We could start this year's edition like we did the one
two years ago.
The big day has arrived. I wake up with a very minor headache from the rumsky too many drams last night, but a run, a shower, and breakfast clear that up. Or it is the adrenalin -- who knows?
We have breakfast at Ozone with adc, JS, sonicvince and Psycho.
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Big brekkie for adc, Psycho and sonicvince
(one each, they are not sharing) |
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| Kedgeree for JS |
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| My eggs benedict |
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| My hash browns |
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| My green juice |
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| JS's capuccino |
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| adc's capuccino |
With food in, we head to the venue to set it up.
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sonicvince and Psycho greatly help by finding
and implementing an adequate table configuration |
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| Meanwhile in the backroom... |
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| The Durant comes in handy |
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| Only a few casualties, but they are beyond hope |
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The pourer disc even falls into one of the decanters
(I will fish it out in a couple of days WITH CHOPSTICKS!) |
Whilst we scramble to finish the preparations, guests arrive and everyone has an apéritif. Soon, we have a full house. Psycho, adc, Gaija, BA, WhiskyLovingPianist, JMcD, EG, PS, SOB, OB, CB, cavalier66, sonicvince, CD, PG, JH, pat gva, YdS, Savoureur, PH, elskling, JWB join JS and me for the afternoon, which is dedicated to the third Indiana Jones film.
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| Also, the Red Arrows |
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| Former members of the North London crew |
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Savoureur is always kneeling for photos,
rummaging in his samples or foraging for bottles |
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CB brought a hat and a whip.
Of course, they are put to good use! |
What was the apéritif?
Spirit of North of Scotland 48yo 1973/2021 (25%, Bartels Whisky His Excellency): I do not even try it, today. Full notes here.
Even when all is displayed, we struggle to show the presentation and the presenter's notes on the right screens. We also wait for late comers: due to my unclear indications, JWB is sitting in the wrong room -- woops! Finally, all is ready. We move on to the proper line-up.
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To ease the wait, tOMoH puts out Mignonettes.
CD puts out a tub with a Swiss flag in it -- probably so we
do not confuse it with rabbit droppings?
One is emptied much faster than the other. Just sayin'. ;-) |
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Teaser #1
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EG: "Sorry for the question: can we only smell, or can we taste too?"
[Total hilarity.]
tOMoH: "Smell it only. I'll pour it back into the bottle in a minute."
Dram #1
Nose: elskling finds it fantastic. YdS and PS think it is a Speysider. adc detects dust in the attic and has flashbacks of indistinct childhood memories.
Mouth: CD reckons it has lost a little of its original ABV, while cavalier66 cannot refrain a. "imagine this at cask strength." EG replies it is cask strength, but it has lost its fruits a bit. cavalier66 mentions Virgin Cola and adc senses 45-50% ABV.
Finish: elskling notes a rather short finish with otherwise lovely fruits. It is a wonderful Sherry maturation to me. EG spots a minty freshness or menthol, perhaps eucalyptus, Cognac (CB) and, certainly, a spoonful of honey (CB).
Comment: it is incredibly deep and fruity, with prunes, soaked raisins, dried cranberries, a hint of tobacco, and blueberries too. Phwoar! The link to the theme is that The Last Crusade's last act takes place in the Republic of Hatay, a country that existed from 1938 to 1939, when this was distilled. We start with a pre-War dram, because we can.
Linkwood 48yo 1939/1987 (40%, Sestante, crystal decanter) 9/10
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| Note-taking of the highest calibre |
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| Teaser #2 |
Dram #2
Nose: Gaija tells us it leaps out of the glass by itself and displays citrus, clementine, apricot and Viognier wine. He adds that it seems juvenile, meaning lively and fresh, rather than immature. sonicvince has dried apricots. ruckus, on the other hand, tastes some kind of effervescent medicine, while Psycho points out spices, perhaps nutmeg.
Mouth: cavalier66 finds the palate really different from the nose -- putty, olive oil and chalk. CB talks of Imperial, which makes me think silently of a specific Imperial by the same bottler. sonicvince decides it is complex and ever changing, and Psycho observes walnuts whose skin is peeling off.
Finish: waxy (SOB). it prolongs the impression of crushed medicine tablets (ruckus).
