24/10/2026 Shakespeare

The soundtrack: Various - Belgium's Finest

JH suggested the theme, who is in town just for this. Just kidding! He will, of course, attend a symposium on paper napkins at the same time.

YM, JMcD, SOB and JS join JH and myself for an afternoon of high-brow theatre, then.

Speaking of which...

tOMoH channels his inner-SOB to present Tea-tre-ninich

Teaninich 46yo 1975/2021 (47.4%, Sansibar JD’s Personal Choice No.4, Bourbon Hogshead, 158b) (tOMoH)

Nose: chamomile (JH), very floral (SOB), marygold (YM), gingerbread, Majorquese almond cake (JH), juicy orange-y cake (JH).

Mouth: super fruity, but also briny, salty and spicy (JH), pickles and jalapeños (JH).

Finish: mango (SOB), oily-rubbery (JH), tea (YM).

Comment: I do not spend nearly as much time with this stunner as I should. My full notes are here.

Score: 9/10

JH [about his recent trip to Skye]: "We were staying in an old castle -- actually McD-related."
JMcD: "You're welcome."

We talk about logos.

JS: "The Watt Whisky [logo] is weird. Every time I see it, I think: 'What were they thinking?'"
tOMoH: "Should be called the Twat Whisky logo."
[YM looks it up]
SOB: "Have you found it?"
YM: "Yeah. I don't know. The colour scheme. Usually, that means you need to go to the hospital."

The soundtrack: The Coronation Of King George II

JMcD brought something from a Danish distillery to mark The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He adds that this is a peated version, dried with peat and heather, likely harvested on a blasted heath, the place where the witches live, in Macbeth.

Stauning Smoke (47%, OB) (JMcD): salt (JMcD), pine (JMcD), cigar smoke (JH), malted barley (YM), liquorice (JH), Salmiyakki (JH). It is roasted apples for me, and heather brush, borderline hay. Mouth: Bolder here, it has fine smoke, roasted barley, toasted cereals. It still has juicy apples, roasted, even charred in places. Some earth comes up on the late tip. Finish: grappa (YM and JH), eau-de-vie distilled from pine stuff (JH). 'Speciality smoke' (JH), scented wood chips for burning. 7/10

tOMoH introduces the next bottle: he bought it from OB, whose local pub used to be The Shakespeare.

Auchroisk 27yo 1988/2016 (48.6%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Hogshead, 258b) (tOMoH)

Nose: a fruit bomb. Strawberries, peaches, tropical fruits and candied ginger (JH).

Mouth: front-loaded, it hits bigly (JMcD). It packs quite a punch indeed, with dried ginger, dried peach slices, dried mango slices and rehydrated-dried-fruit water.

Finish: it drops (JMcD). It is indeed relatively short at first impression, until one realises a comfortable heat stays in the stomach. And then fruits shine again, wave by wave.

Comment: we took notes for the miniature version of this, when it came out. This full bottle fares considerably better.

Score: 9/10

SOB unveils Othello's character: Port Dun-Das-demona. He continues by saying this particular one was bottled for Cadenhead's Milan shop and observes that so many plays of Shakespeare's take place in Italy. In particular, he insists, Two Gentlemen of Verona, in which one of the characters, Lord Prospero Visconti, is the Duke of Milan. As if that were not enough, he notes that the Shakespeare pub in Bethnal Green has a plaque that reads "Est. 1842", the same year as Cadenhead.

Port Dundas 31yo 1988/2019 (50.8%, Cadenhead specially bottled for Cadenhead Whisky Shop Milan, Hogshead, 228b, 19/389) (SOB): nose: a Port-Dundasian metallic edge, perhaps, and oregano. We find the syrup of stem ginger lurking behind it all. Mouth: syrupy (SOB), it has lots of aromatic herbs, some candied, some fresh. It becomes chewy with minty chalk or chalky mint, though that turns into silky custard in the long run. Finish: 'me like' (JH), fruit cake (JH), apricot cake(JH), very buttery, like a vanilla cookie (JH), canelés (YM), almond croissant or lemon drizzle (JH), brown sugar (YM). It has a wonderful custard-y texture reminiscent of flan or vanilla pudding. This is something! A very strong 8/10

Food enters.

YM and SOB brought enough for a garrison:
Coppa Piacentina, Rabbit Terrine, Saucisson with Walnuts
Pinocchiona IGP, Pinocchiona Salame, Veroni Prosc. Parma
Gouda 48 Months, Fleur du Maquis, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Romano
Sourdough bread 

And JMcD brought the now-traditional
blueberry cheesecake and almond tart

JS introduces a Tulli-bard-ine. (If you live under a rock, Shakespeare is known as The Bard).

