30/09/2018 Whisky Show 2018 (Day 2 -- Part 2) Six Whiskies of the Decade

Oliver Chilton (OC) and Sukhinder Singh (SSS) co-present this masterclass. The theme is simple: it is the Show's tenth anniversary; the sponsor (SSS) and the organiser-come-bottler (OC) chose their favourite whiskies bottled exclusively for The Whisky Show over the past ten years.

This is what they look like

Chilton opens the proceedings by underlining all the whiskies today, "were found in boxes marked: 'SSS drink'. So, you're basically drinking Sukhinder's stock." Ha!

Lochside 46yo d.1964 (42.1%, TWE, C#8970, 139b): need I say more? This is one of my favourite whiskies ever. I am a bit sceptical regarding its position in the line-up, but am delighted to try it again. I monitor Cavalier66 from the corner of my eye: he has never had it. Naturally, his reaction is positive. Nose: exuberantly fruity, with a touch of dignified wood. Yellow passion fruit, says cavalier. It has had an hour or so to breathe and it is a delight. Mouth: dunnage warehouse, magnificent. Finish: perfection in a glass. That drop of tropical fruit in the finish just slays you every time. 10/10

Sukhinder explains that the paperwork promised a single malt, but he was puzzled when he tried the first sample. Scratching the paint on the cask, they found out it was in fact a single blend. Only Lochside and Ben Nevis did this, blending malt and grain produced at the same plant before putting it into casks. The result after a long ageing period is something that is more than the sum of its parts, as illustrated on 31/12/2014 and 29/10/2017, amongst others.

SSS: "Only three of those were released, I think, and I believe this was the first."
tOMoH: "Four, and Scott's predates yours by a little [five years, in fact]. Though in fairness, yours is better."

Everyone needs a smartarse. The room is full of them, today.

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507): we had this one for St Patrick's day, this year. It was lovely, but because of that, I cannot say it is the one that excites me most, today. Nose: mango and guava, exuberant, but also less elegant than the fruit in the Lochside, really. Satsuma, tangerine and cantaloupe melon. Mouth: extraordinary balance, with a pinch of white pepper, sawdust, and lot of fruit. Finish: a fruity explosion, tropical, lush, with mango, guaa, persimmon and also rhubarb. Despite the nose being more vulgar than the Lochside's, it is still worth top score. 10/10

Sukhinder explains they very often add water to the whisky before bottling, so as to obtain the optimal ABV. Sometimes even in the cask.

Springbank 24yo b.2017 (51.7%, Elixir Distillers Art of Whisky, 191b): nose: sooty as an old chimney, old stoves, coal buckets. This is Victorian working class personified. Mouth: unexpectedly full of fruits. Fruit with a pinch of soot, coal dust and white pepper. Finish: warming, very long, never-ending and distinctly elegant. That mix of fruit and coal/soot is terribly efficient. 9/10

OC: "I'm not a chemist. I have a degree in philosophy. It drives you to drink, but it doesn't help."

SSS (upon meeting Chivas Bros representatives in Whisky Live Tokyo): "You're so lucky. You have the best distillery in the world."
Reps: "Yeah, Glenlivet."
SSS: "!?!?!? No."
Reps: "Glen Grant? Scapa? Lochside? Aberlour? Not Caperdonich?"
SSS: "Longmorn!"

The following time they met, the representatives told him he was right, that the staff now was raving about Longmorn and that they would do more with it soon. Ten years have passed and not much has happened, SSS says.

Longmorn 31yo 1978/2010 (58%, Speciality Drinks Masterpieces, Bourbon Cask, 135b): this is probably the one I am most excited to finally try. It was bottled the year before I started coming to this festival. Nose: a hint of liquorice and lots of berries. It also has a buttery touch to it; I first think of avocado, but it is in fact mango. Mango, papaya, blueberry, baked banana and tender wood. Mouth: acidic passion fruit, green grapefruit (Sukhinder says pink, but he is clearly wrong), mandarin and the bite of pepper. This is a heartwarming palate, truth be told. Finish: pink grapefruit, mixed peel, orange drops. Superb balance, with lots of fruit, good alcohol level and a whisper of Virginia tobacco. Wow. 9/10

SSS: "It was wonderful. Peachy, peachy, peachy."
tOMoH: "Ya, ya, ya-ya"

Clynelish 18yo b.2014 (50.6%, The Whisky Exchange): nose: leather, jute sacks, sulphur. This one is dirty and farm-y, with tractor tyres and saddles. The jute/hessian and sulphur grow more intense, which I am not very happy about. Mouth: hot, it has candle wax, spent matchsticks, boiled daffodils and burnt wick. Finish: big, dirty, sooty, with spent wick. Later, the waxy character comes back stronger, with furniture polish. All in all, though, this is my least favourite of the set by a comfortable margin. 7/10

Sukhinder tells the audience that Port Ellen is not his favourite distillery. He started collecting it, because it was closed and he thought there was therefore a remote chance to own all the bottlings. That was of course before the hype made their prices so unreasonable.

SSS: "Some names no-one talks about. You can't buy Ardbeg, but Glenburgie is cheap and it's nice."

I do not have the heart to tell SSS that Glenburgie is cheap because no-one talks about it.

Port Ellen 27yo 1983/2010 (51.3%, The Whisky Exchange for The Whisky Show 2010, Sherry Cask, 60b): nose: tar, petrol, diesel, even, a cockle shed on the pier, a fishing boat in the harbour. Mouth: similar notes, really; sea water, diesel, fishing nets, seafood. Finish: petrolic and salty, with the sweetness that the Dovr-Tvtes-Mares also had. 1983 is clearly my favourite vintage for Port Ellen. It is lovely. I preferred some of the earlier drams in this class, though. 9/10

A lady in the audience asks: "Would you drink a good whisky for the rest of your life, or several less good whiskies?"
SSS: "Hard question. Probably a good one."
Lady: "Which one?"
SSS: "I don't know. There are so many."
Guy in the audience: "You would probably choose a 1964 Bowmore."
SSS: "Five days a week. Not seven."

Talking about the price of similar bottlings:
SSS: "One is £100, another is £150..."
Cavalier66: "The exchange rate, isn't it?"
tOMoH: "The Whisky Exchange rate!"

Time to clap and leave. It is great to see OC more relaxed than he has been (I suppose ten years of Show make one so). I tell the MCs their openness about water addition should lead to their using Chilton-filtration, which makes OC giggle. There will be another masterclass here shortly. As for us, we go for food.