With the film about Mattel's iconic doll still in cinemas, receiving a lot of attention, this was the best (if most unlikely) theme for the August tasting in ze Heimat.
adc, JS, red71, STL, Psycho, sonicvince, kruuk2, and dom666 join me to share laughs and drams.
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| kruuk2 brought a gift. "Your reward for making up dumb themes!" At least, tOMoH gets to show off legs. :) |
kruuk2 {about his recent road trip in Morocco]: "I reached my destination, which was Meknes."
sonicvince: "Wait, my geography of Morocco is a bit..."
tOMoH: "You see Schaerbeek? A bit south of it."
kruuk2: "There's also Liège, rue du Moulin... right next to Super Poulet."
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| But we have work to do. |
dom666 spills a bucket of water on the tablecloth while pouring himself a glass of water (not the first time, despite his claims). After we have mocked his very own watershed moment, he receives a towel to mop it up.
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| tOMoH: "Careful now. That also doubles up as your bib." |
Aside from the whiskies, we are having a pot luck, today: various bits and bobs generously supplied by all guests.
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| dom666's nuts |
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| Tapenade toasts, courtesy of red71 |
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| STL's daughter's biscuit-and-mocha cake |
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| kruuk2's finger-licking cakes |
I have hardly slept, and am more interested in enjoying the company so appalling notes again.
adc presents: Ben Brac-Ken
Ben Bracken 12yo (40%, Scotch Whisky Company for Lidl, b. ca. 2007): nose: inoffensive, it has corn syrup, custard, crusty choux dough, toffee, fudge, vaguely-paprika-ed cinnamon. Mouth: gently spicy, with black pepper, cinnamon, ginger powder. Next sip has a hazelnut cream. Finish: shortish, here are cinnamon shavings on vanilla custard, peppery and cinnamon-y, Lovely starter. Hope to try it again. 7/10
red71: "Are you trying to tell us something?"
sonicvince, who has not seen the film, presents the next dram: "I'm sure there is some singing in Barbie (the film), and there is bound to be someone whistling."
The Whistler Mosaic (46%, OB, ex-Bourbon Barrels + finished in Sicilian Marsala Casks, L21/014 152, b.2021): nose: a heavy note of peppermint, and ginger toothpaste. It grows rather woody (in a good way), adding a pinch of grated chalk to the mix too. adc finds butter caramel, whilst I detect dusty birch shelves. Mouth: fudge, melting and quaffable, like chewing on molten wax. It has a notch of soft spices, now closer to turmeric than the above. adc reckons it tastes a bit like limoncello. Finish: another fairly short one, it has toffee (melted Toffee Penny), melted caramel, and a pinch of wood dust (sawn old wood shelves). 7/10
kruuk2 explains how the next one fits into the theme: "10 is the age at which girls play with Barbie. And why Arran? Why, because Barbie wears a miniskirt, which, as any French-speaking Belgian knows, s'arrête Arran del'touffe [it stops within shaving distance of the bush]."
On a less-vulgar note (kruuk2, tsk!), I observe that Barbie is obviously the shortening of Barbarran.
The Arran Malt 10yo b.2006 (46%, OB, 120206): nose: lemon-y to the max, it smells like Cif Citron, says sonicvince. Pomelo foliage, pinched-and-rubbed pomelo peels. Over time, peach skins grow and grow. Great nose. Mouth: lemon-y, fresh, a tad bitter, with a pinch of grated effervescent tablet. Finish: it is extremely crisp, lively, fresh, fruity, and it display the characteristics of tonic water -- or crushed Alka-Seltzer. 8/10
The next one is mine. I bring a gentle, girly dram with a blonde tube. Just like Barbie.
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| Spot the streak of blonde hair on the tube |
Tomintoul 16yo d.2004 (46%, OB, Sauternes Casks, 5094b): nose: crushed cardamom on lemon pudding. Mouth: a little spicier than the nose suggested, yet it is an approachable one that puts everyone on the same page. Lovely drop, with a tiny bitterness that comes unexpected (pomelo peels) and ground cardamom again. Finish: wider and longer than the previous, this is rich, juicy, and a little bitter, overflowing with green citrus. I love this. Full notes here. 8/10
STF: "It's a Burnside."
adc: "Yes, and the connection to the theme?"
