27/04/2024 The Whisky Fair (Day 1 -- Part 2)

The story started here.

From the balcony, it all seems less hectic.
It is a trap, though, as it is also a time syphon.

At least, some are making the best of their visit

From up there, we spot CD's stand. A few moments later, we are with him an PG.

Islay 25yo b.2024 (47.9%, C. Dully Selection imported by Sansibar Whisky, Bourbon Barrels, B#CD 24-88, 357b, b#281)

Nose: smoked pork, bacon, and a touch of smoke before varnished wood rocks up.

Mouth: ink and Iso Betadine, then mouldy cherries.

Finish: big, but elegant, medicinal, farm-y. It dies on a note of dark cherries.

Comment: well done, CD. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

Teacher's Highland Cream (86° Proof, Wm. Teacher & Sons sole agents for the USA Schieffelin & Co., b.1940s)

Comment: creamy alright! This is super buttery and soft, a little fruity, and surprisingly elegant, for what is allegedly full of Ardmore, a distillery that can be robustly rustic. 9/10

With the silhouette of Ardmore
on the back of the label

Everyone is surprised when they hear that JS and I are here for the first time. I have to spell out to them that we were Limburgins, until today.

Jwhatshisname and JS

Jwhatsislasname [remember him?]: "How did you know [it was me]?"

CD: "The pin. I will pin you down later, baby."

tOMoH: "Shall we leave?"

CD: "No! Please don't!"

Old Rhosdhu 30yo 1994/2024 (48.6%, C. Dully Selection)

Nose: meadow flowers, cut flowers, cut pears, then coconut aplenty, and some herbs (sage, oregano).

Mouth: sharper and more acidic than expected, filled with ground flint and dried lime zest.

Finish: big, fruity, creamy, it is a bit of an explosion, really. Sweetened green citrus fruit.

Comment: enthusiasts tend to ignore those Rhosdhus. Guess who will be disappointed, in a few years' time? 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

Longmorn 34yo 1973/2007 (54.4%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength, First Fill Sherry Butt, C#3649, JG/AIG)

Nose: varnish and lacquer. Then, it is... spinach!?

Mouth: extractive and lactic. Intense, challenging.

Finish: long, sweet, a tad bitter. Here are rubber and coffee.

Comment: a bit much for me, and, considering how much these go for, these days, that is a relief. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Jwhatsislasname)

 

St. Magdalene (Linlithgow) 32yo 1982/2015 (58.1, Cadenhead, Butt, 282b)

Nose: phwoar! Mineral, flowery and fruity at the same time, like only St Magdalene can be. It has dried lime zest to boot. Some may think that makes it even more challenging.
Mouth: yes, similar thoughts. It has rock-hard lime zest and flint chippings.
Finish: huge, like a slap in the throat. We soon have lime zest served on slate, and some lichen, foolishly trying to get some attention.
Comment: not the first time we try this, and it is always a (challenging) pleasure. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

elskling catches up to us.

Clynelish 5yo (43°, OB distributed by M. Di Chiano)

Nose: musky, mustardy (elskling), and mineral -- I find flint. It may have a whisper of pickled onions too; it is hard to tell underneath all that musk.
Mouth: fresh, fruity. The initial impression is that of cut peaches. Then, it shifts to a a dusty-sandy profile.
Finish: very big for the modest ABV, rocky and full of sands.
Comment: these old Clynelishes are incredible. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, elskling)

Glendullan 18yo b.1989 (64%, OB The Manager's Dram, Sherry Cask)

Nose: super woody and extractive. Wood glue, pickled onions, and varnished walnut shells.
Mouth: cloying, incisive. The second sip is a little more approachable, though still brutal.
Finish: woody, spicy, nutty and extractive again, desiccating.
Comment: overly woody for my preference. 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, GN)

Loch Lomond Inchfad 17yo 2005/2022 (55.5%, C. Dully Selection, Bourbon Hogsheads, C#408/411/412, 281b)

Nose: earthy, farm-y. Here, we find river dredgings, dried on the riverbank.
Mouth: the earth is a lot damper on the palate, not quite mud, but greasy, loamy soil. In fact, it turns citrus-y, with grapefruits, white and pink, and blush oranges.
Finish: yes, lots of citrus -- red grapefruits, blush oranges, pomelos. This is creamy and excellent.
Comment: another corker from the unloved distillery. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

