19/11/2016 Vorspiel with the Swissky Mafia

JS and I are in neutral country again. For a tasting again. CD and RG invited us for a raclette, last night, yet CD forced me to be sociable on the night: any whisky I want, no notes allowed. Just as well, really, as I pigged out so much on the raclette that a drink would have been a terrible idea.
That was last night, however. Tonight is the tasting. This afternoon is Vorspiel. Yay.

Clynelish 12yo b.1989 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, HI/BIJ): nose: dry and farm-y, this smells of horse's hair and dry hay, then dry varnish. It is tame and discreet. Good, but downplayed. Notes of very dried mandarin peels, completely faded. Mouth: similar notes of farmyard, hay barn, horse stable. It is also very soft and silky. In the back, a gently leathery note slowly emerges. Finish: more of the same. Dry hay, horse stable, sawdust and Rhine sand (an old pub's floor), cocoa powder (Nesquik style). This is nice, although I would prefer it a little less subtle. 7/10

Brora 21yo 1977/1998 (56.9%, OB Rare Malts Selection): missed out on this one last time, need to right this wrong. Nose: peppery, gingery, it then unveils dark berries, nail varnish and beeswax. Further, it is dirt roads and a bit of coffee. Mouth: a lot sweeter than the nose suggested, it gives a mix of dry dirt, berries and beeswax. It retains some of the ginger, as well as wood shavings. Finish: all the flavours of the nose and the palate are there, robed in gentle smoke. The complexity is astounding. It keeps bouncing back and forth between ginger, smoke, sweet and waxy notes, nail varnish and dusty roads. Very good! 9/10

That is it for now. Tonight's programme is a big one...