08/12/2025 Tomatin

Tomatin 27yo 1987/2014 (46.3%, Morrison & Mackay Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask imported by The Stillman's, Hogshead, C#495, 187b, b#10): nose: boldly fragrant, the nose offers boiled cabbage, lingonberry compote, but also a delicious blackcurrant liqueur. It takes a turn for the darker and sees berries black as night. Blackberries, elderberries, chokeberries, huckleberries, mulberries are brightened up with stewed cranberries. It has a soft touch of pickled red onions too, or a drop of red-wine vinegar. That is but fleeting, however; soon, we are smelling a warm bilberry tart and concentrated tamarind paste on toast. The second nose has black ink and jelly of some kind. Jellied spinach, perhaps? As a parting gift, the nose gives us a whiff of cork. Later on, that transforms into raisins dripping with syrup, which takes us close to Sherry -- probably Pedro Ximénez. Mouth: very oily in texture, it appears shy in taste, initially. Nectarine juice? Chewing stirs up a strange concoction, part cardboard, part smashed cranberries, part chocolate, part vinegar. It works, but it is unusual. More chewing releases a dollop of Marmite on an onion beigel. The second sip has a faint tea-like bitterness that comes and goes. Squid-ink pasta with a creamy sauce and burgundy nail varnish. Retro-nasal olfaction spots bread baking in the oven. This is a funny one! Finish: silky, it has Madeira wine, a hint of chocolate, and onion relish. Is that jellied smelts? It certainly feels gelatinous, in any case, and somehow a trifle fishy. Jellied pistachios and dried dates rock up in the second gulp, still with Madeira wine. Repeated quaffing makes all converge towards pressed raisins coated in melted chocolate (55% cocoa content). We may well distinguish a spoonful of caramel coulis to be poured on top of that. This is good, but I am not sure we hear much from the distillate. I reckon the cask does most of the talking. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)

07/12/2025 Lagavulin

Lagavulin 8yo (48%, OB Limited Edition 200th Anniversary, Refill American Oak Casks, 20,000b): nose: gently-toasted barley, dry hay stacks, haybales stored in a barn, and a delicate waft of manure -- insofar as such a scent can be delicate. There are some crystals in there too, perhaps quartz, augmenting a layer of smoked yellow stuff -- straw now comes into focus. It is not complex in the slightest, but it plays its couple of notes adequately. The second nose has oily tobacco followed by an overheated room in which one smokes a lot. Mouth: punchy, it turns blue and petrolic, reminiscent of petrol drops in a puddle of rain water: pretty, but not good to drink. This, here, is less harmful, and it actually feel diluted, which is quite rich, at that strength. We have got straw set alight, cereals toasted beyond caramel (and teasing char), and petrol. The second sip is fresher; it even has apple slices. They are soon cloaked in cigarette smoke, as if someone ruined one's dessert by smoking at the dinner table. Finish: it is sweet cereals, for a second, then a frank lick of an ashtray. It has charred paper, burnt cereals, straw ashes and cigarette ashes -- thankfully not the butts. tOMoH's grandparents (on both sides) had push-down ashtrays, and this finish is strongly reminiscent of that. For nostalgia value, that makes this whisky worthwhile. Otherwise, it is for smokers only, really. Or for those who are cold, because this is warming. The second gulp is sweeter, with custard and lukewarm fruit yoghurt. And smoke. This is young, simple, yet efficient -- for those who like this profile. Me? Just the one dram, thanks. 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)

