26/04/2026 The Whisky Fair (Day 2 -- Part 1)

It is much less crowded, today. It also feels more relaxed altogether. And that is good news, because the excesses of last night are not yet forgotten. Astoundingly enough, some of our co-tasters from last night went to Villa Konthor after the tasting. Some went to several bars. A few are less fresh and proud than we are, this morning.

We decide to start by ticking the boxes we left blank yesterday.

But first, I have an errand to run. Back to Maltbarn!

There is no-one at the stand, which will help. Only the boss himself. I remind him I left the stand yesterday after purchasing A, B and C. I add that, when I unwrapped them in the evening, they were A, C and H. I show him H and explain it is a nice whisky, but I already have it, having purchased it last year. He seems very relieved: his stock-take last night showed a missing H and an extra B. We simply swap bottles and one can see anxiety leave both of us. Phew!

Now, on to the drams.

Ben Nevis 29yo 1996/2026 (48.9%, Thompson Bros., Refill Oloroso Butt, C#1497, 436b)

Nose: it is a bit mute. Waxy dark grapes, maybe.

Mouth: big and powerful, almost too concentrated to be enjoyable.

Finish: long, bold and rather wine-y.

Comment: JS was really upset to miss this one when it came out. Today, we rejoice that it is not really a profile either of us looks for. At the same time, the cranes on the label are irresistible.

Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, ST)

Glengarioch 1975/1990 (46%, Brae Dean Int. imported by Moon Import The Birds, Oak Barrel, C#5910, 600b, b#278)

Nose: mesmerising old-bottle effect. Follow marinated meat ready for the barbecue, with thyme and rosemary. Then, we have concrete dust, asbestos, embrocation, plasters, bandages. It has gherkins at second nose, without that causing any negativity.

Mouth: phwoar! Embers, rosemary, concrete dust and marmalade slathered onto the whole. This is Überkomplex.

Finish: at once welcoming and austere, it rolls out the marinated-herbs carpet with a veil of smoke. It is highly acrid, and produces more asbestos than jam.

Comment: superlative dram. On any other day, I may score it higher.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, ST)

Have we peaked too soon? I boldly declare the dram of the festival (clearly forgetting some of yesterday's discoveries). For how long?

Obfuscating the bottle number
to protect the innocent

Bowmore 1969/1978 (58 GL, OB imported by Fecchio & Frassà for 15th. Anniversary of Monica brothers, Sherry Cask, C#6636, 300b)

Nose: immediate Bowmore eyes. While JS tries to capture them on camera, I remain spellbound by the ethereal fruitiness of this nose. It suffers not one bit from its softly-metallic edge.

Mouth: just how is this possible? Yellow maracuja, carambola, papaya, unripe pineapple and a lick of tin are supremely augmented with a pinch of soot.

Finish: as Katy Perry would say: roar! It is powerful, yet precise, sharp as a blade and so fruity it seems unreal.

Comment: new dram of the festival. This may be even better than yesterday's 1969/1979.

Score: 12/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

Clynelish 12yo (43 Gradi, OB imported and distributed by M. Di Chiano, b.1970s)

Nose: soot. Crystalline soot. It has brine and distant pickles too, but the soot dominates.

Mouth: drying, ashy, burning, sizzling. It is also full of soot, yet nothing sticks out; all notes are harmoniously balanced. And, at 43%, it does not lack power in the slightest.

Finish: apricots rolled in soot and white ash.

Comment: this is a masterpiece. It reminds me of the one for Giaccone that I obtained from the same person as this.

Score: 10/10 (Thanks for the dram, elskling)

Enough killeries, for a second. Time to pay the Swisskies a visit. Savoureur is on the stage and insists we try one of his samples.

It is made more difficult by the fact he cannot find it in his bag of tricks.

Blind sample

Nose: waxy as hell. Ferns (JS), tarragon (JS), stewed berries.

Mouth: hints of gas, rancio and berries again.

Finish: boldly fruity and waxy, we find Mirabelle plums and fruit jellies.

Comment: delicious. We fail to identify it. Upon reveal, I am delighted that it is one I have wanted to try for a long time.

