17/08/2024 Time travel

sonicvince is hosting this year's August tasting. He planned a barbecue on the terrace. Naturally, the Belgian skies decided it wasnae gonnae happen, and we will have to rush inside after the first dram, while the rest of the day is occupied by constant rain. Well, it goes from drizzle to downpour, so perhaps not that constant.

But let us backtrack to the start of the day or earlier. sonicvince announced the theme, Time travel, on the 25th July. Today, the first tune as I switch on the radio is Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode, made famous by Back to the Future. If that is not an omen, I do not know what is! Shortly thereafter, they play an ad for Devos & Lemmens, which is about a time machine ("I would go back to the stone age: spend the day outdoors, go back to the cave and have dinner around the fire with close ones -- the ancestor of the barbecue, in other words." / "I'd go back to last night, before the jar of mayonnaise was empty.")

On a potentially-less-cheerful note, about half way en route to sonicvince's, adc, JS, ruckus and I spot a dead rat on the road. As ruckus suggests we pick it up to make another skewer, we realise the barbecue supplies are still in the refrigerator. We lose half an hour going back to fetch them. Bah! Even so, we are not the last to arrive. Not to mention that provides a good anecdote.

Body of evidence

Soon, all of us are on site: sonicvince, Mrs. sonicvince, Bishlouk, red71, Psycho, ruckus, kruuk2, adc, JS, and myself.

And everyone brought their A-game

On the 25th July, as soon as he had announced the theme, I told sonicvince: "Want to bet Psycho brings his Glenmorangie 10yo?"

Also, one should have predicted this shirt.
Try to spot the Dark pendant...

Psycho presents a bottling from the good old times.

Glenmorangie 10yo (43° G.L., OB, b. ca 1985): nose: white wine, crisp and fruity. Particular shining, we spot green grapes and Chinese gooseberries, fleshy, sweet, juicy. Mouth: unctuous, even if it does not lack in Wattage. Perhaps it is the blisters in my mouth, souvenir of when I bit my lips, earlier in the week. Finish: bright, it has pineapple and grapefruit, green grapes, acidic and fruity. It would be easy to spot Shaddock pomelo and white grapefruit in this too. A well-known (to this group) bottling, and one that never disappoints. Hopefully, one day, I will manage to spend enough time with this to dissect it properly. 8/10

red71: "We should try it blind to gauge its true quality."
tOMoH: "Well, Psycho offered to fulfil that wish: he would do a series of samples labelled N1-N5."
red71: "N1 with one drop of water, N2 with two drops of water..."
Psycho: "No. N1 is with a tennis ball." (That one is hard)

sonicvince presents a whisky from 1989, the year Back to the Future Part II hit cinemas.

Balblair 1989 3rd release (46%, OB, ex-Bourbon Barrels): nose: poached pears served on a slate, and augmented with a drop of lime juice. Over time, there is a weird combination of jam and leather sandals that does work. adc calls it cheeky. Mouth: very jammy, here, with a lick of beach pebbles. Indeed, it is rather drying and acidic. Finish: chalk, jam, and bright yellow fruit. It tickles unripe yellow maracuja, but that is balanced out by a distinct bitterness, crushed pebbles, and bits of dried rubber. Very good, mostly fruity. Funnily enough, we had this just before the Glenmorangie when we first had it... ten years and a day ago. 8/10

tOMoH presents, inspired by JS's pun, the heart of the time machine in Back to the Future: the Fluc-Scapa-citor.

Scapa 19yo 2000/2019 (49.9%, Chivas Brothers Distillery Reserve Collection, 1st Fill Barrel, C#26, 312b, b#38): nose: smashed peach, crushed-fruit compote (sonicvince), even a whisper of smoke, and overripe banana (sonicvince). Mouth: liquorice bootlaces, shaved, and the shavings sprinkled over a fruit pudding, chewy pink-grapefruit peels, peach yoghurt. Say, this is not bad, eh? Finish: phwoar! Perfect mix of grapefruit peels, fruit yoghurt and custard. Smashed peach comes out on top, and it is delicious! 9/10

Nosing for a living

Mrs. sonicvince talks about the competence and skills (or lack thereof) of political candidates in their region.
red71: "Don't you think it's because she's a woman? Seriously, a lot of parties are trying to boost [women's] representation [on their list] before an election..."
tOMoH [to the tune of Patrick Juvet's song]: "Où sont les femmes / Pour nos listes électorales"

JS unveils a whisky distilled in 1985 and bottled in 2015, the start and destination years in Back to the Future Part II.

Since sonicvince just procured another Glen Keith, he decides to open it too, because why not -- and we can always find a retrofit link to the theme.

