, with more herbs and cinnamon. Finish: again, lots of herbs and lovely cinnamon. Simple and efficient. 7/10

24.127 23yo 1991/2014 Northern Lights (47.7%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 262b): this one comes as a pair with the new 25. Need to find out whether it is good enough to justify buying the pair. Nose: resin, tree sap and an extremely high amount of daffodils. Musk soon appears, as well as a few plums. Mouth: honey, honeysuckle. Not too much happening, I have to say. Finish: long, warming, oak-driven. Unremarkable. 6/10

MJ has had enough of the light and fruity and wants something peaty and fruity. Not one to shy away from a good challenge, I order this one for him.

118.3 22yo d.1991 Self-assured, buxom and rewarding (57.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 206b): nose: yep, peat, mud, farmyard and fields, as well as tons of fruit (mango, lychee, yellow plums). Mouth: velvety. The peat is kept under control and augmented with balsamic vinegar and papaya -- wow! Finish: spectacular. Muddy fields, with lashes of mango, melon and goodness. Adore it. 9/10

JS joins us here.

7.107 10yo d.2003 The good old days (60.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 211b): nose: vanilla, bananas and wood goodness. Mouth: stings a bit  (60.6%, see), but mostly coconut, banana and wood influence. Finish: wood, sawdust, toasted coconut. Not particularly impressive, this, espcially compared to 7.108. It is good, but a bit bland. 6/10

35.105 17yo d.1996 Santa's Christmas Stocking (55.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill Designer Barrel, 205b): nose: pine wood, peach stone, buttercups. Mouth: fruity, peachy and flowery. Finish: pleasant, balanced, with a dose of milk chocolate. Very pleasant, this. 8/10

MJ asks me to order him something akin to Christmas cake. He gets 9.88, which I do not try.

Good times. The venue was a bit too busy. Good thing the regulars were there: we managed to squeeze into the sofas next to them.

28/11/2014 Impromptu peaty tasting

Phone call from Fixou this morning: can I make it to his this afternoon for a small tasting focused on peat? With a stop at my current favourite shop on the way? Oh well, I will bring sherried whiskies, then.

The suspects: Fixou, P, A1, A2, G who has a cold and myself.

Mortlach 1984/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Centenary Reserve) (me): nose: bonbon! (Fixou) Fraise Tagada, figs (A1). This gets better with time and oxidation. Mouth: easy and pleasant, with more strawberry sweets. Finish: indeed, lots of strawberry sweet, even milk chocolate. Pleasant, sweet and inoffensive. 7/10

Talisker Storm (45.8%, OB, 31OCW000 08919448) (Fixou): of course, I have to tease Fixou and tell him I do not drink supermarket whiskies. Nose: roasted barley, Kellogg's Smacks, subtle raisins. Mouth: seems mellower than the nose suggested, with dark fruit and barley beer. Finish: Smacks again, very obvious, then the puffed barley turns into a bag of smoke. Decent. The last sip gives out a rubber cup of diesel. Meh. 6/10

Clynelish 21yo 1992/2014 (51.6%, Cadenhead Small Batch, Bourbon Hogsheads, 792b): yep, this one was bought a couple of hours ago. Nose: peach, apricot, some wax and honeysuckle. Water strangely makes it more complex -- nail varnish and strawberry sweets (again!?) Mouth: pleasant and balanced, with wax and flower sap. With water, more sweets of the berlingot kind, this time. Finish: a bit of wax, of course, but this is mostly flowery, with a touch of clover. Not terribly complex, but good. This proves a popular dram, today. 8/10

3.225 16yo d.1997 Galleon attacked by pirates (57.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Sherry Butt, 617b) (Fixou): I tried this one previously and liked it enough. Nose: farmyard, stable, cow's backside, horse's sweat, cannon powder (Fixou and P), blackcurrant or blackberry, then a little bit of lavender. Eventually, full-fat butter shows up. Mouth: seems velvety, but make no mistake! The tingling reminds one that there is indeed some peat, as well as quite a lot of horsepower. Finish: this is good, long and insisting, with dark fruit and more subtle stable reminders. 7/10

