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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2005 - Part 1 |
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CONCERT
REVIEWS by Nick Morgan
VELVET VIPERS,
Yale Hotel, Vancouver, 27th
September 2005
NORTH MISSISSIPPI
ALLSTARS, Commodore Ballroom,
Vancouver, 28th September 2005
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| On
the face of it Vancouver’s
Yale Hotel, originally a bunkhouse
for railroad workers, and then a
hostel for transient loggers and
prospectors heading north (and no
doubt also for many, struck by ill-fortune
and unrealised dreams, heading south),
seemed like a good end point for
our British Columbian adventure.
It is, after all, the self declared
home of rhythm and blues in Western
Canada, and I have to observe, a
venue of such quality - even the
one drunk, dressed unseasonably
in shorts and Hawaiian shirt, managed
not to bump into folks as he careered
around the place like a pinball
on speed - that one rarely comes
across in London (more of which
later). |
 |
| Pity
‘though about our timing,
a quiet Tuesday night in late September.
A few days earlier and we might
have caught Alvin Youngblood Hart,
a few days later and we would have
seen Serge’s beloved Brian
Auger’s Oblivion Express (a
sort of Brora of the jazz world,
or so it seems). As it was we had
to make the best (after a very good
dinner – of which also more
later) of local band the Velvet
Vipers. |
Jack Velker |
Led
by Vancouver veteran Jack Velker,
keyboard player extraordinaire and
available for hire to play at your
corporate dinner parties, or even
in your own kitchen or dining room,
the Vipers performed several sets
of largely uninspiring blues and
R&B standards. ‘St James’
Infirmary’, ‘Ain’t
she sweet’ (!), ‘Caledonia’
were mixed together with Dylan (‘All
along the watchtower’) and
Boz Scaggs (‘Somebody loan
me a dime’) with whom Velker
has frequently worked. |
To
be frank Jack carried the band -
good vocals, great work on the Yale’s
resident Hammond organ and a confident
charisma that made up for his rather
soulless four piece. I’m not
going into details, and I promised
not to be cruel about saxophonist
Dominic Conway, for whom the phrase
‘having a bit of a bad night’
was probably originally intended.
Let’s just say that I broke
the reviewer’s golden first
rule, put down my notebook in despair,
and danced the night away. So the
Vipers were good for something.
And that might have been it, blurry
memories and sore calves, had it
not been for the fact that we literally
bumped into two thirds of the North
Mississippi Allstars
over dinner. They (very nice young
men who certainly knew their way
round a tub of oysters) it transpired
were playing in town on Wednesday.
So we changed our plans and the
next night found ourselves (after
another very good dinner) in the
plush interior of the city’s
famous Commodore Ballroom. Another
fantastic venue that puts the likes
of London’s Shepherd’s
Bush Empire or Astoria (and their
owners) to shame. Back here it’s
more often than not push and shove,
beer and swill, crumbling Edwardian
grandeur, Ajax encrusted lines of
coke in the filthy toilets –
you get the picture. But the Commodore,
an art-deco temple to popular entertainment
built in 1929, and recently subject
to a $3.5 million refurbishment
by its current owners (it’s
tied up with the House of Blues
organisation I think), is stunning
interior design, comfortable bars,
waitress service, relaxed seating,
and an out of this world sprung
wooden dance floor. Oh yes –
and pretty dammed good acoustics
too. And the tickets were about
half the price of what the Whiskyfun
expense account would normally have
to bear. London are you listening
? |
Luther and Cody Dickinson
|
The
North Mississippi Allstars are guitarist
Luther Dickinson, drummer (well
mostly drummer) Cody Dickinson,
and bassist Chris Chew. The two
D boys are both sons of Jim Dickinson
of Memphis’ Ardent Studios.
