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Hi, you're in the Archives, April 2007 - Part 1 |
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April
14, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– THREE 1991 ARDBEGS |
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Ardbeg 1991/2005 (45%, Samaroli Coilltean,
cask #632, 384 bottles)
Colour: white wine – straw.
Nose: sharp and almost ‘rigid’
at first nosing, very grassy, with
lots of apple skin, newly cut grass,
parafin and wet stones. Notes of fresh
butter. Some peat but it’s a
little shy I think, as if reduction
with water sort of tamed it. Much
less expressive than most other 1991’s
I had, but those were usually bottled
at cask strength, that is. Mouth:
full bodied, fruity, peaty, peppery
and salty. Really straightforward,
without surprises - bad or good. Gets
nicely resinous after a while. The
whole is bolder than expected, considering
the relatively low ABV (don’t
tell my mum that I think that 45%
is low, please). Finish: even more
typically Ardbeg. The smokiness, the
pepper, the saltiness… And all
that jazz. Maybe an aftertaste that’s
a little too sweetish, but it’s
very good ‘of course’,
even if it doesn’t really bring
anything different to the table. 85
points. |
Ardbeg
15 yo 1991/2007 (54.4%, The Whisky
Fair, 327 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Not really
more complex than the Samaroli at
first nosing and even sharper but
a little more expressive – and
more typical. Lots of iodine, seawater,
smoked tealeaves, peppermint, lemon
juice… Then coal oven, fireplace…
Now, it’s no extravagant Ardbeg
but maybe water will add another dimension.
Let’s try: ah yes, that works
quite well. It got more lemony and
very nicely herbal (lemon balm). More
delicately maritime as well (sea breeze,
shells, kelp…) Very elegant
in fact. Mouth (neat): yes, this starts
better than it did on the nose. More
generous, more on gentian eau-de-vie
(hurray!), rooty, salty, tarry…
Exactly the kind that I’d love
to try on oysters. Again, don’t
look for utter complexity but both
balance and compactness are perfect.
With water (although water isn’t
needed on the palate here): even more
salt (I know, I know), salted liquorice,
salted… well, anything. Funny.
Finish: rather long, clean and just
as salty and liquoricy. Gets better
and better from the very first sniffs
to ‘the end of the finish’.
88 points. |
Ardbeg
15 yo 1991/2006 (58.9%, High Spirits,
cask #644) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: this is
more exuberant, one would say more
‘talkative’. More medicinal
as well, with lots of iodine, bandages…
Great notes of pure cocoa, roasted
nuts (without sugar or caramel, mainly
peanuts) and toasted bread. It gets
smokier and smokier, rather on cold
ashes and coal oven just like the
Whisky Fair. Gets then more classically
Ardbeg, with lots of peat smoke and
hints of kelp as well as a little
tar. The heavy cocoa is quite unusual
– and it’s no sherry cask.
With water: it got even more on milk
chocolate and peanut butter. Even
Nutella (don’t tell the kids!)
Very interesting – a breakfast
Ardbeg? Mouth (neat): yes, it’s
great. Extremely dry, peaty and peppery,
sharp like a blade but maybe just
a tad too spirity, that is. Too bad
because the profile is perfect, but
better add a little water: okay, it
got much more classical, balanced
but full bodied, not oo spirity anymore.
I’d say it fell back into line,
with a typical ‘Ardbegian’
profile – you know what I mean.
Maybe not a complete revelation but
this one is certainly more entertaining
than the average recent indie 15 yo
Ardbeg. 90 points. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening (jazz): at the bridge of
free jazz and rap, we have the fabulous
Steve
Coleman and his M-base
collective playing- and shouting -
Oyá
Natureza.mp3. Really free, Mr
Coleman. Please buy his music. |
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April
13,
2007 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
– YOUNG AND OLDER GLEN ELGINS
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Glen Elgin 10 yo 1996/2007 (46%, Signatory
UCF, virgin oak barrels, cask #2328+29,
633 bottles) 
Colour: pale straw. Nose: very fresh,
starting mainly on pear juice and
muesli, developing on pear juice and
muesli and going on with notes of
pear juice and muesli (with hints
of white pepper and milk chocolate
from the wood). Granted, you have
to like pear juice but I do and this
is ultra-clean and very natural. Very
pleasant. |
| Mouth:
the same thing happens, except that
it’s more on muesli and white
pepper than on pear juice. Less fruity
than expected in fact, despite its
young age. Gets quite grassy after
a moment, slightly bitter and salty.
Extremely ‘natural’, maybe
even ‘neutral’, and less
youthful than on the nose. Finish:
rather long but still very neutral,
grainy, bitterish (lemon zests) and
peppery. A youngish, neutralish malt
on the palate but again, the nose
was very pleasant. 78 points. |
Glen
Elgin 1974/2002 (59.4%, McKillop's
Choice, cask #2) 
Colour: full gold. Nose: much more
silent and austere at first sniffs,
with just some notes of apple skin,
fresh butter and oak sawdust. I guess
water should wake it up a bit…
Yes, that’s exactly what happens!
We have a beautiful oakiness now (carpenter’s
workshop, liquorice sticks, wax polish,
high-end tea), lots of vanilla custard,
pollen, dandelions, leather, Virginia
tobacco (unlit Camel), a little wood
smoke, loads of freshly ground nutmegs…
It really got superb with just a few
drops of water. Mouth (neat): hot,
spirity and oaky, peppery, biting…
Water please! Right, that works again
but not as beautifully as on the nose.
There are too many tannins I think,
the malt getting a little too bitter
and peppery, even at 45% vol. Too
bad. Finish: long but still tannic
and peppery. Well, I hope nobody forgot
to add water and to nose this one
deeply, because it all happens there
I think. 83 points. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening: yeah, I know, it's not
the first time we have some Nellie
McKay on WF but she's
still in our musical Pantheon, so
let's have Toto
dies.mp3 today... And please,
please buy her music. |
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April
12, 2007 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
JOE BONAMASSA Shepherds Bush
Empire, London, March 29th 2007 |
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It’s
my birthday, and for a special treat
we’re at the Shepherds Bush
Empire to see the latest hot-rod blues
guitarist from the USA, Joe
Bonamassa. Joe’s
not that well known over here –
but he’s managed to sell out
the Bush, which is packed to the rafters
with mobile phone camera-wielding
guitar anoraks both young and old,
and a very nice crew they are too.
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| We’re
standing at the back (in sardine mode)
next to the Shepherds Bush Philosophical
Society for Indigent Gentlemen, who’ve
obviously spent much of the evening
debating matters of great import in
the pub, but they’re not short
of a knowledgeable and well-informed
word or two to help us (and those
around us) appreciate some of the
finer points of the evening. “Rory
Gallagher would fucking wipe the floor
with him”; “how many Jimmy
Page riffs has he played now?”,
or – as Joe uncharacteristically
slips into an exotic minor key –
“Oh no, it’s the fucking
Ravi Shankar bit…” |
| Although
I struggle to visualise this, Joe
apparently started playing the guitar
when he was only four (his Dad owned
a guitar shop). No doubt he was nurtured
in a crib on top of a Marshall Vintage
reissue all-valve JCM-900 100 watt
stack. He was good enough on the axe
to be opening for B B King (who described
him as “unbelievable”
and “one of a kind”) by
the time he was twelve, and began
recording with the sons-of-the-stars
band Bloodline, before releasing his
first solo album in 2000 at the age
of 23. He’s now recorded eight
albums of which the most recent, You
and Me, was released last year. He’s
on a short tour of Europe and then
seems to be spending much of the rest
of the year on the road back home
in the States. |
Marshall JCM 900
4100 Dual Reverb |
| What
else? Well Ted
Nugent (remember Ted?) played
with Joe and recalled the experience
thus: "Last night, my musical
jihad grew even more hair on its scrotum,
because I got to jam onstage, no band,
just a couple of Les Pauls and a kid
named Joe Bonamassa, a white kid from
New York …this kid deserves
to be in the same class with Stevie
Ray Fucking Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix
and Jeff Beck. It was really inspiring.”
And although I’m revealing no
details of my scrotum let me echo
Ted’s words – this boy’s
guitar playing is technically on a
another planet. I mean he must be
good – he’s got a collection
of over 150 guitars to practise on! |
| Sadly
technique isn’t always enough.
There’s no shortage of great
playing, either from Bonamassa himself
or his extremely competent band, bassist
Mark Epstein and drummer Bogie Bowles.
