17/07/2026 Savoureur’s surprise birthday party

In April when JS and I bumped into PH, she invited us to come back to Limburg today to celebrate Savoureur’s milestone birthday -- unbeknownst to him. Here we are, then, with thirty-or-forty others, some of whom are familiar faces, but mostly new acquaintances to meet.

When Savoureur and PH make it to the venue and he spots us all, he is genuinely surprised and enthusiastic at the idea of spending an evening with friends.

Savoureur: "Thank you all for joining us here, some from outside of the EU, even!"

PH: “I booked dinner for forty people. Some have forgotten to come, but I did not cancel their food. You may have to help eat their share.”
tOMoH [to himself]: “Mission accepted.”

We all enjoy a glass of prosecco before proceeding to the real stuff. It quickly turns into an open bar and I do not know who brought what; notes are scant and I cannot always attribute the bottle to its owner.

James Martin’s V.V.O. (40°, James Martin imported and distributed by Distillerie Riunite di Liquori)

Nose: old-bottle effect, tin lids, jars of marmalade and copper coins.

Mouth: soft, mellow, it still presents hazelnut shells and a lick of copper.

Finish: nutty, timidly leathery, it serves scoops of caramel-and-hazelnut ice cream.

Comment: perfect apéritif.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, T)

Clynelish 22yo 1995/2018 (56.7%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams, Sherry Cask, L18/420)

Nose: musky and husky, it promises dryness and animality. It is a Clynelish, after all. Fox’s skin, dried windfall, nutshells. Deeper sniffing makes it seem a little sweeter.

Mouth: dried dates, dried rugs and super-dry raisins. It is well marked by the Sherry, if not overpowered. There is a bit of rancio and elderberry compote oxidising in a cellar.

Finish: extraordinary balance, here, dry yet elegant, with a dried-fruit touch (prunes, Medjool dates, figs) and a faint animal aftertaste. It is fairly tannic, in the long run.

Comment: good effort. I prefer Clynelish in Bourbon casks, but hey!

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, MG)

Antipasto misto

Flatbread

Ireland 26yo 1989/2016 Volume 6 (53.8%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams Anniversary Edition for 10 Years The Nectar)

Nose: phwoar! An explosion of tropical-fruit custard, with no surprise and for maximum enjoyment. It starts with mango, continues with banana, grapefruit, apricot, berries… You get the picture!

Mouth: sweet and bitter, big, glue-y. It has lots of glue, in fact. Chewing releases an avalanche of fruits, cantaloupe and mango leading the pack.

Finish: citrus flesh, citrus bark, chopped mango in yoghurt, served in a copper goblet. Phwoar!

Comment: this is excellent.

Score: 9/10 (Thanks, F)

White Horse (unknown ABV, White Horse Distillers, b#8734189)

Nose: extremely fishy, it has crayfish, fish sauce, dried fish, salt cod, fish oil sprayed on hay bales. It turns drier and less original with breathing, but the initial impression is gobsmacking. It picks up pickled antipasti, perhaps, though that may be the food interfering.

Mouth: a tad weak at the knee, after two cask strengths, but it holds together. Machine oil, engine grease, sardine tins with a drop of oil still in it. It is really tinny, actually.

Finish: soft, if long, it sticks to the gob surreptitiously, like engine great or petroleum jelly. There is a bit of smoked chocolate at the death, and not much fish left.

Comment: interesting and original. It does not turn me into a White Horse aficionado, though. The tax seal reads 'ministerio', but there is no importer information.

Score: 7/10 (Thank, Savoureur)

Schweine Steaks mit Champignon's sauce [sic]
dazu Gemuüse und Rosemarinkartoffeln
(me)

Putenbrustfilet mit Pfeffer Sauce
dazu Gemüse und Rosemarinkartoffeln
(JS)

Littlemill 13yo 1990/2004 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Oak Cask, C#2974, 449b, b#64, 04/099)

Nose: hay, lemon zest, Aspirin, a drop of hot Merbromin. It also has hot set custard and peach blended into yoghurt. The second sniff brings strong rubber.

Mouth: creamy. No! Milky. It has pulped peach, persimmon (though not as thick), yoghurt, a sprinkling of grated Aspirin, and crunchy heritage apples with a rough skin. It is chalkier and chalkier with time.

