Preparation for Whisky Show Old & Rare, while waiting for dom666 to arrive. He will have them all when he joins me.
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| In the meantime... |
Glenesk 1984/2004 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, JD/DCG): nose: fusty cork, exotic wood and currants -- blackcurrant, redcurrant jelly, elderberry, blackberry jam and blackberry bubble gum. New leather-bound books show up, then freshly-lacquered shelves. Wax is next. Esk can be a little off-putting and vinegar-y, but this one is enticing, to say the least! Mouth: soft and juicy, it has all the currants from the nose: blackcurrants, blueberries, elderberries, with what seems to be a drop of ink. It is fresh and lively without being in-your-face. Sherbet, tame peppermint and green foliage (chives?) Finish: more currants and berries, with added toffee, in the finish. Dark chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream -- a Black-Forest gâteau, in other words. :-) The balance is tip-top, at 43%, in my opinion. I really feel this has benefitted from years spent in an open bottle. 8/10
Speyburn 25yo Solera (46%, OB, b. ca 2012, P0 12982 11:08 7206 25): nose: oddly plastic-y, the nose has oilskins and waxy fruit peels. Then, suddenly, watercolour appears. Maybe the waxy note was crayons, after all? Shortly thereafter, it switches to a perfume profile, with ethereal scents of jasmine, roses and tulip petals. The second sniff is very waxy indeed, with cooked vegetable on top -- odd, but it works. Mouth: velvety, the palate sees a distant brine-y touch, though nothing bothering. I remember dom666 found that hugely unpleasant
the first time we had this, but it is much tamer, today. Next are grassy notes, with clover and, well, grass, green sticks, pea pods, a dose of heady, syrupy white wine (Sauternes or Fino, that is the question) and I find it citric (boiled lemon segments and unripe satsumas). The texture is rather oily, by the way. Finish: it turns nuttier, at this stage, and oily. Crushed Brazil nuts, hazelnut oil, olive oil, even, rapeseed oil -- is this oily, or what? The wine note makes a late appearance, at second sip, and it is Madeira, instead of Sherry. Nice. 8/10
Glenlossie 12yo b.2004 (55.5%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Cask, b#0998): nose: pine sap and custard powder, at first, it quickly reveals pine-tree bark and pencil shavings, blotting paper and dark berries. This has been in a low-fill, opened bottle for a couple of months, now, and it seems to have changed dramatically -- no drama yet, though! Fresh peaches appear, fresh figs, some kind of grape-and-hazelnut paste, lime peel, timid, but it is definitely there, geranium stems, gorse bushes... whoa! Later nosing brings a whiff of sweat, wrapped in a fruity frock -- quite original! Mouth: assertive, still (phew! No oxidation-related damage), the palate sees powdered coriander seeds on heated preserved lemons, Kaffir lime leaves, a pinch of ginger, perhaps, mace, candied ginger, turmeric, souped-up mixed peel and stewed rhubarb. Finish: oh! wow, this is better than I remembered it. It has a lick of wood (custard powder, butterscotch, white pepper), but also tropical fruit, now (banana, papaya, guava, kumquat and jackfruit). Wood spices show up, alongside citrus and sandalwood, far back, yet the whole is a well-balanced affair. A soaked-bung-cloth note might be too much for some, in the long run. I like it. 8/10
Glenesk 1984/2004 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, JD/DCG): nose: fusty cork, exotic wood and currants -- blackcurrant, redcurrant jelly, elderberry, blackberry jam and blackberry bubble gum. New leather-bound books show up, then freshly-lacquered shelves. Wax is next. Esk can be a little off-putting and vinegar-y, but this one is enticing, to say the least! Mouth: soft and juicy, it has all the currants from the nose: blackcurrants, blueberries, elderberries, with what seems to be a drop of ink. It is fresh and lively without being in-your-face. Sherbet, tame peppermint and green foliage (chives?) Finish: more currants and berries, with added toffee, in the finish. Dark chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream -- a Black-Forest gâteau, in other words. :-) The balance is tip-top, at 43%, in my opinion. I really feel this has benefitted from years spent in an open bottle. 8/10
Speyburn 25yo Solera (46%, OB, b. ca 2012, P0 12982 11:08 7206 25): nose: oddly plastic-y, the nose has oilskins and waxy fruit peels. Then, suddenly, watercolour appears. Maybe the waxy note was crayons, after all? Shortly thereafter, it switches to a perfume profile, with ethereal scents of jasmine, roses and tulip petals. The second sniff is very waxy indeed, with cooked vegetable on top -- odd, but it works. Mouth: velvety, the palate sees a distant brine-y touch, though nothing bothering. I remember dom666 found that hugely unpleasant the first time we had this, but it is much tamer, today. Next are grassy notes, with clover and, well, grass, green sticks, pea pods, a dose of heady, syrupy white wine (Sauternes or Fino, that is the question) and I find it citric (boiled lemon segments and unripe satsumas). The texture is rather oily, by the way. Finish: it turns nuttier, at this stage, and oily. Crushed Brazil nuts, hazelnut oil, olive oil, even, rapeseed oil -- is this oily, or what? The wine note makes a late appearance, at second sip, and it is Madeira, instead of Sherry. Nice. 8/10
Glenlossie 12yo b.2004 (55.5%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Cask, b#0998): nose: pine sap and custard powder, at first, it quickly reveals pine-tree bark and pencil shavings, blotting paper and dark berries. This has been in a low-fill, opened bottle for a couple of months, now, and it seems to have changed dramatically -- no drama yet, though! Fresh peaches appear, fresh figs, some kind of grape-and-hazelnut paste, lime peel, timid, but it is definitely there, geranium stems, gorse bushes... whoa! Later nosing brings a whiff of sweat, wrapped in a fruity frock -- quite original! Mouth: assertive, still (phew! No oxidation-related damage), the palate sees powdered coriander seeds on heated preserved lemons, Kaffir lime leaves, a pinch of ginger, perhaps, mace, candied ginger, turmeric, souped-up mixed peel and stewed rhubarb. Finish: oh! wow, this is better than I remembered it. It has a lick of wood (custard powder, butterscotch, white pepper), but also tropical fruit, now (banana, papaya, guava, kumquat and jackfruit). Wood spices show up, alongside citrus and sandalwood, far back, yet the whole is a well-balanced affair. A soaked-bung-cloth note might be too much for some, in the long run. I like it. 8/10
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