The problem is that, even more than
the audience, Joe seems to be stuck
in a bit of a time-warp, somewhere
like 1973 to be precise, and to be
honest as the night went on I began
to get a bit confused as to which
birthday I was actually celebrating.
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You
see Joe likes to wear his influences
on his sleeve, so amid flashes of
Albert King phrasing and occasional
B B King licks the most predominate
sources of inspiration were that gang
of ne’r-do-well British rockers
from a few years before Joe was born,
Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page,
et. al. And if Joe’s mastered
their styles almost to perfection
then he’s also borrowed Gary
Moore’s almost prehistoric Monsters
of Rock grimace combined with Alvin
Lee’s wonderful extending chin
(cf. Woodstock, ‘I’m
going home’). |
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There’s also the obligatory
acoustic guitar bit, where he nearly
burns the frets off his lovely guitar
playing ‘Woke up dreaming”.
But really once you’ve got over
the fact that he can really play it
that fast, that loud, that quietly
it all becomes somewhat prosaic. And
what finally did it for me was Bonamassa’s
bizarre choice of the Yes classic
‘Starship trooper’ as
his closing song (a regular feature
of his set apparently). I wondered
if I was the only person in the Bush
who actually heard Steve Howe play
THAT guitar solo from the coda back
in 1971 at Birmingham Town Hall, almost
36 years to the day. And to be frank,
in so far as I can remember, Steve
played it better.But still, for guitar
fanatics Joe is the man, and if that’s
your cup of tea then you should certainly
go and see him, buy his CDs or have
a look at the numerous video clips
on You Tube (if you’re very
keen you can even watch him demonstrate
his pedal board – cool!).
He’s an electric player, but
with all the charisma of a singed
guitar pick – so don’t
expect a lot by way of entertainment
beyond the riffs. And one final thing
I should say, is what a lovely audience
and a good atmosphere. So a particular
thank you to the chaps in the mosh
who kindly took the Photographer under
their wings and helped her get a decent
picture, and of course to the Philosophical
Society: “Hang on, didn’t
Peter Green play that line with the
Bluesbreakers in 1967….?”
- Nick Morgan (concert photographs
by Kate) |
| Thank
you Nick, and happy birthday! Ah,
Ted Nugent... Yes, I remember. I didn't
like his albums from the mid-70's
at all but they were the first to
be available over here, and thanks
to those, we decided to dig deeper
into this guy's earlier discography
and thus we came across true gems
that we used to 'import' directly
from the States. Same with, for instance,
Bob Seger. I don't know what happened
with the rock producers around 1975,
but everything started to sound too
polished - some would say 'too commercial'.
A friend calls that the 'Stevie Nicks
effect'. As for Joe Bonamassa, it's
a good whisky friend from the US who
first told me about him. I must say
I like him, because even if he'll
never have, say Rory Gallagher's charisma,
I think his 'skills from the past'
plus today's sound quality make for
a good cocktail on a turntable. I
mean, on an iPod. And the wha-whas!
Who's still doing wha-whas
like him? |
| TASTING
– TWO LITTLEMILLS |
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Littlemill
11 yo 1990/2002 (43%, Signatory, cask
#2961-2962, 758 bottles)
Colour: almost white. Nose: extremely
fresh and fruity, like a mixture of
apple juice, pineapple juice and vodka.
It’s also a little mashy but
the whole is as simple as it can get
and ultra-clean. One to serve chilled
on smoked salmon? Mouth: extremely
sweet and fruity, with again quite
some apple juice, tinned pineapples,
tinned lychees… Add to that
a few tannins from the wood and you
have the whole picture. Finish: medium-long,
fruity and very slightly oaky, with
a salty tang. Simple pleasures for
summertime – on ice.
78 points. |
| Littlemill
16 yo 1991 (53.8%, Exclusive Malts,
cask #166, 251 bottles, 2007)
Colour: straw. Nose: much more happening
here, starting with ripe kiwis and
apples plus nice touches of oak and
vanilla. It gets more special after
that, getting quite resinous and waxy.
Quite some mint, a little eucalyptus,
apple skin, whiffs of incense and
sandalwood… We have also spicy
herbs like parsley and chives, lovage…
Old wooden cupboard, wax polish, roasted
nuts… Quite superb I must say,
complex and assertive. This was an
excellent cask it seems. Mouth: in
the same vein, except that it’s
the resinous side that speaks first.
Quite thick, bold… Nice tannins,
white pepper, caramelised nuts, praline,
vanilla crème… Then quite
some liquorice. The oak is very present
and keeps the whole compact and very
satisfying. Finish: long, nutty and
spicy (white pepper and touches of
nutmeg and cloves). A very, very good
Littlemill, unusually demonstrative,
especially on the nose. Probably one
of the best I could try up to now.
88 points. |
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April
11, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– ANOTHER THREE SUPERB OLD GLEN
GRANTS |
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Glen
Grant 1963/1978 (75°proof, Berry
Bros & Rudd, 75.7cl)
Interesting bottle size, a direct
‘metric translation’ of
26 2/3 Fl ozs I guess. Colour: full
amber. Nose: extraordinary at first
nosing, a fabulous sherried whisky
further matured in glass! Perfect
notes of old walnuts, old Chateau
Chalon (kind of fino from Jura, France
– only way better ;-)) and sultanas.
Goes on with notes of old orange liqueur,
beehive that’s full of honey,
antique furniture… Notes of
Spanish ham (pata negra – okay,
guilty of maltoporn here), hints of
metal, pecans, balsamic vinegar, cigar
humidor… Fabulous double-maturation
(wood + glass). |
| Mouth:
ho-ho, now it’s almost like
a very old Tokaj Escenzia –
a genuine one, that is. Fantastically
raisiny (we have them all, sultanas,
Corinth, Smyrna…) It’s
also got notes of Grand Marnier (the
older cuvees, not the commercial ones),
chestnut honey, mead, milk chocolate,
caramel crème… We have
also quite some roasted hazelnuts
and a slight mintiness that gives
it a superb zing. Fab old Glen Grant!
Finish: long as a day without bread
as we say here, still very nutty and
raisiny, candied but nervous and never
‘thick’. An ode to bottle
ageing, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t
that good when it was bottled (I know
that’s nonsense, that I can’t
be sure etc. but believe me, I ‘feel’
it – err…) Anyway, 94
points for this old wonder
- Berry Bros always had, had still
have great stocks of Glen Grant it
seems. (And heartfelt thanks,
Olivier) |
| Glen
Grant 38 yo 1967/2005 (44.2%, Norse
Cask, 129 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: much more
wham-bam at first nosing and much
oakier – beautifully so. Another
one that smells like a freshly made
thuja box, with something frankly
resinous and leathery. Goes on with
notes of wet liquorice roots, gentian
spirit, Seville oranges, a little
chlorophyll and a little eucalyptus,
hints of tar (but no sulphur at all).
Starts to smell like a newly opened
box of green tea after a moment and
then like cider apples and candle
wax, which is a strange development
but a great one. |
liquorice roots |
| Mouth:
I was afraid this one would be too
woody but it isn’t at all. Just
as assertive as on the nose, compact,
coherent, spicy, nutty and orangey,
with a beautiful oakiness that gives
it a great backbone. Quite some Bourbon
vanilla, a little nutmeg, tea…
Then we do have some tannins that
a re a little dry but there’s
also a very nice fruitiness (very
ripe strawberries, melon, peaches)
that keeps the whole balanced. Finish:
frankly oaky now but still not really
drying, long, spicy (white pepper
and cloves, with a pinch of salt from
the cask), with also quite some walnut
skin. Nutshell: a beautiful old Glen
Grant without the usual heavy sherry
but with a superb oakiness. 92
points. (And thanks,
Al) |
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Glen
Grant 1971/2006 (53.6%, JWWW The Cross
Hill, 168 bottles)
Colour: dark amber. Nose: obviously
closer to the 1967 in style but more
classically sherried at first nosing.
Bitter chocolate, coffee, dark rum,
raisins and all that jazz. Develops
more on resinous notes after that,
coming even closer to the 1967 but
it’s also more vinous, nuttier
and meatier (ham – just any).
