02/09/2019 More drams at the SMWS

Last night in town for Gaija, we try to make it count.

39.180 29yo d.1989 Smokers on a new carpet (51%, SMWS Society Cask for The Gathering at the Vaults, Refill Heavily-Toasted Medium-Charred Hogshead, 206b): this is from a special wave of bottlings for a string of events called The Gathering. Bar only, not for sale. Nose: sweet and rich, with maraschino cherries and custard triangles, fluffy bread and buttery scones. Mouth: pillow-y, with shortbread action, sweet, salty and crumbly. Sticky apple crumble. Finish: long and mellow, subtle, but with everything in the right place. Cherry skins, cantaloupe, just past its prime. It is more acidic and bitter than the nose suggested, but it remains pleasant nonetheless. It also does retain the cherry-turnover side. I have too little of it to make better notes, but I like it. Perhaps not quite Starry, starry night, but not too far off. 9/10

JS arrives.

35.239 23yo d.1995 Sweet Seduction (52.9%, SMWS Society Cask for The Gathering at the Vaults, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 202b): nose: lush, it has rose-petal jam, red cherries, candied cherries and a whisper of tobacco. The second sniff brings... raw white asparagus. Soon, fruit comes back, sweet, grenadine style. It is all a little artificial, but remains lovely. Mouth: a huge sweetness on the palate too, with those candied cherries, crystallised angelica, candied pineapple cubes and mixed peel. Finish: quite big, with similarly sweet notes, balanced by a gentle metallic edge -- think of the knife the confectioner has used to cut candied pineapple cubes for six hours. A drop of chocolate appears in the distance, but it is mostly candied fruit. This is great, even if the candied cherry can become a little heady. 8/10

50.109 28yo d.1990 Mangroves and marshmallows (57.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 111b): nose: this one is in another league, unexpectedly, with rose petals, fruits (cherry and raspberry) and faint leather. Crow-black hair-dye (a goth's whisky, then) and broccoli stalks. The floweriness grows and grows, with lilac, augmented with spices, sink funk, then seal wax. Mouth: sweet, it struggles to completely hide a certain plant-related bitterness that reminds me of flower stems. It is coated in powdered sugar, though. Strawberries, stalk still on, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Finish: hugely fruity, here. Poached pear, candied apple and a full apricot clafoutis. It is warming and frankly never-ending, but not as spicy in the finish. What a beautiful Lowlander! 9/10

77.51 26yo d.1992 Flower power shower (46.9%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 160b): nose: fresh, it has putty-like toothpaste, mastic, polyester-clad settees, hot off the assembly line. Later, lukewarm Virginia tobacco and freshly-ironed jeans come to the fore. Crisp apple, cut on the chopping block, then dried strawberry chips. Mouth: the symphony continues, with raspberry sorbet, dried strawberry chips again, lilac, frozen in time with hair lacquer, then sticky marmalade, slowly simmering in the cauldron. Wow! Finish: slow-moving, it is assertive regardless, with berries, purple lilac, peach jam and apricot purée. This is probably my favourite Glen Ord to-date. 9/10

JS sniffs half a dozen before settling for the last dram.

9.157 22yo d.1996 I drambled lonely as a cloud... (60.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 228b): nose polished-oak chests, teak oil, then more delicate notes of peach slices and flowers (buttercups and daffodils). This nose makes me think of a sherry cask, strangely enough, with hints of nail varnish to boot. Mouth: soft and elegant, the palate sees the peach return, alongside a metallic edge (is it verbena?) and growing spices, surprisingly (galangal shavings, ginger root). Finish: more traditional, with coconut cream and vanilla custard, before dry-ish wooden stave storm the scene. Nutella-coated churros, says Gaija. Now, I finally admit it is a Bourbon cask, yet, if the whole is very good, I find the finish the least interesting as well. Not quite Boringside, but also not Thrillamore. 7/10

Time for food and bed. Very good selection. On the way back, we joke about how nothing interesting supposedly comes out, these days. Ah, well.