06/04/2026 Undisclosed Speyside

Speyside Region 44yo 1973/2017 (47.4%, East Village Whisky Company, Sherry Butt, 142b, b#125): we had this one a couple of times (here and here), but never on its own. Nose: smashed strawberries aplenty! Strawberries on Biscote, dried strawberries, strawberry coulis... Say! this could easily be seen as a one-hit-wonder. What a hit, though. Jelly follows and you will never guess what kind it is -- strawberry. Ha! It turns darker and more serious, with caramel coulis and a dash of liqueur (strawberry liqueur?), before pushing some kind of pink flowers reminiscent of cherry blossom. Then, we find boiled sweets and strawberry chewing gum mingling with beetroot peels, root-y and earthy as one would think. How original! There may be some raspberries in the middle as well. The second nose centres on woodier tones, with fruity-cinnamon-y yoghurt, papier mâché and pink edible paper. Strawberries do come back, of course, but more fleetingly. Mouth: gorgeously fruity, it has more of the strawberry avalanche -- smashed, in a coulis, jellied... All are here. The texture is silky and creamy until one chews, at which point, it comes across as pure fruit juice (berries, you guessed it), perhaps augmented with a drop of nail varnish and a slice of banana. Come to think of it, it has Haribo Bananas, soft, sweet and made a tad acidic by a sprinkle of sherbet.. Retro-nasal olfaction detects the most-minute woodiness, with cinnamon bark and mixed peel past its prime. The second sip is a little bitter: satsuma peels and a delicate ginger paste to complement the strawberry parade. It becomes chewy too, like an orange-and-strawberry-flavoured papier mâché. Finish: surprisingly full and assertive for the ABV, it rolls out the strawberry-coloured carpet: smashed strawberries on Biscote, strawberry jelly, but also dried pineapple rings and mango slices, as well as a lovely vanilla custard in which all those are blended. The second gulp brings us a satsuma-flavoured yoghurt, which is quite a departure from before. Acidic and a trifle bitter, sprinkled with mango powder, yet it remains creamy. In fact, it dies with a breath of fresh, if not overly-juicy, mango. Wow. Simple-ish, but efficient. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, OB)

02/04/2026 PP's 70th birthday tasting @ the Melody

My first proper visit to this famous venue (I came once, fleetingly, to collect something). PS, DW, CBn, EC, BB, SOB, cavalier66, MSo, BA, SD, CC, JS, tOMoH and more join PP in this far flung corner of the city to celebrate this milestone. AN will make a grand entrance as we start the final dram, ha! ha!

Others are already at work when we arrive on site; some are eating, some are drinking. PS pours his thing that has a Cadbury's-looking label. I take no notes.

When we are called in the dining room, where the main event takes place, BB picks up his bag of goodies from the chair. The bag falls down, a bottle breaks. The staff help him salvage, oh!, 8cl. Considering the damage, BB seems to take it with commendable stoicism. We do our best to not let that taint the rest of the evening.

Fortunately, our minds are busy

This spring cap
confused our host

PP gives a short introduction and explains there will not be a whole lot of chichi about what we are about to try: they are bottles that are somehow related to 1956 or to PP, and he wanted to share them. Simples.

The first one was bottled in 1959. It is likely three years old (the legal minimum), which would make it a 1956ish distillation.

King George IV (44 Gradi, The Distillers Agency imported by Carlo Salengo, Seasoned Wood)

Nose: lots of OBE, with tin lids, corroded iron, brass buttons, copper coins covered in Verdigris and tainted marmalade. Coffee emerges after a while, delicate and refined, rather than invasive. The second nose offers a pinch of soot.
Mouth: yeah, lovely old-bottle effect. It has loads of oxidised metal and lukewarm marmalade. The second sip sees a ton of dust and more soot.
Finish: bigger than expected, it prolongs the above, with marmalade and the tin lids of marmalade jars. There is a soft bitterness at play (metal), but that is not distracting.
Comment: great start.
Score: 8/10

The second bottle, PP tells us, was bottled in 1956.

White Horse Cellar b.1956 (70° Proof, White Horse Distillers, b#2032171)

Nose: very, very subtle. Perhaps dusty water? Has it lost to evaporation? It acquires torched shoe polish pretty quickly, then purple corduroy slippers. Posh!
Mouth: spent. There is a little bit of old-bottle effect (read: metal and marmalade), but, mostly, it is dusty water.
Finish: a bit more characterful in the finish, it has a tankful of burnt peat, or, in fact, ashes, and dusty water sprinkled with ground dried orange peels.
Comment: it is an emotional experience, since this likely contains Malt Mill, a distillery that was still in production, at the time. Sadly, the whisky is objectively over the hill. Even generously, it will be a meagre score.
Score: 7/10

I become acutely aware that they are making coffee next door. For a place that claims to specialise in whisky, that seems like a faux pas that disrupts an experience. Fortunately, it does not last.

Here is one distilled in 1956.

