Back in ze Heimat for the year's most ambitious tasting. And ambitious it is! This year's edition has the highest attendance, and possibly the longest line-up since we started celebrating Robert Burns, back in 2004.
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| Let them come! |
The theme this year is Sideburns, which should provide plenty of fun.
The pace is fast, and the accent is on social interactions, rather than analytical note-taking. Ah, well.
kruuk2, Psycho, sonicvince and Mrs. sonicvince, red71, Bishlouk, STL, dom666, Gaija, ruckus, adc and JS join me for the occasion.
Psycho is sporting a bushy beard and long hair that earn him the nickname Glandaf Le Brun (it is not a typo).
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STL takes it upon himself to build the line-up, before three others cast doubt in his mind and help him spend another thirty minutes polishing it.
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| How many engineers to build a line-up? |
To help them do that, I pour...
Irish Mist (65° Proof, The Irish Mist Liqueur Co. imported by Heublein Inc., b.1970s): we had this last year, but with his sideburns, Brendan (yes, I christened the bottle/soldier) must make another appearance! He gets a very similar welcome to last year's.
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| Although more than one thinks it is Hibiki 17yo, it is merely a repurposed bottle |
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| Also, amuse-bouches |
The soundtrack: ruckus - Side B(urns)
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| At last, we are ready to start |
Knappogue Castle 12yo b.2015 (46%, Knappogue Castle Limited Release bottled exclusively for Vinothek Massen and Dram Brothers imported by Castle Brands, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, 216b, b#125, L15 004 220) (red71): this does not fit in the theme in any way (boo!) Nose: hints of mint (Psycho), and juicy fruit (mango, mostly), some fresh herbs, penny walls, Earl Grey tea (Gaija), bergamot. It becomes more and more buttery as time passes, without losing its acidity -- something that is somehow accentuated by the appearance of pomegranate, usually not the butteriest of fruits. Mouth: an unexpected oomph, buttery fruit (in taste and texture -- think: mango), with a medicinal lick (Psycho). That texture is stupendous, buttery as smashed avocado. Finish: warming, fruity, here comes an onslaught of mango, bergamot and satsuma, in line with those older Irish beauties (not quite in that league exactly, of course). 8/10
tOMoH: "Would you say it's your favourite of the night, so far?"
Soup is served.
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| Carrot and orange |
STL: "Who's PSc? Do you have a picture of him?"
tOMoH: "Yes, but there is a black circle in front."
Inver-Regal (43° Gay Lussac, J.H. Wham & Son (Largs), for testing purposes only, b. pre-1991): blended and bottled by Wham, both members of which sported beautiful sideburns, at some point. Nose: naphthalene and tar (Psycho). Everyone else agrees in describing it as a tad dirty. Gaija finds sriracha sauce, while STL declares fermented cabbage and garlic, and Psycho announces a late-coming, well-worn sock. Mouth: very floral, ripe with violets and nasturtium (STL and Gaija), which, red71 rushes to underline, is actually very pleasant. Finish: STL attributes it a Fino side. My full notes are here. 7/10 |
| Andrew Ridgeley (of Wham fame) |
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| George Michael (of Wham fame) aka Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου |
tOMoH: "When you have it in the mouth, it's even better... Usually the case."
red71 [grins]: "Ça sent le vécu! (Sounds like experience talking!)"
STL: "Ça sent le vieux cul! (smells like old arse.)"
Main course enters. adc managed to source regular (as opposed to vegetarian) haggis locally, to complement the veggie one from the UK (turns out we brought veggie haggis last year too). It is McLoughlins, rather than Macsween -- uncharted territory. It is good, though much more-finely ground than Macsween's, and less spicy. No-one finds it better than Macsween's, but everyone agrees that between McLoughlins and no haggis, McLoughlins wins every time.
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| All three McLoughlins haggises explode in the oven |
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| Potato-turnip-and-swede bake |
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| Parsnip-apple-and-sage mash also on the plate. Delicious. |
tOMoH: "No, it's vegetarian and pre-cooked, so it's legal. But I could have."
Clydeside 3yo Stobcross (46%, OB, b.2021, CBSCS 09845) (JS): Clydeside, geddit? Nose: fruit, banana bread (Gaija) and warm custard. Mouth: something earthy or floury (Gaija). Everyone is astounded at the quality, especially given the age. Bishlouk goes from "it is very good" to "it will be very good when it's ten or twelve," but then he drinks labels. It is very good as is. My full notes are here. Tonight, it is... 7/10
Rhosdhu 26yo d.1979 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#3236, b#163) (tOMoH): this one is obviously for Rhosdhu-flaquettes (from 'rouflaquette,' French slang for sideburns). Nose: anchovy paste, i.e. dry and salty (Psycho), soy sauce (Psycho), kroepoek (Psycho, still ruminating last night's Chinese takeaway). For me, it is exuberant mango. Mouth: génépi, Chartreuse (Gaija), smashed grapefruit, as well as avocado, guava and papaya. Finish: a strong alcohol presence (Gaija, STL, red71), makes for a long finish that some say could be better integrated. For me, it is papaya, guava, and mellow citrus (bergamot? Satsuma?) Full notes will follow. This is tOMoH's bag. Funnily enough, it is also the longest-aged whisky of this line-up. 9/10
Glentauchers 21yo b.2018 (47.1%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, B#8, 803b, b#63) (ruckus): look at those sideburns! Nose: citrus all at once, with white grapefruit, pomelo, shaddock (Psycho says orange), then crystallised angelica and stem ginger, candied fruit, Gummibärchen, and citrus-y Douglas fir. Mouth: a touch of wood, and ripe-grapefruit peels. Finish: a touch of bitterness, and lots of citrus-y goodness (grapefruit), as well as a pinch of herbs. The evening's surprise, which seduces everyone, tonight. 9/10
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| Will you look at those sideburns!? |
The soundtrack: The Old Man of Huy - Sideburns
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| STL demonstrates an impressive cake-cutting technique |
tOMoH: "Aberlour-Glenlivet?"