Comment: super fruity from the off, it explodes on the palate to unveil a nutty, fruity chocolate. Lots of guesses, mostly Glenturret. Past the nose, some determine it is a distillery suffixed with '-Glenlivet'. The link to the theme is that, when the Grail fell in the crevice, it was quite a loss.
PS: "The best unpeated peated Glenturret I have ever had."
OB and cavalier66: "Lovely Miltonduff."
CD: "Glentauchers."
Savoureur: "We reused the same tasting notes as for the first: 'Ooh! Aah! Mmh! Bautiful!'"
EG and WhiskyLovingPianist: "Glenlossie."
Glenlossie-Glenlivet 48yo 1966/2014 (43.5%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 168b, 14/230) 9/10
tOMoH: "How's things?"
SOB: "All good, yeah. Good stuff."
tOMoH: "Your rhetoric is unmatched."
ruckus: "The Swiss chocolate tastes like hot chocolate."
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Teaser #3
CB recognises the collection.
Of course, there was a wall of these
where he used to work |
Dram #3
Nose: JH rejoices that this is right up his alley. He adds: "I don't want to know what it is, because I'll start looking for it online. As far as I am concerned, this is an Unobtainable 48yo!" WhiskyLovingPianist smells apple crumble, whereas SOB reckons it shows its age more. PS adds that it shows the wood, which prompts BA to say: "Did I just hear 'showing the wood'?" Puns aside, BA spots a farmyard-y edge and distant silage, while adc notes mountain perfume. It has mustard powder and yellow flowers to me. Psycho talks of a fruity mille-feuille and CB calls waxy fruit.
Mouth: concentrated (CD), sandalwood (CD), old (OB, cavalier66, CB), juniper berries (adc). It is extremely juicy and fruity, with peaches wrestling with yellow-tulip petals. Fruit, butter, salted shortcrust (Psycho), even though the first sip is full-on honey (Psycho).
Finish: huge, it tingles the gums and coats the tongue with yellow-flower sap. There is mint too, peppermint and a growing liquorice note.
Comment: CD tells us that, if he is going to cover himself in ridicule, he may as well go balls deep: "Early 1950s Glen Grant, Gordon & MacPhail, high strength, Legacy Release." EG reckons a Cadenhead dumpy or a Samaroli bottling. Savoureur finds it even better than the previous two. It is, indeed, superlative whisky. In the film, a well-known anachronism sees the Nazis burn books on a big Banffire.
Banff 1966/2015 (45.2%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, B#RO/15/03, 362b, AE/JACF) 10/10
Savoureur rejoices that we are drinking those bottles. He tells me of the Open Bottle Association, whose motto is: "A closed bottle is like a missing friend."
We break out for food.
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| Various types of crisps and catering from Kafé Kübe |
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| Nachos and cheeses |
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| Dried sausages, biltong and pork scratchings |
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| It does not take long for only rubble to remain |
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| Single-handed eating |
It is a long pause, during which pat gva resumes pouring his Laphroaig 10yo.
Savoureur and I are reminded of BabelFisch42 pouring his Glenturret during Rarities for Charity, in April. The difference is that pat gva's Laphroaig is really good, and we are on a break (yes, it is intentional).
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| Teaser #4 |
Dram #4
Nose: EG shouts: 'banana' before even nosing it (look at the teaser). I find tonnes of gingerbread, whereas Psycho smells coffee.
Mouth: mocha chocolate, baked banana. OB calls it very fruity; ruckus calls it a fruit bomb. Psycho thinks it is a bit aggressive and harder to define. JH has blackcurrants under the banana bomb. He adds that it expands and fills the mouth, concentrated without being all over the shop.
Finish: mellow chocolate gives way to a small splosion of tropical fruits, starting with maracuja and green mangoes. Psycho finds it warming and long, and the perfect whisky for a rainy day. JWB, on the other hand, detects oily nuts, saturated with oil.
Comment: cavalier66 and OB believe it is a Bunnahabhain. EG goes for an Irish. pat gva pulls out the big guns and states it is a Samaroli Glen Grant, a Tomatin 1976 or a Benriach 1976, unless it is a Caperdonich 1972. In other words: he does not know. It celebrates the Leap of Faith, which, in simple terms, is really an invisible Carsebridge.