06/12/2025 Littlemill

Littlemill 23yo 1990/2013 (54.8%, Silver Seal, C#33, 290b, b#286): nose: the wonderful smell of custard, Madeira biscuits and ripe fruits. It starts with peaches and nectarines, and ends with kakis, papayas and mangoes. It being a Littlemill, it has a mild mineral touch, of course, closer to setting grout than to crushed Aspirin. That all plays second violin to pastry, though, fruit turnovers, choux dough, profiteroles, custard, flan. The second nose is shier: indistinct fruits bathing in chocolate milk, geraniums in a greenhouse, marzipan in the making, caramelising in the pot and sticking a bit. There is a whiff of flowers too, not sure which, and homemade gingerbread. Mouth: a nice, fruity attack brings peaches and mangoes. Five seconds on the tongue help spot caramel poured on lukewarm flan, and custard. One chew -- yes, just one -- stirs the magic pot, which triggers a bolt of mango to hit the stage. Hot on its heels are cherimoya and persimmon, ripe papaya and a drop of cherry liqueur. Those who are sensitive to it may complain about a pinch of grated Aspirin; that would be nitpicking, tOMoH says. Besides, it is closer to mocha grounds from a hot tin pot. The second sip has a slightly-more-pronounced note of Aspirin, but it remains hard to detect, overwhelmed as it is by fruits. Mango custard, baked cherimoyas, steamed papayas. It is a creamy number, overall. Finish: perfect heat and intensity. It blows up like a firecracker, then dissipates quickly to allow a myriad of tropical fruits to do a little gig. Mango, persimmon, kaki, papaya, cherimoya -- they are all here, supported by a rivulet of melted milk chocolate, or chocolate custard. It still has the minute bitterness of mocha, if not limestone dust (I believe they call it chalk). The second gulp puts more emphasis on mocha: it feels akin to a sip of lukewarm coffee into which a pinch of mocha grounds found its way. A second later, the fruit brigade has restored its own dominance. We have mango melting on the tongue, ripe peach, mushy persimmon, baked cherimoya all doused in warm pouring custard. Is it pineapple, in the back? If it is, it has come with coconut milk and chocolate in tow. Only in hindsight do I realise that the palate had grilled pineapple itself. Ha! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram JS, and thank you St Nicholas)

05/12/2025 Benrinnes

36.75 17yo Curried butternut soup (58.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask): nose: strangely quiet, it has a whisper of balsa wood, not much else. Let us give it a moment to breathe... That does the trick. Now, it is a typical 'rinnes, with pine-tree branches, pine planks, resin and dark honey in the making. Deeper sniffing adds a rubber hose, or liquid tape, which is nothing else than rubber in liquid form, and tar. In fact, that rubber stretches its wings so much that I am made to think of some rums -- is it not Enmore that reeks of rubber in that way? Here, that is soon punctuated by fresh apple slices, and bitumen applied as top dressing of a felt roof. The second nose sprinkles dried lime zest on conifer branches, and serves that with a pine-cone stew. A fistful of meadow grass or hay completes the picture. Mouth: a departure from the nose, this feels fresh and fruity, if quickly lively too. It has apples again, with ginger gratings scattered on top. Chewing invites a pronounced acidity; at first, it appears to be citrus, however it is soon evident that it is actually conifer branches, sap and cones. Suc des Vosges and Ice Blue mint sweets laced with galangal to spice up the freshness. The second sip prolongs the acidity, adds the coldness of a metal blade (the one used to cut citrus, probably), and charges the whole with a sweetness unnoticed until now. It is strikingly fresh and warming, as a good cocktail can be -- for some reason, the minty citrus makes me think of a Major Bailey, even if this does not taste like gin, of course. That rallies under the conifer banner, however. Each sip presents bolder citrus, lime zest and Shaddock pomelo peels. Finish: Ice Blue mint sweets, Suc des Vosges, spearmint (yes, it is spicy) are joined by galangal paste, then crushed cloves. It is a trifle anaesthetising. It leaves the gob cool, but dry at the same time, which makes no sense whatsoever, like yoghurt in a wooden bowl. The second gulp gives fleeting chocolate, then a bold wave of minty-zesty freshness, before it all calms down with ginger peels and cassia bark. As it was on the palate, it is sweeter over time, hinting at calamansi and tangerine, without reaching their intensity: mint sweets never allow. Pretty good. 7/10 (Thanks, OB)

04/12/2025 December outturn preview at the SMWS

Once again, we join Tm, PS, DW and JS to try the new outturn. It is a quietish night for a preview night, and tOMoH is not complaining.

