13/06/2026 West Highland

We have had this sample for over a decade, which is quite scary. The first time we had this whisky marked our initial encounter with the fabled Mayfair stash. These are pointless notes about something that cannot be obtained, but let us do the exercise anyway.

Undisclosed Distillery 49yo 1966/2015 (52.9%, Private bottling, Bourbon Cask, re-racked into Sherry Cask, re-racked into Rum Cask, 1b): the label reads '48yo' but my previous notes read '49yo'. The devil if I remember which is correct. Does it matter? Nose: deep and wide, it has all sorts of apple cultivars at various stages of decay. Bruised, fermenting, covered in lichen, stewed, mashed. Lichen turns into Verdigris, and we see the appearance of mouldy peaches. A quick about-turn and we are suddenly nose to nose with lichen-covered apple-tree-wood shelves. It becomes woodier yet, with caramelised honey on crackers. Those are eaten on a wooden bench in the breezy Campbeltown sea air. The second nose spreads blackcurrant jelly over all that and becomes hugely sweet and fruity. There may be a bowl of smashed elderberry too, chunky, juicy and darkly fruity, almost earthy. Even later, we have baked pineapple chunks served on exhausted staves. Mouth: despite the old age, it has not lost its edge. This kicks the taste buds like a young'un. Chewing swaps a pinch of ginger powder for strong blackcurrant cough drops, sweet and powerful. Wood spices are not far, yet they merely provide a backstory: the first trumpet is definitely that wonderful blackcurrant. The second sip brings even more blackcurrant, fresh, smashed and in jam or jelly format. So much so I cannot not think of Invergordon. Of course, this is not a grain whisky, however. More chewing solidifies the impression of blackcurrant cough drops, chewy, purple and sweet, and injects a minute cloudlet of smoke. Finish: powerful, teeming with blackcurrant here too, it is a lot dustier than expected, sawdust and old branches crumbling to dust. It has a lingering freshness, once again reminiscent of cough drops -- blackcurrant, rather than peppermint or liquorice, and a spoonful of yuzu-marmalade infusion. Indeed, it has a fruity acidity that elevates it beyond dusty cough drops. We find a gentle bitterness at the death, which will prevent a higher score, today. The second gulp seems to transform the blackcurrant cough drops into violet sweets, both chewy and crystallised. Love and hate are not far. Every taster would run to one or the other, probably. Me? I do not dislike it. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)

12/06/2026 Welcome tasting at 3 Greek Street

As a first act to a weekend of extravaganza, those who are already in town gather up at 3 Greek Street for a tasting with headmaster SW.

Two years ago, when it was still called Milroy's, we inaugurated the newly-refurbished tasting room on the first floor; this year, we are breaking in the room on the third floor. I viewed it on Wednesday: it was freshly painted, but bare, and still had tools on the floor. Today, tables and stools make it more welcoming.

It is a bit high up for some of the old knees on display, and the stairs are rather uneven, but we are all thrilled to be there, in that shiny and breezy new room.

pat gva, YdS, JS, BA, sonicvince, Psycho, ruckus, EJ, PS and cavalier66 join me for this shindig. We try everything in full knowledge of the label, for once.

Vat #3 30yo 1994/2025 (49.5%, Milroy Soho Selection, Peated Cask, C#36653+54+101180)

Nose: lovely toffee, soft, melting. It has a bit of mashed wood or papier mâché and chocolate-coated ginger slices.

Mouth: mellow, unctuous, it has delicious toffee, augmented with a lick of tropical fruits and a whisper of smoke from the Islay cask. It is creamy at second sip, with smashed peach and persimmon.

Finish: a comforting warming glow with toffee, slices of persimmon and chocolate-coated peach.

Comment: meow! A vatting of North British, Tormore and a "special blend". I tried this one on Wednesday and insisted SW use it as opener. It slaps just as much today. Most of the others seem as impressed. 

Score: 9/10

That adequately leads to my own contribution, which we try blind. The move was concerted with the staff ahead of schedule, of course.

