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Hi, you're in the Archives, March 2005 - Part 1 |
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TASTING
– TWO DALMORES AND TWO JURAS,
at a very rock and roll Richard Patterson’s
masterclass.
Dalmore
12 yo ‘Black Pearl’ Madeira
Finish (40%, OB) 
This one’s been named ‘Black
Pearl’ because Madeira is called
‘the Pearl of the Atlantic’.
LOL! It’s been a long finishing:
two years and a half. The nose starts
on some big, bold vanilla and caramel,
apricot jam. Hints of ‘portiness’.
Smells of rubber and hot metal. Mouth:
lots of leather and tobacco. Creamy
and slightly smoky, with some hints
of grapefruit. The finish is a little
bit salty. Not a stunner, but it’s
rather enjoyable. 80 points. |
| Dalmore
30 yo Cabernet-Sauvignon finish (51%,
OB, cask sample)
A four years long finishing, to be
bottled soon. The nose is nice, very
oaky and spicy (nutmeg, cinnamon).
Lots of varnish that grows heavier
and heavier. Some volatile acidity
(always the same story with these
ex-table wine casks). The mouth is
pungent and prickly, bitter and extremely
tannic. Again a wood infusion, barely
drinkable. It improves with a bit
of water, and becomes mellower, but
the tannins are still there, obviously.
Maybe they will call this one ‘Oaky
Pearl’? 80 points. |
| Isle
of Jura 30 yo 1973 (55%, OB, cask
#3155, 466 bottles)
This one was matured in an oloroso
butt from Gonzalez Byass’. The
nose has a lot of pinewood, and cedar
wood, and is very fragrant. Interesting.
Some nice notes of mastic, marzipan,
with some hints of old books. I really
like it. It gets quite minty. The
mouth is punchy, on overripe banana,
rum and raisin. A classic oloroso
but with a twist. The finish is quite
salty. A great one. 90 points.
We also had a cask sample of one of
these heavily peated Juras that was
rather better than most of the ones
that are already on the market, and
which had lots of ‘greeny’
peat smoke and salted butter (86 points). |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
The
Decemberists' nicely
crafted pop-folk, like for instance
Architect
- mp3. Now, as for attending one
of their gigs, maybe it's going to
be difficult as according to their
website, 'The Decemberists travel
exclusively by Dr. Herring's Brand®
Dirigible Balloons'. At least
they don't blow hot air! Please buy
their music if you like it. |
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| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - SWEEPSTAKES IN THE
80's - Left: Crown
Royal 1984 'Win a $57,000
customized Royal Excalibur (...)
The standard by which all other
automobiles of its kind are measured'
- Noticed the 'of it's
kind' part? And what was customized?
Ah, yes, a refrigerated whisky bar!
Right: Johnnie Walker Red
Label 1988 'Win the
Johnnie Walker Red Jaguar - Enter
the Johnnie Walker Red Jaguar sweepstake'.
Ah,
the roaring eighties, so refined!
A message to Wilson & Morgan,
Samaroli and all the other Italians
now: can we have a Maserati, please?
And to Glann Ar Mor, please, an
old Delahaye or Delage, thanks!
And oh, yes, the Germans, please,
can we...
Now,
there's also been this RonRico
'Marshal Tucker Band' sweepstake
in 1975... (left). Well... |
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| TASTING
- THREE NEW GLENMORANGIES
WhiskyLive
London 2005 is now over, and we
had some great whiskies again yesterday.
Some great fun too with fellow maniacs
Charlie, Dave, Olivier, Lex and
Ulf. My winners have been the latest
Brora 30 yo OB (no wonder, eh?)
the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, the
new Mortlach 32 yo OB, some new
Inchgower 1968 and Highland Park
1980 by Duncan Taylor and Signatory's
new cask of Benriach 1975. Watch
this space for my (short) tasting
notes within the coming days...