Tamdhoritos

Tamdhu 13yo (43%, William Maxwell Dun Bheagan, C#9041--9043, 2868b) (me): nose: heavy sherry, with slightly marinated meat, barbecue herbs and spices, dried fruit (Smyrna raisins). Mouth: ginger bread, dried figs, subtle mocha. Sherried, you said? Finish: more of the same, really, with added milk chocolate. This is getting better, I reckon. 7/10

29.157 17yo d.1996 Heidi's holiday to Islay (59.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Sherry Butt, 675b) (Fixou): Fixou bought this on the back of my tasting it. Nose: medicinal. A mix of hospital stuff and stable. G, who is a nurse, talks about hospital accessories, including rubber gloves. Fight Club style. Mouth: drying, burning, lively. Finish: lots of toasted barley, complemented by lots of smoke, of course. 7/10

All have a sample end of Laphroaig PX. Not enough for me to join in, but I know it already.

Octomore 03.1 5yo  Ochdanh-mòr (59%, OB, 18000b) (Fixou): nose: ash, dried herbs (thyme, rosemary), embers. Mouth: smoke and embers, but also an unexpected quantity of dark fruit. Finish: an onslaught of ash and charred wood. Still much more interesting than the Ardbeg Supernova I tried in 2008. P tried this year's version of the Supernova and agrees with me. Octomore is still a bit too much for me. I, who joined us late, finds it the best of the lot and even jokes it is the only one worth drinking. Scandos! 7/10

Pleasant times, full of nonsensical banter.

27/11/2014 Supper at Boisdale

The concert tonight is Midge Ure (of Visage, Ultravox, Rich Kids and others). I do not review concerts here and am not about to start. It was a great gig, though!

So, Boisdale. We sort of agreed not to come again, seeing as the service left to be desired each time we have come. Remember the latest attempt?
But then, yeah, they still rock an impressive list. Therefore, when an exclusive concert comes up, there is the promise of at least a couple of good (if expensive) drams on top. This is Midge's only London gig; it seems like the right opportunity to see what Boisdale has stocked up on, over the last couple of years. The answer is: loads, while many other things have not moved at all -- that BenRiach 1966 we had last time looks like no-one has had a drop since they opened the bottle for us.
Anyway, we came prepared.

Springbank 39yo 1968/2007 (47.2%, Acorn's Natural Malt Selection, C#617): will Acorn deliver once more? Nose: oh dear! A fruity Springbank! Apples, melon (cantaloup), mango, fresh coconut, carambola, sharon, and a touch of sandal wood. Even juicy watermelon is represented! Throw in a twist of sumac for good measure, wow! Much later a fleeting scent of extremely fresh, gutted fish (gutted on board, that is). Mouth: the fruit symphony continues, this time in a silky bath of almond milk -- is this good or what? Almonds, shallow-fried mushrooms, pleasure. Crisp, fresh and lovely, while exuding nobility. The last sip comes with added bitterness, that of chicory (chicon, that is). Finish: it takes a while to get over this one! Again, tons of fruit, a healthy dose of good wood, and just what it takes of bitterness to make it perfectly balanced and complex. A grand dram! 10/10

Inverleven 36yo 1973/2010 (48.85%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition Deoch an Doras): one I have wanted to try for a while, this. Nose: all sorts of sweets and bonbons, as well as a cascade of wax. There is a hint of smoke in the back, and crusty pastry, augmented by a whiff of cedar wood. Mouth: this is quite robust, full of candle wax, bitter fruit (greengages) and a syrupy sweetness to it (elderberry). The wax is still very present, encaustic, old cherry-wood furniture, polished mahogany. Finish: wood, now, slightly drying. Underneath the wood, hot wax, old-school wax seals. This is posh indeed! Once it slowly fades away, the dominant note is dark chocolate. Absolutely love this one. 9/10

Food comes in: crab salad and scallops (served raw! and without the foot) as starters, then venison pie and burger (with disappointing chips -- I should have known!)