Dram #1.2

Nose: olives (pat gva), olive bread (cavalier66), Stollen (Psycho). It becomes buttery as mango with some breathing.

Mouth: ever-changing (Psycho). Lychee and other tropical fruits (BA).

Finish: ruckus and EJ find it a lingering bitterness. sonicvince tells us it leaves the mouth a bit chalky. It is almost decaying fruits at second gulp. pat gva thinks the ABV is quite high, if well integrated.

Comment: "Glenlivet or Glen Grant" (pat gva). A little divisive, though mostly liked. My full notes are here.

Auchentoshan 22yo (48.3%, Creative Whisky Co. for The Good Spirits Co., 123b, b#101) 9/10

Tun 89 36yo 1989/2025 (52.4%, Milroy Vintage Reserve, Barrel, C#2500682)

Nose: cosmetic powder, lemon-drizzle cake, confectionary sugar. We have warm citrus segments at second nose.

Mouth: ooft! It is good to remind oneself how good Balvenie can be. This is custard with droplets of lemon juice and oily cake with almonds. Simply beautiful. It is a tad drying at second sip without being very bitter.

Finish: warming, it serves warm custard and vanilla cream. It turns a little more hay-like at second gulp and adds warm peach with a dusting of grated Aspirin.

Comment: we are flying high!

Score: 9/10

Royal Brackla 17yo 2008/2025 (47.4%, Milroy Soho Selection, Bourbon Barrel, C#6634)

Nose: lemon zest and herbs (tarragon, dried chives -- PS). SW calls it waxy, while I notice pineapple slices. It develops oily birch at second nosing, fragrant and beautiful.

Mouth: mellow, coating, silky and creamy. It is fruity yoghurt, smashed peaches served on wooden plates, plum tomatoes and tomato stems. The second sip revives the pineapple vibe. It is somewhat indistinct, but fruity and spicy overall. Delectable.

Finish: long and bright, it has pineapple and ginger powder. It tingles the gums. It is fruitier at second gulp, if slightly indistinct again.

Comment: this was meant to be a shared barrel with Taiwan, yet somehow washed up on these shores again. EJ calls it "a whisky for the Indian summer."

Score: 8/10

tOMoH: "I wake up early, so I sometimes water the plants naked on the terrace, to see if anyone is watching."
cavalier66: "No way! Mrs. cavalier66 does that all the time!"
tOMoH: "I was about to say: 'the ancient Greeks found it liberating.'"
cavali66: "She's not ancient!"

This is a good place to pause for food.

Cold cuts

Cheeses

Nachos, houmous and shortbread

Cold cuts, olives and strawberries

Inchgower 28yo 1997/2025 (56.6%, Milroy Vintage Reserve, Hogshead, C#6926)

Nose: grated orchard fruits (crisp apples and pears), saline sea breeze (PS), fleur de sel on a lovely vanilla custard and sherbet. It becomes buttery upon breathing -- buttery fruits such as mango and even avocado. It has crusty bread on a hot metal baking tray.

Mouth: very salty, here, it also has spurge shavings sprinkled on smoked mango, and a metallic touch. It has a eucalyptus-bark kick at second sip too.

Finish: there is a big dose of pepper at play. Strangely enough it does not seem to throw PS off too much who is sensitive to pepper. It is spicy on a bitter background. It develops cardboard and papier mâché applied on chicken wire -- in a good way. The second gulp brings pan-seared apples.

Comment: a hit on the night. pat gva is particularly enthusiastic, and already wondering whether his luggage allows him a bottle of this, considering how much loot he already has to carry.

Score: 8/10

SW: "[...] a microdot of [...]"
cavalier66: "Did you say 'microdot'?"
tOMoH: "Acid."
PS: "We're back to the Haçienda."
cavalier66: "You talk about whisky, and then you drop 'microdot'..."
tOMoH: "You drop indeed."

JL walks in.

JL: "The room downstairs is free. I'll just do a little clean-up."
tOMoH: "Yeah, please take a shower, mate!"