In the meantime, here are three
rather new Glenmorangies... |
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| Glenmorangie
‘Artisan Cask’ (46%,
OB)
This one was matured in American
oak from the Ozark Mountains. The
nose has some big, bold vanillin,
which indicates there must be lots
of wood in there indeed. Very bourbonny,
with lots of meadowflowers, pollen
and light honey. The attack is powerful
but nicely balanced, and extremely
sweet with lots of light caramel,
corn syrup, vanilla… Very
compact, nicely crafted, but maybe
it lacks a little complexity. 83
points
Glenmorangie
1993/2004 ‘Burr Oak Reserve’
(56.3%, OB, 1152 bottles)
The nose is very aromatic, with
tons of tannins, tea, vanilla. It’s
extremely oaky and fragrant at the
same time. The mouth is even oakier
(‘pencil sharpener juice’),
Extremely tannic, really too bourbonny
for my taste – which doesn’t
mean I don’t like bourbon,
no need to say. Frankly, Glenmorangie’s
delicate spirit is completely overwhelmed
by the new American oak here, although
I sort of like the boldness. 78
points.
Glenmorangie
30 yo ‘Oloroso Cask Finish’
(44.3%, OB, 4548 bottles, bottled
2004)
Nose: very special, on watercress
and walnut skin, with some notes
of Darjeeling tea. Very subtle and
just superb. The mouth is rounded,
sweet but nervous and complex. Some
nice notes of ripe bananas, fructose,
tropical fruits, getting quite smoky,
spicy and gingery. This one is pure
pleasure. 90 points. |
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MUSIC
– JAZZ for Sunday
- Very, very highly recommended listening:
Mané
Silveira and Swami Jr.
play John Coltrane's 26-2
- mp3 quite stunningly. What a
sound they have! Please, please buy
their records. |
| Ah,
the wonders of Wi-Fi, thanks to Starbucks
– even if I’m definitely
not into ‘plastic’ coffee.
WhiskyLive London is again a great
event this year. The only ones who,
again, missed the point yesterday
was Bowmore, with a more than silly
focus group, I mean, ‘masterclass’,
called ‘Recent Rarities’.
A sexy name, eh? Yep, but imagine
they poured us a Bowmore 12 yo (a
rarity indeed), a 30 yo Seadragon
(recent indeed) and a Claret (yuk!)
plus three good, but rather mundane
Suntory whiskies such as the Hibiki
Blend 12 yo . Bugger! And they had
the guts to call that ‘Recent
Rarities’! A swindle, no less,
and we left before it was over. Anyway,
I’ll post a bunch of new short
tasting notes in the coming days,
and why not start right today with… |
| FIVE
NEW COOPERS CHOICE BOTTLINGS |
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All
are single cask bottlings, even if
no such statements are made on the
label.
Rosebank
12 yo 1992/2004 (46%, Coopers Choice)
Nose: very nice balance, with the
usual lemony notes. It’s also
very creamy and nutty, with some nice
notes of hot caramel. Just like a
lemon pie topped with caramel! Palate:
again very lemony, with lots of orange
marmalade and a long and creamy finish.
An excellent Rosebank. 85
points.
Highland
Park 14 yo 1990/2004 (46%, Coopers
Choice)
The nose is quite heavily smoky, with
much more coastal notes than usual,
lots of dried herbs, dried flowers,
heather. Hints of rubber. Mouth: even
rubberier, smoky and creamy. Notes
of burnt wood. Again a very good one,
with a long finish. 85 points.
Mortlach
14 yo 1990/2004 (46%, Coopers Choice)
Nose: lots of sherry, and a very elegant
one at that. Some heavy ‘burnt’
notes, getting very creamy and meaty.
Moth: extremely salty right from the
start, with lots of spices, butter
caramel, vanilla crème. Very
spectacular and extreme, yet so nicely
balanced. 88 points.
Glen
Grant 27 yo 1977/2004 (46%, Coopers
Choice)
The colour is astonishingly greenish.
It’s very refined, elegant,
with again lots of sherry but with
no lumpish notes at all, nor any sulphur.
A classic. 88 points.
Caol
Ila 14 yo 1990/2004 (46%, Coopers
Choice)
Very typical, smoky and sweet at the
same time. Pure and clean, developing
on wood smoke and mown grass. Too
bad the tannins get a little drying.
A good one, still. 83 points. |
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| MUSIC
– JAZZ - Very
highly recommended listening, brass
and reeds Brazilian band Aquilo
Del Nisso plays Na
Pressão? - mp3. Triple
wow! They almost made me look after
my old Supersax LPs in my basement...