Score: 8/10

Glenburgie 33yo d.1949 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) (Thanks for the dram, Savoureur)

Ichiro's Malt & Grain b.2025 (48%, OB Limited Edition distributed by Japan Import System)

Comment: too rushed to take notes. It is as well made as any Chichibu, really.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, GN)

Highland Park d.2005 (59.7%, Duty Paid Sample for C. Dully Selection, Sherry Hogshead, C#37, ca. 300b)

Nose: this one is also quite waxy and fruity, with but a smidge of smoke.

Mouth: chalky fruit juice enhanced with honey, poured on burning weeds.

Finish: 'splosion of delicate tropical fruits.

Comment: slow start, excellent arrival. When this is bottled and released, it is well worth seeking out.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

HS recognises us from the tasting last night.

HS: "Do you like tequila?"
JS: "Not really."
HS [fetches this ceramic decanter]: "This one is special. It is painted by orphans in Mexico. Each bottle is more or less unique. When the decanter is empty, my wife uses it for olive oil."

I have pictures of child labour flashing through my head. JS is worried that this tequila is going to wreck her palate for the rest of the day. Good intention, but we are puzzled by the gesture.

Laphroaig 31yo 1993/2025 (42.4%, C.Dully Selection, Hogshead, C#6793, 197b, b#194)

Nose: barbecue and spare ribs pave the way for TCP and guaiacol. Aromatics move to the foreground, after a moment.

Mouth: yup, spare ribs on the barbecue and a herbs marinade.

Finish: char and chargrilled meat.

Comment: look, it is good, okay? I do not resonate with it today is all.

Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

Let us get off the stage.

Bruichladdich 17yo 2008/2026 Cask Le Sens #7 (52,7%, Claxton Joint Bottling for Cask Le Sens & Highlander Inn Cask Le Sens 5th Anniversary Bottling, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#2590, 254b)

Nose: melon, peach, apricot.

Mouth: more fruits, which is unexpected. Melon, peach, physalis.

Finish: glowing (JS). It has hot wax and a plaster-y death.

Comment: lovely.

Score: strong 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, TM)

Ben Nevis 18yo 2007/2025 (48.4%, Highlander Inn Maggie's Collection, C#10154, 278b)

Nose: orchard fruits are in the shadow of leather, suede sofas, then chocolate milk and chicory infusion.

Mouth: roasted apples, chocolate pudding. It quickly becomes frankly drying, almost chalky.

Finish: long, bright. Yellow fruit and a spoonful of mud.

Comment: beautiful. JS is not enthusiastic at first, but likes it more with each sip.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, TM)

Glen Grant 17yo  2007/2024 (53.4%, Highlander Inn, C#70053141, 276b, b#269)

Nose: floral and ethereal until citrus rinds enter the scene (oranges, not lemons).

Mouth: more of that citrus-y goodness, pink grapefruit, blush orange.

Finish: it is a textbook Glen Grant, ripe with citrus zest, peels and segments that build an effective balance of acidity and bitterness.

Comment: excellent.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, TM)

TM: "I need to go wee."

He adds the gesture, which cracks us up immensely.

Another few loose ends need tying up at another stand.

Where I finally manage a picture of GN's
best shirt of the festival

Allt-A-Bhainne 28yo 1997/2025 (58.8%, Scout Drinks, Hogshead, C#3498, 127b)

Nose: fresh, it has nectar-filled flowers leading to chewy red sweets. More flowers come back soon enough.

Mouth: flower nectar, thick, coating, sticky as peach nectar.

Finish: super long, it offers more yellow flowers and cut fruits.

Comment: succulent. Good thing they do not sell on site, or I would leave this festival even poorer and heavier.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, KCF)

Ardmore 15yo 2010/2026 (60.3%, Scout Drinks, Barrel, C#804044, 166b)

Nose: this one is very earthy, reminiscent of the contaminated soil on an industrial estate, for some reason

Mouth: it is a trifle medicinal, here. Iso Betadine, tincture of iodine, Merbromin. There may be piping-hot apple peels coming out of the oven, but that is how fruity it gets, i.e. not very.

Finish: cauterising. It remains firmly medicinal, with old bandages and dried-up tincture of iodine. Not much of the original earthy onslaught subsists.

Comment: another top drop approved by KC.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, KCF)

Time for food.

