27/10/2024 Horror films

For some reason, we always end up doing a tasting just before Halloween, though not always with the same people. This year's the theme is a little stricter in that it focusses on films in the horror genre, not just horror more broadly.

JS, BA and PS join me for a spooky afternoon.

Boo!

The soundtrack: Tangerine Dream - Sorcerer

JS presents: The Shining

Glenturret 1966/1987 (43%, OB ceramic decanter, 500b): nose: a very characteristic smell of vinegar and cardboard that is also sharply mineral. Mouth: behind a clear fruitiness (currants and prunes), we find a pronounced bitterness -- not horrible, but persistent. Finish: more currants, raisins, prunes. It is drying like a white wine, and, if it is not an easy dram, it is a pleasant starter. Full notes here. 7/10

PS: "Horror is not the genre I would decide to watch first. In fact, it is not the second, third, or fourth either. I don't think it's even in the top ten."
JS: "What is your favourite genre, then? Sci-fi?"
tOMoH: "Porn, obviously!"
PS: "You're both wrong. Porn sci-fi. The classic Mission to your Anus."

I tell the group how, during the morning run, I had a flash of inspiration, and thought we should have a Caledonian, for Apo-Cally-pse Now, with its famous monologue "The horror. The horror."

JS: "Have you watched Game of Thrones?"
BA: "I watched it from a distance, for a while, then I was distracted by a shiny thing, or something."
tOMoH: "Was it a bottle of Glenturret d.1966?"

The soundtrack: Various - Best Beats 2

JS presents: Prince of Darkness, and BA presents: Necessary Evil (which is not a film, but good enough a link).

StilL 630 1yo Presence of Darkness (40.5%, OB Beer Collaboration Series VII, Oak Barrels, B#2, b#524): nose: weird fruits (BA), draffy notes (PS), bins of damp cereals (PS), tutti frutti, Irn Bru, and candied papaya in cereals. Some glue too, perhaps, though it is not a particularly-grainy profile in the traditional sense. Closer to a Rye whiskey, if anything. Mouth: so silky, a cocktail of orange and peach juices turn into orange peels. Finish: oh! it is filled to the brim with orange and tangerine peels, as well as fruit juice. Lovely as ever. Full notes here. 7/10

vs.

Wire Works Necessary Evil Finish (51.3%, OB, First-Fill Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels/Thornbridge Brewery Imperial Stout Finish, B#2, issue#05-210842-26): nose: it is strangely similar to the StilL 630, in that it has chemical fruits and cereals, candied papaya or pineapple cubes, and Irn Bru. Beer casks, eh? Hoppy fruits (BA). Mouth: it is a little more stripping on the tongue, with dry wood, splintered cinnamon bark, dusty planks, leather and orange rinds so dried they crack on their own. Finish: big, it has a mound of dried citrus peels ground into dust, some ginger powder, and cinnamon, as well as dried lemon-or-lime wedges. Very good. It does turn numbing, in the long run, but manages to remain rather nice. 7/10

BA [about his cask, currently at Bimber]: "We saw it, and it had leaks at every seam. The guy took it and emptied it back into the tank, then gave it to Dariusz -- or whatever his real name is, -- because he has a flamethrower -- obvs.

The soundtrack: Zanias - Ecdysis

BA [about Wire Work]: "My cask went there, not just because they said yes, but also because I like them."

tOMoH presents: The Isle (of Jura)

Isle of Jura d.1976 (57.5%, Harleyford Manor for Geoffrey Folley, b.1980s): nose: musty, fusty (PS), animal, with some faded leather, and a kind of shampoo, if one knows to look for it. Mouth: very soapy on the palate (BA), soft, sweet, then soapy indeed. Doesnae bother me, though. Finish: a blend of sweet and soapy. Full notes here. 7/10

The soundtrack: Subskan - Drawback

BA presents: Kill Devil (not a film either, but sufficiently evil for the occasion).

The Arran Malt The Devil's Punch Bowl (52.3%, OB Limited Edition, Bourbon Barrels & Sherry Butts, 6660b, b.2012): powerful, it takes a while to open up. Then, we have lozenges, cinnamon sweets, and dried pineapple wrapped in suede. The second nose has some sort of berries that I cannot identify with certainty. Mouth: we have bold blush-orange segments (devoid of any pith), and a little rubber bitterness. It gets fruitier with time, with elderberry and snowberry, as well as a dollop of scented plasticine. Finish: long, powerful, but balanced. JS calls it benign. "Like the best kind of tumours -- benign," says PS. It provides a lingering numbness, and an overall plasticine-y feel that I really enjoy. Pesky Arran. Always effortlessly good. 7/10

BA: "I did a tasting in Cambridge. It all went wrong."
tOMoH: "?"
BA: "I did the tasting, they said: 'Come to the pub.' I went to the pub, started drinking, continued drinking, and missed my train. I said: 'Oh! shit.' The guy said: 'No problem: there is a Travelodge down the road.' I booked a room for £70, and continued drinking. Then I woke up in front of the police station."
tOMoH: "?"
BA: "[On the way to the hotel,] I stopped on a bench to have a cigarette, fell asleep, and woke up with dew dripping off my nose."
tOMoH: "I think there's a lesson, there: smoking is bad."

