25/04/2023 St. Magdalene

St. Magdalene 21yo 1982/2003 (56.5%, Hart Brothers Finest Collection): the weather is nice, perfect for a St. Magdalene. Nose: crisp, lively and flowery, this has daffodils, buttercups, and daisies, as well as lemon blossom, and -- dare I say? -- limoncello. There may be a droplet of shampoo (Garnier's chamomile-scented Ultra Doux), not at all distracting. Soon, we have yellow orchard fruit, cut on a slate: plums, apples, that sort of things. It is not long before more-muscular aromas carve their path, and the slate starts hinting at tiger balm, with menthol and camphor, both subdued, but present. Swiftly, we come back to fruits on slate, this time in jam form. The shampoo morphs into plant-stem sap, yet, once again, it is not distracting in the slightest. As often with the output of this distillery, it is a constant ping-pong between lush, welcoming notes (orchard fruits, meadow flowers, lemon cake), and a more-austere profile (mineral, herbaceous). What a treat! The second nose is frankly flowery, fragrant like Garnier's Ultra Doux, with (thankfully) much less of the soapy side. Ripe peaches are a fitting supporting act. Mouth: the attack does away with "welcoming" and "lush" to focus on "austere" and even "challenging." Here, we have burnt hazel shavings, quicklime, lime juice, limestone, and, if there is fruit, it is but a heavily-caramelised jam residue, stuck at the bottom of the cauldron. The second sip sees icing sugar complement the otherwise-rocky, gravel-y attack. A few seconds on the tongue allow crushed peaches to rock up, stones and all, but it does stay firmly on the mineral, austere side of things. It is rather warming too, even if that impression is limited to the roof of the mouth and the tip of the tongue. Finish: amusingly, the finish is more approachable than the palate. Lemon cake comes back, and we have buttered toasts, slathered with jam (peach and lemon? Pear and grapefruit?) Only the petals of the nose's flowers make it this far, with a dusting of confectionary sugar. This finish is long, and the alcohol sings for longer than anything else. It turns desiccating and a tad bitter, even rocky (pebbles, shingles), with lichen and burnt brown sugar. That newfound sugar extends to subsequent sips, and we see the emergence of hot, oxidised metal too. Long after the glass is empty, there is a lingering impression of Brie rind. Yum! Lovely StM, but I am full of bias, of course. One has to enjoy working at it, even though it did not seem as challenging today as the first time we had it. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)