They are brilliant, you should really
have a listen to them, even if you
aren't into jazz too much. And please
buy their music... |
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| Hi
- I'll attend WhiskyLive London today
and tomorrow, and then spend a few
days in Scotland (of course).
I'm not sure the hotels will have
a Wi-Fi hotspot or if I'll manage
to update WhiskyFun the old way (plug
my Mac and try to play)...
So, here's a big, bold entry to keep
you entertained for a while. See you
on Thursday 17th (or before, I hope)
- Serge. |
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| TASTING
- SIX OLD ABERLOURS |
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Aberlour-Glenlivet
‘Over 9 years old’ (70
proof, OB, 70’s)
Colour: straw, much lighter than what
we’re used to. Nose: a little
weak and grainy at the start, with
lots of notes if new tyre and rubber.
Heavy notes of sulphur, stale beer,
rotten kiwi. Not too enjoyable, I’m
afraid. Sort of medicinal. Really,
really special, but not tired, that
is. Mouth: very strange! Aromatically
narrow, yet very punchy. Notes of
cold tea, aspartame, eucalyptus. Lots
of propolis, hay, tar, gentian roots…
Very special indeed, unlike any other
malt. Not utterly enjoyable but interesting…
82 points. |
| Aberlour
10 yo (40%, OB, white label, late
80’s)
Colour: pure gold. Nose: ah, the old
bottle effect? Lots of tropical fruits,
mango, passion fruit, guava…
Goes on with some eucalyptus, camphor,
beeswax, wood polish… Very nice.
Hints of sherry, walnuts, hot caramel.
Very nice indeed! Mouth: amazing attack
for such a mundane malt. Very peppery
and strong, even a little sharp. Lots
of herbal tea, burnt bread, black
toffee… Creme caramel, Irish
coffee. Not extremely complex but
I’m sure this one must have
been a bang for your buck malt when
it was on the shops’ shelves.
Rather long, creamy and heathery finish.
86 points. |
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Aberlour-Glenlivet
12 yo (43%, OB, cream label, 80’s)
Colour: amber. Nose: heavy sherry,
toffee, Grand-Marnier, raisins, rum.
Notes of caramel cream, with quite
some tropical fruit developing after
a while. Very classical. Mouth: nice
and punchy attack, balanced, compact
and very satisfying. Cold herbal tea,
dried parsley, herbes de Provence
(thyme, rosemary), balsamic vinegar,
caramel sauce. Hints of Worcester
sauce. Very good, in spite of a long,
but drying and bitter finish. Another
very good one. 85 points. |
| Aberlour
12 yo ‘VOHM’ (43%, OB,
Cognac-shaped bottle, 80’s)
A famous and funny bottle, tying to
mimic a Cognac (VSOP, of course).
VOHM was meaning ‘Very Old Highland
Malt’. Colour: deep gold. Nose:
lots of sherry again, with some caramel,
raisins, coffee. Very classical, not
much more to say, except that these
whiskies were really great. No sign
of bottle age. Mouth: strong, bold,
coating and very, very chocolaty.
Astonishing! Some pepper too, some
cocoa, vanilla cream, hints of rum,
coffee liquor. Gets then a little
vegetal, on caramelized carrots and
beans. Hints of salt and even smoke.
Very compact and satisfying, but perhaps
a little less complex than the two
previous ones. 84 points. |
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Aberlour-Glenlivet
19 yo 1970/1990 (46%, Signatory, cask
236-239)
Colour: golden. Nose: much flowerier
than all old OBs, but with a superb
sherry and lots of Cointreau. Very
warming and, again classical. Raisins,
oak, hints of fruit eau de vie and
even Cognac. Nice. Mouth: less ‘coherent’
than the OBs, but with more vivacity.
Lots of orange marmalade and spices,
Notes of apricot syrup, quince jelly.
