Bowmore 34yo 1968/2002 (40.3%, Duncan Taylor Peerless, C#3819, 162b): nose: a little 'splosion of tropical fruits: persimmon, carambola, lychee, rambutan, pink passion fruit. Behind that is a light smoky note, more diesel fumes than burnt wood, and smoked seashells. In fact, it gives an impression of nacre or pearl. That said, it is all behind those juicy fruits. After a few minutes, those fruits travel in a white-plastic bin liner, fortunately clean. Then, the maracuja symphony resumes. The second nose is a tad quieter, though still very fruity. If anything, persimmon takes charge, now. It also has more wood: uprooted trees and dead branches covered in lichen, and a camp fire in the middle. Mouth: undeniably fruity, it has the acidity that comes along, yet also a rubbery aspect. Chewing increases that rubber feel, which is to say bitterness, and adds a droplet of shampoo. It is tolerable, but makes me wonder if the sample is spoiled. The second sip has more soap and the dreaded Parma violet. Chewing only increases that perception. It is easy to sense that the fruits are still there, but they are overwhelmed by shampoo and Parma violet. Damned! Finish: creamy, juicy, fruity. We have persimmon and smoked mango leading the fruity dance, followed by guava, carambola, maracuja and cherimoya. We detect a pinch of charred-wood gratings and a dash of shampoo again. That last bit is light in the finish; it only gives a mild bitter lick, but it is there. Retro-nasal olfaction picks up more and more burnt wood. The second gulp is similar, except it adds chocolate milk to its arsenal. Imagine this from an unspoiled bottle! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)
3.213 18yo Fresh, inviting and energetic (56%, SMWS Society Single Cask): nose: this is very vegetal! It smells like a greenhouse at the start of spring or the end of autumn. Rubber boots, gardening tools, plastic watering cans, damp earth and juicy plant stems or shoots. A deeper sniff adds earth, moss, heaps of weeds, the result of earlier weeding, and a box of Turkish delights -- the gardener's reward for weeding, without a doubt. We also have bruised pears and peaches turning brown. That all transforms, after five minutes, and we discover juicy oranges instead. The second nose brings darker earth with a drop of ink and tapenade. It is still damp, borderline mushroom-y. Finally, we have a cup of lukewarm cappuccino -- or chocolate, really: the loud part is the whipped cream topped with cocoa powder, not the coffee. Later yet, it somehow bears that smell of the cafeteria on a CalMac vessel. Woah! Mouth: peaty and acidic, it propels smoked citrus to the fore. It is not acidic enough to be lime or grapefruit; rather Buddha's hand or calamansi, perhaps a slice of blush orange. To accompany that, we have the white smoke from a wood fire, smoked Seville-orange marmalade, and hot pieces of hardened tree bark. Following a fleeting note of plum eau-de-vie, the second sip has Mokatine replace the Turkish delights from the nose. In other words, it is sweet and bitter (though not bitter-sweet). Chewing pours sea water and crushed seashells on that, which is odd. The mouth grows warmer with time. Finish: there is a subtle maritime element at play, here, and we spot fleeting oysters or smoked haddock fillets sprinkled with lemon juice. The main act, however, is burnt wood in a clay-floored bothy. Salty fruits follow, tangerine slices splashed with sea water, and marmalade served with fleur de sel. The second gulp is akin to deglazing a cup of strong coffee with a dash of sea water and a drop of petrol. It leaves all sorts of bitter notes on the palate, while the sea salt is wrestling with sugar residue of the drunk coffee. Unpretentious, good. 8/10 (Thanks, OB)
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