Finish: more creamy, custard-y goodness with grated Aspirin peppered on it. Is that a medicinal touch? Perhaps! Medicine tablets. Some whole, some grated, jelly caps full of herbal preparations -- woah!

Comment: very good Littlemill that reminds me of another Signatory bottling we had recently.

Score: 8/10

Glenturret 30yo 1982/2013 (46%, Meadowside Blending The Maltman, Fresh Bourbon Cask, C#258, 242b)

Nose: a mix of strawberry bubble gum, inflatable beach balloons and cat sick. Is that weird or what? It smells like a grain gone wrong -- in a good way! Pineapple and melted plastic having an argument. The second nose is ridiculously fruity (unripe white peach and pineapple) in a chemical way.

Mouth: the bubble-gum-rubber hallucination continues, with melted wellies and torched strawberries. More plastic appears upon chewing (beach balloons), and the dryness that comes with that. Sweeter and even more chemical at second sip, with more bubble gum and Gummibärchen.

Finish: it scrapes a beach ball along the tongue and leaves it all burnt -- or tender, at least. It stays warm and plastic-y in the long run.

Comment: So original, but… it is a little too weird. Very, very particular.

Score: 7/10

Springbank 12yo 1999/2023 (46%, OB Norddeutscher Kaufmann, 236b)

Nose: a weird mix of rubber and farm-y notes. That will be tractor tyres, then, surely. Exhaust fumes, garden fire, faint manure, smoked roasted cereals.

Mouth: Creamy? Dry? It is chocolate pudding is what it is. Chewing brings back the smoked cereals, nice, sweet clusters, augmented with a dash of fortified wine. Breakfast of champions.

Finish: dry, mineral, it has smoked cereals mixed with quarry dust and bone-dry earth patties fallen off a tractor tyre.

Comment: pretty good. Well, it is a Springbank, innit. It is expected.

Score: 8/10

Dessert is served.

Tiramisu [sic]

 

A pause during which I try a Port.
Warre Tercentenary 1970 (unknown ABV, imported and bottled for Percy Fox)
It is very good, despite all the vegetables
sinking to the bottom of my glass.

A waiter brings an unclaimed tiramisu. Guess who claims it!

Me.

Ledaig 10yo 2004/2015 Edition No. 1 The Fat Cat End Bottling(58%, The Scots Whisky Forum imported by Brühler Whiskyhaus, First Fill Sherry Butt, C#15/740)

Nose: super leathery and mineral, yet there is also lychee behind it all (“Lychee or Lydaig?” JS asks) -- or is it rambutan? We have pickled pearl onions, onion relish spread onto lychees… How ancient is this? It smells like a 1970s bottling. Cocoa powder is sprinkled on top, and a dollop of shoe polish adds to the magic.

Mouth: pickled onion alright, sharp, vinegary and, actually, very nice too. Chewing unleashes a torrent of smoke, followed by a nearly-medicinal heat, which is a tad numbing. The second sip adds a spoonful of piping-hot marmalade.

Finish: strongly coffee-like, teeming with mocha and cocoa powder. It is earthy, dry, still good, yet no longer as elegant.

Comment: that nose was a strong 9. The mouth and finish are a little behind.

Score: 8/10

Cake is served.

Baumkuche, or tree cake

Bowmore 28yo 1996/2025 (50.3%, Malts of Scotland Rare Casks hand selected and exclusively bottled for The Whisky Dreamers, Caribbean Rum Cask, C#MoS25039, 155b, b#44)

Nose: pineapple-and-coconut juice with a. Lick of smoke. Next is washing-up liquid (with zero soapiness, mind), citrus and ash.

Mouth: mild, fruity, it has lemon, calamansi, grapefruit, pomelo. Chewing increases that and splashes it with Indian tonic water. There is more and more ash, to a point it is a little desiccating. The citrus stays on top, also desiccating.

Finish: acidic and ashy, it takes a few seconds to turn lemon-y, grapefruit-y, with acidic juice poured onto smashed glass.

