15/11/2025 OB the Ba(n)ker

OB is sadly leaving the country for the Land of Inferior Chocolate. We cannot let him go without one last hurrah.

cavalier66, JMcD, SOB, YM, WhiskyLovingPianist and JS join me to wish OB farewell.

With enough whisky to make sure he never reaches his destination

With the number of whiskies and guests, much time is spent on logistics, banter and rushing through drams. Notes are consequently succinct.

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Le sortilège

cavalier66 opens fire with a North of Scotland, which is as far away from OB's destination as any Scottish distillery can be. It is 44% ABV, which is OB's age today -- or 44.4%, to be precise, two third of 66.6, the Devil's number. cavalier66 argues that OB is selling his soul to the Devil by going to Neutralandia, and will turn into a full devil himself. The label, in pure Douglas Laing fashion (the parent company of Hunter Hamilton), tells of great expectations, which is what OB has for that new life, and of a great single blend -- and cavalier66 adds that OB is a great man we are losing.

cavalier66: "If I remember correctly, the nose is more impressive than the rest."
YM: "Should we put it into a dickhead glass?"

North of Scotland 39yo d.1966 (44.4%, Hunter Hamilton The Clan Denny, C#HH2240)

Nose: raisins, dusty sultanas, dried peach slices. It has a whisper of cured meat, honey-glazed pork roast or such. Beyond are vanillin and candied citrus. Perhaps a sprinkle of white-wood dust too. More and more pineapple and papaya cubes emerge with time.
Mouth: candied orange segments ride on a fairly-thin body, then we get pineapple cubes dunked in marmalade augmented with a dash of wine.
Finish: an explosion of raisins and resins, and the most distant dark-wood sawdust -- an old shelf sawn in smaller chunks. It has tannins, though they merely add to the complexity.
Comment: wonderful old grain. Cue memories of a time when these were "just there" and no-one was buying them. What a way to start! 9/10

tOMoH explains that OB is e-Scapa-ing from London.

Scapa 19yo 2000/2019 (49.9%, Chivas Brothers Distillery Reserve Collection, 1st Fill Barrel, C#26, 312b, b#38)

Nose: bakery scents (WhiskyLovingPianist), brighter (cavalier66) and chalkier (WhiskyLovingPianist) [than the previous dram]. For me, it has sweet grapes, nectarines and a spoonful of honey.
Mouth: it has body and acidity to complement a clear custard-y profile.
Finish: long, sweet and citric, with calamansi and Ugli fruit playing first and second trumpets.
Comment: WhiskyLovingPianist teases that Scapa is a lower-tier distillery, but really, everyone agrees this is "not bad," even if they are in denial about its true greatness. My notes are here. 9/10

cavalier66: "A little bit of soap in this. Is it just me?"
tOMoH: "Just you."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Soon as you said it..."

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Chronicles of the red sun

SOB explains that the theme, OB the Ba(n)ker, made him think that bakers no longer use imperial measures, but that bankers still occasionally talk of shillings or guineas. He therefore brought an Imperial.

Imperial 26yo 1994/2020 An ever changing world of impossibility (45.3%, The Whisky Exchange for Whisky Show, Barrel, C#5874, 198b)

Nose: pure ozone photocopier (cavalier66), citrus (WhiskyLovingPianist), glossy magazines, ozone indeed, vine leaves and flowers -- chiefly carnations.
Mouth: photocopied flowers (cavalier66), certainly glossy magazines. This is boldly flavourful and a trifle bitter.
Finish: creamy, custard-y, long and fudgy. The death brings a hint of mocha-y rubber or rubbery mocha -- who knows?
Comment: excellent. More nostalgia about Imperial (tsk! WhiskyLovingPianist again). I have to remind him that the ones that came out twenty years ago were not all stellar. This one is excellent. 9/10

tOMoH: "Glossy magazines."
cavalier66: "Top shelf."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Oh..."
cavalier66: "Don't go there!"
tOMoH: "Are the pages stuck together?"

Gruyere, a cheese from OB's destination

WhiskyLovingPianist: "I think Mark Watt owns most of the Imperial that came out around that time."
cavalier66: "Wasn't it Elixir [Distillers]?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "He bought it in bottles."

Alp Blossom, with the Alps having a foot in both France and Switzerland
(and Italy, Germany and Austria, but EG, MV and JH are not here)

cavalier66: "You can barely tell you're drinking alcohol at all..."
OB: "One could say: fruit."
SOB: "Write that down, tOMoH!"

WhiskyLovingPianist brought houmous and guacamole.
The latter turns out to be green tzatziki

OB opens, then closes the next bottle.