Kildalton 22yo 2003/2025 (53.7%, Milroy Vintage Reserve, Bourbon Barrel, C#112)

Nose: an excellent Ardbeggian nose, with old tarry ropes and ink, fishing nets and diesel, followed by stained boating gear, linseed oil and oil paint. Psycho finds it dusty.

Mouth: burnt wood-stick tips, ink, burnt rubber, creosote, tar and tarry ropes. Tapenade rocks up, as does diesel or kerosene.

Finish: long and grimy, it has more petrochemical compounds.

Comment: EJ adores this, without surprise. She finishes two or three drams and giggles the night away.

Score: 8/10

JS: "Those pours are too generous!"
tOMoH: "If you have too much, give it away. Someone will want it. Probably EJ or pat gva."

As planned, with five (six) drams in, we move down to the first floor. JS and I are worried about the food. In the kitchen, we catch sonicvince on a mission to polish it off. JL assures us he will bring the two slices of salami, half-a-bowl of nachos and the houmous downstairs, all that remains. We will never see them again. It will probably be JL's dinner.

Once in the usual tasting room, we resume our dramming -- blind, this time. SW explains these are cask samples, and we are the Guinea pigs who will help decide whether to bottle them or not.

Dram #2.1

Nose: wax (pat gva), cloying Sherry cask (cavalier66), plummy marzipan. Later on, we have ginger bread and French toast.

Mouth: thin spirit (cavalier66). We note pressed prunes on lacquered wood. Chewing releases a slap of juicy fruit. It is so fruity and juicy and sweet! Pressed sultanas and prune syrup.

Finish: big and prune-y, it also has figs (dried and fresh) and raisins or dried currants.

Comment: lovely drop, but where is the Auchentoshan character? This is a good Sherry, really. Psycho is all excited, of course. Two expressions from his favourite distillery on the same night.

Score: 8/10

Auchentoshan 38yo d.1987 (50.7%, cask sample, PX Cask)

pat gva: "Forty-two years?"
tOMoH: "No. Distilled in 1987, sample taken in 2026, that is thirty-nine years old [at most]. Give me your keys, you are not driving, tonight."
BA: "It's been a long day."

Dram #2

Nose: apple, candied apple (pat gva) and a slap of papaya in delicious custard.

Mouth: a little gravel and a lot of jam or marmalade, a dusting of pepper. Chewing sees lichen on Bourbon-barrel staves, fruity, vanilla-ed, and adds a fistful of cranberries to keep it interesting. It kicks harder at second sip.

Finish: it turns out to be another fruity number in the finish, with prunes and raisins.

Comment: wow.

Score: 9/10

Clynelish 9yo 2015/2025  (55.38%, Duty Free Sample, 2nd Fill Bourbon Hogshead, C#51245)

SW: "Bring the Irish, please."
JL: "What if there is no Irish left?"
tOMoH: "Come and tell me. I will make a scene."
Psycho: "Belgium style!"
tOMoH: "Hide your children; they're not safe."

SW: "We can't call it Bushmills, because of naming rights."
PS: "You could have called it Mill's Bush, which would have caused another string of legal problems."

Everyone has a dram, save for me, whom SW forgot (because I was behind).

tOMoH: "I don't have a glass."

PS: "tOMoH, you wouldn't like it."
tOMoH: "You sang a song for me. I had to pretend I was listening."
cavalier66: "Definitely not for you."
tOMoH: "Let me tell you in this country's language: 'I wouldn't mind trying this.'"
BA: "I heard it was quite good."
cavalier66: "Oh! Why didn't you say so?"

Causeway Irish Whiskey 31yo 1991/2023 (47.8%, Milroy Vintage Reserve, Bourbon Barrels, C#RC649+650+651+652)

Nose: banana-tree bark (Psycho), and loads of overripe mango and overripe papaya. This is ridiculous. Incredibly juicy. "Oh! But it is a fruit bomb!" pat gva points out.

