14/08/2024 Linlithgow

Linlithgow 25yo 1975/2000 (50.5%, Signatory Vintage, Oak Cask, C#96/3/14, 352b, b#9, 00/1147): souvenir from June. Nose: wood, slate, and berries, all in one package. Oiled mahogany turns to iroko and ebony; wooden cutting boards turn to slate; gooseberries turn to dark cherries. Those cherries end up smashed, and blended with wood oil and chocolate spread, before we detect tarmac and pulped ebony (is that even possible?) Suddenly, it turns a corner, and becomes all mechanical, with engine lubricants, both grease and oil. It is only seconds before we are back in the company of chocolate spread and wood varnish (in tins, this time). All the same, it is no longer exempt of grease of some kind -- sometimes, it even flirts with rancid butter, subtle in the extreme, yet recognisable nonetheless. At times, it is shoe polish that takes the lead, whilst at others, a lubricated engine does the talking. There is even a whiff of gentle barley taken straight from the field, if one insists, and a drop of green-grape juice. The second nose is more-clearly fruity in a dry-white-wine way. Riesling or Chablis. Probably the latter, since it is too concentrated for Riesling (whatever that means). It keeps a sweeter touch too, hinting at sultanas more than grapes. Out of nowhere, oily blonde tobacco tickles the nostrils as one tilts the glass, fragrant, and, well, oily. Mouth: shazam! It is punchy, borderline aggressive an entrance, yet it immediately puts one at ease with green-grape juice, sultanas, and grape-pip oil. And oily it is too! If one word were to describe the texture of this dram, that would be it -- 'oily'. The initial kick, akin to that of green chilli, fades out and allows a mild green bitterness to surface, part hazelnut, part cylinder head (yes, it is a tad metallic). It takes a moment for fruits to wake up (currants, greengages), and, beside that soft bitterness, there is no wood to speak of, here. The second sip mostly does away with the spices -- oh! No, it still has green chilli alright, served with sultanas, both coated in oil. For a minute, the front and top of the mouth feel as if grazed by too hot a spoon. Finish: it is hard to tell if this is luscious or austere. Like the best St Magdalene, it is both, of course: one second, we have (shy) green grapes, the next, we have quarry dust. One moment, we have greengages, the next, we have green chilli pepper. One thing is certain: it is a long finish. It is also warming and comforting. Beyond that is a patchwork, really. Fruity, mineral, oily, and a little cereal-y, all at once. To the above fruits, we could add Mirabelle plums and sultanas. We have honeyed muesli, a cloud of quarry dust, and ground peach stone. The second sip is even stronger than the first (in terms of quality, not alcohol bite), and the oily, golden grapes and sultanas are joined by buttercups and buttered toasts, slathered with honey. If looking intently, one might detect shortbread with some kind of lemon-curd filling. Exceptional dram. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, PG)

22/12/2020 Another random pair

Clynelish 24yo 1993/2018 (48.1%, Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask, Bourbon Barrel, C#11214, b88b, b#37): nose: oooh! This is waxy. Beeswax, honey, royal jelly, rose-petal jelly and a ton of yellow fruits -- mirabelle plum, peaches, apricots. Then, polished dashboards, quince jam and honey-glazed crème brûlée. This wax is amazing: it has nought of the candles and platicine that often appear; no! It is all bee-related goodness. Racks, pulled from a hive and dripping with honey and wax. It goes from light, pouring honey, acacia style, to much darker, thicker, richer honey, mountain honey from sappy pine trees. The third nosing lets milk coffee emerge (latte macchiatto, I would say, if I knew anything on the subject). Mouth: the first hit is that of copper coins, loud and clear. Wax soon joins in, alongside the freshness of mountain pines, pine cones, sappy and woody. It is woodier on the palate than expected, the wax only providing a backdrop, here. Copper cutlery, used to spread honey on crusty golden cake, yeah! This pine aspect recedes with the second sip, restoring the honey. Finish: long, calming, reassuring, full of beeswax, furniture polish and moist sponge cake. It might even have melted milk chocolate in the mix. A whiff of encaustic appear through retro-nasal olfaction, delicate and charming. A couple of sips in, hot cocoa, very clear, now, and it is corretto -- my guess is: with a dash of Amaretto and a drop of gooey caramel. Lovely! 9/10

Sonoma County West of Kentucky Bourbon N°2 2014/2016 (56.5%, OB, Barrel, C#14-0224, b#246): nose: woody as hell, this has oily teak, Sumatran rain forest, set alight to make room for palm-tree plantations, meaning: oily tropical wood, releasing its sap under the effect of fire (palm oil is the cause of deforestation and of the decline of the orang-utan). Avocado oil, oily Brazil nuts, chestnut liqueur, rum-spiked panna cotta, slightly overdone banana bread. Mouth: corn syrup, of course, oily chestnuts again, teak cabinets, Brazil-nut oil... Suddenly, the alcohol catches me by surprise: it is rather pungent and spicy, with a dose of preserved galangal shavings and ginger. Toasted banana bread is present here too, the crust slightly too toasted. Aniseed, perhaps, mocha. This toasted aspect is well pleasant, since it is very much under control. Newly-cut wooden planks, still warm from the contact with the circular saw that cut them. Finish: here, it is closer to a "regular" Bourbon, with bananas, custard, caramel flan, wood shavings and so on. It is a very creamy finish, with gooey caramel, more than hardened fudge, warm sticky toffee pudding and, after a couple of sips, a clear alcohol kick. It is sweet, but not overly so, toasted, yet not too much. It is simply a pleasant sipper. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

25/04/2020 Apéritif

Freestyling a pre-dinner session on this warm April afternoon. It may only be one dram, in the end. Let me see how it goes...

