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Hi, you're in the Archives, December 2008 - Part 1 |
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December
12, 2008 |
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TASTING
– TWO CARSEBRIDGE |
Carsebridge
42yo 1960/2002 (41.6%, Chieftain's
Choice, Grain, Oloroso cask #15010,
135 bottles)
Carsebridge distillery was closed
in 1983 and demolished in 1992. This
oldie did very impressively at the
Malt Maniacs Awards 2008, fetching
no less than Gold, which is ultra
hard. Sure it’s an old version
and sure all bottles are long gone,
but would you refuse a Mercedes 300SL
gull-wing because it’s long
gone? (will you stop your insane gibberish,
Serge?) Colour: chestnut. Nose: the
sherry is so big (yet subtle) that
it’s completely impossible to
detect an old grain. It may as well
be an old Glen Grant or Sthathisla.
Indeed, no coconut/vanilla, rather
sumptuous notes of old precious wood,
high-end chocolate, various kinds
of raisins, hints of chestnut purée,
wax polish, plum and cinnamon pie,
sandalwood and, ‘of course’,
plain oloroso. Gets then more leathery/gamy,
as often with these very old sherried
whiskies. Mouth: very concentrated
old sherry and almost no ‘whisky’
notes here. Highly fortified old dry
oloroso. Cocoa, Ethiopian coffee (mocha),
Spanish ham (no, not kidding), then
strawberry jam, blackberry jam and
pine resin (cough drops), very old
walnuts or the liqueur made thereof…
Actually, it’s rather a fruity
kind of old sherry on the palate.
Little beefy/meaty notes after ham.
Finish: medium long, a little more
on chestnut purée or hazelnut
liqueur like the Italians make. Comments:
antique but lively and almost fresh.
Grain whisky only by name, that is,
but very excellent. Plus, it’s
‘our’ vintage! SGP:551
– 90 points (scored
blind while thinking it was an old
Speysider!). |
Carsebridge
29 yo 1979/2008 (54.9%, Duncan Taylor,
Rare Auld, Grain, cask #33033)
A brand new bottling by the masters
of old grains (not only old grains,
of course) – and master of Carsebridge
as they already issued quite a few
great bottlings. Sister cask #33032
was issued in 2008 and was pretty
impressive (89). Colour: gold. Nose:
vanilla galore this time! Pods, custard,
crème, powdered, whatever.
Evolves on straighter oaky notes after
that, getting almost plankish but
rather pleasantly so (warm sawdust),
the whole being complemented with
notes of dried ginger, soft curry
and grated coconut. Genuine ‘carpenter’s
workshop’ as we call this kind
of nose. Mouth: creamy, compact, sweet,
round and as vanilled as, well, vanilla
crème. A lot of coconut as
well but a little less than in other
casks, even if it’s still very
enjoyably ‘Malibu-esque’.
Develops classically, on more ginger
and soft spices from the wood, with
just a slightly dry chalkiness (white
pepper, flour). Finish: medium long,
still very sweet and vanilled…
Wait, was it a liqueur? Comments:
as easy to quaff as the best fruit
liqueurs. Easy whisky for tough times?
SGP:540 – 87 points. |
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WF
SHOPPING TIPS
Christmas
ideas for those who already have
everything!
If you live in certain countries,
and certainly in the US, you may
let a bottle of Johnnie
Walker Blue Label (the
blend that contains so many great
old casks of single malt whisky
- hopefully not Old Clynelish!)
being engraved with a personal message.
Many season's greetings are to be
expected but may we suggest a few
variations?
'If you touch this, I'll kill
you.'
'Honey, this is Johnnie Walker Red.'
'Bud, this is not Johnnie Walker
Red.'
'Bought before the credit crunch
started.'
'Don't be square this year!'
More on us.johnniewalker.com
By the way, here's a quote
from the excellent slashfood.com:
"By the time you get up
into the blends that don't taste
like paint thinner, you're probably
paying more than you would for a
decent single malt." |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I just felt that we should
have a little Poison.mp3
by Bert
Jansch today (recorded
in 1969). Good idea, don't you think?
Please buy Bert Jansch's music!