Tullibardine 33yo 1972/2006 (43.1%, Dewar Rattray Cask Collection, C#2597, 141b) (JS)

Nose: Austrian dessert with curd and rum (JH), Topfenstrudel (JH).

Mouth: acidic and lively, very yellow. Then, we have a vanilla custard with soaked raisins and prunes.

Finish: a yellow-fruit explosion with a note of salted caramel (SOB), bitter marmalade (JH), orange pith (JH).

Comment: JH rates this 'yes' out of ten. It is still amazing two decades after first trying it. I am glad we have it later than number one in the line-up, for once. It allows it to slap even harder. Full notes here.

Score: 9/10

The soundtrack: Various - Romeo + Juliet: Music From The Motion Picture - Volume 2

JH hits gold with a separated pair: Tobe Ardna Tobe?

Tobermory 1994/2026 (55.3%, OB Hand Filled Exclusive Edition, Oloroso Finish, C#015) (JH): nose: very elegant, nutty, it has almonds, hazelnuts, soft leather. The second nose may well offer milky coffee. Water elicits cherry liqueur and nutty cappuccino. Mouth: mincemeat pie (YM). It is dry (Oloroso, you see?), with old shoe polish and old leather, yet a leather that retains its softness, dry, not crackly. Further are tins of dried black modelling paint. It is a bit bolder at second sip, with old tyres, liquorice allsorts, spearmint (JH) and blackened cassia bark. Water makes it milky, adds diluted cherry juice and a sprinkle of mocha. Finish: dry-not-drying, it has crusty shoe polish, not rubber. Bone-dry prunes, an old bag of raisins. The sting of mint (SOB) followed by berries (SOB), candied chestnuts (YM). A fair amount of melted dark chocolate shows up in the long run, augmented with freeze-dried raspberry slices and a pinch of ground mocha. Here too, water increases the milky impression. It has a fantastic pudding-like texture and a mocha-chocolate taste. Beautiful and an excellent swimmer. Might bump my score with water. 8/10

YM tells us that A Midsummer Night's Dream has a character called Highland Puck. Lolle.

4.221 16yo 1999/2016 Light, luscious and lovely (55.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 156b) (YM): nose: lemony (YM), lemongrass (SOB), custard, vanilla-ed sugar. Later on, it has an air of freshly-cleaned corridor in a government building. Actually, there is a whiff of antiseptic, even. Mouth: lemon meringue (YM), lemon curd (SOB). It has smoked cream, custard and a beautiful freshness that is almost pine-y. Finish: torta della nonna (JH showing off his dessert knowledge). It is long, assertive, a trifle smoky, and comforting, in the long run, soothing. It has salt and crushed glass, but that is hidden underneath pine-y custard. Excellent drop. 8/10

The soundtrack: Mogwai - Zero Zero Zero

SOB brought something bottled in the Warehouse Tasting range, because his favourite productions of Shakespeare were those at the Donmar Warehouse. This is from an undisclosed Speyside distillery and he tells us that many characters in Shakespeare's plays are not (fully) disclosed. Also, this was matured in a Port cask -- for Portia, a character in The Merchant of Venice. Finally (yes, he is really inspired by this theme!), it is allegedly a Glenfarclas -- or a Glenfar-Claudius, for the main antagonist in Hamlet. Ooft.

An Undisclosed Speyside 15yo 2010/2026 (56%, Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel finished in Ruby Port Hogshead since 2019) (SOB): nose: warm wood, aromatic wood, seasoned wood chips for barbecues, plum skins. Mouth: JH finds it savoury as gravy, while YM detects walnuts. It is a blackberry paste or elderberry jelly to me, a tad bitter. Dusty uncoated frying pans show up too. The second sip pushes boiled horse's hair. Finish: fruity, it has prunes, figs, raisins. It is mahogany that shines at second gulp, though it remains fruity and juicy. Delish. 7/10

JMcD: "The burger scene in Newcastle is amazing. They have burger battles."

YM tells us Shakespeare's plays are a canon of thirty-nine plays, according to Wikipedia. This is, therefore, from distillery #39. Also, it is called Magical and Heavenly, adjectives that are often used to describe Shakespeare's work.

YM: "This was distilled on the 30th April 1990..."
JH: "Which is the anniversary of Shakespeare's circumcision!"