Knockando 20yo 1974/1995 Quincentenary (43%, OB specially selected for Aberdeen University): a low ABV, but an auburn-coloured robe that might make this dram less discreet than expected. Nose: a reasonably-bold nose, full of molasses and prune syrup. The initial whiff seemed to have a burnt-wood note, but it is nowhere to be found, after that. On the other hand, the nose delivers a cascade of dried fruits (dried figs, sultanas, mince pies, dried apricots, dried cranberries) and associated pastry (unbaked Dundee cake, pre-oven Selkirk bannock, kramiek). Over time, it develops a jammier edge, with strawberry jam and smoked-apricot jelly. Mouth: softish without being weak, the reduction is apparent for an instant, but the whisky soon grows in power, with delicate wood spices (ground ginger and nutmeg). The palate is thin, orange juice-like in texture (no pulp) and presents similar dry fruits to the nose's (figs, raisins, apricots), though this time, they are joined by citrus zest and mixed peel. Pan-seared pineapple chunks, caramelised and juicy, sprinkled with red-chilli flakes. Finish: no softness here; the finish almost feels full strength, wide and bold. Smoked-apricot jelly, mixed peel again, sultanas and prunes, caramel, caramelised onions, and the pineapple makes a comeback too, shallow-fried in a pan until brown. Peach slices, searing in sizzling butter, ground orange peel and a pinch of ginger powder. Not much distillery character to see here, I suppose, but a good sherry maturation for this lesser-seen spirit. 7/10

Miltonduff 8yo 2009/2018 (46%, The Vintage Malt Whisky Company The Cooper's Choice, Madeira Cask Finish, C#881, 300b): nose: a big whiff of coconut oil (or it is my fingers? I just cut a coconut open...), buttery Brazil-nut paste, rapeseed oil, polished exotic wood (teak or mahogany), pouring honey, ... It smells oily, buttery and sticky, and that is well pleasant. The second nosing is woodier than it is nutty, with furniture wax and pine sap and freshly-cut birch logs. Marmalade on toast arrives a little later, preserved lemons, orange-blossom water. After the first sip, the nose adopts a mouldy-peach note that is rather pleasant (yes, really). Mouth: it is still nutty, though it is the skin of the nuts that comes through, at this point (who said: 'nutsack'?) Brazil-nut skins, almond skins, that hard skin on a coconut, between the shell and the flesh, oily and softly bitter. Yes, it does stay oily and there is an added drop of fortified  wine, at this stage, dry and heady. Madeira, surely? Finish: oh! but this is lovely. The finish is in line with the nose and palate, nutty oily and vaguely wine-y (though less and less vaguely, the more one drinks it). Perhaps chocolate does join in to boot. It does feel less strong than on the palate -- well balanced, in fact. It is not too complex, but a decent dram alright. I can picture this going down a storm as an everyday dram with many enthusiasts I know. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Bishlouk)

23/05/2025 Littlemill

We are breaking a cardinal rule, here, that says one must not have a Littlemill, the quintessential breakfast dram, after midday. And it is the afternoon. tOMoH expects a call from the Littlemill Police. Or from the Swissky Mafia, at least. Fingers crossed they bring Littlemill.

Littlemill 16yo 1991/2008 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 50°, Refill Hogshead, C#DL4064, 276b): we have had this multiple times, but never on its own -- and not in many years. Nose: this, to me, explains why Littlemill was on no-one's radar until around 2011: at sixteen years of age, it has few of the fruity markers that longer-aged expressions released later became famous for. Instead, this has ground stone, cast-iron filings, and, shortly thereafter, nuts. Nuts aplenty! Walnuts, hazelnut, almonds. Only with persistence does one pick up crushed Aspirin, which is a distillery regular. This one is much closer in style to the 8yo and 17yo official bottlings from the late 1990s or early 2000s than it is to the 20-30yo independents that came out since. Once it has had a few minutes to breathe, it does become more orchard-y, with cut apples and unripe quince in a dark-wood fruit bowl. Bruised red apples and heated butter knives follow, soon met by piping-hot thick custard -- a nutty custard, that is. Deeper nosing adds more wood. The second nose welcomes a pouch containing oily light tobacco and something golden, perhaps a glass of natural pressed apple in a field of barley on a sunny summer day. Mouth: creamy in texture, it has unsweetened almond paste and lukewarm fruit yoghurt (orchard fruits). Chewing opens the door to a softly-metallic heat, a fistful of bitter walnut shells, crushed Aspirin tablets, and oily fruit-tree wood -- cherry tree, pear tree, plum tree. In other words, we do find some fruit, albeit submerged by bold, oily wood, which gives a pronounced bitterness. The second sip seems fruitier and, therefore, more acidic. Apples turn crisper, tarter: crab apples, Crispin, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, now in a mesh bowl. Yes, it remains gently bitter, even if Aspirin is less loud, and makes way for hot fruity custard. Finish: it is in line with the preceding; oily wood, bruised red apples, walnut shells, walnut oil and mahogany all end up in some kind of thick custard that is then heated, and eaten with a metal spoon. Only very late does grated Aspirin timidly speak. Hot chocolate-and-almond milk leave a gentle impression. The second gulp too is more acidic, with underbaked slices of tart apples (not baked long enough to erase the tartness) and a sprinkle of grated Aspirin. If grapefruit peels and pith can be made crispy, the result must taste close to this. Over time, it manages to be both juicier and chalkier or bitterer, which is quite an extraordinary achievement. Maybe it is reminiscent of Indian tonic with fruit juice? In any case, the whole falls somewhere between old- and new-school whiskies, and it is commendable for that. It is also delicious. Just not tropical as some of the longer-aged expressions can be. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

03/09/2021 Macduff

Macduff 12yo 2008/2020 (55.1%, CWC The Electric Coo Series, Sherry Butt): nose: oily nut spread on warm toast, before a wine-y wave takes over. Then, it is fortified wine, drinks cabinets, nut liqueurs, yet also oily exotic woods, teak and mahogany, redwood and sequoia. There is a subtle hint of coffee in the background, and rain water, stagnating in a hard-plastic tank. The second nose gives more-straightforward liqueur. It remains nutty and oily, but that takes a back seat, now. In fact, it is borderline brandy-like, at times. After an eternity, Macduff's trademark earthiness peeks through, timidly, with rich soil, in the distance. Mouth: roasted cereals, caramelised rice, coffee beans, and a substantial amount of wood too. We have spices (cinnamon bark, black cardamom pods, cloves), as well as varnish and furniture polish. That wood brings a softly-bitter note, which, again, hints at faint coffee. The second sip dials up the oily-wood touches, back to mahogany and teak, maybe even iroko, now. In the long run, roasted cocoa beans rock up. Finish: assertive, spicy without being hot, earthy and chocolate-y. This bold, long finish has as much wood as the mouth, if not more. The spices are now familiar (cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, cardamom), but the earthy touch and the bold chocolate are new; and it is cocoa beans being roasted and oozing oil, here, more than hazelnut paste. Repeated sipping makes it become sweeter, though it retains the spiciness. A good, rather full-on wine-cask maturation. I could go to 8 (I did, last time), but today... 7/10

11/06/2023 Dog days of summer

Chilly temperatures lasted until the first weekend of June, when a morning run with gloves and a snood still held the promise of feeling like an ice cube by the end.

