10/05/2020 Four Glenlochies

I realised too late that I should have done Four decades of Glenlochy. As it stands, there are two from the 1960s. Unfortunately, I doubt I can do a similar session any time soon...

I was worried about the level.
Clearly, no damage incurred.

Glenlochy d.1968 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. early 1980s): Gordon & MacPhail bottled a 14yo and a 15yo in this livery. The miniatures bear no age statement, but it is relatively safe to assume that this is one of those two. Nose: OME (old miniature effect -- you read it here first, remember), as is almost guaranteed with these old GMP. That spells brine-y caramel. Soon, it is old books, damp cardboard, bung cloth and clean hessian sacks, hot linen bags and a drop of white wine, fruity, dry and crisp. The third sniff confirms the white wine and adds limestone into the mix. Ah! Glenlochy and its mineral austerity... Next up are rusty nails, old gardening tools and a cellar full of archive documents. Even later, the nose mellows out, with prunes and apricots, macerating in liqueur. After the first sip, the nose takes on a coffee-grounds touch, as well as verdigris and emerging pine cones. Mouth: syrupy caramel in texture it packs a punch and feels much higher than 40% ABV, with chilli powder, ginger gratings and white pepper. Behind the spices, it is drying and acidic, with bone-dry orange peel, ground to dust, roasted malt, nigella seeds, mango powder, coffee grounds, maybe black cumin, though that might be a step too far, more toasted than it really is. It is toasted, though. The longer it stays on the palate, the creamier it becomes, what with it causing incessant salivating. That brings it back to macerating fruits, namely apricot and tangerine segments, augmented with crushed mint. Finish: bold and long, the creamy side is there, competing with the drying touch of coffee grounds and crushed nigella seeds, and, again, mint -- peppermint, in fact. The spices that this delivers at this modest strength are mind-boggling. It is as numbing as an anaesthetic shot from the dentist -- peppermint-y, gingery, cassia bark-y, mango powdery. And palate-tingling. New wood appears in the finish as well, with notes of pine cones, sandalwood, candied orange peel, nutty peach stones and tannins. This is the right kind of woody for me, yet I am sure others would find it splintery. In any case, it takes no prisoners. 8/10

Glenlochy d.1974 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca 1989): Gordon & MacPhail bottled versions of this in 1989, 1991 and 1993, at least. This has no bottle code, which suggests a 1989 bottling, as I think that is the year they started printing those codes. Nose: much lighter on the nose, this one is also more mineral. Flint, warm granite, shingles, clean laundry, line-drying in the warm wind. Next to all that is a green quality -- not quite fennel, but celery sticks, perhaps, courgette, laurel leaves and chives. Suddenly, soft, exotic smoke wafts out of the glass, part incense, part smoked fruit tea. Oh! it is timid, but it is there. Preserved lemons and lemon curd, before a note of matchbox striker seems to bring a sulphur-y note to the game. I cannot tell if GMP used less E150a in this one, or if the previous dram was from a sherry cask, but they are very different, that is certain! Mouth: silky, softer than its more-ancient sibling, it is also more citric from the off, with lemon zest in custard, lemon curd, acidic and mouth-coating all at once. A pinch of coal dust. That smoky feel comes out again, though less timidly, now, and more Industrial Revolution in its coal usage. Burnt wood, charred cinnamon sticks, spent matches... I am wondering if it is smoky or sulphur-y, now. Probably a bit of both, I suppose. Curd turns into cream as the whole remains citrus-y, smoky and, above all, delicious. Finish: in the finish too, the citric/smoky/mineral combination prevails, with preserved lemons, dirty shotgun barrels and brimstone all present in equal proportions. That strangely leaves the mouth dry, salivating and coated in smoky/sweet flavours, which makes no sense whatsoever, yet happens regardless.  Spent matches? Check. Lemon zest? Check. Limestone? Check. There might even be smoked tomato stems to make the picture even more confusing. Confusing and satisfying. This is a challenging malt without a doubt, which also makes it rather rewarding. 8/10

