12/10/2021 Croftengea

Croftengea 13yo 2007/2020 (52.2%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, Hogshead): nose: there is no shortage of wine influence, here. Sherry vinegar, solera casks and, at a push, shy vermouth. Behind that one can find earthier tones; dirt tracks and Cajun spices (but not the trademark chicken). Something is vaguely reminiscent of a stoup, which is to say: stagnant water in a weathered marble basin. There are hints of fruit, heirloom apples (Egremont Russet) and pears (Marie-Louise), and, later on, notes of detergent -- hand wash or washing-up liquid, but apple-scented, in any case. The second nose sees its fair share of drying clay pots, before they go into the oven. Watercolour eventually enters the scene too. Mouth: the apple backbone is still very noticeable, as is a Calvados-like, warming strength. Despite looking hard for peat, there is hardly any to find, here. It retains a certain earthiness, I suppose, yet it is more apples, picked up from the dusty orchard floor than mud cakes. It is surprisingly fruity, in fact. The second sip is waxier (at least in texture), not quite plasticine-like, yet firmer and more malleable than hazelnut paste. Every sip increases the wine-y impression, though it is a white wine, now; white Port, Fino sherry, Jurançon wine. Finish: after an initially-fruity punch (apples again), shy earth radiates from the stomach up. The upper lip is left numb for a while too, and that is the signal: the taste buds suddenly pick up a pronounced bitterness of the kind that comes with unripe hazelnuts. In the long run, Croftengea's trademark chicken shows up; it is not particularly roasted, however: it is more of a bland breast-y sort of impression. Said chicken is served with a dried-apricot patty and a green-hazelnut sauce. Odd, yet it sort of works. The finish, like the palate, seems to turn more wine-y with each sip. Not bad, though it could become tiring. Well, there appears to be even less peat in this today than there was the first time. That aside, it seems a different whisky altogether. 7/10