Fast forward one week, and we have hit thirty degrees, even though summer has not officially started yet.

To acknowledge this contrast, PS, cavalier66, JS and I meet up to have a tasting. BA sadly calls off in the morning, stricken with hay fever. The theme is simple: dog days of summer. Funnily enough, we do not meet in Barking.

cavalier66 has had breakfast, for once, but he still brings yummy nibbles.

PS introduces a blended malt with a dog on the label -- one bottled by Dog-las Laing. He says he keeps saying how good blends can be, so he decided he should start buying and sharing some.

Sweet Wee Scallywag (46%, Douglas Laing Small Batch Release, Sherry Butts & Bourbon Hogsheads, b. ca 2022) (PS): nose: caramel, pastrami, nail varnish, oily dark wood, and the promise of Chinese five spice. Mouth: the palate has the bitterness of dark wood, and the spices that go with it. Ground cloves, shaved cassia bark, ground mace. The second sip has its fair share of caramel too. Finish: cocoa powder, treacle-tarred cinnamon sticks, and caramel again. As PS says, the spiciness builds up over time, and turns pretty intense (JS). A pretty good blended malt. 7/10

We decide to skip the two collie-burns: there is so much to try, and it is discouragingly hot, already. The Copper Dog meets the same fate.

PS stays on the blended-malt path, and introduces the Dog Star -- the Saint Seya fans will, of course, remember Sirius de Canis. I know I do.

From the best anime series of all time

Sirius 31yo 1988/2019 (43.1%, North Star Spirits, First Fill Bourbon Barrels, B#1, 3582b, b#1033) (PS): nose: seal wax, candle wax, and even spent wick. Out of nowhere, Turkish delights, chewy sweets, dusted with confectionary sugar. It is fruity and juicy, yet also waxy to the end. We see yellow fruits upon second nosing. Finish: waxy and coating, it has bits of spent wick floating in that excellent waxy-fruit bath. Full notes here. It feels perhaps even better today. 8/10

cavalier66 presents a Daftmill, "because dogs are daft, and they smell like they spent the day at the mill," I quickly add. No, it is because this is a summer distillation.

Daftmill 2010/2021 Summer Batch Release (46%, OB, 25 x First Fill Bourbon Barrels, 6250b) (cavalier66): nose: lemon bonbons (PS), sherbet (cavalier66), Mint Crumbles, spearmint leaf (PS), lemon mint, calamansi leaf -- it is minty and leafy, in other words. It even gives an impression of burnt-vanilla-flavoured edible paper, which is rather unusual. Mouth: fresh and actually refreshing, with pomelo juice, limoncello, lemon custard, it is unctuous without being cloying, creamy, not thick (single cream, then), and fruity and a half. Finish: long, fresh, lively, zingy, this is a perfect summer dram alright, clean, fruity, and plainly enjoyable, with a hint of caramel flan too. 8/10

JS presents a Glentauchers, a distillery that was designed by architect Charles C. Dog, famous for his pagoda kilns.

Glentauchers 24yo d.1976 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#7652, b#248) (JS): nose: old, Calvados-y, sour apple (cavalier66), tangy (JS). I find unripe plum, then Virginia tobacco, and green-citrus leaves. The second nose has pomelo and calamansi, oroblanco and yuzu. Mouth: strawberry (PS), tons of ashy warehouse floor. It is quite chalky, today, and gingery on the tongue (bone-dry ginger shavings). The second sip has industrial smoke from the 1800s. Finish: some funk in the back, fruity dung (cavalier66), "sourness turns to dung, as so often happens in life" (cavalier66). Long, citrus-y, and that means fruity, not particularly acidic. This hits the spot, today. Full notes here. 9/10

We talk about WhiskyLovingPianist, who recently moved to France.

JS: "Isn't it crazy? Moving to France with someone he met so recently?"
cavalier66: "Maybe he's at a time of his life when he wants to take a risk."
JS: "What's he got to lose?"
tOMoH: "Limoges. What's he got Limoges."

cavalier66 sings the Grease song Summer Nights:

Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin' happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be
Summer days driftin' away
To ah, oh, those summer nights
Uh well-a well-a well-a huh!
Tullamore, Tullamore
Did you get very far?

We all agree that a Tullamore would be entirely inappropriate in this heat, but make a mental note to reuse that one in future.

PS produces an SMWS bottling with 'summer' in the title.

G1.13 36yo d.1978 Summer Fete and flower shows (56.2%, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 188b) (PS): nose: "afternoon tea, with jam scones, lemon cake, a vicar giving out raffle prizes, and a murder in there, somewhere, Agatha-Christie style" (PS). It is indeed full of lemon-drizzle cake. A bit later on, we have some oily tobacco too. It certainly has more horsepower than anything else we have had, so far. Dark currants appear, timidly. Mouth: vanilla-y lemon-drizzle cake, Mentos pudding (I imagine) and chalky (Korean) pear. Finish: oooh! It attacks the gums, very minty and gel-like in texture (minty gel, of course), limoncello and lime lacquer. It has a lovely grassy touch too. I like me a good grain, and this delivers. I am bound to have tried this when it came out, and indeed, I did. I seem to have been disappointed then, not today. 8/10

tOMoH presents Le-dog, distilled at Toby-mory distillery.

Ledaig 6yo 1972/1979 (70° Proof, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice) (tOMoH): nose: cereal dust (PS) and peppermint (PS). I have coal dust and crumbly peat, though it turns farmyard-y over time -- a dusty farmyard in the summer, that is. Mouth: cavalier66 finds the plastic element he still finds in modern Ledaig. It is vegetal and metallic, with Verdigris and some perfume (JS picks up lavender and violet). The texture is rather thin ("not at all oily," says cavalier66), and it certainly has vase water. Finish: metallic (cavalier66 + JS), bicycle clips (PS), disintegrated medicine capsules (JS). I have algae, and steel boilers full of soot and coal dust. JS notes a metallic sweetness, and is not taken by it, today. Neither is cavalier66. I am. Full notes here. 9/10

PS [about a recent SMWS Inchgower]: "'Onion tart and young white wine,' which is either an SMWS name, or Nigel Farage's new kink."

cavalier66 brought the next one because it is a thirty-year-old, and, yesterday, we hit thirty degrees for the first time this year.