Bowmore 18yo d.1971 (57.3%, Sestante, Sherry Wood)

Nose: very inky, blue and black inks, tar, engine oil (PG), Barbour grease. Later, we have nori, with funky fruit in the back.
Mouth: Oh! Veeeeeery briny, savoury without being meaty, a tad musky, with decayed fruit on the roof of the palate.
Finish: soot sprinkled on decayed fruit.
Comment: is there anything else to say? 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, PG)

Glen Garioch 12yo 2011/2023 Private Edition No.1 (52.5%, The Whisky Agency Rotten Glasses for Korea, Barrel, 120b)

Nose: waxy, plasticine-y, then comes a mix of flowers, fruits, and scorched earth mixed with bubble gum (PG) and chocolate (CD).
Mouth: creamy AF, this has mushy peaches, a smashed-avocado-like texture, sharon persimmon, and a dusting of dried sage.
Finish: long, but mellow and buttery. Steamed apricots, thick and coating.
Comment: sadly sold out by the time a decision is made. 8/10

PG [upon discovering GB has a sample of a legendary bottle at his stand]: "How much is the Largiemeanoch?"
tOMoH: "350€. Don't."
PG: "I could drink two other drams, for that price."

Tobermory 24yo 1994/2022 (47.2%, C. Dully Selection, Sherry Butt, C#11628, 215b)

Nose: quite a lot of pickled onions, strangely, followed by horse's hair and quarry chippings. Not an easy nose, this.
Mouth: hay, meadows, well, a grassy mouth.
Finish: long.
Comment: as the attentive reader can tell, tOMoH is rather, ahem, distracted, at this point. This is good enough, though. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, PG)

Jwhatsislasname: "Here is EG's special blend. He is sending me the recipe by voicemail -- inch'Allah, one day."

It is another dry and farm-y number, with horse's hair, some of it braided. Posh horse.

Tobermory 24yo d.1994 (49.8%, C. Dully Selection specially selected and bottled for Sansibar-Whisky, Sherry Butt, C#10942, 78b)

Nose: overripe currants and caramelised apricots.
Mouth: ooh! Drying. Fruity, but drying. A Fino cask? Oloroso, I am told. Hard to believe. Ashy sultanas and raisin stew.
Finish: very sherried, yet also well balanced, sweet, ashy, it has pressed golden currants and sultanas.
Comment: another good one, if not something I would run after myself. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, CD)

SA, JSi and HT join us

Glen Garioch 30yo 1991/2022 Edition No 65A (41.4%, Decadent Drinks Whisky Sponge, 10y in Refill Hogshead + 20y in 1st Fill Port Barrique, 175b)

Nose: intense, strong wood varnish.
Mouth: rancio and elderberry liqueur, thick and gently drying.
Finish: soft, sweet, full of sultanas, currants, and prune juice.
Comment: is it a Glen Garioch day, or what? Between this, The Whisky Agency's, and the Swisskies talking about the 1971 Samaroli they had six years ago, it would appear that way. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, SA)

All day, I pour Fettercairn 28yo 1988/2017 (48.9%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams special edition for TastToe, 16/06009) (notes here) and StilL 630 4yo Missouri Straight Bourbon b.2019 (45%, OB Bill 266, B#10, b#177) (notes here).

On the way out, I realise they sell supermarket whiskies too.

Read on here.

02/06/2018 June outturn at the SMWS

Let us get cracking!

51.5 16yo d.2001 Inside a confectioner's dreams (56.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill Barrel/ex-Bourbon, 180b): I only remember ever seeing 51.1 at the Queen Street venue in 2011, and being discouraged by the staff  to try it-- cannot remember if they said it was not all that, or if the bottle was tired (there was hardly anything left in it). In any case, one does not see a Society Bushmills every day, at least not one that does not masquerade under another number. Nose: Haribo sweets, Fraise Tagada, bubble gum, a touch of dry wood in the back, and then some herbs. Mouth: soft, sweet, fluffy -- oh! A bit of fire, now. Very hot peach compote. Finish: this is very warming, mildly metallic, fruity, but not as violently so as the nose. Milk-chocolate coulis completes the picture. 8/10

I manage to photograph 51.5 twice.
Here is a picture of cheeses instead
of 51.9.
You're welcome.