Truly beautiful but more ‘maintreamish’
if I may say so. Mouth: great mouth
feel, compact, thick, almost ‘spoonable’
but not cloying at all. The attack
is fruitier than expected (raspberry
and blackberry jellies), very chocolaty,
with something of an old Morgon. It’s
much more playful and nervous that
on the nose I’d say. Maybe simpler
too but the balance is perfect. |
| Notes
of armagnac-soaked prunes, orange
liqueur again, ganache, tawny Port…
Quite funnily, there’s quite
some tannins in the background but
they are more like tannins from the
grapes than from the wood. Finish:
not very long, which is a bit strange,
but quite fresh (as fresh as such
a sherry monster can get) fruity,
candied, with notes of chardonnay
grappa… Much more interesting
on the palate than on the nose, even
if the latter was truly flawless.
Another excellent old Glen Grant,
no doubt. 91 points. |
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SHOPPING
- More elegant than anything by
Cassina, Loco
Vaqueros, in Texas
will provide you with these elegant
and easy to plumb 'Barrel sinks'
($725 a piece plus shipping). For
people with impecable taste only. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening: new cat Alvin
King doing Jack Johnson's
Rodeo
Clowns.m3. It's home recorded
- but there's no place like home...
Please buy Alvin King's music... When
he'll sell it. |
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April
10, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– FOUR OLD GLENFARCLAS |
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Glenfarclas
21 yo (51.5%, OB, Pinerolo, selected
for Edward Giaccone, rotation 1974)
This rare one was distilled in the
early 1950’s. Colour: full gold.
Nose: absolutely stunning right at
first sniffs. Hugely complex, like
an old Yquem from a top vintage (1967?).
First we have various honeys (fir,
chestnut, acacia, lavender) and all
kinds of roasted nuts, then lots of
verbena and chamomile teas, then something
phenolic that may well be peat, and
finally a wide array of smoky and
tarry aromas (freshly remade tarmac,
brown coal, tiger balm, old ‘natural’
motor oil, leather…), not to
forget hints of parsley, chives, smoked
ham and sausages. Plus myriads of
‘smaller’ aromas but we
don’t need more maltoporn, do
we? Extraordinary old Glenfarclas!
|
| Mouth:
an attack that’s out of Glenfarclas’
world, with a lot of, yes, peat besides
the candy sugar, ripe apricots, spearmint,
propolis, tinned pineapples, praline,
chocolate… And God knows what
else. Okay, we haven’t gotten
all day so let’s jump to the
finish, which is long, complex yet
compact, peaty, waxy, honeyed, candied
and resinous. A stunner, punto basta
– Mr. Giaccone was really somebody.
96 points. |
| Glenfarclas
1983/2007 (56%, OB, Family Casks,
cask #50, 302 bottles)
This brand new series is about to
be launched by the distillery. They’ll
have all vintages since the early
1950’s I believe. The picture
shows an example of the new packaging
for this series. What’s very
interesting with the three vintages
we'll try today (1983, 1974 and 1965)
is that you can easily try them from
the young to old, as it’s the
oldest that’s also the strongest
– well, almost. Colour: gold.
Nose: of course it’s not as
complex as the old 21 yo but it’s
far from seeming ridiculous next to
it. It’s very grassy at first
nosing (no sherry it seems) and quite
resinous, with notes of moss and mushrooms,
newly cut grass, sorrel… then
it’s the wood that speaks, with
quite some vanilla and a little varnish,
milk chocolate, milk, quinces and
a little rubber (a nice one). Quite
‘natural’ and certainly
powerful. |
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| Mouth:
the nose was very nice, the palate
is excellent. It all starts on candied
lemons and pineapples as well as orange
drops and develops more towards honey-filled
beeswax (the beekeeper’s chewing-gum),
with a very interesting mint and lots
of quince jelly. Goes on with a little
vanilla fudge, light toffee and lavender
sweets, with even notes of Turkish
delights. Excellent compactness altogether.
Finish: long, orangey, mainly on vanilla
sugar and barley sugar. A little ‘thickness’
on your tongue. In short, an unusual
totally unsherried Glenfarclas (it
seems) that really delivers. 90
points. |
| Glenfarclas
1974/2007 (60.8%, OB, Family Casks,
butt, cask #2578, 555 bottles)
Colour: full gold with bronze hues.
Nose: not extremely different from
the 1983. Very powerful, quite spirity,
nutty and as grassy as the 1983. Very
nice notes of cold cuts and soy sauce
in the background but the high alcohol
does mask them a bit. Water needed:
okay, that didn’t work that
much, the whisky didn’t get
any more complex, just more vanilled
and caramelised, with also a little
mint and a little pine resin. Excellent
compactness and no single flaw whatsoever
but this one is a little less entertaining
than the 1983 I think. Mouth (neat):
easier to ‘absorb’ than
to nose when neat but the alcohol
does dominate the whole – no
wonder. Let’s reduce it right
away… That worked better than
with the nose even if again, it didn’t
really get hugely complex. Rather
waxy, candied, honeyed, fruity (dried
oranges and quinces) and spicy (white
pepper) but maybe a little drying,
tannic… But the whole is very
satisfying. Long finish on candy sugar
and tea, again a little drying…
Excellent whisky but maybe this one
is more for people actually born in
1974 than for hardcore whisky fans.
I liked the 1983 better. 86
points. |
| Glenfarclas
1965/2007 (60%, OB, Family Casks,
butt, cask #3861, 417 bottles)
An amazing strength at 42 years old
(no typo!) Colour: full amber with
orange hues. Nose: frankly, I’d
have said this is a great old dark
rum, had I nosed it blind. It starts
on hyper-concentrated oak, with lots
of cellulose varnish, burning fir
wood, resin and whiffs of fresh putty.
Then it’s the leather and the
Havana tobacco, scented wax, shoe
polish… There may well be some
sherry behind all that but it’s
really the wood itself that does the
job, not the ‘possible’
wine. Keeps developing on unlit Tibetan
incense sticks (natural ones, not
scented like most others) and mint,
getting a little more classical after
that (sultanas and apricot pie). Truly
superb, one to watch once it comes
out. I does not need water but let’s
try it with a few drops: oh yes, now
we have notes of forest after the
rain, humus, mushrooms, mint flavoured
tea… How stunning! Mouth (neat):
enormously drinkable when unreduced
– seriously. It is exactly like
on the nose, beautifully oaky and
tasting almost exactly like a very
old rum from the best plantations.
We’re getting more on spices
after that superb attack, with a little
nutmeg, cinnamon (a lot), Chinese
anise, cloves… And a lot of
candy sugar, speculoos, raisins, cough
sweets, crystallised oranges, resin,
mint, eucalyptus, camphor… It’s
also a little tarry again and just
marginally tannic. Amazing. With water:
censored. Finish: censored (okay,
truckloads of mint). Rating: 95
points. Bottle ageing will
probably propel this one towards 96/97
points around 2030, so watch this
space! ;-) (and thanks, Ian) |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening: we already had some Mirah
two or three years ago, let's have
another song today: Nobody
has to stay.mp3. Please buy her
music... |
 |
| |
|
April
9, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– THREE YOUNG LAPHROAIGS |
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| Laphroaig
10 yo 1996 (53.3%, Exclusive Malts,
cask #3683, 295 bottles, 2007)
Colour: white wine.
Nose: crystal-clean, pure, fresh peat
and loads of sea elements (shells,
seaweed, breeze etc.) plus green apple
juice. Not extremely smoky and certainly
not very medicinal (except for the
iodine). Typical young Laphroaig,
not complicated but super-clean. Mouth:
extremely coherent, punchy, sweet
and peaty with just the right amount
of lemon juice, liquorice and pepper.
Very good, like most young Laphroaigs
unless there’s a flaw. Long
finish, peaty, salty as it should
be… Nothing exceptional actually,
just another very good young Laphroaig.
87 points. |
| Laphroaig
10 yo 1996/2007 (53.4%, JWWW Auld Distillers,
210 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: same, just
the same as the Exclusive Malts. Maybe
a tad more on the mineral side but
we’re splitting hairs here.
Mouth: ditto. Ah, standardisation!
87 points |
| Laphroaig
12 yo 1994/2006 (54.4%, High Spirits,
cask #8692)
Colour: white wine. Nose: now it is
different. Smokier and certainly more
medicinal (mercurochrome), closer
to the wash, with notes of fruity
beer (gueuze lambic), milk…
Maybe hints of sulphur and rubber
that make it less clean than the 1996’s.