Mouth: mellow, astonishingly fruity. It is at once acidic, bitter, drying in an ashy way, but it is that surreal fruit that dominates.

Finish: more dazzling fruitiness.

Comment: beyond notes, after eight drams. Boy! is it good or what?

Score: 10/10

tOMoH: "How was the Irish for you?"
PS: "It was quite good, thank you very much. I don't have much left to judge, though."
tOMoH: "I wish I could share mine with you, but there is no chance of that happening, is there?"
BA: "Oh. Meow."

Dram #4

Nose: dark grapes, plums, apple compote. It develops a chalky touch, but it remains very fruity. The second nose peddles plastic caps.

Mouth: pizza dough, chalky papaya -- phwoar!

Finish: long and juicy, fruity. We find smoked strawberry slices and apricot jelly.

Comment: the killeries keep coming.

Score: 9/10

Ardmore 47yo d.1978 (47.8%, Duty Paid Sample, C#8)

SW: "It's 1978."
PS: "It's a sufficient year."
SW: "I was finishing..."
tOMoH: "...your first tab of ecstasy!"

Dram #5

Nose: Fisherman's Friend (cavalier66), lemon juice sprinkled on cockles, then hay, mulch, mud and citrus. Excellent.

Mouth: warm, citrus-y mud, with calamansi purée and mango shavings. It is a trifle spicy too, with ginger powder.

Finish: big, hairy and a tad muddy. It then collapses under the weight of tropical fruits (mango, papaya, persimmon, cherimoya).

Comment: say, this is good, eh?

Score: 8/10

Bowmore 15yo d.2010 (56%, cask sample)

pat gva: "It's very different from the Bowmores we are used to."
tOMoH: "You mean the ones from the 1960s?"

The second line-up

What a night! Amazing drams in vast numbers, lots of silly nonsense, good food and the promise of a good weekend. The morning will be a little rocky at the start, but not for long.

12/06/2026 Aim for the Moon

Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267): nose: a marvellous combination of brown shoe polish applied onto soft-leather moccasins, hazelnut spread and light cigars (Laguito No. 3, perhaps, or Carlotta). It has a dirty, funky background, something I did not notice (as much) in previous encounters (here and here), but it is a Ben Nevis, so it is not really surprising. Walnut spread and chestnut purée gradually replace the hazelnut and, at the same time, a soft metallic touch emerges. It is somehow reminiscent of that unmistakable smell of a new motherboard wrapped in an anti-static plastic bag. Anyone who has ever assembled a desktop from individual parts will know. Finally, it peddles coffee, ashes in the desk ashtray and black liquorice rolls. Fun! The second nose pumps coffee and caramel into the mix, or an enticing mocha custard. Take it from someone who is not a fan of mocha. There is something else in the back that may be caramelised orange slices. It adds a gentle fruitiness that is most welcome. Mouth: mellow and sweet, it feels like chewy sweets such as Gummy Sweet Cherries or Cola Bottles. Chewing adds a mild sting (ginger or stem ginger), yet it fans the Cola-Bottle flames most of all. It is at once spicy and syrupy, which confirms the stem-ginger note, but has so much more to tell: milk coffee, Mokatine, caramel, sweet and a little bitter. It has more wood than honey, yet that wood, despite its bitterness, is undeniably sweet too -- and that is not plain resin. Maybe Gocce Pino filling applied on clustered splinters? The second sip is thinner for a second, then turns into thick marmalade sprinkled with mocha grounds. The alcohol bite fleetingly hints at warm zinc or galvanised iron, or a hot Moka tin pot. It is breakfast-y, in any case: marmalade, custard, mocha. Finish: long, it glows heat and conifer goodies (resin, bark) as well as Mokatine and caramel coffee. Considering how coating and syrupy this is, it would be tempting to call stem ginger again, but there is none of the spicy heat that ginger provides. Instead, it is caramel coffee spilled onto cypress shelves. The second gulp opens with candied citrus (bergamot, bitter orange), chewy and vegetal as if the foliage had been candied too. That, of course, means a gentle bitterness to balance what could otherwise become overly sweet. We find mocha grounds at the death, or grated mocha chocolate. I want to say gunpowder tea, but it is not that bitter, and it is earthier. It is staggeringly good, that is for sure. 9/10

HB, TMcN!

