30/06/2019 James Bond

Jimmy has terrible taste in drinks, but his adventures make for great puns. BA, cavalier66, JS and I assemble to share some of them.

The soundtrack, in no particular order (because I forgot to make notes in real time):
He Said - Take Care
The Chameleons - Strange Time
David Sylvian - Everything And Nothing
The Trashcan Sinatras - Obscurity Knocks E.P.
Dead Can Dance - Towards  The Within
One of JS's compilations. I only remember a Radiohead track and something by Hooverphonic.

cavalier66 opens the ball with two bottlings from Malts of Scotland. From a range known as Diamonds, due to its drawing of a diamond on the label. Why two? Well, because one diamond is long-lived, but Diamonds are Forever.

...and with two of them, this tasting could go on
for a looooooooooong time!

Glen Scotia 40yo 1972/2013 (44.9%, Malts of Scotland, C#MoS13024, 96b) (cavalier66): nose: musty staves, mushroom-y warehouses, olive oil (cavalier66) and rum, oozing from wooden casks. This smells sweet and mellow. The second sniff brings marzipan, which is always a good thing to me. Mouth: oily indeed, it has orchard-fruit goodness and, perhaps, a little wood bitterness (dry hazel). Finish: pear compote, apple, syrupy jam. I am still hungover from last night, but I love this all the same. 9/10

Banff 37yo 1975/2013 (42.9%, Malts of Scotland, C#MoS13023, 96b) (cavalier66): nose: watercolour and pencil erasers, then dry paint, dry-brushing style. Later, it is an unusual chilli-mayonnaise that fills this Belgian with joy. Mouth: mellow, round and buttery in texture, it has the taste of custard, mixed with chilli-mayonnaise. Brilliant. The second sip has more yellow fruit. Finish: long, it leaves the mouth slightly dry, as if covered in ashes. It is mildly spicy, not quite mustard-y -- it is more the subtle bitterness of a sip of black tea. cavalier66 cannot not show off and remind us that he tried three MoS Banff in Glasgow, this year, and that this very one was his least favourite. BA finds it "eminently pleasant." I am on his side. 9/10

JS presents Daniel Craigellachie.

Craigellachie-Glenlivet 19yo 1962/1982 (80° Proof, Cadenhead) (JS): one of JS's latest acquisitions. It has had no time to gather dust! Nose: fresh and lively, it has touches of metal and hawthorn infusion -- the old bottle effect, no doubt. Further, it is light peach, dried mud, dust. The second sniff has rose petals and a notch of rubber. Mouth: superb balance, with sweet jams, golden syrup, but also cracked black pepper. Finish: it becomes unexpectedly peppery, here, but not overly so. More rose petal and rubber shavings. Stunning dram. 9/10

Artisan bread and mozzarella brought by cavalier66
Capricorn's goat cheese, courtesy of JS

BA brought home-made madeleines.
They remind me of something -- cannot think of what...

I introduce Pierce Berry Brosnan.

Glenburgie 1983/2011 (56.3%, Berry Bros & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#9806) (tOMoH): nose: blatantly more potent, this one has sawdust, peach stones, apricot jam, and I thought ground white pepper, but cavalier66 nails it: chalk. Mouth: spicy apricot compote, with a noticeable wood influence, minty splinters and peppery fruit. This is spicy... and chalk-y. Finish: long, throat-coating, with scorched apricot compote, pine cones, perhaps even black cardamom. 8/10

Another pair follows, that we will have head to head: cavalier66's Roger Bowmoore (who drinks martini), and BA's Bowmore, which was distilled under the supervision of James (McEwan and kept in) Bond. The full James Bond experience!

3.278 20yo d.1996 Dirty martinis in the boat shed (52.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 252b) (cavalier66): nose: dirty peat, a bunch of flowers on a pile of mud, pineapple rings, woolly socks and earth. Mouth: the palate is much more fruity, tropical, even, with pineapple rings, juicy satsuma segments and mandarins. Finish: yep, the finish is very tropical as well, with roasted pineapple and pink-grapefruit peels. Excellent. 8/10

vs.

3.243 17yo d.1997 Dark, smouldering flamenco gypsy (57.1%, SMWS Feis Ile 2015, ex-Sherry Butt, 594b) (BA): from the colour and the number of bottles, it is clearly a sherry butt, although it would not say, on this special label. When I saw the name, I thought the connection would be: The gyspy who loved me. But no. Nose: heavy sherry, innit. Leather, all sorts of farm-y, tractor-y shenanigans. With water and time, it turns softer and fruitier, with yellow fruit and grapefruit peels. Mouth: smoky prunes, ripe plums, soaked in mulled wine, or in sangria. This is just as remarkable as .278, if driven by the sherry. Dark currants, elderberry, dark-cherry compote. With water, the berries morph into sweet citrus. Lovely. Finish: big, peaty and loaded with dark fruit. Water brings the finish in line with the reduced nose and palate, allowing citrus to emerge, loud and clear, and complement the peat. Wonderful drop. 8/10

That russet hue, on the left!

I like the Bourbon cask better, but both are impeccable, really. Whilst I try to finish these in a timely fashion, the others have a beer, courtesy of BA.

cavalier66 takes a leave. He has a crochet showdown to attend. One to go for us. BA's 007-year-old grain whisky.

Invergordon 7yo 2006/2015 (66.3%, whiskybroker.co.uk, Refill Sherry Butt, C#901446, 11b, b#6) (BA): you read right: eleven bottles only. I joke that it is so rare, and we have had enough as it is. BA can and may easily not open it and go home with it. He sheds a tear opening it, lamenting he will now never be able to flip a seven-year-old Invergordon bottled by Whisky Broker (if you do not get the sarcasm, this would likely not fetch a high price on the secondary market). Nose: ooft! it is strong. Porridge, hot custard and grapefruit peels dried to a crispy state. Water makes it all oats and porridge, with a sprinkle of dried lime peel. Surprisingly, with or without water, none of the trademark Invergordon markers appears. Mouth: soft and lemon-y at first, yet the heat becomes more and more intense. Hot, grapefruit-y custard and lemon-y porridge. It has tiny notes of metal too. Water gives it milk chocolate with lime stuffing. Finish: huge, hot, it has similar citrus-y notes (grapefruit, pomelo). Water enhances the citrus -- still lime and pomelo. It is not complex, but perfect for the circumstance. And for a 7yo grain, it exceeds my expectations. 8/10

No Casino Royale Lochnagar or Sean Convalmory. We said no to cavalier66's Sean Caroni rum, because, well, rum. Also, it is nice to finish a James Bond tasting after 007 drams, not 008.
My hangover is slightly better. Thanks for asking. :-)