12/06/2026 Aim for the Moon

Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267): nose: a marvellous combination of brown shoe polish applied onto soft-leather moccasins, hazelnut spread and light cigars (Laguito No. 3, perhaps, or Carlotta). It has a dirty, funky background, something I did not notice (as much) in previous encounters (here and here), but it is a Ben Nevis, so it is not really surprising. Walnut spread and chestnut purée gradually replace the hazelnut and, at the same time, a soft metallic touch emerges. It is somehow reminiscent of that unmistakable smell of a new motherboard wrapped in an anti-static plastic bag. Anyone who has ever assembled a desktop from individual parts will know. Finally, it peddles coffee, ashes in the desk ashtray and black liquorice rolls. Fun! The second nose pumps coffee and caramel into the mix, or an enticing mocha custard. Take it from someone who is not a fan of mocha. There is something else in the back that may be caramelised orange slices. It adds a gentle fruitiness that is most welcome. Mouth: mellow and sweet, it feels like chewy sweets such as Gummy Sweet Cherries or Cola Bottles. Chewing adds a mild sting (ginger or stem ginger), yet it fans the Cola-Bottle flames most of all. It is at once spicy and syrupy, which confirms the stem-ginger note, but has so much more to tell: milk coffee, Mokatine, caramel, sweet and a little bitter. It has more wood than honey, yet that wood, despite its bitterness, is undeniably sweet too -- and that is not plain resin. Maybe Gocce Pino filling applied on clustered splinters? The second sip is thinner for a second, then turns into thick marmalade sprinkled with mocha grounds. The alcohol bite fleetingly hints at warm zinc or galvanised iron, or a hot Moka tin pot. It is breakfast-y, in any case: marmalade, custard, mocha. Finish: long, it glows heat and conifer goodies (resin, bark) as well as Mokatine and caramel coffee. Considering how coating and syrupy this is, it would be tempting to call stem ginger again, but there is none of the spicy heat that ginger provides. Instead, it is caramel coffee spilled onto cypress shelves. The second gulp opens with candied citrus (bergamot, bitter orange), chewy and vegetal as if the foliage had been candied too. That, of course, means a gentle bitterness to balance what could otherwise become overly sweet. We find mocha grounds at the death, or grated mocha chocolate. I want to say gunpowder tea, but it is not that bitter, and it is earthier. It is staggeringly good, that is for sure. 9/10

HB, TMcN!

08/06/2026 Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis 28yo 1996/2025 6th Anniversary Bottling (48.2%, The Whisky Jury, Refill Hogshead, C#348649, 270b): nose: orchard fruits and a shovelful of fertile earth. Apples, quinces, Comice pears, all crunchy and crisp. Behind them are vague tropical scents, unripe kiwi, unripe mango, unripe snakehead fruit. Very discreet, though. Deeper nosing puts more emphasis on the earthy side, and we spot more damp, fertile earth or clay, albeit from a construction site more than a field: a house whose foundations have recently been dug. A dusting of plaster increases that impression. Fruits are never that far, however, and we soon add green grapes to the list. The second nose sees citrus rinds (orange, mandarines) baked in the oven and starting to caramelise. Served alongside them, we have a spoonful of melted milk chocolate and a pinch of herbs (oregano, tarragon, heather twigs). Mouth: thin and sharp, or 'precise', if the first two adjectives seem derogatory, it soon reveals a fruity dominant on the tongue too -- orchard fruit again, riper this time. Golden Delicious apples, Conference pears, stewed quinces. Half a chew causes a chuckle, as it unleashes a strong ivy bitterness and a stronger mango-y slap in the gob. Longer chewing absolutely confirms, and that puts a smile on tOMoH's face. Mango purée is elevated with a dash of grapefruit juice, whose pronounced acidity chases the afore-mentioned bitterness away -- mostly. The second sip is luscious and gorgeous, super fruity, yet it never lets one forget it is alcohol we are tasting. Punchy without being aggressive; just a lovely fruity spirit. Finish: past the initial kick of alcohol (it is more a karate chop than a kick), it dishes out hot fruits. We have baked grapefruit slices, papaya cubes, stewed carambola and pineapple chunks, and tinned mangoes. Indeed, if the fruits continue to effortlessly dominate, the bitterness is back, and it hints at tin rather than ivy, at this stage. It is a long finish, partly comforting, partly moreish. In fact, let us have some more! The second gulp welcomes mango custard and peach cubes in a boozy yoghurt. Here too, it is virtually impossible to forget we are tasting a spirit, yet the fruits are clearly carrying the whole. They are just splashed with an eau-de-vie that cannot be overlooked. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, elskling)

26/05/2026 An evening at Barrel Than Yesterday

One great joy of travelling is discovering that a bar on the other side of the world has whiskies one would never come across anywhere else. They may not be the most prestigious vintages, distilleries or ages, but that does not make them less exclusive.