Glenlochy 49yo 1952/2001 (43%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 43°, 311b): yup, this is the one that will prevent a repeat of such a sesh. 1950s malts are hard to come by, but 1950s Glenlochy? Well, I know of one other and it is even harder to obtain. Nose: a completely different kettle of fish! This has waxy fruit written all over the nose, with quince, apricot, smoked apricot, satsuma, yet also leather-bound books and teak furniture (or is it mahogany?) Sweetened rhubarb compote, baked banana slices (not plantains) and something greener and more akin to cucurbitaceous, such as sweet courgette or butternut, coming out of the oven. A pinch of herbs (sage or marjoram), waxy laurel leaves, ripening bergamot, perhaps nectarines -- if so, they are part of a bake. Later on, vanilla aromas make their way to the sinuses, with custard, fudge, shortbread dough, toffee, yet that never completely overshadows the citrus: calamansi and limoncello. Beeswax, lemon honey spread (thick in texture, light in colour)... Phwoar! Much later on, tea chests and black cardamom add a gentle, smoky dimension to the nose. Mouth: soft and mellow, satin-like, it has the texture of apricot juice, whilst the taste is in line with the nose -- sweet, waxy, citrus-y. Tangerine flesh, teak oil, beeswax, honey, laurel leaves, calamansi, cut quince, toffee and fudge, as well as something more astringent that is not immediately citrus-y... Is it lichen on staves? Squashed banana, green banana skins, crushed lovage seeds, dried-mint dust. With the second sip, the mellow, satin-like texture morphs into green-tea bitterness. It is perfectly brewed, which means it is not unpleasant, yet it is bitter all the same. Finish: meow! A continuation of the nose and palate, with waxy apricots, smoked quince, bay leaves (yes! That is the astringency), tangerine pith, unsweetened limoncello. Thinking about it, the main difference in the finish is the virtual absence of sweetness. It is acidic and bitter instead, with the bay leaves taking the top spot, ahead of citrus and wax. This finish is certainly not as long as the previous two drams', inasmuch as the taste peters out, yet the mouthfeel stays a while, bitterly herbaceous. Again, it is never overpoweringly bitter, but it is almost all that remains. Custard powder, smoked mirabelle plums -- yes, it gains a little smoke in the finish; not a total surprise, as peat would almost certainly have been used to dry the barley, at that time. It is a great dram, quite an emotional one, at that (I have been willing to try this for over a decade), but the bitter, green-tea-leaves note will prevent me from giving it the top score. 9/10

Glenlochy 26yo 1969/1995 (58.8%, OB Rare Malts Selection for South Africa, B297, b#0394): leftover from the RMS tasting three and a half years ago. Nose: austere as fook, gravel-y, it has coffee, spilled onto limestone. Once that has passed, more welcoming things appear: blueberry and blackcurrant squash, dried prunes, and something almost wine-y, not unlike a sauce grand'veneur. Coq au vin, made with cheap, heady red wine. That does not last: soon, the mineral notes are back, this time more flinty, with granite and other igneous rocks. Suddenly, white wine appears, dry and fresh, accompanied by butter lettuce. After the first sip, brown crayons and chocolate sponge rock up as well, timidly. Mouth: this hits like a hail of stones flying left, right and centre. Brimstone, flint, granite chippings, sandstone, metal filings and papier mâché -- the whole seems to suck all moisture away from the mouth. The second sip is still very drying, though it seems to follow course with melted milk chocolate too, soft and chewy. It reminds me of Yes or Thorntons Triple Layer Chocolate Cake. Amusing how such an austere dram can turn into chocolate cake over two sips only! Finish: unexpectedly, the finish is all about melted chocolate from the first sip. Oh! it is served on a slate slab and the cutlery used to handle the chocolate has stained it with a metallic note, but chocolate nevertheless. Hazelnut spread, buttery chocolate, soft, spongy tree bark (the kind they put in plant beds), mulch, soft and elastic like cork, hot cocoa, milky coffee and... chocolate cake. Entertaining and unexpected. 8/10

Enough for today.