51.9 15yo d.2002 Sinful indulgence (54.2%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill Barrel/ex-Bourbon, 240b): you wait so long to see one, and two come out at once (and the numbers suggest there are three more, somewhere). Nose: drier fruits and flower petals, perfume, even. This is mellow, with powdered-sugar-sprinkled pastries. Mouth: soft, if quite warm, it has apricot nectar and caramelised compote. Finish: sweet apricot-y, with lovely apricot turnovers. 8/10

7.194 25yo d.1992 'Where the bee sucks' (53.4%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill Hogshead/ex-Bourbon, 214b): another odd one, where the name is between inverted commas. Those appear from time to time, unexplained. Nose: deep, dark peach nectar, sprinkled with rosewater, fresh mint paste and burnt rosewood. Mouth: soft, generous, fruity (a dash of cherry juice), though it has a kick too -- this is high-voltage. Finish: melted milk chocolate yellow fruit, some spices. The cherry returns briefly. Another corker. 8/10

9.146 22yo d.1995 Sweet, slightly spiced mead (52.3%, SMWS Society Cask, New Oak Hogshead/Custom Cask, 211b): nose: tobacco and rancio, brown shoe polish, barbour grease, shaving foam, hints of a rubbish lorry in the far back (and it works!), chicken tikka, too. Mouth: this one is very mellow, balanced, soft and fluffy; it has orange juice and shaving foam with a whisper of smoke. Finish: leather and dried orange rinds. 8/10

4.241 15yo d.2002 Humbrecht's cough medicine (55.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill Barrel/ex-Bourbon, 191b): notice the reference to Malt Maniac Olivier Humbrecht for those in-the-know? This is his favourite distillery. It seems like a lousy-placed self-accolade to me, and to those at my table, today. Michael Jackson taught me never to name-drop. Nose: honeyed-up heather, a lavender campfire, upon which a bowl of honey is melting. Lozenges and mints are also there. Mouth: nice, honeyed and warming, it has a pinch of grated ginger and other wood spices, as well as warm honey. Finish: mints and cough lozenges, warm honey again, heather sap and a slight bitterness. Lovely HP, this. 8/10

G15.3 8yo d.2009 Meet your cocktail maker (58.3%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill Barrel/ex-Bourbon, 235b): I try this one quickly in PS's glass. Nose: herbs and metal. Mouth: more herbs, dried moss and lichen on dry stone. Finish: decaying pear and lichen. Decent, yet not a patch on the 1967 official bottling, unsurprisingly. 6/10

GK is sponsored by Ardbeg Grooves

Ardbeg Grooves (46%, OB, ex-Wine Casks, b.2018): nose: charcoal, pencil lead, pencil shavings, then vindaloo curry -- this promises some heat! Mouth: it is crayons, now, softer and sweeter than the nose suggested, but it retains a pencil-y feel. Finish: crayons, pencils, dry earth, ash, ash, ash. Simple and rather nice. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, HT)

This year's Ardbeg truck

Very good outturn, based on those five -- I have not tried the rest of the drams. Frustratingly, there was no 135.1 left, not even by the dram, thanks to preview tastings, pre-preview tastings and pre-pre-preview tastings since Wednesday. Great planning, guys! On the day this comes out (today), several bottlings have sold out and are not available at the bar. What a wonderful way to piss off customers.

21/10/2017 Dead or Alive

This was going to be a low-attendance shindig, and I struggled to define a theme. JS, OB and MS, who confirmed their attendance, were not completely enthused by my ideas, and were not helping me with their own ideas. "Bring whatever you want," I said, "we will shoehorn into some kind of theme." The same day, I had a eureka moment: we will do that, but pour everything blind, and try to guess whether it comes from a dead distillery, or a live one. Since few people confirmed, I also take the opportunity to pull out samples and miniatures.

We have not even started and the room is
already spinning!

Dram #1 (me): nose: unripe hazelut, sugary wood (MS), almost cough syrup, corn syrup, then straw, hay bales. This smells strongly of corn syrup. It also has a touch of cardboard. Mouth: the corn syrup persists, old paper, perhaps old ink. This is subtle and pleasant. Finish: soft and sweet, with a gentle note of wood glue, and, of course, more corn syrup. 7/10

MS says alive, OB says dead, JS is not here yet. This was a trap: the distillery (Loch Lomond) is alive, but it has stopped making this particular style.