Linkwood-Glenlivet 21yo 1956/1977 (80° Proof, Cadenhead)

Nose: ooft! This is a tad meaty and furry. It has coffee grounds, musk, mocha, then it turns all jammy, with caramelised marmalade, charred grapefruit, pineapple rings rolled in soot, dried sausages grilled on charcoal. All that in a boiler room covered in dust. There is a bolder whiff of mocha at second nosing, as well as more dirty, soot-y dust.
Mouth: old bottle effect in full display, which means tin lids and jars of marmalade. Chewing unleashes metal that flirts with a pencil-sharpener blade. It is fruity at second sip, with cut peaches and smashed apricots. Beyond that fruit is a metallic funnel.
Finish: big and long, it has more of that metallic edge. The second gulp delivers earthy jams slathered on hot crumpets. No! On scones.
Comment: PP has told me about this bottle and the occasion for which he would open it for nearly a decade. My expectations were therefore high. It does not disappoint. One of the very-first Cadenhead bottlings in this livery, where the dates appear on the main label. Later that year, they would migrate to the neck label.
Score: 9/10

cavalier66: "How can I steal this?"

tOMoH: "This is why I came. And I'm coming again."

cavalier66: "You know what this is? Important whisky."

PP explains the next one has nothing to do with 1956. He tried it at SMWS when it came out and thought it was the best thing he had ever tried. He tells us the price tag was scary, but he ended up taking the plunge, after trying it several times without his enthusiasm shrivelling.

117.3 25yo 1988/2013 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Comment: we know this very well. This is a fresh bottle, which means it is aromatic and metallic before the mango starts talking. That will improve in the open bottle, however impossible it seems -- already, it is top score. That said, even if this is objectively superior (insofar as one can be objective about that), I prefer it the Linkwood, tonight. 10/10

cavalier66 discreetly pulls out his Irish Single Malt 25yo 1988/2013 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, Barrel, 212b) for comparison with 117.3. It wins, today.

PP [clinks on glass to call attention]: "Thank God I don't do this for a living! *sigh*"
BA: "It's hard work, you know!"

PP brings out the first-ever bottling of Bimber, a distillery he has been following from day 1.

Bimber 3yo 2016/2019 The 1st Release (54.2%, OB, Pedro Ximénez Casks, C#6+19+31+37+38, 1000b, b#0142)

Nose: oiled leather followed by coffee grounds, then metal -- galvanised-iron buckets, to be precise. It has a drop of varnish and oiled metal too.
Mouth: a bit monolithic, this is a bold Sherry maturation, dry, earthy, with entirely-desiccated raisins and a lick of cat fur -- or is it fox?
Finish: big, hairy, almost medicinal in a herbal way. It is very much an Oloroso maturation at second gulp, earthy and musky. Despite the strength, it is hard to detect much distillery character.
Comment: competent, even if it will not make me a Bimber aficionado.
Score: 7/10

BA: "This is one of TWE's engraving team's best work."
PP: "Huh?"
BA: "When Dariusz [Plazewski, who co-founded Bimber] bottled this -- or whatever his real name is -- he asked TWE to do the engraving. The team who did this did some of their best work here."

MSo: "It's actually decent, this Bimber."
JS: "That's rare!"
tOMoH: "It's from before they went legal."

PP recounts a couple of anecdotes relating to his adventures in the Wee Toon. On one such occasion, he procured this Springbank.

PP: "There were several Canadians there at the time..."
cavalier66: "And not all were whiskies."

Springbank 17yo d.2000 (48.5%, OB Duty Paid Sample, Fresh Canadian Barrel (ex-Potter), Rotation 836)

Nose: to me, this is so farm-y. Cows' behinds, cow dung, cow droppings (Holstein, Burlina, Bleu-Blanc). We catch a whisper of salty sea spray in the back, then caramelised puffed wheat. Behind all that, it has quince and pear, which is remarkable.
Mouth: dry and mineral, it quickly turns fruitier, with baked pears and quinces, very juicy. The second sip has a crushed-glass dryness to it, crunchy and abrasive, before the juicy side comes back to the rescue. There, it is smoky peach that is clearest.
Finish: long, farm-y. We have peach slices trampled into farm-path mud. It develops a note of charred wood that balances the fruit with a gentle bitterness. And soot too.
Comment: terrific Springer.
Score: 8/10

Finally, PP tells us, we will have a Millburn, a distillery very dear to someone we all know -- someone who, sadly, did not attend tonight.

Millburn 18yo 1975/1993 (58.9%, OB Rare Malts Selection)

Nose: astonishingly strong, this is pure RMS fury. Burning shrubs, old cast-iron radiators, paint tins. The second nose adds acetone. Water gives it horse's sweat, horse hair and desert dirt by the stables.
Mouth: salt city (cavalier66). Dried watercolour, dry brushes (in fact, it is the whole dry-brushing process) and, indeed, salt. Chewing cranks up the watercolour and adds plasticine. We find a little rubber at second sip (the texture, that is), perhaps black liquorice bootlaces.
Finish: caramelised chocolate, salted caramel, boiler-room smoke. Water makes it long and earthy, as well as a little fruitier: crisp apples, some smoked, some roasted.
Comment: I adore this. Muscular, austere, challenging Rare Malt. It is only now I realise that the back label is very different to that of the bottle we tried in 2015. It makes me think we tried the 25yo at the time, rather than this 18yo.
Score: 9/10

Tonight's back label

2015's back label
(the front label was missing)

cavalier66: "Where was Millburn? Speyside?"
JS: "Inverness."
tOMoH: "Never taken the train to Inverness? The distillery is on your left-hand side as you approach the station."
JS: "We must organise a field trip."
BB: "Dornoch weekend."
SOB: "Great name for a band!"

