What an adventure to reach this place! It takes an hour on the bus, twenty minutes of which are an uninterrupted segment on the motorway, probably ten of those crossing the river only (see picture), then a car crash (a 4x4 gets sandwiched between our bus and another on a bus lane and loses its front bumper -- see picture), a change of bus and a five-minute walk.
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| And for all that time, the Shard is always visible, even from here |
At the address, the unsuspecting passer-by would likely never find the venue, perched as it is on an upper floor of a corporate-looking building. Even when on the right floor, we struggle to see the entrance, stuck between a restaurant and public toilets (I kid you not). And that is before we talk about the intense bloke on the ground floor who is so intent on convincing me to sign up to his Church that I have to be rude with him.
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| But we make it there and clown around to celebrate |
As soon as we open the door, all our thrills melt away, though.
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| Cannot think why |
Deanston 29yo 1996/2025 (53.1%, WhiskyNAVI imported by Yong Spirits, Bourbon Hogshead, C#21)
Nose: light and soft, it has unlit incense and white wood (birch, balsa, acacia). Jasmine then takes off, followed by Turkish delights. Nothing screams, nothing strays. It is extremely elegant. The second nose brings a pinch of rosewood ashes, fading rose petals and rosehip. Strawberries appear and become headier and headier.
Mouth: nutty-and-a-half, in pure Deanston fashion, it presents a minor bitterness of nut shells, but mostly the nuts themselves (macadamia, mellow medlar, almonds), barely ripe. Next are dried melon chunks and melon skins. Woah! The second sip has dried pineapple slices and dried mace (whole), if not cured ginger slices.
Finish: nutty custard. Almond, macadamia, even Brasil nuts. It is a long, creamy finish that balances the bitter with the sweet. The second gulp pushes pink candyfloss without the exuberant sweetness. It is that ridiculously fluffy and ethereal.
Comment: we saw this one in a shop yesterday and wondered if it would be good. The price was a bit high for a punt. JS discovered the bottler from things we saw
on Tuesday, looked them up, and that brought us here. Well worth the hassle. What a discovery! It is safe to assume that the importer is the same as the one listed on
the Orkney from Tea and Proof. A phonetic translation is all.
Score: 9/10
Glen Keith 26yo 1997/2023 (50.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, Bourbon Barrel, C#113412, 188b)
Nose: this is perfume-y, with scented woods and flowers. Jasmine comes to mind, but also lilac. All of a sudden, it turns very peppery; finely-ground black pepper. That soon dissipates to come back to soft flowery tones -- cherry blossom, orange blossom and jasmine, Finally, dried grapefruit rind appears. The second nose is bolder and more vegetal, with citrus foliage mixing with the blossom from earlier. Wow. In the background, a soft rubber note is hardly noticeable.
Mouth: softly citrus-y, with a minute pinch of ginger powder. Chewing slaps the tongue with pressed satsumas, kumquats, bergamot foliage and bitter-orange juice. Phwoar! The second sip is oily and fruity, a trifle bitter, yet entirely fruity and coating.
Finish: fruity and custard-y, we find satsuma peels and citrus rinds, part sweet, part bitter, totally delicious. It blends the acidic sweetness of fruit juice and the oily bitterness of orange peels with brio. The second gulp is wholesome and satisfying. We find orange-drizzle cake, oily and sticky on the top, with orange segments dripping caramel on the cake itself.
Comment: another corker. JS is particularly enthusiastic.
Score: 9/10
Glenburgie 30yo 1995/2025 (53.8%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI 5th Anniversary & friendship for Campbeltoun Loch / Komaspi, Bourbon Hogshead, C#6695)
Nose: effing hell! Where did we just step in!? This has candied peach slices and apricots dripping with syrup. Obscene. A drop of lemonade complements stem ginger. It has siftered confectionary sugar -- and the sifter is metallic, which promises a light bitterness. Peach skins are bolder at second nosing, velvety and enticing.
