10/02/2025 Mystery sample #1

The first in a series of samples received as part of recent purchases.

Nose: this starts well, with a refined Sherry influence -- drinks cabinets, a gentlemen's club's billiard room, wood-panelled rooms and rancio. Interestingly, that turns tertiary within seconds, with mushrooms growing on damp potting soil, the clay floor of a dark cellar, bits of wood in a dank shed, but also fleeting marzipan and a drop of nut liqueur -- and that liqueur goes from almond to walnut in less time than it takes to tell (and I felt like being numb like, felt like, mesmerised -- for those who know). Shaking the glass some more reveals a chicken casserole in which red wine was added to the broth, and, finally, a weathered Teflon baking tray. The second nose is more vegetative, giving marsh gas, cabbage cooking water, and boiled Brussels sprouts. Oh! it retains a vague fruitiness, in a liqueur way, but it is less elegant than initially. Mouth: it is a rocky number, with pebbles and gravel splashed with a sweet fortified red wine, augmented with a dash of mercurochrome. It has a gentle bitterness, and quite a kick too. Chewing emphasises the bitter mercurochrome, and perhaps exposes chargrilled red chicory. The second sip seems fruitier, amusingly enough; grapes smashed on a millstone. Chewing brings up shrubs and twigs of sorts, probably vine, and cranks up the heat to chilli levels (nowhere near Naga Morich, though), which triggers a slight numbness in the lips. Finish: sweet at first, it clearly showcases what a good Sherry (Pedro Ximénez) maturation can give. Then, it turns muskier and drier, and it becomes difficult not to think of a Fino instead -- fruity, boozy, and more mineral, or even abrupt. It is indeed sharper and drier as a bone-dry white wine, and more plastic-y. I have always found Fino Sherry's taste to be closer to that of plastic grapes than to ripe, juicy ones. Yes, I have tried eating plastic grapes, unknowingly, I might add, at a Yugoslavian restaurant, as a child; formative experience. The second gulp has dark-chocolate liqueur pralines (Mon Chéri), Cognac, and a dusting of quarry chippings. In faithful continuation of the mouth, the heat leaves the lips tingling, while the gob is processing nutty liqueur. Solid. But what is it?

Crabbie 30yo 1988/2019 (53.5%, John Crabbie Limited Edition, 528b) 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Whisky-Online)

07/02/2025 Bunnahabhain

More souvenirs from a recent trip to Islay.

Bunnahabhain 12yo (46.3%, OB, b. ca. 2024): nose: stale Grand Marnier or apricot liqueur almost in the shadow of drinks cabinets. It suddenly shifts to a bowl of fruity granola, and shifts once more to focus on the cereal dust at the bottom of the bag. It becomes dusty indeed, close to chalky, before introducing cut apples and baked clementine segments. The subsequent back-and-forth between orchard fruits and cereals reflects a certain youth, but it is not overly detrimental. In the long run, toasted aromas appear -- toasted bread or barley, rather than anything earthier. The second nose injects cumin powder and chilli butter, which comes as a big surprise. Soon enough, it goes back to cereals, and adds a hay bale. Mouth: young is the word, here. It is pretty bitter without being ridiculously green, with unripe apples that suddenly become a window-cleaning spray, or even windscreen defroster. Chewing adds a subtle sweetness, in the shape of (unripe) citrus: clementine, tangerine, orange. It turns increasingly bitter with time, and it is a small wonder that it does not reach rubber. The second sip is wine-y, in a young-Rhine-white-wine way, which is not a frank success, in this taster's mind. It mellows out with more time on the tongue, fortunately. Finish: much more pleasant here, it returns to citrus segments, though, this time, they are ripe and juicy to bursting. Tangelo, Buddha's hand, tangerine. All those are in a thin custard, and the soft acidity indicates that the whole would so much like to touch maracuja -- yet never manages. The second gulp is assertively custard-y, with juicy fruit turnovers and éclairs that would have a pineapple glaze instead of chocolate. An okay dram that delivers little pleasure on the palate. The perhaps-harsh score reflects that. 6/10

Bunnahabhain 23yo 1998/2022 (49.7%, OB Fèis Ìle 2022, Calvados Cask Finish): nose: a lot bolder and precise, it has generously-varnished wood, smoked hazel wood, and warm chestnuts (the shells shine most). A logical mind may be tempted to call out apples (Calvados is an apple brandy, after all), but tOMoH finds none of that: it is entirely treated wood and nut shells. The afore-mentioned smoky element seems to mix and fuse with timid maritime touches such as sea spray and fishing nets. Let us call it smoky kelp. It promises a salty note, when given time, and one can picture a pile of coarse sea salt on a zinc plate. The second nose is more-clearly smoky: hazel-wood-fire smoke in a tiny bothy, in which the larder contains baskets of fruits. Mouth: oily and voluptuous, almost syrupy in texture. Here is a sweet and controlled juice that marries the soft bitterness of a delicious orange liqueur with the sweetness of ripe citrus (kumquat, tangerine). Chewing revives the distant smoke, refined, controlled, comforting, and adds a drop of wood varnish -- without wood, here. In the back, we find Cox or Royal Gala apples so distant they are easily overlooked. The second sip blows smoke on those apples, and presents them, sliced, on a slab of varnished wood. Next to that, we spot an open jar of preserved oranges. Finish: a fruity finish, full of orchard fruits and a puff of smoke, assertive, not brash. It is a wicker basket filled with juicy apples and pears, a basket that is usually stored in a smoky shed. The more time passes, the sweeter this proves to be, and the natural sugars of Golden Delicious apple meets processed sugar turning green. The second gulp is in line: fruity, sweet (not overly so), and faintly smoky. tOMoH likes this one a lot. 8/10 (Thanks, adc)

04/02/2025 A couple of drams at 3 Greek Street

Glen Scotia 45yo 1973/2019 (43.8%, OB, Refill Bourbon Casks re-racked 2011 into First Fill Bourbon Barrels, 150b): ethereal and fruity on the nose, with fragrant fruits so numerous they are hard to pick apart. The palate is on the thin side, and offers lychee and peach skins. The finish is medium-long, with rose water and juicy dragon fruit. Hopefully, one day, we spend more time with this, because it seems to be Glen Scotia's masterpiece. I would not be surprised to see it score higher when given the time it deserves. 9/10

Rosebank 26yo b.2018 (48.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 321b): this is just as fruity, yet more assertive, with pulp and nectar on top of fragrance and juice. It has white wood (birch) to accompany white peaches. The palate is fuller and thicker than the Scotia's; it combines the fruits from the nose with wooden cutting boards. A long, bold finish, with peaches, persimmon, and white plums, if such a thing exists. 9/10

With thanks to SW.