Lots of pepper too. The finish is
very long but very peppery as well,
and perhaps a little simple. Anyway,
a good one again. 85 points. |
| Aberlour-Glenlivet
8 yo (50%, OB, cube shaped bottle,
small cork stopper, 70’s)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: a little
closed at first, but some fantastic
notes of vanilla cream mixed with
fresh mint develop after a few seconds…
Lots of cooked cabbage and rubber/latex
too. The latex gets then bolder and
bigger. Quite some smoke, tar, roasted
peanuts, omelette. Perhaps just a
little sulphury. So special –
and beautiful. Some nice grassy notes
arrive after a moment... Wow! |
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| Mouth:
what a punch! Dried tropical fruits,
bacon, caramel, heather honey. Lots
of tar, burnt cake etc. Hints of flowers
jam, nectar… Stunning and extremely
interesting. The casks must have been
something! Top quality! The precursor
of the a’bunadhs? In any case,
this one is aromatically bolder and
more complex that all a’bunadhs,
in spite of its lower alcohol level.
Just great! 91 points. |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
WhiskyFun favourite Nellie
McKay uploaded a full
gig of her's here.
She rules! Please buy her music...
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| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - THE IMPERIAL SAGA: BUYING
BY THE CASE, BY ANY MEAN |
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| 1959
On a scooter... (tricky!) |
1960
On a bicycle... (Yes, better
walk) |
1962
In a Falcon Futura... (Did the
car maker pay half the budget?) |
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| 1962
Letting it being delivered...
(Much more classical) |
1967
On a water bicycle... (Getting
crazier!) |
1967
On a skidoo... (Even crazier!)
Too bad they never used any Formula
One car. |
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| TASTING
- TWO INDIE CLYNELISHES |
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Clynelish
19 yo 1983/2002 (57.5%, Dun Bheagan,
Hogshead)
Colour: dry white wine. First nosing:
rather sharp. It starts on notes of
grass, smoked ham, Develops on diesel
oil, matchstick, mushrooms, cold ashes,
chalk. It keeps developing on porridge,
muesli, soap. Some hints of parsley,
alcohol, green apple. Quite mineral
and very grassy. Not too appealing,
although it’s rather sort of
complex. Perhaps too narrow. Whiffs
of peat - of the farmy style. Palate:
the mouthfeel is powerful but sour
and very astringent. It starts on
grass, overinfused tea, mustard. Quite
weird and very bitter. It develops
on plastic, cork... Some notes of
chemicals, chicory, burnt cake...
And finally a little varnish. In short,
it's rather unbalanced and too robust.
It really lacks elegance, and has
too much burnt notes. The finish is
long on alcohol, new make... Well,
I’ve had so many better Clynelishes!
I’m wondering whether this Cask
wasn’t deffective, or the bottle
simply corked... It ruined my palate!
70 points. |
| Clynelish
1972/2000 (57.79%, Helmsdale Bar Tok
yo )
Colour: light gold. First nosing:
warming, refined. It starts on notes
of cardamom, quince jelly, crystallised
mango, litchee... Stunning! Develops
on white pepper, nutmeg, vanilla stick...
It's beautifully spicy! It keeps developing
on caramel, fudge and cappuccino...
It's really satisfying. Whiffs of
smoked tea, iodine, old cardboard.
Wow, it goes in all directions...
Beautiful, refined, elegant... What
a contrast! Palate: the mouthfeel
is creamy, satisfying. The attack
is on white pepper, soft tannins,
honey... Yes, like some peppery honey.
It develops on herbal tea, orange
marmalade. Some notes of roasted peanuts,
praline. Hints of smoked tea, rum,
camomile. Very bold and refined at
the same time. It’s so good,
despite the very heavy wood and the
tannins which start to stick the tongue
to the palate. |
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| Very
gingery, at that. The finish is long
on soft tannins and vanillin from
the oak. An excellent one, a good
example of an old cask that stood
the test of time. Now, a littlle less
tannins would have made it an absolute
stunner. 90 points. |
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| GREAT
RECIPE - A WHISKY FRUIT CAKE |
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|
You'll
need the following: a cup of water,
a cup of sugar, four large eggs,
two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon
of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt,
a cup of brown sugar, lemon juice,
nuts, and a bottle of whisky.
Sample the whisky to check for quality.
