Bishlouk turned fifty. Since he timed his birth badly, his fiftieth birthday fell during the COVID-19 pandemic. He must have calculated that it would be a lot cheaper to celebrate with friends, if said friends are not actually coming because they are locked down. But those friends are patient, and, three years later, they are ready to par-tay like it is 2020.
NA, JS, MH, CL, MD, RW, YG, GWST, red71, Gaija, and yours, truly meet our host at Watch Smell Taste for this shindig.
Gaija, JS and I arrive a couple of minutes late -- it is Liège, after all. All the same, we are not the last ones to arrive. It is Liège, after all.
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| Tonight's programme |
Bishlouk opens the ceremony by telling us he never felt much for Speysiders: he thinks that they are a bit same-y, and that one cannot distinguish between Bourbon casks from different distilleries. All the same, he likes Glen Keith, so here is one.
Glen Keith-Glenlivet 43yo 1973/2017 (43.2%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 156b, 17/192): nose: toffee, pear compote, some honey, dunnage warehouse, lichen on stave. JS has delicate soap and custard, for an overall clean nose. The second nose has smoked strawberry and unripe mirabelle plum, quince and pear. Further nosing reveals more floral notes, lily of the valley and kerria Japonica. Much later on, it gains a distinct 1980s-chewing-gum smell, pink, and chemical tasting. Mouth: particularly soft, the attack has a mild bitterness (flower stems, said Bishlouk, a minute ago), as if closed (JS). The second palate is even bitterer, with old bookshelves and bunches of dried-out flowers. After a couple of hours, it has lost all that bitterness, which makes it even more pleasant. Finish: pretty long, a bit dusty, mentholated (Gaija). It turns mentholated indeed, and, if custard ends up taking off, as do cut nectarines, it remains a bitter, woody effort, with sawdust aplenty. The audience reckons it will probably evolve in the open bottle -- and indeed! Only two hours later, all that bitterness has disappeared in favour of pink chewing gum and marshmallow. 8/10 upon opening the bottle, 9/10 later.
red71 [to me]: "Faut noter, ça!" ["You must write that down!"]
The next one, Bishlouk explains, quickly became his favourite distillery, at a time when everyone else filed it under the not-worth-drinking category. It would become a cult distillery in the space of a handful of years. One thing led to another, and he helped select two casks for La Boutique du Chemin -- this is the second.
Littlemill 32yo 1984/2016 (46.9%, The Vintage Malts Whisky Co. The Cooper's Choice The 2nd Release specially selected for La Boutique du Chemin, Bourbon Cask, C#3898, 235b): nose: Bourbon-cask stave, Haribo Peach (Gaija), Muscat (GWST), and a floral touch. In a few seconds, it keels over and unleashes ripe mangoes and mushy peaches. Yellow cake, yellow fruits, and putty, says JS. Soon, it comes back to Bourbon wood. A tantalising nose alright. Later on, it is pure smashed mango. Mouth: well, it is a huge slap of mango, and nectarine turnovers, supported by banana and peach juice (JS). But there is also a metallic bitterness -- the blade of a knife. We find lily of the valley again (Gaija), and some herbs. Further sips are more drying, and, if the fruit juice is well pleasant, it is augmented with crushed Aspirin -- a classic distillery marker. Finish: rather big, very fruity once more, in line with the nose and palate; here are mangoes, nectarines, sawdust, and Alka-Seltzer or crushed Aspirin. This is beautiful. 9/10
Asked why Littlemill was so hated, tOMoH explains that expressions from the 1990s were not all stellar, and some were a little, erm, original. I talk about Dunglass, the legend of soap bars thrown into the wash to stop the liquid bubbling over, and the alleged resulting taste. The conversation moves towards Glen Garioch and Bowmore, and the famous French Whore Perfume notes.
tOMoH: "They stopped, because no-one could tell the difference between the two."
For the next one, Bishlouk explains that he discovered Highland Park with the official 25yo bottled around 2006. He loved it, despite the relatively-high price tag (around 125 EUR, at the time -- LOLs all round). He bought this one to try and recapture that impression; he has not yet tried it.
Highland Park 30yo 1986/2016 (46.5%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 174b): what a small outturn for two Hogsheads! Nose: typical Bourbon-matured Highland Park, with heather smoke, lavender sweets, gummy bears, burning twigs, and dust (red71). It is heady, and woody, adding birch sawdust to the above. red71 finds it rustic and farm-y. Truth be told, there is a dollop of laundry detergent too, very faint. Chewy sweets remain the backbone of this nose. Mouth: spoiled milk (YG), Pecorino (Gaija). The twigs are a bit invasive, at first, dry and dusty. Heather comes back with a vengeance, but the whole stays rather dry, borderline desiccating, and gently smoky. We have hazel and forsythia branches, both very dry. JS finds it juicy, with grape and violets, which goes to show that no two people's palates are alike. Finish: long, warming, here is a debauchery of burnt twigs and lavender. Total moorland trip. Archetypal Highland Park, really. The second sip has a gentle fruitiness, with blackcurrants, blackberries and elderberries. Yes! It develops a juicy, earthy aspect that bring class to the whole thing. This will likely evolve for the better in the open bottle. 8/10
CL: "La roue tourne. On verra bien." ["The wheel turns. We shall see."]