OB: "Ah! Okay. I've had bad luck with broken corks, lately..."
tOMoH: "So you put the cork back in to double your chances."

cavalier66 also brought beetroot-cured smoked salmon

OB presents his favourite bottle of whisky. Not his favourite whisky, not his favourite bottling, but his favourite bottle. He tells the story of how he acquired it, how he randomly met the bottler in a bar in Japan, and rolls out more incredible anecdotes all linked to this.

Tomatin 38yo 1976/2015 (47%, OB imported by Japan Import System for Whisky Hoop, C#31, 190b)

Comment: I know this from a previous encounter and take no note, today. It is still amazeboulanger. 10/10

OB: "Switzerland, as a tourist destination, makes no sense, because it is so expensive."
cavalier66: "And a bit boring, to be honest."
tOMoH: "Unless you want to ski."
cavalier66: "Even then, skis resorts are a bit boring."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's all downhill from here!"

JMcD: "Last time, there was a debate about chocolate..."
tOMoH: "No, there wasn't. No Swiss was here, so, no, there could have been no debate [about who makes the best chocolate]."
OB: "That's right. The best chocolate is French."
JMcD: "Wait! French?"
tOMoH: "Only for those who think that Belgium is a province of France."
cavalier66: "Well, half of it is..."

JMcD presents a whisky from the Old Bakery distillery.

Old Bakery 8yo (47.2%, Old Bakery Distillery for Gerry's, American 40% Toasted Oak ex-Bourbon Casks finished in Cuban Rum Barrels, b#7B)

Nose: cucumber juice poured on rubber, a new snorkel, nail polish thinner, with lemon rinds in the back and cypress resin.
Mouth: oh! yes, this has a strong rum-y side, with rubber, hevea brasiliensis and chewy wood, cork style.
Finish: bold, rubber, with enough pineapple to fill a wheelbarrow.
Comment: ideally placed, after the previous glories: so different it not only stands out, but stands its own. 7/10

The words on the label make little sense, on the other hand

WhiskyLovingPianist: "Dave Broom's Atlas. First edition, there were 3,500 whisky distilleries. Latest edition, there are 5,000."
tOMoH: "And that's just in Scotland! Nay! The Highlands!"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Just in Glasgow!"

SOB notices that cavalier66's shirt is covered in Drambuie bottles.

JS: "How is this Drambuie thing?"
YM: "It's sweet and flavoured with herbs."
tOMoH: "It's called aqua vitae -- or uisquebaugh."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "You're such a ninja."

WhiskyLovingPianist wanted to pour the following bottling, Pink wafers in a ladies hat shop, and suggested Bundt Day / confectionary as a theme to be able to do so easily.

48.41 25yo d.1988 Pink wafers in a ladies hat shop (48.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 239b)

Nose: it starts off woody, if not plank-y. Dusty shelves and dried staves. It quickly opens up to reveal orchard fruit -- conference pears, poached apples, and a whiff of dried rosemary too. The second noses serves peaches.
Mouth: lemon-y and herbaceous, it has calamansi juice and limoncello, pineapple turnovers sprinkled with dried rosemary, then cypress branches coated in Golden Syrup. The second sip has a bitter lick from the rosemary, and that complements the fruit well.
Finish: pastry aplenty, still with a softly-bitter-herbaceous note. It is essentially peaches and herbs.
Comment: lovely. The bitterness will prevent a higher score today, but in other circumstances, who knows? 8/10

JS: "WhiskyLovingPianist, what is that bread you brought?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Heritage sourdough."
JS: "Oh, really? Is it made with Maris Otter and brewer's yeast?"
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Yeah, and the Thompson Brothers' spit."

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Beyond the gate to the eternal slumber

tOMoH explains he looked for a Swiss bottling. The only one easily accessible was this Arran bottled for a Swiss festival. He added the Barrel Bonfire, because OB is making a bonfire of his London life, at the moment.

Arran 17yo 1997/2014 (51.6%, The Whisky Agency & Acla da Fans Acla Selection specially selected for Whisky-Schiff Zürich 2014, Refill Sherry Cask, 120b)

Comment: a citrus malt, especially the finish. Full notes here. 8/10

vs.

Arran 11yo b.2024 Edition 2 -- Barrel Bonfire (50%, OB The Signature Series, Peated Quarter Casks, 14822b)

Comment: full notes here. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "This is really pastry. It is almost in the Nordic- sorry! in Nordic Zone of Whisky Show. Did you go to Nordic Zone of Show, SOB?"

OB presents a Brora from his birth year, because he wants to finish the bottle before he leaves.