You may also (re)read Nick's excellent
review
of a recent gig in London. |
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December
11, 2008 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
The 100 Club, London, November
19th 2008 |
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We
shouldn’t be here. No disrespect
to Charlie
Musselwhite (“Good
evening ladies and gentlemen. I’m
glad to be here. I’m glad to
be anywhere”), but we shouldn’t
be here. Let me read you the letter
those nice people at the South Bank
sent me. “It is with great regret
that Grammy and Academy Award-winner
Randy
Newman has had to postpone his
forthcoming European tour, on doctor’s
orders, because of physical limitations
and severe pain caused by stenosis
in the lower back and neck. Randy
Newman says, ‘I deeply regret
not being able to come. I like it
so much in Europe as I’ve always
been treated so well’”.
Well it’s a sad thing, as Mr
Newman’s stock has been rising
of late – unlike most others
- not just as a result of his numerous
witty film scores, but also as a result
of a growing appreciation of his broad
canon of work, possibly sparked in
part by ‘Louisiana 1927’,
a song about the great flood of that
year that was written in the early
1970s, but resurrected as the anthem
of those campaigning on behalf of
the victims of Hurricane Katrina in
2005. On top of which he released
a highly-rated album (co-produced
by wonder-producer Mitchell
Froom), Harps and Angels, earlier
this year, only his fourth in two
decades. But that’s enough of
Mr Newman for now. Let’s wish
him a speedy recovery and rejoice
at the fact that at such short notice,
even in a London where the pessimistic
murmurs of approaching doom in the
music business get louder by the day,
one still finds as high a quality
a gig as this. |
Regular
readers may recall from a previous
review that Mr Musselwhite is
a survivor: “Whiskey and wine,
that’s what did me in,”
he said in a recent interview, “It
got to where I couldn’t function
properly.” Well, without a drink
for twenty years, he’s perfectly
charming and functioning pretty well,
turning in a stellar performance to
an enthusiastic audience. |
And he’s sans band – so
the first half of the show is Mr Musselwhite
solo on guitar and harmonica. He has
an easy Delta blues style (actually
I should say annoyingly easy), as
relaxed as the man himself. His songs
are mostly self-composed, and in between
the music we get some pleasing anecdotes
and some first-rate harmonica tuition.
And if you want to get a feel for
the material he played then listen
to his 2004 solo album Darkest Hour.
British folk-blues veteran Dave Peabody
(“Blimey”, said Jozzer,
“the last time I saw him was
in the upstairs room at the New College
Arms in Eton back in the early seventies.
Isn’t he dead?”) joined
Musselwhite on guitar for the second
half which kicked off with ‘The
blues overtook me’, and featured
Musselwhite’s more familiar
urban harp sound – the style
that led to him play with musicians
such as Muddy Waters at the start
of his career. |
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What
we hear is nothing short of a mini-master
class. And if Musselwhite’s
demeanour is happy then it’s
contradicted somewhat by his songs,
which throughout the evening are at
their best when focussed on the meaner
side of life, traditionally celebrated
by the blues. |
Want
to try yourself? Short of a few self-gifting
ideas for the festive season ahead?
Then why not buy Charlie
Musselwhite’s guide to harmonica
playing, and amaze your friends
at Christmas parties for years to
come! -
Nick Morgan (photographs by Kate) |
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TASTING
– TWO 1960 STRATHISLAS by
G&M |
Strathisla
1960/2008 (50%, Gordon & MacPhail
for LMdW, France, First Fill Sherry
Hogs, cask # 2544, 60 bottles)
Colour: coffee. Nose: extremely classic,
so this will be very quick. Coffee,
chocolate, raisins, parsley, beef
bouillon, beef jerky, prunes, figs,
dates, orange marmalade and Havana
tobacco. Need I say more? Mouth: very
rich and very concentrated, starting
half-oaky, half-jammy. The oakiness
is a little drying right from the
attack (big tannins, a lot of cinnamon
and nutmeg) but the rest is big enough
to make the whole stand that heavy
wood. We have various jams (all berries),
peppered strawberries, hints of mulled
wine (liquorice, star anise, cloves),
notes of toast, roasted almonds…
Now, it does get at tad bitterish
after a while (over-infused tea).
Finish: very long, very oaky and frankly
tannic. Comments: Is this too much?
Well, enough for us not to score this
oldie 90 or more, but I know that
many whisky lovers are not against
very oaky whiskies, provided balance
is kept, and it’s the case here.
