PS has been here for seven hours or so, and is in a generous mood.
88.18 9yo d.2009 All-purpose wasp repellent (52.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 222b): the SMWS leaflet reads, "Jan Birch's all-purpose wasp repellent." Another inside joke by AMcR, who seems to more and more use his gig at the SMWS as a platform to remind the world he knows people. It would seem someone else at the SMWS did not think it in great taste, considering the bottle itself does away with the Jan-Birch namedrop. Nose: nuts and vinegar, Brazil and macadamia oils, argan oil, linseed oil, a drop of citrus juice, medlar, sawdust and stripping alcohol. How strong is this? Mouth: nutty and pickled, it has more medlar, oily macadamia and almond skin. Finish: boom! Strong, nutty and oily, it has waxy grapefruit peels thrown into the mix. This is adequate. 7/10
93.107 7yo d.2007 Flexing the mussels (59.6%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 237b): nose: surprisingly gentle, this is an official-like Glen Scotia, all covered in honey and sweetness. Rather fruity, it displays soft pear, crushed raspberry, nail polish, quince jelly, honeysuckle and loads of honey. Initially, it had waves of tool oil, watch oil etc., a mechanical touch that was interesting, if promptly lost. Mouth: in line with the nose, it has honeysuckle, quince jelly, rose-petal jelly and honey. The clockmaker's oil makes a shy come-back too. Finish: so much honey! It gets darker, here (wood honey), and even has a metallic edge of new tools and nickel coins (or watch cogs). Nice! 8/10
46.72 25yo d.1992 Jungle slippers (53.8%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 275b): nose: is it tropical fruit, or is it bike-tyre tubes? Well, it is both! Rubber and talcum powder alongside exotic fruit of the non-exuberant type (guava, papaya). Mouth: mellow, velvety, it has the texture of fleshy fruit -- papaya and guava again, maybe quince too. Finish: long, juicy and fruity, the finish has similar notes, with all the fruit in jams. Lovely. 8/10
39.175 29yo d.1989 The chocolate and wine diet (49.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill Bourbon Hogshead + finished in PX Cask for 6y, 225b): nose: a little subtle, but it does have what seems like marzipan, pickles, crushed Brazil nuts and a dryer note. Roasted chestnut and tobacco complete the nose. Mouth: tobacco, peach-stone oil, peach juice (not nectar), peach skins. It seems very soft, but it does have power. Finish: noticeably different to the nose and mouth, with more yellow fruit (apricot, peach), some kind of jam (apricot, presumably) and a gently bitter note. This is nice, but not a patch on sister cask Starry starry night. 8/10 |
| Cheeses are served |
112.37 23yo d.1995 Teasing and Enticing (53.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 115b): nose: deep and woody, with mahogany, hazeltree, then apple juice, apple-tree wood, squashed plum and nuts, in the back of the nose. Mouth: polished dashboards, teak oil, baked apples and shallow-fried quince slices. Finish: what a kick! Once the alcohol dissipates, the finish explodes into a similar mix of orchard fruit and woody tones. Water brings out more tropical fruit. Excellent. 8/10
66.146 21yo d.1997 Sensational sweet smoky 'noble rot' (51.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 244b): nose: fried butter and pencils -- an unexpected combination... that sort of works. Grilled marshmallows, an old-school, wooden churn, and then it peters out to become very shallow and buttery. Rancid butter, to be accurate. Mouth: mildly ashy (because I know to look out for that), mostly creamy and actually rather soft, with almond milk and fruit drops. Finish: fruit drops alright. This one is very fresh, with almost-tropical fruit, oily tones (raspberry oil) and a slightly-too-pronounced bitterness. This feels like an Ardlair (unpeated Ardmore). Nice enough, but easily the weakest of the day. 7/10Time to go home.
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