What a line-up!

Talking about the Cadenhead days in which we all met (2016--2020) and Mark Watt's influence on what the company was releasing at the time.

cavalier66: "It's like that surgeon who carved his initials on people's organs."
BB: "That doesn't seem right."

tOMoH: "I'm very upset."
MSo: "Sorry?"
tOMoH: "This friend of ours is organising a barbecue the day before we come back from Seoul."
MSo: "Oh! Sorry."
tOMoH: "I find it inSeoulting."
cavalier66: "You're inconSeoulable."

We talk about BB's broken bottle that PS delivered to him today.

cavalier66: "It's PS. You know what he's like."
tOMoH: "He's one Tullamore away from being wasted is what he's like."

PP reminds us that there is plenty more to drink at the bar, implicitly asking us to hit the minimum spend. After such a line-up, it is unclear what could hold up. And the kitchen is now closed. Samples and bottles come out of bags anyway.

Talisker 16yo b.268 (59.2%, OB specially bottled for Hedonism Wines, 15y ex-Bourbon American Hogshead + 1y Sherry Puncheon, 198b)

Nose: smoked nail varnish and a pinch of earth.
Mouth: drying and sandy, it is marred with tar or petrol topped with glass dust.
Finish: big, hairy, it has oily wood and dust. Pepper? Not so much.
Comment: alright.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, MSo)

PS and BB are talking business. Specifically the broken bottle

BB: "If it's the Japanese sense of giving, I don't feel comfortable with it. I want to make up for it.
SOB: "[PS]'ll take a hand job."

MSo [about a 1976ers birthday party]: "We have a WhatsApp group."
PS: "?"
tOMoH: "If you're not in it, it is intentional."

SOB [to PS]: "How's your dad?"
PS: "That's not a good pick-up line."
MSo: "It is in Ireland."

Mars Komagatake 6yo 2018/2025 Tsunuki Aging (60%, OB selected for Capital Whisky Club imported by La Maison du Whisky, Bourbon Barrel, C#5435, 165b)

Nose: fruity, it rolls out peaches and apricots.
Mouth: tin and stainless steel with fruit.
Finish: more fruit and tin.
Comment: lovely.
Score: 8/10

Time to go before it turns messy. Happy birthday, PP!

31/03/2026 Bishlouk's online tasting: reduced whiskies

Bishlouk gave us samples in August 2024, and we are meeting tonight at last to try them. Psycho, red71, JS, sonicvince and I join our host online. STL sadly calls off a little before it starts.

I tried all those on 12th May 2025, ahead of the party, so as to be able to spend time with them, and enjoy the company on the night.

Bladder issues

Dram #1

Nose: it has an air of an old blend, at first, with a whiff of brine on cardboard and myriad of fresh fruits of the orchard variety, though not only. Apple slices, quince, yet also lemon zest and dried papaya cubes. We detect some cereals underneath that, golden wheat flakes topped with pineapple shavings. The nose timidly hints at butyric, but never quite reaches it. The second nose is somewhat more leathery, as if the fruits from earlier were kept in a suede bag. On the night, I find hay and dried aromatic herbs, as well as a whisper of smoke, or ash. Mouth: orgeat syrup, barley snaps, lemonade gone flat, flat pomelo soda. This is fruity and pleasant upon entrance, and revives old-blend notes when chewing -- cardboard and brine, perhaps a sprinkle of dust. This makes me think of a Glentauchers semi-officially bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. The acidity grows with time, surfing on an increasingly-woody structure, though, at what seems to be a modest ABV, none of that is detrimental in the slightest. It really is a fruity number. Could that be grated Aspirin, that adds this faint bitterness? Could it announce a Littlemill? The second sip is crisp, bright and milky. Apple lassi, pulped pineapple, a drop of lime juice... and tonic-water residue in an empty glass. Finish: more orchard fruits here that cover the height of western Europe, which is to say we see apples and quinces as well as lemons and limes. With imagination, one may find citrus-flavoured tonic water, which harks back to ground Aspirin. Then again, it could be because Bishlouk is a Littlemill fanboi and, subconsciously, I may believe he has hidden one in this selection (he suggests several times that it might be one too). The second gulp weirdly combines warm custard, pomelo zest and a splash of Indian tonic with a spoonful of chocolate milk. It has a lingering drying bitterness that reminds me of Alka Seltzer or grated Aspirin, discreet, but identifiable. On the night, it is a tad more austere, with cardboard and old newspapers.
Comment: I guess an old blend or a Fettercairn. It is neither. After the reveal, I wager a Bladnoch. This is a bottle Bishlouk got from his brother's restaurant.