Today, we stay on the main floor, where the cafeteria is serving sandwiches.

GG, whom we met at the tasting last night, passes by. He pulls bottles out of his pockets like a magician pulls rabbits out of a hat. I only want to try one. He pours...

Garreau Bas-Armagnac d.1965 (45%, cask sample, Barrique, C#P04)

Nose: wonderfully fruity, of course, this is an avalanche of raisins, prunes in syrup, sultanas, currants of all colours. We are clearly in brandy territory and I can hear no-one complain.

Mouth: the deluge of dried currants continues. Sweet without being vulgar, raisin-y without being a caricature or a one-trick pony. It is plainly delicious. It turns warmer and drier at second sip.

Finish: much earthier, now, tertiary, it pours the water used to rehydrate raisins, mushroom cooking water simmering in the pan, then prunes in syrup, squashed raisins and elderberries.

Comment: as a malternative, one could do far, far worse. This is excellent.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, GG)

Aight. let us eat and carry on.

My Brie-und-Hirnbeeren Bagel

JS's Räuchelachs Croissant

27/04/2025 The Whisky Fair (Day 2 -- Part 1)

A bad night's sleep it was! tOMoH got up every hour or so to empty the tank, and did so struggling to contain screams caused by kidney pain. Only later today will we establish that the acidity of asparagus coupled with the acidity of sour beer is a lot for one's kidneys. Whisky, on the other hand, is totally safe. I should add that tOMoH is not a doctor.

Today, we have breakfast at Café Kolorit, as we did last year. JS and I manage to nab the only table that is not reserved -- woo! We are outside, the weather is clement, things are looking good. Sadly, they bring something full of cold cuts that I did not order, and it takes an excruciating amount of time before we can pay and depart. The beverages (orange juice and grapefruit juice) are fantastic, on the other hand.

My Genieβer Frühstück

JS's Eggs Benedict

Artisanal bread

In the queue to the venue, we spot CD; he is watching from the balcony and is waving at us. JS is worried we will not be on time to meet AH and VW, but I am more relaxed. Where would they go? In any case, we are on time after all.

Planters Ozark Highlands (59.75%, OB Rickhouse Reserve, b. ca. 2025)

Nose: incredibly mild and cake-y, with custard and butterscotch, as well as toffee.
Mouth: drying and extractive, it is intense as Listerine -- cinnamon-infused Listerine.
Finish: mint cream, Bourbon cream, then numbing ginger and cinnamon.
Comment: a bit of a shocker with which to start the day. From the Nobleton distillery in Missouri -- a new one to me. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, AH)

Black & White (unknown ABV, James Buchanan, b. ca. 1950s)

Nose: dusty, vinegar-y old blend. It smells beautiful.
Mouth: super jammy and mellow, it overflows with marmalade and peach jelly. That is topped with a pinch of gunpowder.
Finish: a touch of soot, a lot of jam.
Comment: good old blend. The spring cap is quite a conversation-starter to boot. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, rhumauction.com)

Sadly, I am too slow to get to try this White Horse (unknown ABV, White Horse Distillers imported by WEMPA Handels, Nº 9604399). I do not insist either. Enough freeloading as it is. :-)

On the other side of the room, we meet our new friend from last night.

Domaine Pouy d.1998 (55.9%, L'Encantada L'Esprit Armagnac, C#708, B#98POUY7801, 605b, b#279)

Nose: fragrant, ethereal and ripe with jasmine.
Mouth: nice and fruity, though the mouthfeel becomes desiccating, with ashes and quarry dust.
Finish: fruity to the max, it also has drying Sauvignon blanc, Grenache, and ground lychee stone. It ends a "bit" bitter (read: very).
Comment: good. Will not turn me into a brandy head, mind. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, armagnac.de)

Domaine Séailles 1979/2022 (49.5%, La Petite Gascogne for armagnac.de, C#81)

Nose: wood and cardboard. It smells alright, but it struggles after the previous.
Mouth + Finish: grapes, prunes, soaked raisins.
Comment: competent. I fear the sequence was wrong, however. 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, armagnac.de)

Time to climb the stairs to meet those we neglected yesterday, starting with EG, who told his wife yesterday that we did not come to the festival at all, owing to not seeing us the whole day. Woops.