Brora 27yo 1981/2009 (51.3%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld, C#291, 330b, b#76)

Nose: ashy and waxy, it has nectarines and bubble gum of some sort.
Mouth: acidic and ashy, it also has a touch of yellow fruits. I find it very bitter in the long run.
Finish: more ash and wax, soot, desert dirt. WhiskyLovingPianist calls it sugary, almost sherbet-like.
Comment: WhiskyLovingPianist says "lovely" and "comfort," while cavalier66 says it is almost more Clynelish than Brora. I find it delicious. Better than previous times (here and here), in fact. 9/10

cavalier66: "I've had some that were not as good. It wasn't Duncan Taylor -- who was it?"
tOMoH: "Chieftain's and Dun Bheaghan. Ian McLeod and Wm. Maxwell."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Yeah, they were quite poor."
cavalier66: "I've had three or four of those, and..."
tOMoH: "Do you want a dickhead glass to say that?"

SOB went for the banker side and brought a Springbank. In a Madeira Cask. He also brought Madeira, tough not the one the Springbank was aged in.

Barbeito Madeira Bastardo Duas Pipas (unknown ABV, OB Reserva, B#2, C#46+735)

Nose: butter not far from turning rancid, pressed raisins (sultanas, to be accurate), dried figs, then it turns drier, earthier
Mouth: earthy-mushroom-y profile submerged by dried dates and prunes. It is syrupy at second sip, almost cloying. Then, that dissipates and leaves Manzanilla and prunes.
Finish: coating, incredibly sweet, with rehydrated dates and figs. Incredibly, it is sweeter and juicier at second gulp, with Smyrna and cloudberries or salmonberries.
Comment: pleasant, and an adequate break in the line-up to recalibrate. 7/10

vs.

Springbank 8yo 2017/2025 (54.7%, OB Springbank Society, Fresh Madeira Cask, 1761b, 25/169)

Nose: it is dramatically farm-y with a mineral touch. We have sun-baked farm paths, tractor tyres in the summer, with a rubber that suggests quite a bit of Madeira indeed. Then, it peddles walnut stain, peppery earth, dark-strawberry (Benihoppe, Camarosa) coulis, and black bun dragged through a dry field. A drop of water reveals a scrumptious berry paste and increases the lovely fruitiness.
Mouth: oh! my, this is so farm-y. Peppery clay pots dragged through a field of dark earth. That pepper is strong! Is this a mislabelled Talisker? Water adds loads of wine-y fruits such as lychees and peaches.
Finish: strong, dark, peppery again. Juicy prunes, Corinth raisins, and, especially, a lot of earth and chilli peppers. Even with water, it remains on the side of earth and prunes, with only the spices taking a bit of a subtler front.
Comment: JS is not a fan -- too farm-y and impacted by the Madeira. I find it works well. 8/10

JS says she chose the next bottle, because OB is leaving UK to go to CH-i-CH-ibu. I add that OB is our resident expert on all things Japanese.

SOB: "Chichi-bye?"

Chichibu London Edition b.2023 (51.5%, OB Ichiro's Malt imported by Speciality Drinks, 1949b, b#1843)

Comment: I take no notes to avoid being too behind. It is well liked all round. For today, it is 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "What does 'CH' stand for?"
tOMoH: "Chwitcherland."
cavalier66: "Canton Helvetica."
tOMoH: "Confédération helvétique."

cavalier66: "Do I detect a touch of red-wine cask?"
tOMoH: "Is that your glass of Madeira?"

cavalier66 checks online and confirms the Chichibu was partly matured in wine casks.

WhiskyLovingPianist: "When was the last Show you attended?"
tOMoH: "2018."
cavalier66: "No. When was last Show you attended."

From here on, we (attempt to) stop saying the word 'the'. For each 'the', the person who said the word has to pick a sample from OB's bag o' tricks. It leads to hilarious situations. That lasts until OB's bag is empty.

The soundtrack: Cthulhu - Chronicles of a pandemic

YM looked for an OB to bring (Official Bottling), but could not find an interesting one. He looked for a connection to bankers; none. Oban? He does not have any. So he took this bottling.

tOMoH: "It reads 'pudding' on the label. OB baked pudding."

Speaking of which...

9.210 17yo d.2003 Nostalgia-filled trifle pudding (56.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 205b)

Nose: apple pie? This is really, really closed, at first nosing. There are blackcurrants in the medium run, I suppose, maybe vapours coming out of a baker's oven too. Water opens it up and it releases perfume.
Mouth: hot marmalade, lemon marmalade, even, green chilli, split stones and orange peels so hot they are barely recognisable. This is hot. Water brings orange juice.
Finish: long, a tad metallic and hot again, with sage and bitter orange rinds. Water mellows it down. It becomes juicy and fruity.
Comment: challenging today, this will likely improve in the open bottle. 7/10

OB pulls one out that he wants to share before he leaves the country, especially with cavalier66, the only enthusiast in town who has never had it. Yes, the theme is a lot easier for some people than for others, is it not?

