18/05/2024 London MkIV

Today, we revisit a theme we like. Because we like it, but also because the possibilities are virtually endless. JS, OB, and cavalier66 join me for an afternoon of punnage around the great city.

cavalier66 brought his own breakfast, since he has been up
for about 37 seconds by the time he arrives

tOMoH presents: Coal-burn Drops Yard, Cole-burn-brooke Row, and Cole-burn-man Street

Coleburn 17yo d.1965 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b.1982): nose: "if petrol was fruity, it would smell like this" (cavalier66). The same cavalier66 then discovers a butyric note ("or is it a remnant of last night's forty pints?" asks OB), and Riesling (OB). Later on, it becomes almost coconut-y (OB). JS detects something funky. Mouth: cavalier66 finds it more powerful than expected (cue inevitable discussion about Connoisseurs Choice bottlings at various strengths through the eras). JS tastes damp socks. Finish: not much to speak of for cavalier66, who adds that it disappears quickly. Liquorice (OB), and something animal (JS). There is not enough left for me to try it again, today. Full notes here.

vs.

Coleburn 12yo d.1981 (43%, James Mac Arthur Fine Malt Selection): nose: cardboard and dunnage (cavalier66), charred newspaper, then fleeting carambola (ay! Carambola). cavalier66 announces it has a subtropicality, and diluted Fisherman's Friends. JS, on the other hand, detects confectionary sugar. Mouth: it has an unexpected fruitiness (OB), though that remains in a big cardboard box (OB). I find it rather acidic. The second sip is very fruity, OB tells us. Finish: brighter (I point out we celebrate London, not Brighton -- cavalier66 objects the latter is London-on-Sea). To me, it presents windscreen defroster. Full notes here. 7/10

vs.

Coleburn 13yo d.1981 (43%, James Mac Arthur Fine Malt Selection): nose: pickled onions (cavalier66), cardboard, antifreeze spray. Maybe it has bone-dry white wine too, acidic, and a bit fruity nonetheless. JS reckons it smells more diluted, despite the same ABV. Mouth: amorphous, with a pillow-y feel (OB), yet it grows on OB, who finds it comforting. Sodium alginate, or other elastomer used as impression body for one's teeth. Finish: cavalier66 calls it dirty and full of pickled onions, but also misty. He adds there is nothing bright about this one. JS finds it chalky, and likens it to kids' Aspirin, or Tylenol Junior. "Or Calpol," says cavalier66. Full notes here. 7/10

The second is everyone's favourite, today.

cavalier66: "When you put it in the mouth, [...] its attack is soft."
tOMoH: "That's what she said."

tOMoH: "The third one is not the prettiest girl around, but I'd drink it all night."
cavalier66: "You whore!"

cavalier66 [admitting he and OB only ever had one Coleburn]: "Coleburns are like London buses. You wait for hours, then three show up at once."

cavalier66: "You know, she's Greek, so everything becomes a bit of a drama."
tOMoH: "I think the word is 'tragedy'."

OB: "Is the next one Glenglas-Soho?"

JS presents: Glen-Clash-augh - London Calling

Glenglassaugh 40yo b.2013 (42.5%, OB): nose: olive oil (cavalier66), tertiary micro-aromas (cavalier66), and a good whack of tropical fruit in your face (cavalier66). Dates and prunes abound, then fresher fruits, some of which tropical -- lychee, dragon fruit, jackfruit, and, in the end, purple passion. Mouth: full-on apricot turnovers, then lychee, mangosteen ("I was thinking of that, but I was not sure it is bright enough for mangosteen" -- cavalier66). Finish: elegant, fruity, long, with only a minor lick of wood (mahogany) in a bowl of lychee custard, served with milk chocolate with a fruit filling. Full notes here. 9/10

cavalier66: "We started with a trifecta / trio, now, we are tertiary. We're going up in numbers!"
OB: "Not really."

OB: "Glenglassaugh is like Glendronach for grown-ups."

tOMoH: "I do get passion fruit, now."
cavalier66: "Pink?"
tOMoH: "Purple."
cavalier66: "There is no pink. I tricked you."
tOMoH: "I said: 'purple'."
cavalier66: "Ah. Yellow are more acidic, then white, and green..."
OB: "There is white?"
tOMoH: "Green are the poisonous ones, aren't they?"
cavalier66: "That's not what the guide told us..."
tOMoH: "...but you've not had an erection since."