Jura 30yo 1990/2020 (46.33%, Thompson Bros., Refill American Oak Hogshead, 186b) (cavalier66): nose: I immediately picture fruity sweets and plush cushions. It smells oily (cavalier66), it has quite a bit of funk, with some leather and brown, dried citrus peel. That citrus develops, and we have plump tangerine, then plasticine. Further nosing reveals a whiff of black smoke too. Mouth: pink-peppercorn shavings on tangerine segments, and -- what is this? Tropical fruits! Mango, papaya, kaki come storming in. Later on, that turns into mango skins and plasticine, which is to say: still fruity, but also waxier. Finish: it gives me a bit of a buzz, at first. Over time, we see buckets of fruits, or wheelbarrows, actually, with the galvanised steel appearing loud and clear. Then, tropical fruits grow more and more prominent. This is amazing, today! Better than the first time we had it, we all agree. 9/10

cavalier66 [about the next dram]: "The 1977 were heavily shevi-... Herrily shev-... Heavily sherried! How many times does it take me to say it?"
tOMoH [singing to the well-know Modern Talking tune]: "Heavy sherry lady."

cavalier66 explains that the Baby-Boomers constantly reminded us that it was already warm (or warmer, they claimed) in the 1970s. [Let us clear up any doubt: today's climate is warmer and drier than it was in the 1970s -- or indeed in human history.)

A Speyside Distillery 38yo 1977/2015 (47%, Whisky-Doris, Sherry Butt, C#25, 578b) (cavalier66): nose: transport-cask Sherry (PS), leather, tobacco pouches (PS), rolling tobacco, marmalade spread on a slice of wood (watch your teeth!), a bunch of twigs, porridge, with a dollop of pan-seared honey. Mouth: melted butter, salted caramel, toffee, caramelised lemon cake and pound cake all ride on an oily texture. Finish: "a moment of sherbet" (PS), a drop of nail varnish, or wood oil, and glazed ripe berries. It is distinctly bitter too, if not overpoweringly so. From the second sip onwards, orchard fruits and mud appear faintly. 8/10

PS [citing South African government advice that, in fact, originated in California]: "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."

We skip the Convalmore Rare Malts. It is already a stretch, as far as I am concerned, and we all start to feel the combined effects of heat and alcohol. At least, I do -- I am exhausted. One more.

JS brings a light dram into the spotlight: a Link-woof.

Linkwood 11yo 1984 (60.5%, James Mac Arthur Fine Malt Selection) (JS): nose: straw and faded leather, pineapple chamomile. It has rubbing alcohol, on top of the leather, and unripe apple, after a while. Even later, as one tilts the glass, overripe persimmon pokes its head. Mouth: powerful, but also very fruity, this is like an apple-flavoured engine grease applied onto a steel plate. It grows so strong it feels as though it will pull teeth out of their sockets. Subsequent sips are more tolerable, and just as fruity. Finish: again, orchard fruits, a lick of cold, bitter metal, and crystallised raspberries. This is really good. Looking forward to spending more time with it soon. 8/10

The clock shows a reasonable time, the temperature is also more reasonable, now, but I am rinsed. We disband.

05/06/2026 An evening at WhiskyNAVI Tasting Room

What an adventure to reach this place! It takes an hour on the bus, twenty minutes of which are an uninterrupted segment on the motorway, probably ten of those crossing the river only (see picture), then a car crash (a 4x4 gets sandwiched between our bus and another on a bus lane and loses its front bumper -- see picture), a change of bus and a five-minute walk.

And for all that time, the Shard is always visible, even from here

At the address, the unsuspecting passer-by would likely never find the venue, perched as it is on an upper floor of a corporate-looking building. Even when on the right floor, we struggle to see the entrance, stuck between a restaurant and public toilets (I kid you not). And that is before we talk about the intense bloke on the ground floor who is so intent on convincing me to sign up to his Church that I have to be rude with him.

But we make it there and clown around to celebrate

As soon as we open the door, all our thrills melt away, though.

Cannot think why

Deanston 29yo 1996/2025 (53.1%,  WhiskyNAVI imported by Yong Spirits, Bourbon Hogshead, C#21)

Nose: light and soft, it has unlit incense and white wood (birch, balsa, acacia). Jasmine then takes off, followed by Turkish delights. Nothing screams, nothing strays. It is extremely elegant. The second nose brings a pinch of rosewood ashes, fading rose petals and rosehip. Strawberries appear and become headier and headier.
Mouth: nutty-and-a-half, in pure Deanston fashion, it presents a minor bitterness of nut shells, but mostly the nuts themselves (macadamia, mellow medlar, almonds), barely ripe. Next are dried melon chunks and melon skins. Woah! The second sip has dried pineapple slices and dried mace (whole), if not cured ginger slices.
Finish: nutty custard. Almond, macadamia, even Brasil nuts. It is a long, creamy finish that balances the bitter with the sweet. The second gulp pushes pink candyfloss without the exuberant sweetness. It is that ridiculously fluffy and ethereal.
Comment: we saw this one in a shop yesterday and wondered if it would be good. The price was a bit high for a punt. JS discovered the bottler from things we saw on Tuesday, looked them up, and that brought us here. Well worth the hassle. What a discovery! It is safe to assume that the importer is the same as the one listed on the Orkney from Tea and Proof. A phonetic translation is all.
Score: 9/10

Glen Keith 26yo 1997/2023 (50.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, Bourbon Barrel, C#113412, 188b)

Nose: this is perfume-y, with scented woods and flowers. Jasmine comes to mind, but also lilac. All of a sudden, it turns very peppery; finely-ground black pepper. That soon dissipates to come back to soft flowery tones -- cherry blossom, orange blossom and jasmine, Finally, dried grapefruit rind appears. The second nose is bolder and more vegetal, with citrus foliage mixing with the blossom from earlier. Wow. In the background, a soft rubber note is hardly noticeable.
Mouth: softly citrus-y, with a minute pinch of ginger powder. Chewing slaps the tongue with pressed satsumas, kumquats, bergamot foliage and bitter-orange juice. Phwoar! The second sip is oily and fruity, a trifle bitter, yet entirely fruity and coating.
Finish: fruity and custard-y, we find satsuma peels and citrus rinds, part sweet, part bitter, totally delicious. It blends the acidic sweetness of fruit juice and the oily bitterness of orange peels with brio. The second gulp is wholesome and satisfying. We find orange-drizzle cake, oily and sticky on the top, with orange segments dripping caramel on the cake itself.
Comment: another corker. JS is particularly enthusiastic.
Score: 9/10