STF: "Burnside. That was the theme."
All: "Barbie."
STF: "Oh! Drat. I was daft as Ken, on that one."
Speyside 27yo 1994/2021 (47.5%, Le Gus't Selection special bottling for Nanyang Whisky, Bourbon Hogshead, C#3525, 240b, b#224): "Distilled at Speyside Distillery" should actually read "Distilled at a Speyside Distillery." This is allegedly Burnside, or tea-spooned Balvenie, not Speyside, aka The Spey. I thought this was the one I tried a while ago, but it is not. Strangely, it does not have a Roman numeral, despite being from the Selection collection. Nose: rich AF, it has custard (sonicvince), tons of peach skins, cured fruit, almond skins, and it opens up to reveal unripe pineapple, and citrus slices (unripe oranges). Mouth: incredibly bitter (certainly when compared with the nose), ground cardamom, then peach stones, ground almonds and hazelnut skins. The second sip displays more cream, with a custard-y texture. A lick of metal joins the nut skins (not the scrotum, naughty reader!) Finish: long, ripe with citrus-y pastry, almond-and-lemon cake, crisp-dried citrus peels, and gingery, cinnamon-y, cured orange rind. Very good! 8/10
dom666 brought the next one, because it has pink on the label.
Nikka Coffey Grain (45%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky, 6/04F101511): nose: walking into an Ikea (freshly-sawn pine wood), a pinch of dried herbs, and a vague note of outer sole (rubber?) Mouth: soft, pleasing, it still has pine planks, though young enough to be full of vanillin. Finish: a softly-bitter spiciness (ground cardamom) crowns an-otherwise creamy custard. 7/10
kruuk2: "The whole bottle would be too much!"
dom666 brought his Coffey Malt to try it back to back with the Coffey Grain, but I have another grain idea -- an idea which will stop us repeating an experience we had five years ago. And, since the bottle belongs to this group, when is a better occasion? Also, it is in theme: it is a Caledonian; to go to Islay, one takes the Caledonian MacBrayne from Ken-nacraig.
The Cally 40yo 1974/2015 (53.3%, OB, 5060b, b#3642): totally unfair fight, I know. To counter that, I have it at the end of the tasting, but, for everyone else, it comes now. Nose: wallpaper glue (kruuk2), pot-pourri, wet sand (sonicvince). adc produces a bottle of BioLevel detergent, and, indeed, it has a very clear similarity. Pine needles, Harpic Air Freshener, ground cherry stones, and crushed mint leaves. Mouth: it is a supreme mix of pine-needle-scented air freshener, and powerful wood glue. We talk of MDF (glued sawdust) and OSB (plywood pressboards, pressed wood shavings) -- the DiY specialists are keen to show off their science, which is both amusing and unlikely. This here dram is glue-y, yet also staunchly elegant, made bolder and more showy by a sprinkle of spices (ground ginger, ground mace, lovage seeds, crushed bay leaves, and roasted galangal shavings. Finish: a spoonful of honey (sonicvince), Gocce Pino, (fairly fierce) menthol, shards of cinnamon bark, and more crushed bay leaves. Maybe lovage too, but it is less well defined. This is rich and never-ending, although not stupendously complex, but it is so well made everything else is forgiven. Show-stopping grain. 9/10
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| Same drink, different label |
tOMoH reminds the group that Barbie drives a car -- a Chevrolet Corvette, they point out. Therefore, we will have a Cor-vettercairn.
