30/12/2019 Pre-NYE drams at Dornoch Castle Hotel

adc, JS and I are back in Dornoch for Hogmanay, after last year's hiatus. The bar has changed quite a bit, in that time period, which is good news -- I have no plan to knowingly drink from the same bottles, however amazing they were the previous years.
Some casualties adorn the walls (Lochside 1981/2015 RO/15/07, for example), whilst other empties have been cleared (Killyloch and Glen Albyn 1963 GMP for Sestante). The windows have been fitted with shelves and doors and act as additional glass cabinets for bottles, as well as for books (now safely locked away, unfortunately, if understandably). Beautiful work.

Lots of recent SMWS bottles, too. CT will later confirm that Dornoch Castle Hotel is now a SMWS partner bar. They seem a bit pricier than the London SMWS, but the selection is tip top and it is an opportunity to try them without going to one of the venues. Dornoch is far away from all of them.

After a shower and a little rest (it was a long trip), we go back to the bar for our welcome drink. adc has a gin, whilst JS and I go for whisky. We had whisky the first year (from a limited selection), yet they were only offering gin-based cocktails in years 2 and 3. This return to the malted-barley juice is good news to me, not being a fan of gin.

The Captain's Malt 10yo (40%, Royal Dornoch Golf Club): from an undisclosed Speyside distillery. Drinkable, if bland and watery. It has virtually no smell, no taste and no finish. Boring AF, yet not offensive. 5/10

Glen Mavis (40%, Glen Mavis Distillers imported by Magazzini Standa, b. pre-1980s): another one I have never heard of. Nose: tobacco and ground dried orange rinds, very subtle. Mouth: minute orange juice, silky and... bland. Finish: slightly citrus-y, with orange rind and not much else going on. Not the discovery of the year, but it is nice to try something never-before seen. 5/10

Time for dinner.

Ze menu

Truffle Baby Leeks as starter for adc

Mac & Crab as starter for JS and me

Duo of Local Lamb as adc's main

North Sea Cod as main for JS

Organic Chicken Breast is my main

Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert for adc and JS

Tain Cheese Board for me

Back to the bar for some proper dramming. The interim bar manager (the latest one we knew has gone and his replacement has come and recently gone too) asks me what flavour profile I am after and explains he is the whisky man in the place. It is well-intentioned. I explain I have a shortlist of twenty-two drams, at this stage, that I have a few days to work my way through them and thank him for his offer. During those few days, we will share some drams with the staff that they have not yet had -- I call it studying; they seem thankful, but do not tell PT. ;-)

All the below drams are shared between adc, JS and myself, of course.

The Tormore 10yo b.1990 (40%, OB, 90 52): they also have one bottled in the 1960s, which I know is a corker (having tried it, or something very similar, at G&B's Whiskyfest), but it is also five times the price. This, I have wanted to try for a while. Ha! Nose: caramel, shoe glue and nail varnish. This smells like a salon in which they would serve caramel. A dusty salon. Mouth: soft, it has similar notes of caramel, melted Quality Street sweets, tablet and fudge. Cracked green pepper corns show up, at some point too. Finish: long, dusty and softly spicy (dried-ginger shavings, dried lemon grass, ground orange peel), it also has dried banana slices and plantain. It is what one would expect of a 1980s-distilled Speysider. Simple, caramel-fuelled, but nice enough. 7/10

55.15 11yo The Chattering Glass (58.4%, SMWS 26 Malts): adc is intrigued by this bottle. I am excited to try something from the collection of 26 bottles with labels designed by writers and designers. One rarely sees them in the wild, let alone open. Nose: closed, with unripe fruit in wooden crates, coffee grounds, cedar boxes. One of those SMWS offerings that stay closed. Water makes it more pungent, though it is now earth and mud, mixed in with the coffee. Faded pot-pourri, dried heather in linen pouches. Mouth: gingery, galangal-y, with also nutmeg and white pepper. The heat is pretty intense. Water brings a better balance; the spices are still there, but shy fruits are allowed to come through somewhat. Finish: huge, massive, it is fearsome, with lots of sawdust and ginger shavings. Quick! Water! Water unleashes an onslaught of white pepper and... crayons? No! Some kind of hand lotion, a little waxy. This is OK; too brutal for me, so early on. 7/10

Glen Elgin 1975/2010 (50%, Ryst-Dupeyron Captain Burn's): from that unlikely bottler based in Condom, France. :-) Nose: honey-glazed walnuts, roasted Brazil nuts, stewed fruits (apple compote, quince compote, lingonberry compote), gently smoked, and a pinch of coffee grounds. Mouth: meow! It is stewed fruit and honey on macadamia nuts, quince jelly, stewed apricots. The palate turns spicier with every sip, which gives a nice balance. Finish: long, fruity, just a little dusty, it has the compote and honey from the palate, with a little sawdust and lemongrass to boot. Terrific drop! 8/10

Random guy at the next table: "May we look at the list? You've selected great drams, there. Anything you would recommend?"
tOMoH: "Can you keep a secret?"
Guy: "Yes!"
tOMoH: "So can we." :-)

adc wants something light and spring-like. I cleverly order the following. Cleverly? Yes: it is the last dram of it. :-)

Bowmore 15yo (43%, OB for Glasgow Garden Festival '88, Ceramic Decanter): a reputed bottle, this, that we tried a few years ago. Nose: "ugly duckling," says adc. "It is not whisky, is it?" I have earth, flowers and fruit -- gerania, cut peach and lychee, to be precise. JS finds cut baby-doll heads, meaning soft, rubbery plastic, I suppose, possibly with fake hair on the top. Mouth: velvety, satin-like, it has cut peach, apricot slices and a pinch of earth again. Finish: long and full of win, it has lots of fruit, earth aplenty, geranium stems. It has lost a bit of its plumage (end of the bottle), but it is still excellent. I could go one point higher, maybe. For tonight, it is 8/10

Mannochmore 18yo b.1997 (66%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Sherry Casks, 1800b, b#0745): I have been curious about this one for a while. So curious that I had never noticed the ABV. Holy smokes! I am going in, wish me luck! Nose: wood varnish, warm bakelite and plastic chips. Later on, it is sticky toffee pudding and baking shortbread. Nail varnish soon comes back with a vengeance, though. Water seems to introduce a vinegar-y note that is not really welcome. Mouth: quite approachable for its 66%. It has hot cola, melted toffee, boiling caramel, red-chilli paste -- OK, it is hot, after all. Hehe. Finish: a blend of hot cola, nail varnish, boiling caramel, waterproofing leather spray, leather-nourishing oil (something one should not do, it seems), tallow. Water disturbs the balance and counter-intuitively makes it more aggressive. Careful with H2O. 8/10

Glenturret 35yo d.1977 (47.1%, Kintra Whisky, C#19, 173b): nose: minty fruit, namely peach and plum, but also cucumber and distant young Cheddar alongside currants and green gooseberries. Mouth: fresh, full of cut yellow stone fruit (plums, apricots, peaches), canary melon, green grapes and unripe gooseberries (think: green, not: bitter). Unexpectedly, it grows peppery too, though that is limited to the first sip. Finish: long, it has lemonade, peach skins, plum flesh, pressed cucumber (do not ask!), barbecued grapefruit and pomelo skins (I think), jackfruit, searing in butter. Without surprise, this is an excellent 'turret. 9/10

Let us call it a night. Eyelids are becoming heavy.