Take a large bowl. Check the whisky
again. To be sure it is the highest
quality, pour one level cup and
drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric
mixer, beat one cup of butter in
a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon
of sugar and beat again.
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Make
sure the whisky is still okay. Cry
another tup. Turn off the mixer. Break
two leggs and add to the bowl and
chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix
on the turner. If the fried druit
gets stuck in the beaterers pry it
loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.
Who cares? Check the whisky. Now sift
the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or
something. Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin
to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat
off the turner. Throw the bowl out
of the window, check the whisky again
and go to bed. (via aboutfood)
I know that one is hardly new but
I'm sorry, I'm a sucker for these
kinds of silly, easy jokes... |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: 1996, Herbie
Hancock organises the
return of his powerful HeadHunters
and records a striking Funk
Hunters - mp3, with a big, BIG
SOUND! Wowie, that's groooovey...
Please buy Herbie Hancock's music,
whether very funkish like this one
or more jazzy. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: energetic blues lioness
Nicole
Fournier does Not
forgotten - mp3. Her guitar playing
is very good and she sings perfectly
well. My favourite of the week! Please
buy Nicole's music if you like it! |
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CONCERT
REVIEW: PROCOL HARUM
Bloomsbury
Theatre,
London - Sunday March 6th 2005 - by
Nick Morgan |
| I
can’t now remember if it was
my brother or sister who came home
one summer Saturday afternoon clutching
a copy of Procol
Harum’s Salty Dog,
but whichever it was, I was hugely
jealous. The LP cover, wittily based
on one of Britain’s most famous
and iconic tobacco trademarks (Serge,
ok to mention smoking products here?)
was stunning, and was also a fond
reminder of my Great Aunt Win, who
wilfully smoked a few Player’s
untipped every day ‘till she
died in her nineties. |
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| The
music was surprisingly bluesy for
a group that had produced THAT single
(which was already wearing thin by
1969, and is now simply painful),
the songs were great (and have stood
the test of time far better than THAT
song) and the eponymous ‘A salty
dog’ (a poetic warning to sailors
all) quite outstanding. Anyway somehow
that piece of beautifully packaged
vinyl (and I don’t care what
anybody says, packaging is important)
found its way into my collection,
and now the CD is a regular part of
my extended playlist. Which is odd
really as I couldn’t give a
fig for the band, whose earlier and
subsequent ‘progressive’
meanderings (Grand Hotel – give
me a break!) were to me symptomatic
of the pompous and witless rubbish
that finally pushed the door open
for punk rock in the late 1970s. But
for all that when I saw they were
playing in London (“blimey,
I thought they were dead”) I
just couldn’t resist getting
hold of some tickets. |
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|
Just
a few points on the band before I
move to the heart of the matter. Did
you know that the core of the classic
line-up (Brooker, Trower etc.) were
originally Southend rhythm and blues
rockers The Paramounts (hit single
– ‘Poison Ivy’)?
That Brooker is still working with
co-writer Keith Reid (who never performed
with the band)? Did you know that
at one point Brooker gave it all up
to go fly-fishing? Did you know that
Brooker performs mightily with Bill
Wyman’s Rhythm Kings? Or that
the band always thought of themselves
as a blues-band (“welcome”
says Brooker, “to an evening
of Procul Harum Blues – more
than three chords, but that’s
the only difference”).... |
Or
that they loathed being compared to
the Moody Blues (well, come on, who
wouldn’t …). Or that Brooker
is the only one of the original band
to still perform? Or that this is
the first concert I have attended
where Liquorice Allsorts were for
sale in the foyer? “Who cares?”
Well the answer is that someone does
– a lot.
I knew there was something odd going
on from the moment we walked into
the theatre. It wasn’t just
all the old fat grey haired men and
their surprisingly elegant wives.
Or the earnest young ones with beards
intently studying the equipment on
stage, noting down arcane technical
specifications. Just how big was the
air intake on Josh Phillip’s
Hammond organ? There was something
eerily familiar about the look on
some of their faces, and the expectant
and almost reverential atmosphere.