Unlikely sightings

Tomintoul 8yo d.2014 Release No.106 (56.4%, Angus Dundee for Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers imported by MetaBev, Oloroso Sherry Puncheon, C#2362, 696b)

Nose: sweet, syrupy, almost heady (in fact, not almost!). This has "cherry jam" written all over it. Waxed leather develops over time. The second nose has pressed currants and dried figs.
Mouth: thick, coating like melted chocolate. It has a clear Mon Chéri touch -- cherry-liqueur-filled, dark-chocolate pralines. JS finds it spicy. The second sip is a little woodier, if still as sweet and liqueur-like.
Finish: long, powerful and sweet. We have more cherry jam and a good dose of melted dark chocolate. A minuscule hint of musk struggles to make itself heard. The second gulp is woodier; oily exotic wood, such as teak or mahogany.
Score: 7/10

Knockdhu 9yo d.2013 Release No.104 (59.5%, Angus Dundee for Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers imported by MetaBev, Bolgheri Red Wine Hogshead Finish, C#804977, 295b)

Nose: this one has dates and dried figs. It soon progresses to reveal strawberry bubble gum and a pinch of blonde tobacco..
Mouth: unctuous texture, liqueur-like, it has pressed currants, silky Cotton Candy grapes, but also some power. The second sip injects some bitterness into the mix. Wood or mocha? Probably dark wood.
Finish: big, a notch tannic, it has polished wood and coffee beans coated in honey. The second gulp has dried pineapple bark.
Score: 7/10

Ki One 3yo 2022/2025 (56.8%, OB, Hypebeans Coffee Cask, C#0297, 281b, b#211)

Nose: unsurprisingly, it reeks of coffee. More surprising are the notes of seaweed and urchin before it turns citrus-y. Lemon zest and hay. Smoked seaweeds rock up, with one mint crumble. The second nose offers seaweed-flavoured chocolate.
Mouth: it is very woody, especially considering the age -- even though there is no age stated, the distillery only started producing in 2020, so it is six years old at most. There is a hint of sweet latte, some pine-tree bark, followed by smoked grapefruit zest. The second sip is dry as bread dough that has too much flour. Dark flour (buckwheat?)
Finish: big and spicy, it has pine needles soaked in weak, watery coffee. Now, this is not watery! I mean that the coffee is not overpowering. JS calls it almost not a (malt) whisky, it being closer to a rye, sorghum or Coffey malt or grain. The second gulp is more whisky-like, yet it shows the cask influence clearly: coffee grounds, mocha filters, sandalwood and cedarwood.
Score: 7/10

Glen Keith 25yo 1998/2024 (49.7%, Whiskybroker for Club Qing Happy Loner imported by Roehni, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#149567, 191b)

Nose: very elegant. It has custard powder, citrus zest and cream soda, powdered peach skin, Turkish delights. The second nose is more-intensely scented, with fruity custard aplenty.
Mouth: it feels a tad watery at first (we just had a few high-octane drams, yeah?), but settles in as a fruity number, without surprise. Citrus zest, dried lichens, flower petals to provide a slight bitterness. It is fruitier at second sip, with peach, lime, grapefruit...What a cocktail!
Finish: wonderful custard cream with citrus zest. It has a little more Bourbon-y spices and lots of acidic fruits.

