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2011
Music
Awards
December 1 - 2
November 1 - 2
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2009
December 1 - 2
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2004
December
1
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2
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1
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1
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1
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1
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1
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No archives for 2002-2003
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The
Malt Maniacs Monitor
(PDF,
printable, 4.6MB, sorted alphabetically, updated Feb 21, 2010)
The file
contains 286 pages.
At the moment, we have collected 40,504
ratings on 13,007 different single malts and whiskies.
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Serge's
Statistics
Shack
The
data on the MMMonitor allows us Malt Maniacs to play around
with the numbers for our own amusement. Please note that only
the results and conclusions published on Malt Maniacs are
'official'. However, these statistics are often used as the
foundation for our 'official' opinions.
Top
Maniacal Malts
Recent bottlings
version
Old
bottlings version
( updated 06/08/2009)
We've
taken all the malts that have been sampled by at least six
different certified malt maniacs and simply ranked them from
'best' to 'worst'. Please note that these results can be very
different than our Awards', the latter addressing only malts
that have been submitted by the industry, whereas most of
the malts on the monitor have been, yes... bought by us!
Strange
Bits on Bottlers
(updated
06/08/2009)
As
we already came up with around 32,000 ratings in June 2009,
we felt we could try to come up with a ranking of the various
bottlers. Nothing really official or too serious, though,
especially because the bottles' prices have not been taken
into account and because a bottler that specializes in rare
and expensive whiskies will be 'advantaged' anyway. But if
you're a number crusher, please go ahead and browse the list!
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The Magical History
of the Great
Brora Distillery
1969 - 1983
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All the linked files (mp3, video, html) are
located on free commercial or non-commercial third party websites.
Some pictures are taken from these websites, and are believed
to be free of rights, as long as no commercial use is intended.
I
always try to write about artists who, I believe, deserve
wider recognition, and all links to mp3 files are here to
show you evidence of that. Please encourage the artists you
like, by buying either their CDs or their downloadable 'legal'
tracks.
I
always add links to the artists' websites - if any - which
should help you know more about their works. I also try to
add a new link to any hosting website or weblog which helped
me discover new music - check the column on the right.
I
almost never upload any mp3 file on my own server, except
when dealing with artists I personally know, and who gave
me due authorizations, or sometimes when I feel a 'national'
artist deserves wider recognition. In that case, the files
will remain on-line only for a few days.
I
do not encourage heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages,
nor dangerous motorbike riding. But life is short anyway...
As
they say here: 'L'abus d'alcool est dangeureux pour la santé
- à consommer avec modération' |
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Leave
feedback |
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Copyright
Serge Valentin,
Nick Morgan,
Kate Kavannagh
2002-2012
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January 27, 2012 |
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Tasting two 1998 Miltonduff plus a pre-aperitif and an aperitif |
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Mosstowie 1979/2001 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseur's Choice)  Remember, Mosstowie = Lomond stills at Miltonduff. Colour: white wine. Nose: heeeeelllloooooo? Someone there? I’m joking, it’s not completely silent but there isn’t much happening in my opinion. A few fresh fruits, mostly white ‘garden’ ones and hints of oatcakes, porridge, custard… Its actually quite pleasant but very, very light. Perfect aperitif? Mouth: once again, ‘pleasant’ is the right word. Apple and pear juice with touches of spices, cinnamon… Herbal teas as well. Again, it’s all very light. Finish: short but cleanly fruity. A little more lemon and oranges as well. Comments: didn’t we just have whisky? Seriously, it’s a ‘pleasant’ (for lack of a better term) and light Scotch malt whisky. SGP:331 - 78 points. |
Let’s try to find another light one, but a ‘genuine’ Miltonduff this time… |
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Miltonduff 10 yo 1989/2000 (43%, Hart Bros)  Colour: gold. Nose: ahem. Hello? Actually lighter than the Mosstowie, buttery, with some indistinct whiffs of sherry flying around. Also a little parmesan… Quite butyric. Also some straight sulphur, exhaust fumes… You got it, I don’t like this too much. Let’s move on… Mouth: a good surprise, this is rather cleaner despite these notes of stale pepper in the attack. Peppered oranges, leather… And it does keep improving, with a more complex spiciness and some pleasant notes of marmalade as well as, maybe, some apple chutney. Finish: short but even cleaner. Leather, oranges and cloves. Comments: the nose was non-existent (and yes I took my time) but the palate was quite satisfying. In short, whisky for drinking ;-). SGP:441 - 76 points. |
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Miltonduff 1998/2011 (57%, Berry Bros & Rudd, Berry’s Own Selection, cask #3605)  Colour: pale gold. Nose: this feeling of fresh butter and cut grass once again, as well as a little marzipan. This seems to be pretty naked and well-balanced but it’s a little aggressive so let’s add water right away, cuz I need mee nose. With water: farmyard and hay. Very close to the mash, as they say. Also a little mint and ‘good’ vinegar. Mouth (neat): sweet malt and orange drops all over the place, then a feeling of cranberry juice. I think this is good but again, it’s very powerful (yet, the strength is moderate, isn’t it? ;-)) With water: nice development on ‘Indian’ spices and oranges. Caraway seeds, cardamom… That came unexpected, wins points here. Finish: rather long. Oranges and cardamom. Comments: naked spirit of good quality. I can see why somebody skilled would have selected this cask, it’s very pure and, again, perfectly ‘naked’, with no off-notes. If you like them natural… SGP:441 - 83 points. |
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Milton Duff 13 yo 1998/2011 (61.4%, Riverstown, cask #3603, 324 bottles) In case you’re wondering, Milton Duff is Miltonduff ;-) and Riverstown is Blackadder. Colour: white wine. Nose: more or less the same whisky as the BBR, only sharper and, maybe, more porridgy/buttery. Hot chocolate. With water: same as the BBR. Very mashy – rather pleasantly so. Maybe a notch more mineral (splitting hairs now). Mouth (neat): exactly the same whisky as the Berry Bros. Maybe a tad spicier, in fact? Hard to know, it’s really burning… Shhhhh… Let’s only hope the same will happen with reduction… With water: indeed, same phenomenon, although this one has more spices and more fructose at the same time. Almost as ‘Indian’ as the BBR, in fact. Finish: same. Maybe a tiny-wee tad sweeter? More spices in the aftertaste. Comments: same. Scoring this baby differently would be plain stupid – and no, we won’t do halves. SGP:541 - 83 points. |
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January 25, 2012 |
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Malternatives: tasting a few rums en passant |
In fact, it’s going to be a rum month. Not that we’ll have rum every single day, but we’ll taste a few every four or five days, until WF’s ‘rum compartment’ is empty. I think we'll need four separate sessions... Deal?... |
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Ron de Jeremy (40%, Ron Jeremy, Panama, 2011) An ugly male pornstar's own rum, seven years old apparently. Let's try it (pinching our noses won't help - too bad). Oh, and we’ll try not to use the word ‘sticky’. Colour: gold. Nose: just okayish, with some burnt wood, something soapy and more burnt stuff. Not quite noseable when straight, I’m afraid. Mouth: pretty all right now, not sickly sweet and not too sticky (aaargh, I’ve said it) but still rather cheapo. Molasses, liquorice and stale apple juice, becomes grassier after a while. A feeling of heavily sweetened American coffee. Maybe Port with melon. Finish: shortish, a bit burnt but otherwise relatively clean. Sugar cane in the aftertaste. Comments: probably okayish but it really reeks of dirty marketing tactics in my opinion. SGP:620 - around 60 points. |
