We are back again for a tasting revolving around every Christian's favourite power couple. JS, CB and Cavalier66 join me for a day of far-fetched links and general fun.
The soundtrack: Axiome - Field Guide To Alien Planets And Other Disco Balls
JS presents: Glenc-Adam. To boot, she tells us it is a fruity number, pointing at the famous apple.
Glencadam 14yo 1964/1979 (45.7%, Cadenhead): nose: it is a wonderful mix of marmalade and golden tin caps (of marmalade jars, it goes without saying), though it also has ground cardamom and ground sumac. Cavalier66 detects lime or lemon marmalade, while CB finds compote or preserve. A pinch of ground pepper gives a little spice to this occasionally flinty, mineral character (CB). Mouth: more vegetal (Cavalier66), prickly (Cavalier66), something that is balanced by sweet pumpkin (CB) and pumpkin seeds. CB reckons there is an almost-sulphury quality to this, even if it is not meant in a negative way. Finish: a lovely suppleness, with vaguely-metallic marmalade, as if a spoon had been left in the jar for a few days. Cavalier66 finds something smoky or burnt. He is clearly choking on his fag. Except he does not smoke. It is excellent, of course, even in this difficult first position. Full notes here. 8/10
The soundtrack: Lustmord - [Other]
Cavalier66 presents the children of Adam & Eve: this is a Cain-denhead with a gold l-Abel. Lolle.
Glentauchers-Glenlivet 39yo 1976/2016 (43.8%, Cadenhead Single Cask, 1 x Bourbon Hogshead, 180b): nose: subdued and tertiary (Cavalier66 in pretentious mode), dunnage warehouse, dusty iron filings, caramel-y toffee (Cavalier66). CB confirms it is confected. Cavalier66 adds that it shows cask and age. I have dusty toffee, and JS Werther's Original; Cavalier66 sees butterscotch everywhere, whereas JS enjoys its juiciness. Cavalier66 insists: this has a mix of boiled sweets and butterscotch. I add a whiff of wet cardboard. The second nose reveals baked or stewed strawberries and maraschino cherries. Mouth: unctuous at first, it starts shooting gentle wood spices -- cinnamon in a paste, crunched bay leaves, and furniture varnish (CB). The second sip has the bite of freshly-polished old leather, then caramelised strawberry jam, and a bit of rancio. Finish: refined, we all agree. Caramelised baked apple (Cavalier66), cinnamon, toffee. It is very long and luscious, voluptuous, even. More caramelised jam, sticking to the pot, dark and gently spicy. Outstanding, even after the amazing Glencadam. 9/10
Cavalier66 [about the new Cadenhead Club bottling]: "A Highland. Or is it an Highland? It depends if you pronounce the 'H' or not, in which case you might as well be in Ancient Greece. Anyway."
Cavalier66: "Brexit."
tOMoH: "Don't start."
JS: "Supply chains are broken, can't get a pun card game..."
CB presents Link-wood. A wood is where one might find a tree, in which one one might find an apple.
tOMoH: "First Cask. Adam was the first man."
CB: "Ohhhhhhhhhh!..."
Cavalier66: "Yes, he was! In fact, he was the first human. And he appeared in the Genesis, which is the first chapter..."
tOMoH: "...of the Bible, arguably the first book."
Linkwood 21yo 1972/1993 (46%, Direct Wines (Windsor) Limited First Cask, Sherry Cask, C#14812, b#0068, 15129301): funny bottle code, eh? Unlike other Signatory codes. This is also a very-early First Cask, with the first livery, as the Balvenie we had last year. Perhaps not even bottled by Signatory? Nose: herbal and fruity this is a mix of rosemary and strawberry. Soon, a burnt smell overcomes all that -- and I mean a burnt-cake smell, not burnt paper. Crisp apple slices, lukewarm baked liquorice root, and a touch of hot metal and warm milk. The second nose is a tad more vegetal again, with cooked cabbage, now. Cavalier66 notes a farmyard dirtiness, at the back. It does feel a wee bit smoky, with subtle diesel fumes. Mouth: interestingly, it has a striking fruitiness, but also a clear chargrilled-meat touch. Juicy, somewhat spicy, reminiscent of warm and peppery apricot compote. Finish: bright, fruity and fairly sweet, we now have baked and caramelised apple slices. Apple compote, even. There is even a minty note. This tasting is getting better and better. 9/10
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| The lot of delicious cheeses |
The soundtrack: Roxette - Tourism
Cavalier66 presents a Nectar bottling, because he associates nectar with apples. Besides, it is a whisky from Ireland, what must be the most catholic whisky-making country in the world. Finally, there is a biblical scene on the label.
tOMoH [miming]: "By milking Adam, clearly."
Ireland 27yo 1988/2015 (49.5%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams joint bottling with La Maison du Whisky): nose: overripe peach and nectarine (Cavalier66), and mango (almost). Yes, there is a flood of overripe peach, and also persimmon, jackfruit, and apricot. Velvety peach skins become prominent, then it flirts with pink grapefruit (CB). It has a tiny pinch of ash or acetone-cleaned windscreen wipers that suddenly let through lichen on tree bark. The second nose seems less fruity, sadly. Mouth: oily on the palate, but gorgeously oily (Cavalier66). Proper citrus oil (CB). A lick of incense and lots of tropical stone fruits, really. It is faintly bitter at second sip: the fruit stones and incense become louder, and here are grapefruit peels. Finish: big, fresh, with spearmint, and lots of milk-chocolate-coated fruits. Grapefruit, papaya, mango skins and dried pineapple shavings. Well, this is incredible, is it not? 10/10
tOMoH: "You can leave the bottle here, if you do not like it."