Comment: we have a winner!
Score: 8/10

Kimchangsoo 4yo 2021/2025 (51.7%, OB Single Cask, 1st Fill European Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, 276b)

Nose: phwoar! A refined peat hits my nostrils rather gently. Bales of dried meadow flowers, purple-primrose petals, then smoked green grapes. This moves from farming to gardening and back again effortlessly. It has a hint of chocolate-flavoured coffee too, but, mostly, it is farm-y. That said, rosewood embers grow in intensity. The second nose is earthier, with sweet potato peels and dried soil.
Mouth: rosewood, rosehip and earthy peat. This has burnt twigs, burnt rose bushes and dried earth (not scorched). It is a juicy, earthy number at second sip, full of drying peat bricks.
Finish: a trifle weaker here, it remains a solid peated whisky with some ozone and tar. The second gulp confirms: ozone, tar, even charcoal dust.
Comment: there are two different bottlings on the shelf. This is not the one we ordered, but we enjoy it anyway.
Score: 7/10

Ben Nevis 26yo 1997/2023 Private Edition No.2 (50.9%, North Star Spirits for Rotten Glasses x The Whisky Agency imported by Roehni, Sherry Butt, 120b)

Nose: a dirty Ben Nevis with sink funk, and some drying fruits, somewhere. We are treated to a vague smell of sewers from the street, and it is hard to tell where the Ben Nevis stops and the sewers start, so close they are.
Mouth: decaying fruits it is. Pineapple, apple, Comice pears, crunchy, crumbly and bruised in more places than necessary. The second sip confirms. Decaying fruits turn dirty, funky and a bit dry.
Finish: it has orchard fruits in disarray (apples, pears, quinces all past decaying point), Korean pears, perhaps kakis. That may be the location playing with my mind. The second gulp has a minty freshness and the drying touch of eucalyptus. Water turns down the funk and increases the fruitiness.
Score: 7/10 (8 with water)

Time to go. There are other drams to try, but tomorrow is another day.

16/05/2026 Slag heaps of the Black Country

GD and ydc are hosting this one, and they intend to celebrate their corner of the world with the theme. They went all in with invitations in local dialect, themed t-shirts, badges, stickers and other promotional items.

GD's tee

Tèje tu Boyard!

ydc's tee

sonicvince, Bishlouk, dom666, Psycho and I join GD and ydc for an afternoon of fun.

And work.

As I ask for a pen and warn that I may need a sheet of paper, at some point:

GD: "An Englishman without paper."
dom666: "That's called a clandestine."

GD opens the dance: a gin produced in Charleroi. It is called 972, which is the depth (in metres) of the deepest pit of the Martinet site.

MF-M-NC 972 Cuvée 2020 (42%, LaM-U, 3000b, b#0053) (GD)

Nose: hay, lime zest and parsley-topped goat's cheese. sonicvince has cloves and Granny Smith apples, while I find green peppercorns.
Mouth: it is very citrus-y on the palate. Acidic lime.
Finish: creamy, custardy, even, it has lots of lime zest again. GD detects black pepper, which, ydc points out, is wild. Wild black pepper. It also has génépi, though much less syrupy, naturally, more gin épais (boom-tsch).
Comment: this may be my favourite gin to-date. The acronyms mean Monceau-Fontaine, Marcinelle, Nord Charleroi and La Manufacture Urbaine respectively.
Score: 8/10

tOMoH notes that mines (coal mines are the reason this is called the Black Country) have pits. Here is a Pit-tyvaich.

Pittyvaich 14yo 1986/2001 (43%, Ian McLeod Chieftain's, Hogsheads, C#9519-22, 1074b, L1212BB 3 11 58) (tOMoH)

Nose: wet sands, vanilla (sonicvince). It is acidic, then soft (sonicvince), with dried fruits (Psycho) and apricot (ydc).
Finish: liquorice (ydc).
Comment: full notes here. I am pleased that it is very successful, today. This group's experience with Pittyvaich was, so far, limited to one or two d.1993 by Gordon & MacPhail, and those have been less appealing.
Score: 8/10

Two kinds of dried sausage
Ossau Iraty
Homemade savoury cake

Psycho: "Are you saying I should inject alcohol with a syringe?"
dom666: "Do what you want with your own body."
ydc: "Impossible. He cannot stand needles."
tOMoH: "Psycho will never be pictured in a pine forest."
sonicvince: "I'm not a fan either."
Bishlouk: "You don't like pine trees?"
tOMoH: "That horrible smell of freshness..."

Psycho plays dyslexic and presents a Black-nod.