149.18 9yo 2015/2025 La vida es sueño (61.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 218b): nose: lamb marinated in herbs and oil, then grilled. It also has smoked haystacks. There are brambles behind those, a bunch of flowers from a smoky environment, and plasticine. Perhaps there is a hovering scent of laundry detergent, in a nice way. Mouth: sweet wax, lots of wax, actually. Chewing releases more and more smoke, reminiscent of dried-out Christmas-tree branches thrown on the fire in early January. It does not lose the waxiness, though. The second sip sees grilled carambola with a dusting of grated chalk. Finish: hot, this has barbecue and lots of hot wax. It has a bitter side too, cucumber-peel style. The second gulp has a strong note of silt, augmented with tart Comice pears. Pretty good. 7/10

PS [to tOMoH, about DW's Christmas shindig]: "We'll need to co-ordinate."
tOMoH: "I'll be there at 18:30, gone by 21:00. You can arrive at 21:30."

9.312 32yo 1992/2025 When orchards dream (48.8%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 102b): nose: flowery, it is teeming with cosmetic powders. Then, we have Turkish delights, face paint and beads of dried resin. The second nose welcomes moist papier mâché, strangely combined with chewy fruit sweets. Mouth: fresh, juicy, it has lots of plasticine and dental-plaster, which gives a clear bitterness, on top of being chewy. The second sip is sharper: plant sap, a pinch of quarry dust and green plants, with just a handful of timid berries in the back. Finish: long, coating, it feels like biting into a hot pastie. The second gulp is as warm and a tad greener, with succulent plants (sedum, sempervivum). It is only at the death that we perceive fleeting unripe Mirabelle plums and physalis. This is good. At £345 a bottle, it is hard to relate the quality to the price, however. 8/10

3.359 21yo 2004/2025 Jelly in a limestone sauna (56%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill ex-Bodega PX Barrique, 262b): nose: smoke, shoe polish and blackcurrants, then dark earth. There are hints of purple passion fruits, chewy blackcurrant cough drops and a nostril-singeing heat akin to sticking one's nose on the corroded bonnet of a blue tractor whose engine has been overheating. The second nose draws cut mango, some slices of which have fallen in the mud. Mouth: Chinese food, with soy sauce, sesame oil and chilli crisp. Chewing unleashes a relentless wave of dark berries -- blue-, black-, currants, maybe elder-. The second sip brings up a hot radiator, though no dust. Finish: long, purple, it has a little earth and lots of fruits: dark grapes, blueberries, blackberries, myrtles, dark cherries. The second gulp is a tad warmer. This is excellent. My favourite, so far. 8/10

DW: "Are you a Stranger Things person?"
tOMoH: "No."

DW: "You should. It's really good."

tOMoH: "I try to avoid things I may find addictive."
PS: "And yet he talks to us!"

19.104 22yo 2003/2025 Something for the sweet-toothed (54.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 147b): nose: a punch of leather and fruit paste (membrillo or fruit jellies). Then, it is a black- and blueberry paste augmented with fragrant rosemary. How strange! The second nose goes further and unveils purple-tulip petals. Mouth: yes, this is a slightly-chalky fruit paste, with blueberry and blackcurrant shining brightest, followed by bright-red Montmorency cherries. It is another chalky number that presents a discreet metallic bitterness too. The second sip stings a little more and announces a spicier profile. Finish: warm, it has plant stems and lots of waxy fruit paste. Again, we are talking about membrillo or blackcurrant paste. Strangely, the second gulp seems softer, lush as dark-flower petals, this time accompanied by yellow petals too, and a dash of fruit juice (part grapefruit, part apricot). Solid. 8/10

Tm and PS scan PS's collection for distillery 69.

PS: "69.14 Complex and delightful. Oh! They named it after me."

