Springbank 1995/2018 (51.4%, Whiskybroker.com for Old Analyst, Sherry Hogshead, C#457/1995): nose: there is a remote sweetness to this, akin to jars full of jams off the pot, cooling down, yet the dominant is the undeniable farminess; dried mud, farm paths, crusty tractor tyres. Perhaps the nose also has an undergrowth, as it begins to rain (everyone has started using the word 'petrichor', over the past few weeks, so I refuse to follow), peat bogs, pile of logs, left out in the damp and half-eaten by moss, turf. It grows less and less dry, as time passes. Mouth: the jams reappear on the palate, slightly bolder and soon joined by cracked black pepper. It also has old wooden shelves, parchment, century-old inkwells and... hot soup (don't ask!) It really reminds me of tomato soup with meat balls, for some reason. Let us file this in the "warm and comforting" folder, then. Cinnamon sticks and cassia bark are also present. Finish: it is big, long and wide, with carrot chutney, nigella seeds and all, spread onto warm flatbread, resting on a log table. This finish nevertheless remains earthy and brings forth a cloud of smoke from bone-dry peat. As with the nose, the more one drinks it, the less dry it becomes, which is nice. The second sip is mustier, with whisky-imbibed bung cloth and humid hessian. Well, it is an excellent S'bank, unsurprisingly. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
93.31 16yo 1992/2008 Cigar boxes and fish crates (65.5%, SMWS Society Cask): this is a leftover from the recent tasting. I liked it then, despite its rocket-fuel strength. Nose: deeper than its Longrow-based neighbour, it has old dust, dunnage warehouse (more clay floor than angels' share) and precious old books. In fact, it is not far from entering the vaulted, underground library in a monastery. All sorts of faded inks, old, dusty papers, but also overly-baked potato skins, caramelised clover honey, overly-roasted hazelnuts and almonds and roasted chestnuts, kept on a flattened, old cardboard box. At second sniff, it is bog myrtle and turf, with a cup of rooibos tea. Mouth: roasted, unsalted peanuts at first, then the huge salty kick enters the scene. It catches me by surprise, just as it did two weeks ago. So salty! Dried anchovies, seashells, fishing nets, beach sand, sea water. Fried smelt with NO sauce, dried, smoked mussels. I feel dehydration running towards me. In a good way. Finish: well, it is powerful, but it does not knock me out. The salty sea influence remains (seashells, rollmops), accompanied by meringue -- most unexpected! In the long run, peat appears in the finish too, greasy, juicy, boggy peat, with also cinnamon-bark shavings, which is very original indeed, next to the salt and sweet meringue. A dram like no other, this. Interesting and also very good. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, PS)Two great drams, with the Scotia edging it (just), if only for its original profile.
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