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.

25/04/2026 The Whisky Fair (Day 1 -- Part 1)

Year three, and, already, habits are well established. I pick up breakfast from Bäckerei Huth.

As I come back from the bakery with my loot, I discover that EG is staying in the same building. Ha! Ha!

"Wilkommen," he shouts from the top floor.

Replenished and ready for action, JS and I head to the venue where we meet elskling and LsR. They are flabbergasted that I am wearing camouflage, not a shirt and a blazer. I has got to keep they on they toes.

They invite us to join them in the queue; it is a bit of a dick move, but we accept. We also know how quickly the queue moves and know it will make virtually no difference to those whom we just set back by a couple of places. Indeed, when the doors open, we are in in seconds.

JS and I skip the usual gathering place, today. Last year, we missed out on some bottlings because we were too late in the day. This year, we decide to prioritise those above anything else. That takes us to The Whisky Jury, the next to last stall in the tent, the furthest area of the festival. The staff recognise us immediately. It is quickly clear we rushed for nothing, as they have nothing for sale. At least, we can try their bottlings.

All weekend, we pour Caperdonich 11yo 1968/1979 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice) and 57.4 15yo 1979/1994 Fearsome indeed; smoky, spicy and savoury (63.1%, SMWS Society Cask). I will not explicitly mention when anymore.

Bowmore 21yo 2005/2026 (52.8%, The Whisky Jury, Refill Hogshead, C#250906, 224b, b#224)

Nose: smoky pickles followed by creamy peach in sea air. JS finds it a bit rubbery.

Mouth: smoke, gravels, pebbles. It opens to reveal passion fruits and chargrilled nut shells.

Finish: a lot of ash and char, but also lovely fruits (peach, mango, papaya).

Comment: what a way to start! Perhaps my score is too generous (especially when compared to later drams), but I am seduced.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram. TWJ)

Ben Nevis 28yo 1996/2025 (47.8%, The Whisky Jury in honour of Derek John Smith, Refill Hogshead, C#1321, 259b, b#105)

Nose: fresh, but a bit closed. Some herbs painstakingly come through. It ends up giving some fruits, mostly apples. Then, timid white peaches enter the scene.

Mouth: ah! A bit dirty, it pushes engine grease as well as unripe fruits.

Finish: a soft explosion of fruits such as peaches, plums and even persimmons. It has some dirty funk, after a while, reminding us that it is a Ben Nevis indeed.

Comment: this should improve in the open bottle. Already, it is good.

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

JS spots another Ben Nevis. Or two.

Ben Nevis 30yo 1996/2026 (45.3%, The Whisky Agency & Sansibar A Joint Bottling Collection Spring 2026, Hogshead)

Nose: toffee coated in tropical fruit juice. It smell as creamy as smashed peach.

Mouth: and creamy it is too, with a soft acidic note and a more mineral aspect.

Finish: the dirty Ben Nevis funk is overpowered by lovely peaches. JS finds it nutty to boot.

Comment: woah!

Score: 9/10

Strathmill 37yo 1988/2025 (49.4%, The Whisky Agency & Three Rivers, Hogshead)

Nose: fruit juice sprinkled onto precious wood. It has a minimal rubbery or glue-like touch that merely gives it complexity. Or is it wood lacquer?

Mouth: it is all about texture, here. The taste is good, but unremarkable, especially after that nose. Smoked peach and crushed peach stones, a dollop of glue to keep it together. However, it is the lovely creamy texture that catches the attention.

Finish: what just happened? Varnished wood? Fruit purée? A lick of rubber?

Comment: holy molly, this is good.

Score: 8/10

Strathmill 37yo 1988/2025 (45.1%, The Whisky Agency & Sansibar A Joint Bottling Collection Spring 2026, Hogshead)

Nose: jasmine, rosehip, honeysuckle and sarcococca. Then, Fraises Tagada take over.

Mouth: it has a clear woody structure, with a minimal bitterness and lignin. All that disappears as soon as a creamy fruitiness emerges to shine and shine, augmented with a droplet of fortified wine for fun.