117.3 25yo 1988/2013 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Comment: I skip it and keep it for later.

For the next one, cavalier66 has a whisky distilled in 1981, which is OB's year of birth. It is a Rose-bank(er), from a lost distillery -- "and we are about to lose OB" ("to alcoholism," adds WhiskyLovingPianist). cavalier66 explains he had preselected several bottles to pick from. This is the one that OB guessed correctly, so he brought it.

Miraculously, the cork does not give in

Rosebank 25yo 1981/2007 (61.4%, OB Natural Cask Strength, 4710b, b#01138)

Nose: musty warehouses, soaked corks, mushrooms in planters. Later, it is a ball of cat's hair, warming. It also has gum. It promises to be drying (it singes the nostrils), with hot blankets and herbs on cobblestones.
Mouth: fiery, it has quarry dust, strawberry-flavoured toothpaste, and a lot of red flowers (carnations, peonies, begonias, dahlias).
Finish: huge. Flowers on fire. There is a fair amount of fruits too, baked nectarines in front.
Comment: at last, tOMoH tastes this legend. It is very good. However, for the price it commands, one can obtain better things (including other from the same distillery), in my opinion. This confirms that 1981 is not tOMoH's favourite year for Rosebank. The Rare Malt is also too hot for its own good. Still... 9/10

cavalier66: "I'm trying to think of what it reminds me of. I think it reminds me of itself."

YM chose a bottling called Spices and syrup, which are things one might use when baking.

94.30 11yo d.2011 Spices and syrup (62.1%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill #3 Char Barrel, 224b)

Nose: toffee and milk chocolate. WhiskyLovingPianist detects English rye whisky. Obviously drunk. Well, there is a soft lick of Irn Bru on a sheet of metal, I suppose, which spells rye. Further nosing has warmed cardboard and chocolate slabs on a wood plank.
Mouth: ooft! it is a little grain-like, with melted chocolate that gets added chilli pepper over time. The second sip has quarry dust, heat and a little fruit.
Finish: hot and softly metallic, with dark chocolate and aluminium cans. Hot Dr. Pepper, cassia-bark splinters, later on. It is a bit drying, though that is tolerable.
Comment: I really like this. 8/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "You could try Rosebank for free at th-... at Show."
cavalier66: "No, you can say it, now."
WhiskyLovingPianist: "Not for Show!"

JS points out that our guest is OB a(n asset) Manager('s Dram), rather than a banker.

Oban 19yo (59.5%, OB The Manager's Dram, Refill Cask, SE 102, b.1995)

Comment: a dram I know very well and, therefore, take no notes for. It is universally liked, and as good as it always is. Incredible how well it fares, at this late stage, after the heavy hitters. 9/10

WhiskyLovingPianist observes the ABV is high, yet well integrated.

WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's almost as if we didn't just have eighteen drams!"

cavalier66: "This is rather good."
tOMoH: "What a shocker! Kept a decent dram for last!"
cavalier66: "Well, it comes after..."
tOMoH: "Sixteen drams."
OB: "Huh?"
tOMoH: "One of them was a Madeira."

cavalier66 gets up and prepares to let his offspring in, who forgot the key."

tOMoH: "You'll want to stay a little longer."

I remind OB and cavalier66 that, in 2017, they left a tasting early and missed a dram, which only JS, GL and MR ended up enjoying. cavalier66 knows immediately and exactly what I am talking about. Time to pour it again.

cavalier66: "And it is from 1981. OB's year!"

Lochside 30yo 1981/2011 (54.9%, Cadenhead's, Bourbon Hogshead, 246b, 11/396)

Nose: olive oil and fruits (cavalier66). It is fruits in various stages of ripeness (WhiskyLovingPianist).
Comment: I reviewed this masterpiece yesterday (quality check, you understand), so no notes today. 10/10

WhiskyLovingPianist: "It's when the tropics become dusty."
YM: "this, I think, you could snort."
cavalier66: "I know the word to describe this whisky: 'exquisite'!"

I still have a dram, which I kept for now.

117.3 25yo 1988/2013 Hubba-bubba, mango and monstera (58.5%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 199b)

Comment: it still rawcks, even after the glorious Lochside. Fuller notes here. 10/10

Well, that was an epic send-off. Goodbye, OB! Come see us again!

In pure English fashion, cavalier66 left us half a bite of pie.
Could not possibly finish it; that would be rude!