Finally of course it clicked. This
wasn’t a concert at all. In
effect it was a fan-club (of the most
extreme ‘Play Misty for me’
stalker sort) convention. The majority
of the audience were on first name
terms, and many (again I think a majority)
had travelled from the continent (and
some from the United States) to be
there. |
| As
it turned out a good number of them
had been at a party for much of the
afternoon, celebrating some anniversary
or other connected with THAT song.
And during the performance many clapped
their hands and waved their arms in
the air like proselytites at a revivalist
meeting, whilst others muttered darkly
that “Garry vas not playink
so properly, didn’t he miss
a note out there?” And of course
they all wore their secret society
Salty Dog T-shirts. Crikey Serge,
anything sound familiar here? |
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| And
what of the concert I hear you ask.
Hmmm. High points: Gary Brooker’s
singing on the newer bluesey (lower
key vocals) songs; Brooker’s
“Light and bitter corr that’s
a bit of a larrf” patter; Hammond
Organ heaven; an almost faultless
version of ‘A Salty Dog’.
Low points; Brooker’s voice
on most of the older material (he
simply couldn’t make the notes,
and in fact apologised in a sort of
a way when he explained that he had
sung his voice out in rehearsals).
Other lowpoints: School of Rock lead
guitarist; the plodding nature of
many of the songs – they really
dragged; THAT song; and the bizarre
‘multi song suite’ (ugh!)
from the 1968 album Shine on Brightly,
‘In held twas in I’. |
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|
Badly
played and poorly rehearsed (but I
wondered, was it specially played
for this most special of audiences
as the result of a request, or even
maybe a threat?) this piece (I listened
to at home later over a much needed
Brora) allegedly influenced all those
later creators of what came to be
known as rock opera. |
As
far as I could see all it could have
inspired was that particularly daft
bit in Spinal Tap when the mini-stonehenge
arches were lowered to the floor on
wires. But the audience loved it,
sang along, did crowd noises on cue
during ‘Twas tea time at the
circus’ (a lot of ‘twas’
then) and almost wept at its conclusion.
I was in shock, but by this time had
decided that discretion was the better
part of valour as I couldn’t
help sensing someone looking over
my shoulder at the invective I was
scribbling in my little black notebook.
My photographer said “they’re
a group of well meaning blokes in
danger of becoming their own tribute
band”. And maybe it was that
which caused her camera to malfunction.
I said, “Lets get out of here,
fast”. So we did. - Nick
Morgan (last photo by Kate)
|
| Thank
you, Nick. I must confess I didn't
dislike Grand Hotel that much - and
I especially liked Broken Barricades.
Now, as for THAT song... is it this
one you're talking about? Yes,
R.
Stevie Moore doing it. Not too
bad, eh? And what about Annie
Lennox' version? Ah, yes, some
genuine Procol Harum... Here's Simple
Sister - mp3 then - a good one,
I think. |
| |
| TASTING
- TWO MINI BLAIR ATHOL(L)S BY CADENHEAD |
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|
Blair
Athol 21 yo (46%, Cadenhead)
Colour: straw. First nosing: powerful
and rather clean. The attack is on
grass, herbal tea, tealeaves. Develops
on sulphur, ashes, wet garden bonfire.
It goes on with some burnt cake, rubber
band, green vegetable... Something
like peat, green apple, tar... It
gets quite Islayish! Well, this one’s
not overly enjoyable... It’s
too grassy and tary for my tastes,
although it does improve with time.
Palate: the mouthfeel is compact and
satisfying. Good news! The attack
is on herbal tea, Japanese roasted
tea, bread... It goes on on gentian,
anise, dill. Some notes of cinnamon.
Hints of fructose and ginger. |
| It's
quite rich and satisfying. Much more
so than what the nose suggested. The
finish is long on sugared tea. Not
a stunner but a good one... But you
have to like tea! ;-) 82 points. |
| Blair
Atholl 23 yo 1966/1990 (57.1%, Cadenhead)
Yes, sometimes Cadenhead’s wrote
‘Athol’ with one ‘l’,
sometimes with two. No need to say
that one 'l' is right, but Cadenhead's
is not the only one... Colour: straw.
First nosing: sharp,.prickly. It starts
on notes of cedar wood, varnish, turpentine
and evolves on beer, bread, broiled
cereals... It keeps developing on
hay, peat, humus, getting very farmy.
