Glasgow is under Level-3 lockdown, due to a couple of hot pockets, south of the Clyde. One would never know, seeing Glaswegians go about their normal business, though. The only difference, if one pays close attention, is that alcohol is not served indoors and, to avoid having to manage that indoor/outdoor restriction, some places have decided not to open at all (SMWS, Bon Accord, Pot Still).
Residents are not allowed to leave the city, nor are visitors supposed to enter it. Instead, the latter must return home as soon as they can. Since, for tOMoH, that means a train journey down south from Glasgow Central Station, going through town is kind of inevitable.
That is where JS and I meet MR, who has been a Weegie for the last couple of years. More specifically, we are at Singl'end for lunch.
It is a place for the youth: order and pay via an app or online, the staff brings the food accordingly. Fortunately, MR navigates that like a pro, because I am lost amongst those technological "advances".
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| JS's veggie croque-monsieur |
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| My falafel wrap |
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| MR's poached eggs on toast |
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| JS's orange juice in the back My Cure Yer Heid smoothie |
Since no place will serve us whisky, we decide to have our own at the hotel. En route, we stop for doughnuts at Tantrum Dougnuts'.
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| The choice is difficult |
Let us get to work.
MR tries the remainder of JS's Sandy Macnab 5yo. Not enough for me to try it again, but you can find notes here.
MR brought the goods, though. The idea is of a friendly catch-up for the first time in a couple of years, not to take detailed notes.
Mackmyra 12yo 2008/2020 Liten Brun Hund (49.8%, Little Brown Dog Spirits, Virgin Oak Cask, 380b): nose: woah! Cut mangoes, crystallised pomelos, lychee, canary melon. Mouth: a whole lot of metal complement a tart sweetness and a citrus-y leafiness. Finish: long, comforting, warming. This radiates great, comforting waves of sweet, pink citrus. It is lovely and completely unexpected. 8/10
Linlithgow 26yo 1975/2001 (50.2%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, C#96/3/15): MR's boss apparently brought that to the office and told her to try it whenever she wanted. She brought a sample for us to try it too, which is hugely appreciated. Thanks to both. Considering the cask number, it is a sister cask to those bottled for Direct Wines Ltd.'s First Cask range, and, therefore, one could rather safely assume that it comes from Signatory Vintage's stocks. Nose: hairy and meaty like a wet dog. This is musky as fook, slightly mentholated, and there is just a whisper of flint or limestone. Over time, the wet dog slows down, and lichen on slate remains. Mouth: crisp apple, sprinkled with a blend of sugar and lots of salt. Metal joins the party, copper pipes, bronze plaques, brass plates. Finish: big, rolling waves of metal and a softly bitter herbaceous aspect too. Complex and unique. 9/10
Arran (58.7%, Cask Sample, Champagne Cask): nose: vanilla, banana bread, topped with smoked raspberries. Suddenly, a pleasant mustiness comes up -- cork, dusty staves, clay floors. Mouth: dry grapes (not raisins), fruit-juice-soaked biscuits. Finish: long and fresh, fruity, perhaps a little nondescript, yet it seems perfectly balanced and has all in the right places. 8/10
The Arran Malt 19yo 2000/2020 (52.2%, OB Limited Edition in celebration of Whisk-e Ltd's 20th Anniversary, Refill ex-Islay Hogshead, C#1097, 243b, b#243): nose: mellow roasted barley, and is that a wee bit of smoke? It does smell like it, at any rate. Smoked slices of dried strawberries. Next is marzipan, melted marzipan, if you please, and grapefruit zest on crème brûlée. Mouth: peeled charred capsicum, capers, brine, black olives, smoky dried raspberries. Later on, it turns to dried olives too. Finish: long, smoky, where the smoke is an undercurrent, not the main actor. It also has fruit, barley and, well, brilliance. Further sipping cranks up the citrus peel in the finish as well, still grapefruit, yet also pomelo, this time. The whole is increasingly juicy and fruity, whilst the smoke goes down in intensity. In my opinion, this becomes more enjoyable with every sip. 9/10
Lagg 1yo (62.4%, Cask Sample, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Cask): nose: wafts of smoke, heathery peat and barbecued ham supplement ash, and there is puffed wheat breakfast cereals too (the ones with the frog on the box). Mouth: fruit, at first, then bitter stainless steel, then smoke and roasted apple. In the long run, it settles for burnt fruit-tree logs. Meow. Finish: golden apple and a butter knife left by the campfire, half-consumed broomsticks in the very campfire, and burnt apple pips. It ends with bicycle tubes. Good nose, finish too. The palate has yet to be ironed out by the wood, but this is promising! 6/10
It dawns on me that MR has developed a Glasgow accent, which is a cute addition to her innate Neapolitan intonation.
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| Pistachio & Hibiscus Ring |
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