Chris Chew, it should be observed,
is so huge that he makes a Fender
Precision Bass look like a child’s
toy. The band famously emerged on
the blues scene in 2000 with their
quite breathtaking album Shake Hands
with Shorty. Since them, ‘though
their live work has been much admired
their recordings have been somewhat
patchy (avoid, for example, Polaris)
until the release of the brand new
Electric Blue Watermelon, so new
that it’s not available in
Europe yet, though I do have the
Photographer’s autographed
copy for safekeeping. |
The
format of their work is simple,
though quite mesmerising. At its
core are hypnotic rhythms (perhaps
‘grooves’ might be a
better word) drawn from the roots
of the Delta Blues tradition, and
great vocal interplays between Dickenson
(Luther) and Chew. The NMAS cite
the recently deceased R L Burnside
as a particular influence; now although
he’s probably better known
for his collaborations with the
likes of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
(“We ARE the Blues Explosion”),
and particularly by Whiskyfun readers
for the recently re-released A Ass
Pocket of Whiskey, you need to go
back to his first recordings (R
L Burnside’s Original Recordings)
from 1968 to see where these young
boys really take their inspiration
from. A moaning repetitive drone,
often built around a single chord,
some slide guitar, scant lyrics,
real blues. And on Watermelon some
interesting flashes of rap (or is
it hip-hop?) too.
So the NMAS sensibly focussed on
songs from their first and last
albums for the two and a half hours
or so that they played for us –
which given that they didn’t
come on stage ‘till 11.00pm
was quite possibly an hour too long
(especially as we’d already
endured two incredibly loud sets
from locals Slammin Jack and She
Stole my Beer, who curiously counted
five drummers and not too much imagination
between them) You see their other
trick is that they take these old
tunes, like Burnside’s ‘Po
black Maddie’, Mississippi
Fred McDowell’s ‘Shake
‘em on down’ or Charley
Paton’s ‘Mississippi
bo weevil blues’ and use them
as jumping off points for long,
incredibly well structured (but
sometimes just a tad lengthy) improvisations.
|
| The
musicianship of the three is quite
outstanding, with Chew often patiently
waiting for the two brothers’
excursions to finally find their
way back to the tune. Luther D’s
slide guitar is simply on another
level from most other players, his
brother’s drumming ranging
from powerhouse bass-pedal rocking
to gentle snare drum rhythms (the
introduction to ‘Mean ‘ol
wind died down’). And they
showed their knowledge of their
rock forebears with witty references
to the likes of Carlos Santana,
the Allman Brothers, Hendrix and
Led Zeppelin. To be honest the only
problem was that they were enjoying
themselves so much that they simply
didn’t know when to stop.
|
Chris Chew |
But
to have an opportunity to enjoy
such virtuoso and good humoured
self-indulgence is a rare thing
these days (especially in a London
where gigs normally end on the dot
of 11.00pm), so it’s churlish
to complain.
Thank you Vancouver. Great gigs,
great venues, and such nice people,
even the pretty ladies dancing with
hula-hoops, apparently something
of a fashion in these parts. Whiskyfun
readers, please buy Shake Hands
with Shorty, and Electric Blue Watermelon
– if you can find them in
the stores that is (yes, you can
have the best product in the world
but never overcome poor distribution).
And if you want to explore their
Mississippi Delta roots then take
a look at R L Burnside, or even
the new album by T Model Ford (who
we saw struggling against the sterile
Barbicanites earlier in the year),
Pee-wee Get my Gun. Why, you can
even book Jack Velker for your next
posh dinner party. It’s worth
the price of a bottle of your favourite.
- Nick
Morgan (all photos by Kate The Photographer) |
Many
thanks, Nick. So, no Brian Auger
review from Vancouver this time
but I've heard he will do a gig
in Vladivostok in November, so,
maybe, I thought you could, you
know, like... Anyway, there's
quite a lot of mp3's by Jack Velker
and the Velvet Vipers on their
agent's page (I could hear
the sax on Deep
River Blues.mp3 and now I
can see what you mean, as I used
to sort of blow a Selmer Mark
VII in my (very) young days).