Something like pine needles, turpentine,
resinous, cigar box... In the same
'aromatical' league as the 21 yo ,
but much nicer. Still developing after
a lot of time, on coffee... Palate:
the mouthfeel is almost biting and
very peppery. - The kind of peppery
notes that come with high alcohol
levels. To start with, lots of varnish,
caramel, toffee. It develops on clove,
cocoa, yogurt. Some notes of Havana
cigar. Hints of cooked butter, roasted
hazelnuts... It's quite robust and
bold! I tried it with water but it
got very grasssy, although some nice
notes of beehive and honey developed.
The finish is long, on peppery notes
and light honey. A very good one,
really in the ‘grassy - honeyed
- peppery’ genre. A very interesting
non-peated and non-sherried oldie!
85 points. |
CONCERT
REVIEW: WILKO JOHNSON
Half Moon, Putney
- Saturday March 5th 2005 - by
Nick Morgan |
| I’m
not so old that I can’t remember
those teenage dreams that made us
boys so hot, sweaty and sticky. For
Serge, I guess, the subject matter
was motorbikes, a Ducati 900SS perhaps,
or maybe even a 1952 Vincent Black
Lightening (Serge, you do know this
most wonderful of all biker songs
don’t you?). For me it was an
orgy of raunchy rhythm and blues (properly
defined, none of that modern-day R&B
nonsense) bass and guitar. So I had
to pinch myself (could I be dreaming?)
when I woke up on Saturday night in
a Fender fantasyland, as Wilko
Johnson strutted his
stuff at the Half Moon in Putney,
ably supported by the blistering bass
of the incomparable Norman Watt-Roy,
and the rhythm machine drumming of
(ex Jesus and Mary chain) Steve Monti
(actually to be honest, it should
have been him, but I’m not 100%
sure that it was). |
|
 Wilko
Johnson |
| Let
me remind you once more about Wilko.
An Essex boy who first came to fame
with the Canvey Island All-stars,
Dr Feelgood, he went on to become
a Blockhead, before setting up his
own Solid Senders. All that was many
moons ago, and for the past decade
or more he’s been a regular
circuit performer, supported by Norman
and a variety of drummers. In that
time he’s released a number
of frankly disappointing albums (a
new one, Red Hot Rocking Blues is
on the way), and his song writing,
which never offered much by the way
of lyrical subtlety or curious and
complex structure, has probably gone
into reverse gear. But that’s
not really the point. We’re
not here for complex or subtle. We’re
here for Wilko’s quite unique
guitar style, his truly bonkers eyes
and facial expressions, and his on-stage
histrionics. He was, and remains,
one of the great R&B live acts. |
 |
|
I
know I’ve mentioned it before,
but the Wilko Telecaster technique
(“borrowed unashamedly”
I read recently, from Mick Green,
guitarist with Johnny Kidd and the
Pirates – “when I first
heard him it changed my life”,
writes Wilko on one of his websites)
spawned hordes of imitators (along
with bulging eyes, crew-cuts, and
buttoned-to-the-collar black shirts)
and inspired a few, like the Gang
of Four’s Andy Gill, to take
it to even greater heights. So if
current pop-darlings Franz Ferdinand
(and I understand the even newer and
hotter Kaiser Chiefs) are determined
to look to Gill and the GOF as a source
of inspiration, then Wilko’s
contribution to the current (and much
to be welcomed) revival of the British
guitar band, should also go on record.
|
| But
a note to the youngsters. No plectrums
please – copy Wilko’s
incredible thumb and fingerpicking
style if you can. And forget the effects
pedals. Wilko blew us away with just
his Telecaster and a clever use of
pick-ups and amplifier tone and volume.
Nothing else. Just keep it simple. |
 |
|
By
way of a set list I may mention some
of the Feelgood classics and old Wilko
compositions, ‘Sneakin’
suspicion’, ‘Back in the
night’, ‘Don’t let
your Daddy know’, ‘Dr
Dupree’, ‘Down by the
waterside’ and a raft of other
twelve-bar standards. Some truly stunning
improvisation from both Wilko and
Watt Roy (with Johnson’ | | | | |