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Classic Rum Caribbean Collection (46%, Bristol Spirits, blend, +/-2011) A blend of 'selected distilleries', rather an entry-level rum by Bristol. Colour: amber. Nose: starts a bit like the Ron de Jeremy but becomes more complex, and quick. Molasses ‘of course’ but also chocolate sauce, overripe bananas and that grassiness that we find in many rhums agricoles (but this one isn’t an agricole, is it?) Touches of tinned pineapples. Mouth: easy, well on sugar cane, pineapple, bananas and soft spices (cloves, cinnamon). Nothing to write home about but there’s good balance and not too many sugary notes. Finish: medium long, with more sugary notes this time. Liquorice rolls. Comments: I think this is pretty all right. SGP:540 - around 75 points. |
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Rockley Still 1986/2008 (46%, Bristol Spirits, Barbados, Madeira finish)  On the label, the bottlers suggest we should enjoy this baby over ice, but we won’t, eh! Colour: salmony. Nose: I don’t know what comes from the Madeira and what comes from the rum but what’s sure is that this is a very nice, very straightforward grassy nose, all on sugar cane and then something faintly mustardy and spicy. Very close to the raw materials, which is great. Mouth: same comments about the Madeira. Hard to say. Sweeter than on the nose, with some good notes of plain cane once again, maybe a few marshmallows (from the Madeira?) and then more dry oak, with some cinnamon. Maybe touches of tangerines. Finish: medium long, rounder and sweeter. Some honey, strawberry drops… Comments: very pleasant. Why ice? SGP:650 - around 80 points. |
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Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole (44%, OB, Martinique, +/-2011) French rhum. Colour: gold. Nose: very different from the Barbados, more flowery, more aromatic. I get litchis, for example, as well as peaches, quinces and then a little eucalyptus, which I often find in rhum agricole (but I’ve only tried a few, so…) Mouth: same feeling, with also much more orange liqueur and huge spicy notes this time. Bags of cloves, and I mean bags. It’s a style, as they say… Finish: medium long, with even more cloves and orange liqueur. Drier aftertaste (yup, cloves!) Comments: almost a liqueur on the palate, and these cloves give it something medicinal. An acquired taste, as they say on Islay. SGP:561 - around 70 points. |
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Dillon Carte Noire (45%, OB, Martinique, +/-2011?) This is ‘rhum vieux’ (old rum), which means it’s probably pretty young. Don’t ask. It’s agricole (meaning from cane juice, not from molasses). Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s having a hard time after the Clement, for it’s much shier, less aromatic, although the styles are similar. Maybe a little more coffee? Well… Mouth: I must say I like this much better now. First, because there’s less cloves ;-) (not that I don’t like cloves!) and second because I enjoy these touches of ginger and this earthiness, almost tequila-ish. Not bad at all. Finish: medium long, still pretty gingery, with notes of cinchona, Schweppes… Comments: nose, pass; palate, pretty decent. SGP:341 - around 70 points. |
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Rhum J.M Vieux (50%, OB, Martinique, +/-2000?)  Another vieux agricole from Martinique, bearing no vintage. I’ve heard J.M has got a very good reputation. Please note that this is an oldish bottle. Colour: amber. Nose: ah yes yes yes, another world. Not without reminding me of the best Demeraras but with (even) more complexity. There’s this feeling of fullness, without any biggish ‘assaulting’ notes, quite some honey, prunes, dates, tar… Complex rhum, no wonder J.M is always quite expensive. Mouth: yes, this ‘vieux’ on the label but it’s probably more vieux, in fact. The oak’s a bit louder and maybe it lacks the creaminess we’re expecting from most rums but other than that, we have a very nice spiciness and a lot of chocolate and coffee. As if it was rhum matured in some good sherry casks! Finish: medium long, with sugar cane, coffee and hints of Seville oranges. Comments: to my liking, I wanted to stop this session now but I think I’ll have one more ;-)… since this little J.M was very moreish. SGP:551 - around 85 points. |
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Bellevue 12 yo (58%, Whisky & Rhum, L’Esprit, Guadeloupe, 2011) An independent bottling from France. Guadeloupe is close to Martinique. In fact, Bellevue is on Marie-Galante, a tiny island that belongs to Guadeloupe. The distillery was founded in the XVIIth century, so long before any Scottish distillery. Colour: deep amber. Nose: well, we’re in the style of the J.M, only with more power, thanks to the higher strength. Maybe it’s a tiny-wee tad earthier?... Water will help us find out, because this is quite strong… With water: some smoke, burnt grass, tar, liquorice, earth and Seville oranges. Mouth (neat): excellent, rich and creamy yet very elegant, screaming ‘great rum’ to my ears. Well, my expectations were modest but I love these notes of toffee, chocolate, spicy liquorice and sugar cane. A creamy, very potent rum of good age. With water: just like I said. The J.M with more creaminess and fruitiness. Finish: quite long, sweeter, maybe just a tad sugary (molasses). Some eucalyptus and camphor in the retro-olfaction. Comments: maybe it’s not the most complex drink in the world but balance and fullness are quite perfect. SGP:651 - around 86/87 points. I think we’ve had enough rum for today… but it all ends well! |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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January 24, 2012 |
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Tasting four new old Bunnahabhain |
More old Bunnahabhains! They aren’t very rare in the market but many are extremely good in my opinion. The independents issue most of them today and I find it’s a bit strange, because I could taste several great oldies that were lying in the distillery’s warehouses a few years ago. Casks, not bottles! |
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Bunnahabhain 25 yo (46.3%, OB, +/- 2011) Aka XXV. I really liked a version that was bottled around 2009 (WF 87). Colour: amber. Nose: starts a little strange, kind of ‘cheesy’ and winey at the same time. Isn’t there more sherry than in earlier versions? Or is this one from fresher casks? Goes on with a lot of chocolate, bags or heavily roasted malt and, maybe a little too much struck matches. Yes, sulphur. Also blackcurrant buds. Was this baby ‘finished’? Very unlikely but you never know… Mouth: same feeling but this is rounder and fruitier. Again, the wine is loud and Bunnahabhain’s usual honeyed and delicately raisiny style doesn’t really shine through. Having said that, it’s very pleasant and gets maltier by the minute, before our beloved ‘Bunny’ starts to come out indeed. Quite some orange marmalade, honey, sultanas… And a nice saltiness. Finish: not very long but clean and (even) more on dried fruits, sweet, the ‘winey’ wine influence having become much more discreet as such. A little salt again in the aftertaste. Comments: I was not fond of the nose but the palate is pretty impeccable. Enough so to warrant 85 points in my little book. SGP:552 - 85 points. |
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Bunnahabhain 24 yo 1987/2011 (55.7%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #1598, 399 bottles)  Colour: gold. Nose: fresh like a Bruichladdich! Honest, had I tried this baby blind, I’d have said ‘Bruichladdich!’. So we have this very peculiar combination of melons, peaches and sea air, then rather more almond oil and maybe a little fresh putty, apple peel and walnuts and then more peaches again. Very nice freshness. Mouth: fruitier and less ‘coastal’ than Bruichladdich, and much more to my liking than other middle-aged indie Bunnies that I could try through the years. In truth, the fresh fruitiness is quite spectacular, with pomegranates, cranberries, litchis, ripe apples… All that is very sweet, almost sugary in a good way. Sweets. Excellent mouth feel. Finish: medium, still very fruity while we’d have expected more oak. Right, there is a little cinnamon in the aftertaste… And liquorice allsorts. Comments: excellent, even if not hugely complex. Another one you could quaff without even noticing, it’s pure fruit juice! SGP:741 - 88 points. |