89.24 17yo 2008/2025 Hip hip hooray! (60.4%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 252b): nose: a slap of animal scent that hints at a Sherry maturation (and, indeed). Rabbit pelt, soaking hides, and maybe a cigar dunked in the same preparation. A minute later, we get cured fruits, apples in a leather pouch, then suede and cured plums. Water increases the leather impression and adds a wood-panelled room. Tilting the glass adds hints of scarlet cherries. Mouth: pickled fruits, tawed hides, and, finally, berries rise -- cranberries, lingonberries, bilberries, blackcurrants... and wine. The second sip is like licking sheepskin, roughness and all. Water rubs very-dry leather that comes close to smoke. It is a wineskin made of camel leather that someone is drinking from while smoking a hookah. Finish: long and fruity with a touch of wood. Cloves macerating in red wine, prunes and blackcurrant. Water improves this one: it makes it noticeably fruitier, with both cherries and berries parading on the back of a camel. tOMoH's first SMWS Tomintoul, he reckons. It is a bit of a vulgar Sherry maturation, in his opinion. Not really a success. Then again, others like it. It just about reached 7, but the second sip is less interesting -- the novelty value wears off, probably. 6/10

70.67 17yo 2008/2025 Through the window, brambles (57.7%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill Toasted-Oak Barrique Finish, 181b): nose: herbs and lamb burgers, incredibly-seamlessly integrated. It then offers pears poached in wine. All of those are presented on a zinc plate. The nose opens up to reveal a waxy, marzipan-y fruit paste sprayed with droplets of wine. Mouth: thick, rich and rancio-y. Here are elderberry, lichen forming on dark grapes, grape skins (implying a soft bitterness) and a ball of compressed resin. It has a few tree-bark shavings too, hazel or similar. The second sip has grape paste -- nay! raisin paste, with cassia bark to spice it up. And it is brilliant! Finish: dark grapes, elderberries, currants and a pinch of dark-porcini powder to keep things interesting. The wood is subtle in this finish, while the emphasis is firmly on fruits turning mouldy in a dunnage warehouse. The second gulp introduces ground cassia bark and cloves to support raisins, dark grapes and blueberries. We even spot a whiff of cigarette smoke at the death. This is good. 8/10

PS talks about auctions.

tOMoH: "Well, before you auction anything, send a list, will you?"
PS: "There won't be any Glen Albyn in it, let's face it. It wouldn't the first 69 you get from me, though..."

115.37 15yo 2009/2025 It's a knockout! (57.6%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 194b): nose: sweet, it has flour and confectionary sugar in equal measures. It develops to unveil pastry, with fruit syrup caramelised on the baking parchment. That morphs into some kind of leather belt, which is unexpected. The second nose brings a nut paste taken over by lichen (itself turning dry). There are peach skins and tobacco too. Mouth: preserved cucumber, jellied pistachios and a savagely-drying dusty wind. It is as desiccating as lichen on the sides of an empty vase, without the taste of stagnant water and sphagnum moss. Perhaps we have a drop of ink too? The second sip is soft and velvety, with hints of baked apricots or tinned peaches. It keeps a healthy kick, peppered with red-chilli flakes. Finish: yes, ink. It is no 1960s Ardbeg, but is has a drop of ink indeed that wets marzipan or kaju katli. It is quickly drying as a red wine spilled on a lichen-covered stone. The second gulp is more traditional, perhaps, warm with apricot turnovers and a spoonful of confectionary sugar on top of a hot metal plate. 7/10

tOMoH: "Hey! Is that an octopus, or is it Cthulhu?"
him: "It's Cthulhu."

JN: "Tm! Here is the IPA you ordered. Oh! You didn't order an IPA? My mistake!" [takes a swig]

I try a droplet of 58.62 14yo 2010/2025 Honey hi! (53.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 214b) -- not enough for notes, but a score will do. 8/10

Solid outturn. And we have only scratched the surface.

Aight, we found ourselves the Loveraft Überfan!
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