I think it’s very clever not
to have bottled this at a lower strength,
the oak would have really taken over
in my opinion. But it IS great old
whisky! And nosing the empty glass
is a marvellous experience. SGP:471
- 89 points. |
Strathisla
1960/2007 (58.2%, Gordon & MacPhail
for Kensington Wine Market, Canada,
179 bottles)
Colour: coffee – a tad paler
than the 60/08. Nose: much, much less
talkative than its bro but that’s
probably the higher strength. Also
more gingery and cardboardy notes.
With water: it’s the leathery
and meaty notes that got bigger, as
well as the minty notes. Very old
wine from Banyuls and Maury, old sherry,
Parma ham, strong liquorice, oyster
sauce… Gets very ‘tertiary’.
Mouth (neat): strikingly expressive,
a tad less tannic and fruitier than
its sibling. A lot of coffee and bitter
chocolate it seems. Now, it’s
also very powerful – 58% vol.
at 47 years of age, imagine! Was this
a Gore-tex cask? With water: this
time it’s the fruitiness that
strikes even harder. Kirsch-soaked
cherries, orange liqueur, maple syrup…
It’s really thick and heavy,
even when at roughly 40%. Maybe it
lacks a little more ‘clarity’.
Finish: very long and even more on
fruit liqueurs. Comments: this one
is rather less oaky than the one for
France, but also rather less complex
‘beyond wood’. More than
45 years of age is really an ultra-tricky
zone for whisky… SGP:551
– 88 points. |
And
also Strathisla
30 yo 1954/1984 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail for Intertrade)
Nose: a maelstrom of beeswax, paraffin,
flower nectar, beef bouillon, bone
marrow and old books. Plain superb.
Mouth: all kinds of herbs and all
kinds of honeys. And all kinds of
waxes as well (bees’, candles,
polish and so on). Hints of tar, maybe
just a tad bitterish. A blast from
the past, really. Another proof that
these old Strathislas are at their
prime when around 30. SGP:443
– 91 points. |
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WF
SHOPPING TIPS
Christmas
ideas for those who already have everything!
A Fred peepshow.
Amazon blurb: 'This is a Set of
4 R-rated images embedded in each
high quality heavy shot glass. The
catch is, the pictures are invisible
until you pour a shot. So remember
to keep your glass full! Collectible
and delightful!'
Price: $20.00.
WF tip: use with sherry monsters if
you prefer black chicks (Serge, oh
no!) |
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December
10, 2008 |
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TASTING
THREE
YOUNG DAILUAINES |
Dailuaine
11 yo 1995/2006 (43%, Chieftain's
Choice, Tokay finish, c#91001/91003,
1062 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: the wine’s
rather discreet in this one, which
is pretty good news when considering
the rather ‘strange’ Tokaji
finishes that were bottled in recent
years by various makers. There’s
rather a lot of honey, roasted nuts
and quite some straight malty notes,
with an added spiciness (soft Indian
sauce, korma, cashews) and maybe just
a faint dustiness. Mouth: the ‘vinosity’
(you may make that wininess) is much
more to the front here (sour apples,
straight wine) but the body’s
good. Also rather caramelly, honeyed,
malty and roasted. Maybe a tad thickish.
Finish: medium long, more on orange
liqueur, with a little salt. Comments:
a rather solid wine finished dram,
with good balance. SGP:541
- 80 points. Scored blind. |
Dailuaine
1998/2008 (43%, Jean Boyer Best Casks
of Scotland, sherry casks, 700 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this is much
fresher than the 1995, with a much
subtler wood and a profile that’s
more complex despite its younger age.
Heather honey, cut grass, rubbed orange
skin, fresh mint, liquorice root,
lemon balm and fresh almonds. Very
elegant ‘sherriness’.
Mouth: excellent body, with first
a few spices from the wood and then
a rather complex range of fruity and
lightly chocolaty flavours. Butter
pears topped with liquid milk chocolate
and honey! Finish: maybe not excessively
long but clean and fruity. Comments:
we could try this at cask strength
and it was really fab whisky. The
‘reduced’ version lasts
the course as well. This one won the
Best Sherry Cask Award (Daily Drams
category) at the Malt Maniacs Awards
2008. SGP:530 - 84 points. |
Dailuaine
11 yo 1997/2008 (46%, Hart Brothers,
Finest Collection)
Colour: straw. Nose: this is very
different, as it must have come from
a refill cask. Much more on porridge,
grass, green apples, baker’s
yeast and mashed potatoes, wityh faint
whiffs of fresh mint. It smells very
young but it’s flawless young
Speysider. Just maybe not too much
character. Mouth: round, sweet and
fruity, totally typical young Speysider
matured in ‘slow’ casks.