03/11/2025 Balmenach-Glenlivet

Balmenach-Glenlivet 19yo 1961/1980 (46%, Cadenhead): nose: it presents a wonderful mix of apricot jam and honey-glazed sage. Then, out of nowhere, a cloud of thyme smacks one in the nose, almost smoky. Very seasonal. It continues with a proper thyme infusion, the kind mothers used to bathe their infant in to sweat out a cold, several decades ago. Now, let me be clear: the sweet, jammy side from earlier does not leave entirely, but it very much fades into the background, replaced by old copper coins in an old leather pouch -- so old, in fact, that it is all hardened and crackly. We find all sorts of old, oxidised metals, actually: copper, zinc, lead and iron, with a veil of dust covering all of them -- thyme dust. How comforting! Rustic cuisine for wounded souls, this is. The second nose is earthier and more root-y, with dried earth, dried galangal roots, dried sugar beets... Oh! Black shoe polish applied onto combat boots (ABL 1972, for those who know). That is augmented with a spray of windscreen defroster, which is well unexpected. Even more unexpected is that it works! Decaying mosses and sphagnum join later, akin to the residue at the bottom and on the sides of an empty freshwater aquarium. Mouth: it reclaims its jammy character on the tongue, with peach jelly, apricot compote and stewed Mirabelle plums. A bit of chewing pushes a metallic shade to the front, and we are suddenly invaded by sheet metal, steel, copper sheets and aluminium cans. Lurking in the background, herbs are obviously on the prowl, waiting for their moment to strike. It is sage and thyme again, a bay leaf or two, hawthorn and gentian. Further chewing adds tree bark, gently smoked. All those herbs and metal, naturally, provide some bitterness, yet it is a balanced bitterness: dry, and not at all a nuisance. Imagine a cup of green tea, perhaps. The second sip has stagnant water and dried algae encrusted on the sides of a glass vase. That is soon submerged by lukewarm coffee, then topped with caster sugar. As earlier, the undeniable bitterness is balanced by a pleasant sweetness. It even has soot, after a while, splashed with milk, and Mokatines, at once bitter and sweet. Finish: coffee-soaked custard-cream biscuits, mocha custard, and crème brûlée topped with lemon-thyme leaves. If that reads like a departure from the nose and palate, it really is not; it seems their logical continuation instead. Soothing, comforting, it will not allow the obvious bitterness to be anything else than a supporting act. How it achieves that is by putting the focus on creamy, sweet dessert-y notes: crème brûlée or panna cotta, custard, tiramisu, lukewarm cappuccino, or affogato. There are fewer herbs, here; a distant, lonely bay leaf in the custard, at most -- and why the hell not? The second gulp is in line, yet milkier. It is single cream, rather than custard, which removes nothing from the overall comforting feel. Superlative dram. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

25/01/2025 Burns' Night 2025 -- Exit the Dragon (Part 1)

2024 was the year of the Dragon -- and that year is ending in a few days. Too late for Enter the Dragon, just in time for Exit the Dragon.

Decoration courtesy of ruckus

JS, adc, Gaija, kruuk2, ruckus, dom666, Psycho, sonicvince, Mrs. sonic, STL, red71, Bishlouk, ydc, GD, and I meet up for the yearly celebration, loosely connected with the Bard.

Record number of guests, this year

The line-up...
...before any guest arrives

adc stuck a note on the door asking not to talk about politics to avoid getting worked up.

STL [when the front door opens on him]: "May we talk about arse?"

We have an early theoretical start (17:30), but one does not see fifteen people turn up on time, do they? Arrivals are scattered between 17:09 and 18:30. Fortunately, JS brought an aperitif.

...and red71 and STL brought appetizers

St. George Single Malt Whiskey Lot 17 (43%, OB, B#SM017, b.2017) (JS): I do not try it; it is appreciated by all who do. My notes are here.

Psycho: "One can tell it is Californian: it is smoky."

With that questionable joke out of the way, we are ready to start for realz. The menu is (very) ambitious, so my notes are sometimes scant.

Full line-up, with lots of undisclosed bottles

sonicvince presents Green Douglas. 'Douglas' contains 'glas', which is made with heat: one blows fire on sand to "do glass". Groans.

Green Douglas 5yo (40%, OB The Douglas Fir for Aldi) (sonicvince): nose: light and surprisingly herbal, it has verbena and dried sage. Mouth: dried sage sprinkled on custard cream. Chewing injects crème anglaise. red71 and Gaija astutely call out violet and pékèt au cuberdon. Doubtful at first, I becomes convinced they are right with a little careful analysis. Finish: soft and dry, shortly submerged by violet-flavoured pékèt (gin, to keep it simple). Unpretentious first dram. It does the trick. 6/10

dom666: "Look! I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1984."
ruckus: Those are fantasy dragons, not real ones."