Psycho: "Well, they're both made with the same water of the Livet river. Same whisky."
tOMoH: "Mmmmmkay."
Glenlivet d.1951 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, b. 1970s) (adc): same as Aberlour 16yo, indeed. :) The lion on the label has great sideburns, does he not? Nose: some interesting sherry notes, here, with coffee (Gaija), engine grease, leather, citrus juice peppered with some shoe polish. Minutes in, we have a soft, smoky note, and a nuance of metal gutters. Coffee grows in intensity, though never overpowers -- imagine tiramisù. Mouth: dirty! Here are shoe polish, old leather, cow dung, even. The second sip pumps up the leather, and adds chicory infusion to the mix. Finish: cured meat from the barbecue, and roast beef. There is no charred note, to be clear; just a lovely cured-meat cloak. It develops a sweetness, in the long run. It treads a tight, borderline sulphur-y rope, but that is so subtle and balanced it is hardly noticeable. In fact, it is really bloody good, and I hope to get to try this again. A strong, strong 8/10
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| Check out those sideburns! |
sonicvince wanted to find something to relate to Magazine - Shot By Both Sides (because he reckoned being shot by both sides must burn), but ended up bringing something he simply felt like bringing.
Tomatin 1976/2001 (43%, John Alexander's Collection exclusively distributed by S.L. Major): it feels like we had this a few weeks ago, but it has in fact been four years, and that hurts. Nose: unbelievably exuberant, ripe with tropical fruit -- mango, maracuja, and, later on, lychee. Mouth: (very) acidic, it has more tropical fruit than one can shake a stick at, namely pronounced lychee, and sauced-up mango. What is there not to like? Finish: beside the obvious mango, it takes on an additional complexity with the emergence of plaster, crushed Aspirin, and crushed mango stone -- in other words: bitterness. Still, amazingly fruity, though. 9/10
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| The first cake does not last long. The second hardly longer. |
The next bottle appears. JS tells us about La Ribambelle, a classic series of comic books by Roba, the creator of Boule & Bill. One character in La Ribambelle, is Scottish: Archibald Mac Dingelling. In one episode, they go to Scotland, where we meet his uncle Angus, and other clansmen, all of whom sport impressive moustaches. Naturally, the Mac Dingelling have a rival clan, the Mac Klangbang, recognisable for their green tartan, and massive sideburns. In one strip, there is a bar brawl involving one member of each clan. The Mac Klangbang representative's Christian name is Murchinson, and his sideburns are typical of his clan. Thereby leading to... Ardna-Murchinson.
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| Check out those sideburns! |
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| From Roba, La Ribambelle en Ecosse, Dupuis |
Ardnamurchan 5yo 2015/2020 (46.8%, OB, 65% Bourbon & 35% PX & Oloroso Sherry Casks, B#AD/09.20:01, 15978b, b#13122) (JS): nose: refined smoke, roasted barley and cigarette ash, then a touch of strawberry toothpaste. Mouth: sandy, salty earth, warming and comforting. Finish: ashen and long, with a lick of dark cherry. Full notes here. Excellent young whisky. 7/10
Bishlouk gets up and gives everyone a piece of paper with an equation. tOMoH quickly decides it is too complex for tonight, and leaves it to the scientists to try and decode. A vain effort, as it turns out, because Bishlouk has no clue what the equation means. He does think, though, that it is odd maths, as is the next dram, a Kilkerran, which is triple distilled, rather than the usual double distillation operated at Glengyle. The odd equation is known as Burnside's theorem. Boom.
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| Boom, indeed. |
Kilkerran 11yo b.2017 Triple Distilled (60.3%, OB Open Day 2017, 17/202) (Bishlouk): triple-distilled Kilkerran. Who woulda thunk? Nose: torn metal and warm thyme. Mouth: hot, it has some vanilla to round off hot metal, and a pinch of herbs in conversation with hot sugar. It is balanced and pleasant, in terms of flavours, but hot. Finish: long and warming, it delivers caster sugar in a way that makes me think of grain whisky -- or rum. 7/10
Aberlour 16yo (43%, OB Double Cask Matured, Traditional Oak Casks + Sherry Oak Casks) (Psycho): a-Burns-lour, says Psycho, who adds that this was stored on the right side of his cupboard. Ahem. Nose: heavy sherry at a low strength -- which shows: it is somewhat subdued, after the hard-hitting Kilkerran. We have leather belts, shoe polish, for one second, that soon morphs into cola. Mouth: mellow, soft, filled with chocolate custard and paste-like pudding. Finish: quaffable, easy-going. We see cola and maple syrup make up a dram that is well pleasant, even though it will not change the world. 6/10
The closest whisky name to 'Sideburns' is 'Burnside,' which is allegedly a blend(ed malt). Bishlouk therefore brought a blend.
Blended Scotch Whisky 20yo 1998/2019 (44.6%, Cadenhead Club, 1 x Sherry Hogshead + 1 x Sherry Butt, 500b, 19/250) (Bishlouk): nose: strong coffee, a notch of sulphur (Gaija), perhaps. But really: coffee, and mocha chocolate. Mouth: this has a huge mouth presence, explosive and toasted, with nigella seeds, toasted bread and flat cola, or Dr. Pepper. Finish: truly a fifty-fifty blend of cold coffee and flat cola, sprinkled with a pinch of ground black cumin. 6/10
Bishlouk departs, still unwilling to grasp or admit that Burns' Night is an all-nighter.
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