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Bunnahabhain 31 yo 1979/2011 (46.5%, Adelphi, Selection, cask #8893, 516 bottles)  Adelphi already had some great Bunnahabhains. I remember a 1974 two or three years ago, very excellent. Colour: brown/amber. Nose: sweet, rich sherry, not quite PX but it’s got this rich feeling. Glazed chestnuts, chestnut honey, Demerara sugar (which makes me think that I have many new rums to taste!) and then some ‘clean’ gunpowder (no sulphury smells whatsoever) and a few funny vegetal notes. Beetroot juice? Mouth: more dryness and more menthol and liquorice as well at first sips, which is very nice in this context. We’re really savouring some very old sherry… then various kinds of raisins, a feeling of juicy rich pipe tobacco and quite a lot of sweet liquorice. Excellent. Finish: long, coating, rich, with more spices but it’s never drying. Comments: it’s rich sherry but the balance is perfect. Quite terrific, in fact… SGP:651 - 91 points. |
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Bunnahabhain 42 yo 1968/2011 (45.8%, Silver Seal, 219 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: more wood and spices in this baby, which is normal. Mind you, 42 years! Having said that, it’s absolutely not oaky and everything is delicate and very elegant. It’s like opening an old wardrobe where mum (or grandma) used to store her old fur coats, if you see what I mean. Whiffs of old perfume (I’d have loved to write Chanel #5 but that would have been, err, far-fetched), hazelnuts, wax polish, tobacco, then more humus, mushrooms, freshly baked cake… A true madeleine, as Proust would have said. Searching lost time? Search no more, this old Bunnahabhain has it all. Mouth: just a tad drying at first, but unfolds on many very delicate and subtle notes of crystallised fruits (oranges and kumquats but also angelica), roasted nuts, touches of mocha, tobacco… Absolutely not tired, even if it’s no big malt of course. Finish: medium long, clean and wide, on those dried fruits and the most elegant spice mix ever. Comments: sometimes it whispers, sometimes it takes its time, but it never lets you down. An ode to old age! SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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January 23, 2012 |
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A collection of Caol Ila, ten by ten. Part 1 |
Every month, there are dozens of new and excellent Caol Ilas being launched into the market and I just cannot cope in a ‘normal’ way, that is to say while organising ‘coherent’ sessions often enough, gathering similar vintages, or ages, or cask types... That’s why I’ve started to taste individual Caol Ilas from time to time after other sessions, more or less at random, and to fill a special file that I’ll simply ‘unload’ every time I've got ten of them... Starting right today!... Warning, there might be some older versions coming in between the new ones for good measure… And please note that many have not been tasted 'together'. |
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Caol Ila 27 yo 1984/2011 (52.4%, Douglas Laing for The Whisky Barrel, sherry hogshead, 120 bottles) The Whisky Barrel is a nice online retailer in Scotland and they launched this CI to celebrate their new website. Colour: dark gold. Nose: a CI that rather looks towards Laphroaig at first nosing, with more medicinal and dry coastal notes than expected, including mint, camphor and eucalyptus, Vicks-style. Behind that, some sharp and pretty beautiful whiffs of citrons and grapefruits that give it a great nervousness and then a gangue of vanilla custard and maybe mango coulis. Unusually medicinal. Mouth: rich and, once again, more southshorish (you’re a barbarian, S.) than expected. A very salty feeling, litres of brine, anchovies, then more tangerine marmalade, maybe a little walnut liqueur (from the sherry cask?) and lastly, sunflower oil. A lot of sunflower oil. Finish: long and rich, richer than the ‘average’ Caol Ila in any case. And very oily… Comments: excellent. It’s not easy to guss what comes from the sherry and what comes from, well, the distillate but who cares, it works! Both the very medicinal side and the oiliness on the palate are unusual. Again, vive la difference! SGP:456 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 1982/2008 (61.2%, Scott's Selection) 61% vol. at 26 years of age, nice beast! I already had some very nice 1984s by Robert Scott. Colour: straw. Nose: well, as often with these whiskies at very high strength, you get quite some coffee at first nosing, and not too much peat. After all that, more fresh almonds, brine, whelks (and why not? Clams if you like), seaweed and the expected ashes. Also a little burnt bread but again, that may come from the high strength. With water: it’s the raw barley that comes out more, together with more coastal notes - rather warm seawater this time. Fodder silo. Mouth (neat): a blend of almond oil, lemon juice and pickle juice. Oh, and a lot of alcohol but I must say this is pleasantly narrow and sharp. Yep, like a blade. With water: brine all over the place, plus lemon juice. No peat monster for sure. Finish: medium long, more on grapefruit juice this time. And barley wine? Very briny aftertaste. Comments: a relatively soft Caol Ila at very high strength – and with high brine content. A pretty moderate peatiness. SGP:375 - 86 points (thanks for this, Carsten H.) |
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Caol Ila 28 yo 1983/2011 (46%, Silver Seal) Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one is rather more on fresh butter and almonds, or even hazelnuts at very first nosing, with a kind of resinous brine in the background. It’s all rather soft and delicate, a little old style. Then more soot and ashes but it remains soft and peaceful, so to speak… Even if it is relatively briny and coastal. Mouth: rather gentle, balanced but with more lemon and grapefruits this time. It’s also relatively kippery but again, the smokiness is moderate. Also notes of cider apples and other tart fruits. Kiwis? Finish: medium long, saltier and brinier. Salted grapefruits. Comments: a likeable old Caol Ila with moderate oomph but a nice freshness and very good balance. One for the lounge? SGP:465 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 29 yo 1982/2011 (51.54%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #761, 164 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: ho-ho-ho, rhum agricole! Really, this smells like fresh white rum running from a still in Martinique… At least for a little time! Then it’s more some classic briny old Caol Ila, in all its perfection. Also artisanal cider, lemon, oysters, leather, cough syrup… All that is very perfect. Mouth: perfect! Ideal balance between the zestiness, the ashes and the coastal/briny elements. All that mingles perfectly well (did I already write that it was perfect?) and especially the ashy side is spectacularly beautiful. Heavily smoked salmon sprinkled with lemon juice? Finish: long, very lemony and very ashy. Really playful. Comments: my exact definition of a 90-point Caol Ila. Would be great with any smoked fish. SGP:457 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 19 yo 1992/2011 (50.5%, The Whisky Agency, bourbon, 207 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: a rather Laphroaiggy one at first nosing, rather in the style of the DL for the Whisky Barrel that we had recently. But the smokiness is bigger, not tamed by age yet, and there’s also quite some carbolineum, antiseptic and seawater. Also diesel oil, Motul motor oil (I’ve decided to be more precise with motor oils – I’m joking) and a little coal tar. All that becomes quieter after a few minutes, with more room for almonds, apples, plasticine and putty. Mouth: more on brine, lime juice and simply seawater. A lot of seawater… Also menthol flavoured tobacco and touches of liquorice drops. All good, with good body and the right punch. Finish: long, peaty, with more menthol and lemon drops, which gives a pleasant freshness to the aftertaste. Comments: simply another very good Caol Ila. Yes there are many but an abundance of goods does no harm, does it! SGP:366 - 87 points. |
