04/03/2023 Minimax

It has proved difficult to find a date for a tasting on this side of the water, but here is the first one this year. Since there are four of us (OB, GL, JS and me), we go for an unrestrictive, miniatures-only theme.

The soundtrack: Pyroclastes - Danger Des Courants

OB warns that he will be late, because he has embarked on a little project. We will find out in a moment that said project is the baking of a kouign aman, a traditional cake from Britany. Unfortunately, we will also find out the following second that he left it at home. Ahem.

In the meantime, GL has the final drops of Clydeside 34mo (unknown ABV, cask sample, re-racked ex-Sherry Cask + ex-Bourbon Casks)

Finally, we start.

Work.

Enough for workaholics.

Five Sovereigns 8yo (70° Proof, J.W. Cameron & Co., b. ca 1970s) (tOMoH): nose: all sorts of fusty clay floors, damp dunnage warehouse, but also silt. Then, a soft fruity hue appears (mostly citrus peels). Further on, we have rich tobacco leaves, oily and chewy. Mouth: lukewarm marmalade, mixed peel, booze-infused blush-orange segments, and juicy caramel. Finish: it has that magic combination of ancient distillate and long bottle-aging. Could probably score higher. Full notes here. 7/10

GL produces Paul A. Young chocolates, which do not last very long.

The soundtrack: Peat & Diesel - Light My Byre

La Rouget de Lisle 8yo 2007/2016 (46%, OB, ex-Vin Jaune Burgundy Barrique, 144b) (tOMoH): nose: soft and fruity, ripe with custard and wax -- seal wax. Mouth: OB finds something unpleasantly perfume-y mid-palate (must be the taste of forgotten kouign aman), soon submerged by vin jaune, which makes it OK, he says. It is a lot drier and more tannic than I remembered it, with beer residue from an empty glass, yeast and strawberry. Finish: a lingering impression of having just sipped a stout. And there is orange wine too. Full notes here. 7/10

I have a the passion-fruit chocolate. Zmogue. So intense! I hope it will stand being followed by a whisky other than a 1960s Bowmore...

Eleuthera (46%, Compass Box, L290 306, b. ca 2001) (GL): nose: ashy apple juice, waxy-apple cider, if that makes sense. Then, we have putty, windows mastic, smoked citrus peels. This becomes ashier and ashier, though it still revels in waxy fruit. Mouth: pepper, Calvados, waxy apples, then a growing pile of ashes, dusty, drying, and a little burnt (no shit, Sherlock!) Burnt peach stone, yellowed parchment, roasted leather. Finish: long, ashy, burnt apple tree, burnt apple pips. It has that balance of fruit, ash, and burnt fruit tree. Love it! Repeated sipping gives the impression of a young eau-de-vie, which unfortunately makes it lose a point. 7/10

The soundtrack: 2022-10-09 Zanias @ HÖR, Berlin

Ledaig 23yo d.1995 (46.8%, C. Dully, Refill Hogshead, C#3636, 295b) (tOMoH): there is not enough for four, but I have had this not long ago. My companions share it between themselves. My notes are here.

With an impending case of the munchies, we have an excellent Iberian acorn salchichon  Admiracion (thanks CT)

Mortlach 12yo 1989/2001 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Sherry Butt, C#3647, 02/0150) (GL): the label reads this one was bottled in 2001, yet the bottling code on the back of the label says 2002. GL reckons it could be a rebottling of a full-size bottle. Those minis were given away at festivals around that time. No-one wanted them. Nose: gingerbread, loud and clear, cinnamon, ginger powder... Well, that would be gingerbread, then, eh? It is very solid and consistent; it does not deviate from the gingerbread super highway. After a bit, we have  a soft whiff of old sandals, or bare feet. And then, ginger and cinnamon come back with a lick of peppermint (think: brown Boules Magiques). The second nose is dusty and less interesting. Mouth: JS detects a gentle bitterness, while OB finds it cardboard-y and a bit flat. It does feel a little bit spent indeed. Irish-whiskey ice cream (JS). The second sip is fresh, juicy, with some grated ginger. Finish: fairly soft and tame, it showcases smoked meat (OB). Subsequent sips are more fruity, including the bitterness that I associate with unripe fruit. 7/10

vs.