Comment: very excited to try this one. It is very good, but I much prefer it the 2004 by the same bottler we tried in January.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, F)

Springbank 1997/20017 (55.2%, OB Vintage, Re-Charred Sherry Butts, B#1, 07/155)

Nose: a blend of shoe polish and mint paste, toasted coconut flakes and smoked caramel — just a wisp of soft smoke, you know. Some decayed pineapple bark rocks up at second nose.

Mouth: creamy, coating, it has melted tar, black shoe polish, rubber soaking in blush-orange juice, a touch of liquorice. Chewing adds desiccating ashes, lint and hardened tar. It is overly rubbery at second sip.

Finish: menthol, tar, lint, dried citrus peels, liquorice root. That combines at second gulp, long, tarry, rubbery, and the liquorice moves from root to allsorts and bootlaces.

Comment: decent.

Score: 7/10

Out of my bag comes 18.15 35yo 1966/2001 Curry powder and dark rum (67.5%, SMWS Society Cask Old Masters Collection, Sherry Cask)

Comments: “It’s like a cannon shot on squirrels or something,” says T. “Intense? Yeah, one could say that!” MG tells us, who will drink it fifty-fifty whisky and water. “It is intense, but also very dry,” F says. Whether they like it or not, I rejoice that I brought something that gets the tongues wagging. Everyone has their own taste; this is unforgettable. Full notes here.

The one-upmanship begins.

76.22 11yo 1989/2000 Quark cream cake (58.5%, SMWS Society Cask, Butt, 498b)

Nose: super-dry and mineral. Quarry dust, chalky sandstone. Maybe Sauvignon blanc and crushed plum stones.

Mouth: it has some fruit juice, but it is mostly desert-dry orange zest more than the fruit’s juice.

Finish: dry, borderline herbaceous, this has lichen on metal pipes.

Comment: never know what to expect from a Mortlach, especially an SMWS Mortlach. This is not a winy beast, but neither is it a fruit deluge like the series bottled around 2011-12. It seems it may have been a Switzerland special, though no access to the bottle means I did not see an importer label.

Score: 8/10 (Thanks, T)

Glen Elgin 31yo 1986/2018 (48%, Signatrory Vintage The Un-Chillfilitered Collection Specially Selected by and bottled for The Belux Tour 2018, Hogshead, C#2526, 215b)

Nose: grapefruit peels and zest. There are splashes of yoghurt, but it is mostly a zesty number, with citrus zest on a baking tray.

Mouth: juicy as hell, with citrus and marmalade leading to liquorice allsorts.

Finish: fruity, it has chewy sweets, candied papaya and pineapple cubes.

Comment: fantastic drop.

Score: 9/10

Mortlach 25yo b.2021 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Distillery Labels imported by Kirsch Import, Sherry Casks, 210181)

Nose: cured meat, marinated cutlets, and nuts. Perhaps there are sandstone chippings?

Mouth: woah! It is a meaty yoghurt. Rosemary, roast beef, blush-orange rinds and a drop of wine, very dark and musky.

Finish: lots of blood oranges and rosemary, oil -- it is marinated orange wedges, really. It also has distant cinnamon sticks. The second gulp is drying and makes the gums throb.

Comment: works well.

Score: 8/10

The GlenDronach 20yo 1995/2016 (54.4%, OB Single Cask, bottled exclusively for Whisky-Museum Kyrburg Kirn, Pedro Ximenez Puncheon, C#3805, 662b, b#381)

Nose: Madeira wine or Sherry. It is extremely winy. That opens up to give melting dark chocolate in a Glendronach fashion, roast beef, and other cured meats in the background. It is a little fresher at second nose, with minty cotton candy and onion relish.

Mouth: very-dark chocolate melted into a puddle. A little musky at second sip, it sees a fox rolled in melted chocolate and sprinkled with dust.

Finish: ink, liqueur chocolate, it comes a bit too close to Edle Tropfen for my taste, but narrowly escapes sickly disaster.

Comment: JS detects soy sauce and everything she does not care for in official Glendronachs. It is not bad, but less my profile.

Score: 7/10 (Thanks, Savoureur)

Time to go. I have eaten so much I am about to explode.