Bladnoch 1987/1999 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) (Psycho)

Nose: pears (sonicvince), daisy stems (Bishlouk), flowery and vegetal (Bishlouk), Littlemillian (Bishlouk). It has wet pebbles (sonicvince) and apricots (Psycho). It is fruity, light and ethereal.
Mouth: pear and frangipane (sonicvince), though that is fleeting and turns medicinal (sonicvince). ydc finds elderberry. The dilution is noticeable, but tolerable.
Finish: fruits and wood. Here are balsa and dried pineapple. It kicks harder than expected too.
Comment: we had not had this in many years. Time in an open bottle seems to have improved it and turned it into a lovely, fruity drop. Bishlouk seems impressed. That happens rarely enough to mention.
Score: 8/10

tOMoH: "GD, you were showing dom666 your glass collection, earlier. Dangerous."
GD: "No, we don't have the same criteria."
tOMoH: "What's dangerous is not that he would steal them, but that he talks about his collection for three hours."

Psycho tells us that slag heaps are nothing but little mounds. A mound, he continues, is a high land. This Glenmorangie is from the Highlands. Groan.

Glenmorangie 12yo The Lasanta (43%, OB imported by MHCS, Bourbon & Sherry Casks) (Psycho)

Nose: syrupy, it has distant toasted cereals, then cinnamon rolls, Cured blush orange segments and dried pine cones. There is a whiff of apple in the second nose.
Mouth: soft, this is very syrupy. A syrup with a mineral side, mind. Then, we pick up dried coconut flakes cured in wine.
Finish: blackberry drops and blackcurrants. Chewy for a while, it leaves the same impression as a chalky paste on the palate. The second gulp brings a thick custard.
Comment: honest drop that grows on me.
Score: 7/10

Smoking in the sun

dom666: "LVMH and their handbags made in China..."
tOMoH: "What is not made in China, these days?"
Psycho: "Me. I was not made in China."
Bishlouk: "I can see that. You're losing oil."

sonicvince brought a bottling from the Mission Gold collection, because coal in Charleroi used to be the local gold.

Bishlouk likes Fabrizio from Charleroi, who talks about 'kete' a lot (Walloon for 'cock'), so he brought a Glen Keith.

With exactly zero surprise, that leads to this timeless masterpiece of Belgian television, with GD performing the choreography and all.

Since they are from the same distillery, we have them at the same time.

Glen Keith 32yo 1993/2025 (47.9%, Murray McDavid Mission Gold exclusively selected by The Whisky Mercenary, First-Fill Koval Bourbon Cask Finish, C#97174A, 140b) (sonicvince)

Nose: hyper-fruity sweets, mint (sonicvince). It gains a certain herbaceous note, indeed mint. Starburst/Opal fruits/Sugus (depending on where in the world you are), pineapple drops. There are fleeting glimpses of gelatine capsules, followed by candied angelica.
Mouth: more fruits, here, but it is actually pretty mineral. The second sip has bitter fruits, perhaps carambola with a dusting of crushed Aspirin.
Finish: quarry chippings sprayed onto vanilla custard augmented with cut apricot. The second gulp brings forth poached apples and Doyenné du Comice pears.
Comment: amazeboulanger.
Score: 9/10

vs.

Glen Keith-Glenlivet 43yo 1973/2017 (43.2%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 156b, 17/192) (Bishlouk)

Nose: hyper fruity too, at first, it soon picks up leather and hay. Then, it progresses towards sherbet and crushed peaches.
Mouth: closely related to the other one, this has peach yoghurt and a stronger bitterness. That evolves to give a leafy fruitiness -- kumquat foliage.
Finish: long, full of fruity sweets and a soft lick of woody bitterness. The second gulp brings clay floors and Turkish delights.
Comment: we tried this three years ago and thought it would improve in the open bottle. It did. What is amazing is that it does not crush its younger sibling.
Score: 9/10

dom666: "When I was younger, I listened to another good little band from Liège called Prïba 2000."
All: "Errr… They were from Charleroi!"
dom666: "Are you sure?"

Here is the evidence, dom666.

dom666: "Mine is a forty-year-old Strathisla at 48.3%."
tOMoH: "And the link to the theme?"
dom666: "No idea."