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Caol Ila 12 yo ‘unpeated style’ (64%, OB, 2011) The latest official unpeated (aka Highland Caol Ila), I think there were only an 8 and a 10 in the past, and a first 12 last year that was very good (WF 87) and sort of lighter (only 57.6%, pfff…) Colour: pale gold. Nose: just like last year’s edition, this baby isn’t completely void of peat but it’s rather the esters that dominate the whole at first nosing, even bubblegums and touches of varnish. But at this very high strength it’s hard to get very definite aromas so let’s add water right away… With water: the peat strikes again but it’s no ‘smoky peat’, rather the kind of peatiness that you get when visiting a kiln that’s not working. Other than that, quite some apple juice and a little lemon as well as touches of porridge. Mouth (neat): sharp, sweet and ultra-zesty but extremely strong. This is a little hard to swallow ;-)… With water: fresh, zesty and, yes, quite peaty. A lot of walnut and apple skins, then pear drops. Finish: long, rather lemony, with a lingering peat. Hints of sultanas. Comments: it’s a bit hard to understand the raison d’être of this baby (when you’re not one of Diageo’s blenders) but it ain’t bad malt whisky at all. Quite the opposite! SGP:653 - 86 points. |
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Caol Ila 2000/2011 (55.3%, Single Cask Collection, Willi Opitz Homok finish, bourbon) This should be interesting. Willi Opitz makes great Sauternes-like wines (right, more or less) in Austria, rather Trockenbeerenausele style, but his Homok is rather made like sherry I believe, or rather vin jaune. It’s mostly gewürztraminer that’s kept in wood for around seven years, most probably under a ‘veil’ or flor, so the wine should become ‘neo-oxidative’, just like sherry. Anyway, let’s see what gives, this is not winefun.com. Colour: pale amber with salmony hues. Nose: no extreme winey notes, that’s good. In fact, it’s the distillate that’s got the upper hand here, and this could be any excellent CI ex-refill sherry in my opinion, even if some aspects may come from the Opitz cask, such as these delicate mushroomy notes, the tinned litchis and, indeed, the juicy sultanas. In fact, it does give a slightly muscaty feeling but it’s all very elegant and fresh. Wow! With water: more of the same, this is unexpectedly delicate. Hints of Linzer Torte? ;-) Mouth (neat): oh, this is even funnier. Sure it’s all a tad unlikely, especially the very sweet fruitiness, but, well, it works. Tinned litchis again, tangerines, blood oranges, Sichuan pepper and green pepper with the peat roaring underneath… It’s good and actually very funny! And always this muscaty feeling… with water: a delicacy, or rather kind of a high-end mandarine liqueur. A peated one, no need to say. Finish: long, more on bitter oranges and sultanas. Comments: good, I shouldn’t have liked this ‘stunt’ but I did. I also appreciate the fact that the bottlers are Austrian and that they used a wine cask that was from their homeland and close to their hearts (I suppose). Very far from just a gimmick, very, very well done guys! Where can we buy some empty ex-Opitz Homok casks? ;-)… SGP:555 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 15 yo 1972 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseur's Choice, old brown label) Yes I’ve noticed that this baby is no new or recent Caol Ila ;-), but I’ve always wanted to try this ‘pre-extension’ version so now’s the time. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s like the very old Ardbegs, the peat got ‘transmuted’ into tar, almonds, soot and some light tropical fruits in a wonderful way. Sure it’s absolutely no aromatic powerhouse, in fact it’s even a little too shy and discreet, but what a delicacy! Overripe apples, maybe a little musk, raw wool, clams, coal ashes, avocado juice, tinned papayas (light)… All that in the minor mode but still, it’s a beauty. Let’s only hope the palate won’t be exhausted... Mouth: the attack is slow indeed, whispering… But then it takes off, with an obvious saltiness, some ashes, a little cough syrup, light brine, a little barley water, touches of liquorice, old style tar drops… Right, it really drops after a few seconds and becomes frankly flatish, but who cares, it’s got its moments and those were wonderful. Finish: yeah well, arr, err, not much but it leaves an obvious saltiness on your tongue. Comments: a shy old beauty, not to be rushed or brutalised. Like a very old photograph… SGP:344 - 85 points. (and thanks, Tomislav!) |
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Caol Ila 30 yo 1981/2011 (51.6%, The Whisky Fair, 10th Anniversary, bourbon hogshead, 130 bottles) Colour: straw/gold. Nose: classic briny, punchy, rounded but not too rounded, with a vegetal smoke (garden bonfire) and then grapefruits and almonds. Becomes sharper after a few minutes, more on lemon and maybe a little dill (or wild carrots?) Pretty vivid for its age but much to my liking. Mouth: lemons and lemons plus lemons and… brine, with something slightly resinous in the background. Cider apples and mentholated cigarettes such as Kool (I’ve smoked some a very long time ago and this is the feeling I got – I hardly smoke thirty cigarettes and two cigars a month since a few years, just for fun!) But why am I telling you this? Why would you care? Finish: long, lemony and smoky, with some tar in the aftertaste. Comments: not many malts remain so sharp and nervous after thirty years in wood (granted, not hyperactive wood in this case!) Excellent but I guess it could spend another thirty years in wood without faltering… Loved the lemony profile. SGP:456 - 90 points. |
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Caol Ila 16 yo 1991/2007 (46%, Hart Bros) Colour: white wine. Nose: reeks of apple juice at first nosing, which was unexpected. After that, exactly what was expected, that is to say a pretty perfect combination of fresh putty, brine, coal ashes (old coal stove), oysters and lemon juice. A little antiseptic too. Mouth: same, plus that saltiness. Very nice attack, sadly it gets a little light towards the middle, which is strange. No I didn’t have cask strength whisky just before this little baby. Finish: shortish for Caol Ila, maybe a matter of reducing done in a strange way. Nice salty aftertaste, though, with again this medicinal side (antiseptic). Comments: a rather average Caol Ila in my opinion but even when it’s ‘average’, Caol Ila is good. SGP:444 - 82 points. |
MUSIC
- I'm sorry, I may be unable to keep posting music for a short while because of Mac OSX 10.7.2 'Lion' that handles Internet connections quite badly (both wifi or ethernet). As soon as I have downgraded to the former OS - which would actually be an upgrade ;-) - I'll post music again. |
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January 22, 2012 |
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Tasting two new extreme Japanese |
Some new Japanese just in… Why wait? Let’s try them now… |
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Hanyu 2000/2011 'The Game' (59.4%, Ichiro's Malt, Mizunara Heads Hogshead finish, cask #917, 309 bottles) This is the second edition in the 'Game' series. Using new heads allows the distillers to impart a little 'new oak' character to the spirit, without quickly making it an oak bomb, which could happen when you use 'full' virgin casks. Oh, and Mizunara is a kind of Japanese oak, as you probably know, while 2000 was Hanyu’s last vintage. Colour: gold. Nose: the high level of alcohol carries a few straight oaky tones at very first nosing, maybe not totally, well, elegant, but many refined spicy aromas are soon to take over and to make the whole quite beautiful. A cabinetmaker’s shop plus unlit Virginia cigarettes, new humidor (cedarwood), eucalyptus and behind all that, what appears to be vanilla crème, quinces, bergamots and kumquats. Extremely ‘Japanese’ in my opinion, which is just fab. The oak even gives it something smoky (wood smoke, obviously), while the vanilla-ed side never stops growing. With water: it’s the vanilla’s round creaminess that comes out now, together with touches of marshmallows/bubblegum and those typical lemony notes that sometimes come with new oak. Yes, rather lemon grass. Makes me think of some ‘artisan’ Glenmorangies from a few years ago. Mouth (neat): starts rather sharp and unexpectedly tarty, which is very nice in this context. Lemongrass, fresh coriander and a little mustard (in fact, you cannot not think of wasabi), then more ‘oaky’ spices, nutmeg, cinnamon… With water: a very complex all-fruit liqueur (citrus first). Finish: rather long, with the spices fighting back. A grassiness in the aftertaste, as well as a little cardamom. Comments: well, the barrel tops were hyperactive! The whole is very cask-driven, like many Japanese in my experience, but it seems that it’s all been done with deep care and attention. At the top of that game (arf!) SGP:672 - 89 points. PS: beautiful label! |