Finish: warming and fruity, it gives peaches and persimmon in a straw-filled wicker basket.

Comment: wonderful.

Score: 9/10

Auchentoshan 26yo 1999/2025 (50.6%, The Whisky Agency & East Village Whisky Company for Birthdays United, Barrel)

Nose: a bit mute at first, it ends up peddling pomelo and pink grapefruit in a yoghurt form.

Mouth: initially soft, it gains vigour with time. Pepper, lemon and lime zest, perhaps oregano too.

Finish: creamy and chocolate-y, this has mild chocolate augmented with lime zest.

Comment: very good, if not the stunner that some other recent Auchentoshans have been.

Score: 8/10

Glenrothes 36yo 1989/2025 (44.8%, The Whisky Agency, Hogshead, 184b)

Nose: waxy and leathery, this has citrus peels sniffed off of a leather sofa.

Mouth: mellow, fruity (yellow fruits), with a touch of leather on the tip of the tongue.

Finish: more yellow fruits, now topped with berries. It is a creamy finish that never ends, by the way.

Comment: even this non-fan of Glenrothes is taken by this.

Score: 8/10

This guy's polo short makes us think of
Chief-Franconian MV
who sadly could not make it, this year

Glen Keith 30yo 1994/2025 (53%, The Whisky Agency, Barrel, 263b)

Nose: funky! Straw, hay and Lederhosen. We saw a bloke wearing a Dirndl, earlier; this is that. Later on, we have a muddy herbs emulsion.

Mouth: the fruity bitterness at play is taken to great lengths. Orange rinds, grapefruit peels. Indeed, it is fruity, but not extravagantly so.

Finish: bitterness continues, almost rubbery, reminiscent of tyres.

Comment: it is delicious, if clearly not as seductive as other Glen Keiths from that vintage.

Score: 8/10

Glen Grant 26yo 1999/2025 (51.2%, The Whisky Agency, Hogshead, 203b)

Nose: deep and dark this has dark berries aplenty, perhaps honey-glazed mushrooms.

Mouth: a robust bitter Sherry maturation from what I can tell, with myrtles and blackberries on top.

Finish: it is bitter here too, though it is more pine cones than needles (which the official notes talk about) and, really, closer to dark-wood furniture.

Comment: although decent, this is much less my thing.

Score: 7/10

That is our clue to visit another stall. Oh! Here is Kirk Barleycorn.

Highland Park 24yo 1972/1996 (55.9%, Adelphi Distillery, C#1657, Rotation 96/546 PH18/96)

Nose: pickles and smoked fruits, and those fruits keep rising. Peaches, plums, kumquats.

Mouth: ooft! Powerful, it has a tonne of pepper that almost hides similar smoky, pickled yellow fruits.

Finish: creamy as smoked peaches. Pickle brine with only a whisp of smoke.

Comment: challenging and excellent.

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

Hello elskling, hello LsR.

Springbank 16yo d.2001 (46.8%, OB Duty Paid Sample, First Fill Hogshead, Rotation 683)

Nose: dirty, soot-y smoke gives way to juicy fruits. JS spots barbecued or grilled pork, then sulphury fruits.

Mouth: silky, soft (what?), it has some pepper, after a minute, and drying rancio.

Finish: assertive, not brash, it has rancio, droplets of Sherry and musty clay floors.

Comment: another very good Springbank.

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

JS comes back from an expedition and shares:

Islay 27yo b.2025 (47.8%, C.Dully Selection, Bourbon Barrel, Vatting 133159C, 316b)

Nose: ashy, it has burnt branches turning to ashes, then tobacco and warm cigar leaves.

Mouth: ashy, drying, with a little bit of fruit too.

Finish: much softer a finish than expected, it has yellow fruits and still fine ashes.

Comment: good.

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

Karuizawa 31yo 1981/2013 (56%, Number One Drinks Company Noh Whisky, Sherry Butt, C#155, 595b)

Nose: beautiful Sherry, elegant and varnishy. It is surprisingly balanced, yet its sheer power emerges gloriously with time.