Strathisla 40yo 1967/2008 (48.6%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld, C#2716, 160b, b#98, 107 08/113) (dom666)

Nose: dusty (Psycho), herbaceous, close to a rye, which prompts dom666 to shout the link to the theme: "C'est comme un rye de coke!" (For those readers who are not aware of the Industrial Revolution, coke is a coal-based fuel that enabled ironworks.) It has a pinch of lemon thyme bathing in custard. Is that maracuja? It may well be! To follow that, we find a bite of marzipan and a dollop of shoe polish too.
Mouth: powerful (Bishlouk, not used to alcohol at more than 24%), it has a note of fruits immediately followed by smoky flavours: smoky roasted apples, tarts in a dusty boiler room.
Finish: strong coffee (sonicvince). I find it a tiny bitterness, almost mineral.
Comment: this is incredible. dom666 opened it, ahem, almost eighteen years ago, which prompted me to procure my own bottle, which we opened ten years later. It remains a killery. Notes here.
Score: 9/10

dom666 [about Dune]: "Nice images, but -- pffft! Long and slow."
Bishlouk: "So are the books."
dom666: "The books you can put down and do something else."
Bishlouk: "You can press pause on a film..."
dom666: "At the cinema, it is difficult."
Bishlouk: "There is an interval. You can go take a wee."
dom666: "The interval is a year between films."
tOMoH: "You can take a long wee."
dom666: "Great for you, that!"

dom666 [about Gotlib]: "The second genius of comic strips."
Psycho: "After Léonard?"
tOMoH: "That's a character, not an author."
dom666: "Léonard... He was a lumberjack. Car c'est en sciant que Léonard devint scie."
tOMoH: "You are quoting Psycho in his presence."
dom666: "No, I read that elsewhere."
Bishlouk: "In the bingos, it is definitely in the Psycho bingo!"

ydc introduces Old Black Cane, a nod to the Black Country.

Bologne Old Black Cane (45%, OB, b. ca. 2025) (ydc)

Nose: plastic pipes and herbs. Rum baba, baked pineapple rings.
Mouth: rum-y, it has metal, melted plastic and sugar. All of them are rather discreet.
Finish: cane sugar, black garlic. It has that charred-garlic bitterness, yet it is also pretty juicy, somehow.
Comment: nothing could have followed that Strathisla. A rum is the perfect solution: so different it resets the palate. This one is good to boot.
Score: 7/10

tOMoH: "dom666 and Bishlouk both like Talisker, neither likes cucumber tart... Clearly, they're the same person. They have no hair, they wear glasses, they both live in Liège..."
Bishlouk: "We have no hair..."
tOMoH: "Neither listens..."

We move to the dining table. ydc and GD made Nasi Goreng. I worry that the spices will impair our taste buds, but it is perfectly balanced. And delicious.

We discover that dom666 has never had Nasi Goreng.

tOMoH: "I don't know how it is in Charleroi, but in Liège, it's like this: Belgians of Italian descent discover after they're forty that Belgium also has Chinese restaurants. All they know is the Italian ones. dom666 is not an isolated case."
dom666: "This isn't Chinese. It's Indonesian. I know Chinese restaurants in Liège. There is one rue Aaa, there is a Thai rue Bbb, a Viet-Namese rue Ccc…"
Bishlouk: "There is also one rue Ddd."
dom666: "There is also a good pizzeria in rue Ddd."
Bishlouk: "It's not as good as the one rue Eee."
tOMoH: "Unbelievable. We do a Charleroi tasting in Charleroi, and those two only talk about Liège!"

We talk about fried food.

tOMoH: "The Chinese have no lesson to take from anyone, when it comes to fried food. The best fried spiders I've had were from a Chinese restaurant."
dom666: "Have you had them from many other places?"
tOMoH: "No. That's the joke."
dom666: "I know."

Dessert is served. rhubarb tart and rice tart, and apple turnovers for Psycho, which he will not share.

Rhubarb and sugar tart

Rice tart

Bishlouk tells us that Ben Nevis, the United Kingdom's tallest mountain, is but a large slag heap in Scotland.

Ben Nevis 15yo 2010/2025 (56.9%, Liquid-Treasures bottled for Espirits Whisky, Bourbon Hogshead) (Bishlouk)

Nose: fish (sonicvince), dusty hot metal, hydrocarbons (Bishlouk). It smells industrial (Bishlouk) or farm-y, with horse's dung (GD). I find horse's hair and lots of oxydised and dusty metal. Apple and quince come out in the long run, while Bishlouk finds peat.
Mouth: it is peaty alright! Crushed peach stones and decaying fruits provide backing vocals. It has a bitter lick of tree bark, though peach custard rises a bit, timid.
Finish: peat and hot metal, and the bitterness associated with the latter. Sea spray (ydc), lots of hay, a handful of horse's hair and Mokatine, maybe. Mocha is bitter after all, is it not?
Comment: another one that will likely improve in the open bottle. It is promising, but a bit unruly, as it stands.
Score: 7/10

Les Gayettes
A special kind of local truffles

sonicvince shows us a whisky distilled in 1987 and explains that the 1980s were the golden age of socialism in Charleroi.