Mouth: Jacob Ree-ZOMG! It is a fruit bomb on the palate too. Tinned peaches, apricots in syrup, maybe a dollop of minty paste that gives a nice freshness, or lemon thyme. The second sip is so velvety it has virtually the texture of peach nectar. Peach flesh takes off upon chewing, perhaps enhanced with a drop of royal-blue ink.
Finish: confectionary sugar licked off a (luke)warm sheet of metal, maybe lemon thyme again, or oregano. Give it a moment and it becomes hot peach's show, though, juice dripping from every square millimetre. Gorgeous! The second gulp is in line, warming, gently metallic and superbly fruity. Peaches left, right and centre, persimmons, Cape gooseberries... Phwoar!
Comment: the manager's favourite WhiskyNAVI bottling, he tells us. I would agree.
Score: 9/10
Strathisla 20yo 2005/2025 (58.7%, The Single Cask for WhiskyNAVI handpicked for KMSP & Campbeltoun Loch, Bourbon Hogshead, C#61)
Nose: tobacco, cigar leaves... No! Banana-cigar leaves, then dolmas and citrus foliage (calamansi, grapefruit), even ivy. It opens up to deliver slightly-acidic lemons or limes, nay! Smoked limes, smoked with either exotic wood or incense. Then, warm, humid linen rears its head. It has the ever-evolving nose of a great whisky. The second nose adds grated nutmeg, and I want to say cloves, but it is not that pronounced. Unlit incense, perhaps? Or sandalwood?
Mouth: wonderful toffee, with Mokatine playing second fiddle. Yes, it has a soft bitterness, yet also a huge sweetness, some wood and zero plankiness. It is a robust Highlander with as much appeal as character. The second sip sprinkles some old-wood gratings and black pepper onto the toffee.
Finish: mocha toffee it is. It is a little drier a finish than anticipated, with more wood, galangal gratings, sawdust and, perhaps, a pinch of desert dirt. The second sip prolongs the dusty-toffee touch, long, sticky and chewy.
Comment: four winners in a row. Incredible.
Score: 8/10
The only other customer pays his due and leaves. I look at the line-up in front of his seat. One catches my attention.
Clynelish 10yo 1990/2000 (54.2%, Kingsbury imported by Japan Import System, Valdespino's Caliseo Amontillado Sherry Cask)
Nose: this mixes oily-tobacco smoke with super-syrupy fortified wine. It has the allure of a gentlemen's club, that is certain! As it opens up, we find pressed sultanas, Medjool dates in syrup, then polished leather reminiscent of a Chesterfield sofa. It has nail varnish too, in small doses. Imagination may point towards pickled pearl onions, but it has little-to-none of the vinegary acidity that comes with that.
Mouth: it is a wonderful Sherry maturation, much juicier and generous than the Manzanilla label suggests. Chewing brings earth to the fore, so greasy and fertile it may as well be prune juice. We find an open tube of dark-brown shoe polish as well, and dark tree bark. The second sip has caramelised red onions which have been, well, caramelising, for hours and are reduced to a red, sugary sludge.
Finish: assertive, full of shoe polish, prunes and dried dates soaked in syrup. The whole is served on a ladleful of potting soil saturated with raisin and prune juices. Sweeter yet at second gulp, it juggles milk coffee (sixteen sugars -- if you know, you know) and caramelised red onions. At first, I think toffee, but not really. Instead, it has prunes and dried dates in syrup.
Comment: flabbergasting.
Score: 9/10
Glentauchers 17yo 2008/2025 (60.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#288)
Nose: an explosion of confectionary sugar and sherbet. Behind that are cantaloup chunks, Korean melon, and large volumes of pouring custard. Something in the back reminds me of my childhood. Whether that is cigarette smoke in the kitchen during the preparation of a delicious dessert or a living-room carpet. It never shakes off that sweetness, however, and apricots appear, at last. Milkier at second nose, it has vanilla and banana milkshake.