Glenburgie 30yo 1995/2025 (53.8%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI 5th Anniversary & friendship for Campbeltoun Loch / Komaspi, Bourbon Hogshead, C#6695)

Nose: effing hell! Where did we just step in!? This has candied peach slices and apricots dripping with syrup. Obscene. A drop of lemonade complements stem ginger. It has siftered confectionary sugar -- and the sifter is metallic, which promises a light bitterness. Peach skins are bolder at second nosing, velvety and enticing.
Mouth: Jacob Ree-ZOMG! It is a fruit bomb on the palate too. Tinned peaches, apricots in syrup, maybe a dollop of minty paste that gives a nice freshness, or lemon thyme. The second sip is so velvety it has virtually the texture of peach nectar. Peach flesh takes off upon chewing, perhaps enhanced with a drop of royal-blue ink.
Finish: confectionary sugar licked off a (luke)warm sheet of metal, maybe lemon thyme again, or oregano. Give it a moment and it becomes hot peach's show, though, juice dripping from every square millimetre. Gorgeous! The second gulp is in line, warming, gently metallic and superbly fruity. Peaches left, right and centre, persimmons, Cape gooseberries... Phwoar!
Comment: the manager's favourite WhiskyNAVI bottling, he tells us. I would agree.
Score: 9/10

Strathisla 20yo 2005/2025 (58.7%, The Single Cask for WhiskyNAVI handpicked for KMSP & Campbeltoun Loch, Bourbon Hogshead, C#61)

Nose: tobacco, cigar leaves... No! Banana-cigar leaves, then dolmas and citrus foliage (calamansi, grapefruit), even ivy. It opens up to deliver slightly-acidic lemons or limes, nay! Smoked limes, smoked with either exotic wood or incense. Then, warm, humid linen rears its head. It has the ever-evolving nose of a great whisky. The second nose adds grated nutmeg, and I want to say cloves, but it is not that pronounced. Unlit incense, perhaps? Or sandalwood?
Mouth: wonderful toffee, with Mokatine playing second fiddle. Yes, it has a soft bitterness, yet also a huge sweetness, some wood and zero plankiness. It is a robust Highlander with as much appeal as character. The second sip sprinkles some old-wood gratings and black pepper onto the toffee.
Finish: mocha toffee it is. It is a little drier a finish than anticipated, with more wood, galangal gratings, sawdust and, perhaps, a pinch of desert dirt. The second sip prolongs the dusty-toffee touch, long, sticky and chewy.
Comment: four winners in a row. Incredible.
Score: 8/10

The only other customer pays his due and leaves. I look at the line-up in front of his seat. One catches my attention.

Clynelish 10yo 1990/2000 (54.2%, Kingsbury imported by Japan Import System, Valdespino's Caliseo Amontillado Sherry Cask)

Nose: this mixes oily-tobacco smoke with super-syrupy fortified wine. It has the allure of a gentlemen's club, that is certain! As it opens up, we find pressed sultanas, Medjool dates in syrup, then polished leather reminiscent of a Chesterfield sofa. It has nail varnish too, in small doses. Imagination may point towards pickled pearl onions, but it has little-to-none of the vinegary acidity that comes with that.
Mouth: it is a wonderful Sherry maturation, much juicier and generous than the Manzanilla label suggests. Chewing brings earth to the fore, so greasy and fertile it may as well be prune juice. We find an open tube of dark-brown shoe polish as well, and dark tree bark. The second sip has caramelised red onions which have been, well, caramelising, for hours and are reduced to a red, sugary sludge.
Finish: assertive, full of shoe polish, prunes and dried dates soaked in syrup. The whole is served on a ladleful of potting soil saturated with raisin and prune juices. Sweeter yet at second gulp, it juggles milk coffee (sixteen sugars -- if you know, you know) and caramelised red onions. At first, I think toffee, but not really. Instead, it has prunes and dried dates in syrup.
Comment: flabbergasting.
Score: 9/10

Glentauchers 17yo 2008/2025 (60.5%, D&M Winchester for WhiskyNAVI, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#288)

Nose: an explosion of confectionary sugar and sherbet. Behind that are cantaloup chunks, Korean melon, and large volumes of pouring custard. Something in the back reminds me of my childhood. Whether that is cigarette smoke in the kitchen during the preparation of a delicious dessert or a living-room carpet. It never shakes off that sweetness, however, and apricots appear, at last. Milkier at second nose, it has vanilla and banana milkshake.
Mouth: after a sharp, plastic-y attack, it swiftly moves towards candyfloss and Haribo Bananas, with a soft wood paste adding depth. The Haribo Banana touch is exquisite, acidic, sherbet-y and sweet. The second sip is much chalkier, drying and chewy. It remains fruity all the same; that only affects the texture.
Finish: long, sweet, it is ripe with Haribo Bananas, caramel flan in which the caramel was deglazed with a drop of Cointreau, crème brûlée, torched custard (yes, it is the same), panna cotta and a gently-drying note. It may even have a certain chalkiness. In any case, it is definitely a sandstone type of minerality. The second gulp is long and comforting as a hug from Hechi.
Comment: this punches way above its weight. It reminds me of the Boutique-y bottling we had a few years ago, in terms of quality.
Score: 9/10

I will just leave this here.

A couple of other customers have joined, They are locals. As we interact with the manager, one of them occasionally jumps into the conversation. With my three words of Korean and his three words of English, our exchanges do not go very deep, of course, yet it is, once more, remarkable how a common interest brings people together as if language was no formidable obstacle. Or 'forblemida', as they say here.

KM: "Was that your last flight?"
tOMoH: "I'm afraid so. We could spend weeks here, but we also need to end, at some point."
KM: "Good. Now, let me introduce you to Korean whisky."