08/06/2026 Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis 28yo 1996/2025 6th Anniversary Bottling (48.2%, The Whisky Jury, Refill Hogshead, C#348649, 270b): nose: orchard fruits and a shovelful of fertile earth. Apples, quinces, Comice pears, all crunchy and crisp. Behind them are vague tropical scents, unripe kiwi, unripe mango, unripe snakehead fruit. Very discreet, though. Deeper nosing puts more emphasis on the earthy side, and we spot more damp, fertile earth or clay, albeit from a construction site more than a field: a house whose foundations have recently been dug. A dusting of plaster increases that impression. Fruits are never that far, however, and we soon add green grapes to the list. The second nose sees citrus rinds (orange, mandarines) baked in the oven and starting to caramelise. Served alongside them, we have a spoonful of melted milk chocolate and a pinch of herbs (oregano, tarragon, heather twigs). Mouth: thin and sharp, or 'precise', if the first two adjectives seem derogatory, it soon reveals a fruity dominant on the tongue too -- orchard fruit again, riper this time. Golden Delicious apples, Conference pears, stewed quinces. Half a chew causes a chuckle, as it unleashes a strong ivy bitterness and a stronger mango-y slap in the gob. Longer chewing absolutely confirms, and that puts a smile on tOMoH's face. Mango purée is elevated with a dash of grapefruit juice, whose pronounced acidity chases the afore-mentioned bitterness away -- mostly. The second sip is luscious and gorgeous, super fruity, yet it never lets one forget it is alcohol we are tasting. Punchy without being aggressive; just a lovely fruity spirit. Finish: past the initial kick of alcohol (it is more a karate chop than a kick), it dishes out hot fruits. We have baked grapefruit slices, papaya cubes, stewed carambola and pineapple chunks, and tinned mangoes. Indeed, if the fruits continue to effortlessly dominate, the bitterness is back, and it hints at tin rather than ivy, at this stage. It is a long finish, partly comforting, partly moreish. In fact, let us have some more! The second gulp welcomes mango custard and peach cubes in a boozy yoghurt. Here too, it is virtually impossible to forget we are tasting a spirit, yet the fruits are clearly carrying the whole. They are just splashed with an eau-de-vie that cannot be overlooked. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, elskling)

05/06/2026 An evening at WhiskyNAVI Tasting Room

What an adventure to reach this place! It takes an hour on the bus, twenty minutes of which are an uninterrupted segment on the motorway, probably ten of those crossing the river only (see picture), then a car crash (a 4x4 gets sandwiched between our bus and another on a bus lane and loses its front bumper -- see picture), a change of bus and a five-minute walk.

And for all that time, the Shard is always visible, even from here

At the address, the unsuspecting passer-by would likely never find the venue, perched as it is on an upper floor of a corporate-looking building. Even when on the right floor, we struggle to see the entrance, stuck between a restaurant and public toilets (I kid you not). And that is before we talk about the intense bloke on the ground floor who is so intent on convincing me to sign up to his Church that I have to be rude with him.

But we make it there and clown around to celebrate

As soon as we open the door, all our thrills melt away, though.

Cannot think why

Deanston 29yo 1996/2025 (53.1%,  WhiskyNAVI imported by Yong Spirits, Bourbon Hogshead, C#21)

