26/11/2019 SMWS x Billy Abbott

The SMWS has embarked on this original concept of giving "free reins" to a member. I say "free reins," because said member still has boundaries to conform to.
I did not attend the first of those sessions, mainly because I had no idea who the person was who was presenting. Also, I was not free that night.
This time, it is different: it is Billy Abbott's night, one half of Whisky Squad and a good friend (BA on this very blog).

The man.

DW, PP, PS, Dr. CD, GK, HT, CC, SOB, JMcC, JS and many other well-known faces are with me in the upstairs room -- he is popular, our BA! Six drams sit on a place mat: we will try them all blind.

For that, they need to puncture everyone's retinas...

Dram #1
Nose: shoe polish, melted marzipan, warm white wine, stewed peaches and baked pears. You can guess whether I like this (of course, I do!) The nose becomes "darker" over time, with stewed cherries and lingonberry compote. Mouth: soft, it has the zing of citrus and the softness of white wine, yet also squashed peach and a darker undercurrent of liqueur praline (Mon Chéri, I would say). Finish: strangely, a hint of coffee shows up, quickly overtaken by ripe peaches, overripe apricots, cherry liqueur and even almond liqueur. Nice! 35.226 32yo 1986/2018 Nocturne du Elgin en B flat minor (45.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Oloroso Hogshead, 227b) 8/10

BA: "Nowadays, I don't come here very often, because PS is here." :-)))

Dram #2
Nose: a bit sharper than #1, but still sweet. Riesling? No: too mellow and sweet for that. It is closer to Gewürztraminer, or bubbly, with candied pineapple cubes and vanilla-ed staves, roasted coconut, augmented with a gentle meatiness. Mouth: some wood tannins, but it is mostly creamy and mellow. Macadamia-nut body butter, tinned syrup ("that maple-syrup shit they put in tins of pears," says another punter) -- it is fruity and metallic indeed, thick, though not quite syrupy to me. Finish: gently bitter, it has grape skins and some sweet cream, alongside green-hazelnuts' leafy envelopes. The second sip turns more bitter, which overshadows an otherwise stunningly fruity note. 26.120 13yo d.2004 Oil be drammed (52.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 198b) 7/10

I note that I like the above much less than the younger Clynelishes that have come out recently. Vintage differences?

BA: "I met a lot of cool people here, whom I could talk to about things. And PS."

Dram #3
Nose: rich, it has the smell of a drinks cabinet, varnish, walnut stain, walnut oil, macerated cherries, even maraschino cherries, soaked peaches. The second sniff brings more earth and prunes, dates, figs and a drop of old red wine. Mouth: prune juice, lingonberry compote, bubbling-hot plum jam, walnut oil, gently-drying wood stain -- that brings me back to my childhood, picking up walnuts in my grandmother's garden. Finish: a bit of rancio, here, with old red wine, vintage Port and elderberry jam. It is fruity, but also acidic and drying. It is OK, not blinding -- just a sherried whisky, innit. JS guesses the distillery and I guess the ABV (to the closest 0.5%) and age. We rule. 1.212 25yo d.1993 Beeswax on barrels  (55.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-PX Hogshead, 194b) 7/10

BA: "I reached Aviemore at 22:40, just twenty minutes after the pub near the station had closed."
JMcC: "It'll all change after independence!"

Not enough nuts for a table of four, guys!

BA: "The best Glenfarclas I ever had was at the distillery. It was the same day I was at Benriach and slept at Inverness station... Productive day!"

Dram #4
Nose: very fruity, with crystallised pineapple and sugar-coated apple drops. Confectionery sugar, citric powder, Haribo bananas. Mouth: soft and sweet, it has more of that Haribo-banana goodness and fizzy tropical-fruit juice. Finish: sweet, outstandingly fruity, with guava, persimmon, papaya and bubble gum. Perhaps not complex enough to reach the stratosphere, but sooooo instantly nice! 51.8 16yo d.2001 Funky flowers and tropical fruits (54.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 205b) 8/10

After my guessing the above was a Penderyn, BA starts talking about that distillery.

JMcC: "But it's Welsh!"
BA: "It's almost as if whisky outside of Scotland could be good, chum!"

Dram #5
Nose: shifting gears, in terms of ABV. A grain? Baking scents, pastry, softly metal-tainted croissant, herbs -- is it parsley? Fresh sage? Tarragon? Menthol or camphor? No! It is coriander; yes: coriander-fuelled apple turnover, with the metallic edge of the sharp knife that just cut it open. Mouth: mellow and fruity, it has hot turnovers again. The second sip brings more industrial notes, such as rubber and engine grease. Have I been fooled? Finish: long, big... and quite simple. It has hot fruits (pineapple and pears) and a touch of rubber. This dram starts out really nice, then becomes rather boring. The audience reckons a rum. Sure enough. R8.6 19yo d.1998 WD40 dunderfunk (68.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 264b) 6/10

68.9%! Same as the 38yo Tullamore, that. :-)

BA: "Just wondering if people have opinions... Just realised what I said!"

Dram #6
Nose: charred meat in a field of mud, "walking past Smithfields market" (DW), caked, crusted mud on a tractor tyres, dirty ink and ashes. It even has a gently-medicinal note. Mouth: ink-y, earthy, tarry, with fishing nets in a bowl of plum-y fruit. Finish: ash, fishing trawlers, greasy earth and slices of juicy fruit -- peach, most prominently. Not in the mood for this today, but it is not bad, I suppose. 53.280 6yo d.2012 Morning glory (61.8%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 267b) 6/10

Very good night. The drams were a decent showcase of what the Society is about (all are current-ish) and touched on a broad flavour spectrum. BA also shines when he presents. Hard not to realise that he does that for a living and quite often: it was the perfect blend of facts, anecdotes and banter.

Occasionally, he turns his back to the room