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| Boom. |
Fettercairn 28yo 1988/2017 (48.9%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams special edition for TastToe, 16/06009): nose: feet and biscuit (adc), butter biscuits, cheese rind (sonicvince), fermented apple, and something acidic (sonicvince). One could easily deduce that it is lactic acid, or a drop of vinegar. Mouth: round and sugary (red71), a tad drying, and strong, it shows pronounced ethanol, warm white vinegar, and a herbal note of straw. Finish: long, drying, but also rewarding, herbaceous, in a dry-grass way, or hay. This is weird and wonderful. Astonishingly whacky, it puzzles everyone, and I love it for it. Full notes here. 8/10
As everyone looks forward to the next one, JS asks the others who makes Barbie: "Mattel!" Yes, and reversed? With the help of alcohol, it only takes them several minutes to finally utter: "Lettam." Lettamill, then.
Littlemill 24yo 1990/2014 (50.6%, Maltbarn No.28, 158b): nose: not at its most expressive, today, yet, it still exhibits a carousel of fruits, with papaya, dried mango slices, wood-dust-covered cherries, tinned peaches, but also hand cream, and scented talcum powder. sonicvince finds a faint plum-skin aroma, while I detect bergamot foliage and Kafir lime leaves. Mouth: powerful, it has rubbery lime leaves, chewy dried mango slices, and that trademark Aspirin bitterness because of which Littlemill can sometimes be divisive. Finish: huge, woody, fruity, and Aspirin-y. Excellent. Full notes here. 8/10
Psycho is about to depart. STL asks if he may try his bottle prior. Psycho was about to leave it behind, but agrees this is a better solution. He tells us that Ken has a hairless chest, so he brought something to make hair grow on one's chest.
Caol Ila 25yo (43%, OB, b. ca 2010): nose: Iso Betadine (sonicvince), gauze, bandages, plaster glue. Later on, we have waxy lemon zest and dried bulrush too. Mouth: a huge slap of gauze and old bandages, tincture of iodine, and muscle-warming spray. It is boldly medicinal, perhaps augmented by a seaweed poultice. Finish: unexpectedly maritime, with sea water, kelp, and only minimal medicinal touches, now. Excellent drop. "Cannot help but wonder how it would fare at cask strength," says STL, who obviously spends too much time in France. 8/10
red71 worked hard to find something to fit the theme, he says.
STL: "...and not from 1959!"
red71: "But, in 2012, in Paris, they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Barbie. This here bottle was distilled in 2012."
tOMoH: "1959-2012, fiftieth anniversary?"
Kilchoman 2012/2019 STR Cask Matured (50%, OB Limited Edition, Shaved, Toasted, Re-Charred Red Wine Casks, 14,500b): nose: crushed raspberries in mud. It has more and more earth with every passing second, and it turns muddier and muddier too. Then, we have anchovies, cigarettes, and myrtles, which is a (welcome) surprise. Mouth: soft and velvety in the attack, the mud soon rallies, and takes centre stage, backed by dried chilli flakes. The texture is chewy and the whole coats the teeth. Finish: silt, mud, vase water, loads and loads of boggy peat. It becomes cloying, in the medium term, which prevents a higher score for me. It is good, but does not go the distance -- like listening to someone playing the trombone: you do not want to hear too much of it. 7/10
dom666 notes that the word of mouth (le bouche-à-oreille) about the Barbie film is positive.
tOMoH: "Le bouche-à-oreille, c'est bien, mais ça ne sauve pas des vies, contrairement au bouche-à-bouche." [Word of mouth is good, but it doesn't save lives, unlike mouth to mouth.]
dom666: "Le bouche-à-bite est mieux, alors." [Mouth to dick is more pleasant, then.]
sonicvince chose the next bottle, because Barbie is causing a real cinematic storm, or indeed, a tempest.
Bowmore 10yo b.2012 (55.1%, OB Tempest, B#IV, First Fill Bourbon Casks, 11000b, L122384): nose: refined smoke and oily blonde tobacco, as well as raw shortcrust. Behind all that, clay and plasticine mix with lemon-flavoured gum. Mouth: a burst of fruit, not just citrus, but mango and starfruit, or is it mangosteen? There is a dose of peat, yet it is remarkably subdued. Finish: a little masterpiece with a complimentary combination of embers, burning peat, and juicy fruits. This is even better than the other time, and the score will reflect that. 9/10
Excellent tasting, with a wide variety of drams, delicious nibbles, and tons of silly nonsense. Good times.
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