Glen Keith 30yo 1985/2015 (41.9%, Lombard Jewels of Scotland, C#12299-12302, 389b, b#170) (JS): nose: "pine tree," says adc, spotting, as we do, that this has a pine-like freshness. That is quickly eclipsed by a huge slap of fruit, however, peaches and raspberries. Mouth: dry, borderline splinter-y, and madly fruity. Once again, smashed peach, now joined by peach skins, and pink-grapefruit peels. This is mental! Finish: an excellent, softly-bitter fruitiness makes for a long, creamy, unctuous, and plain lovely. Breathing time gives it passion fruit. Sumptuous. I am looking forward to trying this again and spending more time with it. 9/10

vs.

Glen Keith 28yo 1993/2021 (51.8%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength UK Exclusive, Refill American Hogshead, C#97142, B#21/143, 230b) (sonicvince): nose: it appears much more monolithic and woody than its sibling, with galangal shavings and such. It is fresh-ish, yet not a patch on the other one. Time gives it toothpaste and mint (Psycho), very fresh, now. Mouth: mango skins, a lick of rubber, ginger and galangal paste. The second sip has even more fruit, chiefly peach. Finish: huge, fruity, full of nice spices and jolly goodness. The wood influence provides a light, bitter touch at the death. It suffers a little from the comparison with the Lombard bottling, and probably because the bottle was just opened. This should prove a corker in the future. 8/10

Bishlouk presents an old bottle gathering dust.

Lochside 29yo 1981/2010 (58.8%, Whisky-Doris, Fino Sherry Butt, C#960, 403b, b#183): nose: roasted nuts (red71), rain (ruckus, clearly looking out the window too intently), pine nuts (red71), cold coffee (sonicvince). I get lots of dust, ground nuts, then, out of nowhere, unearthed hazelnuts and dark cherries, followed by maracuja. The second nose sees those fruits turn overripe and starting to decay. Mouth: another unctuous, creamy little number, except this is one that blows up in one's mouth with a heat close to horseradish and ginger shavings. Chew just once, and it turns into a tropical storm of juicy fruit in a lovely (heated) custard. It is really hot, mind. The high ABV is clearly felt, here. Finish: long, it has a lick of cork, ginger shavings, and a long procession of tropical fruits: pink grapefruit, maracuja, Shaddock pomelo, blush orange, cubed watermelon. Did I say 'phwoar'? 9/10

Time for food. The barbecue has turned into an oven roast, owing to the unrelenting rain.

Buffet style

Baked camembert

Yum!

ruckus explains that, when travelling through time, satnav/GPS no longer works. One has to rely on a compass instead. This bottle's label bears one.

Follows a discussion about natural polarity inversion that would invalidate this entry's validity. Bunch of pedants we are.

Auchroisk 8yo 2015/2023 (50%, Claxton Exploration Series, Ruby Port Quarter Cask): nose: prunes and dried figs. It has dried dates too, and a lick of leather. Plums (sonicvince), cherries (Bishlouk), cherry-tree wood (adc). It grows earthier, with slightly too-baked bread crust, and burnt banoffee pie. Mouth: prunes indeed, dried and shrivelled, yet somehow still giving some juice. It is faintly earthy, and also milder than one would expect. Finish: dry, choc-full dried fruits, with an earthy death. 7/10

Bishlouk tries to open a bottle of water and fails. JS twists the screwcap open with zero effort.
Bishlouk: "My one moment of shame."
sonicvince: "We must not be counting the same way."

Bishlouk presents something that is so old it takes one back in time.

North British 50yo 1962/2013 (57.2%, Hunter Laing The Sovereign, C#HL9930: some of us had this in 2023; what a treat to try it again -- and to discover it, for those who were not there, that day. It has coconut shavings and wood varnish that carry on dancing on the palate, augmented by a soft old-wood bitterness. The whole lingers in the finish, with also a spoonful of sugar, a dash of cold coffee, and that earthy bitterness. 8/10

adc offers something that sports an antique (i.e. from the past) travel machine on the label. It also has a link to the beloved film franchise, what with the collection being Infrequent McFly-ers -- for Marty McFly, the main character.

Benrinnes 16yo 2006/2022 Release No. 79 (57%, Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers, Moscatel Hogshead Finish, C#6137, 282b): nose: pine-wood sawdust, and a fistful of herbs (tarragon, oregano), pan-fried fennel, and a sweetness that tends towards anisette, conifer branches, and cured orange rinds. Mouth: punchy, biting, it has a medicinal touch, a herb concoction, a dash of Irn Bru. It is drying and clearly bitter, not unlike a herb liqueur. Finish: herbal custard, génépi, boozed-up Irn Bru, herbal punch of some kind. Nice. 7/10

kruuk2 presents a bottle from the past. And, indeed, we have had this one, in a past so distant it is not on this blog.