Lowland Single Malt (40%, Delhaize le Lion, b.early 1990s) 8/10

Bishlouk: "It smells better than I remembered it."
tOMoH: "You're trying to get rid of the horrible stuff you don't like?"
Psycho: "As usual."

Dram #2

Nose: wide, rich and noble, this has polished-mahogany cabinets lined with precious leather-bound books. We have a lick of burgundy shoe polish and a terracotta flagon of an elegant red wine. We are then transported to a dunnage warehouse overcome by smells of rancio, clay floors and a soft dampness. In that warehouse, a tray of baked red apples cools down at pace. The second nose has oily wood, still mahogany rather than teak, but in that general mood. Or could it be a massive redwood table? On the night, it displays vanilla sugar (sonicvince), cherry-flavoured sweets, Cola Bottles, toffee, red liquorice bootlaces (Psycho) and even black ones, with a touch of aniseed (Psycho). Mouth: ooft! this is fruity. Squishy baked red apples, dark grapes, overripe plums. Chewing adds a serving of papier mâché, or simply pours the juices of the afore-mentioned fruits onto a sheet of dusty cardboard. It is wine-y to a point, and some may find cured meat, or a game sauce, but, for me, it is closer to a piping-hot lingonberry compote. The second sip doubles down on the fruitiness, with squashed blackcurrants, cranberries, blueberries, and myrtles. It wears a mild bitterness too, brambles and wine-cured blush-orange peels, purple lipstick, or a mere drop of mulled wine. Finally, cocoa-bean shavings complete the picture. Finish: it is very, very, very fruity again, with plums, baked nectarines, hot elderberry jam, and a pronounced note of dusty-warehouse floor. It also has a dash of liqueur de cassis, or, let us face it, a slice of roast beef on a piece of toasted sourdough, topped with a spoonful of cranberry compote. The second gulp is sweeter, for a second, yet is quietly invaded by a Patras wine, bold, heady and fruity. This is very good.
Comment: only when Bishlouk announces a distillery once part of Morrison Bowmore does it hit me in the face. It is, of course, a Glen Garioch of a certain era. A gift from Bishlouk's brother.

Glen Garioch 21yo (43%, OB, blue ceramic decanter, b. early 1990s) 8/10

Bishlouk: "There is a theme."
Psycho: "Bottles you inherited from your brother?"

Dram #3

Nose: now, this is even fruitier, full of fresh grapes and lychee. One sniff and I am convinced we are dealing with a Cognac. A brandy, at least. Apple peels mixed with squashed plums, cassia bark and pressed grapes. tOMoH finds a pinch of mocha too, yet it may be a figment of his imagination. In any case, the plump grapes easily dominate the nose. The second nose is jammier, or sweeter, to put it bluntly. Chewy sweets, fortified wine, some kind of syrup. sonicvince finds coffee grounds and fruits. Mouth: brandy indeed. There is nothing whisky-like at play, except for a reasonable ABV. Grapes, plums, lingonberries, even a bit of earth. Chewing reveals a mineral side too, more lime-rich soil than even limestone, let alone granite. We find scorched earth or ashes too, not a match for the fruits. The second sip is woodier and bitterer. Oh! it is not difficult or anything; just a little woodier, vine and twigs trying to compete with the grapes (and losing). Finish: rich and fruity, it has, again, grapes, plums, prunes, now, soaked sultanas, and juicy compote. Burnt-wood gratings join on the late tip, hardly a threat to the fruits. The second gulp has chewy sweets: Cola Bottles, Blueberry Creams. It dries the gob a little, just like fortified wines sometimes do. Psycho and I find it slightly woody and astringent on the tip of the tongue.
Comment: red71 is the first to say Cognac on the night. Once Bishlouk confirms, I correctly guess the distillery. When asked how, I admit that the whisky tasters I know (including myself) hardly know another.

Vallein-Tercinier Hors d'Age (42%, OB Réserve de la Maison, b#009058) 7/10

Dram #4

Nose: back with a whisky, though this one is certainly a grain. Puff pastry turns to turnovers. What kind of turnovers? A deep sniff suggests blackcurrants. That would mean only one thing: Invergordon. It has a minty freshness to it, and a generally custardy allure. In any case, it is a fresh-fruity number with none of the solvent notes of glue or varnish that grain-haters call out. Looking hard and with intent, naysayers may pick up nail-varnish remover, I suppose, and insistent nosing may give away baking trays, not just pastry. But that is nitpicking. The second nose dials the custard to eleven. That and puff pastry come to dominate, though there could be a pinch of chalk too, by now. It is all cake (Psycho) and pastry (sonicvince) on the night. Mouth: mellow and fruity, acidic, even, it has baked pineapple rings, apple turnovers, and, upon chewing, mango and chocolate. Some chocolate-makers make dark-chocolate pralines filled with a mango cream; well, imagine the opposite: a mango stuffed with dark chocolate. We have virtually no blackcurrant, here, and, indeed, find a lick of orange-capped Pelikan glue. The Invergordon lead is perhaps not the right one, after all. It may be a North British. Does it matter? Not one bit! The second sip is still acidic, even if one would be exaggerating in calling it stripping. Acidic fruits, no more. Finish: creamy-and-three-quarters, it fans the flames of chocolate-y mango, but now augments it with a slice of maracuja. That adds an acidic touch to what would otherwise be a sweet, buttery character. The second gulp is still mainly fruity, but it injects a dollop of mint cream for good measure. It is no After Eight, mind. Just a little minty freshness. On the night, I have piña colada, loud and clear -- coconut and pineapple. It also has something very bitter akin to 90%-cocoa chocolate (sonicvince). Psycho detects Malibu, which supports the coconut impression. Excellent, this.