Mouth: strong, prune-y. It has a bold rancio kick.

Finish: big, muscular and earthy, it has lots of prunes and a strong rancio. Earthy fruits (prunes, elderberries) and a soft woody touch.

Comment: excellent Karuizawa. It still is not my go-to profile, but it is unquestionably well made.

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

Glenfarclas 25yo b.1977 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail to commemorate The Queen's Silver Jubilee imported by Co. Import)

Nose: pickled lychee, rambutan, mangosteen.

Mouth: jasmine and lychee rub elbows with egg white and omelette. That pickled fruit, though...

Finish: wonderful. It has many of the same fruits we found on the nose. Long and luscious finish with lychee and white peach.

Comment: have we found the dram of the show yet? GB recommended this yesterday when we bumped into him on the street. He was not exaggerating. How fitting to try this today, four days after the late Queen's birthday anniversary, and on the day German television broadcast a documentary on the subject that I watched this morning?

Score: 9/10

Caol Ila 26yo 1977/2003 (57.7%, Douglas Laing The Old & Rare Platinum Selection, 86b)

Nose: a faint smoke introduces seaweed, pebbles licked by the lapping (sea water) and marzipan.

Mouth: sweet and salty as only Caol Ila can be, it has sea water and marzipan again.

Finish: inky sea water and a shovelful of sand, before it continues with candied citrus peels.

Comment: classic Caol Ila from a certain era. The main attraction, here, is how limited this is. But even without that, it is excellent.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, GB and thanks for sharing, elskling)

We move again.

20/03/2026 DWequinox at 3 Greek Street

DWeaster had to move, due to another shindig. Although he has nothing to do with the organisation of the event, tOMoH makes an executive decision to rename it DWequinox, on account of the date.

In attendance are DW, SOB, MSo, CDn, DR, DC, BA, cavalier66, TS, WS, JL, JS, YM and others whose initials I fail to write down. It would also be odd to go around the room and ask point-blank -- ha! ha!

It is the now-usual affair, bottles on the tables, free pour, freestyling session with no structure whatsoever. That probably means that everyone's experience is hugely personal. It also leaves time for socialising, for those who want to do that more. As often in that setting, notes are minimalistic, and not all bottles are attributed to their kind owners.

For reference, I brought D.town 33yo d.1979 (56.3%, Cadenhead Cask Ends, 3rd Fill Bourbon Cask, 1b) (notes here) and Inver-Regal (43° Gay Lussac, J.H. Wham & Son (Largs), for testing purposes only, b. pre-1991) (notes here) JS brought Sandy Macnab’s Old Blended Scotch 5yo (40%, Macnab Distilleries, b.1980s) (notes here) and Hazelburn 9yo 2008/2018 (59.9%, OB Duty Paid Sample, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, Warehouse 15, Rotation #4) (notes here). Amusingly enough, three out of our four bottles are one-offs.

I try none of them, since I know them well and there is so much else to try.

Glenrothes 21yo d.1975 (46%, Direct Wines First Cask, C#6045, b#167) (PF)

Nose: fresh, leafy and floral, it also offers cut orchard fruits.
Mouth: it is more savoury here, though it gains fruit at second sip. In fact, it is sherbet more than fruits.
Finish: fresh and fruity. We now pick up sherbet and dried raspberry slices.
Comment: I cannot read the distillery name on the spot (it is written small, the Direct Wine logo obstructs the view, and the lighting is inadequate). The profile should suggest a 'rothes. A good 'rothes. 8/10

JL: "What are you working on?"
tOMoH: "Embiggening my cock."
JL: "Oh! So nothing has changed [since last time I saw you]."
tOMoH: "Nope. No success to-date either."