Psycho: "Nice, that little grain."
tOMoH: "And to think you used to not like grains!"
Psycho: "Only idiots never change their minds"
ruckus: "Only idiots don't like grains."

Bishlouk and Psycho talk about work.
red71: "Can we keep those discussions for ten drams from now?"

Soup is served.

Sweet potato and carrot soup.
I almost forget to take a picture, hence the nearly-empty plate.

Psycho explains that "the Dragon" is a nickname for Bruce Lee who went to secondary school to E-Deanston Technical School. Wow.

Deanston 17yo (40%, OB, Oak Casks, 7156 97/0331 L16, b. 1997) (Psycho): nose: apple juice (sonicvince), acidic (Gaija), Turkish delights, OBE and beeswax (Gaija), greengages, marzipan and ground almonds (ruckus). Mouth: funnily enough (because it is not in line with the nose), this has toffee and dusty furniture, as well as lovely wax. Finish: toffee, dusty wax, thickening beeswax... This is delicious! Better than I remembered it (from another bottle). A generous 8/10

Also, the cork breaks -- one of many tonight

tOMoH: "There's greengage, here."
sonicvince [who half-committed to bringing a greengage tart]: "You're really stuck on that greengage."
tOMoH: "I'm going to make you feel it all night."
all: "!?!??!?!"

We talk about Houte-Si-Plou [pronounce: hoot-see-ploo, Walloon for Listen-if-it's-raining, and also the name of a village].
dom666: "There is a Houte-Si-Plou in Savoie [a region of Southern France]."
tOMoH: "Isn't there one in Burundi? Or Rwanda? Ah! no, that's Tutsi-Plou."
dom666: "Ain't that a film with Dustin Hoffman?"

Dinner is served.

Haggis Parmentier

Vegetarian haggis

Roasted seasonal vegetables

Potato purée

ruckus presents two Scapas, each with a longship on the label. In French, a longship is called 'drakkar', clearly related to 'drakar', Swedish for 'dragons'. A certain type of longship is known as 'dreki'. Wikipedia tells us: "The word dreki for a ship derives from this practice of placing carved dragonheads on ships."

Anyway, this Scapa longship is small, but it has a dragon figurehead.
Bizarrely, it sems to be on the back of the ship.

Also, one of the two bottlings was distilled in 1988, which was a year of the Dragon.

Scapa 2005/2017 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, 161983) (ruckus): nose: custard cream and crème anglaise come out at first, then it develops a little herbaceous quality. Gaija talks about Parmesan cheese, though I cannot see that. Mouth: a little mineral, with some bitterness and a lot of pepper (or is it the haggis we just had?) It has a delicious milky-creamy texture. Finish: beautiful, loaded with oat milk and cinnamon powder. 8/10

vs.

Scapa 1988/1999 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, II/BGE) (ruckus): nose: custard cream and custard powder, cocoa powder and coconut milk, a hint of mint too. It mellows out in the long run, with carrot soup or sweet potato (or is there some soup stuck in our teeth? Because it is not just me) Mouth: βανίλια, vanilla custard, just a pinch of quarry dust... In fact, it becomes rather dusty over time, and adds tar to that. JS finds it well fruity. Finish: wonderful custard pudding, with a sprinkle of cocoa powder or powdered cinnamon. 9/10

red71 struggles with the notion that these were distilled seventeen years apart. "Ah! You add the ages of both and you divide by two," he exclaims. We tease him about his miscomprehension mercilessly.

red71: "Is there any more haggis? The more haggis [ruckus, Gaija and tOMoH] eat, the less cake they'll eat!"
ruckus: "That's what you think!"

nth serving

The soundtrack: _Ruckus_ - Exit The Dragon

We all marvel at ruckus's shirt.

ruckus: "Wait! [unbuttons his shirt to reveal a green/yellow dragon t-shirt] See?"
tOMoH: "Wait! If you remove the t-shirt, do you have a dragon tattoo underneath?"
ruckus: "Yeah! On the prick!"
Bishlouk: "Ah! A dragonet, then."

sonicvince's effort

tOMoH's effort -- it has a larger dragon in the back
and both glow in the dark. Of course, it will never
be dark enough for others to see that

GD's effort

sonicvince says that, if Enter the Dragon was a film with Bruce Lee, Enter the Tiger was a film with Bruce Li. In other words: a knock-off of a Bruce Lee film. Or a Knock-and-off.

