27/09/2026 Fête de la Communauté française de Belgique

The ideal scenario would be to try a Belgian Owl, especially in light of its announced liquidation, earlier this week. But there is none at tOMoH's, at the moment. What else, then? A Daftmill? Well, we French-speaking Belgians can be a bit daft, so that works!

Daftmill 15yo 2009/2024 (56.3%, OB Fife Strength, 19 x First Fill ex-Bourbon Barrels + 1 x ex-PX Cask, 3840b): nose: caramel, gingerbread, toffee. It stays clear of fudge, but it promises to be sweet, there is no doubt about that. A little shaking and a little breathing confers this a heated-metal note, if only for a moment. It swiftly returns to sweet aromas, now closer to a fluffy cake with a crispy crust, and a lemon-drizzle cake caramelised on the sides. Yellow meadow flowers eventually reach us too: buttercups, daisies, dandelions. They start off fresh, then smell as though they have been smashed and ground on a slab of limestone. The second nose is more-clearly fruity, with lime and pomelo segments, and a couple of mint leaves. It makes me think of a Major Bailey, a cocktail with gin, lime and mint (and lemon). With water, this smells like flavoured water from a dispenser in a hotel lobby. Cucumber water, lime water, pomelo water, mint water. That is now crystal clear. It takes a while for cakes to come back; they are then butterier. Mouth: lively at once, it has yellow flowers all the way, bright, soft, and a tad bitter, as the stems start to become more discernible. It is a little hot too (green chilli). Chewing stirs all the flowers in a simmering pot of hot water. Next up is spearmint, rather fiercely refreshing. We find some sugar, almost entirely hidden behind the same heated metal we found on the nose. Here is an old-school pan of stainless steel -- no teflon, no coating of any kind. The second sip is softer and creamier until one chews: it is then as hot and lively as ever. Green citrus, some candied, some zested, some fresh, mint, candied angelica and a pinch of ground cloves. Water makes this mellow AF, like biting a pillow. Candy floss comes to mind, yet is has none of the vulgar sweetness of that. It may well have a creamy toothpaste instead -- a minty one. Finish: mint crumbles is what it is. Sherbet with none of the fizz, and a numbing, herbal freshness. Perhaps it has candied lime zest and peeled-cucumber chunks. The second gulp presents a lime custard, but also tzatziki, lime zest and heated metal, on the late tip. It may unearth fennel and/or dill, albeit subtle. For the major part, it is candied angelica, candied lime peels, cucumber peels and a pinch of grated Aspirin. Indeed, the mild bitterness from earlier seems to take off, a bit. Adding water softens the finish and makes it dangerously quaffable. Mint crumbles melted into a paste, pomelo yoghurt, crushed mint in a glass of gin & tonic. Or a highball augmented with mint, lime zest and a spoonful of honey. This is excellent and perhaps even better with water. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

22/09/2026 The Creators Collection

They are making room on the shelves by hosting a tasting in which we can try entries from the various iterations of this collection. Tonight, we can taste them as part of a flight, just like any other outturn. To spice things up, the good folks at SMWS offer a few venue exclusives to try as well.