As we depart, Savoureur insists we smell two drams. He tells us both are Macallan 2006/2020 (57.3%, Gordon & MacPhail Speymalt, C#9672, 294b). One is one of the guests', the other is his own bottle that he brought to London last month and has, therefore, matured for three additional days in the UK. Geekery aside, they do smell different. How much of that is due to the fact one was open a month ago, the other today, and what is the result of one spending three days in the UK is, of course, anyone’s guess. Full notes here.

Happy birthday, Savoureur!

25/04/2026 The Whisky Fair (Day 1 -- Part 4) Rarities for Charity

This year, JS and I are attending the Rarities for Charity tasting with elskling and LsR. OO is here too, as are thirty-or-so others. Gérard Hofmann is hosting with Henrik Schmidt. Patrick de Schultess is busy elsewhere, so he is not there.

J. & G. Grant from the Glenlivet District 5yo d.1967 (40%, Grant Bonding imported and distributed by Girolamo-Luxardo)

Nose: austere, it has lots of cardboard, pickled gherkins, hay. JS finds OBE and toasted cereals in an old library. A cardboard box used to transport vanilla.

Mouth: same cardboard action, perhaps leather and, if any fruit, it is bone-dry strawberry slices. elskling finds it mineral.

Finish: cereal-y, a bit raw. We may find vanilla biscuits (JS) or digestive biscuits. It is so chock-full of cereals it could also just be Horlicks.

Comment: good, provided one likes cereals. How unlikely is it that we would try two of those J. & G. Grant in less than a year, eh?

Score: 8/10

Starter is served.

Spargelsuppe

Tomatin 28yo 1982/2010 (55.3%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, Sherry Cask, C#29, 574b)

Nose: this is entirely taken over by the Sherry cask. Fruits do kick into gear, fortunately. It is a compact and almost intimidating nose, though. Last to appear are crayons and dried peach slices.

Mouth: och! Pickled red onions, pearl onions from a jar. That recedes to deliver unripe berries, but it remains a big, scary Sherried dram.

Finish: creamy and fruity, it has lots of berries, yet that is sadly hampered by a sour, briny note.

Comment: considering how difficult these bottlings are to get hold of, it is always interesting to try one. I cannot say I am entranced by this particular one, all the same.

Score: 6/10

The next bottle is presented by the Scotch Single Malt Circle ambassador herself. She explains in detail how the founder introduced the Scotch Malt Whisky Society into Germany who gave her a choice in the 1990s: to pay a large sum of money and continue or to jog on. She did not have said large sum of money and parted ways with the SMWS, but carried on pushing liquid, now with another club, the SSMC.

I had no knowledge of that story and welcome the informative introduction.

Clynelish 9yo 1990/1999 (57.4%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, C#3210)

Nose: mint paste applied on waxy fruits. It has spent wick too. Honestly, it is not perfectly balanced, out of this freshly-opened bottle, but it is promising. The second nose has vanilla custard and a sweet shortcrust.

Mouth: mmmh! Wax, yellow fruits punctuated with a lot of pepper and a pinch of ash. The waxy fruits probably come out most, but it is also rather strong, a sensation increased by the presence of white pepper. Water tones that down and lets the fruits shine brighter.

Finish: dry, hot, waxy and fruity. It has a lot of ash propping up yellow fruits (plum, Mirabelle plum, peach). Water makes this softer and fruitier, and increases the presence of yellow and white fruits, which eclipse wax and wick almost entirely.

Comment: this is a belter. Were it not for the imbalance on the palate at first, it would score higher.

Score: 8/10

Henrik goes geeky-and-three-quarters for the next bottle. He tells us (too much about) how to date a bottle of White Horse, how the various sovereigns on the seal give the era, which label goes with which bottle engraving, how the brand name evolved, what the thickness of the tin foil tells us et caetera. Twice, the audience claps to put a stop to the logorrhea; twice, he tells us he has more to say. Being a geek myself, I am torn: what he tells us is immensely interesting; on the other hand, we have a strict deadline. I also notice he is losing the crowd at pace.

Tin-foil stories.

On the right, a 1980s bottling.

On the left, a 1940s bottling.

In fact, the explanation takes so long that JS's right-hand-side neighbour pulls out a bottle from his bag and starts pouring it. "It has the white horse on the label; I thought it would be interesting to try them side by side."

Main course enters at the same time for total overload. I elect to eat first.