Carsebridge 48yo 1975/2024 (45.3%, Keeble Cask Fragrant Drops, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, C#161077, 202b) 9/10
EG: "Really good. I'll be looking for this one."
PS: "It'll be on the table over there."
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Teaser #5
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Dram #5
Nose: phwoar! Wow! Orchard fruits, greengages (PS). "This is quite fresh," says cavalier66. It has peach slices, then opens to reveal strawberry jam, dried apple slices (adc) and even hints of purple passion fruit.
Mouth: a bit greenish (pat gva), it tingles a little (PG) and presents hazelnuts (adc). It is a trifle chalky indeed and oaky, though far from plank-y.
Finish: OB finds something herbal as he swallows and he adds it lingers, with herbs and liqueur. It is baked fruits topped with herbs, now. Wow! After a while, it becomes as warming as it is aromatic.
Comment: pat gva ventures it could be a Longmorn. He adds he is less keen on this one. As all know, the Grail grants eternal life to those who drink from it.
Glen Grant 48yo 1965/2013 (49.6%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Hogshead, C#2137, 112b, b#36) 9/10
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| Teaser #6 |
Dram #6
Nose: Jacob Ree-ZOMG! Dates! Figs! Prunes! All dried, all dripping with syrup. Pickled-onion Monster Munch, vinegar and blackcurrants (BA), a rose wrapped in Spanish jamón (Gaija), leather (Psycho), Sherry (OB).
Mouth: rancio, smashed blue- and blackberries, a notch drying and very much reminiscent of a dunnage warehouse. It has spices too (ginger, asafoetida, lemongrass shavings), but the fruits dominate. sonicvince tells me it feels like a very-old Port (to which I answer: "Le Porto? Je n'ai pas ça, hein moi," obviously).
Finish: long and warming, some hairy carpet or cow hide and unreal dark berries and fruits. elskling finds it excellent, despite a touch of dark-wood bitterness at the death.
Comment: AI agents help PH and others determine the exact bottling, even if it takes some time (the first few hits are for the 40yo, 45yo, 30yo, 43yo...) I remind all that the villain in The Last Crusade is an American called Walter Donovan -- or Walter Donahavan, as I prefer to pronounce it.
Bunnahabhain 48yo 1975/2023 (50.2%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection Rare Reserve 35th Anniversary, Oloroso Sherry Butt, C#2845, 361b, b#46) 9/10
Savoureur: "It's bottle number 46. Is it a hint to
two years ago?"
tOMoH: "They didn't have bottle number 48."
CD: "You can change it on the label."
EG: "Exactly."
All burst out laughing.
Before we have a chance to thank all for coming and announcing the end, the whole audience starts chanting: "Bow-more! Bow-more! Bow-more!"
I have to calm them down, tell them this is the end of the official line-up and look forward to the bottles they undoubtedly all brought for the afterparty.
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| But before that... |
The slide is received with a mix of jubilation, vindication and normalcy. I suppose, after eight years of pulling the same trick, people have come to expect it, to a degree.
I do warn everyone that, if they expect a forty-eight-year-old Bowmore, they need to revise their expectations. I add that only one exists -- it was sold in December 2013 at a One of One charity auction for an amount well beyond our means.
But we did promise a Bowmore, and there will be one.
Everyone knows the story enough to select "the brown one." Indeed, the Grail is the cup of a carpenter. But what would that be? I give a clue: it is not forty-eight but a quarter of that age. "We'll have to taste it four times!" someone shouts. A few guesses, including Bowmore 12yo in a dumpy brown bottle. I half-expect someone to guess the bottling for the opening of the distillery's visitor centre, but they do not. In fact, no-one has a clue, by now. I reveal to the sound of jaws dropping.
CD: "Nooooohhhhhhhh!"
tOMoH: "I did try to dissuade you [to spend a considerable amount] to taste it in Limburg, last year."
Largiemeanoch 12yo d.1967 (54.2%, The Howgate Wine Co., C#2655/6/7)
Nose: fermented soy sauce and seaweed (JWB), celery (EG), 1960s Bowmore (CB). ruckus tells of soy sauce too, which is unusual. He adds this is a not-so-good-looking girl to whom it is completely impossible not to be attracted, for some irrational reason. Psycho spots asphalt, old tyres and fruits, dry and fresh.