Sweetened apple juice and ginger tonic.
Finish: long and spicier (more ginger,
a little pepper). Comments: ultra-natural
young fruity malt. SGP:531
- 79 points. |
HAVE
FUN ELSEWHERE
As
nobody should stay out of fashion
for too long, we shall add to the
volume and post our own list of ‘anti-crisis
whiskies for discount drinkers’
in the coming days – expect
a full list of 65 blends and vatted
posted on Saturday morning. |
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All
with due tasting notes of course (already
written!) and even fitting old adverts!
In the meantime, why not have a look
at the very excellent ‘Asylum
for all mankind’ website?
These crazy Americans are wondering
about ‘how long can a nation
of unemployed derelicts afford to
keep drinking top-shelf booze?’
and are posting a list of ‘10
cheap whiskeys to get you through
the recession’, with fun comments
such as ‘No better whiskey in
the world. At least that's what it
says on the label’, ‘Comes
in a glass bottle, and that's worth
5-10 cents in some states’ or
‘Strong flavors, goes down smooth,
catchy name.’ Check them all
over at Asylum.com. |
By
the way, isn't this crazy ad brilliant
but a bit strange in the current global
context?... |
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Oh,
and if you're not completely satisfied
with your Brora, better send it to
us rather than back to Diageo! |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: wow, Gin
Wigmore (aka Gin),
what a voice! She’s Australian
and you should buy her music, after
having had a go at her song These
roses.mp3… I think she
should also try to record a few
Billie Holiday songs. |
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December
9, 2008 |
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Cooley
16 yo 1991/2008 (46%, Milroy's of
Soho, first fill Bourbon c#12441,
264 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: these unpeated
Cooleys (aka Tyrconnel I guess) are
getting rather peculiar with age,
with an obvious ‘Irishness’
(very specific fruitiness) but also
something rather ‘Scottish Highlands’,
that is to say a special grassiness
and notes of wax, linseed oil, stones
and even ink. This one is very typical,
even if it gets very dry after a moment,
on rather big notes of newspaper of
the day (fresh ink, paper and bad
news – nah, forget about the
bad news!) and olive oil. Mouth: we’re
clearly Irish now, and this is looking
towards Bushmills in a certain way.
Much fruitier than on the nose (bananas)
at the attack, getting then grassy
again, with surprising notes of pencil
lead (or silver spoon). Finish: long
but kind of ‘peripheral’.
We’re closer to rum here. Comments:
very good whisky, maybe just a tad
disconcerting but it must be me. SGP:451
- 79 points. |
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Jones
Road Distillery in Alfred Barnard's
famous book, circa 1885
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BONUS:
Dublin Jones Road Distillery 48 yo
1942/1991 (66.5%, Cadenhead’s
Authentic Collection)
From a miniature - not sure this was
ever bottled in 'big' bottles. The
Jones Road Distillery used to belong
to the Dublin Whisky Distillery Co
(DWD). No typo, it was whisky without
an ‘e’ indeed. According
to various sources on the Web it never
worked too well and was almost closed
in 1926, only to distil pure pot still
very intermittently until 1942, its
very last year of production. The
ABV is astoundingly high, it’s
to be wondered if this hasn’t
been casked at 85% ABV – and/
or matured in a very hot and dry warehouse.
Colour: deep amber. Nose: waaah! It
rather smells like very old bourbon
at first sniffs, with loads of chocolate,
mocha, wax polish and roasted nuts
(especially chestnut), but also a
lot of varnish and burning pinewood.
Also quite some mint, and hints of
very, very old balsamic vinegar. I
must say this is rather noseable at
such high strength, provided you’re
not put off by the notes of menthol
and coffee that are getting heavier
and heavier. With water: still very
mentholaded and resinous, smelling
more and more like a mix of varnish
and Fernet-Branca (thx Michel). Mouth:
very unique. Cask strength cough syrup?
Heavily concentrated. Cheap brandy,
bitter almonds, turpentine (not that
we drank that too often), retsina…
Unbelievably resinous and, I must
say, quite painful. With water: even
worse, for the tannins are starting
to ‘shine’ through more
and more. Genever? Finish: extremely
long, on something like re-cooked
over-infused mint flavoured tea. Comments:
‘unforgettable’, proof
that History can be very bitter. SGP:190
– 35 points (but much
higher on an emotional scale, of course).