35.388 32yo b.2024 Homecoming: The essence of heritage with Shona Hardie -- Snug and toasty (53.9%, SMWS The creators collection, 2nd Fill ex-PX Hogshead Finish, 182b): nose: prunes, raisins, dried figs. Here is an archetypal PX cask at work. Sweet and elegant, it opens a jar of strawberry-and-blackberry jam, spreads said jam on plasticine, adds a spoonful of buckwheat honey, and serves that with a bowl of lychee and purple maracuja on a metal plate. The person serving is a mechanic who just applied grease to a cylinder block and wiped hands with a rag. The second nose is a pint of lukewarm chocolate milk with a dash of windscreen defroster. It is seconds until we find another fruit stash -- blueberries, purple maracujas, pink peaches, dark grapes, slightly-smoked mulberries. It has something pine-y too, and if it is not génépi, it is droplets of pine liqueur. Fruitier yet with water, it adds oranges and blush oranges to the plums. Bizarrely, something in the back feels almost butyric or akin to lactic acid. Mouth: spicier than anticipated, it has dried green-chilli flakes to impart a soft bitterness and heat. A second's chewing coats the tongue with plasticine, adds cut flowers in a vase (daffodils, tulips, irises) and brings us back to fruits, although it is almost only plums, this time. There is a hint of menthol or peppermint, rather subtle. The second sip sprays defroster onto plums and pine needles. Chewing conjures up images of the stale air trapped in a drawer one opens once a year at most, and cinnamon-flavoured cocoa. It acquires lukewarm orange juice, in the long run. With water, it ventures towards wood and plastic, with old chipboards, plastic buckets and hardened plasticine. Desiccated plums are here too. Finish: rancio, plums and prunes enhanced with a dollop of minty or mentholated toothpaste, then clay and chewy cinnamon sticks to accompany some flowers. It is really chewy -- imagine wet chamois leather. Perhaps it has ginger powder too, yet loudest are cinnamon and a peppermint paste. The second gulp gives a slap of fruits (unripe plums and nectarines) and woody notes: dried lemongrass, sawn chipboard and cinnamon yoghurt. Riper and riper plums slowly come back to prominence, however, supported by lovely mixed peel. The addition of water makes this very fruity again; plums, berries, grapes, discreet purple maracujas and a dusting of cinnamon powder. This is excellent. My score may be generous, but I love it. 9/10

149.15 9yo b.2026 Lovely lozenge (63.7%, SMWS In Celebration 28 Queen Street Exclusive Cask, ex-Bourbon Barrel, 196b): nose: sharp and strong, this nose presents eau-de-vie and industrial cleaning alcohol, if not surgical alcohol. Hot desert sand, a distant whiff of iodine, and something that promises to be earthy, but never quite delivers. Further sniffing catches incense, empty husks, bone-dry grist. That is it! It is extremely dry is what it is. The second nose takes a turn towards caramel flan served in a galvanised-iron bucket. Water fertilises the earth from earlier. It does not become muddy, but it is greasy earth alright, good for crops. Mouth: unexpectedly mellow, even juicy. We find plum juice and peach nectar, pressed cotton grapes, silky, sweet. That is quite a contrast with the nose! Chewing stirs that to bring earth to the surface, dried, crusty lumps of earth that make the whole drier again, yet especially numbing. This is one that leaves the tongue shaken as if hit with a lead pipe. Despite that, it still manages to serve some fruits -- greengages in the lead. The second sip is drier; sand, beach sand, quarry dust, shingles, crushed glass. It is not long before that is balanced with a spoonful of light-brown sugar. Water reveals wooden skewers, charred, oily, but with no food left on them. Finish: once past a heat slap on the tonsils, the finish presents comforting waves of warmth, fruity tones (baked greengages come to mind), and a blend of granite. Instead of being overly mineral and desiccating, that granite seems to add structure to the whole, which is nice. The second gulp feels more mineral. Nothing off the scale, but certainly quarry dust and residue on a flint knapper's outfit. It has virtually no fruit left; perhaps ground greengage stones is all. Adding water brings out oily prune syrup. The mineral profile turns earthier and richer. This is nice. I do not know if I prefer it with or without water. 7/10

149.21 9yo 2016/2026 The New Wave: A taste of our next-generation gems -- Machair medley (60%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-PX Butt, 666b): I make no notes on the night other than: "It is really good." I realise the following day that we tried this when it came out.