RW: "Le monde du rhum, c'est beaucoup de branleurs." ["The rum world has a lot of wankers."]
tOMoH: "...who called for more!"
Clynelish 27yo 1982/2010 (51.5%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#5895, 263b, b#130): nose: typical Clynelish of the era, with jam so caramelised it sticks to the cauldron in which it is simmering, and sooty boiler rooms. Hot metal, rusty machinery, and tons of yellow fruits. It has a faint animal lick, but it is very approachable. Plums, mirabelle plums, and nectarines explode in slow motion. Mouth: fat and heavy, it has a mix of burnt wood and caramelised jams (tart jams, says JS), dusty machinery, and a pinch of soot. The second sip has Seville-orange marmalade, the bitterness of mixed peel (bitter-sweet, then), mingling with faint smoke, and a bucket of soot. Galangal shavings make a late appearance, and the whole coats the tongue like a dollop of warm wax. Finish: phwoar! Long, sooty, dusty, this paints the industrial revolution, with a touch of menthol that keeps it fiery. Here is a never-ending finish that stays elegant and, therefore, never outstays its welcome. Over time, more jam comes through, yet never overcomes the metallic impression entirely. I love this, and I am not the only one. 9/10
tOMoH: "Have you tried many Clynelish from the 1980s?"
[No reaction for several minutes]
red71: "He's ready now, you can ask him."
tOMoH: "The time has passed. It would come across as my trying to impose my opinion."
red71: "We'll ask him anyway."
Bishlouk: "Just behind you."
tOMoH: "You're taking your phone with you!? Is it for Google Maps?"
Food enters, provided by Les Fables du Liban. It offers a welcome pause: not even half way through the line-up, and I am already behind.
Amongst the assortment of mezze are what look like snack sausages. JS inquires about them.
JS: "Zwan?"
tOMoH: "They make cocktail sausages."
JS: "Ah! Viennese sausages."
[red71 shows her a picture]
JS: "Do they do other things than sausages?"
red71: "Meatballs, perhaps. For cats."
tOMoH: "They put the same in both."
YG: "A bit more meat."
tOMoH: "...in the one for cats."
red71: "He's a vet. He should know."
With food out of the way, so to speak, Bishlouk explains he fell in love with sherried whiskies through The GlenDronach. He had to stop buying those, because they became too expensive, but he discovered that sherried Glenrothes can be nice too, and he loved this next one."
Bishlouk: "I have not yet put my tongue into this."
MD: "What a treat! Distilled in 1610, bottled in 7154. It is the first 5544yo whisky."Bishlouk: "Those are the cask numbers!"
Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2016 (53.7%, Claxton The Single Cask, Sherry Butt, C#1610-7154, 669b, b#554): nose: it clears the nostrils, this one! With little surprise, seeing the colour, we have wood stain, cured meat, game sauce, and a big, fat, wine-y tomato sauce with chilli. Or is it raisins and cough syrup (JS)? After a bit, terracotta, scorched earth, and bucketloads of pickled red onions take over, accompanied by Worcestershire sauce, or teriyaki, actually. It comes pretty close to Tabasco sauce. Mouth: musky, animal, and rather sharp. Others are rejoicing that it has no sulphur, but I do detect matchbox strikers, and the whole is fairly desiccating, with an aggressive rancio. It really is animal, though -- fox skins, dead raccoons, skinned hedgehogs. Subsequent sips are in line. It is not complex or my preferred style, but it is good at what it does. JS finds it intensely sherried, yet also a little one-note. Finish: dark wines, moist soil, dark berries (elderberry most of all). It is cloying, in the long run, with treacle and tapenade. This one is definitely not my favourite style. 7/10
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| Has anyone seen a Sherry-matured whisky? |
Springbank 19yo 1997/2016 (58.8%, Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting, Re-charred Sherry Butt, C#606): nose: the farmyard™. Farm paths, pastures, leather, cowboy boots, tractor saddles, heated straw bales, cow's behind, cow dung... and tapenade!? JS corrects me: vinegar and barbecue sauce. The second nose brings a lick of lemon peel, as well as some pepper. It turns more lactic later on. Mouth: it is definitely tapenade that complements the otherwise farm-y profile. The palate falls into the trap of becoming a huge moisture sink, giving a whole new meaning to the word 'desiccating'. I can feel my cheeks shrinking. An hour later, it calmly asserts its power, dominating, smothering the memories of the other drams. This is a destroyer, in my view (in the best possible way), while JS calls it complex with finesse. Finish: it stays dry and drying, with ground bone, but also tractor-engine oil, coal dust, and onion peels. An hour or two later, ink appears, yet the farm-y aspect never goes away. It turns out I have tried this one twice before, in November 2016 and in April 2022. Good to be able to try it from a freshly-opened bottle for (hindsight) comparison. Tonight, it is... 8/10
Bishlouk: "I tried many, and could not find one that consistently pleased me -- except for Caol Ila."