Tomatin 27yo 1987/2014 (46.3%, Morrison & Mackay Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask imported by The Stillman's, Hogshead, C#495, 187b, b#10) (sonicvince)

Nose: berries jelly to me, though sonicvince detects a touch of sulphur.
Mouth: unctuous and ripe with berries.
Finish: lemon zest (ydc), lemon pith (ydc), astringent (Bishlouk).
Comment: full notes here. Long discussion about Bishlouk's impressions -- he calls this not horrible and the previous not bad. ydc cannot figure out if one is better than the other, or if Bishlouk is simply difficult. We all know the answer to that, do we not?
Score: 8/10

Second serve

dom666 brought a peaty whisky and tells us that peat is nothing but wet coal.

Ardbeg 30yo (40%, OB, LS67462) (dom666)

Nose: lichens, an elegant vegetal peat, ashes, dried algae stuck to the side of an empty vase, sphagnum moss.
Mouth: ashes, smoked currants. One can feel the dilution a bit, and that pushes algae, sphagnum moss and dried ferns to the fore.
Finish: an onslaught of dried algae and lichens, stagnant water, empty vases. It leaves an extremely-dusty mouthfeel, bitter and ashy.
Comment: unique profile, especially in the world of ancient Ardbeg. I like it.
Score: 8/10

tOMoH unveils a Laphroaig, famously adorned by the seal of HRH the Prince of Wales, who favours Laphroaig. Naturally, Prince Charles was promoted, since this was bottled and became king. In French, one would say he is now Charles Roi. Check. Mate.

Laphroaig 28yo b.2018 (44.4%, OB Limited Edition, Quarter Casks + Bourbon Barrels + Sherry Butts) (tOMoH)

Comment: I take no notes for this today. It was a long day and time is running out. It is universally liked, which pleases me. Full notes here.
Score: 9/10

What a day. The amount of nonsense was epic. These notes do not show it, but the word of the day was clearly 'bite' ('dick'), to the point Bishlouk is henceforth known as Bite-louk. His final words are: "I don't know how many times we said 'dick', but I'm satisfied with the tally!"

An hourglass, a diabolo, or a butt plug, depending on whom you ask

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

Time is now accelerating. We, on the other hand, are tired. We must prioritise cautiously.

tOMoH: "1cl of this, please."
Him: "Only 1cl? You will want more. It is so delicious."

Caol Ila 1984/1996 (50%, Brae Dean Int. imported by Moon Import Dovr-Tutes-Mares, Oak Cask, b#0279)

Nose: very composed (JS). Crushed seashells, sand and fishing nets. Caol Ila. At the same time, it is incredibly elegant.

Mouth: sweet, marzipan-y, it is also salty. Incredibly, the combination works a charm. Crushed seashells join the above and they start an otherworldly dance.

Finish: Jacob Ree-ZOMG. Only Caol Ila from 1983-1984 can blend sweetness, salt and kippers this way.

Comment: emotional dram. The bloke was right: I do want more. There is too much left in the bottle for me to leave with it, however. Cannot afford it.

Score: 10/10

Back to where we started, then.

Deanston 25yo 1997/2023 (51.6%, The Whisky Jury exclusively bottled for The Antelope, Refill Hogshead, C#1966, 257b, b#6)

Nose: a few nuts, hazel tree, haybales. This is fairly dry on the nose.

Mouth: mead. It really has this allure of honey liqueur. There are some nut shells too, but that is more discreet. A drop of tar appears, after chewing for a while. It gains the intensity of a tame mouthwash (none of that blistering Listerine).

Finish: hazelnut liqueur, hazelnut shells, funky armpits (JS), ganja (JS).

Comment: JS has to repeat those two notes twice: the TWJ boys cannot believe what they hear. They then decide they would probably make more money selling ganja.