A few very nice mp3's on the NMAS
website too. An excellent
power trio indeed, these all stars! |
| TASTING
- TWO OLD GLENBURGIES |
Glenburgie
1969/2005 (44.2%, Duncan Taylor)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: wowie,
extremely fresh, flowery and fruity
at more than 35 years old. Lots
of notes of nectar and yellow flowers
(buttercup, dandelion), fresh butter…
As for the fruits, it’s a
whole basket of white fruits such
as gooseberries, small bananas,
plantain, apples, yellow plums.
Also quite some quince jelly, light
honey, pineapple liqueur. Something
of an old Balvenie, undoubtedly.
Whiffs of sawdust (oak) and cider
apples… Incredibly fresh and
lively even if it’s not monstrously
complex. I love it. Mouth: wow again!
Sweet, nervous, very fruity, with
lots of pineapple juice, icing sugar
and candy sugar. Really youthful,
with some nice notes of kiwi, strawberries
and even a little passion fruit.
It gets then a little cardboardy,
in a nice way, and also rather spicy
and gingery. Hints of aniseed and
dill. The finish is medium long,
fruity and slightly peppery (white
pepper). An excellent surprise,
this old Glenburgie! 91
points. |
 |
Glenburgie
39 yo 1963/2002 (58%, Signatory
Straight from the Cask, c. #4750)
Colour: gold. Nose: ah, this one
is very different. Bold notes of
linseed oil, wax polish, turpentine
and waxed paper, with also lots
of olive and argan oil. Gets quite
meaty (ham, smoked Islay beef?),
peaty, smoky and farmy, with some
notes of horse stable. Cold fireplace,
flint stone, diesel oil… Very
unusual, I guess they were still
using peat at Glenburgie in 1963.
Just superb! Mouth: a fantastic
attack, powerful, bold and very
creamy, with lots of wax, smoke,
malt, pine honey and, again, olives.
What a great profile! Some notes
of old rancio (old Banyuls or Maury),
walnuts, clove, Chinese anise…
Funny hints of raki (Turkish anise
liqueur), dried longans, wine sauce…
Less delicate and playful than the
new Duncan Taylor but more complex
and with more oomph. And a very
long and very satisfying finish,
on old sweet wine. Another truly
excellent very old Glenburgie! 92
points (and thanks, Pierre). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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| (With
thanks to Olivier Humbrecht) |
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| TASTING
- TWO KNOCKANDOS |
| Knockando
1973/1985 (43%, OB)
Colour: gold. Nose; very grainy,
very vegetal, very spirity. Notes
of rancid butter and stale white
wine but not much else, I’m
afraid. Perhaps aspirin and Schweppes?
Today’s Knockandos are no
stars but they are much better than
this one… But wait, after
ten minutes it gets a little better.
Very grainy, sure, but also quite
nicely mashy. Not too, too bad,
after all. Mouth: quite powerful,
again extremely grainy, with lots
of caramel, notes of cork (maybe
it is corked?) vodka with herbs
(Zubrovska) and cheap gin. Gets
a little bitter, with some dried
herbs, rubber… Very, very
hard to enjoy, I must say. 65
points. |
 |
 |
Knockando
1980/2005 (48.3%, Duncan Taylor)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: quite
fresh, extremely herbal and buttery.
Lots of grainy notes, beer, cider,
dry white wine again but in a much
nicer way. Develops on sour apples,
breadcrumb, mashed potatoes, and
then on lots of herbs: dill, parsley,
cooked salsify (picture). Curious
whiffs of sea air, oysters…
Getting then sourer and sourer.
Very dry (notes of dry sherry),
no pure pleasure but very interesting.
|
| Mouth:
bold and very spirity, grainy, nutty
and herbal again. A little salty
but also quite bitter and, again,
extremely dry. Lots of tea, anis
liquor (ouzo), herb liquors (Chartreuse),
pear spirit. Some bold rubbery notes,
at that, burnt milk… Again,
it’s interesting to taste
an old Knockando at cask strength
but… well, let’s say
the pleasure is perhaps a little
more ‘encyclopedic’
than ‘organoleptic’.