156.9 10yo 2015/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Breakfast in Seville (61%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 179b): nose: hot plastic! Oilcloth left in a conservatory on a sunny day, the yellow, corrugated-plastic container of that brand of cocoa, also left in the conservatory, plastic buckets and watering cans in the greenhouse... Until a galvanised-iron bucket appears too. Zinc gutters join rubber boots in the greenhouse, as does bird feed, a mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts, oats etc. It stays in the greenhouse, with hoses, planters and earth supplementing the cans, buckets and bird seeds. The second nose blows a whiff of cut flowers (narcissuses, crocuses, hyacinths) and minty almond lozenges. There is a hint of milk chocolate in the background, as well as gunpowder -- or paper gun caps for a toy gun, to be accurate, and that is most unexpected. Adding water renders this more breakfast-y, with lukewarm coffee or cocoa, and hot pains au chocolat, perhaps a couple of oranges not yet pressed. Mouth: hot and acidic, it peddles a heated lemon paste, turnover style. Chewing adds fudge, chewy, sweet and a little earthy, as if one had poured a spoonful of weak coffee onto vanilla custard. The second sip seems more welcoming; hot custard buns and citrus turnovers. Yes, chewing confirms the citrus in particular: it is a lovely calamansi paste in a puff pastry augmented with a generous dose of pepper. Adding water turns the palate into an earthy-fruit jam (elderberry) enhanced with smoked orange segments, which makes it a lot brighter. Finish: assertively metallic, this has a heated knife used to cut fudge into squares. The second gulp seems spicier: white pepper, ginger powder, ground mace. All the same, what dominates is hot citrus pastry and the metal tray it was baked on. Beautifully sweet with water, it has orange marmalade spread onto a pain au chocolat. This one too improves with water. Without it, it is a solid... 7/10

3.364 21yo 2004/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Smoked lavender (56%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 217b): nose: I want to say smoke, but it could just as well be old cardboard boxes in a dry basement. Past that (thirty seconds in), we spot crayons, chewy dried fruits (raisins). Oh! there is smoke, alright, coming up a few minutes later; the smoke of a thyme-twig fire next to which someone left a suede pouch. A minuscule amount of shoe polish becomes notionally perceptible, as does the recently-polished plastic dashboard of a newish vehicle. The second nose is less defined. We have dusty old glass bottles, empty for yonks, and musty warehouses, which is to say damp clay and stale air. Deeper nosing brings back some smoke. Mouth: shoe polish is a little more identifiable on the palate. Next to it is waterproofing spray. It is upon chewing that things change for the better: tropical fruits tumble out of a cornucopia, smoked mango, baked plantain, papaya cubes, and even timid yellow maracuja. The second sip has grilled and roasted fruits (mango, pineapple, plum, nectarine), a pinch of ash, charred-wood gratings (hazel) and the soft bitterness of unripe plums. There are smoked brambles too, but, again, the smoke factor is low on this one. Finish: although still fruity, it is cardboard boxes in the basement that catch one's attention. That clings to the tongue and the throat until the taste buds realise some of the fruits have not gone anywhere: papaya and plantain are still here, but not baked, now. The second gulp has crystallised berries and chewy sweets of the dark variety: blackberry, blackcurrant, elderberry in sweet format. It stops short of liquorice, thankfully, and only tickles cough drops. Perhaps it offers mango skins, yet the fleeting lush tropicality of the palate is nowhere to be seen. All the same, this is very good. 8/10

3.365 21yo 2004/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- Sweet seduction (55.2%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 211b): is it not crazy that one could try a different SMWS Bowmore every day of a non-leap year? They are wildly different too, so there would never be a dull day (although trends would undoubtedly surface). Nose: generous, greasy peat, fertile soil, dark earth. There is a (cattle-)farm-y aspect too, cow stables or pastures, that almost entirely hides juicy fruits. Indeed, we have plums and peaches trying hard to punch through a wall of leather and cattle hair. Cow dung has a small part too, and it is tempting to picture a horned ruminant taking a dump on a basket of fruits. Unless the cow ate the fruits, then shat them. But cows do not eat fruits, do they? The more we sniff, the closer we come to suede and shoe polish, which is odd, as no-one in their right mind would put shoe polish on suede. The second nose displays aromas of clay beads, crayons and a distant barbecue grille. A marsh-like note appears, lush vegetation growing in suffocating humidity. Mouth: silky and lukewarm, it is very comforting on entry. Warm honey, then the faint smoke of a gas stove, a jam or another, still warm from the cauldron it simmered in. Half-a-chew slaps one in the teeth with cut papaya, even if that pulls a discreet note of violet in its wake. Not to worry! Smoked comes to the rescue and turns the palate into a herbs marinade of the kind they sometimes put on lamb burgers and that holds mostly rosemary. The second sip is fruity, a little smoky and softly bitter. The smoke is reduced to that of a bramble fire, whereas dark wild berries now dominate. Finish: warm and comforting here too, this gives several waves of flavours. First is smoke; then come crayons, borderline waxy; finally, a mix of smashed berries settles, then becomes smoked berries -- smoked on a herbs fire, that is. Tropical fruits do a fleeting dance, for a tenth of a second. The second gulp has blackberry sweets, elderberry drops or liquorice-flavoured Haribo sweets. 8/10