Mouth: after a sharp, plastic-y attack, it swiftly moves towards candyfloss and Haribo Bananas, with a soft wood paste adding depth. The Haribo Banana touch is exquisite, acidic, sherbet-y and sweet. The second sip is much chalkier, drying and chewy. It remains fruity all the same; that only affects the texture.
Finish: long, sweet, it is ripe with Haribo Bananas, caramel flan in which the caramel was deglazed with a drop of Cointreau, crème brûlée, torched custard (yes, it is the same), panna cotta and a gently-drying note. It may even have a certain chalkiness. In any case, it is definitely a sandstone type of minerality. The second gulp is long and comforting as a hug from Hechi.
Comment: this punches way above its weight. It reminds me of
the Boutique-y bottling we had a few years ago, in terms of quality.
Score: 9/10
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| I will just leave this here. |
A couple of other customers have joined, They are locals. As we interact with the manager, one of them occasionally jumps into the conversation. With my three words of Korean and his three words of English, our exchanges do not go very deep, of course, yet it is, once more, remarkable how a common interest brings people together as if language was no formidable obstacle. Or 'forblemida', as they say here.
KM: "Was that your last flight?"
tOMoH: "I'm afraid so. We could spend weeks here, but we also need to end, at some point."
KM: "Good. Now, let me introduce you to Korean whisky."
Kimchangsoo 2nd Release (48.7%, OB, Korean Oak Cask)
Nose: rustic and farm-y to a degree, this smells of haybales and just-finished harvest. A minute in, peat smoke emerges, slowly, softly. It unfolds like a good novel, taking its time. Surprisingly, it becomes farmier and farmier, adding manure and mud to an already-pleasant picture. That is not over: it lands on smoky custard and tree bark turning into compost (past the mulch stage), and supplements that with rubbed mint leaves. The second nose adds milk chocolate, chocolate-coated almonds and berries-filled pralines.
Mouth: very soft and round, it combines toffee and half-baked shortcrust. Chewing adds a dash of Indian ink, then a blood-red corduroy curtain. It is thick, not heavy, velvety and plum-like. The second sip shows its youth a little more: we have pear eau-de-vie rubbing elbows with liqueur-filled pralines.
Finish: easy and full, it is a tad farm-y, has a gentle lick of smoke, and -- surprise! A whisper of rubbed citrus peel (pomelo, lime, bergamot). The second gulp is more warming and extends the liqueur-praline impression in an elegant way. Nothing sickly here. It retains some smoke and a little mud, but not much of the other farm-y notes.
Comment: very impressive. Even more so when one registers that this no-age-statement is twelve-to-eighteen months old (Korean law dictates spirit has to mature for one year to be called whisky).
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)
Kimchangsoo 2021/2022 (54.1%, OB, 1st Fill European Oak Sherry Hogshead, 336b, b#7)
Nose: bang! Peat smoke, chargrilled merguez, herbs-coated burgers, cooling embers and white ash. It has meat fat dripping into the hot embers, then pork cutlets on the grille.
Mouth: silky and fruity. It still has lots of chargrilled meat (lamb cutlets), charcoal, and not soot, but burnt wood sticks that have been played with around a campfire.
Finish: long, charcoal-y and prune-y. It is juicy and persistent with a sharp bitterness -- perhaps rubber?
Comment: strong entry, even if I prefer the second release.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)
Kimchangsoo New Make (58%)
Comment: a vegetal nose, a clean, slightly-smoky, plummy palate and a never-ending glow in the chest for the finish.
Score: 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)
Kimchangsoo New Make (70%)
Comment: cleaner yet, purified, it turns lactic and mineral in the mouth, acidic and sharp. Long finish that feels better integrated than the version at 58% -- which is the same product watered down).
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)
KM: "Do you have experience with Japanese whisky?"
JS: "Yes. It is usually delicate and very well made. We like it."