Redbreast 21yo b.2021 (46%, OB, Oak Casks, L124431612) 9/10

tOMoH: "It smells like a grain. Coconut, coconut milk, vanilla."
All: "Yes, coconut alright."
Bishlouk: "I think it's not a grain."
tOMoH: "You are clearly wrong."

Psycho: "Oh! yeah, in the mouth, it is obvious."
tOMoH: "It's a grain. If Psycho likes it, it's a grain."

[Laughter]

tOMoH: "Years ago, a friend stayed here for a few nights. We had a tasting, so I invited her. She was not into whisky, so she did not attend. Instead, and to be self-sufficient, she brought a bottle of Malibu... which remained here when she left. Thanks! What was I going to do with that?"
Bishlouk: "Gift it to someone."
tOMoH: "It was open."
Psycho: "What did you do with it?"
tOMoH: "I drank it while listening to music."
Psycho: "What did you listen to? Barbie Girl?"
tOMoH: "You know what I listen to."
Bishlouk: "If you approach music the same way you approach whisky, I'd say you listen to a bit of everything."

About my broken glass...

red71: "Is it a Peugeot?"
tOMoH: "That's pepper mills."
Bishlouk: "No, they make tasting glasses too. You can stick your finger up its arse."
tOMoH: "What kind of tastings do you go to?"

Dram #5

Nose: another beast altogether, this is grassy -- a heap of mown lawn left out to dry for weeks, hay, and a mere whisper of smashed strawberries. This has Fettercairn written all over it, so far. Grist, cereal husks. It clears the nostrils a little, yet it does not smell that strong in alcohol. Maybe it is peppermint? That and a drop of strong all-purpose glue. The second nose brings cardboard into the spotlight, as if dried grass and grist had been packed up in cardboard boxes. Dusty toffee also features. On the night, it is a bit dry and farm-y, with leather, hay, then coffee. Mouth: oily and warming, it has corn mash, caramelised wheat puffs, chicory infusion, and Werther's Original sweets. Amusingly, it is the heat that changes with time on the tongue: it seems to grow stronger, even when no new note joins the lot. The second sip sees more toffee and dust, old Mokatines, hardened caramel and toffee eaten in a room in which others smoke. Cadbury's "chocolate" comes out on the night. Finish: caramel, butterscotch, toffee. Quality Street's Toffee Penny, caramel-glazed wheat puffs again, buttered toasts. Little, if any, of the herbaceous-grassy notes make it this far. In their stead, we have unabashed cereals and caramel, perhaps -- no! definitely expired Mokatines. At the death, we note a tiny drop of acrid eau-de-vie, which revives the Fettercairn impression a bit. Or could this be an ancient blend?
Comment: it turns out we tried this before. I like it better today.

Craigellachie 8yo 2008/2016 (46%, Murray McDavid Benchmark, Sherry Butt finished in Rum Cask, C#6001855 & 600855, 713b) 7/10

Bishlouk: "Wait! I need to check the region."
Psycho: "In that case, it's a Speyside."
tOMoH: "Craigellachie."
Bishlouk: "Yeah."

Psycho guesses the theme: reduced whiskies.

red71: "How's the dating going?"
Bishlouk: "Yeah, I had a date yesterday lunch time."
tOMoH: "Lunch time? Did she have a 17:30 curfew?"
red71: "And did she pass the visual test?"
Bishlouk: "She has magnificent eyes. The rest has yet to be discovered."
tOMoH: "Wait! Is she Afghan?" [i.e. wearing a niqab or a burqa]

Cracking evening. Bishlouk confesses he was a bit worried we would think he was flogging low-quality whiskies, but it was not the case at all. Interesting and unusual things, and they were all tasty to boot.

