06/07/2015 Attempted murder

Fixou had to go to work today (a Sunday) for an emergency: an incident likely to become an attempted murder. Lots of admin involved, as well as getting up at stupid o'clock. He had no time to go home before the tasting, which means he shows up empty-handed. Nice excuse to freeload, eh? :-)
I have a couple of things of his that he is picking up today, so we will have those. And to make it funnier, we will have the drams in clockwise geographical order, today.

The suspects: Fixou, PH, JS and myself.

Dalmore 12yo The Black Isle (40%, OB, b. ca 2004) (me): nose: dried orange rinds, more or less as expected, but also musk. Grapefruit, but also leather. Enticing nose, today! Mouth: good body, with orange rind and Cointreau. Nice. Finish: orange liqueur and macerated orange rinds with a touch of bitterness. Not the most complex dram, but it tastes fantastic, today. 8/10

Imperial 37yo 1977/2015 (53.5%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 204b) (me): had this one very recently and want to share it. Nose: lots of crushed olive, this time (tapenade), furniture wax, aniseed, quince (Fixou). Mouth: drying lichen, then the heat grows and grows. It is a spicy tapenade alright! Finish: rose petal (including the texture), rose water (Fixou), earth and soil, liquorice (Fixou). I hope to spend more time on this soon. I find it much better than the first time around, in any case. 9/10

Littlemill 28yo 1985/2013 (50.5%, Robert Graham Treasurer Selection, C#99, 230b) (JS): nose: vanilla and bakery, though the obvious bit is the explosion of exotic fruits (mango, banana, starfruit, passion fruit, and others). A tiny sprinkle of dunnage-warehouse dust completes the picture. Unbelievable nose that reminds me of the stunning Lochside 30yo 1981/2011 from Cadenhead. Mouth: the fruity cavalcade continues, with apricot, mango and all that jazz wrapped in puff dough. Finish: more fruit. In fact, this is plain fruit juice, so refreshing and amazing. I reckon it is the best Littlemill I have had and it is perfect on this sunny day. We move out to terrace as well, yay! 9/10

Lady Luck b.2009 (46%, Compass Box, American White Oak Hogsheads, 754b) (PH): a blended malt made of Caol Ila and Imperial (what a quinky-dink!) Nose: a cloud of smoke in a dunnage warehouse and faded leather. Mouth: mellow, with barley and a thin veil of smoke. It is very sweet, oddly enough. Finish: soot in a wooden bucket, barley and more sugary sweetness. A nice dram and the perfect transition to something heavier. 7/10

Laphroaig 15yo (43%, OB, 2PBF9001/2PBB9004) (PH): nose: peat and pears, citrus too. Later on, more medicinal tones come out. Mouth: fresh and citrusy, milky. Finish: fleeting cranberry, lingonberry, then barley and citrus. Smoke makes it through and, at last, soot. Nice. 7/10

53.206 18yo d.1995 Ooh Matron! (56.6%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 284b) (PH): nose: the beach. Iodine, kelp, fishing nets. Mouth: this is powerful alright, with lots of black pepper and salt, winkles and cockles. Finish: long and invading, with more pepper and more seafood (winkles and cockles again). 7/10

Springbank 17yo 1997/2015 (52.3%, OB, Sherry Butts & Hogsheads, 9120b) (Fixou): nose: leather, cured meat, beef jerky and crispy pork rind. Mouth: a huge sherry influence (seriously), though it is kept superbly under control. Finish: long and drying with a fortified wine tone and the dried fruitiness given by the sherry. I can certainly understand why many went crazy for this when it came out. 7/10

Cooley 23yo b.2015 (55%, Cadenhead World Whiskies, Bourbon Barrel, 192b) (Fixou): nose: orchard fruits, lichen on stone, plantain, banana and touches of earth to balance it out. Mouth: this one is lively! Strawberry (Fixou), bubble gum. It is explosive, full of green pepper. Finish: a cascade of fruit (strawberry and raspberry, mostly) on a bed of soil, plain and simple. Very, very good peaty Cooley, this. 8/10

Scapa 14yo 2000/2014 (53.9%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition, B#SC 14 008) (me): this one impressed the first two times we had it. I thought it would be a perfect summer dram and -- guess what! -- it is summer! Will it hold its rank after all the others, though? Nose: bakery, vanilla, custard, a pinch of herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley) and lime juice. Mouth: wonderful balance, powerful and gentle at the same time, with some herbs and bakery flavours. Finish: a massive wave of bakery notes and lime-infused herbs. Or herb-infused lime juice. This is as good in whichever sequence. 9/10

It is late, but I want to show off share something else. I do not get to see these folks every day and now seems like a good opportunity.

Bowmore 30yo (43%, OB, ceramic bottle, B230 10/01, b.2006) (me): nose: tomatoes, Thai chilli sauce, hot salsa (Fixou), soy-sauce marinade. It is the most noble mix of refined peat and salsa. Fixou detects petrol -- indeed, there is a hint of oil lamp. Grappa and Chardonnay, says Fixou too. Mouth: ooh! this is rich and coating, with quite a bit of sherry influence. Syrupy, rich and wonderful. A nice salad dressing with fancy balsamico splashed on top (Fixou thinks there is no basalmic vinegar for once, but he is wrong). Finish: peat takes over, though it remains gentle, with barbecue smoke and sherry influence -- raisins and a sun-drenched leather horse saddle. The whole is beautifully controlled. The dragon on the bottle is in line with the Thai sauces, say the boys. Wonderful, wonderful old Bowmore. 9/10

Great afternoon, as usual. The sequence was original and kept things entertaining.