Kimchangsoo 2nd Release (48.7%, OB, Korean Oak Cask)

Nose: rustic and farm-y to a degree, this smells of haybales and just-finished harvest. A minute in, peat smoke emerges, slowly, softly. It unfolds like a good novel, taking its time. Surprisingly, it becomes farmier and farmier, adding manure and mud to an already-pleasant picture. That is not over: it lands on smoky custard and tree bark turning into compost (past the mulch stage), and supplements that with rubbed mint leaves. The second nose adds milk chocolate, chocolate-coated almonds and berries-filled pralines.
Mouth: very soft and round, it combines toffee and half-baked shortcrust. Chewing adds a dash of Indian ink, then a blood-red corduroy curtain. It is thick, not heavy, velvety and plum-like. The second sip shows its youth a little more: we have pear eau-de-vie rubbing elbows with liqueur-filled pralines.
Finish: easy and full, it is a tad farm-y, has a gentle lick of smoke, and -- surprise! A whisper of rubbed citrus peel (pomelo, lime, bergamot). The second gulp is more warming and extends the liqueur-praline impression in an elegant way. Nothing sickly here. It retains some smoke and a little mud, but not much of the other farm-y notes.
Comment: very impressive. Even more so when one registers that this no-age-statement is twelve-to-eighteen months old (Korean law dictates spirit has to mature for one year to be called whisky).
Score: 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo 2021/2022 (54.1%, OB, 1st Fill European Oak Sherry Hogshead, 336b, b#7)

Nose: bang! Peat smoke, chargrilled merguez, herbs-coated burgers, cooling embers and white ash. It has meat fat dripping into the hot embers, then pork cutlets on the grille.
Mouth: silky and fruity. It still has lots of chargrilled meat (lamb cutlets), charcoal, and not soot, but burnt wood sticks that have been played with around a campfire.
Finish: long, charcoal-y and prune-y. It is juicy and persistent with a sharp bitterness -- perhaps rubber?
Comment: strong entry, even if I prefer the second release.
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo New Make (58%)

Comment: a vegetal nose, a clean, slightly-smoky, plummy palate and a never-ending glow in the chest for the finish.
Score: 6/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Kimchangsoo New Make (70%)

Comment: cleaner yet, purified, it turns lactic and mineral in the mouth, acidic and sharp. Long finish that feels better integrated than the version at 58% -- which is the same product watered down).
Score: 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

KM: "Do you have experience with Japanese whisky?"
JS: "Yes. It is usually delicate and very well made. We like it."

Yamazaki 15yo (56%, OB distributed by Japan Import System, Mizunara Oak Casks, b#65063)

Nose: marzipan and oil paint, linseed oil, then -- wait for it! -- mushy peas. It has an unusual note of garden peas indeed, smashed into this paramount of culinary excitement, courtesy of the Great Kingdom of England: mushy peas. Perhaps we note crushed pine cones too, which is just as unexpected. The second nose pushes a hairball and dried lychees to compete with sultanas and prunes.
Mouth: more marzipan softness for total elegance, Japanese style. Chewing adds velvety plums or peaches and heat, as well as a drying touch. The second sip is desiccating upon chewing, like chalk. It takes a few seconds for sultanas to run back to the taste buds.
Finish: marzipan-y, peachy, plummy. "It is so composed, elegant," JS tells us. One can almost taste the Sherry: pressed currants, prunes. This is looking straight at Cognac, in fact, so fruity and elegant it is. A trifle darker and hairier at second gulp, it remains excellent.
Comment: phwoar!
Score: 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, Director KM)

Far-Eastern tryptich

We have a sobering disaster at the end, when it is time to pay and we discover that the card reader does not read foreign cards. To make things worse, there is a cash machine in the same building, but the daily withdrawal limit is below what we owe (not to mention it takes a hefty commission). If that were not stressful enough, we also have twelve minutes to catch the very last train back to our accommodation, some thirty-five kilometres from the venue... and the station is roughly ten minutes away on foot. We run, take the wrong direction twice, but end up on the train indeed. At the station, a bloke asleep on a bench misses the train, on the other hand.

Tomorrow, all that will be forgotten. What will remain is the satisfaction of having found the superlative bar of this jaw-dropping city. And the pride of being told we were their first foreign customers. Kudos to the staff for their recommendations, tutoring, and the chill with which they navigated a stressful sitch with us.

02/07/2025 Raasay

We are on Raasay.

Our guide asks adc, JS and me if we have been to a distillery before. Yes. She is relieved that she does not have to go through how whisky is made. She tells us she started in Stirlingshire and had enough of explaining the difference between a Bourbon cask and a Sherry cask. We go through the distillery cogs all the same.

What remains of the hotel that used to be on the site.
Still used as a hotel, now linked to and operated by the distillery

Inside is this dried-herb wall

I ask how many waters they use; it is all on this board

A spirit safe of a kind we have never seen

This is where botanicals are macerated for their gin

Once the quick tour is over, our guide packs supplies and us in her pick-up and drives us to the nearby warehouse. That is where the real work begins.

She has a great method to keep track of which glass is whose: she writes our names on a bung that she places at the top of each row of glasses. adc says her name; our scribe does not get it. adc repeats and spells; the hostess spells it incorrectly. JS points out the misspelling and spells it again; she corrects and spells it a different shade of incorrectly. Ahem.

Ahem.

On the menu are six casks which are the components for Isle of Raasay The Draam (46.4%, OB, American Rye + Chinkapin Oak + Bordeaux Casks). That means similar types of casks, not these exact casks. We will valinch the content out of the casks ourselves, yay!

Except for the first, which sets the tone:
our hostess makes huge pours!

Isle of Raasay (unknown ABV, cask sample, ex-Rye Cask, C#651, d. ca. 2019): nose: plenty of Bourbon-y goodness, starting with vanilla custard and sweet-citrus zest. It also has a distinct note of ethanol: new make, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitiser. Yup, this is young and it struggles to hide it, initially. Shortly thereafter, we have pastry, choux dough (a favourite of the Lapland bees', hence the Bee Choux Dough, the Sámi Rye Code -- if you get that one, leave a comment :-) ), pulped pineapple and vanilla milkshake. The alcohol scent turns into shy shampoo in a way so discreet it is hard to imagine anyone complaining about it. The custard-y aromas become darker, milk chocolate pudding and soft toffee, and it gains a drop of light coffee off a hot tin pot. The second nose is pure confectionary sugar and pastry. Sponge cake, plain cupcakes, plain muffins, vanilla... Oh! That dissipates to leave clean dishes in a cooled-down dishwasher. How odd! The last thing to reach the nostrils is a softly-vanilla-scented hand soap. Mouth: it is rougher than anticipated on the tongue. There is sharp citrus, acidic, stripping, and a blend of rubbing alcohol and industrial cleaning agent. For a fleeting second, we spot dishwater too. Chewing reveals tincture of iodine, Iso Betadine and burnt caramel. The second sip is in line. Some herbal infusion, maybe, thyme, rosemary, hawthorn, or honey-glazed tarragon. Finish: burnt pastry, caramelised pancakes, ananas flambé still dripping with alcohol. It retains some of the creaminess, astoundingly, yet the dominant presence is now that of pancake submerged in heated Grand Marnier. One can still taste the batter, but the liqueur is overwhelming. Grand Marnier is apt, since this has an orange-peel bitterness at the death. More to my liking at second gulp, it is still fairly bitter, this time a mineral bitterness, rather than a fruity or leafy one. Indeed, beach pebbles and polished limestone come show their attributes, as does a lick of milk chocolate. Meh. It has potential, but it does not deliver on its promises, in my opinion. 5/10 (I finally try this on 08/08/2025)