30/03/2026 Dalmunach

Dalmunach 10yo 2015/2025 (58.5%, Cadenhead Club, Oak Casks + 3 x Oloroso Hogsheads since 2024, 1032b): we tried this one recently in rushed conditions. Let us spend more time with it. Nose: strangely silent. The cold weather, undoubtedly. There are whispers of mahogany and swimming pools (chlorine, in other words), followed by cured fruits -- mostly apricots and oranges. It wakes up a little and gives increasing amounts of wood oil or oily wood. Teak and mahogany seem to shine brightest, but there may be others too. The second nose is not much more talkative. Perhaps it has lukewarm clean laundry, then warm orange marmalade with a sprinkle of ground white pepper. With some imagination, one may detect vegetables cooking water too. Mouth: it is a lot bolder, here. More oily wood accompanied by chocolate coulis and a thick liqueur, cherry or hazelnut. Chewing cranks up the wood oil and we find oily chestnut shells, walnut oil and Brazil nuts, as well as dried orange peels, orange oil and the bitterness that comes with that. It oscillates between nutty and citrus-y for the longest time -- and by 'citrus-y', I mean peels and oils, not juice or segments, save for a minute touch of blush orange via retro-nasal olfaction. The second sip is as hot as the first and also sweeter, full of warm marmalade on the blade of a butter knife, or in the bowl of a spoon. Yup, it has a metallic edge too, now. It is but fleeting, mind: marmalade really dominates, with dried oregano in the background. Finish: creamy and nutty, the finish has a nut-and-citrus liqueur, one in which wood oil and orange-peel oil compete for attention. It lingers like a gulp of Triple Sec, though oilier. Here, we find hazelnut-chocolate praline filled with mixed peel. That spells a clear bitterness, yet it is also rather more-ish. The second gulp brings chocolate and bitter marmalade together and adds some kind of icing, maybe slightly-crystallised mixed peel? In any case, it works well. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, SOB)

28/03/2026 London MkV

After many months of trying, we finally found a date to meet. One guest called off last week, but that leaves enough to go ahead anyway. JS, JMcD, YM and cavalier66 join me for the afternoon.

cavalier66 skillfully builds a coherent line-up
under the watchful eye of JMcD

Ta-da

The soundtrack: Aware - Requiem For A Dying Animal

tOMoH presents: Cutty Sark (y'know? The clipper in Greenwhich and the DLR station of the same name)

Cutty Sark 25yo Tam o'Shanter (46.5%, Berry Bros. & Rudd for Burns' Night 2012, 5000b) (tOMoH)

Nose: fruity (cavalier66), it has brambles and fruit-tree wood.
Mouth: "not grain-forward" (cavalier66 looking for a punch in the face), it has bitter and woody notes (JMcD), and goes really well with the ambient music (cavalier66).
Finish: it has a slight harshness of grain (cavalier66).
Comment: cavalier66 adds water and says it loses its fruit to become astringent. I enjoy this for the starter it is, today. Full notes here.
Score: 7/10

tOMoH presents: Shepherd's Bushmills

Bushmills 21yo b.2004 (40%, OB, Madeira Wood Finish, b#16296) (tOMoH)

Nose: fruity and a tad woody. It seems fruitier than last time, with lychee and baked brown bananas.
Mouth: thick and creamy, not unlike a crème au chocolat liégeois, to be accurate (a sort of chocolate custard topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa). The second sip has metal dripping with melted chocolate.

Finish: an earthy touch with cocoa powder dusted on a cup of mocha.
Comment: just as good as last time. Notes here.
Score: 8/10

vs.

Dram #3

We try this blind from a urine sample, and that is in theme ... because we try it in London. Well done, cavalier66!

Nose: fermented pear (JMcD), urine (cavalier66). He must be drunk: I have dried pineapple chunks, dried apricot and dried mango slices. Cigarette smoke takes off at second nosing.
Mouth: ah! Is it a little chalky? There is grated Aspirin, but it is mostly fruity and fresh. More citrus at second sip.
Finish: fruity and a trifle bitter, which hints at citrus peels.
Comment: I guess a Littlemill, but no. With a few clues, I end up identifying it. The quality-to-price ratio is really hard to beat.
Score: 8/10

Irish Reserve 26yo (46%, unknown bottler Superior Reserve for Aldi, b.2017) (cavalier66)

The soundtrack: Various - Witchcraft and Black Magic In The United States

tOMoH presents: Glen Mhorden

Glen Mhor 1982/2009 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#1231) (tOMoH)

Nose: rotten fruits (cavalier66), sink fruits (cavalier66, who takes a shortcut to vocalise that clogged sinks, at some point, develop a fruity scent). I have strawberry- or cherry-flavoured sweets, which cavalier66 relates to Opal Fruits or Starburst (Sugus for our Continental readers). Perhaps it has sherbet too? YM declares a high-end pruneau vibe, which amuses me. He is so posh, sometimes.
Mouth: YM finds it unusual and brighter than expected. cavalier66 reckons it is dusty -- "ambient dust," JMcD adds.
Finish: pickled onion (cavalier66), ground dried berries followed by stale beer. That is the note that sticks.
Comment: love it. Very relieved too: the level was fairly low (it must have lost 5cl to evaporation) and the stopper odd. The cork was loose in the neck, but the wood cap looked oversized, as if someone had managed to remove the foil and the stopper, poured themselves a few drams, plugged a new stopper of an incorrect girth, and put the foil back on as if nothing had happened. Looking forward to trying it again.
Score: 8/10

Food enters. cavalier66 brought his usual bounty of cheeses, as well as bread ("for Baker Street," yelps JMcD. "No, it is seeded, like the tennis players at Wimbledon, London's tournament," cavalier66 answers) and beetroot-cured salmon (because it is red, like London's red routes).

