17/04/2023 Glentauchers

Glentauchers 24yo d.1976 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#7652, b#248): nose: a big, fat whiff of encaustic. Behind is a gentle wave of finely-ground pepper and cardamom powder, carrying set honey. Oh! but there is also a mocha impression, the unmistakeable smell of hot metal that has been used to brew coffee so many times that it is impossible to remove the smell (or the stains). We also have a cereal note (Weetabix), though that is fairly subdued. In the shadow of all that, awfully discreet, the sweetness of chewy, gummy sweets. The second nose feels more exuberant, with pineapple rings covered in pouring honey, and sprinkled with crushed mint leaf. Later on, it is as if menthol cigarettes appeared. Mouth: the chewy sweets take centre stage, quickly joined by milky coffee, if it is not milk chocolate. At 46%, the ABV is optimal, and it would likely work regardless of its position in a line-up. The sweets grow darker, turning into elderberry cough drops, or liquorice gums. The second sip brings fruit squash, thick and, well, fruity, yet never sickly (unlike squash). Candied citrus peels enter the scene, at some point, blood orange, ripe satsuma, mandarin. Cedarwood sheets too, albeit tame, and taken from a tin, funnily enough. Finish: here, it is a mixture of melted milk chocolate, dark gummy sweets, and caramelised honey. Despite that tarry caramel, those black sweets, and the faint bitterness that they all provide, it remains a juicy number, all in all. As on the palate, the second visit sees the addition of mixed peel, still firmly on the darker end of citrus (blush orange, mostly). The metal from the nose is nowhere to be seen, yet we do find pineapple slices, doused in pouring honey. Very, very good. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)