30/06/2021 Ben Wyvis

Ben Wyvis 27yo 1972/1999 The Final Resurrection (43%, OB, C#744+1058+1059, 471b): nose: well, there is wood, but even more fruit. Oh! It is not exuberant, tropical stuff, mind. It is rather a crisp white wine, which would mean the fruit is mostly green grapes. In that department, though, it shines. Cooked ham and yellow-tulip petals join what now becomes Jurançon yellow wine. This nose turns remarkably yellow, all of a sudden, with Golden-apple peels, daffodils, tulips indeed, and a whiff of June honeysuckle -- or is it honey full stop? It is; pine honey and beeswax. Alcohol-infused custard is here too, as well as plump nectarines and (yellow) plums. Further nosing highlights sawdust, strangely enough, though without the fruity/flowery nuances ever going away. Lastly, a drop of nail polish seems to show up discreetly, yet it is in fact hair gel. Mouth: it is mellow, but there is definitely a layer of gently-bitter sawdust, underneath the velvet of tulip petals. Soon, the white wine from the nose comes to the rescue, delivering acidic fruits (grapes, Golden-apple peels, unripe plums). Yes, the palate is drier than anticipated, what with the bitter and acidic notes teasing the taste buds, yet all that is kept in check. Even the gentle spices brought by the second sip are subtle. If louder, the bitterness would suggest rubber; as it is, it is dialled down to 1, almost unrecognisable. Finish: delicate, mellow, even, this finish is as close to a yellow wine as it gets. It has all the notes from the nose and mouth, with apple peels, plums (ripe, this time), tulip and daffodil petals, and cooked ham, served with a slice of canary melon (that is new!) Very little of the bitterness remains -- perhaps a few lovage seeds, at a push; certainly no sawdust to speak of. The second sip may be a little dustier, although it seems closer to an old marzipan bar, left unwrapped on the worktop to gather dust as a chewy, crumbly lump. There are dried mango slices, now, chocolate pudding, beeswax and pencil erasers, no more overpowering than any of the aforementioned bitter notes. This is my style of drams. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, ST)