Milton-Duff 13yo (43º G.L., OB)

Nose: musky, dusty, old. That dissipates to leave a light nose, fragrant like a forest undergrowth.
Mouth: jammy, sweet, it has marmalade and old copper coins. It is drying in the long run.
Finish: beautifully jammy, still retaining a good dose of copper, brass or tin.
Comment: a pleasant old dusty. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

EG: "Have you tried this one?"
JS: "No."
EG: "Try it!"
JS: "What? You want me to pour it myself?"
EG: "No charge, no service!"

Tobermory 8yo d.1972 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice)

Nose: phwoar! More ashy fruits, this time, with a healthy pinch of soot.
Mouth: mellow, jammy, lovely.
Finish: yup, it has the sooty-marmalade profile one may expect from something that has spent so long in glass.
Comment: excellent. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267)

Nose: warehouse dust, clay floor and tennis-court clay, damp after a drizzle, dark pipe tobacco. Meow.
Mouth: a trio of wood, orange and soot. It is terribly complex, and seems well powerful for 46%, with ginger powder and dried citrus zest.
Finish: long, it has cigar tobacco, cedar-wood sheets and dried orange peels.
Comment: extraordinary. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

Someone bumps into us.

bumper: "Scusi, scusi."
tOMoH + JS: "Tsk! Oh! It is PG."
PG: "Don't spill [your whisky] on [tOMoH's] notebook."

We follow PG to his stand, where we catch CD.

Highland Park 18yo 2006/2024 (59.2%, C.Dully Selection, Hogshead, C#3571, 232b)

Nose: boasting a lot of very-dry smoke at first, it gains burnt sugar and honey with a lot of breathing, as well as cured leather.
Mouth: violet boiled sweets, torched and burnt. This is rather fierce, with burning lavender too, and it becomes drying in the long run.
Finish: it now is like licking dusty gravel in a quarry on fire (I know). Long, fiery, pushing incandescent heather bushes.
Comment: just okay for my taste. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

Savoureur joins us. We try the next one blind, and, after a few attempts, I even manage to recognise it, owing to the fact I have tried it before.

Rosebank 15yo (50%, The Distillers Agency Ltd imported by Zenith, Ceramic decanter, b.1980s) 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, Savoureur)

Glen Keith 30yo 1994/2024 Nr.9 (53%, Sansibar Jens Drewitz' Personal Choice, Bourbon Hogshead, 110b)

Nose: super fruity, it offers a blend of apricots and peaches.
Mouth: I find it quite spritely too, akin to a fizzy drink made of kumquat and apricot.
Finish: long, jammy, fruity, still peddling peaches, apricots and kumquats.
Comment: who needs extreme complexity when the result is this good? 9/10 (Thanks for the sip, Savoureur)

Cool label too

Springbank 21yo (46%, OB signed by J Archibald Mitchell, b. ca 1990)

Comment: the tiny quantity I manage to put on my tongue does not allow for notes, but it is excellent. Same level as the Hedley G Wright edition we had in 2016. 9/10 (Thanks for the sip, Savoureur)

Pineau des Charentes Jean-Luc Pasquet 40yo Assemblages 75-80 (16%, OB for C.Dully, b. ca. 2025)

Nose: thick as OXO broth, filled to bursting with sweet prunes.
Mouth: fresh, overflowing with grapes, soaked sultanas and pressed prunes. Mind you, it is sweet, not sickly, chewy, not cloying.
Finish: concentrated prunes (JS). It is an explosion of rehydrated raisins and sultanas.
Comment: apparently, I like Pineau des Charentes, now. Although, this is head and shoulders above the ones we had in March. And, of course, it has little in common with the stuff one can find in supermarkets. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

We will try this ultra-rarity another time

I spot AMcD from Clydeside. He does not recognise me, but it only take a couple of words for the penny to drop.

"Have you heard of Clydeside?"