80 points. |
| Due
to a server breakdown (too
much whisky?) this website has been
down for a few hours but now it's
alive and kicking again. Thanks
for all your messages! |
| |
| TASTING
- TWO NEW BRUICHLADDICHS |
 |
Bruichladdich
14 yo 1991/2005 WMDII ‘Yellow
Submarine’ (46%, OB)
Another funny ‘take any opportunity
to make the people talk about your
brand’ adventure by the Laddie
gang. No problemo (on the contrary)
when it's funny indeed, like this
time. Yes, this time it was a lost
pocket submarine that was found
by a fisherman - nothing to do with
The Beatles. Colour: white wine,
with orange hues. Nose: fresh, clean,
spirity and fruity. Lots of notes
of strawberries (I'm not kidding
- strawberry fields forever?) melon,
yellow peaches, apple juice. A little
perfumy as well (rosewater), developing
on fresh pineapples and pears. Very
little wood influence if any, as
close to the spirit as possible.
Flawless, though, simple but perfectly
balanced. Certainly not a WMD! Mouth:
very coherent, extremely fruity,
almost like some fruit jellies mixed
with soft liquorice. Yes, liquorice
allsorts. A bit of caramel and orange
marmalade, apple compote, boxed
pineapple. Add to that a few spicy
notes (Sgt. Pepper?) and quite some
notes of pear eau de vie…
Not complex but balanced and enjoyable.
Curiously, maybe a little Lowlandish.
86 points.
Bruichladdich
11 yo 1994/2005 ‘Full Strength
Second Edition’ (56.5%, OB)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: this one
is much woodier, with quite some
vanilla, light caramel, milk chocolate.
Rather grainy but getting nicely
maritime, with some sea air. Switches
then to full fruity mode, on apple
juice, pineapple again. Notes of
gin, getting slightly sourish. Again,
a nice one, even if it’s definitely
not as fresh as the WMDII. Mouth:
quite powerful and a little spirity,
soon to get half fruity and half
caramelly, with also a lot of liquorice.
Notes of cake, long infused tea,
roots… Perhaps some cooked
French beans or peas. The finish
is rather long, mainly on liquorice.
Uncomplicated and enjoyable. 84
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: she's from Sweden and
she does a nice folk-pop tune called
San
Francisco.mp3 (not that one)
with a most fashionable 'jungle'
drumming a la Duke Ellington Orchestra:
it's Annika Norlin aka Hello
Saferide. Please buy
her music. (photo Michael K
Jansson) |
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 |
TASTING
- TWO 23 yo BRORAS
Brora
23 yo 1981/2004 (48.6%, Dun Bheagan,
cask 1513, 336 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: very fresh,
grainy and fruity/flowery at the
same time at first nosing. Big
notes of very ripe apricots, plum
jam, nectar, light honey, golden
delicious apples… Quite
some maritime notes do come through
then, together with some notes
of petrol, flint stone, wet stone,
paraffin… It keeps developing,
with some calvados, natural apple
juice, fresh mirabelle plums.
Extremely enjoyable, even if there
isn’t much peat in it. Ah,
and also some notes of gin…
|
Mouth:
oh, very unusual, extremely waxy
(waxier than Clynelish) with lots
of oily flavours too. Lots of salted
butter caramel, vanilla fudge, getting
also very minty and chocolaty (After
Eights?) Some dried oranges, lavender
crème, vanilla flavoured
tea… No coastal notes this
time, and very little smoke but
a great creaminess and lots of oomph,
with a long finish on fruit jams
and white pepper. Extremely enjoyable
if not totally ‘Brora’.
90 points.