Old Rhosdhu (40%, OB, L5/L6 1602)

That is better than its reputation, even if it is not the best dram in the world.

Dram #2 (MS): nose: dry mud, dried manure, discreet rubber and perhaps a timid vanilla aroma. Nothing screams. Sandalwood (MS), incense (MS), the glue one uses to stick balsa wood planes together, as well as candy floss. Mouth: it is spicier than expected, with cassia bark, ground cardamom, drying cumin and wood splinters. Finish: hugely long, unbelievably so, for a 46% whisky; it has peppery custard, crushed cardamom, fruity sweets. This is great. I hesitate between 8 and 9. OB teases me that it should be 8.5, the fool. Thinking back to it at the end of the tasting, I mentally decide it will be 8/10

OB says alive, I say dead. Another trick question: it is likely a blended malt that might contain whisky from a dead distillery (Hanyu), along with some from a live one (Chichibu). The label is fashionably vague about the whole thing.


Ichiro's Malt MWR Mizunara Wood Reserve (46%, Venture Whisky, B#47), which makes sense, considering MS's recent fixation with mizunara. Incidentally, I was just telling him about the tasting JS and I went to a few weeks ago, and how he should look into Chichibu and Dave Broom's book. MS was convinced as a result that I knew what he had poured.

JS joins us.

JS: "I'm trying to think what that taste is, in the finish."
OB: "It's the rotting decomposition of a dead distillery."

JS: "Did you buy this at the Show?"
MS: "No, I got it from an auction site."
tOMoH: "You buy from auction sites, now?"
OB, JS, tOMoH: "Slippery slope!"

Dram #3 (OB): I immediately guess that this is not whisky. Ahem. Nose: shoe polish and leather. This is refined, as in: men in smoking jackets. Polished dashboards, unripe oranges, spiked with cloves (MS). Rosehip, rose perfume (OB), then a touch of light wood or incense. Mouth: soft and velvety, it has rose-petal jam, orange blossom and very subtle fruit (apricot and quince). Finish: wood dust, spent incense on rose-petal jam, a hint of leather, more orange blossom and polished or exotic wood. Again, I hesitate between 8 and 9. At the end of the tasting, I decide it must have been 8/10 but I hope to have a chance to try it again.

tOMoH says alive, MS says alive. JS is still catching up. It is indeed alive.

Glen Grant-Glenlivet 31yo 1985/2017 (44.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection 175th Anniversary, Sherry Butt, 312b). It is even more to my taste than the first time we tried it.

Lomar's dry sausage and chorizo enter, souvenir from a trip to the south-west of Europe.

Dram #4 (JS): nose: dusty fruit (melon, carambola, blue orange), then much warmer notes -- quiche crust, shepherd's pie. Much later on, pine needles appear, bold and pleasant, Suc des Vosges sweets. Mouth: the gentle bitterness of almond milk, augmented with peach nectar. This is silky and fruity, with a tiny bit of bitterness. Unbelievable in balance and complexity. Finish: "Amaretto," says MS, and he is dead on! Silky, syrupy, with crushed almonds, crushed apricots (stones included). Absolutely wonderful. 9/10

OB says it is dead, MS says alive, I hope it is alive. It is dead with a twist: it was built as Glen Grant 2 (observe the sequence), and Glen Grant is still alive. Glen Grant 2, however, later renamed Caperdonich, is dead.

Caperdonich 11yo 1968/1979 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice)

Dram #5 (tOMoH): nose: smoke!? OB finds soap. He has obviously not tried the Edradouche! It becomes increasingly smoky and metallic. Soap appears indeed, and violet sweets. Mouth: this packs some unsuspected horsepower and displays violet boiled sweets -- those boiled sweets that are so popular on the Continent. The smoke is subtle, the violet, less so. It works, though, in a Highland Park-12 sort of way. Horse's hair, lemon juice... no! pomelo juice. This is really nice. 8/10

MS says dead, OB says alive, JS says alive. Another booby trap: this distillery was closed twice since this was distilled, but revived both times and is now active. A zombie distillery, then.

Bladnoch 11yo d.1984 (43%, James Macarthur Fine Malts Selection)
Bladnoch from the mid-1980s can be hit or miss. This is a hit.


