Glenmhor (43 GL, OB imported by Cantine Cairella)
Nose: hints of barley do not eclipse a rather-austere profile, all in all -- wet cardboard and dust. Fortunately, tOMoH likes that.
Mouth: cereal-y and fruity to a point. It has a good portion of citrus served on cardboard (grapefruit segments) and roasted apple slices.
Finish: bigger than expected for the modest ABV, it continues with roasted apples and grapefruit segments.
Comment: love these old-school Highlanders. This one is a rarely-seen example to boot.
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)
A new stand? Who is manning it? KCF!
Macduff 18yo 2007/2026 (48.9%, Scout Drinks, Hogshead, C#800220, 210b)
Nose: toffee followed by purple berries, honey-glazed gooseberries and physalis.
Mouth: sandy and fruity, it has a bitter profile, with unsweetened mixed peel and orange peels.
Finish: very orange-y and sweet, now. Marmalade, mixed peel, mint crumbles covered in orange juice.
Comment: this is good. Finishing the second sip after another couple of other drams, I downgrade my score.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, KCF)
Hi PT.
Highland 49yo 1976/2026 (45.1%, Thompson Bros. specially bottled for Dornoch Castle, Hogshead, C#SR26050, 140b)
Nose: FRUIT! Peaches and mangoes the loudest. What a smack in the face.
Mouth: mango juice with an uncharacteristic dryness. Mind you, it is not abrasive or anything.
Finish: long, fruity, teeming with peaches, persimmons, apricots and mangoes.
Comment: phwoar! I would love to spend more time with this.
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, PT)
What does one try to follow that? Oh!...
Bowmore 1969/1979 (56.2GL / 98.8° Proof, OB imported by Fecchio & Frassà, Sherry Cask)
Nose: earthy-fruity, this is immediately insahne. It is maracuja and chikoo fallen into mud.
Mouth: that surreal fruitiness makes me emotional effortlessly. It has got earth, rancio, fine Rhine sand and wheelbarrows full of tropical fruits.
Finish: and here are the Bowmore eyes. This is at the confluence of earth, mud, salty beach sand and unreal tropical fruits. Carambola, dragon fruit, snakehead fruit, longan, chikoo...
Comment: another one with which I would like to spend hours (as I did in 2016). No time today, but this is an obvious masterpiece, even in these circumstances.
Score: 11/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)
Glenugie 23yo 1981/2005 (61.9%, Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare imported by Va.Ma, Sherry Butt, C#5155, 516b, b#194)
Nose: precious wood, lacquer, shoe polish, black leather belts, dark nuts (Brazil, Kluwak).
Mouth: as expected, not much of the Glenugie character subsists, here, but what an outstanding Sherry maturation! Shoe polish, leather sofas, chocolate blended with wood lacquer.
Finish: long, earthy, it has prunes, raisins and currants aplenty, but also beef stock.
Comment: woah! It suffers from the sequence (what would not), which is reflected in the score.
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)
Hi AH! Hi VW!
Rittenhouse 4yo 1944/1948 Straight Rye (100 Proof, OB)
Nose: this is unmistakably a Rye, full of Irn Bru and sweetened iron juice, then floor polish. And is that a whisper of smoke?
Mouth: full and sweet, it has more Irn Bru and lemonades made with various citrus.
Finish: subtle, sweet and orange-y. Irn Bru still prevails, though.
Comment: the label tells us that Continental Distilling Corp. made this at Registered Distillery, which is a bit of a daft name, you will agree. Not sure how AH determined the dates, here, but how special to try something from 1944! Remember not a single Scottish distillery was producing at the time.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, AH)
Planters Ozark Highlands (57%, OB Family Reserve, B#High Ground, b#039, b. ca. 2026)
Nose: drier and dirtier, it still has the Irn Bru and iron that come with the rye. Follow smoke, swarf and burnt metal filings.
Mouth: creamy, orange-y notes. Satsumas now take over and push the iron into the shadow.
Finish: big, full of orangeade, lemonade and but a faint lick of iron.
Comment: these two seem to be on a mission to convert the world to Nobleton (they brought some last year). One can understand why; it is good.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, AH and VW)
Ben Nevis 29yo 1996/2026 (48.1%, Scout Drinks, Hogshead, C#1558)
Nose: cut mangoes and smashed longans. This is really fruity.
Mouth: fruity Sprite or Fanta, bold and sparkly. More sipping makes this fruity as fook, with mango, tangerine and more longan.
Finish: soft and creamy like a mango yoghurt enhanced with smashed papaya.
Comment: so many Ben Nevis 1996 on display, today. This may just be my favourite.
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, KCF)
The clock is ticking. Let us visit Kirk Barleycorn, since he will not be here tomorrow.
Benriach 1996/2026 (46.7%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks handselected & exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS26016, 236b, b#96)
Nose: fruity pastry, turnovers, pies. It smells like it could have a whiff of smoke too, which is unexpected.
Mouth: warm, fruity, it has crusty turnovers to kill for.
Finish: long, full of pastry again, mostly pineapple turnovers, now.
Comment: another cracking selection by The Whisky Dreamers.
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Kirk)
Kirk Barleycorn: "If I understood correctly, you are a big fan of Talisker…"
tOMoH: "I have a love-hate relationship with Talisker. I only like it at forty years or older, or distilled in the 1950s or earlier. But I appreciate the gesture, and the bottle you are holding is very good. dom666 let me try it a while (many years) ago."
Talisker 25yo 1975/2001 (59.9%, OB Natural Cask Strength imported by United Distillers & Vintners Lausanne, 6000b, b#1089)
Nose: it is strong and peppery, ripe with saline, maritime notes. Behind that, we detect some smoke straight from the industrial revolution.
Mouth: indeed, lots of peppery smoke cloak juicy fruits. The second sip has a drying mineral touch.
Finish: long and hairy, it has dusty boilers, in a smoky room. It ends with a pinch of soot and bitter crushed seashells.
Comment: undeniably quality, but this is not my favourite type of Talisker.
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Kirk)
Strathisla 1989/2024 (45%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks handselected & exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Sherry Hogshead, C#MoS25027, 110b, b#89)
Nose: well, it clearly has chocolate, then berries (blackberries, blueberries), then white fruits behind that: green grapes, lychees, white peaches. Even later, currants rock up.
Mouth: dry and earthy, here are lots of raisins, prunes, dried currants. It is also quite strong. When the taste buds wake up, we have a medicinal note and it becomes woodier too.
Finish: a soft, earthy touch, some precious wood without the bitterness and a lingering fruitiness -- namely currants and raisins.
Comment: delicious.
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Kirk)
It is almost over. for the day JS leaves. I decide I have to at least say hello to the Swissky Mafia. PG produces his Emergency Banff and tells me how he just established the In-Between Banff Club. We are at the end of the main event and about to enter a masterclass. It seems fitting to have an in-between Banff.
Banff 23yo 1979/2002 (46%, Ian Macleod Chieftain's, Hogshead, C#476/499, 708b)
Nose: initially farm-y, it soon emits a lot of fruits, starting with apples and pears, then moving towards dark grapes. It takes on an earthier profile shortly thereafter.
Mouth: unmistakably Banff, if has mustard, hay or straw, porridge. It grows drier and drier, yet remains fruity throughout.
Finish: soft and fruity, it is overflowing with plump apricots.
Comment: amazing.
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, PG)
Time to run to the tasting.
No comments:
Post a Comment