Stoney King's Cross Station

Old Comté-on Street

Alp-erton Blossom Station

Membrillo, which we know is Harley Quinn-ce paste (a rugby team, apparently)

JMcD presents: Bruichladdich Old Street Skool (or Bruich Lane, JS ventures)

Bruichladdich 10yo b.2026 Old Skool (50%, OB 25th Anniversary Limited Release, 95% First Fill ex-Bourbon & 5% First Fill ex-Sauternes) (JMcD)

Nose: pungent, it has a bit of rubber and linoleum glue. It is not very open yet (new bottle), but I like it already. Then, it develops pineapple turnovers before turning creamy AF, with even a whiff of lactic acid.
Mouth: breathing is necessary, here, as it is impenetrable, straight from the bottle. With time, it gives cereals, porridge and cinnamon.
Finish: the shift in ABV is noticeable. It stings a bit, in the same way a disinfectant would. It balances bitterness and acidity for a while, is strongly lactic, then settles for creamy as planned.
Comment: it is a bit unruly from a recently-opened bottle. I reckon it will improve greatly over time.
Score: 7/10

Next to the 15yo from the 1980s for visual comparison
The label goes full circle, as with Benriach
One wonders why they spend millions on upgrading it

The soundtrack: Zanias - Cataclysm

cavalier66 presents: Glenglassaugh, as hard to pronounce as so many London places. The distillery is closed again, as are many London tube stations. This particular bottling was selected by Ronnie Routledge, who has the same first name as so many famous Londoners.

Glenglassaugh 35yo 1976/2011 (49.6%, OB The Chosen Few selected by Ronnie Routledge, Sherry Butt, 654b, b#320) (cavalier66)

Nose: polished dashboards and wooden posts so polished by ropes they almost shine. It has horse's sweat too (cavalier66 is quick to read us Whiskyfun's review, which makes it impossible to miss that) and fruits. Plums, prunes in syrup, perhaps blueberries and a jelly of sorts, or shoe polish.
Mouth: it has a mineral side to it, a lick of limestone, but also a lot of plum juice. The second sip has sirop de Liège or another jelly, though not membrillo. Green grapes, including the pips.
Finish: long, spiky, it is almost cactus-like -- not in terms of taste, but mouthfeel, if that makes sense. Prickle pears, plums, rehydrated soft prunes and green grapes. It develops a touch of softly-toasted or burnt rubber.
Comment: "a serious whisky," says cavalier66. Quality.
Score: 9/10

cavalier66: "JS, have you tried my urine yet?"
JS: "What?"
cavalier66: "In the sample bottle. I saved you a few drops."
JS: "There is so little left..."
tOMoH: "At his age, that is all he could muster up."

cavalier66 presents a bottle with a low(ish) fill, because London is a low-level city, which is why they built the Thames Barrier. And the label has a circle (the pump wheel) for the Circle Line.

Irish Single Malt 25yo 1988/2013 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, Barrel, 212b) (cavalier66)

Nose: "is it yellow or purple?" (cavalier66) "Passion fruit?" (JS) Jacob Ree-ZOMG! A 'splosion of mango and maracuja, nectarine and peach. It also has a whiff of warm wood, followed by a pot of mocha coffee. JS finds it an air of Amaretto.
Mouth: flabbergasting fruit, of course. Pineapple nectar, mangoes, including the bitterness one feels when licking mango skins, and maracuja fruit served in a rubber goblet. Chewing gives a mix of plant sap, Alka Seltzer and rubber. Ha!
Finish: "it tastes bejewelled to me" (JMcD). Seeds of passion fruit (JMcD). Yes, it has that bitterness and, fortunately, not the crunch. I find pineapple bark, on the other hand.
Comment: phwoar! cavalier66 arrogantly announced a dram that could give 117.3 a run for its money. After trying it, one must admit it plays in the same league.
Score: 10/10

The soundtrack: Sabled Sun - 2145

Time for cake. JMcD brought a blueberry cheesecake and "a German cake with a name that starts with 'A'" from Artisan Foods, on Brora Market.

JMcD: "Hang on! Who brought a Brora?"

JS presents: St Maggy Axe

St.Magdalene 23yo 1982/2006 (56%, Hart Brothers Finest Collection imported by Marsalle Company) (JS)

Nose: petrichor and ozone (cavalier66). It is indeed earthy and fresh as a summer rain, or as "a meadow with a beautiful maiden next to you" (cavalier66). Hippie music (cavalier66).
Mouth: muscular (the inspired cavalier66 again), it has orange peels and citrus oil, pith and a mineral touch (it is a Magdalene, after all).
Finish: sticky, almost soot-y, it remains elegant at the same time, like only St Magdalene can do.
Comment: my full notes are here. This is delicious. "Delishballs and corpuscular" (cavalier66).
Score: 9/10

Only now do we spot JMcD's socks.
Is that the London Eye? One Canada Square? The Shard?
It is the same pattern as the seats on the Jubilee Line!

cavalier66: "It is quite potent."
JS: "Oh! You're not using your usual complaint... [imagine this at cask strength]"
cavalier66: "No. This one, I'm going to dilute to cask strength."

tOMoH: "Is 'corpuscular' a real word?"
cavalier66: "I don't know."
tOMoH: "It is logical. 'Corpuscule' exists, so, if it isn't, it should be."
cavalier66: "Yeah."
tOMoH: "You deserve your own entry in the dictionary."
cavalier66: "It's all that LSD I put in the Irish."
tOMoH: "Is that why I'm tripping delishballs?"