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

Glenrothes 36yo 1986/2022 (41.4%, The Whisky Jury, Refill Hogshead, C#860002131, 203b, b#6)

Nose: Fraises Tagada. Bunches of flowers follow, then chewy red sweets.

Mouth: mellow, velvety, this has peach nectar, smashed apricots. It picks up strength in the long run and adds gravel to the mix, which is unexpected.

Finish: very, very jammy. Peach jelly, raspberry jelly, strawberry jam.

Comment: I love this, which I hate to admit. I could really do without following Glenrothes on top of all the other distilleries.

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

Ben Nevis 26yo 1998/2025 (53.8 %, The Whisky Jury exclusively bottled for Germany, Refill Hogshead, C#1559, 177b, b#172)

Nose: although much less exuberant than the 1996 offerings, it bears similarities. Crushed strawberries and some unripe gooseberries. The latter confers it a slight bitterness, of course.

Mouth: quaffable, silky. It takes a while for the alcohol to bite a little, at which stage it becomes a little numbing. Still, we get watermelon slices.

Finish: it grows into a proper fruity number, here, full of melon and watermelon. That said, a clear alcohol bite kicks into gear shortly thereafter.

Comment: it has been quite the Ben Nevis parade, at this festival, eh? This one is lovely. It probably deserves 8, but after all the incredible drams we have had, it is hard to justify it.

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

Peated Islay Single Malt 31yo 1990/2022 (51.8%, The Whisky Jury bottled for Whisky Age, Refill Barrel, C#4404332, 259b, b#8)

Nose: comforting as a fireplace in a bothy. It should be entirely out of place, in this German sunshine (in a hot tent, no less), yet it works a treat. We see roasted apples take over, only softly smoky, and cigarette ash.

Mouth: smoked-orchard-fruit compote in which a smoker extinguished their cigarette. Never put out your fag in food. There are other things going on, such as hot metal pipes, but they would take more time than I have to discern and dissect.

Finish: a similar mix of roasted fruits and ash, which reminds me of the cast-iron grille used in a fireplace to roast apples.

Comment: excellent. It would possibly score higher in a more-relaxed setting.

Score: 8/10

Okay, there is one last big ticket that GB told us about and that we want to try. Armed with the dram, we go sit in the rafters.

Bowmore 30yo 1963/1993 Anniversary (50%, OB, Oak Casks, b#218)

Nose: herbs come out strongly (sage, rosemary, marjoram), only to give in under the assaults of shy tropical fruits. We have baked mango, papaya, jackfruit. It is not the debauchery of a 1964 distillation, but it is pretty clear all the same. Jellied berries follow suit, carried by an earthy undercurrent. There is a puff of smoke as one tilts the glass. If it is not a surprise that a Bowmore should have a smoky edge, it is unexpected that it should only come at this point.

Mouth: fruit jelly -- raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry. It feels a tad watery, for a second, but that does not last long. The second sip brings drying elderberry behind a bolder, more-powerful attack.

Finish: jammy. We spot jellied bananas, peaches, berries of all kinds, yet also a pronounced earthiness. Desert dirt, farm paths, fertile soil in which vines grow to produce plump grapes. It is earthier and earthier upon repeated quaffing, with blackcurrants, elderberries and an earth that turns bitter and sticky as clay, or even plasticine.

Comment: it is difficult not to let emotions influence the scoring, here, and not only because it is the final hours of the festival. It is a revered bottling that I have been keen to try for a long time, and it is, indeed, outstanding. Does it justify the current price tag of £10k-£12k? A question for each individual taster to answer. For that money, I reckon there are better things to be had, but that is only one old man's opinion.

Score: 10/10

JS: "LDNSRN."

She is right. Life does not suck, right now."

The time has come for goodbyes. Perhaps a couple of farewell drams.

Talisker 15yo b.2026 (57.1%, OB for Dornoch Castle Whisky Bar, Refill American Oak + 2nd Fill Port Seasoned Hogshead, 240b)

Nose: immense. Mineral and saline, it is also peppery (obviously). It really is a mix of ground pepper, concrete dust and salt.

Mouth: surprisingly jammy, it soon folds from an injection of salt water -- tonnes of it. Then, as Keith Flint used to say, the fire starts. Peppers of all colours rise and rise. It properly sears the mouth, this.

Finish: blackberry cough drops, sweet and chewy, are augmented with lots of black pepper.