Suddenly, it becomes
an oil tasting

Linkwood 12yo 1989/2001 (46%, First Spirits The Worldwide Selection selected and bottled under the sole responsibility of Sté Dugas, Sherry Butt, 798b): nose: lemon zest and wood shavings. In fact, it is very, very zesty. Orange, bergamot, mandarine. It also has edible paper. Mouth: rancio (Bishlouk), and a citrus-like acidity. Finish: long, fruity, a tad indistinct, and, frankly, it goes all watery in the long run, but remains delicious all the same. 8/10

kruuk2 tells the group about a film called The Time Machine, which features villains called Morlock. That rhymes with Bladnoch.

Bladnoch 23yo 1977/2001 (53.6%, OB Rare Malts Selection, 6000b, b#1408): nose: orchard fruits, meadow flowers and mint crumbles. The mouth has a creamy texture with a significant power all the same; crushed peach doused in rosewater. It is drier and more mineral at second sip. Finish: long, fruity, it showcases pears, apples, quinces, peaches, boiled greengages, and hot apricot stones. A masterpiece we know all too well. Full notes (from another bottle) here. 9/10

red71 brought something bottled by Elixir Distillers, which is abbreviated ElD on whiskybase.com. Inverted, that reads DEl, the start of DeLorean, the base for the time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy. No-one thinks it fit to point out that red71 cannot spell.

An Orkney 11yo 2011/2022 (56.5%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Butt, C#3, 669b): nose: a chocolate-y Sherry that also has a musky touch. With a moment of breathing, it gains an earthy side. Mouth: very dry, desiccating, this is like ground coffee, or a rancio-y Oloroso. Finish: hot and animal, musky, but dry -- no wet fox here. Instead, it is a mountain goat rolling in dirt for mating reasons, a warthog coated in dried mud in a bid to attract a lady friend. 7/10

Mrs. sonicvince mastered that cake, here with an exoskeleton

Psycho introduces another one of the main characters in Back to the Future: Doc Emmett Brownmore.

Bowmore 15yo Mariner (43%, OB, L1284/L1304): nose: maritime, it has sea breeze and brine. In fact, it has pickles in brine, if not pearl onions. There is also Gruyère rind, and peach stone with some fruit flesh still stuck to it. red71 detects sulphur and burnt rubber -- he assures us he likes that. Mouth: violet (red71), chemical (JS), watery (Bishlouk). All of the above, to a degree, really. The violet grows in power; it will deter others, not tOMoH. Finish: soft, saline, and maritime to an extent, it has burnt caramel, caramelised peach juice, and shaved liquorice bark. This does the trick, once again. 7/10

JS reminds all that, when he makes his way to 1955 in Back to the Future, Marty falls from a tree, then meets his mother, who looks after him, and calls him Calvin, on account of his underwear: it reads Calvin Klein, surely that is his name. JS brought a Calvin Kleinlish.

26.93 28yo 1984/2013 Cottage garden beside a church (56.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Sherry Butt, 352b): nose: split rocks and horse's hair, bone-dry orange zest. Then, it is honey, wax, glazed apricot. Mouth: meow. Wax, soot, apricot. It comes drier in the long run, soot blends with quarry dust. Finish: crystallised orange segments, mint (Psycho). Full notes for this outstanding dram here. 9/10

red71 tells a joke about a sexual practice and spinach that has everyone in stitches. Sadly, it would be unwise to publish it here, but I am sure anyone there on the day will remember it, now.

All get ready to bid good bye and retire. tOMoH pulls a rabbit out of a proverbial malted hat, and tells how time-travel usually stems from a desire to go back to a golden age. Here is a golden label as a result.

Longmorn Centenary 25yo (45%, OB, b.1994) (group): we will come back to this in detail soon. Today, it may suffer from being the fifteenth dram in the line-up (Bishlouk admits he misses it, despite noting its obvious quality), but it is still a monument. Creamy, custard-y and lush. Breathing opens the way for an explosion of tropical fruits. Amazingly, and unbeknownst to us today, we also had it ten years and a day ago, at the same tasting as the Glenmorangie and the Balblair. One would think we all own but three bottles. 10/10

Fantastic afternoon/evening. Aside the excellent whiskies and delicious food, we had many, many side-splitting moments of humour, most of which could not decently make their way onto this little blog. In fact, the word of the day was certainly 'grivois' (saucy). red71 in particular was out of control.