76.69 12yo The Pipe-major takes a bath (60.1%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (GL): nose: banana (OB), artificial banana flavouring (OB). There is a pharmacy scent that I struggle to pin down. Yellow flowers, perfume, and a rubber bitterness that is almost metallic. Ha! I know! It has the smell of a freshly-opened 117.3 is what it is! Mouth: very green, with a pronounced bitterness of greasy-plant leaves. It also has many hints of tropical fruit, none ripe. I bet this will evolve dramatically in the open bottle -- for the better. Finish: wide, even huge, numbing, it gives away metallic daffodil petals. In the long run, we have custard, soft cakes, Jaffa style, but no chocolate. Lovely stuff. 8/10

The soundtrack: Until The End Of The World (Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Glenburgie 30yo 1983/2013 (51.5%, Signatory Vintage 30th Anniversary Waldhaus am See St. Moritz, C#9822, 164b) (OB): nose: this is darker, with a lick of wood, walnuts, chestnut purée, and rose-petal jelly. Yeah, earthy and softly fruity at the same time. The second nose has smoked Turkish delights and faded vine leaves. Mouth: it has a clear alcohol kick that does not entirely obfuscate a distinct juiciness. Fruity, jammy 'burgie the way I like them. We see a pinch of white pepper and sawdust. Yes: wood grows with each sip. It is rather acidic too. Finish: mulch, and unripe pineapple peel. We have more and more wood as it goes on, but it stays within the limits of what is acceptable. Long, warming, fruity, and, well, woody, to a point. 8/10

GL: "So far, I've really enjoyed all the ones I tried."
JS: "The chocolates, or the whiskies?"
GL: "Yeah."

121.31 9yo Sweet, with a lively lemon tingle (57.8%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (GL): nose: that same 117.3 leafy, metallic note, heady, and promising to be fruity, though not quite yet. This one has hints of solvents too. Mouth: strong, peppery custard. It goes from white pepper to red chilli pepper, to green pepper to rose-petal jelly in seconds. It is spectacular, considering the age, and very good full stop. Leafy flowers grow and grow. Finish: mellow-ish, with forsythia, kerria japonica, all bathing in thick custard, sprinkled with sage. Very convincing. The thing with Arran is that they are all at least OK (once one looks past the dodgy finishes of the early years). 8/10

The soundtrack: Pixies - Death To The Pixies

Glen Lochy 14yo (50%, Burn Stewart Distillers specially selected for The Whisky Shop The Select Hogshead, Sherry Casks) (tOMoH): nose: it starts off gravel-y, with shy dry grapes, then develops cork and earthy tones. Mouth: yes, it is dry, a bit austere, full of gravel, and challenging like a super-dry white wine. Finish: ashy, dry, bitter, not unlike licking limestone. Full notes here. 7/10

St. Magdalene 21yo 1982/2003 (56.5%, Hart Brothers Finest Collection) (OB): nose: oh! Here is another austere number. Flint, old newspapers, dusty cardboard, and modelling clay, or malleable wax. Hot sands, Verdigris, peach stones, chalk, lichen on stave -- oh! yes, these staves are oozing boooze, now. Phwoar! It becomes more luscious when tilting the glass, but also gives dusty dry-sausage casing. Mouth: melted plastic, plant sap,  a dash of crayon shavings, calcium-laden mineral water (Volvic or Hepar). It is also very bold -- intimidatingly so. The second sip has crushed mussel shells (yes, it is vaguely maritime, and certainly salty), chalk, and crushed leeks. Finish: it is like licking sandstone, but not only; here are leeks, crushed with a pestle and mortar. Quite a drying finish, with dried lichen and Verdigris. It turns more welcoming, over time, with hot marmalade stuck to the bottom of the cauldron (and let us be clear: it is the cast-iron cauldron that sticks out). I love this. 9/10

The soundtrack: various tracks by Holly Golightly and Blonde Redhead

JS makes salted popcorn.

9.94 26yo Jam and Jerusalem (56.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (OB): nose: hard to tell, since we just landed some, but I would swear this smells of popcorn. Underneath that is a good old Glen Grant, packed with orchard fruits, and some late chocolate. Mouth: glazed cherries! This has so much of that it is insane. And it is so clear, too! The second sip is full-on eau-de-vie, more Armagnac or Kirsch (obviously) than, say, Calvados. That eau-de-vie is more and more pronounced. Finish: a classy, warming specimen. I am not really taking good notes, too busy enjoying the bantz. 8/10

tOMoH: "GL, I can pull out four glasses, and you have them in your own time. I know you have a train to catch. They are also all yours, bar the Strathclyde, so you need to have that one."
GL: "I can leave the Bimber behind..."
JS: "You don't want to try it?"
GL: "It's peated. I don't drink peat. Also, I've already tried it, so..."
tOMoH: "Well, fuck you, then."