Nose: light and soft, it has unlit incense and white wood (birch, balsa, acacia). Jasmine then takes off, followed by Turkish delights. Nothing screams, nothing strays. It is extremely elegant. The second nose brings a pinch of rosewood ashes, fading rose petals and rosehip. Strawberries appear and become headier and headier.
Mouth: nutty-and-a-half, in pure Deanston fashion, it presents a minor bitterness of nut shells, but mostly the nuts themselves (macadamia, mellow medlar, almonds), barely ripe. Next are dried melon chunks and melon skins. Woah! The second sip has dried pineapple slices and dried mace (whole), if not cured ginger slices.
Finish: nutty custard. Almond, macadamia, even Brasil nuts. It is a long, creamy finish that balances the bitter with the sweet. The second gulp pushes pink candyfloss without the exuberant sweetness. It is that ridiculously fluffy and ethereal.
Comment: we saw this one in a shop yesterday and wondered if it would be good. The price was a bit high for a punt. JS discovered the bottler from things we saw on Tuesday, looked them up, and that brought us here. Well worth the hassle. What a discovery! It is safe to assume that the importer is the same as the one listed on the Orkney from Tea and Proof. A phonetic translation is all.
Score: 9/10

Glen Keith 26yo 1997/2023 (50.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, Bourbon Barrel, C#113412, 188b)

Nose: this is perfume-y, with scented woods and flowers. Jasmine comes to mind, but also lilac. All of a sudden, it turns very peppery; finely-ground black pepper. That soon dissipates to come back to soft flowery tones -- cherry blossom, orange blossom and jasmine, Finally, dried grapefruit rind appears. The second nose is bolder and more vegetal, with citrus foliage mixing with the blossom from earlier. Wow. In the background, a soft rubber note is hardly noticeable.
Mouth: softly citrus-y, with a minute pinch of ginger powder. Chewing slaps the tongue with pressed satsumas, kumquats, bergamot foliage and bitter-orange juice. Phwoar! The second sip is oily and fruity, a trifle bitter, yet entirely fruity and coating.
Finish: fruity and custard-y, we find satsuma peels and citrus rinds, part sweet, part bitter, totally delicious. It blends the acidic sweetness of fruit juice and the oily bitterness of orange peels with brio. The second gulp is wholesome and satisfying. We find orange-drizzle cake, oily and sticky on the top, with orange segments dripping caramel on the cake itself.
Comment: another corker. JS is particularly enthusiastic.
Score: 9/10

Glenburgie 30yo 1995/2025 (53.8%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI 5th Anniversary & friendship for Campbeltoun Loch / Komaspi, Bourbon Hogshead, C#6695)

Nose: effing hell! Where did we just step in!? This has candied peach slices and apricots dripping with syrup. Obscene. A drop of lemonade complements stem ginger. It has siftered confectionary sugar -- and the sifter is metallic, which promises a light bitterness. Peach skins are bolder at second nosing, velvety and enticing.
Mouth: Jacob Ree-ZOMG! It is a fruit bomb on the palate too. Tinned peaches, apricots in syrup, maybe a dollop of minty paste that gives a nice freshness, or lemon thyme. The second sip is so velvety it has virtually the texture of peach nectar. Peach flesh takes off upon chewing, perhaps enhanced with a drop of royal-blue ink.
Finish: confectionary sugar licked off a (luke)warm sheet of metal, maybe lemon thyme again, or oregano. Give it a moment and it becomes hot peach's show, though, juice dripping from every square millimetre. Gorgeous! The second gulp is in line, warming, gently metallic and superbly fruity. Peaches left, right and centre, persimmons, Cape gooseberries... Phwoar!
Comment: the manager's favourite WhiskyNAVI bottling, he tells us. I would agree.
Score: 9/10

Strathisla 20yo 2005/2025 (58.7%, The Single Cask for WhiskyNAVI handpicked for KMSP & Campbeltoun Loch, Bourbon Hogshead, C#61)

Nose: tobacco, cigar leaves... No! Banana-cigar leaves, then dolmas and citrus foliage (calamansi, grapefruit), even ivy. It opens up to deliver slightly-acidic lemons or limes, nay! Smoked limes, smoked with either exotic wood or incense. Then, warm, humid linen rears its head. It has the ever-evolving nose of a great whisky. The second nose adds grated nutmeg, and I want to say cloves, but it is not that pronounced. Unlit incense, perhaps? Or sandalwood?
Mouth: wonderful toffee, with Mokatine playing second fiddle. Yes, it has a soft bitterness, yet also a huge sweetness, some wood and zero plankiness. It is a robust Highlander with as much appeal as character. The second sip sprinkles some old-wood gratings and black pepper onto the toffee.
Finish: mocha toffee it is. It is a little drier a finish than anticipated, with more wood, galangal gratings, sawdust and, perhaps, a pinch of desert dirt. The second sip prolongs the dusty-toffee touch, long, sticky and chewy.
Comment: four winners in a row. Incredible.
Score: 8/10