OB presents: a Bow More-nington Crescent bottled by Signatory Vint-Edgeware

Bowmore 30yo 1972/2002 (50.3%, Signatory Vintage Rare Reserve, Oak Cask, C#928, 192b, b#83): nose: farm-y and surgical, it blends pastures and hospital-grade alcohol, tar just dried, ink, and Fisherman's Friend (cavalier66). Water reveals more fruit, which quickly disappears in favour of dust. Mouth: with cereal and fruit on the palate, this is juicy, and rather earthy. We still find some ink, and a soft bitterness. With water, earthy fruits take over, chewy and mellow, a delicious mix of peach and plasticine. Finish: hot, scalding fruits, boiling ink, and ashy earth, dunnage warehouse, a clay floor so dry it makes one cough. Water keeps it long and earthy, now with dried apricot and mango slices. OB is less disappointed than the first time, now he has had time to digest the fact it is not a 1960s profile. Exquisite whisky, really. I like it even better than the first time, which, for some reason does not appear on this blog. 9/10

cavalier66: "The only problem is the colour. It is so light it is probably not a very good whisky."

The discussion organically moves to sex in an alleyway, between rubbish bins.
OB: "It's a bit sordid."
tOMoH: "It is a bit sordid. I must say I don't see the appeal."
OB: "A friend of mine tried it. He realised halfway through that it was sordid, and could not continue. Then the shame settled in..."
tOMoH: "Had he had green passion fruit prior?"

We talk about Paris.
cavalier66: "I haven't been to Paris in a while. I'd love to go."
tOMoH: "Yes, you need new shirts. We've seen this one before."
OB: "Surely, they have a Web site you can buy from?"
cavalier666: "Well..."
tOMoH: "...since Brexit, I imagine it is not as easy."
cavalier66: "Exactly. Why would I squander my cash on shipping and import tax, when I can..."
tOMoH: "...spend it on whisky and blow jobs between rubbish bins in a back alley?"

tOMoH presents...
cavalier66: "Big Ben-riach?"
OB: "Benri-Acton?"

tOMoH presents: Ben-Riachmond Park

The BenRiach 30yo 1978/2009 (49.2%, OB Limited Release, Hogshead, C#7772, B#6, 187b): nose: peachy. Embarrassingly, that is all I write about the nose. The others are not much more eloquent, other than 'oh' and 'ah'. Mouth: warm peach, peach purée, even, and baked butternut, oozing sweetness. Finish: long, warming and comforting. Terrible notes, terrific whisky. Better ones here. 9/10

JS notices OB's Mystery Coffee socks.

OB: "It's this coffee competition online. I take part each week."

Minds are boggled.

cavalier66 [about the Coleburn trio]: "The Greek have a word for that..."
all: "Triptych?"
cavalier66: "There's a Greek word..."
tOMoH: "Debt?"
cavalier6: "No, but it is in the financial context..."
tOMoH: "Debtos?"

cavalier66: "My daughter pretended to have a stomach ache, because she liked the taste of Calpol."
JS: "That's how addiction starts."
OB: "She went to Ministry of Sound afterwards. I think there is a greater risk of addiction."
cavalier66: "How do you know she went there?"
tOMoH: "He was there. In the alleyway, between the rubbish bins."

The soundtrack: Hard Corps - Metal + Flesh

JS presents: Rose-bank-bury Avenue

25.66 23yo d.1990 Bette Davis doing DIY (57.8%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 157b): nose: lemon bonbons (cavalier66), sherbet (cavalier66). It is fairly mineral too, and has a side of bone-dry wood to boot. Mouth: narrow, floral, lemon-y, all at once (cavalier66). Finish: "it might be a one-trick pony, but what a trick!" (OB) Full notes here. 9/10

The soundtrack: He Said - Take Care

cavalier66 presents: Black Friars-day

cavalier66: "I've been impressed by this before, but it's never had to follow such a line-up."

Black Friday 21yo 2019 Edition (53.1%, The Whisky Exchange, Refill Bourbon Hogsheads, 1800b, P/001188): nose: "all the fruits, including tropical -- maybe grape" (cavalier66). Reeking of soft-leather pouches at first, it quickly gains a vibrant fruitiness, as well as something burnt, or smoked. Twigs by the fireplace, caramelised something (cavalier66). Lots of orchard fruits spring out as one tilts the glass. Mouth; buttery fruits (apricots, peaches). It is so coatingly velvety -- a compote of all the fruits nature produces. Who cares if it is not overly complex? It is gorgeous. Finish: seriously fruity here too, bursting with peach, and, at second sip, maracuja and mango. The nose diminishes the overall merit a bit, but I will be generous anyway with this alleged Glenburgie. 9/10

cavalier66: "It does not cry out for water, despite the 53%."
OB [who is a born-again reduced-whiskies lover, today]: "Wellllllll... Let me find a full pitcher of water, I'll add a few drops of whisky to it and tell you."