Isle of Raasay d.2019 (unknown ABV, cask sample, ex-Château Margaux Cask, C#435): nose: what have we here? Raw poultry meat, perhaps? Plucked pigeon, pheasant or peacock? It promises chewy morels, candlewax, Brighton Rock and ash. A very singular nose that I do not recall experiencing in any other whisky. The ashy note grows, and we find rosewood and sandalwood, dry rather than burnt to a crisp. We have burnt fruit stones, on the other hand, with a mere drop of the fruit's juice -- I call cherry and cured plum. Squashed blueberries reach the nostrils on the late tip, maybe not totally ripe, pressed unripe dark grapes, pips and all, slowly turning into vinegar with oxidation. The second nose has chewy cork, wet with cheap red wine (Beaujolais Nouveau comes to mind) and lemon juice, before sandalwood makes a comeback. Phew! A drop of water transforms this into a metallic affair, with hot steel plates, zinc gutters in the sun, a hot tin roof, weathered and lacklustre, though not corroded. A moment later, we spot citrus foliage, probably clementines or bergamots. Mouth: ooft! it is wine on steroids, flirting with vinegar. Quite acidic, it is also clearly fruity, now, despite those fruits not being too ripe -- grapes, blackberries, plums. Chewing reveals an unexpected width: the whole mouth is properly filled with flavours. Melted chocolate, melted caramel, banane flambée, hardly-ripe currants. In the long run, woody tones show up, tree sap and oily planks, both fairly bitter. Thanks to the fruitiness, all that is fine. The second sip is sweeter, though not sweet. Pressed citrus (calamansi, lemon, a few drops of grapefruit) augmented with a pinch of salt. Indeed, salt has now shaken the bitter, wine-y elements like, well, salt sprinkled on wine-cured purple berries. It keeps one's interest with the zest of sweeter citrus (calamansi, Buddha's hand). Although still bitter with water, it feels more balanced. It is also less cloying. Now, it reveals warm marmalade (warmalade) and apricot-and-citrus compote. It retains a tiny bitterness alright and adds a dash of fruit squash. Finish: we have caramelised jam, here, not sure which. It is still a tad bitter -- more so than orange marmalade: we are really in the presence of unripe fruits. Once the taste buds get over the numbness from the seemingly-high ABV, the palate detects some chocolate again, albeit far from dominant. Once more, dark grapes, plums, even prunes are in the spotlight, at a level of maturity that lets a clear bitterness get the better of whatever sweetness those fruits could muster up. Repeated quaffing makes this a little sweeter. It never becomes sickly sweet, owing to the considerable ABV -- even though it is not stated, it is clearly high enough. With water, a lick of metal is immediately followed by a hefty serving of fruits. Here are the juicy bitterness of oranges and the warm sweetness of apricots, topped with the acidity of a drop of lime juice. This is better with water. I had it at 6 neat. 7/10 (I finally try this on 01/08/2025)

Our guide points at wicker on a wine-cask head and explains it is a cooper's trademark. I object that winemakers put that wicker to attract parasites and protect the cask. She is unconvinced and will not check while we are there.

Isle of Raasay d.2019 (unknown ABV, cask sample, Chinkapin Oak Cask, C#1061): nose: we have some delicate oily wood, old mahogany or chestnut tree, so old they have barely any oil to give, and, therefore, little scent. It is not extinct, however, and in fact, gains in intensity with time: soon, we discover chocolate left out on a summer day that is starting to sweat a little. We also have a drop of sweet red wine. It is but a minute before we go back to the wood, this time old, freshly-oiled stick chairs. Chocolate ice cream at room temperature and the bark shaved off of hazelwood or chestnut tree. It grows darker with time and stops just shy of mushrooms to bounce back towards chestnuts. The second nose is creamier, with glimpses of a mocha custard, or cocoa-enhanced rice tart (the filling, not the crust). Mouth: wood oil, oily chestnuts, and the sweetness of apricots. It appears to be rather strong and leaves the tongue throbbing and gasping for air. Chewing brings forth a lovely nuttiness, creamy hazelnut spread or almond paste, without the bitterness one might associate with that. Apricot becomes more and more obvious. There may even be a spoonful of warm raspberry jam somewhere, and a dash of wood oil, not as intense or volatile as teak oil. The second sip is woodier to a point; the teak oil now also takes on a splintery edge. That is no bother whatsoever, thanks to an abundance of sweet, juicy fruits to balance that. Finish: we start off with fruits (apricots, raspberries) and quickly graduate to wood flavours, oil and oily bark. It balances a certain sweetness with a modest level of bitterness. The shift from fruits to wood feels akin to being centrifugated during a sharp turn of a rollercoaster. The finish is hot and reasonably spicy, a pinch of chilli, amchur, garlic granules with a honey glaze. There may be yellow fruits towards the death, Mirabelle plums or greengages. They are in season, after all. Here too, more oily-wood heat at second gulp, perhaps asafoetida or ginger powder, quickly overtaken by marmalade. Could that spell stem ginger, at once spicy and sweet? This is delicious. 8/10 (I finally try this on 04/08/2025)

Isle of Raasay is owned by R&B Distillers. Our guide explains it was necessary to have the independent bottler activity to finance the distillery. I ask what they have bottled; I am only aware of an Ardnamurchan in their Caskshare range. she fumbles a few attempts to answer, I try to clarify what I mean, but she clearly does not understand. She closes the subject by saying she is not involved in the other side of the business.