Now, there’s also a little more
happening… Mouth: better now,
much closer to the 1996’s, except
for a little more tar – or is
it rubber again? Maybe a little more
oomph as well. But the 1996’s
were cleaner. 84 points.
|
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening (blues): mixing sitar, blues,
gospel and entrancing choirs, Harry
Manx does Long
black veil.mp3. Please buy his
music and go to his concerts! |
 |
| |
|
April
8, 2007 |
|
|
 |
Bladnoch
15 yo (40%, OB, distillery label, circa
2006)
There’s also a 46% version of
this one. Colour: white wine. Nose:
light but not weak at all at first
sniff, extremely citrusy (pure lemon
juice) and quite mashy as well. Lemon
sprinkled porridge? Gets then a little
more flowery (touches of lilies of
the valley plus celery) and even vanilled
but it’s the lemony freshness
that prevails here. What’s more,
I think Bladnoch is one of these malts
that stand a low alcohol content like
40% the most beautifully. Mouth: not
too bold of course but perfectly balanced,
with again this huge lemon as well
as hints of salt. Goes on on grains,
orange drops, lemon pie… And
the finish is rather long, still lemony
but also with a little candy sugar
and touches of bubblegum. I always
though Bladnoch was a perfect summer
malt and it’s not this one that
will make me change my mind. 85
points. |
Bladnoch
16 yo 1980/1997 (43%, Signatory, cask
#89/59/20) 
Colour: straw. Nose: bizarre, very
bizarre, this one is completely different.
Starts on lots of cardboard and plastic,
dust, sulphur, something like metal
polish… Gets then very yeasty
and feinty, with quite some ‘natural’
yoghurt and ends up by being very
gingery, with hints of ginger tonic
and aspirin. Nearly flawed I think,
maybe there were nails in that cask…
;-) |
 |
| Mouth:
it’s a little better now. Sure
there’s this strange dustiness
but we have also various fruity sweets
(orange, pineapple, strawberry) at
the attack. Gets then more lemony
(and more orthodox) but there’s
something cardboardy that takes over,
especially at the medium long, slightly
chemical finish. Not a very good Bladnoch,
it’s from what I’d call
Signatory’s ‘sombre’
era. Indeed, I think they bottled
fantastic whisky in there core range
up to 1996 or so, then quite some
so-so expressions, up to the very
early 2000’s when they started
to launch quite some stunners again.
I’m not talking of their cask
strength expressions here, there’s
always been a lot of fab whiskies
in their famous ‘bulky dumpies’.
Anyway, 65 points
for this Bladnoch. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended
listening: it's Sunday, let's go (very)
classical with the most popular Canzonetta
'Sull'aria'.mp3 from The Nozze
di Figaro, sung by megastars Mirella
Freni and Renata
Scotto in London in 1978.
Maybe the best version ever IMHO.
Good news, you escaped a Passion for
Easter... |
 |
| |
|
April
7, 2007 |
|
|
| THE
MALT MANIACS' MONITOR UPDATED!
With now 7,848 different whiskies
scored! It's there
(Pdf file, around 2MB) |
| |
| TASTING
– TWO OFFICIAL 10 yo LONGROWS |
 |
Longrow 10 yo 1995 (46%, OB, 2005)
Colour: white wine. Nose: oh, we do
have these strange chemical notes
that I find in many recent Longrows.
Something like Alka-Seltzer, cheap
cologne, sulphur, porridge with a
spray of lemon juice... Add to that
notes of new plastic… Now, it
does get nicer after a moment, with
nice whiffs of wet stones and cold
ashes as well as flints, fresh butter…
Funny how it improves in your glass,
getting sharper and much more elegant
after a good ten minutes. Quite some
lime juice and hints of wet dog (say
a collie ;-)) |
| Mouth:
not unbalanced at the attack, oily,
cleaner than at first nosing, with
some interesting notes of fresh herbs
(chives, parsley, mint) as well as
various sweets (lemon, orange, pineapple
and lots of lavender and violets)
and a little paraffin. Quite phenolic
but not especially peaty in the Islayer
sense. Finish: quite long, spicier
now (curry and pepper) but also grassier
and slightly bitter – nicely
so. The whole is quite good, much
better than the 1994 in any case.
84 points. |
| Longrow
10 yo 1996 (46%, OB, 2006)
Colour: gold. Nose: this is completely
different. Almost no false smells
at first sniffs this time (I mean,
what I think are false smells) but
rather huge sour and yeasty notes,
which I quite like here. Yoghurt,
porridge, lemon juice, crushed sorrel
and again these whiffs of wet dog.
Also a little green tea, muesli…
And maybe still a little Alka-Seltzer
and sulphur but much less than in
the 1995. Nicer, definitely, there’s
also probably a few sherry casks in
the vatting. Mouth: this is definitely
better now. Again quite oily and phenolic,
with a more obvious peatiness, bitter
oranges, candy sugar, a little caramel
and white nougat, crème brulée,
ginger, cigarette tobacco… It’s
also a little yeasty, in a nice way
(white beer), with notes of oatcakes…
Sweeter, rounder and better balanced.
Finish: not too long but nicely sweet
and candied, with notes of lemon and
a whispering peatiness. A good Longrow,
definitely. 86 points. |
| SHOPPING
- They made it! This liquor
lock isn't too cheap
(£12) but it'll surely reimburse
itself quickly if you have valuable
whiskies at home. Quote: 'the lock
stop works on most bottle necks and
is a sure-fire way to protect your
most valuable asset, or even to tantalize
a loved one as they struggle to access
their own booze!' |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: it's Patty
Drew who was singing
this high-energy version of the mega-hit
Fever.mp3.
She's not around anymore but please
buy her music! |
|
| |
|
April
6, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– SEVEN OLD CAPERDONICHS |
|
Caperdonich 16 yo 1972/1988 (40%, Dun
Eideann, 1800 bottles)
Colour: amber with orange hues. Nose:
oranges again! Smooth, round, smelling
just like a freshly baked apricot
pie. There’s also a little fresh
mint and a starting OBE (faint metallic
notes and a slight mustiness). Other
than that, it’s all on fruit
jam (apricots again, peaches, maybe
even melon), with a light smokiness.
Not very complicated but most pleasant.
Mouth: round and very present despite
the ABV. Bold notes of both rum and
cognac – actually, it could
be mistaken for cognac when tasted
blind (well, I would at least be in
two minds about it!). Nice oak, dried
oranges, caramelised peanuts and old
rancio. Very slightly rubbery. Excellent
mouth feel and body at 40% vol. Finish:
not very long but still very beautifully
orangey and cognac-like. A very good
‘old youngish’ Caperdonich,
thank you Luc. 87 points. |
 |
 |
Caperdonich
33 yo 1972/2006 (41.9%, Duncan Taylor,
Lonach)
Colour: straw. Nose: fresher and much
more on white fruits (apples, pears)
and candle wax. Hints of shoe polish
and then kiwis and gooseberries. Even
more shoe polish and ‘new’
leather after a while, as well as
a little oak and vanilla. A shoemaker’s
malt? Mouth: not too bold I must say
but very oaky, tannic (but not overly
drying), tea-ish, with a little cardboard,
nutmeg, white pepper… Well,
it seems that the cask took a fair
share here. Finish: not too long but
certainly oaky. It’s almost
like tea in which you’d have
poured spirit. Not bad, but there
are certainly (much) better Caperdonichs
at Duncan Taylor’s.
78 points. |
Caperdonich
30 yo 1972/2003 (50.1%, Hart Bros,
cask #7451) 
Colour: gold. Nose: very close in
style to the Lonach but with more
oomph at first nosing. Then it’s
all on apples and pears but also apricots
and lemons. Almost like if we’d
have ‘vatted’ the two
previous versions. Hints of shoe polish
indeed, but it’s much more candied
and jammy than the Lonach. Gets more
precise with time, with beautiful
notes of pink grapefruits coming through,
as well as orange liqueur and even
a little incense. Quite a lot, in
fact. Great development, while it
wasn’t that great at first nosing.
Mouth: well, it is closer to the Lonach
now, with again a bold oakiness that’s
a bit drying, although the higher
alcohol sort of balances that. But
we also have more fruits (butter pears,
a little banana and tinned pineapple).