156.7 10yo 2015/2026 The spirit of five: An exploration of Scotland's whisky regions -- No mean confection (61.2%, SMWS The Creators Collection, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 198b): nose: powerful and metallic, the nose quickly opens up to reveal a mix of spring flowers (daffodils), cut yellow fruits (peach, apricot, nectarine) and plain crackers. It is the aromas that become loudest, fragrant and promise bitterness, which takes us back to metal. That swiftly makes way for sherbet and the smell of straw bales in a barn in a place with a cool and humid climate. The second nose is a wonderful mix of sherbet, flour and chalk or talcum powder. Perhaps it has cosmetic powder too -- it is powdery, at any rate. Adding water evokes a freshly-cleaned bedroom, with soft pot-pourri from the vacuuming, and clean sheets. A minute later, dark chocolate turns into mocha, then chocolate pudding. Mouth: fresh and indistinct at first, it is only seconds before it adopts the bitterness and sharpness of a stainless-steel blade -- pencil-sharpener blade, kitchen knives, that sort of things. Chewing immediately adds a note of milk chocolate and a drop of ink. It is noticeably powerful, without surprise. Straw is in the background, merely a backing dancer, while little of the fruits appear, other than that freshness, which could be associated with unripe nectarines. The second sip is drier. Straw comes back, backed by sherbet and candy necklaces. In other words, it develops a chalky touch, before pouring grenadine syrup on top. Soft and custard-y with water, it has the bitter-sweet taste of Seville-orange marmalade. Finish: it kicks bouteille without aggression. Cut unripe nectarines, flower stems and tons of metal. Cold steel, to be precise. It leaves the mouth throbbing and applies dried orange zest on the taste buds. The second gulp is softer, warm not hot, and peddles gingerbread-y flavours. Sourdough comes out albeit one slathered with apricot jam and a spoonful of marmalade. Water underlines orange marmalade spread on toasted sourdough. It improves with water, in this taster's opinion. Neat, it is... 7/10

Nice wee sesh.

21/09/2026 Dailuaine

Dailuaine 29yo 1982/2012 (60.6%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams): nose: just as the colour suggests, the nose is naked spirit in crystalline form. After twenty-nine years, that is rather astonishing. It must have been a knackered old cask. We have tan suede, turpentine, warm copper, and a medicinal whiff too, ether or surgical alcohol. A few minutes in, it starts peddling a bunch of dried flowers -- carnations, roses, honesty plants, daisies. The turpentine morphs into a tin of purple paint well on its way to becoming lumpy. The second nose somehow becomes dark, woodworm-riddled furniture crumbling into a pile of dust. Walnut stain, old walnut shells, then hazelnuts shells followed by the oily nut itself. How did it just go from not-aged spirit to something so influenced by wood in such a short amount of time? Magic! The addition of water makes this nose softer and more flowery. It is as if the dried flowers from earlier came back to life: carnations, roses, pansies, primroses. The suede is now firmly in the background. Mouth: incredibly, it walks a tightrope between silky and razor-sharp. On the one hand, it has peach flesh, soft, almost mushy; on the other, it cuts through the tongue like a warm knife through butter. Chewing does not make it pick a side either: the plum-like note from earlier turns into chewy plasticine, a bit fruity, a bit bitter, while the sharp aspect is now bold enough to remind one of being hit with the flat (hamon) of a red-hot sword. It cuts and immediately cauterises, leaving but a metallic note, bronze or copper, more than steel or titanium. The second sip opens with a caramelised lemon cake. It maintains that unusual silky-incisive dichotomy, much to this taster's delight. Follows a nut spread sprayed with pressed apricots, served in a cast-iron spoon heated over a naked flame. This is hot! Water makes it chewy, waxy, almost rubbery. Plum-flavoured gum, perhaps. It is softer and better integrated, with only a minor leathery-earthy side. Finish: it is less powerful than the ABV promises, and it seems remarkably short. A quick drop of warmed plums, that is it. Only a minute later does the heat start to radiate back up the oesophagus, carrying orchard foliage, suede, cropped horse's hair. and more of those medicinal nuances (anaesthetics, ether, maybe tincture of iodine). It is shaking more than numbing, though. That feeling lasts forever. The second gulp is more assertive: it feels a lot stronger and heats up without a pause. It slaps hot metal (a silver spoon) on the top and front of the palate, and proceeds to revive it with acidic lemon juice. It then dies with a plastic sheet left in the sun for a few hours. Water renders this much more approachable. It continues the chewy adventure with plum gum, but also menthol, now. On the other hand, the leather has gone. All in all, the reduced finish is a tad more generic. Neat, it is interesting, good and intense. It will likely improve in the open bottle too. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

