At last, we are back in Huy for the traditional Burns Night celebration. The Plague is still on, even if restrictions are mostly manageable, now. Regardless, Red71 calls off, as he does not want to risk giving his missus something he might pick up tonight (considering adc is still recovering from COVID-19, it is not that wacky an idea), kruuk2 and PSc are travelling soon and need a clean bill of health, so they are not coming, and sonicvince and his missus have enough school-age children to guarantee an endless supply of COVID-19 at home (sonicvince has it now).
The idea for this theme came after watching, in no particular order, Cobra, Hokuto no Ken / Fist of the North Star, Bloodsport. The 1980s macho film had its own, virile often hair-metal soundtrack. JS and I thought it would be a lot of fun to have a tasting, in which we would have only bottles that sport men on their labels (or women -- it is 2022, after all). That was meant to happen in 2021. The Plague stopped that, and we recycled the theme for the London crew. Now that we can travel again (with acceptable caveats, that is), let us do it in Belgium.
 |
| With lots of whisky! |
The suspects: adc, ruckus, Psycho, dom666, Gaija, JS, Bishlouk, STL, me.
This year saw pressure to start earlier than previous years; guests start arriving at 17:05 or so. By 18:30 or thereabout, kitchen preparation are advanced enough and we have enough people to start. Also, we are thirsty.
I improvise a very short speech. It is our first get-together in fifteen months, and I want to share how excited I am that a decent number made it. More importantly, I want everyone to be there when I introduce...
 |
This.
Of course, the cork breaks |
As expected, the welcome is incredulous at first, then raucous. The decanter is so kitsch it hurts. It also makes no sense unless one knows the legend of Irish Mist: take a seat, I will give you a summary.
Irish Mist is a traditional Irish heather-wine recipe, that is to say herbs macerated in alcohol.
As a result of the Williamite War of the late XVIIth century, many Irish Jacobites fled to France where they formed the country's Irish Brigade; others were arrested and sent to serve in the Austrian--Ottoman War, as part of Austria's own Irish Brigade. Allegedly, those Irishmen (nicknamed the Wild Geese) took the recipe with them.
Ireland then embarrassingly forgot how to make Irish Mist. They tried, but could not replicate it. Until, after the Second World War, a liqueurist from Continental Europe (possibly Germany), but of Irish ancestry, came back to the Gaelic Heimat and taught the locals how to make their own liqueur again.
Because one should not let historical accuracy get in the way of a nice story, and because, let us be honest, establishing a precise timeline of events stretching over three hundred years is difficult at best, let us believe the official claim that the liqueurist in question was, in fact, a descendant of a Wild Goose who served in the Austrian army's Irish Brigade. This ceramic figurine-decanter is that very soldier.
 |
| A lot of fun to pour, that is |
Bishlouk and STL arrive as we try it. Clearly, they do not know the difference between 17:00 and 7:00pm. Ah well, they are here in the end.
 |
| The full line-up |
Irish Mist (65° Proof, The Irish Mist Liqueur Co. imported by Heublein Inc., b.1970s) (tOMoH): nose: a bit of metal, verbena, sage, and a sweet aspect. The second nose seems dustier, with lots of hay (STL). Mouth: honey and sweetness galore. This is sweet, but actually very pleasant. I cannot say how much I could drink of it before finding it sickly, mind. Finish: sweet, pleasant, milky, creamy. The finish is long and sweet, close to Bailey's. 7/10
The soundtrack: noizaddict - Man to Man (not online yet)
 |
| Split-pea velouté (with crispy coppa -- not in the picture) |
 |
| Who are these strange people? |
St Magdalene 1980/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Centenary Reserve, IE/ABE) (tOMoH): yes, I used this one in the London tasting too. Get over it. Nose: a hint of musk, then flowers and cut yellow fruits. Peach, drying on the radiator. Mouth: hay, soft and mellow yellow fruit. It has a softly-drying touch, as well as, well, yellow fruit, which is juicier. Finish: a notch of burnt wood complements the yellow fruit. This is excellent. The lack of power is less and less an issue, the more I try it. Full notes here. 8/10
 |
There is a collection of blokes
on the box too |
dom666: "One day, my mother said, 'What did I do to God to end up with with a boy like you?' I said, 'You had drunken sex!'"
tOMoH: "How did she take it?"
dom666: "Pretty well. She said it was not false. The staff of the catholic college I said it in were less thrilled."
No haggis, this year, thanks to Brexit. Sausages enter. And vegetarian haggis. Only meat and dairy seem to be problematic.
 |
| Sticky sausages, thyme and apple bake |
 |
| Veggie haggises |
 |
| Warm Brussels-sprout salad |
 |
| Modest portions |
Dalwhinnie 15yo (43%, OB, L5164CM000 02076773) (Psycho): nose: wide and generous, it has something vaguely nutty too. Further is a drop of grape juice and cut apple. Mouth: assertive, it has a touch of metal to complement apple pips. The texture is reminiscent of custard, though it feels more metallic. Finish: more straightforward, here, with nutty butter and, again, a metallic side. Pretty good. I always find it useful to try those flagships once in a while. It reminds one why they are flagships in the first place. 7/10
 |
There are three Highlanders on the box...
