11/01/2018 Blind tasting at Cadenhead's

New year, new formula. The good guys at Cadenhead's have decided that pouring sample after sample of new stock is a boring way to spend an evening, and that the outcome is too predictable: punters end up buying labels, rather than good whisky. Tonight, then, paves the way for a new approach. And it is a prototype too, because no new bottling has been released yet; we are therefore trying stock from the previous months. We do not know that yet, though. All we know is that it is a blind tasting, for which SW did the selection and RO did the sequence. All are poured in pairs, and we are only told what they are once the pair has been tasted.
There are eight of us chatting (PP, CC, DW, SOB, JS, cavalier66, BH, xildeblix, or however one writes his name, newcomer D and tOMoH) and the pace is quick. Notes are therefore short and unimaginative.

Lots of delicious nibbles too!

Dram #1: nose: fruit eau-de-vie, Turkish delights, grapes. This nose is sweet, though not over the top. Mouth: light and spritey. Finish: soft, custard-y and warming, it has warm coconut yoghurt. I think it is a 10-to-14yo Speysider, or perhaps an Ord. It is Linkwood-Glenlivet 24yo 1992/2017 (50.9%, Cadenhead Small Batch 175th Anniversary, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 384b) 7/10

Dram #2: nose: this is nuttier, with notes of chestnut purée and baking marzipan. Mouth: it is warm, peppery, nutty, still, with a hint of wasabi (cavalier66) and chalky cardboard. Finish: spicy, it has white pepper, ginger, nutmeg and hay. Decent dram. The nose beats the mouth and finish. I venture it is a Pulteney between 10 and 13yo and miss again. Linkwood-Glenlivet 20yo 1997/2017 (57%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b) 6/10

Dram #3: nose: tobacco, balsamic vinegar, aged olive oil and, as I discover later, raspberry vinegar. Mouth: bitter, with nut shells and grape pips. It also has unripe grapes and anti-freeze. Hm. Finish: unripe grapes, pistachio shells. This is bitter and acidic, now. What a disappointment. The nose is initially enchanting, whilst the finish is much less my thing. It feels unbalanced to me. My money is on a 17yo Glenburgie, perhaps a Fettercairn. Wrong again. Glen Spey-Glenlivet 16yo 2001/2017 (55.4%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b) 5/10

cavalier66: "I like the nose of this."
tOMoH: "Of course you do: it has balsamic vinegar."
cavalier66: "How do you know I like balsamic vinegar?"
tOMoH: "You married a Greek. Of course, you like olive oil and balsamic vinegar!"
CC: "I married a girl from Essex and I don't like white stilettos!"

Dram #4: I fail to take any note for the nose. In my defence, it is in a tall plastic cup, making nosing rather arduous. Mouth: plum liqueur and warm peach skins with a compote-y texture. It reads delicious, but somehow does not work for me tonight. Finish: I find it rather bland; warm, with fruit skins rather than fruit flesh. I suggest it is a 15--17yo Glen Moray. Nope. Glen Spey-Glenlivet 21yo 1995/2017 (57.7%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 150b) 6/10

Dram #5: nose: flowers, yellow and cut. A dash of almond milk, too. Mouth: warm flower broth, slightly bitter. In fact, very bitter. Finish: it has the gentle bitterness of flowers, complemented by milk chocolate and verbena. This is revealed before I have a chance to guess. Glenburgie-Glenlivet 25yo 1992/2017 (54.6%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 240b) 6/10

Dram #6: nose: acidic, with the softness of flowers, once more, crème brûlée and, later, sulphur. Mouth: very acidic, strong, black pepper and chilli. Finish: acidic too, with a touch of fruit, then a lot of unpleasant, unripe fruit and unbloomed flowers. I do not like this at all. Glenburgie-Glenlivet 13yo 2004/2017 (54.7%, Cadenhead Small Batch 175th Anniversary, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 576b) 4/10

DW wins the guessing game.
SW: "We have a clear winner... Do you want to risk it all?"

cavalier66: "What was that weird spice you talked about?"
tOMoH: "Black cardamom? Black cumin?"
cavalier66: "No..."
JS: "Nigella seeds?"
cavalier66: "She has her own seed?"
tOMoH: "Yeah. Bitches grow from them." :-) (No offence, Nigella, I do not know you)

Of course, extra drams are poured too.

Dram #7: nose: lots of gherkin brine, then grapes and brand-new, squeaky rubber. Later, mirabel plums come out, flour and chalk. Aultmore? Mouth: warm, with a pinch of hot paprika and green chilli. Finish: nice, fruity and chocolate-y, with an acidic touch. I think I like this better than the first six. Aberlour 17yo 2000/2017 (52.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Bourbon Hogshead, 258b) 7/10

Dram #8: nose: cork, old staves and fine smoke. Mouth: spent camp fire and old logs. Finish: cork, wood smoke and pizzette (crackers dressed as a small, dried pizza; try them, they are delicious). Kilkerran 8yo (55.7%, OB, b.2017) 7/10

The following two are kindly offered by club members.

Ledaig 12yo 2005/2017 (61.1%, Cadenhead Single Cask 175th Anniversary for Taïwan, 1 x Butt, 510b): nose: immense, it has peat, vinegar, potato skins, shoe polish and tyres. Mouth: big, earthy, vinegar-y, with also tobacco and shoe polish. Finish: huge, pungent, with spent matches, burnt wood and a camp fire in a smoky bothy. Lovely, this. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, SOB)

Knockdhu 10yo 2006/2017 (56.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch 175th Anniversary, 3 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 768b): newcomer D bought two of these on the back of its being voted one of the best Cadenhead drams of 2017 by staff and customers... and he does not like it. He thought he would share it tonight with people who do. Nose: green grapes, boiling custard and cologne. Mouth: fruity, custard-y, it has peaches in creamy crème caramel. Finish: chocolate, dunked into melted, liqueur-infused chocolate. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, newcomer D)

Great fun. None of the drams impressed me much, tonight, but it was a socially rich experience, and certainly interesting from a sensory point of view. Cannot wait to do it again!