19/09/2026 Four or more

cavalier66, SOB, YM and JS join me for an afternoon of dramming, using a theme proposed by JS. Interpretation open, as always.

The soundtrack: Noir Désir - 666.667 Club (in which each figure is more than four)

Plenty of things to try, today.
Four or more, of them that is certain.

tOMoH opens the dance with four Connoisseurs Choice.

Dailuaine d1971 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca. 1989) (tOMoH)

Mouth: astringent (cavalier66), punchy for 40% (SOB). I find it mentholated, today. 

Finish: sharp finish in two layers (cavalier66), hints of cardboard in the back (cavalier66). 

Comment: "this tastes like a Connoisseurs Choice mini bottle" (cavalier66). My notes are here.

Score: 7/10

Glenlossie d.1969 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca. 1989) (tOMoH)

Nose: this has quite the strong nose. cavalier66 finds ozone, YM spots nectarines.

Mouth: peppery on the tongue.

Finish: very tannic (YM), interesting and fruitier (cavalier66), mangosteen, maybe (cavalier66). He then adds: "caramelised/crystallised mangosteen, glazed with a touch of olive oil."

Comment: this is the most popular of the lot. My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

YM: "Maybe it's a mangosteen with a mango sauce on top!"

North Port-Brechin d.1970 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca 1990) (tOMoH)

Nose: stewed gooseberries (YM), Bovril, meat and Bolognese sauce (cavalier66), a bit of dampness (cavalier66).

Mouth: a weird weed dankness (YM), punchy (cavalier66), chalky and mouldy (cavalier66), caraway seeds (YM).

Finish: cavalier66 finds it challenging. Tomato sauce.

Comment: this has a four-syllable name to boot. My notes are here.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66: "I had spaghetti Bolognese ice cream, one day."
JS: "What!?"
tOMoH: "He means shaped like spaghetti Bolognese."
cavalier66: "No, ice cream that was spaghetti-Bolognese-flavoured."
JS: "Did you like it?"
cavalier66: "It wasn't unpleasant."

The soundtrack: Apparat - DJ-Kicks

Tomatin 1964/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, IE/14) (tOMoH)

Nose: cardboard pointing at mocha, honeydew melon with a slice of prosciutto (YM).

Mouth: honeydew melon indeed (JS).

Finish: chocolate milk. cavalier66 finds it tertiary, which amuses us immensely.

Comment: My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

cavalier66: "This is quite nice."

tOMoH: "Woah, you keep the English understatement going on."
cavalier66: "It turned from 'quite nice' to 'very pleasant'."

cavalier66: "There is an element of chocolate. But not quality Belgian chocolate. Its more of a bland Swiss thing."

cavalier66 presents a Johnnie Walker Black Label sample from a bottle found in a friend's parents' house. It was bought around nineteen-seventy-four, it was gifted to cavalier66 four his birthday, and he has had it four a while.

Johnnie Walker Black Label (unknown ABV, John Walker & Sons, b. ca.1974)

Nose: it is more subdued than the first four (cavalier66). I find it watery, but it has soot and ashes. cavalier66 detects old-bottling effect, while YM calls a weird metallic thing (that would be the OBE). Tin lids, silver spoons (cavalier66).

Mouth: leather and pot-pourri (YM). A lot of soot, here; it is a spoonful of soot in a tin lid. It is watery, though, and clearly below 40%.

