09/04/2024 Toots' Cask

Glenfarclas (unknown ABV, Cask Sample): Forsyth, who make and maintain stills for so many distilleries in Scotland, own casks. This is one of them, known as Toots' Cask. It is occasionally sampled to entertain visiting clients. To know it is a 'farclas does not help much, since we do not know the age, the vintage, the type of cask (Sherry is an educated guess), when it was drawn (probably in 2023 or 2024), or even the ABV. How it ended in tOMoH's glass is tOMoH's business. Nose: powerful wafts of dried dates and dried figs, served with a glass of Sherry (Palo Cortado, maybe? It seems too dry for a PX, yet too sweet for an Oloroso). It has got a ladle of thick gravy too, a bunch of flowers, nearly dried (faded jasmine, lilac, lily-of-the-valley), and warm roast beef or cured venison in the kitchen next door. Interesting combination. It works! Further on, we find cranberry compote, caramelised red onions, and the pan they were fried in, deglazed with a dash of liqueur-like Sherry. The second nose is darker, thicker, and earthier, reminiscent of Marmite, or of some mushroom paste, if not quite miso. One could say this has become full of umami. Mind you, it also has oily tobacco, blonde and mentholated, then raisins, loud and clear. It is almost certainly an ex-PX cask, after all. Not that it matters really. Mouth: potent. It attacks the tongue with a pickaxe, and the chippings therefrom erode the enamel. Time on the palate gives this a thick, chewy texture, and leaves the teeth rough, as if incompletely polished. It has got a faint mineral bitterness that reintroduces a lick of Sherry. Indeed, a few minutes in, a certain sweetness returns, fresh, and mouthwatering. The second sip brings back dried dates, sprinkled with desert dirt to keep them well dry. It is earthier alright, although it never loses sight of that excellent fruitiness: dried dates to the the end. How potent though! It probably tickles 60%. Finish: wow! this is bold. Parts of the mouth are almost on fire, whereas others are fresh as mint leaves. The tongue is all numb, yet that is not the sole source of this newfound freshness; aniseed, star anise, cloves all contribute to that effect. Repeated sipping unveils cough syrup on steroids, sweet, fresh, decongesting, and a tad earthy-herbal. This has the same effect as a brisk walk at dawn, when it is still chilly and humid. Foryth's clients have it good! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, kind donor)