Patriotism grips me so much I will sample something Scottish, today. And while we are having eight-year-olds bottled at 70° Proof in flat minis...
Glenrothes-Glenlivet 8yo (70 Proof, Gordon & MacPhail, b. ca. late 1970s): nose: oufti! (ooft!) Sherried, yes, yet far from the recent Glenrothes expressions, which I find overly buttery, to the point of being sickly. Here, it is all precious woods and fortified wines. Pedro Ximénez, tawny Port, mahogany, teak, and polished dashboards, rich, deep, and dignified. A minute of breathing pumps rancio into it, the dusty clay floor of a dunnage warehouse, and a heap of lichen-covered, cut branches (apple tree), drying before it is used as heating fuel. Later on, a fruity note tickles the sinuses: myrtle boiled sweets, crystallised orange segments, lemon or lime Sugus, candied angelica. Finally, boiled red-cabbage leaves come into focus, then disappear almost as quickly as they arrived. The second nose clearly has coffee, very-distant burnt tyres (must be those protests in France), and gradually moves towards chocolate (of the dark-ish kind, much to my delight). Looking hard, we find a drop of washing-up liquid, hardly worth mentioning. Then, boiled mud, or clay, and fruit-scented air-freshener rock up, faintly mentholated too. As one tilts the glass, roasted apples tumble out of it. Mouth: fresh, fruity, acidic. It appears sweet, for a fraction of a second, but it turns citric in no time, shooting pink grapefruit, clementine and pomelo in all directions. There is a soft bitterness too, almost rubbery, and the texture is chewy and a half, reminiscent of liquorice boot laces, or toasted, then stewed star anise. The second sip, without being smoky has more of a chimney-sweep feel, with sooty metal brushes and coal dust. Those are easily matched by a bold fruitiness, however; cut apples and plums, soaked in Sherry until they are soft. What is most remarkable is how punchy this is! Bottled at the legal minimum of 70° Proof more than forty years ago, with a dwindling fill level, and yet... Over time, wood lacquer settles in, a bit solvent-like, yet elegant. Finish: mellow, not weak, here are chewy liquorice, cured citrus (peel and all), a big chunk of candied angelica, and chewy sweets, Sugus or Starburst style. The second sip is sweeter and fruitier, and the cut apples and plums from the palate make an assertive comeback, emboldened by all that fortified wine they have been soaking in. We also find nut oil, coating and heart warming. Elderberry cordial, Frangelico, candied angelica, frangipane, Grand Marnier-infused custard all leave a softly-bitter dryness in the mouth that makes this dram rather moreish. Wow! 8/10
 |
Ô Belgique, ô mère, chérie A toi nos cœurs, à toi nos bras! A nous tes frites! |
No comments:
Post a Comment