I’m afraid there isn’t
much else happening. Finish: long
and even a little hot but quite oaky
again, tea-ish, leaving quite some
tannins and liquorice on the back
of your palate. Too bad, the nose
was so much nicer! 80 points. |
| Caperdonich
1966/1998 (53.1%, Signatory for Velier
Italy, cask #134, 250 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: this was a
sherry cask, it’s obvious, and
a great one at that. Starts quite
unusually on rubber (bicycle inner
tube) – but not sulphur - and
tar (freshly made tarmac) plus quite
some smoke, although it isn’t
peaty at all. Then we have the ‘easier’
notes of coffee, Smyrna raisins and
old dark rum as well as orange cake
and black nougat. It finally gets
fruitier and sort of fresher, on fresh
oranges, strawberries, mint a hints
of eucalyptus leaves. Superb old Caperdonich
but you have to like tar and rubber
in your sherry monster. |
|
|
|
 |
| Mouth:
yes! A beautiful sherry again, with
a slightly vinous sourness –
it’s so concentrated –
but also a whole basin of cooked fruits
(the usual strawberries and oranges
but also blackberries and blackcurrants).
Excellent strong honey and praline,
coffee-flavoured toffee, ganache,
‘Irish coffee’…
And also Turkish delights and ‘heavy’
baklavas (the ones you just can’t
eat with your hands or you’ll
be sticky for one full week). Extremely
rich an thick like a (very good) liqueur.
Finish: quite long, with more prunes
now, sultanas, rancio… Slightly
fresher than before. Even better!
Another excellent old sherry monster
from our official purveyor Konstantin
of Vienna. 91 points. |
 |
Caperdonich
27 yo 1976/2004 (54.3%, The Bottlers,
cask #8965)
I never came across a bad –
or even average – bottling by
The Bottlers. Colour: pale gold. Nose:
right, that won’t happen today.
This one’s extremely fresh,
floral and honeyed at first nosing,
with a rather superb oakiness. It
gets then quite mashy but beautifully
so, with notes of Orval beer (one
of the best Belgian beers as far as
I can tell), mashed potatoes, apple
skin and porridge. Lots of porridge.
Then it’s mint and fresh almonds,
maybe hints of paraffin… And
always this beautiful oakiness. It
seems that The Bottlers do not only
specialize in great sherry casks.
Mouth: excellent attack, bold but
very precise and compact, fruity (tangerines),
‘natural’, with much less
mashy notes. Quince jelly, crystallised
oranges. Nice clean mouth feel. Gets
more liquoricy after a while, with
these notes of Belgian beer coming
through now (trappiste). Truly assertive
and compact. And clean. Finish: long,
candied, fresh, orangey… And
very satisfying. Now, I feel it was
a little less complex on the palate
than on the nose. I’d say 88
points would do. |
| Caperdonich
38 yo 1968/2006 (56.3%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #2616)
Colour: gold. Nose: yes, this is much,
much nicer than the Lonach and incredibly
fresh and fruity considering its age.
Lots of bananas and apples, pollen,
Riesling wine… Great sharpness.
Gets more lemony and orangey, with
also notes of papayas… And now
there’s the oak, the mint, the
eucalyptus and a little camphor…
Top-class Caperdonich on the nose.
38 years old, really? Mouth: almost
like the 1976 we just had but a little
more candied and spicy (cloves, dried
ginger). Creamy, with quite some vanilla
as well as oranges, honey, plum jam…
Totally flawless. Finish: long, richer,
still quite candied and fruity, with
still no over-oakiness… Truly
excellent, even if not really more
complex than the 1976 in fact. Let’s
say it’s a little ‘sexier’.
90 points. |
 |
 |
Caperdonich
26 yo 1980/2006 (56.8%, First Cask,
cask #7346, 120 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this is rather
simpler and more spirity. Little fruitiness
but quite some honey and pollen as
well as a little fresh mint. Notes
of candle wax and dry white wine,
lemon… It does get better with
time but fails to become really entertaining.
Starts to smell a little like old
wine casks after a moment. Mouth:
it’s better now but still a
little harsh and spirity – and
it’s not the alcohol. Typically
the kind of well-matured and flawless
un-sherried Speysider that’s
very good but that isn’t really
the big enchilada in a well-organised
whisky tasting session. Apple juice,
wood, liquorice… Finish: long
and rather compact but again, a little
too ‘neutral’. But truly
flawless. But slightly boring. But
it’s very good whisky, no doubt.
But, but, but… 80 points.
And yes, I tried it with water, it
just didn’t change much –
but it’s great with Easter chocolate
eggs! |
| MUSIC
–
Hugely recommended listening (jazz):
WF favourite Patricia
Barber sings Let
it rain.mp3 (that's on her 1998
CD Modern cool). Fab, fab, fab. Please
buy the lady's music and go to her
concerts. |
 |
| |
|
April
5, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– THREE 18 yo HIGHLAND PARKS |
 |
Highland Park 18 yo 1984/2002 (43%,
Dun Eideann, Refill Sherry Cask #1738,
450 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: very fresh,
light, grassy and flowery. Grainy
as well… So, we have notes of
dandelions and heather, fresh butter,
green apples (and skin), pears, a
little lemon, porridge, yoghurt…
A very clean spirit with little wood
influence but no flaws either. |
| Mouth:
sweet and round, very fruity and quite
honeyed but a little simple if not
dull. A little caramel, a little liquorice,
praline, cappuccino, pear juice…
And a medium-long finish, still on
pear juice and light caramel, with
a salty tang. Good, pleasant and flawless
but quite simple for a 18 yo Highland
Park. 81 points |
| Highland
Park 18 yo (43%, OB, 2007)
Colour: gold. Nose: more silent and
shy, quite astonishingly, a little
cleaner than earlier batches of the
official 18 yo but certainly less bold
and less complex. Grassier and a little
more minty, with hints of fresh walnuts,
apple skin… Probably less sherry
than in the previous batches but I
like this freshness. Mouth: a little
more body than the 1984, with a creamier
mouth feel but other than that we’re
in the same league. Light honey and
caramel, pear juice, liquorice, light
coffee… There’s also more
salt and something slightly resinous.
Certainly good but less bold than
the previous 18yo. Finish: quite long
in fact, with a little salted liquorice
now, fructose, lemon juice…
It’s really different from the
previous versions, cleaner, lighter
and less sherried, just like the new
12 yo vs the earlier one. But in this
case, I’m not sure it’s
an improvement, although the overall
quality’s still very high. 86
points (I had previous batches
at 88 in my books). |
| Highland
Park 18 yo 1988/2006 (46%, Cadenhead,
678 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: much more sherry
in this one – it’s probably
from a sherry butt. So, we have old
walnuts instead of fresh ones, hints
of sulphur and rubber but nothing
excessive, caramel, notes of rancio
and huge whiffs of fresh parsley.
Goes on with sultanas and crystallised
oranges, flints, a little wood smoke
and finally quite some grass (newly
mown lawn). Not ultra-clean (the rubber)
but much pleasant. Mouth: soft, no
rubber this time, just a nicely sherried
attack on Corinth raisins, coffee,
liquorice and caramel. Add to that
Seville oranges and milk chocolate
and you’ll have a pretty good
picture. Also quite some chestnut
honey (a strong one), notes of chocolate
cake, black nougat… And a rather
long finish on candy sugar and notes
of dark rum. Simple but very good
on the palate, even if HP’s
character is somewhat dominated here.
Good balance, nevertheless. 87
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening (blues): Mo
Kauffey
singing In
the snow.mp3. We had little snow
here this winter, so this is aa compensation.
Please buy Mo Kauffey's works. |
 |
| |
|
April
4, 2007 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
SEASICK
STEVE The Borderline,
London, March 25th, 2007 |
| To
be honest I wasn’t sure that
going to see Seasick
Steve, what seemed like
only a few hours after walking the
plank at a rumbustious Pirate Party,
was necessarily a good idea. And as
we groped our way down the narrow
companionway into the rolling and
pitching hold that doubles as the
Borderline, my deepest fears were
confirmed. The crowd is heaving –
the gig sold out weeks ago. It’s
unseasonably hot – and I’m
beginning to regret taking the dawn
watch. “Why do they call you
Seasick Steve, Steve?” someone
asked from the audience later. “Because
I get sick on boats” was the
laconic drawled answer. He ought to
try standing where I am. |
 |
| Actually
he does, making his way to the stage
slowly through the dense crowd, playing
sharp jarring riffs with his slide
guitar, accepting the smiles and shoulder
pats that accompany his deliberate
process. Steve’s a hero –
he jumped into the broad gaze of the
British public when he upstaged a
clutch of top-notch hipsters on Jools
Holland’s New Year TV show (Lilly
Allen, Amy Winehouse, Paul Weller
etc.), but he’s also had some
long-standing patronage from radio
greats Charlie Gillet, Andy Kershaw
and Joe Cushley, who’s partly
responsible for this short (sold out)
tour and who’s sweating his
way through roadie duty. Maybe Joe
and Co know more about Steve than
I do, because I have to say he’s
a bit of a difficult cove to track
down. He may have been born in 1950
– he left his California home
at the age of 14, as a result, as
he tells us in a moving narrative
in the middle of his last song, of
abuse from his step-father, a Korean
War Veteran (‘Dog house boogie’).