The only other customer pays his due and leaves. I look at the line-up in front of his seat. One catches my attention.

Clynelish 10yo 1990/2000 (54.2%, Kingsbury imported by Japan Import System, Valdespino's Caliseo Amontillado Sherry Cask)

Nose: this mixes oily-tobacco smoke with super-syrupy fortified wine. It has the allure of a gentlemen's club, that is certain! As it opens up, we find pressed sultanas, Medjool dates in syrup, then polished leather reminiscent of a Chesterfield sofa. It has nail varnish too, in small doses. Imagination may point towards pickled pearl onions, but it has little-to-none of the vinegary acidity that comes with that.
Mouth: it is a wonderful Sherry maturation, much juicier and generous than the Manzanilla label suggests. Chewing brings earth to the fore, so greasy and fertile it may as well be prune juice. We find an open tube of dark-brown shoe polish as well, and dark tree bark. The second sip has caramelised red onions which have been, well, caramelising, for hours and are reduced to a red, sugary sludge.
Finish: assertive, full of shoe polish, prunes and dried dates soaked in syrup. The whole is served on a ladleful of potting soil saturated with raisin and prune juices. Sweeter yet at second gulp, it juggles milk coffee (sixteen sugars -- if you know, you know) and caramelised red onions. At first, I think toffee, but not really. Instead, it has prunes and dried dates in syrup.
Comment: flabbergasting.
Score: 9/10

Glentauchers 17yo 2008/2025 (60.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#288)

Nose: an explosion of confectionary sugar and sherbet. Behind that are cantaloup chunks, Korean melon, and large volumes of pouring custard. Something in the back reminds me of my childhood. Whether that is cigarette smoke in the kitchen during the preparation of a delicious dessert or a living-room carpet. It never shakes off that sweetness, however, and apricots appear, at last. Milkier at second nose, it has vanilla and banana milkshake.
Mouth: after a sharp, plastic-y attack, it swiftly moves towards candyfloss and Haribo Bananas, with a soft wood paste adding depth. The Haribo Banana touch is exquisite, acidic, sherbet-y and sweet. The second sip is much chalkier, drying and chewy. It remains fruity all the same; that only affects the texture.
Finish: long, sweet, it is ripe with Haribo Bananas, caramel flan in which the caramel was deglazed with a drop of Cointreau, crème brûlée, torched custard (yes, it is the same), panna cotta and a gently-drying note. It may even have a certain chalkiness. In any case, it is definitely a sandstone type of minerality. The second gulp is long and comforting as a hug from Hechi.
Comment: this punches way above its weight. It reminds me of the Boutique-y bottling we had a few years ago, in terms of quality.
Score: 9/10

I will just leave this here.

A couple of other customers have joined, They are locals. As we interact with the manager, one of them occasionally jumps into the conversation. With my three words of Korean and his three words of English, our exchanges do not go very deep, of course, yet it is, once more, remarkable how a common interest brings people together as if language was no formidable obstacle. Or 'forblemida', as they say here.

KM: "Was that your last flight?"
tOMoH: "I'm afraid so. We could spend weeks here, but we also need to end, at some point."
KM: "Good. Now, let me introduce you to Korean whisky."

