Burnside 27yo 1991/2019 (43.6%, Cadenhead Single Cask, 1 x Bourbon Barrel, 168b): nose: floral, fragrant and greenhouse-like, the nose presents gorse, elegant cologne, budding honeysuckle, sherbet, green tomatoes, mirabelle plums, passionflower, magnolia and pollen. In the long run, something a bit dryer comes out, hay or rosemary, yet it is timid. Well, it does not stay timid for very long. Not only is it dry, it is also salty and a tad brine-y; a spoonful of capers and a pinch of sea salt. The flowers quickly come back, though. After the first sip, the nose seems to take on a honeyed note, which is very pleasant. Mouth: it is definitely salty on the tongue, with capers, salty meadows, dried rosemary, foccaccia seasoning, fleur de sel. The texture is oily, and one cannot not think of warm pouring honey. Clover honey in the back of the throat, hay, gorse bushes, maybe dried flowers (kerria Japonica or forsythia). It is much less floral than on the nose, surprisingly, but it is not an issue. Finish: a green touch at first, despite the venerable age, with green tomatoes, cut grass, sappy vine leaves and clover honey. It leaves the palate refreshed like a cold beer or a bowl of cider, and more flavours emerge, cereals and fruits: iron tonic, oats, dried hops, unripe mandarin, guava or carambola, and even a faint metallic note. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
Glenburgie-Glenlivet 27yo 1992/2017 (48.9%, Cadenhead Single Cask, 1 x Bourbon Hogshead, 222b): nose: unexpectedly wine-y, close to meaty, with cold gravy, marinating diced beef and horseradish sauce. Once the meat dissipates, the collection of additional aromas is almost puzzling, with magnolia and wooden cutting boards rubbing feathers with butterscotch and peanut oil. Linseed oil, wormwood, bruised apples, decaying in the sun, fresh paint, cellophane, dry fortified wine... This thing is all over the place! Even plasticine makes an appearance. Weird nose, yet one cannot fault its complexity and originality, that is for sure. Mouth: soft and silky at first, it has warm plasticine again, warm, cola-flavoured gum, chai (spiced mint tea, for those who live under a rock), blackcurrant-flavoured sweet jelly, and that is before chocolate appears -- and appear it does! Buttery chocolate filling for mass-produced sponge cakes, buttery chocolate mousseline from a Paris-Brest cake, chocolate-y gravy (someone should really look into that!), the sauce of that Mexican chocolate chicken recipe that I make. Bay leaves, ground cloves, a pinch of ground cardamom; all that is in the background, however. Finish: after an initial and fleeting impression of spice (ground cardamom, ground clove, crushed bay leaves), chocolate shines, slightly bitter-sweet and creamy as a milkshake. Not much else is happening, now, but with this quality, who needs more? 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)
Strathmill 27yo 1991/2019 (51.2%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 678b): nose: cooked fruit, chiefly stewed red apples and stewed rhubarb. In fact, it is borderline rotten fruits. Solvents too, namely cellophane, fresh paint and American cream soda. Menthol-cigarette smoke turns up, softly, then cherry liqueur and pine needles. Roasted macadamia and nut oil, are next in line, then a combination of wines that makes me think of dry, very old Burgundy and yellow wine from Jura. I suppose that spells a dusty dryness and an impressive fruitiness at the same time, but it certainly feels odd. Menthol and fresh tobacco are definitely present, as is damp cardboard. Behind all that, an extremely shy, yet promising note of tropical fruit hardly comes out. Mouth: the stewed fruits from the nose are here, starting with red apple and its peel and moving towards rhubarb, augmented with the sweetness of apricot jam. Paint and cellophane still here, not at all inconvenient, but the mouth sees the addition of citrus too (calamansi, tangerine) and yellow fruits (peach, nectarine). Golden Virginia tobacco floats mid-palate and there is a softly husky side to the mouth. The texture is silky, yet it has a fresh spiciness to it as well. Finish: satisfying. More stewed fruits (apples and rhubarb), apricot jam, peach and nectarine flesh all still dancing around a sack of tobacco. There is a minty twang to this too, fresh and lively... and a bit root-y. All things considered, it might be liquorice root, instead of mint, but I reckon it is a bit of both. Milk, past its prime, natural yoghurt, kefir, and more spices, the more one drinks it: ground cardamom, ground caraway and fennel seeds. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)Good little session!
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