He took to the road and rails of America,
living the life of a hobo, working,
travelling and drinking; working,
travelling and drinking. |
 |
But at some point he turned his back
on this life: he lived in Europe (allegedly
in the lovely Rive Gauche of your
delicious Paris, Serge) and returned
to the USA to set up a studio, Moon
Music, in Olympia, Washington,
where he gained a reputation for recording
some of the major bands in the Northwest,
including Modest Mouse with whom he
also played. He turned his back on
that in 2000 - "I'm finished
with America. I'm 50 years old now,
and I've been watching greed play
the main stage since I was a teenager.
I just can't stand it any more"
- he told a local newspaper, and instead
made a home with his Norwegian wife
in, errr… Norway. And it’s
from there that he’s been rediscovered,
or perhaps reinvented, as Seasick
Steve, hobo bluesman – with
a cracking album Dog House Music (which
at the time of writing ranks 153 in
Amazon’s UK sales list) and
a string of UK gigs (including the
predictable Glastonbury) lasting through
to the Fall. |
| Whatever
the truth of his history, it’s
the engaging Seasick Steve the hobo
who takes the stage and in an hour
or so has us riding the blind through
the southern states of the USA. He
transports us to the drunk tanks of
Memphis, has us drinking Thunderbird
Wine and eating SpaghettiOs under
a thousand stars, and shares with
us the darker secrets of drinking
Canned
Heat. “The fellow that taught
me the guitar, he used to run round
with Tommy Johnson – now, he
used to love drinking that Canned
Heat” (he was taught to play
the guitar by Mississippi bluesman
K C Douglas, who’d moved to
California chasing work at the end
of the Second War). “Me, I only
drank it once and it took me three
or four days ‘fore I could see
straight…”. He does still
like a drink, ‘though –
he takes a couple of pulls from a
small bottle of Jack but then decides
better of it and uses it instead to
clean the neck of his guitar with
a pair of red Seasick Steve underpants
(“I don’t know how many
of these I signed last night”).
|
| And
it’s true to say that his guitars
are a bit of a mess – a bashed-up
acoustic that you can see daylight
through (“Man, this guitar’s
shit”), a one stringed diddly-bo
made for him by Clarksdale’s
Super
Chickan (“well I fooled
around with it a bit and put the baked
bean can on at the end”) and
the famous 3-stringed Trance Wonder
guitar, bought from his friend Sherman
Cooper in Cosmo Mississippi for $75
(“we know about you Sherman”). |
| Rough
they may be but there’s some
cute electronics here because the
sound old Seasick gets from these
written-off instruments is simply
sensational. He plays mainly in the
old Mississippi style, just about
keeping to a twelve-bar structure,
moaning, hollering and singing with
a deeply resonant voice. There’s
nothing tricky about the guitar playing
(“here you are – I’ll
do it slowly for all the guitar boys
in the audience) but it has a relentless
intensity, driven on by his Mississippi
Drum Machine, an amplified wooden
box at his feet. He sounds as good
as the real thing – “I’m
not a blues singer, I’m a song
and dance man” he pleads, and
of course that puts him right in the
tradition of Charley Patton or Tommy
Johnson (Canned Heat notwithstanding)
who with all their performing antics
would have been shocked to see the
dry reverence in which they’re
sometimes held today. And while Steve
is obviously enjoying his moment of
celebrity – “they done
got me a myspace
– man, I’ve got so many
friends and I ain’t never met
one of them…” he’s
transparently clear that he’s
going to make just as much money from
it as he can - “it’s my
last shot man, buy the record, feed
the hobo”. I recommend that
you do just that. - Nick Morgan
(concert photographs by Kate)
|
| Thanks
a bunch, Nick! I didn't know about
Seasick Steve (but I sure know about
sea sickness, just ask the fish around
Islay) but he sort of reminds me of
the day when I first heard Keziah
Jones and his guitar on French radio.
But let’s listen to Cut
my wings.mp3 now… - S. |
 |
Pulteney
29 yo 1977/2006 (55.9%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #3076, 205 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite vibrant
and fresh at first nosing, with lots
of roasted nuts and praline in the
background. Lots of vanilla crème
and fresh butter as well as a little
wood smoke. Other than that it’s
a little harsh, oaky and spirity,
so maybe water is needed here. With
water: yes, that worked, it got rounder
and softer, more beautifully honeyed
and floral (nectar), with also quite
some beeswax and pollen as well as
dried fruits (dates). Elegant! |
| Mouth
(neat): very sweet and very fruity,
on lemon drops, tangerines, oranges,
light caramel and light honey plus
a little oak but not too much. Much
more drinkable than noseable at full
strength but not very complicated.
Quite some liquorice, cloves, gingerbread…
It’s good but not especially
thrilling on the palate. With a little
water now: well, it doesn’t
whange much – maybe a little
more liquoricy and salty. Good, rather
long finish on the latter flavours
and quite some tannins and oak now.
Great nose, especially with water,
and a good palate. 86 points. |
| Pulteney
1990/2006 (59%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Cask Series, sherry butt #5469)
Colour: deep amber
with green hues. Nose: lots of sherry
and a huge maltiness, with quite some
‘nice’ sulphur, roasted
peanuts, roasted chestnuts and chocolate.
Very distinctive, almost an ‘anti-vinous’
sherry, until we get bold notes of
old rancio. It gets then more classical,
more raisiny and even slightly meaty
and minty at the same time. Lots of
toasted bread as well. Extremely noseable
despite the very high strength, as
if the sherry worked like an alcohol
filter. A different kind of sherry
monster – but let’s still
try it with water: again that worked.
It got even more coffee-ish (I love
good coffee) but also singularly meaty
(not only plain grilled beefsteak
but also well-hung pheasant.) Hints
of Chinese sour plum sauce. Quite
superb! Mouth (neat): dry sherry and
dry sherry plus dry sherry –
amazing. Strong coffee, bitter chocolate,
Smyrna raisins, old dark rum (very
close), overcooked caramel…
It isn’t really thick but very
assertive. And a bit too strong…
With water: okay, not it got a little
too dry and drying I think, and maybe
a little sourish. But what a huge
liquorice now! Finish: very long,
very chocolaty and liquoricy, with
just a slight cardboardiness and tannins
from the wood, as well as a little
salt and maybe even peat. But what
a beast! A rather different expression
of sherry matured Scotch, well worth
trying if you’re into that sort
of things like I am. 90 points
(and thanks, Konstantin.) |
| |
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April
3, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– THREE BRUICHLADDICHS (quite) |
Celtic
Nations (46%, OB, blended malt, 7200
bottles, 2006) 
A blend of Bruichladdich 1999 and
peated Irish malt from Cooley’s.
Colour: straw. Nose: hot, mashy, spirity,
smelling like kirsch. Rather heavy
notes of distillation, rubber, feints,
beer, old wood… Rather bizarre
I’d say, not too far from tutti
fruti eau-de-vie, maybe Chardonnay
grappa. The peat is very young and
reminds me of Ballechin’s or
Kilchoman’s new makes. Farmy,
to say the least. Mouth: young, sweet,
lighter than on the nose. Quite grainy,
‘simply’ fruity (pears)
and a little salty but that’s
pretty all. As uncomplicated as it
can get, especially at the medium-long,
grainy finish (it really tastes like
grain whisky now). This one should
bear a few ice cubes. 76 points. |
| Bruichladdich
40 yo 1966/2006 (41.6%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #200, 170 bottles)
Colour: pure gold.
Nose: another planet, obviously. Starts
on superb notes of old furniture,
cellulose varnish, ‘new’
Chinese lacquered cabinet, old walnuts,
shoe polish… There’s also
quite some incense before the whole
gets much more vegetal (green tea,
celeriac, salsify) and finally a little
camphory and slightly sour (curry).