Brora 23 yo
1981/2005 (61%, Duncan Taylor, cask
#1425, 542 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: starts on some
rather big sherry notes, sulphur,
rubber, toffee. Lots of fino sherry
(although I don’t know if
it was a fino cask), wax polish,
old walnuts, burnt cake at first
nosing, just before quite a bunch
of fruity smells shine through:
quince, apples, ripe plums. Gets
also nicely flowery, with again
some pollen, nectar, yellow flowers
from the fields (dandelions). No
maritime notes this time, I guess
they are deeply buried under the
sherry. Perhaps just some whiffs
of smoke. As nice as the Dun Bheagan,
even if completely different. Mouth:
again a beautiful sherry that mixes
with smoke this time. Quite some
salt right from the start, coffee
fudge, burnt cake, strong coffee,
Tia Maria, old dark rum… The
whole is still quite nervous, thanks
to some nice fruity notes (mainly
cider apples, bitter oranges and
quince jelly). Well, the sherry
dominates the malt here but it’s
such a nice sherry that we won’t
complain. In short, a prototypical
fino malt, not for anti-sherry people
but totally flawless, with a very
long, dry finish on liquorice. A
tie again: 90 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I've found a band named
Dad Five doing
Think
of me.mp3 (thanks to the
lubed grunion) and I really
liked it. But I couldn't find any
info on that band, except a photograph
of their 1996 CD 'in Orbit'... So,
if you have clues, please tell me
- thanks. |
| TASTING
- TWO 'ANNIVERSARY' GLEN GRANTS |
| Glen
Grant 1956/2005 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail for 50th anniversary La
Maison du Whisky, cask #2786, 108
bottles)
Colour: full amber. Nose: wow, very
fresh and delicate, complex and
balanced right at first nosing,
without the tiniest sign of over
aging. Starts on a great mix of
hot praline, caramel crème
and roasted peanuts, vanilla fudge
and forest honey and goes on with
lots of dried fruits such as sultanas,
figs, dates or apricots. Also quite
some pollen and bananas flambéed.
Whiffs of burning candles, with
a distant smokiness… Then
there are some superb and delicate
notes of eucalyptus and camphor,
with also quite some clove. No bold
woody/drying notes at all, which
is most astonishing after 50 years
in a cask (okay, 49). |
 |
Mouth:
a perfect attack, with lots of vivacity,
on smoked ham, wax and dried bitter
oranges. Lots of tannins but rather
of the silky kind. Gets then very
resinous and a tad salty, with some
propolis, pine candies, cinnamon…
Also lots of nutmeg, bitter chocolate
and a little mint. Not as fabulous
as the nose but still high-class.
Rather long, drying, resinous finish.
In short, a wonderful old whisky,
maybe just a tad too dry on the
palate but let’s remember
it’s almost 50 years old!
93 points.
Glen
Grant 25 yo 1976/2001 (43%, Signatory
for 25th anniversary Dieter Kirsch
Import, butt #2888, 610 bottles)
Colour: full amber. Nose: curiously
hotter at first nosing, and also
more winey, with quite some oloroso.
Develops on chocolate and cider,
with, again, a little smoke. Quite
some fresh fruits, mostly freshly
cut apples and finally some praline
and rum. Certainly less complex
than the 1956 but still very nice.
