22/09/2022 Phil Storry x SMWS: Overlooked and under-appreciated

Our good friend PS is hosting a shindig at the SMWS again. This time, he will explore overlooked drams and under-appreciated distilleries. I guess no Brora tonight, then.

It is a strange feeling to see so many of the old faces, after more than a couple of years.

But enough about that.

It goes almost without saying that everything is served blind, with the reveal coming halfway into the dram. I do a first pass on all the drams, and come back to each of them in my own time.

Dram #1

For whatever reason,
we were asked not to post
pictures of the actual bottle

Nose: acetone, new-car interior (MSo), wood oil (some kind of pine essence), and a bit of leather polish too. From the first second, all identify a grain. PS is quick to put everyone right: he did not bring any grain tonight. Clearly, this is from the bar, rather than his collection, then.
Mouth: minty and peppery, fresh, woody, incisive. It has a slight bitterness too, but it is especially strong.
Finish: sharp, narrow and long, it has pine lacquer, wood glue (JS) and unripe-orange peelings.
Comment: I venture it could be a Girvan. As soon as the reveal comes, I bet it gives me a headache (it does not, but I will not be 100% functional tomorrow morning).

G8.10 29yo d.1989 A trumpet blast in a barrel (57.5%, Angus Dundee for SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 217b) 6/10

PS apologises to me profusely: he considered a Cambus of his own, then decided against it, because of me (how sweet, eh?), only for the staff to offer him another Cambus as a starter. Sincerely, I am glad to try something I have never had, be it a dram that gives me a headache.

Dram #2

Nose: well, it has a small notch of Sherry, but especially loads of flowers (jasmine, cherry blossom, lilac, magnolia), tinned peach (JS), and a pinch of earth, as well as confectionary sugar. Phwoarrrrr! Later on, we have white grapefruit, a lick of light pomelo, chlorophyll, and even blonde tobacco.

Mouth: mellow and welcoming, we have similar velvety flower petals, but also a pronounced bitterness (tulip stems). The texture is that of whole milk, or even milkshake, very pleasant. That bitterness will prevent a higher score, yet it is bearable.
Finish: long, sweet, this is teeming with confectionary sugar, peach nectar and apricot juice. 
Comment: amazeboulanger. The pinch of earth on the nose should have been a dead give-away, but I managed to not recognise the distillery all the same. PS explains he had earmarked it for a tasting in June, but brought something else in the end, a certain Girvan, because I enquired about it. Ah, well.

85.18 34yo 1971/2005 Oranges and blossoms (41.2%, SMWS Society Cask) 9/10

Dram #3

Nose: dark forest floor (DH), Cadenhead's tasting room (JS), which is to say black mould on walls. DH finds it does not have much of a nose, just dirty dishwater, or stagnant pool water... in a good way, he is quick to point out. It evokes rubber gloves in said dishwater to me. After a while, pine resin rocks up, as does white spirit. Later on, cardboard, papier mâché, and eggshells.
Mouth: woodworm, and lichen on tree bark, sprinkled with fierce chilli powder. This is hot and lively, yet also rather austere. Mushroom spores, Verdigris-eaten copper, unwashed laundry (JS). It certainly has some funk! Later sips are more floral, perhaps even a tad fruity.
Finish: long, riddled with woodworm, lichen on bark and more Verdigris than on the palate. The second sip has tons of sugar, which is surprising. Later on, it feels much more velvety, with fudge and caramelised squashed apricot. It turns more approachable with time, and ends up tasting like a nice curry (dhansak).
Comment: again, the reveals is a facepalm moment: how did I not see it coming? "The last Pittyvaich bottled by the Society," our host tell us. The smart-arse in me cannot shut the f*ck up and has to tell PS (and the room) that there was one after this, that seems to be exclusive to Switzerland. Anyway, I like this very much. It is divisive, as Pittyvaich tends to be. Once it is all over, DH will declare it his favourite dram of the night.

90.10 14yo 1990/2004 A game of two halves (57.8%, SMWS Society Cask) 8/10

Dram #4

Nose: now, this is very earthy, in a forest-floor way. Humus, dead leaves, pine needles, and fire-roasted red hard candy (could it be Brighton Rock?) Time reveals cocoa powder, and minty toothpaste. A strange combination made even stranger by the presence of a drop of vinegar. Later nosing gives a tiny dust, and bone-dry citrus peels.
Mouth: hot turnover filling (apple or apricot), with a minute drying bitterness. This is well fruity on the palate, with also honey (JS), and a pinch of herbs -- sausage seasoning mix. It turns milky, over time.
Finish: wow! This has chocolate milk, regular milk tainted by chocolate cereals, and a serving of pillow-y flower petals.
Comment: lovely!