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Yamazaki 15 yo (61%, OB for Isetan, Japan, sherry butts, +/-2011) Isetan is a chain of fairly high-end department stores in Japan. As for Yamazaki + sherry, there’s already been quite a few legendary bottlings in the past. 1984 anyone? Colour: pale mahogany. Nose: this is not whisky, it’s plain and pure sherry, a great, dry sherry (amontillado?). So bags of walnuts, dried mushrooms and touches of curry powder, then more chocolate, coffee and tobacco, with once again a ‘woody’ smokiness. Quite extreme in a certain way and complex at the same time, no mean achievement! With water: more tobacco, much more tobacco (cigars!) Also some old balsamico, a little soy sauce and something faintly roasted. Botrytis? Mouth (neat): extremely… err, extreme. Hyper-concentrated, very spicy (the experience is not unlike chewing a cigar), infused… Yet kind of chiselled and certainly not ‘fattish’ like other sherry monsters can be. Bitter oranges start to dominate the whole after a few seconds. With water: I feel more oak, as if it was from some kind of sherry-treated new butt. Some red berries coming out as well, raspberries… Finish: long, dry/spicy and fruity at the same time. A slightly strange but wonderful kind of balance. Comments: fun whisky, extreme at times, a little gentler once reduced. SGP:672 - 90 points. |
(Arigatou gozaimasu, Hiroyuki, and merci beaucoup, Emmanuel). |
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January 20, 2012 |
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Tasting two new young Glengoyne plus a triple aperitif |
There’s an intriguing newish Glengoyne ‘Teapot’ so let’s try it along with a recent IB, but first I feel like we should have a little aperitif, with three light young OBs… |
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Glengoyne 10 yo (40%, OB, +/-2008) Colour: gold. Nose: light and Chivasesque, so to speak. Classic rounded, malty and nutty whisky, with whiffs of caramel and café latte and then hints of overripe apples. Not unpleasant at all but I wouldn’t say there’s much happening. Hello?? Mouth: more to my liking. Bolder and fatter than expected (read feared), with some beeswax, apple pie, stewed pears, a little mocha, chocolate, coffee and toffee. And some malt. Typical entry-level malt whisky from a good maker, a weakish nose and a more than decent palate. Finish: a little short but pleasant, very malty, with some toffee in the aftertaste. Comments: had the palate matched the nose, it would have been a 70, but with this fairly nice palate, it’ll rather be 78. SGP:420 - 78 points. |
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Glengoyne 10 yo (40%, OB, +/-1980) Colour: gold (darker). Nose: very different from the recent one, although the background is similar. Richer and fruitier, with figs, dried bananas, orange liqueur, touches of Demerara sugar or rather molasses, herbs, parsley… Another world, really, I suppose this one had more sherry. A lot more… Mouth: once again, this is completely different from the recent one. Sharper, more restless, a little spirity (so much for OBE), developing more on pear spirit and maybe a little antiseptic and camphor/mint somewhere. In fact, I liked the ‘+/-2008’ better on the palate. Finish: medium long, a tad cardboardy and tea-ish but the pears and the spirit remain in the aftertaste. Comments: bolder whisky for sure, but the palate was curiously unpolished, while the palate was almost great. Just a notch more to my liking globally. SGP:541 - 79 points. |
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Glengoyne 12 yo (43%, OB, +/-1988) Colour: gold. Nose: much drier than the latest 10, waxier, kind of metallic at first nosing. Curious whiffs of nail polish remover (after all those years!) and then a little dust, wet cardboard, metal polish, damp earth… Maybe this baby is damaged, the palate will tell us for sure… Although I get nice notes of pineapples after a few minutes, and something sweet and rounded (syrups). Mouth: no, all is fine as far as power is concerned. It’s even a little raw, starting with apple peelings (from tart apples at that) and grass, before it starts unfolding more on sweets (pears) and a little chlorophyll. Remains very grassy and rather spirity all along (tutti frutti spirit). Also funny notes of cress – I like cress a lot! Finish: Comments: some parts are interesting, some others not so much. I must say I was expecting something rounder and gentler. SGP:451 – 72 points. |
Okay, enough with the oldies, let’s have the new articles if you don’t mind… |
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Glengoyne 'The Teapot Dram' (58.8%, OB, 3105 bottles, 2011) It’s a no-age-statement version, a ‘tribute to the daily dram that the Distillery folk enjoyed three times each day from the copper teapot in the distillery canteen’ according to the official website. I believe it’s only available at the distillery. Colour: amber with red hues. Nose: funny how it ‘noses’ like some marc de gewurztraminer at first, with these whiffs of litchis and rosewater. Then we get more classic fruity sherry, with strawberry jam, a little sugarcane, sultanas, bananas flambéed… Powerful but noseable at almost 60% vol. With water: as often with these kinds of sherry treatment, there’s more herbal teas, rosehips, hawthorn, marshmallows… And a little hay as well. Mouth (neat): rich and young, with an unexpected spiciness that does hint more at virgin oak than genuine sherry butts. I mean, there’s a lot of ginger and cardamom, for example… It’s also a little kirschy. With water: all good now, even if this feeling of ‘new oak’ remains. That hints at a finishing in sherry-treated fresh oak, but it does not say, so I may well be completely wrong. I probably am. Finish: long, more on liqueur-filled chocolate. Litres of plum spirit at the retro-olfaction. Comments: interesting, a kind of ‘modern’ sherriness. Worth trying for sure, and I believe it’s not very expensive. They also have it from their website. SGP:551 - 84 points. (many thanks, Benjamin S.!) |
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Glengoyne 13 yo 1998/2011 (53.7%, Malts of Scotland, cask # MoS 11006, 289 bottles) Colour: pale amber. Nose: it’s another kind of sherriness here, more on leather, dark chocolate and struck matches. Some rubber too, new boots, chlorophyll, cut grass… I think this needs to breathe. Let me check my emails, I’ll be back in a few minutes…/… I’m back. Indeed, it got a little nicer and fruitier (raisins) but the rubberiness is still there. A lot of mint, anise and even mustard as well (seeds, or rather the raw kind of ‘mustard in grains’ that they make here and there, like in Meaux - please see below.) Let’s try water. With water: coffee, toffee, chocolate and leather. Improved! Mouth (neat): now it’s good, very fruity, with the many spices supporting the whole. Peppered strawberries? Jellybeans with cloves? Some aspects are not far from the OB but this has less straight oak. With water: rounder and oilier, with the same flavours everywhere. Finish: pretty long, on the same notes. A little blackcurrant jelly in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s not an easy one in my opinion, but some parts are rewarding. Yeah, lousy writing. Water is obligatory. Oh, and MOS have/had several much better 1998s in my opinion! SGP:561 - 82 points. |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS
(too long for Twitter! ;-))
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| Bitten by mustard seeds! |
| I just saw on another excellent website a cool friend who was kind of complaining about the fact that I had found notes of ‘mustard seeds’ in the nose of a whisky, while mustard seeds are odourless. Is that careful scrutinisation or what? Quite flattering in a certain way but ouch, I’ve been caught in the act! In fact, we call the thing I was trying to refer to ‘moutarde en grains' in French, which literally means ‘mustard as seeds’, and ‘moutarde en grains’ is hardly odourless, believe me - contrarily to raw seeds indeed. Anyway, I’m deeply sorry about that incredible faux-pas that came from a stupid carry-over from French, about the junkish tasting notes that resulted from that and about the threatening shadow that was hence cast over the overall reliability of this humble little website. Yours sincerely, etc. |
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January 19, 2012 |
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Tasting four old Glen Grant |