Knockando 18yo d.1994 (43%, OB, Sherry Casks) (sonicvince): nose: caramel and coffee (sonicvince), black tea (Gaija). It will be cappuccino for me, then it turns to porridge, thick, creamy, but drier than the real thing. Mouth: thick, coating at first, then a tad metallic, like a warm chocolate milk drunk from a tin mug. Finish: big, full of cinnamon, augmented with a pinch of ginger powder, and it settles on chocolate and millionaire shortbread (adc). Another generous note: it works so well, tonight! 8/10

dom666: "We have been cracking the same jokes for twenty years. I know: I do it too."
red71: "No, not twenty years."
dom666: "Yes, since 2003. That is more than twenty."
red71: "I have only known you for four years, and I have already heard the same jokes. Not twenty years."

kruuk2 reminds everyone of a 1980s arcade game he used to go watch people play at the fair. It was named the most-difficult video game ever, in which necessary moves were hard to predict and execute. He is, of course, talking about Dragon's Balb-lair.

Balblair 15yo (46%, OB, ex-Bourbon American Oak Casks + First Fill Spanish Oak Butts) (kruuk2): nose: smoked citrus rinds, blood orange, then tawed leather and some hay. Mouth: toffee and a pinch of dust make way for spices, with lots of pepper and crushed red chilli. The following sips are full of cocoa powder. Finish: long, full, chocolate-y again, and it has a dash of rich fruit eau-de-vie. 7/10

red71: "I cannot hear dom666 anymore..."
dom666: "I'm here."
tOMoH: "It's the Balblair [that suppresses him]."
red71: "Give me a case of six!"

tOMoH [talking about Cthulhu]: "It's impossible for a human mouth to pronounce it well."
red71: "A human mouth! As if there was anything else [that could speak]."
tOMoH: "There are other dimensions, folks."
Psycho: "A chihuahua sphincter does not sound the same as a rottweiler sphincter."

tOMoH unveils the first group bottle of the evening, for which the link is obvious. We have it alongside STL's contribution, who says: "I tend to drink great things with good people, here (except Bishlouk), so I thought I'd bring something nice." It was distilled in 1973, the year of Bruce Lee's death.

Highland Park 1961/1997 (48.1%, S & JD Robertson Group The Dragon, Hogshead, C#4493, 216b) (group): nose: incense (Gaija), gunpowder, mustard (Gaija), ground stone, dried oregano, dried marjoram, ashes, burnt tea leaves, wax seal, spent matches... The second nose mellows that out with some custard cream. Mouth: how does it manage to be at once juicy and ashy like this? It is distinctly ashy, with hot embers and hot seal wax -- rhaaaa! Finish: wow! A humbling mix of damp, riparian vegetation and extremely-fine white ashes, bananas and ganja (JS). Juicy plums make a late appearance too. I do not spend nearly-enough time with this tonight. It already is obvious that it is a killery. Incredible drop. 10/10

vs.

Tomintoul 39yo 1973/2003 The Day of Pearly Spencer (46.6%, La Maison du Whisky Belgique, C#1486) (STL): another missing 's' in the title, just as the Strathisla in the same series. Nose: leather toffee (sonicvince), smashed speculoos (sonicvince). Then, it turns very juicy, with peaches and nectarines on rye crackers. Mouth: considerably stronger than expected, almost drying, before the fruity character comes out with plums and greengages (again). Quite the exploit! Finish: long, explosive, it has spearmint and fruits (greengages, Mirabelle plums, honey-glazed plums) to precede salted-butter caramel (Psycho). Phwoar! 9/10

Bishlouk [about The Dragon]: "I expected more."
ruckus: "A label in full colours!"

Bishlouk: "The Highland Park is good, but it doesn't transport me. It does not give me a hard-on. I'm still half soft."
STL: "You still manage a hard-on?"

Bishlouk: "It's good. I have had younger and more-recent Highland Parks that impressed me more."
Gaija: "I'm listening to your references."

Dessert #1 enters, courtesy of STL's daughter

tOMoH and friends present a series. The longest series we have had, in fact, equalling the mighty MiMi-CraCra-Lo-Ellen-Sca from, ahem, a decade ago.

Anyway, this year, we are having seven bottlings for the seven crystal balls of Dragon Ball. Or Dragon Bal, as it will be known tonight.

Balblair d.1989 (46%, OB) (kruuk2): "another Balblair!" some marvel. We rarely have any, let alone more than one, in any given tasting. Nose: caramel and honey, oilcloth, and dried apple skins. That apple turns juicier with subsequent sniffs. Mouth: walnut kernels (Psycho), a soft nutty bitterness, peanut or so. The second sip sees some quarry dust and crushed peanut shells. Finish: dry, astringent (Bishlouk), acrid (Psycho). With its roasted walnuts, it is a very-long finish, warming, remarkable for this ABV. 7/10

The second bottling was supposed to be sonicvince's own Balblair 1989, which we have been meaning to try alongside its more-ancient sibling for many years. Sadly, he did not bring it, and kruuk2's bottle is now empty. It will never happen. Bah.