Dram #6 (tOMoH): two of mine in a row, as this is supposedly the last low-strength dram of the day. Nose: oooooh! The depth of this! The noblestest wood for antique furniture, musty cellars, leather desk blotters, blotting paper, old books, old bindings, dunnage warehouses -- this is amazing! Plum tarts, powdered sugar, aged, dried-cured ham and coal smoke. Mouth: a dusty fruitiness shines, with blackberry jam, blueberry pancakes, pressed raisins. OB: "The taste is good; I would like it a bit stronger." :-) Farm-y tones (horse's sweat?), berries liqueur. This is phenomenal. I wish I could spend more time with it to understand all its intricacies. Finish: blackberry jam and smoke. Actually, it is blackberry jam, cooking on a wood-fired stove. This reeks of yesteryear! Old desks, ink, empty flower vases, memories. Wow. Hard for words to do it justice, really. 10/10 (Thanks for the sample, pat gva)

OB, JS and MS all say it is alive. They are right.


Strathisla 35yo (43%, OB for the Bi-centenary of Strathisla Distillery, b.1986)

Dram #7 (MS): nose: a tannery, oats (MS), something cider-y (OB) -- yep: apple mash. Wine notes start competing for attention, with more leather, decayed grapes, a flower broth, earth and peppermint. This is pretty hot. Mouth: it is rather tannic, yet it also has bakery notes, softened leather and syrup, poured on earth -- or earthy syrup. Breathing makes it sweeter. Finish: smoked leather, biltong and, later, a huge sweetness. Not quite maple syrup, but honey-glazed, smoked ribs. Water does not change it. 7/10

I say alive, OB says dead. MS tells us before JS can guess: it is alive.


Dailuaine 9yo 2007/2017 (57.2%, A.D. Rattray Cask Collection, Sherry Butt, c#151, 656b)

Playthatgame the tucan approves

Dram #8 (OB): nose: elegant peat, hot with boiled cabbage, dry straw, tree bark, seafood and sand on the shore. Sea salt, tanned leather, coal dust and soot. Eventually, toasted bread too. My guess is this is a 1980s Caol Ila. Mouth: hot, dry, with hay, smoky peat, but also crushed berries. This is sweet and ashy. Tar (OB), hot sand. Powerful and satisfying, it has tarry ropes and hay bales. Finish: salty seafood (oysters, mussels, clams) and a distinct sweetness. "Clean, chalky, powdery, ashy quality," says MS. It is ashy indeed, very ashy, in fact. Spent incense, the ashtray of an open fireplace, salty oysters, diesel engines. 9/10

JS says dead, MS says alive, tOMoH says alive. And it is another trick question: it is dead, but the proprietor advertised its reopening last week. Another zombie.


Port Ellen 28yo 1983/2011 (58.9%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead, C#MoS11011, 267b, b#60)

OB: "Peat tends to level things like that."
me: "Yes, he's a dick, like that."

I don't mind looking like a dick, when I drink whisky.

JS (with a blender's glass in her hand): "I don't mind looking like a dick, when I drink whisky."
OB: "I don't mind drinking a dick, while looking at whisky."

Dram #9 (JS): nose: an unbelievable richness, with cascades of flowers (yellow and white) and juicy fruit. So much fruity jam! Mouth: fresh and silky, creamy, with more fruit compote and jam. It has a pinch of green chilli, melted caster sugar and a green, mildly bitter note. Finish: all sorts of fruit jams -- baking, on toast, in sauces. Fruity and sweet. The fruit turns gently tropical too -- persimmon. Absolutely beautiful and humblingly perfect. Do not think it is a jammy one-trick pony; it is complex, yet so integrated it is impossible to detect all the flavours... and we are nine drams down. :-) 10/10

OB cannot believe anyone would have closed a distillery that produces something like this, so he says alive, MS goes with dead. I say dead. It is, unfortunately, dead.

99.11 29yo Tickled by 'monstera deliciosa' (43.4%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 192b)

We stop there. I had one more foreseen, but it feels superfluous and everyone has to go anyway. Bizarrely, considering the almost modest number of drams, I feel that I have had more than enough to drink. What drams, though! Quality throughout from all the participants!

24/09/2016 Garden birds

MS kindly offered to host this tasting in his newly-refurbished garden. The weather looks like summer, still, so it would be rude not to seize what might be the last opportunity of the year.