Isle of Raasay d.2020 (unknown ABV, cask sample, ex-Woodford Reserve Rye Cask, C#200): nose: immediately ashy and cereal-y. Indeed, here is toasted barley meddling with dusty hay. It oddly has a fruity-eau-de-vie quality to it (likely plum), as well as a mineral side. Limestone chippings, moraine. It is not openly farm-y, yet one may find a timid mucky element too. The second nose has burning Virginia tobacco, cut fruits, and a discreet dash of cider vinegar, which is unexpected. Mouth: milky-and-a-half, it peddles yellow or white fruits: peach, nectarines, white plum in milkshake form, albeit without that sickly dose of sugar that such a preparation would suffer from in a fast-food joint. It takes limited chewing to revive the dusty hay, ashes and toasted cereals. This is not overly smoky, yet it is hard not to see chargrilled fruits, likely dusted with ground black cumin. The second sip manages to be both juicier and more drying -- quite the antithesis! Alongside cut peach, we have not sand but crushed glass and stone chippings. It turns softly salty after a moment (it might be sand after all, then) and introduces a medicinal touch too, ether or tame TCP. Finish: more fruity-smoky-ashy action, soon complemented with dentistry products: it shines as ashy toothpaste at first, then morphs into anaesthetics -- xylocaine? I am no expert in that field. It is indeed numbing, leaves the tongue tingling, and just about allows ashy, smoked peach slices to come through. Once all that has settled, the mouth is left as if coated in coal dust (not soot), sticky, drying, staining. The second gulp juggles tame fruits and a growing medicinal side alright. It is definitely TCP more than ether, at this point, disinfectant and charred peaches. Powerful and good. 7/10 (I finally try this on 04/08/2025)

Valinchin' for a livin'

Isle of Raasay d.2020 (unknown ABV, cask sample, ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Cask, C#333): nose: would you know it? This is smoky and wine-y. Ha! Ha! Cured meats, , smoked hams, a (pre-roasting) boar roast -- yes, it is gamy, dripping with black blood from the hunt and mud from the horses' hooves. Slowly, smoke gets the better of that meaty side, with burnt hay and a huge hearth in a medieval kitchen. Toasted barley, cereal dust out of the oven (oooh!) and, quite clearly too, a pitcher of bold red wine. We catch fleeting glimpses of an oilcloth tablecloth on a smoky-kitchen table. In fact, the smoke becomes increasingly perceptible and ends up prominent, although the nose seems to bring us to grapes, eventually -- not wine: grapes; smoked grapes. The second nose adds plump mushrooms, pan fried and splashed with wine before they have had a chance to release their water. Add the smoke from a nearby brasero -- there it is! Mouth: it is frankly wine-y on the palate. Sure, there is a barbecue grill dripping with meat oil and tatters, but that is easily overtaken by bold red wine. Very rustic, this rolls out old wooden chairs, tables the age of Papa Smurf, and brooms made of twigs, witch style. Chewing relentlessly pours red wine on all that wood, which somehow stirs ashes and generates a lot of acrid smoke. Burnt white wood, burnt bones, even soot, though less sticky. The second sip has a brief-but-clear medicinal side, with tincture of iodine and brine. That is soon joined by a cup of heady red wine drunk by the fireplace. Finish: burnt-nutshell ash, burnt hazelwood and the oil that it released in the blaze. The wine influence is still clear, yet it is less bold. Wood speaks louder, here, and we have wooden wine goblets (to say 'cask' would be overstating it) and wine-stained wooden coasters. The second gulp presents dark chocolate -- a dark chocolate that would be taken with a glass of red wine so bold one hardly notices it is a tad corked. Then, as the final hurrah, the finish welcomes a chargrilled fatty leg of lamb, the fat of which is blackened by fire, crispy and charred on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. Wow.  (I finally try this on 08/08/2025)

We take a stroll and spot those ex-Black Isle beer casks

Isle of Raasay (unknown ABV, cask sample, Chinkapin Oak Cask, C#1122, d. ca. 2019): nose: a mahogany cabinet in which ashes are sprinkled liberally. A second later, we have oily nuts: chestnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, all shells included, stewed apricot stones, roasted avocado stones. Then, we have a hodge-podge of scents coming up, amongst which dental-impression paste, oiled birch shelves, a thick sauce in a cast-iron pot, gravy, Horlicks, beach pebble, chewing tobacco and cigarette ash. Does it read like an insane melting pot? Well, it is. The second nose offers willow branches, cut and burnt. It is sappy to a point, and dispenses fruity goodness: currants and gooseberries at various stages of ripeness fallen into the mud. There may even be a dash of dark ink, though it stops short of creosote. Mouth: strangely wine-y and fairly syrupy. One may call it Tawny Port, or a Montbazillac about to turn into Madeira. It is thick, coating, sweet, and a little bitter. It is also strong and has a medicinal aspect to it -- more in that it numbs the gums than it tastes like antiseptic. Gauze springs to mind, but it is much too sweet to be gauze. Nut jams end up making their way to the front -- pistachio, chestnut, almonds, perhaps punctuated by smoked raisins. This is crazy. The second sip has torched fruits and torched mud. Blackberries trampled in tar, vapourised disinfectant and burnt fruit-tree wood. Tar grows in stature and adds a dark, acrid note to this otherwise-mostly-fruity drop. Smoked blackcurrants and cassis liqueur. Wow. Finish: fruity-sweet and medicinal-smoky again, it quickly shoots wood chips covered in honey, cinnamon sweets (it is not particularly cinnamon-y; it gives the same anaesthetising feel is all), before, finally, hot jam settles in with a dusting of ash. The second gulp is more-closely tarry, if not petrolic, sticky, dark and acrid, as well as fruity. Again, let us go for smoked blackcurrants; that seems appropriate. What a ride this one is! 8/10 (I finally try this on 04/08/2025)

Our guide's mood changes hallway through. Is she tired? Annoyed? Late? Longing for home? Are we that unpleasant? (I can be a difficult guest) Whatever the reason, she seems to lose interest and gives off a vibe that she cannot wait to get rid of us. An unpleasant feeling, that.

Wonder what this Glenwyvis is doing here

We finish the tasting, make driver's drams of our leftovers and leave. The distillery has a bar, and I notice they serve exclusive and regional bottlings that cannot be purchased by the bottle. Perhaps later.

Enjoying the view of the Cuilin from the veranda.
Also, samplin' for a livin'