You cannot go wrong with these old Glen Grants but some vintages or rather some lots have been better than others! Let’s have a few old or even very old ones and see what gives… |
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Glen Grant 1970/2010 'Juliet' (44.8%, Spirit Empire, Whisky Antique, 208 bottles) We had 'Romeo' aka Bunnahabhain on December 20 (WF 89), let's have Juliet today! Colour: gold. Nose: what’s quite striking at first nosing is the unexpected smokiness. Okay, rather burnt toast… Then more mirabelle jam, honeycomb, quinces, kumquats and Grand-Marnier, before some very nice whiffs of humus and camphor break through. Well, this is lovable but that was to be expected. Mouth: very old style, it’s almost as if this was bottled a long time ago. Maybe a tad dry, in fact, slightly thin in the middle but otherwise everything’s there, oranges, honey, café latte, earl grey tea… So, it’s light yet very good. I mean, to my liking. Finish: shortish but pleasantly honeyed and jammy. Very ripe plums. Some cinnamon from the oak in the aftertaste. Comments: high quality old Glen Grant, not too oaky and well in the style of most 1970s. A little more oomph and fruitiness would have pushed it more towards the 90-mark. SGP:451 - 87 points. |
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Glen Grant 39 yo 1972/2011 (51.2%, Jack Wiebers, Old Train Line, refill sherry, cask #38202, 256 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: we’re almost exactly in the style of that sweet ‘Juliet’, with just a little more oomph and maybe orange honey. A little less toasted bread as well. Frankly, this is superbly aromatic and extremely lovable. I can’t see who wouldn’t like this! Perfect beehivy profile (note to self: try to find an adjective that’s not a barbarism next time.) Mouth: this is pure distilled honey, honest (S., such weak alliterations are so passé!) So various honeys blended with some ultra-sweet plum juice, the whole being spiced-up with a little cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Luminous, I’d say. Finish: long, creamy, coating and… honeyish. Comments: was that distilled mead? And isn’t it funny that we’re so close to Glen Grant’s sister distillery Caperdonich with some of these 1972s? Well, let’s remember that Caperdonich had been christened ‘Glen Grant #2’ originally … SGP:541 - 90 points. (and thank you mucho, Herbert!) |
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Glen Grant 38 yo 1972/2011 (52.8%, The Whisky Agency, refill sherry hogshead, 215 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: well, this is the same whisky as the JWWW. Maybe a notch more aggressive, with added hints of banana skin and a very, very, very faint cologny touch. That would have gone totally unnoticed, hadn’t I tried another 1972 just before, which means there’s absolutely no problems here. Other than that, plenty of honeys and very ripe fruits, plums, Williams pears (not pear drops, not at all)… Mouth: exactly the same comments but we’re even closer to the Jack Wiebers, to the point where both whiskies are almost undistinguishable. Well, you could quaff five litres of each just for the sake of finding differences… Let’s not play that game! (not even with 5cl!) Finish: long, creamy, coating and… honeyish. Yup I just copied-and-pasted from above. Comments: excellent. SGP:541 – 90 points. |
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Glen Grant 59 yo 1952 (49.2%, Gordon & MacPhail for LMDW, Book of Kells, refill hogshead, cask #1134) That’s right, this baby is almost 60 years old. It fetched Gold at the MM Awards 2011 and I just saw that they still have it at whisky.fr. 750€ is a lot of money but remember a 70yo is worth £10,000 at G&M’s while other brands will try to sell you prepubescent whiskies for hundreds of quids… Oh, and isn’t the label beautiful? As for the bottle, remember you can always buy second-hand crystal decanters at flea markets for just a few bucks… Colour: gold. Nose: oh yes! Old whisky! What no artificial ageing process will ever achieve! (erm, hopefully). Starts with stunning notes of almond oil, teak oil (for the deck of your yacht) and many, many other oils plus camphor, eucalyptus syrup and cedar wood (cigar humidor). Goes on with many fruit jams and honeys, in the style of the 1972s but with more complexity. Polished jams, so to speak, and then tar liqueur and a beautiful spice mix (not space mix, G&M are no drug designers!) In short, a fantastic nose. |
Mouth: sure there’s a little oak that’s striking first but what’s really amazing is how light those oaky notes are. After that, it’s a very wide, very complex combination of fruit jams, chutneys, spices, herbal teas and beeswax, without any cloying parts and, above all, still no overoakiness. Pipe tobacco. Finish: medium long, a tad more drying now, which is normal, with something floral. Orange blossom water? Quite some menthol in the aftertaste, it’s almost as if you had just sucked a few mint drops. Comments: quite miraculous. It’s got something of both the Mortlach and the Glenlivet 70yo by G&M. Frankly, the price is quite 'cheap' relatively (don't shoot, don't shoot!), especially since I believe there were less than the equivalent of 50 bottles remaining in the old cask… SGP:462 - 92 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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January 18, 2012 |
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Tasting three 1982 St Magdalene plus a rare bonus |
Maybe this will be the last time we’ll be able to taste three different fairly recent St Magdalenes… Sob… |
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Linlithgow 28 yo 1982/2011 (46%, Mo Or collection, release #7, cask #2203, 900 bottles) Nine hundred bottles from a single cask of the ‘Bourbon, Wine’ type according to the bottler’s website. What could that be? Several barrels reracked into a butt? Then it’s refill according to the colour… Or a demi-muid? Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: it’s not a wham-bam St Magdalene (oh, remember Linlithgow was another name for St Magdalene), rather a light and soft one in the style of some old G&Ms, but everything’s in its place. That includes these cellary notes (dust, concrete, old bricks, mould, mushrooms), then the unusual notes of vegetables that were to be found in some St Magdalenes (French beans, salsify) and then some light touches of lemon, pine needles and limestone. Maybe dead leaves as well. It’s all rather elegant… Mouth: ah yes! There’s something of the old Rare Malts, even if this is much lighter of course. Yet, and excellent body and a wide citrusy profile, mingling with some pine sap, honeydew and drops of cough syrup. All pretty good at this stage. Finish: medium long, rather earthy, pleasantly tea-ish, with some lemongrass in the aftertaste. Comments: this bottling really does its job. A gentle yet assertive St Magdalene with a Rosebanky feeling at times… SGP:371 - 88 points. UPDATE: I've been silly again, didn't notice it was 50cl bottles |
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St Magdalene 26 yo 1982/2009 (55%, Chieftain's, butt, cask #2219, 348 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: we aren’t far from the Mo Or but there are also more mineral notes as well as something dry and resinous, maybe car polish, new leatherette, putty… That gives it a lovable old style that was more to be found much further north in the old days. Also aspirin tablets, cut cactus, leaves... Now, I’ve often found that such interesting noses could lead to terrible palates. Mouth: nope, no terrible things are happening, it’s all rather well in the style of the Mo Or, with ‘greasy’ lemony notes, fir liqueur, touches of tar, cough syrup, liquorice… There is something a tad ‘chemical’ in the background but it’s really an asset here. Tonic water? Then more and more lemon liqueur and touches of ginger. All good, with an oily mouth feel. Great body! Finish: long, on the same lemony/greasy/leafy profile and always these teasing ‘chemical’ notes. I write ‘chemical’ for lack of a better term, I’m sorry. Comments: much to my liking, very true to the Distillery after all these years. In short, totally unsexy yet rather beautiful! SGP:471 - 88 points. |