Hints of lamp petrol, paraffin, fusel
oil. Little sweetness or roundness
here, the whole is very dry, nicely
so that is. Mouth: a soft, dry and
woody attack (no excessive tannins
though) followed by a great fruity
bunch (the trademark melons and apricots
but also bananas, very ripe oranges
and pineapples, tinned papayas…)
Then we have the rather soft spices
(soft paprika, white pepper, curry)
and finally the oak, with quite some
tannins now, plantain and a little
mint. Excellent although not too bold,
on the verge of getting a little weak.
Finish: rather short but balanced
and subtly spicy (a little ginger,
touches of mustard). Very, very good
but maybe two or three more degrees
would have been welcomed, it would
have fetched more than 89
points. |
| Bruichladdich
1986/2006 (57%, OB, cask #494, dark
sherry)
These sherried 1986’s from Bruichladdich’s
are usually very good. Colour: amber-bronze
(a nail somewhere?) Nose: that’s
strange, we have the same kirschy
notes as in the Celtic Nations, with
also these notes of all kinds of eau-de-vie,
rubber, raw spirit… It’s
quite hot, a little rough, with none
of the usual melony and apricoty notes
that are usually associated with Bruichladdich.
Also quite sour (greengage jam) but
it gets a little more civilized after
a good five minutes, with finally
that apricot jam we were expecting.
The whole still lacks cleanliness.
Another farmy one, probably thanks
to the cask. Mouth: very coherent
with the nose, fruity but also rubbery
and slightly bitterish. These kirschy
notes are here again (also spirit-soaked
cherries), with a wood that’s
a little pervasive (lots of tannins).
Notes of caramel sauce and cooked
wine. Again, it does improve with
time, getting a little cleaner but
never close to the earlier batches
from this series of 1986’s.
Finish: medium-long, still on fruit
eau-de-vie and reduced sweet wine,
getting also slightly drying on the
back of your tongue. 79 points. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended listening (free jazz):
fragile ears and obtuse minds beware,
here are American vocalist Lauren
Newton (yes the one who
collaborated with Anthony Braxton)
and French double-bass player Joelle
Léandre playing
The
insomiacs.mp3. I mean, they improvise.
Please support them. |
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April
2, 2007 |
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TASTING
– TWO STUNNING MIDDLEAGED
INDIE LAPHROAIGS
Laphroaig 17 yo 1987/2005 (51.9%,
Monnier Trading, sherry wood, 271
bottles)
This bottling was only available
to the members of the Monnier Club
in Switzerland. Sherry-matured Laphroaigs
are quite rare and usually exceptionally
good (a paradox, you say? Welcome
to the modern whisky world) so we
have high expectations now. |
| Colour:
amber with orange hues. Nose: it is,
indeed, exceptional at first sniffs,
with this much lovable mix of pure
raw peatiness and clean sherry, despite
this slight sulphur that shouldn’t
stay here for long. No peat and sherry
that stay apart, rather something
like bold notes of peated Seville
oranges (don’t be silly, Serge).
Plus, of course, all the ‘coastal
cavalry’ (iodine, oysters, kelp)
as well as the ‘medicinal’
one (mercurochrome, bandages, antiseptic).
Perfect association with the oranges,
next time I’ll try my oysters
with oranges instead of lemon. Beautiful
smokiness and notes of marzipan and
fresh almonds. I’m sorry but
‘wow!’ Mouth: top class
attack on something like peated high-end
caramel (aren’t you insisting?).
Very creamy, exceptionally coherent,
great mouth feel and lots of body
(sounds like a neck-leaflet, I know).
Lots of dried and crystallised oranges
and kumquats, a little pepper and
a little clove, smoked tea, liquorice…
Just brilliant. I will spare you further
silly comments on the oranges’
origins and go straight to the finish,
which is long, bold, fat, rich and
fantastically balanced. Too bad this
one is so rare, it’s certainly
in the same league as most legendary
old Italian bottlings. I’m curious
about who selected this cask, he deserves
the Victoria Cross. 93 points
(close to 94, just a slight lack of
complexity that it would probably
have gained after four or five more
years in wood). |
| Laphroaig
15 yo 1991/2007 (52.1%, Signatory,
cask #6978, 183 bottles)
A brand new cask from Signatory’s
series of well-reputed 1991 Laphroaigs.
I hope this is not a death seat after
that great sherried 1987. Colour:
white wine. Nose: yes, it’s
a little shyer but let’s be
fair and give it a little time…
/ … Okay, now it is very expressive
indeed. More natural but also fresher
than the 1987, starting with fresh
butter and vanilla, crystal-clean
peat and a whole plate of oysters.
It stays very maritime for a while
and gets then more medicinal, quite
expectedly, with also notes of diesel
oil. We have also quite some freshly
cut apples, fresh almonds again and
whiffs of garden bonfire. This one
isn’t too boldly peaty and smoky
but rather ultra-clean – yet
complex. Excellent. Mouth: totally
excellent again at the attack, punchy,
peaty, tarry, coastal and medicinal
as it should be but not raw or aggressive
in any way. Perfect balance between
the sweetness and the phenols, a prototypical
‘Bourbon-style’ Laphroaig.
Mr Symington, we hope you still have
a few other casks from the same series.
Finish: extremely long, extremely
compact, getting very peppery besides
the heavy peatiness, with no flaws
whatsoever that I could spot (and
believe me, I tried hard). ‘Natural’
Laphroaig in its full glory. Cask
#6981 was worth 91 points in my books,
this one will fetch 92 points,
well-deserved. |
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April
1, 2007 |
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| THIS
JUST IN: BREAKING NEWS! |
 |
ROLLING
STONES GUITARIST BUYS SCOTTISH DISTILLERY
Edinburgh,
April 2007 - On March 30,
well-known guitar hero Keith Richards
acquired Brora Distillery, Brora,
Sutherland. The acquisition of Brora
Distillery fulfils Mr Richards’
strategic objective to become a
fully integrated distiller, bottler
and boozer. |
The
distillery and limited stocks were
purchased from Diageo plc, with whom
Mr Richards has an excellent ongoing
relationship as a customer. This will
allow Diageo to increase its focus
on its numerous core brands: Lagavulin,
Cragganmore, Talisker, Caol Ila and
the nearby Clynelish to name but a
few.
Brora Distillery, situated at Brora
on the north-eastern coast of the
Highlands, has been distilling whisky
since 1819 but was closed in 1983.
The single malt it produced was of
award winning quality. The small town
of Brora also has an excellent golf
course, attracting many visitors each
year. The Brora single malt portfolio
consists of only a 30 years old whisky
that was voted top of the Highland
malt category several times in the
famous Malt Maniacs’ annual
Awards. Brora is a well-known and
long established brand among connoisseurs.
Mr Richards, born 1943 in Kent, has
always had strong interests in Scotch
single malt whisky. The acquisition
of Brora Distillery secures a future
for Mr Richards’ private stocks.
Mr Richards commented: "As I
have demonstrated, with my recent
purchases of 2,357 cases of Ardbeg
and 1,312 cases of Laphroaig, I have
the commitment, the experience and
the resources to represent a major
market for Brora. Furthermore, as
an integrated distiller, bottler and
boozer, I shall be a stronger party
partner for all fellow rock and roll
musicians in the UK and overseas."
Keith Richards also announced that
he won’t continue to work with
the existing distributors around the
world, the limited stocks being just
sufficient for his own consumption.
