As said yesterday, I will not be attending the Springbank tasting, tonight. But above the format not being my thing, it is also because of a double-booking. East Coast Whisky is doing their fifth Whisky for All tasting, and they are serving something I am interested in.
It is a Zoom call, tonight and, although Zoom is teh Evilz, I still much prefer it to a Youtube live, for an event like this; at least, there is interaction. It helps that there are only twelve or fifteen of us (some come and go), which keeps it from being an impersonal free for all.
Apart from JS and CJ, all attendees are new to me, with one notable exception: Colin Dunn was invited and has joined. He will mix old jokes with new (to me) stories, some of them quite touching. Good to see him in the audience, for once.
Clynelish 15yo d. 1997 (56.6%, Unknown Bottler, Refill Hogshead, C#5728, 24b, b#7): this seems to be the leftovers of a cask bottled by The Drambusters, which explains the low outturn. The sample's label is incorrect about the ABV: it is not 56.8%, but 56.6%, according to the bottle label (picture of bottle #3 below). Attention to detail, people! Nose: it is mildly leathery, with a dominant apricot jam note. Some kind of berry appears (snowberry?), followed by a minute pinch of ash. It becomes more delicate and sweeter with water. Mouth: lively and spicy, it has chutney-like jams and waxy apricot, as well as lychee jelly. Water does not alter it much, though it seemingly makes the ash more pronounced. Finish: long, peachy, the finish has a welcome (if strange) ashen dryness. It remains the same with water, perhaps slightly more bitter. 8/10
Clynelish 18yo 1996/2015 Series No. 3 Edgar Allan Poe (56.1%, Edition Spirits The First Editions - Authors' Series, Refill Hogshead, C#HL11170, 243b, b#76): nose: this one is a lot sharper and has the austerity dialled up a little, augmented as it is with lichen, spent wick and a generous pinch of ash. Barbour grease rocks up in a mechanic's workshop, meaning greasy rags and metallic toolboxes. Mouth: bone dry, drying, even, the palate has verdigris and mossy branches, cut last season and left out to dry. It soon moves towards apple and baked apple, which is a welcome respite. Finish: more verdigris, wild-apple peel and drying vegetation rub feathers with ashes and cigar ends. 8/10
Secret Highland 19yo 2000/2020 (52.4%, Whisky-Doris The Art Nouveau Collection, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, C#1417, 327b): nose: musty, funky, fox-like and animal, this reminds me why I stayed away from Clynelish for so long. It is akin to the 14yo OB: bottled essence of wet cat. The second nosing brings up lots of Barbour grease and old, greasy rags, betraying the same provenance as its sibling above. Mouth: it is a little subdued, here. It displays the trademark ash and spent wick next to burnt candles. The wet-cat scent is also to be found on the tongue, but not as pronounced as it was on the nose -- phew! Finish: seal wax, spent wick and lit tobacco. Water turns this one into a waxy deluge that becomes dryer in the finish. Saved by the mouth and finish. The nose was not my thing. 6/10
Clynelish 21yo 1995/2017 (54.6%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular, Refill Hogshead, C#DL12014, 265b, b#237): nose: a clean, sappy, minty freshness leaps out of the glass, soon joined by windfall (neither talking about capital gain, nor about fruit, obviously), rotting on the forest floor. A soft layer of cooked egg enters the dance on the late tip. Mouth: rocky crystal (it makes no sense, I know), crystallised residue from a super-dry white wine. The "rocky" part above also hints at a certain minerality, here, with flint and opal. Finish: very dry again, desiccating, almost. Sauvignon blanc, flint again, cordite and, maybe, a whisper of smoke. This is okay; it requires some work. 7/10
Clynelish 22yo 1997/2019 (56.3%, Alambic Classique, Bourbon Barrel, C#19302, 174b): nose: I immediately think of a noble sherry cask, but no -- ex-Bourbon. Lacquered wood, teak oil, nail varnish, perhaps a drop of seal wax. It is very elegant. Mouth: more elegance and refined notes, with slightly thicker flavours than on the nose. It clings to the palate alright, shooting cinnamon and cassia bark all round. Finish: acidic, tangy, the finish sees more teak oil and varnish, accompanied by a spicy note too (cinnamon, cassia and allspice). Others find this one too sweet and I cannot understand them. Oh, well. 9/10
Clynelish 23yo 1990/2014 (49%, Adelphi Selection, Refill Bourbon Barrel, C#3233, 176b): nose: earthy wormwood and polished burr walnut, as well as a soft note of ash. Mouth: it is weirdly drying and juicy at the same time. I am puzzled. Plum juice and crushed plum stones, ingested the same way one would a margarita (lick the crushed plum stone, down the plum juice, bite on unripe-plum flesh). It is lively too. Finish: subdued, yet drying, it has quite a bit of fruit too (plum and white grape) which grows in intensity. Is that new rubber, after a wee while? Indeed! 8/10
I am feeling Clynelish fatigue, at this point. This exercise is great to detect nuances between drams from a same distillery, but the notes are relatively similar and tend to lose their exciting factor, for me. Six drams would be more than enough. Yet two have yet to come...
Clynelish 24yo 1993/2018 (48.1%, Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Barrel, C#11214, 88b, b#37): the label is misprinted, on the sample; it is 24yo, not 25. Nose: an assault of purple berries -- blueberry, myrtle, sloe berry, billberry, gooseberry. A fleeting whiff of rancio disappears to make room for cream. Mouth: überfruity, the mouth bursts with blueberry and blackcurrant. The second sip brings forth ginger-infused custard, teeming with blue fruits. Finish: it is a blueberry explosion, now, with undertones of candle wick. This has Invergordon levels of berry onslaught. In the long run, a few cork shavings come up too, in a pleasant way. Amazing, this. 9/10
Clynelish 30yo 1972/2002 (46%, Murray McDavid Mission Selection Number One, American Oak, 600b, b#197): nose: with exactly zero surprise, this one pisses all over the previous drams from a comfortable altitude. It starts off with whiffs of clean linen sheets, soon replaced by minty custard, pineapple purée and squashed papaya. Mouth: lush and fruity to the brim, simply bursting with flavours. Light honey (both pouring and spreading), mirabelle plum, plump peach, then dried plantain skin. Finish: the bugger lasts forever, lingering on with glorious pineapple and papaya, peach slices and soft lichen on stave. The finish has an almost rum-y character, blending melted sugar and ripe fruit to perfection. I cannot wait to spend more time with the remainder of this. 10/10
Pleasant, if perfectible session. I liked:
- The smallish group
- The selection of whiskies
- The fact it did not take itself too seriously and was clearly independent (no presentation by a sales representative, no product placement or otherwise, except for one obvious joke, in which CD poured water out of a Johnnie Walker jug in front of the camera and called for everyone's attention)
I liked less:
- The fact the samples were not numbered: when the instruction was to go to dram #3, one had to have the email open to figure out which one #3 was
- The slow pace, even by my standards, which says a lot: two and a half hours is a long time to stay focused, after a long work week
- The size of the selection: eight drams are too many to keep a semblance of order amongst the audience -- and indeed, it did turn into a collection of random storytelling, at some point, which further stretched the evening
- The apparent lack of structure: it felt more like a bottle-share bash with random strangers (who turned out to be good company, do not misread me), in which the host allowed others to take control of the conversation for long periods
In a commercial tasting (one that has an entrance fee), I like good and interesting whiskies, fun and anecdotes, and a little bit of learning about the featured distillery. Of the latter, I would have liked more.
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