04/11/2012 Broken corks

Anyone who has not had a broken cork probably has not drunk enough whisky. We all made fun of dom666 when it happened to him (he was the first, years ago), then it became even funnier when it happened to everyone in the group, one by one. Always looking for a theme that is as silly as can be, there was no need to look further.

The suspects: P, dom666, adc (in the beginning), kruuk2 (in the end) and myself.

The menu:

Scapa Flow claims another casualty

Scapa 14yo (40%, OB) (brought by Pat): an old acquaintance, this, yet we have not had it since August 2011, precisely when the cork broke. Nose: light bakery, scent of fruit (mirabelle plum, ripe grapes), a little bit of faint lichen, perhaps. A hint of nail lacquer in the back of the nose, too. Mouth: a big custard attack. Very creamy, this. Finish: more custard and chocolate pudding with a very vague bitterness. A cracking dram indeed.

A simple case of bad glue

Deanston 17yo (40%, OB) (mine): another old acquaintance. Nose: more wood, dunnage warehouse, nail polish and cedar wood. Mouth: some sting on the tip of the tongue, more cedar wood for a rather drying result. Finish: milk chocolate, white coffee, even more cedar wood. Lovely, if not very complex.

Enters food: boar casserole with a potato and courgette bake. Delicious.

Catastrophe avoided

Bladnoch 23yo 1977/2001 (53.6%, OB Rare Malts Selection, 6000b, b#00565) (me): nose: powerful and noble alcohol -- we switched gears in the horse power department! Mouth: skimmed milk, cedar wood (one of those days, it seems). Finish: hint of mocha, cocoa. Not spending too much time on this one: it is a stunning dram, end of 8/10

Double whammy

Lagavulin 1979/1997 Double Matured (43%, OB Distillers Edition, Pedro Ximinez Wood) (dom666's): nose: hot embers, smoked meat, cooking bread crust (moist bread crust, to be precise). Mouth: watery, cold and completely worn out. Finish: chargrilled red peppers, then wet, burnt wood.

We all bathe in a Mission Lagavulin

The legend, the first broken cork of the group, is empty. It is about time, as it turned awful. The nose is still good, the rest has completely faded away. As a sidenote, it became double legendary, as dom666 managed to also break the replacement cork. The few centilitres of whisky left were augmented with an armada of floating devices.

Chop off hish head!

Talisker 1989/2002 Double Matured (45.8%, OB Distillers Edition, Amoroso Sherry) (dom666's): nose: some velvety smoke, marmalade. Mouth: watery. Still alright, but it is time to finish it as well! Finish: coffee comes out, some jam, but it is, again, very tired.

kruuk2 tells us a story about four Czechs at this year's Maschinenfest. We quickly name them the Fantastechs.

Message in a bottle

Smoking Islay (55%, Blackadder) (kruuk2's): nose: peat smoke and barley with a little bit of fox skin. Mouth: bang! Hot and powerful. Finish: braised meat, embers, charcoal. Another empty bottle. This one did stand the time quite well.

Off-theme, we then have:

Port Dundas 17yo 1991/2008 (61.5%, Dewar Rattray Cask Collection, Barrel, C#120306, 180b): nose: cereal (oats, mostly), some paint thinner, nail polish and medicinal notes. Mouth: lots of wood and dunnage, distant plasters. Finish: drying, cedar wood (come on!), lacquer -- wonderful, innit. 8/10

A good session with an interesting, agreeable selection, even if not blinding. Good times.