Pasta with mushrooms and courgettes

LsR: "I am reminded that only the French can make bread."
tOMoH: "I am reminded that the French abroad are insufferable."

Glen Elgin 12yo (no ABV, OB, no bottle size, SC803)

Nose: hay and muesli punctuated by yellow fruits.

Mouth: a lovely old bottling, it has lemon zest in cream custard. Citrus rises and rises.

Finish: soft and citrus-y, the hay note is a little too pronounced for me.

Comment: always nice to try these old dusties.

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

The Blended Scotch Whisky of the White Horse Cellar (86.80° Proof, White Horse Distillers imported by Browne Vintners, b#AU915749, b. ca. 1940s)

Nose: it smells well integrated, but also a bit mass-produced. We have suede and hay, I guess.

Mouth: soft, it continues dishing out suede, now with leather and corduroy cushions.

Finish: easy, it has a lick of leather, dry hay and horse's hair (or is that the power of suggestion?)

Comment: just like the one we had earlier this month, this is fairly nondescript and not worthy of the reputation it enjoys in some circles, in my opinion. And I that it contains Malt Mill does not change my opinion.

Score: 7/10

After spending too long on the first four drams, we pick up the pace.

Lochindaal 12yo 2010/2022 (49.9%, The Finest Malts for DramOff, Bourbon Barrel, C#4395, 72b)

Nose: roasted fruits and faint smoke.

Mouth: sweet, porridge-y, it is also acidic, fruity and farm-y to an extent. Some find it peaty, but I do not. It does become salty at second sip, on the other hand.

Finish: long and bold, dry, smoky, farm-y in a mud cake way.

Comment: unremarkable. There is nothing wrong with it; I simply do not find it impressive.

Score: 6/10

Irish Single Malt 28yo 1989/2017 Vol.1 (56.2%, Limited Whisky Investment The Monkey Series in co-operation with Sansibar, Bourbon Cask, 164b, 16/05058)

Nose: mango purée, melted papaya, squashed persimmon, butternut purée (JS), then baked puff pastry and stewed peaches.

Mouth: wonderful. Mango turnovers followed by hot metal baking trays and baked satsumas. This has 'pastry' written all over it.

Finish: lots of hot turnovers slightly tainted by the metal tray they were baked on. It is a bit unbalanced, here, too liberal with the metal, if very acceptable.

Comment: we are nit-picking. It is not one of the great Irish, but it is a great whiskey. By the way, the bottle code suggests it was bottled in 2016, whatever the label reads.

Score: 8/10

JS: "It is lacking in maracuja."

Dessert.

Tiramisù

Glenfarclas 12yo (45%, OB for F.W. Hempel Metallurgical GmbH)

Nose: another one that is full of fruity turnovers, with baked mangoes and apricots, smashed papayas and melting persimmons.

Mouth: creamy and fruity, it has a bite alright. It is hot, metallic and turns acidic with time.

Finish: pretty acidic here too, it has sour fruit jellies, followed by a faint bitterness of unripe fruit.

Comment: good.

Score: 8/10

JS: "It's a complete Ball-indall-ache."

I pull out empty sample bottles, as I know I will not finish the line-up intact and I do want to enjoy the drams, at some point. elskling sees my Post-Its.

elskling: "Qu'est-ce que c'est que ce travail de cochon? Here, take one of my labels!"

A bottle comes out of nowhere, delaying us further.

Glenturret 29yo 1989/2019 (44.7%, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection, Hogshead, C#238, 253b, b#112)

Nose: grout, mortar, crumbly Korean pear. It is chalky indeed, and I find that really challenging, at this point.

Mouth: big and lively, it has some fruits, but especially a lot of horsepower. Later on, we detect rocket and apricot. Aprocket?

Finish: rocket is right! Peppery and bitter as fuck. Spinach, rocket, peach stones. There are vague hints of apricot, but they are easily missed.

Comment: not sure why anyone thought it was a good idea to slide this one here.

Score: 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, Babelfisch42)

We are now so late and I am starting to feel the effect of alcohol so much that JS and I decide to skip the next dram. Fortunately, I have empty samples, so we will try it later.