Caol Ila 36yo 1980/2016 (52.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 210b): nose: drying fishing nets, squid ink, old parchments, a sprinkle of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. There is a mineral aspect to it, with granite and cinders (JS), as well as petrichor (JS). With time, it morphs into oyster sauce and tamarind concentrate, yet the ink comes back shortly thereafter. The second nose has lemon and pomelo. Mouth: fishing nets, ink, old diesel, and the engine it is supposed to fuel. Yes! This is oily -- the oiliest tonight by some margin; it spills lamp oil, yet also drying rancio. The second sip brings more fruits of the orchard kind -- smoky fruits. Lovely. Finish: a ganja note (JS). Hemp indeed, hessian, fishing nets, oil and ink intertwined. It is stupendously long and warming, part trawlers, part hessian sacks, part ink. There is literally no surprise here. It is the symphony that one might expect from a Caol Ila of that period. I tip Bishlouk that Psycho has another thirty-year-old Caol Ila bottled by Cadenhead, and that I hope we can try them back to back, one day. 9/10
tOMoH: "Watch it! We have a fan of the 12yo, here."
Gaija: "Well, I like the older ones too..."
tOMoH: "There's one for the blog!"
The next one, Bishlouk explains, is from the distillery that made him fall for whisky. The cork breaks upon opening, thereby proving its authenticity.
Talisker 25yo b.2009 (54.8%, OB Natural Cask Strength imported by Diageo Greece, Refill Casks, 5862b, b#2695): oh! This is much more mineral than expected, with pebbles, sea rocks, and rubbed flint (Gaija). After a while, there is a twist of the pepper mill too, though nowhere close to the levels found in the 10yo. Even further, we have elderberry lily of the valley (it is fast becoming the note du jour), honey (JS), and even some wood, after a moment. Mouth: we stay on the austere side, with a flint-y, rocky palate, rocky but plane, so polished by the elements as to be smooth (I know). The careful analysis reveals a timid fruity side too, with cut berries (raspberries?), and velvety flower petals. That mingles with quarry chippings and stone dust. Make no mistake: it is a mineral number, first and foremost. Composed (JS), certainly, yet mineral all the same. Finish: long and powerful, with more pepper than promised (it is a Talisker, after all), in a creamy-pepper-sauce fashion, and metal filings, which impart a clearly drying touch. I prefer my Taliskers a little more nuanced, but this is clearly good whisky. 8/10
North British 50yo 1962/2013 (57.2%, Hunter Laing The Sovereign, C#HL9930): nose: grainy (JS), it has a rancio-y bakery scent, with shortcrust and caramelised apricot. Mouth: velvety, it has confectionary sugar, caramelised apricot and cane sugar. Finish: big, sweet, it exhibits products of a bakery -- turnovers, crumble, and baked fruits, of course. Lovely drop, but, as the notes suggest, it is rushed. 8/10
Bishlouk: "Yes."
GWST: "From one cask only?"
Our host does a quick poll to determine the favourites. My own top three contains the Clynelish, Caol Ila and Littlemill, though the order is less obvious. The result is thus:
1) Springbank (19 points)
2) Clynelish (10 points)
3) Caol Ila and Highland Park (both 8 points)
5) Talisker (7 points)
red71 [to Bishlouk]: I only have one thing to say: can't wait for you to turn sixty!"
Great tasting, without a doubt. One of the best this year. Only the quantities and the pace were a little, ahem, ambitious. Those were all full drams, and cramming nine in three hours (including a break for food, for those who had ordered it) was always going to be too quick for me. I know I was not the only one who had to virtually down the Talisker and the North British. Too quick to be healthy. A pity, because each of those deserves one spend more time with it. Ah, well. It was great to get to try them at all.
Back on neutral ground, JS goes to sleep.
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| Gaija: "I think we can make an exception." |
Great time together ! Thanks for coming from abroad for just 9 drams :-)
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