Finish: caramel, melted milk chocolate, nut spread, and almost no smoky-soot-y aspect left.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66 introduces a forty-four-year-old Invergordon. A double-four.

Invergordon 44yo 1966/2010 (46.8%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, Refill Barrel, C#HH4995) (cavalier66)

Nose: blackcurrants (cavalier66), rum-y (YM). It is unmistakably an Invergordon, with blackcurrants and metal, super sharp. It has a green bitterness, for a moment, then a warmed black bin.

Mouth: mellow, with just a minor sparkle, it has blush-orange segments, pink grapefruit and ripe blackcurrants. Chewing opens the door to a water cannon shooting blackcurrant juice. cavalier66 mentions Ribena. Posh.

Finish: blackcurrant paste or fruit-flavoured marzipan. It has gingerbread spices too (ginger, cinnamon).Comment: this is amazing.

Score: 9/10

YM rolls out a Hazelburn from the infinity cask of the Cadenhead shop in Campbeltown. He adds there are "way the fuck more than four" casks that went into this bottling.

Hazelburn b.2026 (59.5%, OB Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive) (YM)

Nose: orchard fruits (cavalier66), punchy incense, ash, soot and toasted cereals. The second nose adds a touch of surgical alcohol.

Mouth: punchy, it has ashes, wood gratings, anaesthetics, soot (SOB). It is bright, powerful and soot-y at second sip, a trifle medicinal, fleetingly. cavalier66 finds green bananas.

Finish: soot (SOB), Ardbeg levels of soot (YM), and sweetness. This is naked power. The second gulp has a strong Bourbon-y vibe. JS says it tastes like white-grape juice.

Comment: delicious.

Score: 8/10

SOB: "I had a chance to buy it. I said no. Then I tried and I regretted it a bit."
tOMoH: "To quote GL: 'You can't buy everything.' But GL is an idiot [for saying that]."

Time to eat something.

Comté, smoked salmon, oak smoked Wiltshire ham, prosciutto di Parma

Langres, Tomme d'Aydius, Gouda 48 months,
wild boar saucisson

SOB also brought pastries ("because I knew JMcD was not coming"), but I fail to take pictures.

The soundtrack: Iarla Ó Lionáird - The Seven Steps To Mercy • Seacht gCoiscéim Na Trocaire (because seven is more than four)

That will be referred to throughout the rest of the tasting as the Irish funeral music.

YM brings us a Thompson Bros. Mystery Malt that can be one of more than four bottlings they did. It is also a four-year-old, he discovers when he opens it.

Mysterio!

Lochlea 4yo (48.3%, Thompson Bros. Mystery Malt, Refill Bourbon, B#2, 172b) (YM)

Nose: strawberries and grain. It is not grain-y, mind. There is simply a little grain, alongside cream and caramel.

Mouth: thin and spirit-y, it has distilled cardboard, if that makes sense. Chewing reveals a creaminess of vanilla pudding. Corn syrup emerges at second sip, though nothing sickly. cavalier66 finds it a tad yeasty.

Finish: boozy (SOB), lemon-y (YM), laundry detergent (YM), laundry taken out of the washing machine (cavalier66). SOB adds cocoa beans. It has caramel poured onto vanilla pudding stored in a cardboard box.

Comment: decent, not that exciting, it still grows on me over time.

Score: 7/10

SOB tells us he decided to go with six as an underlying theme. The first whisky he brought was made of barley kilned for six hours. He adds that J & A Mitchell, the producers of this whisky, have four-not-more single-malt brands to their name (Springbank, Hazelburn, Longrow, Kilkerran). Also, the equipment they use was manufactured by Four-syths. Boom.

cavalier66 [observing SOB's generous pour]: "This is almost up to the four-centilitre mark on the glass."
tOMoh: "And I hear no-one complain!"
JS: "You have not even tried it yet."
cavalier66: "You're right. I take it back."

Springbank 30yo b.2026 (47.8%, OB Open Day 2026, Bourbon + Oloroso + Rum Oak Casks, 1572b) (SOB)

Nose: phwoar! Sophisticated nose (JS). "Where is the dirty funk?" asks cavalier66, who says this has an occasional whiff of celery. Berries and the shrub they grew on, a whisp of smoke, dark grapes and greengages.