Yamazaki 15yo (56%, OB distributed by Japan Import System, Mizunara Oak Casks, b#65063)
Nose: marzipan and oil paint, linseed oil, then -- wait for it! -- mushy peas. It has an unusual note of garden peas indeed, smashed into this paramount of culinary excitement, courtesy of the Great Kingdom of England: mushy peas. Perhaps we note crushed pine cones too, which is just as unexpected. The second nose pushes a hairball and dried lychees to compete with sultanas and prunes.
Mouth: more marzipan softness for total elegance, Japanese style. Chewing adds velvety plums or peaches and heat, as well as a drying touch. The second sip is desiccating upon chewing, like chalk. It takes a few seconds for sultanas to run back to the taste buds.
Finish: marzipan-y, peachy, plummy. "It is so composed, elegant," JS tells us. One can almost taste the Sherry: pressed currants, prunes. This is looking straight at Cognac, in fact, so fruity and elegant it is. A trifle darker and hairier at second gulp, it remains excellent.
Comment: phwoar!
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)
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| Far-Eastern tryptich |
We have a sobering disaster at the end, when it is time to pay and we discover that the card reader does not read foreign cards. To make things worse, there is a cash machine in the same building, but the daily withdrawal limit is below what we owe (not to mention it takes a hefty commission). If that were not stressful enough, we also have twelve minutes to catch the very last train back to our accommodation, some thirty-five kilometres from the venue... and the station is roughly ten minutes away on foot. We run, take the wrong direction twice, but end up on the train indeed. At the station, a bloke asleep on a bench misses the train, on the other hand.
Tomorrow, all that will be forgotten. What will remain is the satisfaction of having found the superlative bar of this jaw-dropping city. And the pride of being told we were their first foreign customers. Kudos to the staff for their recommendations, tutoring, and the chill with which they navigated a stressful sitch with us.
Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267): nose: a marvellous combination of brown shoe polish applied onto soft-leather moccasins, hazelnut spread and light cigars (Laguito No. 3, perhaps, or Carlotta). It has a dirty, funky background, something I did not notice (as much) in previous encounters (here and here), but it is a Ben Nevis, so it is not really surprising. Walnut spread and chestnut purée gradually replace the hazelnut and, at the same time, a soft metallic touch emerges. It is somehow reminiscent of that unmistakable smell of a new motherboard wrapped in an anti-static plastic bag. Anyone who has ever assembled a desktop from individual parts will know. Finally, it peddles coffee, ashes in the desk ashtray and black liquorice rolls. Fun! The second nose pumps coffee and caramel into the mix, or an enticing mocha custard. Take it from someone who is not a fan of mocha. There is something else in the back that may be caramelised orange slices. It adds a gentle fruitiness that is most welcome. Mouth: mellow and sweet, it feels like chewy sweets such as Gummy Sweet Cherries or Cola Bottles. Chewing adds a mild sting (ginger or stem ginger), yet it fans the Cola-Bottle flames most of all. It is at once spicy and syrupy, which confirms the stem-ginger note, but has so much more to tell: milk coffee, Mokatine, caramel, sweet and a little bitter. It has more wood than honey, yet that wood, despite its bitterness, is undeniably sweet too -- and that is not plain resin. Maybe Gocce Pino filling applied on clustered splinters? The second sip is thinner for a second, then turns into thick marmalade sprinkled with mocha grounds. The alcohol bite fleetingly hints at warm zinc or galvanised iron, or a hot Moka tin pot. It is breakfast-y, in any case: marmalade, custard, mocha. Finish: long, it glows heat and conifer goodies (resin, bark) as well as Mokatine and caramel coffee. Considering how coating and syrupy this is, it would be tempting to call stem ginger again, but there is none of the spicy heat that ginger provides. Instead, it is caramel coffee spilled onto cypress shelves. The second gulp opens with candied citrus (bergamot, bitter orange), chewy and vegetal as if the foliage had been candied too. That, of course, means a gentle bitterness to balance what could otherwise become overly sweet. We find mocha grounds at the death, or grated mocha chocolate. I want to say gunpowder tea, but it is not that bitter, and it is earthier. It is staggeringly good, that is for sure. 9/10
