15/05/2022 Belgium #5

With some help from the network, tOMoH dispatched samples at the latest Burns' Night, so as to have a chance to do a tasting with a faction of the Belgian contingent. We do not really see much of one another, these days.

Then, we spent several weeks trying to find a suitable date for a virtual shindig. Unfortunately, it became apparent there would not be one that everybody could make: ruckus often works weekends, while everybody else works during the week. We would therefore have it without ruckus.

Then Psycho called in sick. He is off the sauce until further notice, because it is incompatible with his medication.

Then, a couple of hours ago, PSc called in sick too. He has the plague. sonicvince did the same half an hour later; sinus infection for him.

adc, JS, Gaija, dom666 and kruuk2 join me, fortunately. So does sonicvince, who will stay for a bit, but will not drink.

dom666 is recovering from the plague and his senses are not yet back to normal (not to mention he has no taste to begin with). Gaija partied last night and has had little sleep. Even I am coming to the end of a minor sinus infection (it could be the plague; now the tests are no longer free, we will never know).

What a ragged bunch! All that planning, and we are all poorly all the same.

Faces red with illness! (no idea what happened, there)

Anyway.

Dram #1

Nose: mineral (adc), fruity (dom666 and kruuk2), powerful (Gaija). dom666 finds hints of sulphur, while I detect caramelised mandarin peels. The second nose has spices, according to Gaija -- curry and ginger. kruuk2 notes that it opens up with breathing and lets sponge-cake smells come out, something that Gaija mentions too.
Mouth: mineral again, says adc, who tastes slate. Gaija has quatre-quarts cake and exotic fruits, namely whispers of mango; adc reckons it is lemon instead. It is acidic and a little bitter, pushing forward a citrus-peel air. adc calls it lemon curd because of the smooth texture.
Finish: sweet and fruity for starters (adc), it turns more acidic (kruuk2), unveiling lemon curd again (adc) and leaving the mouth feeling a generally creamy texture (Gaija).
Comment: my co-tasters reckon it is a 16-or-18yo from the 1980s, bottled at 49-52%. After much overthinking, Gaija guesses a Glen Grant.

Coleburn 17yo d.1965 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice imported by Co. Import for Giacinto Nicolai, Series 27, 120b) 8/10

Full notes here.

Dram #2

Nose: fresh and light, fruity and herbaceous. Gaija calls Haribo bananas, then kruuk2 asks if it is triple-distilled. I have leafy, flowery bushes, such as forsythia and fragrant magnolia.
Mouth: light, adc finds it unnoticeable, and dom666 inexistent. Gaija likens it to a half-limoncello, half-Bailey's concoction, triggering dom666 into an explanation of why such a combination is a bad idea. In that time, I note honey, honeysuckle, and diluted calamansi juice. Gaija, after being educated on the cocktail scene in Liège, says he notes flour. dom666, by this point, realises that his sense of taste is definitely not reliable, today.
Finish: sweet and full of blossoms of all sorts (honeysuckle or cherry blossom are the obvious ones that come to mind), but also apple mint and minty custard.
Comment: no-one dares guess anything.

Bladnoch 10yo b.1991 (43%, OB, L1H 270686) 8/10

Full notes here.

We talk about a miracle migraine cure that kruuk2's other half sometimes uses.

dom666: "It is not the first time a medication has been repurposed to do something else than what it was designed for. Take Softenon, for example..."
tOMoH: "...It is now being used to prevent pickpocketing!"

Dram #3

Nose: glue, plasters and a cattle farm (cow leather). There is also a fairly strong scent of young alcohol. adc says it has more of a bite, something kruuk2 confirms by saying: "cask strength!" The nose makes adc cry (because it is obviously so strong). For me, it presents a broth of cut yellow flowers. The second nose has a distinct smoke, which is strange, since I know what it is. adc calls it a charcoal kiln, and, while I think that is one step too far, I can see where she is coming from.
Mouth: citrus (dom666). It is powerful, with lots of lemon and leaves (bay or laurel). Gaija finds it very complex, going in all directions and covering many bases.
Finish: big and citric indeed, yet not bombastic. kruuk2 notes a hint of sulphur, and I have a touch of white grapefruit.

Hazelburn 9yo 2008/2018 (59.9%, OB Duty Paid Sample, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, Warehouse 15, Rotation #4) 8/10

Full notes here.

By now, dom666, tacitly acknowledging he has no taste, seems more interested in talking about what is happening in Liège than about the whisky. The others either encourage him, or dare not/cannot steer the conversation in another direction. Notes become sparser.

Dram #4

Nose: Golden apples, bergamot, cologne and vetiver (Gaija). As I get a fleeting, but very clear wave of cashew paste, Gaija asks: "am I being ridiculous, or do you also get that note of cucumber?"
Mouth: hay for adc, chives for Gaija. adc finds the texture akin to a thin bechamel sauce, prompting dom666 to note nutmeg.
Finish: long, sweet, fruity and a tad tainted by verdigris or lichen.
Comment: I love this one. kruuk2 says it reminds him of a Glen Scotia we had "a while ago" (he is talking about Glen Scotia 17yo (40%, OB, L4/332/97 402), which he has not had for over a decade -- notes are not even on this blog). I can see why, now that he says so. He says he was not taken by that one, and he is not by this one either. Astonishingly, he has the right distillery.

Glen Scotia 12yo Full Proof (54%, A. Gillies imported by F&G, b#0983, b.1980s) 9/10

Full notes here.

Dram #5

Nose: dense wood, gunpowder, flint, a dash of lemon juice. adc finds it industrial, with burnt tyre (or Nürburgring, as she calls it). Gaija says it reminds him of the 35yo Strathisla bottled for the bicentenary of the distillery. I have ginger paste, Gaija has muck and camphor, something kruuk2 agrees with.
Mouth: the ginger paste carries on, soft and dough-y, and it has a lot of wood spices to boot. Pine cones, pine needles, roasted grapefruit skins and tons of peppermint.
Finish: huge, anaesthetising. Peppermint comes through again. It is bold to a point adc finds it invasive. There are indeed big doses of wood spices, namely nutmeg, ginger shavings, cinnamon bark, apple mint, and even a lick of liquorice root. adc detects dried cow dung as well.
Comment: with no surprise, dom666 likes this. It is powerful enough to ruffle his taste buds, even in their current state of underperformance. JS nods admiratively too, while Gaija and kruuk2 wax lyrical about it. adc is less enthused. Each to their own.

Strathisla 24yo 1972/1997 (62.6%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength imported by Giuseppe Meregalli, C#7534-7536, AG/AIJ) 8/10

Full notes here.

Reassuring to see that, even years apart, even in a different sequence, I rated everything the same as when I tried them previously.

In order of preference:
adc: Glen Scotia, Hazelburn, Strathisla, Coleburn, Bladnoch
Gaija: Strathisla, Coleburn, Hazelburn, Bladnoch, Glen Scotia
kruuk2: Strathisla, Hazelburn, Bladnoch, Coleburn, GlenScotia
tOMoH: Glen Scotia, Strathisla, Coleburn, Bladnochm Hazelburn,
JS: Strathisla
dom666: Strathisla, Strathisla, Strathisla, Strathisla, Strathisla

Good times. Pity about the call-offs, hope they get better soon.