39.135 26yo 1990/2016 Magical and Heavenly (58.8, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 186b) (YM): nose: JH calls it funky, with soju and fermented stuff, perhaps mirin. JMcD finds shortbread. It is buttery to me, with kouign-amann, then a metallic water bottle. Maybe it is JH's suggestion, but I get shrimp crackers. JH finds it iron-y and oxidised, while YM talks about yellow Chartreuse. Mouth: not very sweet, not very fruity, it has fermented stuff (JH). This has a lot of dandelion petals, stewed and cooled. Not that this is cool -- it is fairly hot, in truth. A tad bitter and becomes very bitter as one chews. Hotter at second sip, with burning bunches of dried flowers or hay. Finish: yellow flowers, with the softness of petals and the bitterness of stems. It gets hotter and bitterer with each gulp. Not sure if it is the sequence, my preference, or what else; this does not resonate with me, today. 6/10

JH finally gets to the Ardna part of his Tobe Ardna Tobe.

We insist he has it in the dickhead glass, too

Ardnamurchan 8yo 2018/2026 (63.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 228b) (JH): nose: tuna tataki (JH), barbecued miso (JH), pink pepper (JH and JMcD). It is very peaty, with mud patties and farm paths. Rice pop and popped cereals (JH), Kinder Country (JH), caramel, maple syrup (JH), sweat from a builder's armpits. Mouth: oh yeah! Caramel puff wheat (the pack with the cartoon frog, you know?) and overbearing mud. This is super earthy, with chilli flakes showing up only belatedly. The second sip stings the tip of the tongue. Finish: incredibly well-integrated peat (JH). It gives the same impression as upon eating something spicy, jalapeño or such (SOB). Water renders it sootier and spicier (YM). Scorched earth, ashes, torched wheat. The second gulp is very cereal-y. 7/10

The soundtrack: Various - Best Of Techno - Volume Four

As a nightcap, we have something of JS's. tOMoH asks when A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place. On the 21st June. It is really the end of Spring-bank.

Springbank 21yo (46.5%, Atom Supplies Darkness Limited Edition, Oloroso Sherry Octaves Finish, b#115) (JS)

Comment: stale Coca Cola (JH). No! Pepsi Cola or Red Bull cola (JH), Ricola (JH), Coca Cola Classic (in a yellow can) (JH), Cola Bottles (the sweets) (SOB). My notes are here. 9/10

SOB: "Darkness. The week before Hallowe'en, too."
tOMoH: "Did the Bard write anything about that?"
SOB: "Hallowe'en? Don't think so."
tOMoH: "Lazy git."

That concludes tonight's enjoyment.

23/10/2026 Glen Garioch

19.116 13yo 2012/2026 Home for a Christmas Sherry (58.7%, SMWS The Winter Series 2026, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill American Oak ex-Oloroso Hogshead): nose: drinks cabinets, lacquered wood, oiled mahogany and polished brown shoes, open bottles of brandy and liqueurs. It also has a spray of furniture polish on hazelnut shells. We detect one overripe strawberry too, as well as melted dark chocolate slowly blending with a melted soap bar. It changes a little at second nosing to become more farm-y. We are now in an orchard, and that orchard is next to a cows' pasture, complete with with cow dung and bovine occupants. Lacquered wood comes back, eventually, more discreet than it was. Mouth: lacquered wood upon which overripe strawberries have come crashing down. Chewing loads the strawberries up with fruit eau-de-vie of one sort or another. A faint metallic note shows up, heated tin, which adds a tame bitterness that one could possibly relate to coffee, even. The second sip is very neutral, at first, then turns into eau-de-vie after chewing. A fruit eau-de-vie with hay macerating in it. A timid note of vanilla pudding tries to make itself heard. Finish: light and fruity, it has fruit eau-de-vie indeed (plum, raspberry, Mirabelle plum), warming and pleasant. It retains a soft metallic edge in the finish, though that may as well be baked cucumber peels or geranium stems. In any case, it is original. The second gulp hits a little harder and tickles the gums for longer. Freeze-dried raspberry slices, rehydrated by dunking them in plum eau-de-vie. As was the case on the palate, a note of hay slowly appears and leaves a dry and softly-bitter taste. Retro-nasal olfaction picks up apple brandy, or stewed cider. Good drop. 7/10