Kimchangsoo 2nd Release (48.7%, OB, Korean Oak Cask)

Nose: rustic and farm-y to a degree, this smells of haybales and just-finished harvest. A minute in, peat smoke emerges, slowly, softly. It unfolds like a good novel, taking its time. Surprisingly, it becomes farmier and farmier, adding manure and mud to an already-pleasant picture. That is not over: it lands on smoky custard and tree bark turning into compost (past the mulch stage), and supplements that with rubbed mint leaves. The second nose adds milk chocolate, chocolate-coated almonds and berries-filled pralines.
Mouth: very soft and round, it combines toffee and half-baked shortcrust. Chewing adds a dash of Indian ink, then a blood-red corduroy curtain. It is thick, not heavy, velvety and plum-like. The second sip shows its youth a little more: we have pear eau-de-vie rubbing elbows with liqueur-filled pralines.
Finish: easy and full, it is a tad farm-y, has a gentle lick of smoke, and -- surprise! A whisper of rubbed citrus peel (pomelo, lime, bergamot). The second gulp is more warming and extends the liqueur-praline impression in an elegant way. Nothing sickly here. It retains some smoke and a little mud, but not much of the other farm-y notes.
Comment: very impressive. Even more so when one registers that this no-age-statement is twelve-to-eighteen months old (Korean law dictates spirit has to mature for one year to be called whisky).
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo 2021/2022 (54.1%, OB, 1st Fill European Oak Sherry Hogshead, 336b, b#7)

Nose: bang! Peat smoke, chargrilled merguez, herbs-coated burgers, cooling embers and white ash. It has meat fat dripping into the hot embers, then pork cutlets on the grille.
Mouth: silky and fruity. It still has lots of chargrilled meat (lamb cutlets), charcoal, and not soot, but burnt wood sticks that have been played with around a campfire.
Finish: long, charcoal-y and prune-y. It is juicy and persistent with a sharp bitterness -- perhaps rubber?
Comment: strong entry, even if I prefer the second release.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo New Make (58%)

Comment: a vegetal nose, a clean, slightly-smoky, plummy palate and a never-ending glow in the chest for the finish.
Score: 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo New Make (70%)

Comment: cleaner yet, purified, it turns lactic and mineral in the mouth, acidic and sharp. Long finish that feels better integrated than the version at 58% -- which is the same product watered down).
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

KM: "Do you have experience with Japanese whisky?"
JS: "Yes. It is usually delicate and very well made. We like it."

Yamazaki 15yo (56%, OB distributed by Japan Import System, Mizunara Oak Casks, b#65063)

Nose: marzipan and oil paint, linseed oil, then -- wait for it! -- mushy peas. It has an unusual note of garden peas indeed, smashed into this paramount of culinary excitement, courtesy of the Great Kingdom of England: mushy peas. Perhaps we note crushed pine cones too, which is just as unexpected. The second nose pushes a hairball and dried lychees to compete with sultanas and prunes.
Mouth: more marzipan softness for total elegance, Japanese style. Chewing adds velvety plums or peaches and heat, as well as a drying touch. The second sip is desiccating upon chewing, like chalk. It takes a few seconds for sultanas to run back to the taste buds.
Finish: marzipan-y, peachy, plummy. "It is so composed, elegant," JS tells us. One can almost taste the Sherry: pressed currants, prunes. This is looking straight at Cognac, in fact, so fruity and elegant it is. A trifle darker and hairier at second gulp, it remains excellent.
Comment: phwoar!
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Far-Eastern tryptich

We have a sobering disaster at the end, when it is time to pay and we discover that the card reader does not read foreign cards. To make things worse, there is a cash machine in the same building, but the daily withdrawal limit is below what we owe (not to mention it takes a hefty commission). If that were not stressful enough, we also have twelve minutes to catch the very last train back to our accommodation, some thirty-five kilometres from the venue... and the station is roughly ten minutes away on foot. We run, take the wrong direction twice, but end up on the train indeed. At the station, a bloke asleep on a bench misses the train, on the other hand.

Tomorrow, all that will be forgotten. What will remain is the satisfaction of having found the superlative bar of this jaw-dropping city. And the pride of being told we were their first foreign customers. Kudos to the staff for their recommendations, tutoring, and the chill with which they navigated a stressful sitch with us.