When we order our second dram, we find out that Boisdale's own Longmorn is not available any longer. JS finds a Rosebank she has not had. Fortunately, we always ask to see the bottle: they poured a 12yo Flora and Fauna! We rectify quickly and get this one instead:

Rosebank 27yo 1976/2004 (56.7%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogshead, C#2702, 159b): how did we miss this Rosebank!? Nose: smoke?!? Definitely! It soon disappears to make room for squashed, dark grapes, a spoonful of honey and juicy plums. After 20 minutes, wax starts to emerge too. Mouth: plum juice, with both its sweetness and acidity. It remains pretty hot too. Chilli? Pepper? No, it is beef rendang marinade! And fruit. Finish: this now feels like a mix of grappa and vieille prune, with a few apples thrown in for diversity Plummy and powerful, wow! 9/10

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Auchroisk 1998/2012 (46%, Berry Bros for Boisdale, Hogshead, C#13423, 300b): nose: exuberant fragrance of wild flowers: daisies, poppies, belladonnas. It also reminds me of a village-fair rubbish bin in the summer: full of half-eaten sweets, badly-emptied soda cans and wasps feasting on the whole. It burns the nostrils too! Is this really 46%? Mouth: more of the same -- the wild flowers have macerated for a bit and this is the resulting broth. Warming, comforting, with a not-unpleasant bitterness (the flowers, yeah?), balanced out by honeysuckle. Finish: behind the bitter flowers, warm latte, melted honey. It stings like the wasps from the nose, though. Difficult to believe this is only 46%. After 30 minutes, what comes out the most is hazelnut chocolate. Good, this. 7/10

Glen Ord 25yo (58.3%, OB, b.2004): this one is a punt, based on the description. Nose: leather, dry grass (that will be hay, then), prunes and marzipan. Complex and tantalising! Mouth: pungent, with more prunes in a Guinness stew and a pinch of grated ginger. Finish: the finish is super complex again, with lots of different flavours -- leather, Guinness stew, prunes, boiling carrots and back again. Superb. 8/10

Glenugie 32yo 1977/2010 (55.48%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition Deoch an Doras): let us finish in a bang. This version I thought was a bit pricey when it came out. I had never had a Glenugie before and had one waiting at home (different bottling). When I realised how much I liked that distillery, this particular expression was already out of my reach. Glad to try it at last, then. Nose: raisins, and dried figs at first, then the sherry flavours become drier, closer to coffee beans and burnt bread crust, without ever falling into rubber territory. It soon moves to walnuts, roasted chestnuts and medlar, to finish with the finest Bordeaux wine. Mouth: good and robust, with dry fruits, nuts, plum liqueur, raisins, blackcurrant and -- wait for it! -- Cumberland sauce. Or Huntsman sauce. Finish: wow again! Prunes, raisins, dried figs, blackcurrant, cola, the noblest furniture polish. In fact, it is the well-polished dashboard of an E-Type Jaguar. Very classy, fruity and noble at the same time. There is even a fleeting impression of passion fruit in the end. This is excellent. Nay! Superlative. 10/10

My head
My head
My head is on fire!

This was better than our previous experiences at Boisdale: even better drams, better music. The food was less good, though still decent. The biggest improvement was the service, though. Even though our waitress had an extremely strong, hard to understand Spanish accent and the bar staff messed up our order of Rosebank, everything else went well. We got the food in a timely fashion and together, the bill was correct, they never brought us double measures of what we ordered, and they did not make the fatal mistake of offering drams of supermarket whiskies at the end.
I still have a hard time understanding how few customers order whisky at that venue, though. A notable exception was the guy at the table next to us, who hardly touched his chicken, then asked for, 'the next best Macallan at a similar price.' That made me giggle.