Clydeside 2018/2025 (55%, OB for Vibrant Stills, Fresh Bourbon Barrel + Tawny Port Cask Finish, C#006F)

Nose: even blind, it is relatively easy to tell it is but finished in a Port cask: it has macerated grape skins alright, but also the fruits one might expect from a Bourbon cask.
Mouth: wine-y and drying, here. We find stem ginger  and peach stone, which betrays a certain bitterness, surely.
Finish: long, big, it is reminiscent of cinnamon buns.
Comment: good, but it confirms wine casks are not something I should systematically chase. 7/10

Clydeside 2018/2025 (58%, OB for Vibrant Stills, Fresh Bourbon Barrel, C#999)

Nose: vanilla custard aplenty.
Mouth: mellow, it has a citric edge, custard with a drop of lemon juice.
Finish: phwoar! Custard-y, lemon-y, it also offers fudge, bananas and pineapple.
Comment: love this. Well done, DH! 8/10

AH and VW join us. VW is enjoying a Millburn 25yo 1975/2001 (61.9%, OB Rare Malts Selection), I think for the second time this weekend. It is a bottling he knows well, and he wants to enjoy it while he can.

Oh! ST!
tOMoH: "Is your brother here? I have not seen him."
ST: "He should be."
tOMoH: "He should be?"

ST tells us how PT had an administrative mishap and could not come into the EU for this festival. He is in Scotland, probably fuming.

Dornoch 4yo 2018/2022 (55.91%, OB for The Barrel Baron, First Fill Bourbon Octave, C#90, 82b, b#74)

Nose: dry pineapple slices and a lot of wax. It also has pandoro, confectionary sugar and sweet dust.
Mouth: oh! Funky and seemingly old, it prolongs the waxy touch, and adds brass, shoe polish and custard.
Finish: big, brass-y, with a generous dollop of brass polish.
Comment: my favourite Dornoch to-date. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, ST)

I spot something going on from the corner of my eye. It looks as though someone is negotiating the remainder of a bottle of EG's that I had my eye on.

Glenugie 20yo d.1968 (54.8%, Sestante, Sherry Wood)

Nose: phwoar! The jam in this nose! It is pure tangerine jam. I wish I had more of it and more time to spend with it, but even then: phwoar!
Mouth: incredibly balanced (remember: this is the cask-strength edition), it sprinkles a pinch of grated chalk on tangerine marmalade.
Finish: this leaves me speechless. I suppose we see the confirmation of the nose and the palate, with tangerine jam and chalky soot, but really, this is beyond words.
Comment: dram of the festival for me. I am very happy to reveal that the guy who tried to negotiate the rest of the bottle on the cheap did not get it. In fact, it went to elskling, in the end -- a good home if one can be found. 11/10 (Thanks for the dram, EG)

MW spots me.

MW: "tOMoH, do you like Port Ellen?"
tOMoH: "Errr… Sure?"
MW: "Here. The bottle is almost empty, this will make some room."

Port Ellen 15yo 1980/1996 (63.9%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength imported by Giuseppe Meregalli, Oak Casks, C#5090 + 5101-5104)

Nose: a very-petrolic number, it has tarry sands, diesel and seashells after a black tide.
Mouth: petrol again, drying as a sanding machine, and fairly salty. This evokes cockles full of tarry sands.
Finish: huge, dry, earthy, petrolic, phwoar. Mind you, it is also fierce and desiccating, so I can see it not being as well received by all all the time.
Comment: excellent. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, MW)

Teaninich 40yo 1973/2013 (42%, The Whisky Agency, Refill Sherry Hogshead, 213b)

Nose: very floral, it has honeysuckle, daffodils and ripe apricots.
Mouth: fresh, overflowing with spring flowers, lily-of-the-valley and suchlike, daffodil and narcissus.
Finish: spicy, jammy, we find peach jelly and the filling of apricot turnovers.
Comment: amazing. How can this shine so bright after the Port Ellen powerhouse? Who knows? Who cares? 10/10

The Westfalian 2012 11yo 2013/2024 Cask Experiment Islay (63.5%, Unique Liquids, ex-Laphroaig Bourbon Barrel, C#TW34, 210b, b#159)

Nose: extremely corn-like, with corn syrup, fructose, boiled corn and some kind of sweets.
Mouth: at once rough and sweet. It coats the taste buds in corn syrup, which immediately starts sucking all moisture out of the mouth.
Finish: funny, unusual, sweet and very much corn-orientated.
Comment: this comes recommended by the Cask Trade team. It is not bad, but I am less enthused. 6/10 (Thanks for the sip, SA)

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