Mouth: lychee and dark chocolate (CD), machine oil (JH).
Finish: "if I had to give it a musical style, it would be garage funk," says JH. He adds old books, old leather and drawers, raisins and prunes.
Comment: Bowmore eyes, unsurprisingly. We had this before, so I focus on what others are thinking. I like it even more today.
Score: 16/10
PH is very excited that her favourite dram is from 1967. Savoureur is excited full stop: he has never tried it before.
cavalier66: "There is an intelligent design [somewhere] that engineers passion fruits to taste like this."
I reference Ian Buxton's 101 Legendary Whiskies You're Dying to Try But (Possibly) Never Will (Headline Publishing Group) and do a quick survey. Buxton wrote:
"It may be a trifle simplistic, but the world of whisky probably divides into those who have heard of Largiemeanoch and everybody else. There is an even more exclusive group who have actually tasted it."
This group today is at the top of the whisky food chain: elsewhere, there are some who have tried more, who know more or own more (except for pat gva), but this group of twenty-four have enough knowledge (through tasting, talking to industry people, working in said industry, or reading) to claim their spot in the top tranche. How many have heard of this bottling? Eleven. Not even half. How many have tried this before? Six (including yours, truly). Just half of half.
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| Who has tried this before? |
Both groups have just become larger, but it will likely forever remain a confidential bottling.
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| Final line-up |
Once emotions have faded a bit, the after-party kicks in. As each time, everyone brought things of insane quality. There are many I never manage to try, busy as I am preparing for the inevitable retreat. I take no notes for any of the ones I do try. It is a group of friends freestyling through great drams with no ceremony. Just positive vibes and appreciation for a shared interest.
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| Even Essy takes part |
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| Glentauchers 41yo 1976/2017 (42%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 126b) (OB) 9/10 |
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| Milton Duff 14yo (57.4%, Sestante Pluscarden Valley) (elskling): funky marshmallow going wrong and mushrooms (JS). We had the version at 40% years ago. This is comfortably better. 9/10 |
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| Glentauchers 39yo 1976/2019 (43.8%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 180b) (cavalier66) 9/10 |
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| Strathisla 1960/2000 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail imported by S. Fassbind) (PG) 9/10 |
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| Laphroaig 10yo (90 U.S. Proof, OB imported by Julius Wile, b. ca. 1980s) (pat gva) 9/10 |
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| Bruichladdich 20yo 2001/2021 (53.1%, Sansibar-Whisky, Sherry Hogshead, 318b) (elskling): a muscular Sherry cask puts a stranglehold on Bruichladdich's light spirit. 8/10 |
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| 26.47 22yo 1984/2006 Honey complex (57.6%, SMWS Society Cask) (PS) 9/10 |
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| Psycho gives me one blind: Cambus 25yo 1991/2017 (57.1%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, C#061971, 555b) (PS): as soon as I see the label, I scold Psycho, who acts as if my Cambus intolerance were a new thing. Fortunately, no headache tomorrow morning. 8/10 |
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| Funky shirts of Europe unite |
So many others I do not try.