106.16 20yo 1984/2005 Intense and moreish (57.9%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill Hogshead, 174b) 8/10

PS [replying to a comment about his booming voice]: "Yes, I have a voice for radio. I have a voice for silent movies too!"

Dram #5

Nose: dusty hay, farm-y tools, coal dust, says DH, who swiftly explains how rural New Zealand, where he grew up, was twenty or thirty years behind everyone else, and how he therefore had to go fetch coal in the basement, for heating purposes, which made him well acquainted with that smell of coal dust. I detect some porridge too, then oilskins, white-wood shavings, and... bile (in a good way). One could probably call it butyric, I suppose. Further nosing displays cosmetic powders of sorts.
Mouth: non-descript, for a second, before it releases pickled onions and carrots, pickled brioche (I know!) with the texture of cranberry seeds. The next sip is more mellow, with confectionary sugar, green-leaf salad and pickled beetroot.
Finish: somewhat drying, like oats, grape stems, and peach stone. Dried pineapple-cube shavings, grapefruit peels, ground into a dust.
Comment: a nice Braes, since that is what it is.

113.38 22yo d.1997 Welcomed with open arms (57%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 215b) 7/10

DW shares a dram from the bar, though he is not able to give us the exact reference. If only they could come up with a simple way to distinguish all their bottlings, the SMWS. I don't know, something like a unique number, you know?

Fortunately, I am resourceful and found it.

70.44 31yo d.1989 The loom of time (50.3%, SMWS Vaults Collection, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 128b)

Nose: fruit-infused beer. This is overflowing with berries, rosehip, ripe strawberries and raspberries, even banana and overripe pineapple chunks. What? To some extent, it might even have after-shave balm, or children's toothpaste. At any rate, it is amazing. Rhubarb compote, warm fruit yoghurt, warm vanilla custard all feature too.
Mouth: it is an entirely different story, here, with soft plastic, oilskins, warmed by the sun, and half-baked chou dough. The second sip is both creamy and gently wine-y.
Finish: very grain-like, this has plenty of fruit (grapefruit segments, pineapple chunks, satsumas) and a pinch of grated chalk. Further sips have warm custard, augmented with squashed berries.
Comment: love it. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, DW)

Dram #6

Nose: ashy and a bit animal, in a cured-meat way. It is influenced by wine for sure, yet it is closer to pan-seared-mushroom juice than to actual wine. This has an intense umami vibe, with red-bean paste and miso sauce. The second nose is very earthy, sprinkled with hay dust.
Mouth: Ovaltine and chocolate milk on the palate, milky chicory infusion, and a drop of hazelnut liqueur to boot. The second sip seems stronger in alcohol. PS keeps mentioning lavender, but I cannot see that. I find it faintly fruity instead.
Finish: it has the gentle bitterness of milk coffee, or milky chicory infusion, with berries slowly added to the mix.
Comment: a smoky, sherried Tomatin is always a bit of a curiosity. This is good too.

11.29 7yo 2000/2008 Lavender smoky surprise (59.4%, SMWS Society Cask, 214b) 7/10

DH: "I'm passionate about hobbies."

GL and JMcG appear. We were talking about JMcG a second ago, so my incredulity reaches ridiculous levels. I try to summon heaps of cash, though that does not make it appear.

At the same time, one of our co-tasters (whose name I did not catch) offers a round.

42.82 14yo The Thing (58.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 272b)

Nose: farm-y, this has tractor tyres, farm paths, pastures. In other words: diesel, earth, leather saddle. It also evokes a smoky bothy on a rainy, muddy day.
Mouth: silt, vase water, mud, smoked turnips. This is a bit monolithic, and certainly uncompromising.
Finish: long, full of black tide, dark earth, cork, petrolic sand, and petrol-stained soil.
Comment: not really my style of drams, but I can see others loving it. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, generous donor)

A nightcap once all is done and dusted.

Springbank 26yo 1995/2022 Edition No. 60b (51.1%, Decadent Drinks for Whisky Sponge, Plain Oak Refill Hogshead, 249b)

Nose: a fruity number. After the Ledaig, of course, any smoke will seem subdued. We have lemon skins, grapefruit peels, and some warm paper.
Mouth: soft, fruity to an extent, though not mind-blowingly so. We have melon first, satsuma and persimmon, then pink grapefruit, loud and clear, even if they are not shouting.
Finish: pomelo and grapefruit. That grapefruit is a bit of a slap in the face.
Comment: I have too much whisky in me to take good notes, of course, yet this is amazeballs, I hate to say. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, DW)

What a great tasting! Fast-paced, loud, exciting and disorienting in equal measures. Thankfully, it does not happen every day!