30.60 19yo A bench-mark (57.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (GL): nose this has some chocolate, dark caramel, chicory infusion. It is a bit buttery, but not too much. Again, I detect quite a bit of popcorn, which is obviously because we just had some. Later on, we find a softly herbal note, though not sure which herb -- oregano? Mouth: treacle, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate miso tart, which is to say it is savoury, as well as bitterly chocolate-y. Pear soup, chocolate chilli con carne. The second sip is more acidic and more buttery. Happily, it is not rancid butter by any stretch of the imagination. It develops a berry paste, augmented with liqueur of the same, at some point. Finish: long, never-ending, it adds a sprinkle of herbs (tarragon?) to dark-chocolate tart. It remains savoury and-a-half, which still suggests miso. Vaguely-earthy raisins become more and more obvious, sweeter and sweeter, joined by dried dates and figs. Wow. Lovely. 8/10

The soundtrack: Linkin Park / Jay-Z - Numb / Encore

The soundtrack: Tommee Profitt - In The End (Instrumental)

3.160 10yo Islay beach scene (59.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask) (GL): nose: what? No peat? In a recent Bowmore? "There is some," say my co-tasters. It is closer to cork and hevea brasiliensis to me. At last, I detect a faint peat; it is distant mossy peat bogs, with virtually no smoke. On the other hand, here is a bunch of flowers in mud. The second nose has muddy mulch and silt. Mouth: very warming, it dishes out peat fire and tons of juicy oranges. In fact, sweetish citrus becomes so prominent that it is close to limoncello. A pinch of sage to balance that and keep it interesting, something to make it almost metallic. Finish: more ember-like burnt peat flirts with roasted orange peels, dried kelp doused in sweet citrus, bergamot juice and the fruit's foliage. What an amazing young Bowmore! A little more complexity, and it would score even higher. 8/10

OB: "The Strathclyde is clearly stronger than the rest we had so far. I don't know how strong the Bowmore was, but..."
JS: "59.9%."
OB: "Really? Well, perhaps I've become numb."

(If you did not chuckle, let me spell it out: OB just intentionally quoted a song he had never heard before.)

Strathclyde 13yo 2001/2014 (64.4%, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Editions, B#ST 13 002) (JS): not a miniature, but a smallish bottle on its last leg. Now or never! Coconut, custard, nail varnish, and fierce ginger. This still does it for me. My full notes are here. 8/10

The soundtrack: 2019-12-03 - Zanias @ HÖR, Berlin

GL departs. He leaves his Bimber behind, which I decide to have another day.

The soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys - Discography (The Complete Singles Collection)

OB pulls out a bonus dram from his hat. Well, from his rucksack.

Lochindaal 13yo 2007/2021 (56.9%, Bramble Whisky Co, Sauternes Cask, 292b, b#243) (OB): another full-size bottle, "the one that required the minimum effort to find," says OB. Nose: phwoar! If one thing was relevant at this point of the tasting, it is this. It is very, very farm-y, with a soft maritime side to boot. That spells brine over mud and ploughed fields, and hay. Mind you, we also have tobacco, dark-chocolate praline, ganache, with crushed dried strawberry slices. Then, it is pressed mouldy bread, forming a patty-like concoction. Mouth: ink! Squid ink, to be precise, accompanied by sea rocks warmed by the sun, and jet-black algae. But then, it is also rather juicy, part petrol, part fruit juice; part black ink, part linseed oil. It retains a hay-like quality on the tip of the tongue, perhaps porridge, and some slices of dried raspberry, now, meddling with rubber boot soles trampling mud. Finish: inky earth, black-tide sands, mudflats, and crushed mussel shells. Again!? This is the second dram today in which I find that note... It has quite a bit of horsepower, and it feels fairly drying, in the long run, with something approaching peppermint. It is not quite rubbery (no boot sole here), but earthy and drying, yes. Even though it is not as drying as black cumin, it is not that far off. I am convinced. 8/10

Epic.