14/08/2016 Moses and the Ten Commandements or Brexit or Pretzels

Yes, you read the theme correctly. dom666 is hosting this one and he was so ambitious he did not even find anything to fit into his own theme! The second part of which, I should add, is there because he thought the first would perhaps be too difficult. Ahem. :-)

The suspects: MQ, PSc, ruckus, dom666, sonicvince, JS, Psycho and yours, truly.

The theoretical start time is around noon. JS and I make it there a little before 14:00, only to be shouted at from the balcony -- they are thirsty.

"Hurry up! We're thirsty!"

Glengoyne 17yo (unknown ABV, OB, ceramic decanter, b.1990s) (Psycho): Glen is an English Brexiter and cannot wait for the UK to be goyne. Ahem. Nose: candied apples, strawberries and a distant fire. Mouth: spicy caramel, Americano coffee, chocolate coulis, flat cola. Finish: more lovely chocolate-y coffee, strawberry and candied apple roundness. I like this one every time Psycho pours it; today is no exception. 9/10

Caperdonich 11yo d.1968 (70° PROOF, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice, b. ca 1979) (JS): as one can see from the label, "onnoisseur's " is parting the red C's. Note the use of an apostrophe in "Connoisseur's." It was dropped on all subsequent labels (brown, old map, new map, new new map). Just like Moses. *cough* Nose: wonderful, full of dust and antique furniture, ground fruit stones, pepper and paprika. Mouth: balanced as fook, with honey, furniture polish, wax, honey and a hefty dose of spices -- whoa! Finish: a pinch of herbs join the notes from the palate: polish, antique furniture, dust and black cumin. This is monumental. 9/10

Come to think of it, Hoi is also parting the red C's

Glencraig 31yo 1974/2005 (40%, Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare, C#2930, 262b) (dom666): still waiting to hear how this is in theme. Nose: lemon, lime, sage. Mouth: lemony honey. Finish: this is fresh and lively, full of lemon, with a touch of custard and choux dough. Despite my poor notes, this is as good as I remembered it. 9/10

Glenmorangie 10yo (43° G.L., OB, b. ca 1985) (Psycho): 10yo, 10 commandments, one year of age per commandment. There you go. Nose: wide, with a toffee touch, a pinch of earth, and a lot of lemon. Mouth: peppery toffee, paprika, milk chocolate, soy milk, even. Finish: more peppery toffee and caramel. This is soft and beautiful. 8/10

Enters food: chervil soup, followed by baked salmon with steamed broccoli and a good potato salad. Yum.

Scapa 1988/1999 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, II/BGE) (PSc): Brexiters want to eScapa the EU. *sniff* Nose: squashed strawberries, leather and crisp apple in the back. Mouth: velvety and soft, it has almond milk and vanilla milk. Finish: long and assertive, full of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch. Another one we all love revisiting. 9/10


Teeling Whiskey (46%, Teeling, L14 009 281 08/01, b.10/2014) (MQ): the group shoehorns this into the theme thus: Darteeling, favourite jea of the Brexiters. Ahem. Nose: wood varnish, tinned pineapple, hints of pear. It is not very expressive, yet it is nice. Mouth: warmer, lemon-y, zesty, almost flinty. Finish: butterscotch, chilli custard, shaved coconut. This one is simple and very pleasant. 8/10

Springbank 1965/2002 (46%, Lombard Jewels of Scotland) (me): Moses led the Jew(el)s out of Egypt. *cough* Nose: we shift gears -- a gentlemen's club with floor-to-ceiling wood panels and old bookshelves (PSc). Dunnage warehouses, star fruit, decaying cherries. This is as complex as it is noble. Mouth: a mouthful of pebbles, dunnage warehouse tones and old staves. Finish: long, powerful, distinguished; this is superlative and requires no further comment for now. I will try it on its own to give it the time it deserves. 10/10

The Ardmore Legacy (40%, OB, L521657A 14:35) (MQ): no connection to the theme. Nose: farmyard and pickle vinegar, burnt custard. Mouth: oily, with honey, wet burnt wood. Finish: distant burnt wood, oily acacia honey that leaves a viscous mouth. Nice, though it certainly suffers from its place in the sequence. 6/10

Bowmore 16yo 1996/2012 (46%, Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited, Sherry Butt, 844b) (PSc): PSc argues that, given another chance, a Brexiter Càrn vote not Mòr to leave. *coughs furiously* Nose: delicate smoke, dark fruit (blackberry and elderberry) and a farm-y note too. Mouth: velvety and soft, with a veil of barbecue smoke. Finish: long and wide, with a farmyard impression again. This is nice, if not very noteworthy. 6/10

Dessert is served: rice tart and griddled cherry tart from Tihon, a bakery in Huy.

Knockando 18yo d.1994 (43%, OB, Sherry Casks) (sonicvince): after receiving the law tablets, Moses took his staff and knocked on them for all to do what was written on them. *Achoo* Nose: chocolate milk and gentle sulfur. Mouth: mellow, with soft caramel and heavily-diluted chocolate milk. Finish: butterscotch and milk chocolate. This does not impress me much, today. I blame the sequence. 6/10

Longmorn 19yo 1992/2012 (46%, Acorn Friends of Oak, 120b) (sonicvince): Moses's staff was made out of oak. Sinking to new lows, we are. :o) Nose: powerful, fruity, full of bakery goodness and mango. Mouth: deliciously fruity (mango) and velvety, with a hint of sage, interestingly enough. Finish: big, long, fruity, wonderful. Love it. 9/10

The Arran The Bothy b.2015 (55.7%, OB, Quarter Cask, B#1, 12000b) (ruckus): Moses's full name is Mosche Ben Amram -- Ben Arran, for today. Nose: overly herbaceous (oregano, marjoram), it has banana (sonicvince), plantain (JS), vanilla (sonicvince). Mouth: a metallic bitterness to it, balanced out by coconut shavings. Finish: long, herbaceous. This is very nice. 8/10

Others have this back to back with the Arran Machrie Moor. We had it not too long ago and we are behind schedule; I skip it.

Gerston b.2013 (46%, The Lost Distillery Company, B#1.I) (me): Moses was the main character in The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. De Millburn (yes, I almost did). He was played by Charlton Gerston. Boom. I am excited to try this. It is obviously not an original Gerston (the distillery closed forever in 1882), but a reproduction, based on historical documents. In other words, it puts a rare name on a blended malt to make it more desirable, yet I find it both intriguing and original. Nose: gentle smoke, barley; not hugely assertive or complex, but agreeable. Mouth: sparkly, lively, with lashes of sweet soda. Finish: the peat is a lot louder here, with even coal smoke and dried herbs on a campfire. Good show. 7/10

Nice t-shirts too

Next up is PSc's Caol Ila 18yo, but I skip it too. Now late for the journey home.

Great tasting. Lots of silly nonsense to boot.