He called me up last week to throw in the towel regarding the theme: he said he could not come up with one, though he had been fascinated with the birds in his garden and tried to work up something that would hint at that. My answer was simple: "How about garden birds?"

We had visitors, too

JS and I make the trip South, along with JK, who is visiting from New York. BA, PS and RMcC called off, too busy as they are, doing the inventory of their extensive collections of toothbrushes. I rummage through the collection to try and find something to make up for their absence (and their bottles').

Allt-a-Bhainne 1991/2007 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, JG/BAB) (me): I brought this because it smells of gentle garden fruits. Nose: freshly-cut apples, citrus peels and juicy cut grass. Mouth: lemon, water, custard with a twist -- a twist of what, I will never manage to figure out. Finish: lovely warm custard and a dash of pepper. This is a modern malt indeed: it has coconut shaving, vanilla pods and lashes of lime water. Pleasant, though. 8/10

Food enters. Salami, cured beef slices, garlic pods, pickles and onions, blue cheese, English camembert and crackers. All excellent.

MmMmmMMMMmMmmmM!

Glentauchers 26yo 1989/2016 (48.2%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 108b) (me): I stumbled upon this one while rummaging, did not see how to make it fit the theme, yet I thought I would still take it along and try to wing it. Garden birds. Wing it. See? Nose: this one has a touch of pickled vinegar. I first think I am too close to the onions and pickles, but it remains. Cut pears appear too. Mouth: more powerful than expected, yet it is balanced. Fresh grass, and still that vinegary note. Simple, but nice enough. Finish: boom. It is bitter and thin for a second, then fruit waves come crashing in. This is almost too thin and green, yet the fruity punch in the finish is gold! 8/10 (thanks SW for the sample)

Old Rhosdhu 1967/1999 (40%, OB The Original Whisky Collection) (me): this, I know, smells of garden fruits again. Nose: baked apples, grapes (JK), quinces (JK), old weatherproof boots (MS). MS reckons this has an oily quality to it, whilst JK confirms it is perfume oil. I find tomato plant (ooh! That's new) and even a note of faded leather, later on. Mouth: apple compote to the max. This is velvety, soft, sweet and fruity. Finish: long, fruity and laden with Austrian apricot liqueur (JK). I still love it! 9/10

Deanston 35yo 1977/2012 (40.4%, The Whisky Agency/The Nectar, Refill Hogshead, 253b) (JS): this bottle has a bird on the label. It might be a hummingbird, it is still a bird -- and even a garden bird; just not in Europe. Nose: green grapes, peach, apple, Chinese gooseberry. It also has a slight vinegary note and... Virginia tobacco!? Cut meadow flowers, cut grass, even a drop of coffee. Mouth: JK finds it has heft and musk and the texture of sikhye, a Korean rice drink (식혜). MS says pineapple -- there is green pineapple indeed. Finish: a small explosion of tropical fruit (pineapple, papaya, mandarin and even a hint of mango). I love this. The best Deanston I have had and I am looking forward to trying it again. 9/10

Dailuaine 16yo 1997/2013 (52.9%, The Scottish Liqueur Centre Beinn A'Cheò, C#4237, 302b) (MS): MS just received this and cannot wait to open it, even if it is not in theme. Who are we to refuse? Nose: pickled red onions, brine, whiffs of earth, dry soil and a mineral side to it too. Water tames it to a more approachable profile, less briny. Mouth: interesting turn -- it is nothing like the nose. Coating custard, melted caramel -- actually, a lot of it. Chocolate éclair. Water brings out more gentle caramel. Finish: in line with the palate -- chocolate éclair with a caramel coulis and the bitterness of unripe green grapes. This is most peculiar. The nose is more interesting than good, but the mouth and finish make up for it. 7/10

Chocolate enters: candied orange rolled into dark chocolate sticks, as well as cigarillos de chocolate.

24 blackbird, geddit?