Comment: very good, if not necessarily my favourite profile. Talisker aficionados will be over the moon with this. Yes, dom666, I am looking at you.

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

Ledaig 19yo 2005/2025 (65.5%, D&M Winchester imported by Scout Drinks, Butt, C#90002, 170b)

Nose: torched farmland, scorched earth, bonfires of manure.

Mouth: marmalade at first, it does not take long to reveal just how hot it is. It is a marmalade set on fire. That is soon joined by more black pepper than even the preceding Talisker had.

Finish: burnt wood, hessian sacks and sulphury fertiliser.

Comment: KCF really selected beautiful casks, even if this is less my personal preference.

Score: 7/10

Alright, this one has been staring at me for a while, let us go crazy.

Springbank 23yo 1965/1989 (50%, R.W. Duthie imported by S. Samaroli Ageing Monography, 660b, b#14)

Nose: incredible depth. Mint crumbles, stewed apricots, lychees, rambutans, mangoes, peaches, persimmons.

Mouth: a symphony of persimmons, peaches and jackfruit, with backing strings by Galia melon, carambola and jojoba.

Finish: insane. Fresh, fruity, long, jammy, juicy, coating, excellent.

Comment: not bad, this. This time, it is definitely because we are in the final sprint, but I get Bowmore eyes from a Springbank. Not sure that has happened before. P.H.W.O.A.R.

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

Another one? If you insist.

Tamdhu 17yo b.1977 (80° Proof, Cadenhead)

Nose: beautiful old-bottle effect. Jammy tin lids and a bit of brine.

Mouth: oh! yeah, this is jammy alright. But then, near the marmalade and stewed fruits, we have lots of tin. It is not merely the lids of the jam jars; it is as if the whole jar was made of tin. And, of course, that has transmuted the jam inside into something else.

Finish: jam stuck to the cast-iron cauldron, a pinch of soot, charred hazel wood.

Comment: how strange that this is the first Cadenhead bottling we try this weekend? There were so many, and yet... Well, no-one got bored. Anyway, this one is amazing and it is sad we have so little time to spend with it. By the way, the earliest such bottlings were filled in 1977. That is also the last year in which alcohol content and volume were only indicated in ° Proof and fl. oz. respectively, as well as the year Cadenhead moved from 47 Netherkirkgate to Golden Square. The former address is written on the label. Three tell-tale signs that this was bottled in 1977.

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

Someone had a good day!

Enough. The exhibitors are packing up.

JS and I join the Swissky Mafia and walk them to their hotel, then to the restaurant, Schwarzer Adler, where we remind them that we are not spending the evening with them, this year. It is time for goodbye.

I will drop off bags at the accommodation, then join another group of merry folks for dinner at Burgkeller.

Bärlauchkartoffeltaler auf Selleriepüree mit gegrilltem Grünen Spargel, dazu Gorgonzolasoße (JS)

Spargelsalat mit Himbeerdressing, dazu karamellisierter Ziegenkäse (me)

Around the table are Germans, Dutch, Italians (pwah! ;-) ), Russians (one of whom lives in Cyprus, just to make things less obvious), Taiwanese, an American and a Belgian. A couple of drams emerge (how could that not be the case?), namely Highland Park d.2005 (59.7%, Duty Paid Sample for C. Dully Selection, Sherry Hogshead, C#37, ca. 300b) and Bunnahabhain 27yo 1989/2017 (48.7%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogsheads, C#5858+5859, 250b) (I think), but it is really all about camaraderie -- or, as Savoureur once put it, "seeing old friends and meeting new ones." We speak all the languages represented and enjoy the moment together. We talk about food specialities of the various countries we represent and watch JKr win a rare Japanese pressing of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon at auction. And, yes, there is an episode in which one of the Russians, looking for pictures of his bicycle holiday, shows me a video of him walking casually, twice, on glowing embers, then another video of him walking casually and naked into a frozen lake. "And here is video of me fighting bear," JS later adds in a Russian accent. A truly global meeting with nothing but positive vibes. Even if I mercilessly tease the Dutch more than once, I hope they know it is in good spirit.

All good things must end, and it is time to bid everyone goodbye. "Shall we see each other in Milan?" "No, I'm not going. What about Singapore?" One would think these are all wealthy jet-setters, but they are not. Just regular people consumed by a voracious interest in whisky.