Mouth: waves of celery (cavalier66), celery leaf (YM), a mix of plums and tractor fumes on a field. It develops a striking strength, over time, a few dead leaves and a pinch of scorched earth.

Finish: burnt, scorched earth, myrtles and blackberries trampled into earth, aged funk (SOB), tertiary funk (cavalier66). SOB calls it funk-adjacent, which slays us all. It has more and more berries with time.

Comment: magnificent. "A Springbank with a dinner suit and white tie." (cavalier66)

Score: 9/10

The soundtrack: The Pussycat Dolls - PCD (a group of more than four girls)

tOMoH [about the music]: "I found this downstairs. I like it, but I need to be clear about that."
SOB: "You found it downstairs in a package with your name on it?"

SOB brought the sixth edition of the White Stag. He tells us Arran is a five-letter distillery and they also use Four-syths equipment. He adds that it is called Arr-an and is distilled at Lochranz-arr, which is on point for Talk Like a Pirate Day. He then points out that his previous pour was also related to TLaPD: Spring-walk-the-plank.

SOB [struggling to remove the wax seal]:" I can't get it to open!"
cavalier66: "That's still too much wax on the top."
tOMoH: "Is that a Clynelish, then?"

Arran 23yo 1997/2021 6th Release (53.8%, OB White Stag, Sherry Hogshead & Sherry Puncheon, B#6, 995b) (SOB)

Nose: vaguely pickled, it has caramelised apples and a fruity eggnog, complete with foam and all. It has a murmur of quarry dust and a lemon-y side too. The second nose gains toasted bread. A hint of dark-grape juice (or wine) rocks up a bit later.

Mouth: lemon-y and mineral. It is on the limestone side of things, acidic and abrasive. The second sip adds a lick of lime, maybe zest, even dark rubber -- and it gets darker with each sip to end up with liquorice.

Finish: coating, lemon-y. Tropical lemon (YM jokes), camphor, a strong cough syrup, liquorice allsorts and liquorice bootlaces.

Comment: good.

Score: 8/10

cavalier66: "I think it's really good, but I think it suffers from coming after the Springbank."

SOB: "I had a ticket to see Cate Blanchett, tonight. I sold it on Twicket. But I managed to have a ticket for last week."
tOMoH: "Well, that's no use, anymore!"

tOMoH presents a whisky that was part of the Special Releases four or more years ago.

SOB: "Did you notice this is one point four UK units per serve too?"

Dalwhinnie 30yo b.2019 (54.7%, OB Special Releases 2019, Hogsheads & Butts, 7584b, b#3278) (tOMoH)

Nose: "unmistakable Highland nose -- you can smell the heather" (cavalier66). It is quite herbaceous, with thyme dust, dried sage and, of course, metal, which is not that far from sage anyway. We have a minty paste too. The second nose brings acrylic paint, paint thinner, latex.

Mouth: strongly mentholated, it kicks like a motherfucker. Roundhouse kicks executed with steel-toed boots. The second sip is even more powerful, lively as a bronco. Mulch comes up more than wood shavings, and chocolate chips.

Finish: mentholated is right! Peppery, fresh, herbal.

Comment: looking forward to spending more time with this one.

Score: 8/10

The soundtrack: East 17 - Wathamstow (four blokes and seventeen is more than four)

cavalier66 explains that a friend of his had a private cask of Bruichladdich. It is four-teen years old. When cavalier66 asked him what MHYVHS meant, he was told it is Hebrew for a four-English-word whisky-club name (which I agree to not disclose to protect the innocents). SOB adds that Bruichladdich is the only distillery to ever do a quadruple distillation.

Bruichladdich 14yo 2009/2024 (57.9%, OB Private Cask Bottling MHYVHS, Bourbon Cask, C#1475) (cavalier66)

Nose: a slight bread-y note (cavalier66). I disagree. Lichen and empty vases for me. Gluten-free bread (SOB), dirt and dust on a windscreen. After a while, we get wafts of suede. It is caramel-y at second sip.

Mouth: caramel, toffee and a whole lot of spices. White pepper, ginger powder, asafoetida, whole mace.

The second sip hits just as hard, just as spicy, and adds a spoonful of marmalade.