Mouth: bolder than the G&M,
creamier and quite coating, with
lots of oloroso notes but also some
very nice fresh fruits to balance
the whole. Ripe oranges, toffee,
dark rum, chocolate… It gets
bolder and bolder, with hints of
balsam, strong coffee and Grand
Marnier. The finish is long, on
salt and caramel. This is a truly
excellent heavily sherried Glen
Grant, certainly less complex than
the G&M but bolder and sweeter
on the palate. Very, very good if
you like sherry. 89 points. |
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| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - PLAYING WITH SCOTLAND'S
HISTORY |
 |
Left,
Talisman Scotch Whisky
2005: 'An adventurous spirit'
with a picture of a rather gorgeous
'knight'
Right: the truth (with
apologies to our Scottish friends) |
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MUSIC
– Jazz - Recommended
listening: French soprano sax player
Michel
Doneda and his compadre
Daunik
Lazro do a very entertaining
and playful little jazz tango called
Fla
flue.mp3. Just superb - please
buy Doneda/lazro's music... |
| TASTING
- TWO NEW ROSEBANKS |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Coco
Mbassi, from Cameroon,
sings a beautiful Ascensor
da Bica.mp3. It's just a sample
but the conclusion is clear as spring
water: we must buy Coco Mbassi's
CD's! |
 |
 |
Rosebank
1990/2005 (46%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, casks #1518-1519-1520)
Colour: white wine. Nose: grainy
attack, with some big notes of burning
matchstick, sulphur, cardboard,
chalk… Develops on lemon juice,
dry white wine, ginger ale…
Almost no sweetness. Gets quite
herbal, grassy, notes of green apples,
getting slightly sour (Indian lassee,
un-sugared yoghurt, empty wine cask…)
As good as you could expect. |
Mouth:
powerful, fruity attack, with lots
of lemon, grapefruit, dry white
wine (sauvignon). Gets quite peppery,
a little drying, with quite some
tannins that make your tongue stick
to the palate. The finish is rather
long and a little green, on lemon
peels. A rather good, typical Rosebank
with quite some oomph but a little
lack of purity. 82 points.
Rosebank
16 yo 1989/2005 (46%, Murray McDavid
Mission V, 678 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very similar
to the Berry Bros, maybe just a
little cleaner with fewer sourish
notes, but other than that it’s
almost the same whisky! Notes of
herbal liquor (green Chartreuse).
Mouth: again, very close to the
Berry Bros, just a little fruitier
(more apples) and perhaps, again,
cleaner. Long finish, a little burning,
with some interesting notes of chilli
pepper. A good Rosebank that keeps
a bit to the middle, perhaps, but
that’s really enjoyable, no
doubt. 83 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- THREE BUNNAHABHAINS BY SIGNATORY |
| |
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Bunnahabhain
26 yo 1978/2005 (54.6%, Signatory
Cask Strength, sherry butt #2539,
468 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose, very elegant
and balanced, with lots of sherry
but with also lots of vivacity.
Some rubber and some burnt caramel,
the whole being balanced by some
very nice flowery notes and quite
some lavander. Very, very nice.
Mouth: creamy but nervous, not tired
in any way. Lots of dried fruits
and orange marmalade, candy sugar
and icing sugar, fructose. Also
some very enjoyable flower jelly
(rose, hay), camomile tea…
Long finish. A top cask, no doubt,
I liked it very much. 90
points.
Bunnahabhain
27 yo 1978/2005 (54.9%, Signatory
Cask Strenth, refill butt #2541,
483 bottles).
Colour: very pale, white wine. Nose:
much more discreet and quite suplphury.
Hints of peat coming through, with
some nice buttery notes and quite
some marzipan. Mouth: sweet, on
nougat, dried fruits and apple juice.
Getting maybe a little bitter. Not
an outstanding Bunny but it’s
flawless and rather enjoyable. 84
points.
Bunnahabhain
20 yo 1979/1999 (57.7%, Signatory,
sherry, cask #9676, 420 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: a very nice
sherry, it appears, of the elegant
and even ‘aerial’ kind.
Xmas cake and candy sugar mixed
with sea air, and perhaps a little
perfume. Very elegant, definitely
not an overwhelming sherry. Perhaps
just a tad too soapy. Mouth: stronger
and bolder than expected, with quite
some rubbery notes that are nicely
counterbalanced by lots of icing
sugar and fructose. Develops on
the usual notes of raisins and old
rum. Really nice, with even a pinch
of salt. The finish is on caramel,
burnt caramel and cake but, curiously,
a little short and slightly bitter.
Anyway, this Bunny is most attractive,
a good example of a very present,
yet nicely balanced sherry. 90
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I should really dislike
mashups, it's like if somebody would
mix whisky and wine, imagine! ;-)
Now, sometimes it's funny and even
good, as Frenchman DJZebra's
Ooh
la grange in the sky.mp3 should
testify. Yes, it's a vatting of
ZZ Top, Goldfrapp and Norman Greenbaum.