OB: "It's a bit dough-y."
tOMoH: "Bovid Dough-y?"

cavalier66: "Is that a type of cows?"

cavalier66 [about the cannelés]: "I've yet to try one of OB's columns."
OB: "I've only got the one."
tOMoH: "Do you exhibit it between bins?"

The soundtrack: Modern English - After The Snow

OB presents: Bimber Camden Town

Bimber Camden Town b.2022 (58.5%, OB Single Cask Release, Amontillado Cask, C#288/23, 351b, b#225): nose: something vegetal, such as honeysuckle that has not bloomed, then macaron shells. It definitely has a bakery note, soft, pleasant, subtle, there. There is a hint of Irn Bru alongside burnt cake crust. Mouth: "what am I drinking?" (JS) Toffee, caramel, a lick of new rubber. Further sips are dusty and more drying. Finish: a cask-strength Sherry (cavalier66 and OB). For my part, I find it tastes like a a 1970s blend (or is it spelled 'bland'?) at cask strength. Not unpleasant, but nothing to rave about either. 7/10

OB: "A  good beverage, I would say. At a whisky tasting, it falls a bit short."

tOMoH: "It's got nothing that sticks out. It's good, but has no personality. A bit like Camden Town [in 2024]."

cavalier66 presents: Spring-Bank bottled for the Society, which is also the abbreviated name of a private whisky club on Greville Street.

Springbank 28yo b.2021 (48.2%, OB Springbank Society, Sherry Hogshead + Sherry Butt + Bourbon Barrel + Rum Barrel, 2966b, 21/178): nose: a bit of rum -- that cask clearly dominates the mix. Then, it is dusty dunnage-warehouse clay floors, rancio, lichens and cobwebs. On the late tip, we have burnt apricot compote. Mouth: yes, rum again, really clear. Chewing reveals a mellow-but-hot (in temperature, not spicy) fruit paste, membrillo, or fig relish. It is sweeter and sweeter the more one sips it. Finish: soft, membrillo-like, it offers baked fruits (physalis and apricots), stewed fruits, and a dash of grapefruit juice. This is good, if not very Springbank-y. It is also underwhelming, with the pedigree in mind, we all agree. 7/10

The soundtrack: 坂本龍一 / 上野耕路 / 野見祐二 / 窪田晴男 - Aile De Honnêamise - Royal Space Force = オネアミスの翼 ~王立宇宙軍~ オリジナル・サウンド・トラック

cavalier66 presents: on the Northern Line, after Tooting Broadway comes Tooting Ard-Bec

Ardbeg 26yo 1994/2021 (47.4%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Hogshead, 210b): nose: ink and tar (cavalier66) and fishing nets. It does smell a bit muted. Warm sands, perhaps? Mouth: soapy, plastic-y (cavalier66, OB, JS). Sample gone off. I find diluted sea water, and oysters in cold fresh water. Finish: fairly short, with a mild sea influence (oysters and fishing nets again). Some wood too, though that gives way to a lingering plastic taste. The urine sample has clearly gone wrong, even if I am less sensitive to it than my fellow tasters. 6/10

tOMoH presents [inspired by OB, who called for a Wenlock-side Road]: G-Wenlock-y Road

Glenlochy 17yo 1977/1995 (61.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection imported by Preiss Imports, 95/250): nose: horse's hair (cavalier66), whisky with an identity (OB), "stripping away your nasal septum, one alcohol molecule at a time." (OB) Behind an austere, lichen-y veneer, we see cardboard sheets dusted with confectionary sugar. Mouth: sweet, caster-sugar-augmented herbal infusion, and pulverised stones. There is nothing quite like  Glenlochy, is there? Finish: fearsome, big, hairy, loaded with lichen -- however, that lichen grows on caster sugar. This feels incredibly sweet, today. Full notes here. 8/10

OB: "Trying to find my words. I'm becoming coherent. I mean incoherent."
cavalier66: "That's all the water you've been drinking."

The soundtrack: Tears For Fears - The Hurting

JS pours a bonus: she and cavalier66 have

Bowmore 18yo 1966/1984 (53° GL, RW Duthie imported by S. Samaroli Bouquet, 720b): for Bow-more Church. An explosion of pink grapefruit that has the boys guess Benriach. It also has a distinct lick of rubber, that confirms its non-Benriachness. Full notes here.

OB has Lochside 42yo d.1963 (44.2%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, C#HH2243) for Wenlock-side Street. Notes here.

Amazing tasting. Precious moments of joy.

And a pleasant round of Pun intended