Finish: very dry, Sauvignon Blanc style. Roast beef is lurking too. The second gulp brings marmalade or apricot jam, which is a welcome addition.

Comment: alright.

Score: 7/10

cavalier66: "Petrichor. What do you call 'petrichor' in French?"
tOMoH: "Erm. I don't know. Pétrichor? [It is.] You'd prolly call it 'undergrowth after the rain'."
cavalier66: "Oh. And in Dutch?"
tOMoH: "I don't know, but it'll be more guttural."

YM introduces an Ault-more (four or more, geddit?)

73.63 11yo d.2002 Vanilla spice latte (59.8%, Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 426b) (YM)

Nose: boozy and sweet (YM), suede, leather, but also a lot of (citrus) jam. It then evolves towards nuts. The second nose plays a metallic note.

Mouth: it has got some fruits, but it is mostly heat. Green chilli, bay leaves, pickled okras, chilli pickles. Slightly tamer at second sip, it blends mango pickle, chilli pickle and marmalade.

Finish: "has the taste of a youngish SMWS single-cask whisky" (cavalier66). Big, uncompromising, it has chilli pickle mixed with sweet jams and jellies. It stays fiercely hot at second gulp. Numbing.

Comment: simple, nondescript, yet perfect for where it is in the line-up.

Score: 6/10

The soundtrack: Ravi Shankar - In Concert (Shankar plays the sitar, an instrument with more than four strings)

JS unveils her Braes of Glenlivet, one of the few distilleries that count more than four syllables.

Braes of Glenlivet 22yo 1989/2011 (60.2%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, C#1051, 267b b#69) (JS)

Nose: At this point, it feels a little neutral. Dried peaches, perhaps.

Mouth: strong, but strangely balanced, with dried citrus peels.

Finish: long, custard-y, it has custard-filled buns or doughnuts.

Comment: my palate is tired. It is good nevertheless. My notes are here.

Score: 8/10

SOB: "Did you say there was a distillery with three letters?"
tOMoH: "Yeah."
cavalier66: "Why?"
tOMoH: "Because."

The soundtrack: The Unity Mixers - Dance Computer Volume 3 (a series that is more than four instalments long; I stupidly do not play Volume 4. Bah.)

To accompany the music, we have a parting dram of Port Charlotte 14yo 2002/2017 (60.1%, The Creative Whisky Company The Exclusive Malts, Sherry Hogshead, C#1140, 228b) for which I take no notes.

We never try this, after all

18/09/2026 Thank God It's Phroaigday

Laphroaig 15yo (43%, OB imported by Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine, b. ca.2003): nose: a wonderful wave of ashy fruits -- peaches, apricots, greengages, plums and their stones, burnt and turned to as. The ashes grow in intensity, become oily-wood ash, such as teak or mahogany. The ash morphs into dunnage warehouse, and, behind it, comes an ethereal layer of bolder, more-exotic fruits. Melon, Mirabelle plum, guava, carambola. This nose could really be summarised with two words (ash, fruit), yet it encourages many more!The second nose is even fruitier, plum-y as to feel close to plasticine. Soon enough, ash comes back with a vengeance, this time fruit-tree covered in lichen, then reduced to ash. Mulberries make a late appearance, as does something more flowery. Mouth: it is completely in line with the nose, with a superb balance of ash and fruit. At 43%, it certainly does not burn, but it is also far from weak. Chewing brings silky smoked fruits into the spotlight, plum, greengage or similar, dials the heat up a notch and adds liqueur-soaked cherries taken in a wood-panelled smoking room. The second sip is sweet, fruity and fleshy. Mushy peaches, ripe plums, soft bananas, all slowly augmented with overripe Crimson grapes and other berries. There is a murmur of mango further in the back, soon overtaken by slightly-bitter ashes. Finish: it kicks harder than anticipated and supplements the ashes we have now come to expect with charred-wood gratings. It also pours teak oil onto the lot, yet that does not totally smothers the underlying fruits (roasted melon, charred guava and carambola, grilled nectarines). The second gulp brings seal wax to the table, ripe nectarines and hints of mango flesh sprinkled with incense ash, after a while. This is outstanding. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, kruuk2)

Happy birthday MDa!