03/04/2024 Glen Ord

Glen Ord 25yo 1978/2004 (58.3%, OB, 3600b): nose: most peculiar! It is at once austere and welcoming: we spot black peppercorns, and chipped flint alongside pressed raisins. The latter really takes off too, and the juicy sweetness turns to dried dates and figs, currants and prunes, though the strongest note is one of golden sultanas. It is hard not to think of a Fino Sherry, or a Manzanilla. And then, the austere side comes back: Verdigris, quarry dust, ground pepper. Later still, woody tones surface, a sea captain's chest, dry from centuries in a museum, driftwood kept indoors for many decades, and a piece of sticky-toffee pudding in the room next door. Perhaps we have warm sand too. It is probably closer to a heap of sand on a construction site than to a beach under the tropics, yet here it is, loud and clear. Magically and surprisingly, dried fruits come back strong, sultanas, dates, dried tangerine segments, dusted with a blend of 50% confectionary sugar, 50% quarry dust, 50% ground white pepper, 33% mathematical incompetence. Imagination may pick up génépi-flavoured chewing gum too. Three drops of water, a bit of swirling around and a brief marrying time reveal boiled sweets, still warm, and not fully hardened yet. Also Turkish delights stored in the sun, dripping with sugar, and, in the back, Mokatine, which comes as a complete surprise. It still has some quarry dust, but that is now very much in the background. Mouth: quite the attack, this! Cough syrup on steroids, maple syrup mixed with quarry dust, pepermint cough drops (yes, that means Fisherman's Friends), dried ginger gratings, and thuja bark. This is really rather brutal, without the crescendo of heat of a preceding half-a-dozen drams! Pepper emerges, carried by leaves (holly or rhododendron -- it is not as if they were edible, so how should we know, eh?) The second sip has quarry chippings splashed with a syrup of sorts; instinct says maple, but it is too herbal for that. Unless it is herbs macerated in maple syrup? Why not, after all? It is waxy leaves, in any case: ivy, rhododendron, laurel, and a spray of furniture wax, sprayed by someone wearing rubber boots. All that is covered in quarry dust and ground white pepper. There is the most minute whisper of smoke, extremely fleeting. It stays powerful with water, but becomes a lot sweeter. It has boiled sweets here too, crystallised red grapefruit, crystallised myrtles, and redcurrant-flavoured Sugus or Starburst. A minute on the tongue unveils a pronounced bitterness, more unripe currants than green hazelnuts. Repeated sipping pushes forward an oily woodiness, mahogany or walnut, almost heady. Finish: as expected after that big mouth (strikes again), the finish is huge too, dusty, peppery, and peppermint-y. It has dried ivy leaves, crushed into little more than a powder, and remnants of of a herbal eau-de-vie -- grappa, génépi, aguardiente de hierbas). Hell! this even has aniseed (thankfully not as sickly as in Ricard) or lovage seeds. Sweeter at second gulp, it has crumbly mint drops, spearmint, and crystallised bergamot. It feels more approachable, it it remains frankly herbal and pretty strong. Gentian, candied angelica, fresh marjoram, lemon mint that comes pretty close to being metallic. With water, it is a myrtle-and-blackberry cordial diluted in gin rather than water. It works excellently too! The death has something interestingly earthy, drying, with dried potting soil, hardened mulch, and bay leaves. Further sips shine a light on the same oily-wood aspect as it did on the palate. Never a bother, that underlines a soft, lingering bitterness. Phwoar! Excellent drop. Only a matter of personal taste prevent me from going to 9. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)