Heartfelt thanks, Patrick from Geneva! |
WF
SHOPPING TIPS
Christmas
ideas for those who already have everything!
This
Hospital Booze Personalized
Dispenser will sure be a
hit at home! It's available on amazon
(you don't need a link, do
you?)
The copy is quite amusing I must say:
'Just For Laughs! Everyone will
know laughter is the best medicine
when you they see this Hospital Booze
tabletop dispenser! Enjoy it in your
home bar, kitchen, or at your parties!
It's sure to dispense laughs anywhere!
Features: Glass I.V. Bottle With Dispenser
Tube. Custom Display Stand. 10 Personalized
Drink Stickers: Moonshine, Vodka,
Scotch, Whiskey, Tequila, Gin, Rum,
Bourbon, Brandy and Schnapps. Recommended
For: Mother-In-Law Visits, Stock Market
Crashes, Monday Night Football and
Tuesday Morning Hangovers. Directions
For Use: Serve For Breakfast, Lunch
Or Dinner As Needed. May Cause Uncontrolable
Laughter, Vomiting, or Both. If Condition
Persists, Call Your Bartender.'
Price: $20.95 instead of $29.99 (you
know, the credit crunch and so on...)
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: her name is Charlene
Kaye and she's crafted
some very nice songs with 'an atmosphere'.
Listen to her Magnolia
wine.mp3 and then please buy
her excellent CD 'Things I will
need in the past'. Thanks. (photo
Caroline Poage) |
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December
8, 2008 |
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TASTING
- TWO 'BRORAS'
As
you know, the 'Old' Clynelish distillery
and the Brora Distillery are just
the same distilleries, as Clynelish
was rechristened 'Brora' at the
very end of the 1960s. |
Clynelish
12 yo (86 Proof US, OB for Clark's
Inc., Washington DC, USA, 4/5 quart,
1960s)
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To
tell you the truth, I almost killed
a friend because of this one. Imagine
that the otherwise very excellent
Marc Segers, of whiskycorner fame,
had simply cracked this ultra-rare
bottle open without further ado, whilst
I had never seen it before, and shall
probably never see it again! Now,
you’re right, that unspeakable
act is also why I’m now able
to try it quietly, so maybe Marc’s
sacrifice was worth it ;-). |
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Anorak
stuff: Left, detail of front label
- right, back label |
Colour:
pale gold. Nose: ooooh yes, everything
is there but don’t worry, it
won’t be too long. Wax, linseed
oil, fresh walnuts, shoe polish, apple
peelings, new leather, brown coal,
sea-battered rocks, metal polish,
grapefruits, ‘Riesling’,
smoked salmon, old tin box…
Really superb! Granted, maybe it hasn’t
got the ‘majesty’ of the
full proof versions for Giaccone but
still, what a glorious dram! Mouth:
incredibly big and powerful after
all these years, and superbly compact
at the attack. How is that possible?
There’s more peat now, more
spices as well (it’s a rather
unusual spiciness, saffron?), quite
some salt, and the rest is quite similar
to what we got in the nose. ‘Of
course’, you have to like this
very peculiar waxiness that one can
still find in many modern Clynelishes,
sometimes to a lesser extent. We do!
The whole drops just a bit after a
few seconds, which is rather normal.
Slight cardboardiness at this stage
but the rest was so brilliant that
we won’t care too much. Finish:
not very long but extremely subtle,
more resinous now (mastic gums), with
many many spices of different origins.
No, we won’t list them all.
Comments: Marc was right when he opened
this, but we’d still looove
to find such a bottle. Maybe we should
ask Barack Obama, he’s got a
long arm in BC now… SGP:345
- 92 points. |
Brora
27 yo 1981/2008 (53.8%, Duncan Taylor,
Rare Auld, cask 1427)
This one was just bottled in November.
It’s good to see that there
are some casks left! Colour: straw.
Nose: guess what, the profile is very
close to the Old Clynelish’s,
only a little peatier and more herbal
while being also less oily. Now, it
develops more on lemonade and even
vitamin C effervescent tablets as
well as hints of strawberry drops.