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| Littlemill 22yo 1990/2013 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd Selected by Berrys', C#16) (CB) |
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| Benriach 21yo 1999/2020 Edition N°21 (56.5%, Decadent Drinks WhiskySponge, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, 164b) (OB) |
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| Bowmore 21yo 1996/2018 (50%, Hunter Laing The Old Malt Cask, Refill Hogshead, C#HL15033, 272b) (who brought this?) |
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| Château de Pomès Pébérère d.1966 (42%, OB) (who brought this?) |
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| Château de Millet 1978/2022 (42%, OB) (BA) |
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| Invergordon 44yo 1966/2010 (46.8%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, Refill Barrel, C#HH4995) (cavalier66) |
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North of Scotland 39yo d.1966 (44.4%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, C#HH2240) (cavalier66)
We had this in December |
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Talistill 11yo 1996/2007 (46%, Taste Still, C#5471, 180b) (ruckus)
We had this countless times |
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| Chichibu 2009/2012 The Floor Malted (50.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt distributed by Japan Import System imported by Number One Drinks, 8800b, b#8142) (EG) |
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| Tomatin 45yo 1966/2011 (46%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams selected by and bottled for The Nectar joint bottling with La Maison du Whisky, Sherry Cask, 391b) (cavalier66) |
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Glenmorangie 10yo (43° Gay Lussac, OB imported by Schutz & Cloos, b. ca. 1985) (Psycho)
Another old favourite |
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| Bunnahabhain 1989/2001 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail The MacPhail's, JA/ACC) (Psycho) |
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| Macallan 2006/2020 (57.3%, Gordon & MacPhail Speymalt, C#9672, 294b) (Savoureur) |
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| Glen Mhor 1978/1993 (62.2%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength, C#2263+2264+2266+2268) (BA) |
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| It is even its anniversary today! |
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Islay Single Malt 30yo 1991/2021 Selection N° 3 (46%, The Wine Society Reserve Cask Selection, Sherry Butt, C#2253, 570b, b#350) (WhiskyLovingPianist)
We had this in May |
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| 33.52 10yo 1994/2004 Rowan jelly and menthol cigarettes (58.3%, SMWS Society Cask) (PS) |
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| Laizhou b.2025 (66.9%, OB handcrafted souvenir for the Laizhou Spirits Culture Experience Center, Yellow Wine Barrel, C#10139278) (BA) |
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| Bowmore 20yo 2005/2026 Ronald's Choice (56.5%, Cadenhead Barrel Royale, Bourbon Barrel) (SOB) |
People are starting to leave one by one. The reverb in the room is too much for many, while others, such as OB and cavalier66 have a Tupperware showcase to attend.
Since there was so much food during the event, no-one seems sad that we do not order pizzas. After a leisurely after-party, we vacate the premises with ten minutes to spare.
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| It is as if nothing happened, here |
Psycho kindly carries his own weight in bottles back to the warehouse to help, and remains stoic, even as others stop us every five metres to say goodbye.
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Does not stop him showing off his hat
when we make it home! |
What a day this has been! We are physically and emotionally drained.
A new lesson learnt: although tOMoH firmly believes in tasting whisky blind to avoid prejudice, in future years, he is considering disclosing the drams immediately. Guests otherwise spend the first ten minutes searching for the likely reference, using image search and artificial intelligence, rather than enjoying the whisky. My question, "What do you think [of this whisky]?" aims more for, "It tastes like marzipan and I enjoy it very much" than, "I reckon it is a Glenturret."
tOMoH takes full responsibility, though: serve him well for sending images of the labels as teasers.
Glenmorangie 10yo (43° Gay Lussac, OB imported by Schutz & Cloos, b. ca. 1985): crisp and fresh, it has grapefruit peels, dried pineapple chunks and crystallised citrus (lemon and calamansi). We also find barley and hay to a lesser extent. It smells like a late-spring dram, which is dead-on, considering this is the second day of summer. Further nosing gives a whiff of sewers, which half-suggests decaying fruits. It is but fleeting, however: soon enough, we are back with citrus peels and, this time, it is closer to oranges enhanced with a lick of oily tobacco. The second nose has a powderier allure, closer to peach skins and cosmetic powder, perhaps ironed laundry and linen. Mouth: thin and fruity, it has more citrus, acidic and bright -- lemon, grapefruit, Buddha's hand. Chewing adds a pinch of spices, half ginger powder, half asafoetida, entirely mild. It is citrus's game, though, with zest, segments, pulp (in taste, not in texture) and oil. With imagination, one may detect lemon marmalade, though that is not prominent. The second sip is more acidic, if anything; dried grapefruit zest mingles with asafoetida, and a dash of lemon syrup completes the picture. Finish: the citrus parade carries on in the finish, with dried calamansi segments, candied lemons, dried grapefruit and pineapple slices. A faint trace of sawdust gives an original note that replaces the ginger from earlier. The second gulp starts off with stem ginger to promptly return to dried citrus and sawdust. It seems to have wine-cured oranges too, but it is too dry for that. Let us call them cured oranges, dried and zested. This is as delicious as ever. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Psycho)