Ardbeg 20yo 1992/2013 (46.6%, Whiskybroker.co.uk, Refill Hogshead, C#434, 222b, b#4) (PF)

Nose: oyster shells, salt water, peat smoke caught in fishing nets and ink.
Mouth: it is decidedly inky, almost tarry -- no! not almost. Proper tarry sands, like.
Finish: big and tarry again, with wood smoke added for good measure.
Comment: competent effort. I think I hear that the father of the owner of this bottle used to own the cask. Do not quote me on that. 7/10

Glen Elgin 20yo d.1995 (51.5%, Claxton The Single Cask, Refill Hogshead, Cask Ref 1609-1671, 194b, b#40)

Nose: fresh raspberries become dried strawberries and talcum powder sprinkled on new socks.
Mouth: woah! This has quite a bite. Mineral and acidic, it is akin to the effervescent reaction caused by acid dripped on limestone.
Finish: long, wide, acidic and mineral. It even emits a whiff of delicate smoke, in the long run.
Comment: excellent Elgin. 8/10

cavalier66: "Here it is. The Cadenhead gang. We had it good, didn't we? All those great bottlings, month after month..."
SOB: "2017 to 2020 were great years."
cavalier66: "And then, it just stopped. Like that."
MSo: "That's the thing with life. Things are good, then they just end."
tOMoH: "This is the most philosophical I've ever known you, MSo."

Táin 20yo 2001/2022 (56.1%, Irish Spirit Echoes of Éire, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Cask, C#4551, 66b, b#49)

Nose: phwoar! How pretty are these Irish whiskies, eh? Mango, papaya and a lick of metal.
Mouth: big and fluffy, the palate has peaches, mangoes and strawberry sweets. It is a notch drying at second sip, much like those sweets.
Finish: huge and hugely fruity, here are the same fruits and more strawberry sweets. I dare not say Fraises Tagada.
Comment: another cracking one. 9/10

JL reaches for something under the counter.

Johnnie Walker 12yo Black Label (43%, John Walker & Sons imported by Wax & Vitale) (JL)

Nose: dusty, fruity, soot-y. Soot-covered strawberries. JS finds it rubbery.
Mouth: faded leather cleaned with strawberry coulis.
Finish: a blast of strawberry paste or jelly, and a dusting of old-school soot.
Comment: delicious. 8/10

tOMoH: "Is this yours?"
DC: "Yes."
tOMoH: "May I?"
DC: "Sure. I also brought a rum. What an idiot. A rum. To a whisky tasting."
JS: "Many here like rum too."
tOMoH: "Yeah. There is so much whisky already, though. That's why it's not getting much love."

Dornoch 5yo 2018/2023 (55.9%, OB, 1st Fill Bourbon Octave, C#80, 82b, b#20) (DC)

Nose: pickle and brine flirt with chocolate coulis and dried wood. Walnut spread appears next.
Mouth: it is weird, here. Maybe it has glue? Yes, there is a lot of that upon chewing. Then, it has linoleum strips and wood.
Finish: it is balanced, but what it balances is glue and linoleum strips. It works in an odd way. Then, suddenly, nut spread and chocolate kick in.
Comment: interesting. 7/10

DR has me try the last drops of a sample he brought. I try to guess what it is.

tOMoH: "Hard to tell. It could be anything from 1992-1993..."
DR: "Well, you got the vintage right."
tOMoH: "Did I? Well, that narrows it down! How old is it?"
DR: "It is seven. It is the first organic whisky."
tOMoH: "Ah! Springbank Dà Mhìle."
DR: "Spot on!"

Springbank 7yo 1992/1999 Organic (46%, OB for Dà Mhìle, 1000b)

Nose: soft, floral, it has a vague hint of smoke, though it manages to stay fresh.
Mouth: similar fresh-and-floral character.
Finish: it ends with a modest blast of soot.
Comment: lovely to try this again. The first time was in 2017 and I took no notes. 7/10

Tobermory (Ledaig) 24yo 2001/2025 (52.2%, Thompson Bros. specially bottled for Dornoch Castle 25th Anniversary, Refill Hogshead, C#201, 158b) (DW)

Nose: this one has ink, petrol and seal wax. The second nose brings suede and horse's hair. Later yet, it is spent matches that tickle the nostrils.
Mouth: sweetened sea water, petrol and ink, as well as crushed seashells.
Finish: more petrol and ink are balanced by a slightly-sweeter touch.
Comment: this is excellent. 8/10