...if one looks really hard |
The soundtrack:
As we tend to do, we improvise a duel with two expressions from the same distillery.
Tomatin vs. Tomatin
Tomatin 11yo 2009/2021 (54.9%, Le Gus't for La Confrérie du Whisky, Bourbon Barrel, C#262, 217b, b#36) (STL): nose: a big, bold Bourbon-cask influence. It is a little woody (white wood) and super buttery. Mouth: white pepper on peach slices and a drop of wood varnish. This is hot, but balanced. Hot apricot, chilli and hot avocado -- the texture is precisely that of hot avocado flesh. Finish: long and spicy, it has sawdust, more avocado and hot apricot compote, peppered with ground white pepper. This is very good. An unusual bottling that is more than a curiosity. 8/10
vs.
Tomatin 43yo 1965/2009 (41.1%, The Lonach Whisky Company Lonach imported by Preiss Imports) (JS): nose: funnily enough, it is quite similar to its younger sibling, yet if it is obviously much tamer, it also cranks up the fruit to the max: marmalade and peach jam with a metallic edge. The metal flirts with minty toothpaste, even. Mouth: mellow, super fruity, it has mango, cut peach dripping sweet juice, and a sprinkle of dust. Finish: amazing, fruity, dusty. Full notes here. It is the best whisky, so far. Of course, the night is young. 9/10
JS [about the track currently playing]: "Ah! It is this thing with Sting."
ruckus: "It's not Sting."
JS: "It sounds like him."
tOMoH: "Money For Nothing?"
ruckus: "Eberhard Schoener, from East Germany."
JS: "Who?"
tOMoH: "Was that Sting's name before he fled to the West?"
After that uneven duo, we have another. Glenmorangie vs. Glenmorangie. Because the juice is crafted by the Sixteen Men of Tain, of course. Annoyingly enough, that tag line appears on neither of our bottlings, tonight! The connection to the theme is therefore very Tain-uous... But since they are there, it would be rude to stow the bottles away.
 |
| Of course, the cork breaks. |
Glenmorangie 10yo Cellar 13 (43%, OB, First Fill Casks, B#2) (Psycho): nose: ahem. I do not take any note for the nose. :( Mouth: a wee bit bitter, it has a soft metal-blade aspect. Finish: milky, a tad butyric, while also rich with minty freshness. Pathetic notes, I know. I am trying to catch up. It is a cracking dram. 8/10
vs.
Glenmorangie 23yo d.1963 (43%, OB distributed by Wilmerink & Muller, Oloroso Sherry Casks Finish) (group): nose: "if you are wondering what 'rancio' means, this is it!" states Bishlouk. I do not spend half enough time as I should with this one, still playing catch-up. All the same, it is balanced, very elegant, with balsa wood and eucalyptus interwoven in all that rancio. Mouth: thin and ethereal, it still has lots of things to say. Liqueur-laced coffee, Kahlúa, Amaretto, wet coffee grounds -- wet with almond liqueur, of course. Finish: earthy, this has greasy soil to the hilt. It is rich, sweet and bitter in equal measures. Bishlouk finds it more bitter than he would like, after a couple of sips. He would not know beauty if beauty kicked him in the groin. This is a superlative dram, in line with what I remembered of it, and when I finish my dram at the end of the night, it still shines like Saint Elmo's fire. I cannot wait to spend more time with it in the future. 10/10
Poor Psycho has been hit by the same thing twice in a row: in 2020, it was his Strathisla 12yo that was easily topped by the group's Strathisla 35yo. This time, same configuration with the two Glenmorangies.
From one Oloroso maturation to another...
Arran 18yo (46%, OB, Sherry Casks, b.2019) (Bishlouk): nose: a mix of marzipan, melted chocolate, ginger paste and ginger peel. The second nose has more fruit (white peach) and a touch of coffee. Mouth: chocolate and Marmite, crushed liquorice bootlaces. It is root-y and earthy without being too drying. Finish: it seems huge for 46%. Still earthy, but also fruity and a half -- caramelised apricot compote and marmalade. Psycho finds it acidic. This recent version is as impressive as the one we had in 2018. No mean feat for a core-range entry from a young distillery. 8/10 (could easily go up to 9, when not following a legend like the 1963 Glenmorangie)
 |
| Oh! This is the theme connection. Bishlouk dared it. |
 |
That cake |
Bladnoch 26yo 1990/2016 (47.2%, Sansibar for Spirit Shop' Selection, Sherry Cask, 117b) (Gaija): yes, it is a strangely-positioned apostrophe. Nose: it smells like a tannery, though it is more for the strong presence of polish and leather than meat and blood. Then, it turns woodier and displays a lovely freshness -- mint and paper paste. Mouth: dry as fook, but it is not annoying. Dusty bookshelves, old books, ground galangal, perhaps a dollop of dark chocolate. It does not lack in terms of spices, really. Finish: long and woody, it has loads of dust and spearmint. Yes, the mint is pretty fierce -- in fact, it is menthol. 8/10
Continue reading in Part 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment