93.129 10yo d.2009 For sharing with good company (57.9%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 225b): nose: ah! It is an austere nose, with metal tools, old copper coins and gravel, perhaps even flint. It has the tiniest fruitiness, more Sauvignon blanc than crisp apple. Lemon juice licks limestone, and then funk crashes the party. Drying mud, a distant clogged sink, a well-worn-out abrasive sponge, citrus detergent on limescale in an aluminium sink. Finally, lime peel, braising on the barbecue grille. Second nosing brings forth candlewax and spent wick -- this is not a modern, easily-accessible whisky, if such a thing exists. Smoke from a gas stove? Mouth: acidic and astringent, this feels a little young, perhaps. Behind the youth, preserved lemons rub feathers with milk chocolate, but that is soon eclipsed by a huge dose of salt and beach sand. Very drying indeed, the Sauvignon blanc acts as a black hole for saliva. The second sip comes with a whisper of smoke, closer to a trapper's leather coat after a night in a cabin than a proper camp fire. Finish: long and assertive, it has the above notes of salt, citrus and sand most prominently, then barely-ripe green grapes, limestone, limescale, even, and a drop of detergent. The mineral side is shyer than on the nose, yet it is there alright. Apple slices, marinated in rum, orange rinds, left to dry to stone on the gas stove -- yes, the smoke is there, even if it is too shy, shy, hush hush, eye-to-eye. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, MSo)
Glen Scotia 12yo Full Proof (54%, A. Gillies imported by F&G, b#0983, b.1980s): full proof at 54%. Lolle. (Full proof is 57%). This made a great impression at Dornoch. Nose: strangely enough, it smells much more welcoming than the previous dram. Warm apple chutney, apricot jam in the pot, then bada-bing! The same mineral touch surfaces; limestone, flint, graphite. Then old, dog-eared paperbacks, ink-stained blotting paper, pencil lead and warm metal (closer to a stove, than to a boiler). The longer one sniffs it, the more austere it seems to become, with a faint smoke, old copper coins and metal tools, oxidising away in their box, verdigris, lichen on limestone and a drop of lime juice. Ten minutes in, it is the industrial revolution, as I remembered it, all metal and power. Mouth: quite a bit sweeter than expected and than its predecessor, it has rum apples, grape juice, baked conference pears (the texture of the skins, especially), but also candied angelica and undeniable underlying power. One can almost count the horsepower, so vibrant it is on the tongue. Old metal screwdrivers, verdigris-covered copper coins, oxidised screws and nails... We are in an era before stainless steel and aluminium became ubiquitous, an era when rust was the logical end of the road for any metallic contraption. Red-chilli powder appears as a late guest. Finish: softer than in my memory, it remains big and warming, with the same rum apples, lichen on limestone and verdigris, metal stoves, heated red, faint smoke and brimstone. Perhaps walnut shells can be tasted too, playing second role to dusty-and-rusty boilers, disused lead pipes, clogged with hair decades ago. The more one sips it, the more characterful this becomes, ruthless and uncouth, if not indomitable. This dram gives no fuck whatsoever. What it do is what it be, and it is all the more charming for it! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
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