The Balvenie 32yo 1966/1998 (42.1%, OB Vintage Cask, C#6432, 264b, b#36)

Springbank d.1963 (46%, OB imported by Preiss Import, b. ca.1985)

Nose: we go stratospheric. This has an incredible depth. With every new sniff, it keeps rolling out more fruits (ripe plums, Mirabelle, greengages) and marzipan. The source simply will not dry up.

Mouth: perfect balance of fruit, herbs, ginger and varnish. Not sure how that reads, but it is harmonious on the palate.

Finish: incredible finish.

Comment: I will need to spend more time with this. I am no longer in the right state to express my appreciation.

Score: 9/10

GH: "1963 is a rare vintage."
PhG: "Great vintage."
GH: "Yeah, for those born in 1963. Not as good as those born in 1966, but shit happens."

We are more or less kicked out. We made it alive. Just.

Ambitious tasting. The selection only had things that most of us would not have been able to try anywhere else. That some were less my thing than others is irrelevant: they were indeed rare, and that is what was promised. The food was excellent (yes, even the bread) and the company relaxed and friendly.

Personally, I thought two things could be improved: the introduction of each bottle was a bit loose in places, which tried the patience of some. As said, being a geek myself, I found the flood of information interesting, but I would have preferred a better balance between information and time-keeping. The second point is the attendees shoehorning their own bottles into the line-up. It comes from a very kind intention (they want to share), but the effect is rarely what they hope for. Instead, it disrupts, distracts, delays, and sometimes destroys the rest of the line-up (remember that London Whisky Club tasting, during which a generous customer offered an unplanned Millburn Rare Malt at 61.9% right before the planned Banff at 43%?) The hosts worked hard to build a line-up that works; it is inconsiderate at best to kibosh that line-up with an additional bottle.

Ultimately, fun was had. Tomorrow morning will be difficult. 

02/04/2026 PP's 70th birthday tasting at the Melody

My first proper visit to this famous venue (I came once, fleetingly, to collect something). PS, DW, CBn, EC, BB, SOB, cavalier66, MSo, BA, SD, CC, JS, tOMoH and more join PP in this far flung corner of the city to celebrate this milestone. AN will make a grand entrance as we start the final dram, ha! ha!

Others are already at work when we arrive on site; some are eating, some are drinking. PS pours his thing that has a Cadbury's-looking label. I take no notes.

When we are called in the dining room, where the main event takes place, BB picks up his bag of goodies from the chair. The bag falls down, a bottle breaks. The staff help him salvage, oh!, 8cl. Considering the damage, BB seems to take it with commendable stoicism. We do our best to not let that taint the rest of the evening.

Fortunately, our minds are busy

This spring cap
confused our host

PP gives a short introduction and explains there will not be a whole lot of chichi about what we are about to try: they are bottles that are somehow related to 1956 or to PP, and he wanted to share them. Simples.

The first one was bottled in 1959. It is likely three years old (the legal minimum), which would make it a 1956ish distillation.

King George IV (44 Gradi, The Distillers Agency imported by Carlo Salengo, Seasoned Wood)

Nose: lots of OBE, with tin lids, corroded iron, brass buttons, copper coins covered in Verdigris and tainted marmalade. Coffee emerges after a while, delicate and refined, rather than invasive. The second nose offers a pinch of soot.
Mouth: yeah, lovely old-bottle effect. It has loads of oxidised metal and lukewarm marmalade. The second sip sees a ton of dust and more soot.
Finish: bigger than expected, it prolongs the above, with marmalade and the tin lids of marmalade jars. There is a soft bitterness at play (metal), but that is not distracting.
Comment: great start.
Score: 8/10

The second bottle, PP tells us, was bottled in 1956.

The Old Blend Scotch Whisky of the White Horse Cellar b.1956 (70° Proof, White Horse Distillers, b#2032171)

Nose: very, very subtle. Perhaps dusty water? Has it lost to evaporation? It acquires torched shoe polish pretty quickly, then purple corduroy slippers. Posh!
Mouth: spent. There is a little bit of old-bottle effect (read: metal and marmalade), but, mostly, it is dusty water.
Finish: a bit more characterful in the finish, it has a tankful of burnt peat, or, in fact, ashes, and dusty water sprinkled with ground dried orange peels.
Comment: it is an emotional experience, since this likely contains Malt Mill, a distillery that was still in production, at the time. Sadly, the whisky is objectively over the hill. Even generously, it will be a meagre score.
Score: 7/10

I become acutely aware that they are making coffee next door. For a place that claims to specialise in whisky, that seems like a faux pas that disrupts an experience. Fortunately, it does not last.