It is still unknown whether Mr Richards
is planning to restart distilling
or not, but the local community has
deep hopes. – Trisha McPeehar
Please make sure you check the new
official website: www.keithrichardsbrora.co.uk |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: a beautiful song that Keith
Richards composed and
sang just before he bought Brora -
a moving tribute to the little distillery:
The
nearness of you.mp3. Please buy
Keith Richard's solo works. |
 |
| TASTING
– A TRIBUTE TO KEITH: EIGHT
1981 BRORAS |
 |
| Brora
20 yo 1981/2001 (43%, Signatory, cask
#577, 403 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: a little
grainy and buttery at first nosing
but quite some peat comes through
after a while as well as the trademark
wax and flint stones. Very nice sharpness,
truly old style. Quite some apple
juice as well, matchsticks, pepper…
Mouth: quite peppery and peaty, with
an attack that would resemble a 1972’s,
just toned down. A little olive oil,
wax, apple juice, mastic, white pepper,
hints of mustard… Less clean
and pure than on the nose, that is,
and a little more cardboardy. Finish:
quite long (hey, it’s a Brora!),
waxy and peppery, with just slight
perfumy notes in the aftertaste (or
is it orange sweets?) 83 points.
|
| Brora
20 yo 1981/2002 (46%, Signatory, unchillfiltered
collection, butt #1420, 839 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: less green
and sharp but a little more cardboardy
and vanilled. More oak influence despite
the lighter colour. Slightly sour
(porridge) and curiously fruity (hints
of rotting oranges), with also something
slightly chemical. I like cask #577
much better on the nose, it’s
much purer. Mouth: it’s a little
better now, cleaner, with a huge wax
and lots of green apples as well as
quite some peat and pepper. Quite
simple, in fact, but balanced and
with just the right punch. Finish:
longer than cask #577’s, more
peppery and a little more peaty –
it’s better here. Same rating:
83 points. |
| Brora
21 yo 1981/2003 (46%, Signatory, Unchillfiltered
Collection, refill sherry butt #1422,
927 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: ah, now it’s
getting even more Brora-ish. Certainly
peatier and wilder, with that famous
‘farminess’ (wet dog and
wet hay), slightly mustardy, peppery…
We’re much closer to the famous
1972’s now, this one is just
a little simpler. Excellent, Brora
as we like it. Mouth: ah yes, it’s
the same at the attack, with a superb
mix of peat, lemon, juice, apple juice,
pepper and that waxiness. Amazing
to see how two casks that were distilled
on the very same day gave us two rather
different whiskies (okay, I’m
stating the obvious here). Finish:
quite long, peppery, citrusy and just
a tad cardboardy at the very end.
88 points. |
| Brora
23 yo 1981/2005 (46%, Signatory for
LMdW, hand bottled, sherry butt #05/593,
456 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: we’re pretty
much in the same category here (although
we have maybe a little less peat),
just with these chocolaty sherry notes
that do give it a little more complexity
(and nice notes of old walnuts). It’s
also more leathery, with also notes
of unlit Havana cigar, old wooden
furniture, cloves… Gets slightly
perfumy after a while (orange blossom),
which is quite unusual. Does that
come from the cask? Mouth: creamy,
even a little fat, chocolaty and quite
dry. Not too much peat but lots of
both old and fresh walnuts, fino,
‘taste of yellow’ (flor).
Excellent mouth feel but the whole
isn’t very complex, as if the
sherry and the malt were still fighting
a little. The finish is medium long,
still creamy and oily, with more pepper
now, green apples and a little praline.
It’s the malt that wins the
fight here. Nevertheless, this is
another very good Brora, quite entertaining
at that despite the ‘fight’.
But I liked cask #1422 better, mainly
for its purity. 86 points. |
| Brora
23 yo 1981/2005 (46%, Chieftains, sherry
butt #1510, 756 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: it’s the
sherry that dominates the whisky here,
obviously, and not just the sherry,
for there’s quite some sulphur
at first sniffs (hard-boiled eggs).
Thank God that vanishes quite quickly,
leaving room for quite some coffee
(loads, actually), bitter chocolate
and liquorice-flavoured toffee. Nice
pepper in the background but there
little peat here. Quite some gunpowder
and cordite, burnt matchsticks…
Not extremely typical but pleasant,
I must say. Mouth: good attack, unusually
fruity (lots of strawberries), candied
and orangey (Grand-Marnier) but quite
far from ‘Brora’ as we
know it, although we do have a little
pepper, even hints of mustard, especially
at the long finish where ‘Brora’
is finally back in its full glory.
Well, maybe that was a little late…
83 points. |
| Brora
20 yo 1981/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 570 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: ah, this
is pure Brora again – and of
the nicest kind, I’d say. Hyper-clean,
hyper-sharp and mega-pure, probably
one of the nicest Broras from the
80’s I could nose. Superb peat
(a peatiness that’s usually
not associated with these Broras),
farminess, smoked tea, wax, high-end
vanilla, pepper… Excellent (although
very austere). Mouth: excellent attack,
with lots of peat, citrons, lemon
marmalade, soft curry, bergamot sweets
(from Nancy – I mean, the French
city), pepper… Superbly balanced,
extremely satisfying, compact…
And the finish is just as superb.
A grand Brora, maybe not as stellar
as most 1972’s but certainly
among the top few generally speaking,
‘despite the vintage’.
92 points. |
| Brora
21 yo 1981/2002 (59.2%, Signatory,
Straight from the cask, Refill Sherry
Butt #1421, 510 bottles)
We already had casks #1420 and 1422,
here’s #1421 but at cask strength.
Colour: pale straw. Nose: this one
is more classically ‘1981’,
with less peat and more wax. Let’s
say it’s closer to Clynelish
than the DL. Notes of butter pears,
vanilla, a little cocoa, oak…
Slight peatiness but let’s try
it with a little water now: it gets
much more farmy indeed but also a
little weirdly fruity (the slightly
scary notes of rotting oranges) and
a little chemical (‘artificial’
orange juice). Close to cask #1420,
which isn’t really good news.
Mouth (neat): much closer to the DL
now, very lemony, sharp… But
there’s less peat. The alcohol
dominates the whole, so let’s
add water again: okay, it does get
better but still not hyper-clean and
peaty as it could be. The fruitiness
is a little sweetish but the whole
is good whisky and especially the
finish does it, with that farminess
and the orangey notes. 85
points. |
| Brora
25 yo 1981/2007 (60.1%, Signatory,
sherry butt, cask #1519, 270 bottles)
A brand new bottling by the Signatory
racing team. Colour: pale straw. Nose:
lots of alcohol of course but this
one seems to be cleaner than cask
#1421 and much more on peat, lemon,
pepper and wet hay, not unlike the
DL. But at this strength, water is
needed. So, with water it got superbly
straightforward, peaty, wild, farmy,
very clean and pure indeed. Huge smokiness,
minerality, slight minty notes. A
beautiful nose. Mouth (neat): yes,
this is certainly better than cask
#1421. More peat, more wildness, more
spices, pepper… But a lot of
alcohol. With water (at roughly 50%):
it’s a little sweeter but the
wax is well here together with a nice
peat, a little vanilla, spices, pepper…
And a rather long, crystal-clean peaty
finish. This is top-shelf Brora –
great news that the stocks aren’t
exhausted yet. 90 points. |
| NEW
BOTTLINGS - NEW TRENDS |
 |
| WHISKYFUN
EXCLUSIVE - It’s
just been announced, a few important
new bottlings are to be launched later
in 2007! Whiskyfun could get old of
the very first official pictures of
three of them – left, the brand
new Loch Dhu 2 (it will probably be
introduced at Whisky Live Paris in
September); middle, the new Ardbeg
‘Not Too Sure This Is Mature
What Do You Think?’ (aka ANTSTIMWDYT?)
and at the right, a very exclusive
Glenfiddich 67 years old for China
(with due brand repositioning efforts,
presentation expected at Whisky Live
Kweilin in November – should
retail for roughly 750,000,000,000,000
Renminbis.) |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Ardbeg
15 yo 1991/2006 (58.9%,
High Spirits, cask #644)
Brora
20 yo 1981/2001 (50%,
Douglas Laing OMC, 570 bottles)
Brora
25 yo 1981/2007 (60.1%, Signatory, sherry
butt, cask #1519, 270 bottles)
Caperdonich
1966/1998 (53.1%,
Signatory for Velier Italy, cask #134, 250 bottles)
Caperdonich
38 yo 1968/2006 (56.3%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #2616)
Glenfarclas
21 yo (51.5%,
OB, Pinerolo, selected for Edward Giaccone,
rotation 1974)
Glenfarclas
1983/2007 (56%, OB, Family Casks, cask
#50, 302 bottles)
Glenfarclas
1965/2007 (60%, OB, Family Casks, butt,
cask #3861, 417 bottles)
Glen
Grant 1963/1978 (75°proof, Berry
Bros & Rudd, 75.7cl)
Glen
Grant 1971/2006 (53.6%, JWWW The Cross
Hill, 168 bottles)
Glen
Grant 38 yo 1967/2005 (44.2%, Norse
Cask, 129 bottles)
Laphroaig
15 yo 1991/2007 (52.1%, Signatory, cask
#6978, 183 bottles)
Laphroaig
17 yo 1987/2005 (51.9%, Monnier Trading,
sherry wood, 271 bottles)
Pulteney
1990/2006 (59%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Cask Series, sherry butt #5469)
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