Longmorn 24yo 1990/2015 (53.7%, Speciality Drinks The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#191954, 216b) (MS): Sing a song of sixpence / A pocket full of rye / Four and twenty blackbirds / Baked in a pie. 24yo, blackbirds, there you go. That is pretty good, I think. Nose: a vague sensation of thin smoke. Apricot compote left in a cauldron on the rack and pinion too low for too long (in other words: caramelised), apple sauce at room temperature (MS), peach (JK), hot iron, marshmallow, tobacco leaves. Mouth: it has a metallic edge and the acidity of lime, though it becomes creamier with time. Pencil shavings? A pencil-sharpener blade, rather. Finish: lemon sharpness with a veil of thin smoke. This is lovely! Complex and unexpected. 8/10

MS's Solera Blended Malt (±58%, MS's Collection, 1b) (MS): MS was having a lark doing this. :-) It contains 123.13, 85.13, 77.41, 46.35, 2.92, 44.72. Nose: a satsuma tree, butter, slowly melting in the sun through the kitchen window, cheese rind -- another strange and unexpected one. Mouth: it tingles the front of the tongue with orange peel, white pepper and cocoa powder. Finish: warming, it dies out with remnants of orange rinds, drying on the radiator. 8/10

JS even dressed in theme!

G5.5 18yo d.1993 Rich, sweet and comforting (65.4%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Virgin Toasted Hogshead, 243b) (me): this typically tastes of blackcurrant, garden fruit. Nose: "It's like taking the lid off a matte-emulsion paint pot. I would say: white." (MS) Pencil shavings (JK), Graham crackers (MS). To me, it is indistinct pastry at first, then an onslaught of blackcurrant turnover. Mouth: hot, with warm custard, pastry galore, toasted coconut... and the fabled blackcurrant kicks you in the teeth. Meow, blackcurrant. :-) Finish: "The blackcurrant is just a more intense version of pencil shaving," says JK. It feels powerful to me, akin to sucking a blackcurrant cough drop. Unfortunately, MS is not a huge fan of blackcurrant and it is a bit strong for JK. Ah! well, I love it. 9/10

Bunnahabhain 42yo 1968/2011 (43.8%, Whisky-Fässle/Whiskybase.com, Refill Sherry Cask) (me): although not strictly speaking a garden bird, the label sports a mallard. For people who live near a waterway, a mallard is close enough to a garden bird. Nose: deep and noble, it is also very fruity (squashed strawberries, plums and peach stones). Dunnage warehouse, apple slices, orange slices. Mouth: mossy and slightly drying, this has dunnage warehouse written all over it (see previous tasting for an explanation). Red grapes with their pips, apple peels, even balsamic vinegar. There is a tropical-fruit touch to it, as well as a hint of coal smoke. Finish: phwoar! All is there in harmony -- the fruit, the smoke, the happiness. Red grapes, apples in syrup, hint of coal smoke. It feels a little weak; it was probably not too clever to have it after G5.5. It still holds its own, though. JK is confused as to whether she likes it or not and blames G5.5 for her destroyed palate. 9/10

Off-tasting, we then have:

St Magdalene 1982/2008 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd Berrys' Own Selection, C#2199) (MS): an old friend, this; I finished my own bottle during the 2011 riots. MS heard me talk about StM and wanted to try it. Nose: flint, lemon, crisp apple, a surprising trace of smoke, then garden flowers. Mouth: the lemon affair goes on, with a lovely shortcrust addition. The dominant notes are lemon and apple, still. Finish: subtle, mellow, lemony, creamy, it displays apple slices and a murmur of smoke. This is still bloody marvellous. Should have bought a dozen bottles at the time. 9/10

9.109 12yo d.2003 (59.3%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 90b) (MS): a small outturn if I know one. Nose: very clear cow dung in a pasture. Who poured me a Brora? Caramel (JK) (note to self: do not eat JK's caramel when in NYC), richly purple s'mores (MS), grape juice (MS). The fruit gets more expressive over time and other scents come forward too. Wet grass, a stencil machine, drenched in purple (MS) -- that would be xylene. I still have an interesting combination of cow dung and grape juice. The cow dung disappears, making room for lavender and violet sweets. Mouth: hot and gently drying, with violet boiled sweets. Actually, when the violet sweets kick in, they take over completely. Finish: blackcurrant emerges, as said on the label, with more violet boiled sweets. There is a greenness to it, the bitterness of a plant stem. It is very interesting and highly unusual, especially for a Glen Grant. Not that I claim much familiarity with the distillery, mind. 7/10

It is now dark and chilly. We call it a tasting, venture into the pub next door, destroy cheeseburgers (we spent the afternoon pigging out, too!), then part. What a beautiful day!