Here is one distilled in 1956.

Linkwood-Glenlivet 21yo 1956/1977 (80° Proof, Cadenhead)

Nose: ooft! This is a tad meaty and furry. It has coffee grounds, musk, mocha, then it turns all jammy, with caramelised marmalade, charred grapefruit, pineapple rings rolled in soot, dried sausages grilled on charcoal. All that in a boiler room covered in dust. There is a bolder whiff of mocha at second nosing, as well as more dirty, soot-y dust.
Mouth: old bottle effect in full display, which means tin lids and jars of marmalade. Chewing unleashes metal that flirts with a pencil-sharpener blade. It is fruity at second sip, with cut peaches and smashed apricots. Beyond that fruit is a metallic funnel.
Finish: big and long, it has more of that metallic edge. The second gulp delivers earthy jams slathered on hot crumpets. No! On scones.
Comment: PP has told me about this bottle and the occasion for which he would open it for nearly a decade. My expectations were therefore high. It does not disappoint. One of the very-first Cadenhead bottlings in this livery, where the dates appear on the main label. Later that year, they would migrate to the neck label.
Score: 9/10

cavalier66: "How can I steal this?"

tOMoH: "This is why I came. And I'm coming again."

cavalier66: "You know what this is? Important whisky."

PP explains the next one has nothing to do with 1956. He tried it at SMWS when it came out and thought it was the best thing he had ever tried. He tells us the price tag was scary, but he ended up taking the plunge, after trying it several times without his enthusiasm shrivelling.

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

Comment: we know this very well. This is a fresh bottle, which means it is aromatic and metallic before the mango starts talking. That will improve in the open bottle, however impossible it seems -- already, it is top score. That said, even if this is objectively superior (insofar as one can be objective about that), I prefer it the Linkwood, tonight. 10/10

cavalier66 discreetly pulls out his Irish Single Malt 25yo 1988/2013 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, Barrel, 212b) for comparison with 117.3. It wins, today.

PP [clinks on glass to call attention]: "Thank God I don't do this for a living! *sigh*"
BA: "It's hard work, you know!"

PP brings out the first-ever bottling of Bimber, a distillery he has been following from day 1.

Bimber 3yo 2016/2019 The 1st Release (54.2%, OB, Pedro Ximénez Casks, C#6+19+31+37+38, 1000b, b#0142)

Nose: oiled leather followed by coffee grounds, then metal -- galvanised-iron buckets, to be precise. It has a drop of varnish and oiled metal too.
Mouth: a bit monolithic, this is a bold Sherry maturation, dry, earthy, with entirely-desiccated raisins and a lick of cat fur -- or is it fox?
Finish: big, hairy, almost medicinal in a herbal way. It is very much an Oloroso maturation at second gulp, earthy and musky. Despite the strength, it is hard to detect much distillery character.
Comment: competent, even if it will not make me a Bimber aficionado.
Score: 7/10

BA: "This is one of TWE's engraving team's best work."
PP: "Huh?"
BA: "When Dariusz [Plazewski, who co-founded Bimber] bottled this -- or whatever his real name is -- he asked TWE to do the engraving. The team who did this did some of their best work here."

MSo: "It's actually decent, this Bimber."
JS: "That's rare!"
tOMoH: "It's from before they went legal."

PP recounts a couple of anecdotes relating to his adventures in the Wee Toon. On one such occasion, he procured this Springbank.

PP: "There were several Canadians there at the time..."
cavalier66: "And not all were whiskies."