YM presents: Bow and More Gate

Bowmore 15yo 2003/2018 (57.1%, Cadenhead specially bottled for Cadenhead's Whisky Shop Campbeltown, Bourbon Hogshead + Burgundy Cask Finish, 264b) (YM)

Nose: farm-y nose if there was one, it has peat, farm paths, dried mud cakes, bone-dry apples. We find tincture of iodine too, which is less farm-y, and bandages. That continues towards super-dry hay and ashes. YM detects ham hough. Water confirms the farm, even if the others think it is fruitier. Eventually, chargrilled pineapple and peaches come up with the adjacent smoke.
Mouth: grilled peaches and nectarines (YM), heavy smoke (YM). Yeah, it has a drop of fruit and buckets of soot that sticks to the gob until the end of times. Chewing brings earth, tar and ink. It is as bitter as vine leaves too, and hot. Water makes it acidic and ashy, with citrus juice and the ashtray of a domestic fireplace.
Finish: hot, very hot, it has scorched earth, burning hay and spilled diesel. Water adds a touch of charred cherry tree and charred cherries that still give a soft fruit juice.
Comment: lovely Bowmore, if not the fruitiest.
Score: 8/10

Celebrity spotting

YM: "Burgundy cask since 2011."
tOMoH: "Seven years out of fifteen, that's not a finish; it's a double maturation."
cavalier66: "Burgundy? We can hope it was a white Burgundy, not a red one."
tOMoH: "You're so racist, cavalier66."

cavalier66: "With water, it becomes sooooo good."
tOMoH: "Do you want to try the water without the whisky? I can give you a clean glass..."
cavalier66: "The water swims like a whisky that can swim. Wait! I mean..."

The soundtrack: Foetusdream - Brouillard

JMcD presents: Valinch. He admits he did not know what a valinch was until he saw a specimen in the Museum of London. A valinch used by the Excise at Newham, which is in London.

The Laddie Valinch 12yo d.2009 Lindy Maclellan (62.6%, OB The Laddie Valinch, ex-Rivesaltes Cask, C#1618, B#56, 384b, b#332) (JMcD)

Nose: it is very tannic (YM) or tea-like (cavalier66). YM also finds vanilla, or the vanilla glaze on a doughnut. It then becomes more typical of a Sherry cask, with leather and shoe polish. Follow mushrooms and potting soil. It gains a mineral side, over time.
Mouth: strongly sweet and savoury at the same time. It has cured ham, prunes, dried dates and hairy plums (yes, mould). It is also very hot, unsurprisingly, but remains tolerable, thanks to the fruits and a comforting flock of fluffy hair.

Finish: long, earthy and pretty drying, it has shoe polish, tanned leather and the skin of a dead fox.
Comment: uncompromising 'laddie.
Score: 7/10

YM presents: Old Street Potrero, a whiskey made of 100% malted Peckham Rye.

Old Potrero 7yo (65.6%, OB Single Barrel Reserve, Air-Dried Fine-Grain New American Oak Barrel, C#11-14/3, 129b) (YM)

Nose: overly-lacquered wood. This is exuberantly heady and has a distinct rye note. Rye bread and lukewarm, flat Irn Bru, reminiscent of a Scottish-Jewish bakery (cavalier66).
Mouth: ooft! A rye alright, with a dash of Irn Bru, metal, artificial sweetness, and plasticine. It feels a tad more gravelly at second sip, mineral and drying. The sweetness comes back quickly, however. cavalier66 finds caraway seeds and malted rye.
Finish: long and huge, it is also insanely sweet. Repeated quaffing confirms that sweetness. Lemonade, Irn Bru, diabetes. I even get dill, after a while, probably suggested by the others who talk about gravadlax.
Comment: what an original one to finish with! dom666 and kruuk2 used to talk about Potrero often, more than twenty years ago. Good to reacquaint. Sadly, it is a headache-inducing one, if not as bad as a Cambus.
Score: 8/10

Post-tasting, JMcD tries Laphroaig 10yo 1994/2005 (52.5%, Creative Whisky Company Exclusive Malts) (notes). YM has Bowmore 23yo b.2023 Lovers Transformed (50.9%, OB travel retail exclusive, Refill PX + Oloroso-seasoned European Oak, 8000b) (notes). cavalier66 tries Laphroaig 31yo 1974/2005 (49.7%, OB for La Maison du Whisky, Sherry Wood Casks, 910b, b#652).

Great times. Pity it has become so difficult to gather everyone for one of these sessions, as they are invariably good fun.