Dalmunach 10yo 2015/2025 (58.5%, Cadenhead Club, Oak Casks + 3 x Oloroso Hogsheads since 2024, 1032b) (SOB)

Nose: hard to tell for sure, by now, but oil wood seems to come out strong, then lots of cherries (maraschino and candied more than fresh).
Mouth: it is seriously woody, which comes as a surprise, considering the age, perhaps less when seeing the colour. Teak and mahogany are the loudest.
Finish: oiled wood, chestnut spread, walnut dashboards.
Comment: interesting whisky. My first Dalmunach. SOB chose it after checking this blog to verify I had never tried any. Is that not considerate? 7/10

MSo [about his gaff]: "Ten minutes' walk to the tube station. It keeps me slender and fit."
tOMoH: "You did lose some weight."
MSo: "Yeah. If my wife were a better cook, we'd be having a different conversation, right now."

Linkwood 28yo 1994/2023 (51.7%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength, Refill Sherry Butt, C#12601202, B#23/208, 656b, 230085) (MSo)

Nose: oh! Here is an animalistic number, a fair bit musky. It has a bit of plasticine too.
Mouth: ooft! Green-grape skins, cured fruits, a lick of stainless-steel metal.
Finish: surprisingly soft, it has chocolate and a minute smoke.
Comment: good. 7/10

DC: "How can you still write after all these whiskies?"
tOMoH: "I can write easily. Re-reading myself is the problem. But then, that's a problem even when I'm sober."
MSo: "The thing with tOMoH is he's in a consistent level of drunkenness. His handwriting is always immaculate."

Ardbeg 10yo b.2025 Cask Strength (61.7%, OB Committee Exclusive 2026, Bourbon Casks)

Nose: stacks of hay, hot smoked mussels and plasticine.
Mouth: woah! This is inky, salty and smoky. Tarry sands drenched in sea water.
Finish: it kicks like a mule. There is a smidge of barley and salt water, augmented with petrol and crushed seashells.
Comment: funny to see the similarities with the Whiskybroker bottling from earlier. There has been a lot of hype around this bottling. It is not bad, but the hype is disproportionate to the quality, in my opinion. 7/10

We disband and, after spending a good while chatting with SW, disappear into the night.

07/09/2024 Glenrothes

We keep our focus on plastic samples. It is another one from Cadenhead, and you will note we are not having these in the given order. That is how rock 'n roll tOMoH is. Does not play by anyone's rules. Not even his own. Tasted blind, of course.

#1: nose: this smells youngish, around the twelve-to-fifteen-year-old mark, which is to say it is a little prickly on the nose, with gherkin brine, wash, and oat milk. That is soon enough balanced out when the wash puts on a barley-custard cape, cereal-y, but most importantly sweeter. In truth, however, this nose is not that expressive. Cereals grow more assertive, and are sprinkled with dust, but we do not find much more. The second nose is totally different; we step into a bothy, or, better yet, a garden shed, while a garden fire burns outside, and rightfully blows some smoke indoors. You read that right: we are getting the tiniest whiff of smoke. Mouth: prickly alright! Chicory infusion, or rather, chicory granules, crunchy and bitter, if ultimately pleasant. We have an empty hot Moka pot, fenugreek, and torched crayons. Indeed, although carried by a creamy, silky texture, this is a bitter palate, if more chicory leaves than dry earth. The second sip is cooler, a spoonful of melted chocolate ice cream. One may well detect a dash of caramel coulis poured on said ice cream. It retains some of the bitterness in the finish, now made more welcoming by the addition of chocolate -- milk chocolate, melted chocolate, chocolate pudding, congealed chocolate custard. This is a long finish, nutty, chocolate-y, a blend of almond and chocolate milks, very much a winning combination. The second gulp takes the above to a higher level with a drop of walnut liqueur, sweet, bitter, warming. It leaves the gums throbbing for a wee while. Honest drop. Glenrothes-Glenlivet 23yo b.2020 (46%, Cadenhead, Original Collection, 60% Bourbon + 40% Sherry Casks) 7/10