Springbank 17yo d.2000 (48.5%, OB Duty Paid Sample, Fresh Canadian Barrel (ex-Potter), Rotation 836)

Nose: to me, this is so farm-y. Cows' behinds, cow dung, cow droppings (Holstein, Burlina, Bleu-Blanc). We catch a whisper of salty sea spray in the back, then caramelised puffed wheat. Behind all that, it has quince and pear, which is remarkable.
Mouth: dry and mineral, it quickly turns fruitier, with baked pears and quinces, very juicy. The second sip has a crushed-glass dryness to it, crunchy and abrasive, before the juicy side comes back to the rescue. There, it is smoky peach that is clearest.
Finish: long, farm-y. We have peach slices trampled into farm-path mud. It develops a note of charred wood that balances the fruit with a gentle bitterness. And soot too.
Comment: terrific Springer.
Score: 8/10

Finally, PP tells us, we will have a Millburn, a distillery very dear to someone we all know -- someone who, sadly, did not attend tonight.

Millburn 18yo 1975/1993 (58.9%, OB Rare Malts Selection)

Nose: astonishingly strong, this is pure RMS fury. Burning shrubs, old cast-iron radiators, paint tins. The second nose adds acetone. Water gives it horse's sweat, horse hair and desert dirt by the stables.
Mouth: salt city (cavalier66). Dried watercolour, dry brushes (in fact, it is the whole dry-brushing process) and, indeed, salt. Chewing cranks up the watercolour and adds plasticine. We find a little rubber at second sip (the texture, that is), perhaps black liquorice bootlaces.
Finish: caramelised chocolate, salted caramel, boiler-room smoke. Water makes it long and earthy, as well as a little fruitier: crisp apples, some smoked, some roasted.
Comment: I adore this. Muscular, austere, challenging Rare Malt. It is only now I realise that the back label is very different to that of the bottle we tried in 2015. It makes me think we tried the 25yo at the time, rather than this 18yo.
Score: 9/10

Tonight's back label

2015's back label
(the front label was missing)

cavalier66: "Where was Millburn? Speyside?"
JS: "Inverness."
tOMoH: "Never taken the train to Inverness? The distillery is on your left-hand side as you approach the station."
JS: "We must organise a field trip."
BB: "Dornoch weekend."
SOB: "Great name for a band!"

What a line-up!

Talking about the Cadenhead days in which we all met (2016--2020) and Mark Watt's influence on what the company was releasing at the time.

cavalier66: "It's like that surgeon who carved his initials on people's organs."
BB: "That doesn't seem right."

tOMoH: "I'm very upset."
MSo: "Sorry?"
tOMoH: "This friend of ours is organising a barbecue the day before we come back from Seoul."
MSo: "Oh! Sorry."
tOMoH: "I find it inSeoulting."
cavalier66: "You're inconSeoulable."

We talk about BB's broken bottle that PS delivered to him today.

cavalier66: "It's PS. You know what he's like."
tOMoH: "He's one Tullamore away from being wasted is what he's like."

PP reminds us that there is plenty more to drink at the bar, implicitly asking us to hit the minimum spend. After such a line-up, it is unclear what could hold up. And the kitchen is now closed. Samples and bottles come out of bags anyway.

Talisker 16yo b.268 (59.2%, OB specially bottled for Hedonism Wines, 15y ex-Bourbon American Hogshead + 1y Sherry Puncheon, 198b)

Nose: smoked nail varnish and a pinch of earth.
Mouth: drying and sandy, it is marred with tar or petrol topped with glass dust.
Finish: big, hairy, it has oily wood and dust. Pepper? Not so much.
Comment: alright.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, MSo)

PS and BB are talking business. Specifically the broken bottle

BB: "If it's the Japanese sense of giving, I don't feel comfortable with it. I want to make up for it.
SOB: "[PS]'ll take a hand job."

MSo [about a 1976ers birthday party]: "We have a WhatsApp group."
PS: "?"
tOMoH: "If you're not in it, it is intentional."

SOB [to PS]: "How's your dad?"
PS: "That's not a good pick-up line."
MSo: "It is in Ireland."

Mars Komagatake 6yo 2018/2025 Tsunuki Aging (60%, OB selected for Capital Whisky Club imported by La Maison du Whisky, Bourbon Barrel, C#5435, 165b)

Nose: fruity, it rolls out peaches and apricots.
Mouth: tin and stainless steel with fruit.
Finish: more fruit and tin.
Comment: lovely.
Score: 8/10

Time to go before it turns messy. Happy birthday, PP!