CB: "I think this is a strong contender for Jaffa Cake pairing."
Cavalier66 guesses the next link, which is presented by JS -- Glenl-Eve-t.
Glenlivet 26yo 1968/1995 (52.1%, Signatory Vintage selected by, bottled for and imported by Whyte & Whyte for The Spirits Library, Barrel, 95/137): nose: the most cask-driven one, so far. Indeed, it has sawdust, ginger powder and dry orange peels, ground into a powder. Mouth: a pronounced acidity, with grapefruits (white and pink), sweet lemon (CB), not-so-sweet lemon (Cavalier66), and sour wood (Cavalier66 again). The second sip is a mix of gunpowder and dried citrus segments, as far as tOMoH can tell. Finish: long, tangy, citrus-y, with a discreet Aspirin bitterness in the back. Excellent. I like it even better than the other day. 9/10
The soundtrack: Peat & Diesel - Light My Byre
tOMoH presents the dram that gave him the idea for the theme, Glenc-Adam. Except I cocked up, and what I remembered to be a Glencadam is in fact a Glen-Allah-chie. Let us say that Allah is a central character in another religion of the Book.
Glenallachie 14yo 2000/2014 (57.3%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition, B#GA 14 006): nose: more lactic and butyric. CB has marzipan and white chocolate, whilst Cavalier66 settles for baby sick (he just loves it). For me, it is porridge and raising sourdough, milk that has been left out of the refrigerator all night. Mouth: white chocolate indeed, marzipan, Parmesan. It still has a pronounced lactic side, but also a bold, spicy kick. Finish: porridge, cereal dust. It turns a little juicier over time. Short notes, since I took detailed ones not too long ago. It stands out in the line-up as a totally different profile, but the quality remains high. 8/10
The soundtrack: ASC & Inhmost - Dimensional Space
CB presents a Clynelish, which, in Gaelic, means sloped garden (of Eden). Simultaneously, JS presents Cottage garden (of Eden) beside a church -- and what is a church, if not Adam & Eve's father's house?
Clynelish 26yo 1993/2020 (52.7%, Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Barrel, C#11215, 173b): we note the new packaging of this collection. JS regrets the sobriety of the older livery. Nose: oh! that smells creamy. A bowl of custard spilled on a split rock, then margarine. Gradually, tangerine slices grow in power. There is something clearly sweet, after a while, so sweet it might just be caster sugar. And then custard comes back with a vengeance -- chocolate custard. Mouth: apple juice (CB), slightly-cheap apple juice (Cavalier66), Sunkist (CB). Soon, citrus and wax take control (Cavalier66), yet the texture remains creamy (CB). It is crisp, ripe with a mix of apple and tangerine. The second sip adds a pinch of ground pips (which spells bitterness, that is right). Further sips are sweeter and more acidic again, underlining the fruits that are now very clearly of the citrus varieties. Finish: the fruity ride goes on, and once more welcomes a soft acidity. Ponkan, tangerine, mandarin join forces and provide the acid that easily dominates whatever remnants of custard there could have been. It is a creamy finish, but in a fruit-nectar way; it is not at all related to custard cream, at this point. Excellent. 8/10
vs.
26.93 28yo 1984/2013 Cottage garden beside a church (56.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 352b): similar age, but distilled a decade earlier. Nose: a totally different beast that displays a lot more ash and blue oranges. If that reads austere, it is because it is. Only deep nosing reveals a fleeting fruitiness, far into the sinuses, in amongst flint. There is soot too, metal filings, and hot cauldrons. Mouth: it seems more approachable here, with lots of gorgeous mandarin segments (though they are not far from turning blue), interwoven with incense sticks. Repeated sipping shows a more-gingery side and also displays mace. Finish: phwoar! Stewed citrus, covered in incense ash. This finish is never-ending, and brings back wave after wave of citrus. And ash. And citrus. And ash. And... Oh! and mace. Stupefying. As good as ever. 9/10
tOMoH: "Their prog era."
JS: "Prog-xette."
CB presents Tormore, a distillery that is well known for its garden (of Eden).
Tormore 20yo 1996/2016 (57.4%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength The Whisky Exchange exclusive Bottling, Refill Bourbon Barrel, C#5655, 160816): nose: chocolate and hazelnut paste. Oh! dear, this is such a good start. A bowl of chocolate custard, augmented with a spoonful of hazelnut paste, served with a mug of lukewarm cocoa. Someone else at the breakfast table is drinking a cup of chicory infusion, but it does not distract much. A basketful of fruits rest on the table, very ripe; persimmons, plums, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peaches so ripe they melt if you only look at them. The second nose sees some cardboard and papier mâché, laced with Kwatta chocolate paste. Cavalier66 finds it tropical elements. Mouth: fresh and milky, here are coconut milk, hazelnut milk, macadamia milk, with tatters of soft, fleshy fruits (peach, persimmon, yellow plum). We have a dollop of melted milk chocolate in the background, never intrusive, but adding a welcome dimension. It is powerful too -- the highest ABV today, and that is noticeable, albeit approachable. Further sips increase the heat like green chilli -- a time bomb. Finish: meow. Cavalier66 was right: it does have lovely tropical fruits, here too. Persimmon, of course (it is expected, by now), yet also dragon fruit, squashed banana, guava. That is still punctuated by dashes of chocolate milk for maximum happiness. The undeniable heat may be provided by chilli seeds that would be nutty and creamy as sesame seeds -- or halva, to be more accurate, a halva made of chilli seeds. Now, there is an idea!... Perhaps my score is generous, but I am seduced, today. 9/10
What a line-up! Phantastic quality from beginning to end.
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| And this is why the gulls were agitated, today! |
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