Ballantine's 30yo (unknown ABV, George Ballantine + Son, unknown volume, b. late 1970s/early 1980s, SB 161 L5) (group): nose: a little meaty, it presents a wicker basket full of decaying fruits. Old socks at the bottom of the drawer (kruuk2) develop into a sooty number. Mouth: rotten fruits turns juicier and fresher with each second. Soot grows in intensity too, as do meat and charred fruit. Finish: cranberries, lingonberries, and a shovelful of soot. tOMoH thinks of Bowmore Bicentenary, but then it could just be hs305's comment on whiskybase that suggests that. In any case, it is magnificent. 9/10

Talking about jellyfish stings, and how one should pee on the wound to soothe the pain.
dom666: "The best thing to do is pour vinegar on it."
tOMoH: "Yeah, I always have a bottle of vinegar with me, when I go to the beach."
dom666: "Another thing that works is lemon juice."
tOMoH: "Yeah, I always have a lemon in my swimsuit."
dom666: "Italians wear cotton pads [in their swimsuit] to boost their masculinity."
tOMoH: "Aren't you Italian?"

Second dessert enters, courtesy of JS. And I do not even take a picture!

Secret Stills 02.02 40yo 1966/2006 (45%, Gordon & MacPhail Secret Stills, Sherry Hogsheads, C#1204+1449+1452, 600b, JF/CHH) (tOMoH): an undisclosed distillery from the Ballindalloch Castle Estate. Nose: unmistakeably an old distillation, a blend of fruits and soot. Mouth: dry as sawdust, yet juicy as marmalade, soft but spicy. Phwoar. Finish: long, assertive... Better notes here. 9/10

vs.

Balmenach-Glenlivet 19yo 1961/1980 (46%, Cadenhead) (JS): nose: initially metallic, it soon turns old-school, with soot, old plastics, and a grandmother's pudding. Mouth: acidic, waxy lemon rinds. Finish: once again: phwoar! Metal and lemon sign a pact and sing in unison. Cannot wait to try this again. 9/10

St. George 3yo The Baller (47%, OB, Ex-Bourbon, French Wine Casks + Umeshu Finish): and there is a dragon on the label -- w00t! Nose: lychee syrup (red71), soap (STL), waxy soap bars, citric powder, sherbet, rose water (ruckus), cola (sonicvince). Because of the label, I want to say açai berries: "Même si la peur m'açai / Je partirai comme un samouraï". Mouth: ridiculously lychee-like, choc-full of citric powder, scented candles and fruit-scented handwash. JS cleverly points out elderberry cordial, which is spot on. Finish: Paic Citron (Bishlouk), limoncello, lychee, rose water. This is original, if divisive. It does a perfect job of resetting the palate after the old glories. 6/10

As a side note, it works fantastically in a highball (hence the name). Interestingly, ruckus prefers it to the first St. George he had earlier.

vs.

140.17 3yo d.2019 Bowled over by cinnamon cola (62.8%, SMWS Society Cask, #3 Char New Oak Barrique, 217b) (tOMoH): this is a Balcones. Nose: big, cola-like, it has coffee too, though that may be the sludge brewing in the kitchen. Mouth: it strips the enamel (Psycho). It is hot and very woody, tonight. Cassia bark coated in red-chilli paste. Finish: sweet Demerara. Do not be fooled, though: it is huge, hairy to a point, with hot boilers. It warms the oesophagus all the way to the tonsils. Brutal. We have clearly moved from the 40s to the 60s without pausing for breath. As a side note, this is known in the States as Bowled over by something beautiful, because any mention of food or drink in the US sets the FDA in action, therefore raises costs and increases timelines. 7/10

adc goes to bed.

Dessert #3 enters, courtesy of Mrs. sonic.

The sountrack: kruuk2's Exit the Dragon playlist.

70.62 10yo d.2013 Honey and dragon fruit sangria (60.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 204b) (kruuk2): that is right. kruuk2 brought a third Balblair -- one that has the word 'dragon' in the description. Double w-jambon-my.  Nose: so custardy! It has tons of peach and melting mango flesh. Mouth: an explosion of buttery fruits, with dragon fruit, persimmon, mango, and cherimoya. The second sip has a chalkier feel, perhaps sherbet. Finish: confectionary sugar, sherbet (flying saucers), mango slices, hot plums. This is very good. 8/10

After this wonderful epanadiplosis, red71 and STL take a bow. One of them has a crochet competition in a week and needs his beauty sleep. The other follows. Tsk.

Bishlouk goes for a nap on the sofa.

If we chant the right incantations, a dragon should appear

Continue reading here.