09/08/2024 Two more Glenrothes

Glenrothes d.1997 (49%, Cask Sample, Hogshead, C#970717939): nose: a sharp number that promises to be both (mildly) acidic and fruity. Here are cured peaches and nectarines, dusted with fizzy sherbet, the likes of which one can find in those flying saucer sweets. That is soon joined by sliced wholemeal bread, then promptly submerged by a flood of strawberry jam. Once that flood stabilises, we find fruit-scented shaving foam too, which is as fresh as it is unexpected. Slowly but surely, peaches climb back into the spotlight, supported by polished wood -- or is it peach squash and sparkling water? The second nose has strawberries in a thicker consistency, somewhere between jam, jelly, and compote, and a fleeting note of mosquito repellent -- so fleeting it is hard to decide whether it is Autan spray, or Baygon mats. Either way, it is not a common note! Mouth: the attack is at once fruity and woody. Next to cut peaches and nectarines, we have bits of a smashed walnut dashboard, the edges of which have been filed smooth. It also has polished peach stones and stewed berries (gooseberries, white currants, logan berries). The second sip comes across as more powerful, and has a mixture of juicy fruits (still peaches and nectarines), and mosquito repellent applied on the skin, then inadvertently licked (tOMoH was never dumb enough to lick Baygon mats, inadvertently or otherwise). How quaint! Unripe strawberries stand watch in the background. Finish: warming, the 49% give a decent kick without any burn. It is just comfortable. Here, we find more of that lovely fruitiness, and just a little wood. The latter produces a bitterness that, although gentle, is way clearer than on the palate. It is reminiscent of unripe currants, if not green hazelnuts. Oddly, the second gulp is less bitter, more-clearly jammy, and a little tropical: Chinese gooseberries and remote lychee are having an over-the-wooden-fence discussion with unripe gooseberries and currants. It may well have chopped green pepper too. On the other hand, all trace of wood seems to have vanished. This one is probably even more to my liking than Monday's. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, JW)

Glenrothes d.1997 (50.7%, Cask Sample, Hogshead, C#970717942): nose: to claim it is hugely different would be a lie, which is logical, considering it is a sister cask. It also has peaches and nectarines, yet the whole is perhaps tarter, as if punctuated with unripe mirabelle plums and greengages. Indeed, we have mirabelle-plum turnovers made with unripe fruits. There is also a lick of acrylic paint applied a few days ago, leading to a fading scent. A couple of minutes in, it settles on familiar ground: ripe peaches take centre stage, supported by shelled hazelnuts. The second nose seems sweeter, as well as more citrus-y; candied kumquats, old mixed peel, tangerine marmalade. Over time, the nose develops a certain floral quality, with dark roses, burgundy tulips, carnations and peonies. Mouth: the attack is a departure in that it is pure peach jam, warm and lush. Astoundingly, it feels mellower than the previous dram, despite its higher ABV. Well! Keep it in the mouth for a minute, and it will prove it is not yet flat -- far from it. Tickling the taste buds and the roof of the mouth, we see ginger powder and a minute sprinkle of asafoetida, which adequately complement that lovely peach jam. The second sip is more stripping; less spicy, but more-overtly acidic. Maybe it is closer to grape juice that contains some unripe grapes. Repeated sipping introduces an oilcloth dusted in powdered ginger and ground mace. Finish: probably a tad woodier, this one points at virgin white-oak staves: vanilla pods, white-wood sawdust, and bakery shenanigans, yet nutmeg too. In fact, it is unexpectedly spicy, this finish. Not hot, but rich in spices. The second gulp brings back more fruits, albeit less than ripe, and therefore bitterer. Unripe plums, peaches, mirabelle plums, maybe even green bananas. We also find yellow-tulip petals and daffodils to match the fruit, after a while. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, JW)

It would appear tOMoH likes Glenrothes, now.