26/12/2019 Clearing the shelf #24

As every year, we have a triple birthday to celebrate, and it does not matter that none of the birthday boys is here.

Longmorn 21yo 1997/2019 (52.5%, The Whisky Exchange, Hogshead, C#3300, 72b): nose: it smells like dusty fruit at first, not unlike a Tullibardine. Probably, the fresh glass is to blame, but then, I found face powder the first time, so dust is not impossible. Tangerine, bergamot, plum, mirabelle plum and a soft whiff of beef stock. Moving on, it is soaked sultanas, moist prunes, dates, figs, even, and walnut oil. Later, dark grapes, toasted Brazil nuts, macadamia, oily and nutty, and... raw bacon. Timid nose, though it has a bit to say, if given the right attention. A few sips in, the nose turns bolder, with more pronounced citrus zest, including lime, pomelo and tangerine. I find it slightly fizzy, like a Fanta past its prime. Mouth: sweet and satin-like, it sparsely grows in heat, with a pinch of paprika. Only a pinch, though. The whole is rather mellow, with blood-orange flesh, sangria, Madeira wine and mandarin zest. The second sip sees lemonade and stewed oranges. Finish: a luscious mix of citrus and milk chocolate, with tangerine segments (not quite ripe), Chinese gooseberry, pomelo, mixed peel and maybe even stewed rhubarb. There is a lingering impression of old banana skin and the associated drying character. Very pleasant drop, all in moderation. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, DW)

Crabbie 40yo (44.5%, John Crabbie & Co., 350b, b.2018): the 30yo, 28yo and 25yo were quite popular, when they came out -- probably because they were allegedly Macallan, peated Macallan, no less. This one is rumoured to be a Glenfarclas, on the other hand. Nose: a Bourbon maturation, in any case; custard powder, glycerine, vanilla pudding and butterscotch. Behind that, almond milk, softly-spiced coconut cream, peach-and-pear yoghurt, mead, digestive biscuits -- soggy digestive biscuits, in fact. Nosing again after the first sip, it has an almost-porridge-y scent to it, quite pleasant, but subdued. Everything in this nose is nuance and subtlety, discretion and effacement. With lots of time, it turns into full-on peach yoghurt, more pronounced than before. Mouth: woah! It is soft to the point I wonder if I am really drinking anything. Almond milk, coconut yoghurt, augmented with a little peach pulp, marzipan in the making (that will be powdered almonds and caster sugar, blending away in the heat), custard cream. Extended breathing brings a drop of pomelo to the mouth, which is most welcome. Finish: almost absent in the finish, I get wafts of glycerine and soft balsa wood, basking in thin custard. After breathing for half an hour, pomelo enters the scene to complement the custard. In fact, one could say it is pomelo-and-peach yoghurt. A fine whisky indeed, and more to my taste than most Glenfarclas, but it needs a lot of time and is a bit nondescript. I think the word is: smooth. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)

Cooley 11yo 2001/2012 (55.9%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection imported by Pacific Edge Imports, Barrel, C#3443, 210b): nose: sandalwood and wooden crates, filled with fruits (pears, persimmons, carambolas, fresh figs) and boiled sweets (orange drops, pineapple cubes, crystallised kiwis). A little tree sap comes up too, discreet, before pork sausages join it. Then it goes back to fruit -- mince pies, in this case, which, considering the date, is rather topical. Speaking of topical, more topical fuit appea too: banana, mango peels, satsuma peels and cooked fruit (marmalade and rum-toft). Mouth: lively, almost green, with flowering currant barely masking the expected fruit. Lots of warm marmalade, stewed rhubarb, poached peaches, tinned apricots, fig paste, cranberry compote (though not quite so acidic). It is also spicy and woody in perfect doses -- cigar boxes and a pinch of grated ginger, as well as ground grapefruit peel. Finish: more fruit, fresher too, and a gentle woodiness. In no particular order, we have peaches, canary melon, jackfruit, persimmon, pomegranate, banana, soaked in rum, and cantaloupe skins to match the cigar boxes. What a lovely dram! Glad to have bought a bottle when I had a chance. Now empty, unfortunately. 8/10

Happy birthday, MD, FH, JPH.