22/10/2026 Mystery sample #11

Nose: rich and a little vinous. Do we have red onions, fried until they are soft? Fleeting (pale) mushrooms? In any case, that does not seem constant: it is suddenly Quercus Alba staves murmuring. Then, a steak-and-ale pie, or beef stroganoff, which takes us back to wine and mushrooms, probably. Warming up the glass confirms that strange split personality of white wood and wine-y mushroom. How quaint! The second nose has baked plantains, lozenges, almonds in a hard-sugar shell. We have a dusting of white ash, in the far back... Another surprise. And clementine foliage. Mouth: a mint crumble grated over warm vanilla custard. It feels as fresh as it is welcoming. Chewing reveals an unexpected woody bitterness, followed by spices. It is ginger-encrusted parsnips and bicycle inner-tubes. Well original. Is that mentholated talcum powder too? The second sip is more-assertively bitter, akin to chewing on citrus leaves. Tangerine, perhaps. Its zest too, and still mint crumbles on custard. The bitterness grows, but thankfully stops short of flower stems. Finish: minty custard, here, crushed bay leaves, or laurel, since they are not as dry and bitter as bay. It is very refreshing and warming once more, a counter-intuitive combination, yet one that works a treat. The second gulp is in line: minty custard. Fresh, warming, it dishes out a gingery mint paste, and we get to eat that with a wooden spoon. Decent.

Deanston Virgin Oak Cask Strength b.2023 (56.5%, OB, ex-Bourbon Casks finished in Virgin Oak Casks, B#1) 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Whisky-Online)

19/10/2026 Mystery sample #10

Nose: very timid. It presents a vague freshness and a drop of white spirit. Let us give it a minute to wake up... White spirit indeed, green-grape vine, honeysuckle essence spilled on a wooden case full of silver jewels. Crunchy apple slices end up in the frame, just as timid as the rest. This is not a loquacious nose! The second pass has ash and metal. Neither is loud, yet they make me think of a rotating ashtray. Metal and ashes it is. Behind that are citrus and a mineral tone. A flintknapper eating an orange. How unexpected! Mouth: discreet too, the palate has unripe apple, almond and a droplet of defroster. Chewing changes it dramatically: it reveals mint crumbles, soft plasticine and some kind of cinnamon paste. It reminds me of The Pogues. It tickles the gums with a paste made of crushed pine cones. There is virtually no bitterness attached to this; just a chewy freshness. Sweets galore at second sip, chewy, peppered with sherbet. Fruit jellies (yellow, orange, green), a minuscule pinch of ground pepper and crushed bergamot leaves. Finish: more chewy goodness, vaguely pine-y, vaguely spicy, rather fresh. Cinnamon-coated dried mango slices, dried pineapple cubes, bergamots and their foliage. Yes, a softly-bitter note develops that merely adds to this finish to make it a tad bolder. A chewy citrus paste lands on the late tip. The second gulp comes across as a little more herbal: candied angelica and honey-glazed citrus leaves. It is not particularly long, certainly not loud, but makes for a pleasant everyday dram. What is it? A Pot Still?

Sailor's Home The Horizon 10yo (43%, The Sailor's Home The Islands Series, Barbados Rum Cask, b. ca. 2025) 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Whisky-Online)

Happy birthday sonicvince and JMcD!

16/10/2026 Mystery sample #9

Nose: gorgeous earthy peat, charcoal, crispy dried leaves. That moves towards more-maritime notes of fishing nets and dried seaweed. In fact, it becomes a stay in a shed on the shore of a sea loch on a drizzly day. The drizzle and the humid salty air blend to stick to one's stubbles and provide a perma-salty tang. In that shed, we find a case of old copper coins and a derelict deep-sea-diving suit. The second nose goes to the boiler room -- not that of an old ship, but that of a house, warm, comforting, with a thin humidity over enamelled metal. Mouth: surprisingly mellow, creamy and honey-like in texture, and on the sweet side. Chewing brings back a soft maritime touch, and it is even more surprising to find ourselves tasting a spoonful of custard augmented with a drop of sea water. More chewing adds cigar smoke and ashes. The second sip has noticeable sea water warmed on the fire and embellished with a dollop of minty toothpaste. That is hardly detectable, yet it adds an air of freshness. Finish: rich and peaty without being boisterous. Cake crust, baked pottery clay, cigar leaves, and, still, that custard-y sweetness. Warming, not burning, it appears to have dried off most sea water and lost its salt, somehow. A smoky sweetness lingers, borderline acrid. Only several minutes later do we unearth a pinch of fine salt. The second gulp brings forth a certain freshness reminiscent of distant mint. Perhaps it is long-expired mint crumbles that have lost their potency. Retro-nasal olfaction revives the cigar smoke and cigar leaves, dry at first, then increasingly moist. Nice.

Caol Ila 13yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Discovery, Bourbon Cask) 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Whisky-Online)