PS presents: Saw MIII (the latest in the franchise). Teh lolleZ.

G8.8 26yo d.1990 Botanic gardens and a sawmill (58.7%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 122b): "Apologies in advance," PS said when he put the bottle on the table, earlier, aware that Cambus does not like me. Nose: ester-y, metallic, then very fruity. White peach, white plum, Korean pear, and a drop of vanilla essence. I can smell that it is not going to be one of the Cambuses that agree with me, but I enjoy the nose. For the sake of scientific research, let us continue. Mouth: soft, mellow, loaded with vanilla and mint crumbles that walk towards the Boule-Magique side of things. Finish: mellow, minty vanilla, mint custard, smashed white fruits (peaches, plums, pears), and milk chocolate. I only have a sip, to avoid the headache. Will it work? To a point: tomorrow, I will have no headache, but a tongue completely stripped. Catastrophe mostly averted through careful risk management. 7/10

The soundtrack: Various - Dark Pleasures

PS presents: Is this a damson I see before me? because every horror film has a damson in distress. Flippin'eck! PS is on fire, today.

6.29 10yo d.2008 Is this a damson I see before me? (59.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 61b): nose: juicy plum, dark-chocolate-covered jellies, Śliwka Nałęczowska (Polish chocolate-coated prunes). It strips the nostrils a bit, but behind the abrasiveness, we find waxy fruits (physalis, Mirabelle plums), crayons, and bread dough. Mouth: Penderyn (PS), packets of Opal Fruits (or Starburst, as they are now known) smack one on the back of the head (PS). I find it drying, with crayons and soaked cinnamon sticks. Finish: a lovely plasticine drop, and cinnamon sticks, marinated in peach juice. It has a minty, cinnamon-y Boule Magique aftertaste too. 8/10

Did someone say limited?

tOMoH presents: The Wicker Man(nochmore).

The Wickermannochmore

BA and PS's eyes light up. They thought of using the Wicker Man, but could not find anything to create the link. The penny did not drop when they saw the wicker basket, earlier.

As expected, the cork breaks.

tOMoH [looking for a replacement cork]: "Wow! The cork hole is so big."
PS: "I have no polite comment to make."
tOMoH: "I found one that fits."
PS: "I have no polite comment to make."

The soundtrack: Various - Zone Mix Z

Speyburn 25yo 1977/2004 (62.5%, OB Single Cask, C#1859, b#379, L4 476 G7): the age statement makes no sense. Nose: it is obviously powerful. Tobacco, a waft of smoke, dried crusty mud, then fleshy peaches, armchairs in a smoker's living room, smoked completely encrusted in the upholstery. Waxy-fruity thing (BA), waxy-lemony (PS), flowery-waxy (BA). On the late tip, royal-blue ink comes out too. Mouth: austere, mineral, it has flint and tobacco, lichen and fleshy fruits -- peach tatters and a lick of peach stone, wrapped in smoke. Even later, we detect fermented pears and Russet-apple peelings. Finish: like a UK government, this offers more of the same austerity; tobacco, quarry chippings, ground peach stones. Excellent. Looking forward to revisiting this. 8/10

vs.

Mannochmore 18yo b.1997 (66%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Casks, 1800b, b#1207): nose: phwoar! This one roars too. Wild and hot, yet it does not lack in the sweet-shoppe department. Boiled sweets, chewy or not (here I come / you can't hide), and melted caramel leap out. Mouth: an assault on the gums at first, it reveals crystallised sugar, then rock salt, bone-dry lichen, and dried citrus zest. Finish: boiled sweets once more, Gummibärchen (yellow, rather than any other sort), Haribo Cola Bottles, and a slight touch of hay. Very strong, it presents a mild liquorice-y bitterness. The finish is juicier than the palate, with more boiled sweets and liquorice allsorts. 8/10

The soundtrack: Various - Body Rapture and Various - Techno-Club Part I (The Ultimate Techno Mix)

Excellent afternoon, ripe with surprising, off-the-beaten-path drams, and questionable humour.