Please buy DJZebra's music. |
 |
 |
Balblair
16 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
Colour: gold. Nose: a beautiful
attack, extremely fruity with also
lots of vanilla. Peppered cooked
apples, boxed pineapples, caramel,
dried ginger… Not massive
nor bold but with quite some presence.
Hints of tropical fruits, ripe bananas,
passion fruits. Whiffs of nutmeg,
old papers. Rather fresh and very
enjoyable. Another good example
of Bablair’s recent rise?
Mouth: very sweet, with lots of
caramel and white pepper at first
sip. Apple compote, pear juice,
almonds milk… Pineapple or
pear candies. Not extremely complex
but nicely balanced. Gets curiously
quite ‘papery’ and a
little drying, with a long but,
again, rather dying finish (wood,
cardboard - and a little salt).
Definitely a good one, in any case.
85 points. |
| Balblair
1973/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail
Centenary Reserve)
Colour: amber. Nose: much, much
bolder and powerful than expected.
Lots of dried oranges and Grand
Marnier, getting rather waxy. Develops
on some nice notes of pine resin,
‘good’ turpentine (a
little empyreumatic), light caramel
and milk chocolate. Quite some praline
too. Rather fresh and clean, most
enjoyable. Mouth: again, excellent!
Beautiful notes of salted caramel
and toffee, dried oranges, plum
pie. Quite full-bodied, with also
a salty feeling. The finish is astonishingly
long, perhaps just a little too
drying. Very classical, very nice,
lots of pleasure. Highly recommended.
87 points. |
 |
 |
Balblair
26 yo 1979/2005 (46%, OB)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: more discreet
at first nosing, although sharper
and cleaner. Lots of light toffee
and chocolate at first nosing, growing
then fruitier but it’s less
exuberant than the 16yo. Lots of
vanilla sticks, though, and some
freshly cut apples, white peaches…
Whiffs of white pepper. Very nicely
balanced, it ‘noses’
much younger than 26. Mouth: lots
of body, lots of vanilla, lots of
tannins. Quite drying right from
the start, somewhat like a very
young oaky wine. Did they use new
oak? Some notes of coffee, white
pepper, strong tea. Hints of fructose,
with also kind of a metallic feeling
(aluminium) and again some salty
notes. The finish is medium long
but very woody and tannic. A curious
austere version of Balblair, very
different from all other recent
OB’s. 80 points. |
| Balblair
12 yo 1992/2005 (61%, OB for France,
peaty single cask #3026)
Yes, a peated Balblair! First time
I come across one of these…
Colour: pale straw. Nose: oh, this
is very unusual. Bold notes of wood
alcohol, strong fruit eau de vie
(none in particular, just tutti
frutti), developing on raw, farmy
peat. Notes of wet dog, rotting
hay, pisco… gets extremely
toffeeish, on cappuccino, overcooked
coffee, burnt wood. Also some cider…
Not disgusting at all but rather
strange, if you ask me. Sort of
‘dirty’. |
 |
| Mouth:
ah, I like it better this time.
Powerful, very peaty and quite balanced,
it’s much cleaner than expected.
Lots of pepper, tea, dried herbs,
and of course peat, again of the
farmy genre (no tar, no hospital,
no sea). Some notes of (good) old
rum and also tequila. No significant
development with water. Quite a
beat in fact, not too complex but
a pleasure to drink. Too bad the
nose was a little hum-hum in my
books. As for the ‘felt’
peat level, I’d say it’s
somewhat like Talisker 10 yo (not
the profile, that is). 80
points. |
 |
MUSIC
– Jazz - Recommended
listening: the John
La Barbera Big Band
does a very good and punchy Message
from Art.mp3 with brother Joe
on drums (it's him who composed
this one). It's from the excellent
and 'not-too-conventional'
CD 'On the wild side' (nothing to
do with the Velvet.) Please buy
the La Barbera family's music! |
| | | |
