31/12/2017 NYE drams at Dornoch Castle Hotel

We think long and hard before ordering our final (few) drams of 2017 -- which, by the way, was a great year, in terms of ze W. If you do not believe that, please read the various entries on this very blog.

Clynelish 1972/2016 (42.2%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, RO/16/07, 267b): great collection, this, but the RRP is a bit steep for a punt, especially for a distillery I am not a fan of. Nice, then, to have a chance to try it. Nose: heavy sherry, at first, with encaustic and roasted coffee beans. Soon, yellow fruits appear, joined by beeswax, honey and the most minute smoke. Shortly therafter, tropical fruits enter the dance -- carambola (caramba! Again!?) and unripe maracuja. But yeah, tons of lovely wax. Raspberry and squashed berries are here too, with roseberry and happiness. Mouth: dry-ish, with coffee grounds and dry earth. And then softness takes over, with ripe peaches, fluffy dried apricots, dried mango slices and, here too, gentle smoke. Finish: similar notes, with the smoke mildly more pronounced, dry earth on a peat fire and soft, new rubber. The fruity cascade soon resumes. Oh! it is not a 1960s Bowmore, but it has lots of fresh fruit nonetheless -- white peach, green grapes, carambola. Amazing Clynelish. Is it £800 amazing? That is for you to decide. 9/10

PT makes an entrance at last. A short one; he is still in distillery attire, and obviously taking a quick break before making more liquid at the distillery. We exchange a few words and confirm we will see him tomorrow for a bit longer.

Port Ellen 28yo 1978/2006 (56.1%, Douglas Laing The Old & Rare Platinum Selection for the Whisky Shop, Sherry Cask, 212b): nose: a walk on the coast, with cockles, fishing nets, oysters and smoked mussels. The smoke is akin to a stove in a mechanic's workshop, and then a warm bakery, and then the hot engine of a fishing boat in the harbour. Finish: salted water, salty clams, gentle wood smoke. It dies out with dark coffee, custard and salted caramel. Wow. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, PT)

Teasing dom666 for falling into the mud, earlier:
JS: "Pity you soiled your trousers, dom666. I did too, but not in the same way..."

dom666 has the Convalmore 16yo 1962/1979 (80° PROOF/45.7GL, Cadenhead) that JS and I tried last year. He will decide it to be his dram of the stay.

Time for a shower and getting ready for tonight. Indeed, tonight is the six-course gala dinner, during which we switch to water.

Canapés -- smoked salmon and black pepper, fish mousse and a type of bruschetta

Fried haggis balls

The food is superb -- and plentiful. Our table mates are pleasant, and we have lots of fun.

Pan-seared wood pigeon
Celeriac purée
Wilted spinach
Seasonal berries & red wine jus

Dornoch distillery gin-cured Scottish salmon
Butter-poached langoustine tails
Roast fennel
Pickle beetroot
G&T sorbet

Champagne & raspberry sorbet
Sliced sugared plums

Chargrilled Scottish venison fillet
Pickled red cabbage
Smoked parsnip purée
Crushed toasted hawelnuts
Curly kale
Blackberry jam & red wine jus

Scottish cranachan
Honey parfait
Whisky flapjack biscuits
Raspberry purée
Mini meringues & toasted oats

Selection of Scottish cheeses
Truffle honey
Grapes
Celery
Apricot jam & biscuits

At the table next to ours sits the piper in full regalia. The usual piper is off sick; this young lad, here, stands in as a replacement. We are told how this ex-army guy always dreamt of piping the new year in. Tonight is his chance.

With dinner in, we all go out on the street, as the bar closes for a moment. The piper appears on top of the tower and plays his tune -- which seems unfashionably short; did he skip half of it? In any case, he gets a lot of cheers before the countdown is sung by the choir of people on the square -- and goes from 17 directly to 3. Lots of hiccoughs, tonight! The fireworks start. Boom. No singing Auld Lang Syne until much, much later on either.

Epic conditions, though

Start as you mean to go on, we keep saying, when in Dornoch. We need something suitable to welcome the new year.

I go for...

Glenlochy 1965/2002 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Rare Old, JB/AGE): I think this is my first 1960s Glenlochy. Nose: austere, old-school, with flint, gravel, tobacco and less-than-austere, lovely fruit. Time helps it reveal juicy fruit (peach, apricot, tangerine), though the austerity remains. Mouth: sparkly fruit juice, it has tangerine, blood orange, pink grapefruit, pomelo and marmalade. Finish: a subtle bitterness that reminds me of Alka-Seltzer and lots of fruit juice. Again, tangerine, pink grapefruit, blood orange and a drop of peach nectar too. The flinty note has all but gone, now. Killer dram, this! 9/10

JS has...

Tomatin 19yo 1976/1996 (55.9%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection): nose: ho-ho-ho! Exuberant tropical fruit (mango, avocado, papaya), overripe, almost decayed, with the acidity that goes along. Mouth: strong, peppery, still fruity, but also drying. The alcohol is frightening, and reminds me that, at a time, Cadenhead issued lots of things in which the alcohol was not so well integrated. Finish: peppery, strong, earthy, a little foxy and... Wham! Mango-juice kick in the teeth. Wonderful. 9/10

dom666 has Springbank 1993/2010 (46%, Moon Import, 236b), for which I take no further note: we had it last night.

Start as you mean to go on

The bar is very busy, and we retire to the lounge to savour our drams. Two of our table mates arrive. I offer them a dram of 125.55 10yo 2001/2011 Nursery Tea (60.4%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 304b), which they seem to like (ND and PT had it earlier too). They offer Isle of Jura 16yo (40%, OB). They apologise profusely for the difference in calibre, but really I like it quite a bit.
We have a lovely chat and share impressions of the night. We decide we need a refill, at some point around 1:45... and discover the bar is closed! What the deuce? In terms of "start as you mean to go on," let us hope that does not forecast a year of aborted tastings! :-)

Boom!