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St Magdalene 27 yo 1982/2009 (58.6%, Whisky Tales, 184 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: it’s a rather lighter version this time, more on rocks and soot and with less resinous/oily notes. That gives it a feeling of freshness, almost maritime, together with a flintiness that never stops growing. Great notes of hazelnut oil. Very austere, in fact, and once again, the palate could be so-so with such a nose but first, let’s add a few drops of water. With water: a few more leaves. Dead, alas (Serge!). Seriously, it didn’t change much but it was beautiful in the first place. Mouth (neat): hurray, it’s pure Riesling, and from an Alsatian, that says a lot. Superb combination of lime, waxes and minerals, then mint and liquorice. Fabulously zesty and quite paraffiny. With water: same, just a notch easier and smoother – so to speak. Finish: long, perfect, waxy, mineral, with some saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: the others were great, this is brilliant. Well done Whisky Tales, this baby is abfab and very much to my liking. Do you still have bottles? SGP:362 - 92 points. |
It’s always the same, ending a session with a winner just puts you in a good mood and… calls for more. Sadly, I haven’t got any other recent St Magdalene in my library so let’s try to find a worthy oldie… Maybe such as the honourable Society’s very first St Magdalene? So a very young St-M? What do you say?... |
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St Magdalene 1975/1987 (64.6%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #49.1, 75cl, screw cap) This teenager is only eleven years old, but I’ve had such young Magdas by Cadenhead that were really superb, so… And did you notice the strength!... Colour: white wine. Nose: quite curiously, it starts rather lighter than the 1982s, kind of sweeter, with some sucrose, barley sugar, then more hay and even whiffs of manure, white wine, then more white vinegar… It’s a bit hard to have a good idea of how it behaves at such high strength, I’d have loved to try harder but I need my nose for other pressing matters… With water: a northern hemisphere farmyard in the middle of August. Don’t I sound like the Society in the old days? Plus, indeed, hints of wax, putty and various oils in the background but little lemon or other citrus fruits thus far. Mouth (neat): it’s a tidal wave of estery notes, pears, pineapples, jelly beans… It’s very strong but not terrifyingly so. Having said that, it’s not easy to get flavours beyond that big sweet attack and I don’t really get any ‘St Magda’ feeling. So, with water: yeah! They’re coming, pine sap, candle wax, lemon marmalade, tar, rocks, hay… But no saltiness this time. Finish: long, more and more on putty and lemon marmalade. Maybe touches of passion fruits and cardamom in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s not a very complicated St Magdalene in my opinion, it’s even unusually simple (even with H2O) but the spirit was classy albeit a bit ‘difficult’. Expect no immediate pleasures with such bottlings but the reward comes from a style that’s no more. Uncompromising, they said. SGP:451 - 86 points (with thanks to Angus!) |
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January 17, 2012 |
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Tasting four independent Springbank from the 90s |
All these independent Springers, as they say, were distilled in the 1990s… |
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Springbank 13 yo 1998/2011 (46%, Duncan Taylor, NC2) As you know, NC2 stands for ‘No Coca-Cola’. All right, it’s rather no colouring, no chill filtration. Colour: salmony or rather apricoty. Nose: ahem, there’s some wine in there, although the label doesn’t say so. Maybe I’m mistaken and that wouldn’t be the first time, but I smell blackcurrant jelly and red peaches on top of the usual flinty/greasy modern Springbank character. Also plenty of bitter oranges and, maybe, faint touches of gunpowderish sulphur. Mouth: same feeling here. Starts on bitter oranges and tonic water, pepper, grass and Haribo bears (or jelly beans if you prefer) and goes on more with green tea and maybe more ginger. It’s rather pleasant but maybe a tad wobbly, so to speak. Finish: rather long and rather more on cinchona, Schweppes… Comments: it’s pretty nice but not to much my style. Styles! SGP:462 - 79 points. |
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Springbank 15 yo 1995/2011 (46%, Hart Brothers, Finest Collection) Colour: white wine. Nose: ah yes yes yes, this is ‘true’ Spirngbank in its naked glory. Not much to say except that it’s exactly, well Springbank from refill – yet not dead – wood. Graphite oil, linseed, motor oil, moss, humus, paraffin, coal smoke… Great. Mouth: same plus these touches of bitter oranges and lemon zests as well as a little cinchona yet again. Maybe the body is thinnish but nothing problematic. And I like these faint touches of white tequila and rum in the background. Finish: a bit short for Springbank but clean and very coherent. Bitter oranges and a touch of salt. Excuse me, a saltiness. Comments: lovable and much downable, but not consensual, which isn’t the least of its charms. Well done Hart Bros! SGP:363 - 87 points. |
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Springbank 16 yo 1993/2009 (53.5%, The Bottlers, bourbon hogshead, cask #219) It’s great to see (relatively) recent bottlings by The Bottlers, these people always did a brilliant job. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s like the Hart Bros but with even more smoke and motor oil. In fact, it’s frankly peaty. Also whiffs of fresh cement, clay, candles, green tea, ‘new toy’ (new Chinese plastic) – you have to like that but I do… Bandages… Also great notes of fresh mint that balance the whole. Mouth: hmm… ultra-extreme lemony/soapy/gingery style from that period. Quite a lot of salt too, plasticine, lemon liqueur, grapefruits… A little hard I must say, too bitter. Finish: very long, very salty. Glue in the aftertaste. Comments: typical distillation from the early 1990s I think – and yet there are some great ones. Less clean and much greasier than more recent distillates in any case. I like those much better I must say but this is very interesting. Historic, already? SGP:372 - 70 points. |
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Springbank 16 yo 1993/2009 (58.9%, The Bottlers, refill sherry hogshead, cask #180) Interesting to taste a neighbouring sherry cask, probably distilled on the very same day. Colour: amber. Nose: yawah! (hmm…) A wild thing for sure because the sherry’s gaminess really plays with the raw and slightly sulphury spirit (it’s not the kind of sulphur that comes with some wine casks – yes sherry is wine). In fact, the whole smells almost like Maggi. Do you know Maggi? So lovage, soy sauce, some scented soap, waxes, cordite, matches and… prunes, raisins and chocolate. To be honest, I’m not sure I like this, it reminds me of a few ultra-extreme officials from five or six years ago or so. Not my favourite bottlings… Mouth: … and this is just as unlikely. Interesting it is but the sulphury notes don’t combine too well with the oranges and lemons here, creating a kind of permanent two-step feeling that’s slightly disturbing. On-off, on-off, on-off… Yet, it’s nicer than the Bourbon, thanks to the sherry cask I guess. Finish: long, with that bitter soapiness becoming louder. Comments: a strange brew, as Clapton would say, but the sherry did a good job masking some of the inherent flaws. SGP:472 - 74 points. |
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January 16, 2012 |
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Tasting more old sherried Speysiders. Freewheelingly. |
We’ll start with the brand new official Benromach 1969 and we’ll just see what else we’ll find in our library after that one. Okay?... |
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Benromach 1969/2011 (42.6%, OB, refill sherry hogshead) I loved an earlier version, issued in 2004 (WF 91 at the time) so, as they say, we have deep expectations. Colour: deep amber with bronze hues. Nose: I like these dry sherry notes that hint at walnut liqueur and, well, plain walnuts. There are also hints of parmesan cheese or comté, well-cured ham (iberico, of course), game, soy sauce, old Bourgogne wine (civety notes), humus, old wine cellar… It’s all very different from the ‘average’ old sherry monster, certainly more tertiary, earthy… Yet, there is a little chocolate, coffee, prunes, raisins… In fact, I’m wondering if there isn’t a little peat in there. Great nose anyway! Mouth: more or less the same feeling as with the nose. It’s dry, earthy, a little leathery, with great notes of bitter chocolate, coffee beans, maybe a little beef jerky, old palo cortado, Corinthian raisins… Nutshell: artisanal dark chocolate, with almost no sugar. Excellent! Finish: medium long, rather spicier but in the aftertaste, you really get the feeling that you just crunched some coffee-flavoured bitter chocolate. Comments: unusual and absolutely wonderful dry old sherry ‘monster’. If you like them dry and complex, don’t miss this one… SGP:362 - 92 points. |
So, what next? Maybe a very contrasting one, such as a 1976 Tomatin aka a fruity extravaganza? (probably)... And a sherried one at that, to keep all this a little coherent?... |
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Tomatin 34 yo 1976/2011 (49.5%, Whisky-Doris, sherry hogshead, cask #9, 139 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: mirabelle pie covered with sweet white wine (Rivesaltes, for example), that’s what I get at first nosing, although the sherriness grows bigger after that, together with quite some malt (Ovaltine/Ovomaltine), coffee and Armagnac-soaked raisins. Also a faint meatiness (cooked pork meats, sausages) and probably a little coal smoke. So, no fruity extravaganza this time despite the notes of plum pie and, more in the background, bananas flambéed. Also some flints. Mouth: starts on liqueur-filled chocolate and herbal sweets (Switzerland’s Ricola, yooo-hooh… ahem, that was the echo) and goes on with more typical fruity notes, mangos, passion fruits, peaches and then more red berries, raspberries, black cherries… The sherry and the very fruity spirit combined very well here! Nice peppery feeling behind all that. Finish: long, jammier, rounder, fruitier… Comments: top notch, a great variant with a sherry that remained relatively light and did not kill the freshness. But warning, it’s another one that’s eminently drinkable… SGP:642 – 91 points. |
What else now? Oh, but we haven’t had a very old Longmorn since ages, have we? Now’s the time… |
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Longmorn 46 yo 1965/2011 (51.8%, Gordon & MacPhail for Limburg, Book of Kells, first fill sherry butt, cask #370) A pedigree that will make even the most experienced taster drool, not to mention a moderately experienced one such as yours truly. Colour: red amber. Nose: this is insane, this little baby is as fresh and vibrant as… some fresh fruit (I had been willing to mention a female singer but finally thought that was a bad idea). Imagine a full basket of peaches and raspberries, a few bottles of the best Sauternes and Alsatian vendanges tardives, some perfect dates (I mean the fruits, eh!) and then the softest curry powder. Mix, shake well and you get this. Brilliant! Mouth: breaking news, someone invented some kind of device that literally ‘disoaks’ old malt whiskies. I cannot find any other explanation of the fact that this is so fresh and fruity. Granted, it’s ‘polished’ but never oaky, while many dried fruits including figs, pears, dates, raisins, orange zests and even apples dance on your tongue. To keep this short and sweet, this is a wonderful old liqueur… Finish: long, creamy, with more honey and spices and a feeling of ‘mulled wine’ in the aftertaste. Cloves and a little mint. Comments: incredibly nervous for its age – but probably not the most complex old Longmorn, I have to say. Bah, forget about complexity… SGP:651 - 92 points. |
To tell you the truth, these whiskies are so rich that it’s hard to have too many in a row. So, maybe a last one for today, but which one? It’ll have to stand the course after the Longmorn, so let’s be careful… Hey, why not choose the same vintage, 1965?... And even the same excellent bottler? I think it’ll be the… |
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Strathisla 1965/2011 (48%, Gordon & MacPhail for LMDW, 1st Fill Sherry Butt, cask #1283) I tried another cask that was bottled for LMDW Singapore last year (cask #3473, WF 89) that was great but maybe a tad extreme for this taster. Colour: pale mahogany. Nose: we’re entering a nice old shop that would sell a strange combination of antique furniture, spices from all over the world, old books, both dried and fresh fruits and a wide range of liqueurs. I doubt such a shop will ever exist but this baby really exhales all kinds of precious, err, things… Or could we be in a Morrocan souk? Mouth: ultra-classic old Strathisla from G&M’s thoroughbred racing stable. Dates, oranges, figs, honey and olive oil all over the place. I don’t want to sound too ‘Moroccan’ but this reminds of the hamlou, a great dish they make in southern Morocco, on the slopes of the Atlas mountains. Try it, it’s very easy. Mix 1/3 honey, 1/3 blanched almonds and 1/3 argan oil. Once you get a very sleek paste, just eat it on pieces of bread! Very energetic but fabulous – provided the ingredients were of first quality. Back to the Strathisla: it’s like hamlou! Finish: long, with more menthol and maybe green tea, as often with these old glories. Hey, that’s the mint-flavoured tea that will go so well with your hamlou! Comments: classic. Choukran, G&M! SGP:561 - 92 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: we're in Paris in 1937 and Coleman Hawkins and his all-stars including Django Reinhardt record Honeysuckle Rose for the legendary record company Swing (I'm very glad I've still got the original in my collection!). What a sound! Please buy Mr. Hawkins' music... |
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Ardbeg 18yo 1974/1992 (57.6%, Cadenhead's Authentic Collection, 150th Ann., D07/'74 B08/'92)
Ardbeg 25yo 1975/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, D10/'75 B10/'00, 702 Bts.)
Ardbeg 13yo 1975/1989 (54.8%, Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade, D10/'75 B07/'89, 288 Bts., 75cl)
Ardbeg 30yo 1964/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for John Gross & Co, Baltimore, USA)
Ardbeg 29yo 1967/1996 (52%, Kingsbury, Sherry, D03/'67 B06/'96, C#923)
Ardbeg 1974/1993 (55.1%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, D09/'74 B11/'93, C#4377)
Ardbeg 1976/2002 (53.1%, OB for Feis Isle, Sherry Butt, D11/'76 B04/'02, C#2390, 494 Bts.)
Ardbeg 28yo 1967/1995 (53.2%, Signatory Vintage, Dark Oloroso, D02/'67 B11/'95, C#574, 488 Bts.)
Ardbeg 29yo 1967/1996 (54.6%, Kingsbury, Sherry, D03/'67 B06/'96, C#922)
Bowmore 1956 (43%, OB for Soffiantino Italy, 1980s)
Bowmore 8yo (43%, OB, Sherriff's, Pear Shape, Black/White Label w. Age in Red, 1960s, 75cl, 1965*)
Bowmore 18yo 1966/1984 (53%, Samaroli Bouquet, 720 Bts.)
Bowmore 1964/1993 'Black' (50%, OB, 2000 Bts., First edition)
Brora 22yo 1972/1995 (58.7%, OB Rare Malts Selection)
Brora 22yo 1972/1995 (61.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection)
Caol Ila 15yo (63%, OB, Manager's Dram, Dark Sherry, B07/'90)
Caol Ila 1968 (58.5%, Gordon & McPhail Cask Series for Meregalli, 1980's)
Caol Ila 15yo 1969/1984 (60.4%, G&M for Intertrade, Celtic label)
Caol Ila 12yo 1974 (63%, James MacArthur, C#74)
Caol Ila 1968 (57%, Samaroli, oval label, 1980's)
Caol Ila 17yo 1974/1991 (61.1%, Signatory, C#5-9, 3000 Bts.)
Clynelish 23yo 1965/1989 (51.7%, Cadenhead's for Nibada, Black label)
Dalmore 50yo (52%, OB, 2006, crystal decanter)
Glenfarclas 21yo (51.5%, OB, Pinerolo, selected for Edward Giaccone, rotation 1974)
Glen Garioch 1971 (59.6%, Samaroli, Sherry, 2280 Bts., 75cl, 1988*)
Highland Park 30yo 1955/1985 (53.2%, G&M for Intertrade, 216 Bts., 75cl)
Highland Park 30yo 1956/1986 (55.6%, G&M for Intertrade, 215 Bts., 75cl)
Laphroaig 10yo (91.4 Pr., OB, Unblended Islay Malt, clear glass, Esbach San Francisco Import)
Laphroaig 10yo (43%, OB for Bonfanti Milano, +/-1978)
Laphroaig 12yo (80 Pr., Cadenhead's, tall bottle black label, 1977)
Laphroaig 15yo 1967/1982 (57%, Duthie's for Samaroli, 720 Bts., 75cl)
Laphroaig 19yo 1966/1985 (50.2%, G&M for Intertrade, 360 Bts.)
Laphroaig 27yo 1967/1994 (50.1%, Signatory Dumpy, C#2957, 208 Bts., D11/'67 B11/'94)
Largiemeanoch 12yo 1967 (54.2%, Howgate Wine Co., Bowmore, C#2655/6/7, +/-1979)
Macallan 1947 (80 Pr., OB, Rinaldi Import, +/-1962)
Macallan 1954 (80 Pr., OB, Campbell, Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, late 1960's)
Macallan 1938 (43%, OB, hand written label with seal, Imported by Corade France, 75cl)
Mortlach 35yo 1936 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail for Pinerolo, rotation 1972)
Port Ellen 12yo (62.7%, James MacArthur, Fine Malt Selection, pale version, 75cl, 1985*)
Port Ellen 12yo (59%, James Mac Arthur, Fine Malt Selection, dark Sherry, late 1980's, 75cl)
Port Ellen 15yo 1969/1985 (64.7%, G&M Cask Strength, for Intertrade)
Springbank 12yo '100 Proof' (57.1%, OB, 2400 Bts., early 1980's, imp. Samaroli)
Springbank 24yo 1966/1990 'Local Barley' (58.1%, OB, C#443)
Talisker (53.5%, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling, NAS, Black label, Cork, 75cl, 1972*)
Talisker 16yo 1970/1986 (53.1%, Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade, 75cl)
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