Quite fruity for a Brora! It gets
also a little medicinal, with hints
of antiseptic and even nail polish
remover (not too big, that is). Really
diverges from the Old Clynelish after
a few minutes, with more notes of
lemon-flavoured yoghurt. Wood smoke
(fireplace). Unmistakably Brora but
less superbly austere as the oldie.
Mouth: a rare kind of Brora for sure,
one that I never tried before in any
case (and I’ve tried a few).
First, it tastes much younger than
it actually is, and second, it’s
almost as lemony and virtually unpeated
as, say some Rosebanks or Bladnochs
(whilst we had quite some peat in
the nose). No, wait, that was just
the attack, because the peat does
get bolder then, along a very ‘assertive’
pepperiness. There’s also a
little mustard and horseradish, apples,
pine resin (sweets)… It all
comes in no particular order but the
whole gets very coherent after a few
minutes: wax, pepper, peat and both
lemon and orange drops. Finish: long,
clean and fruitier again. Comments:
it seems that this one is fruitier
than most of its sister casks, and
very good. Speaking of sister casks,
there were:
- cask #1423, bottled 2007 (87)
- cask #1424, bottled 2007 (85)
- cask #1425, bottled 2005 (90)
- cask #1426, bottled 2004 (89)
- and now cask #1427, bottled 2008
(SGP:554 – 88 points).
Let’s hope that Duncan Taylor
has still got casks #1422 and 1428…
And others! But these whiskies will
stand many more years of wood ageing,
no doubt. Dec
16 update: actually,
as a distinguished reader poitnted
out, casks 1420, 1421 and 1422 have
already been bottled by Signatory
Vintage. Silly me, I already tasted
them! |
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STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST
proposes
his
Christmas malt cocktails
Cocktail
#2:
"Drunken
Squirrel"
Pour into an old-fashioned glass,
with ice:
- 6 cl Auchentoshan Triple wood
- 2 cl hazelnut liqueur
- 1,5 cl Maraschino
- 2 cl lemon juice |
Stir
and finish (moderately) with ginger
ale.
Deco: a little wine grape and one
cooked chestnut on the edge of the
glass. And two hazelnuts if you have
some.
Variants: Maraschino may be substituted
with any red/black berry liqueur (strawberry,
blackberry...) and the Auchentoshan
with a young, round and fruity/sherried
type of malt. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: France, 1971, #1 French
rocks band (at the time) Martin
Circus record their
very psychedelic hit Je
m'éclate au Sénégal.mp3
(I'm having a blast in Senegal).
If you understand French, you may
have a little laugh... Please buy
Martin Circus' music!
The amazing videoclip is
there. |
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December
5, 2008 |
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TASTING
– FOUR 17yo ARDBEGS (how weird
is that?) |
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Ardbeg
17yo (40%, OB, +/-2002)
We only tried earlier batches (downed,
actually) of the 17, so this is a
first. I believe this one was the
last batch ever produced but I may
well be wrong. The batches from the
late 1990s scored 86 in our book.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: very soft,
almost whispering, starting more on
fresh almond milk and green tea than
on straight peat smoke. I’m
wondering if this isn’t less
peaty than the recent Blasda. Goes
on with a little fresh butter, more
tea, leaves (cherry tree), seashells,
waxed paper and finally graphite oil.
Very, very soft-spoken. Mouth: much
more oomph but it’s still no
big whisky. More medicinal than on
the nose, more buttery as well, with
also hints of cigarette tobacco, overripe
apples and marsh mallow. Stale lemon
juice? A little pine resin as well
(sweet cough drops) and notes of cardboard.
Finish: medium long, mildly peaty
and a little salty. Comments: shy
and not really delivering. It’s
still very good whisky of course but
the lack of power does not quite fit
Ardbeg’s positioning, does it?
SGP:345 – 82 points. |
Ardbeg
17yo 1991/2008 (46%, Hart Brothers,
Finest Collection)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: not yet
a straight peat monster but this has
more peat than the OB for sure. Plain
seawater, wet wool, smoke (garden
bonfire), a little lemon juice, flints,
whiffs of wet chalk, oysters, hints
of iodine (tincture), muesli…
It noses a tad younger than 17 but
I really like its ‘naturalness’.
Mouth: classic highly peaty, ultra-clean,
lemony, zingy, ‘gentianny’,
grassy, coastal, salty Ardbeg. Enough
said. Finish: long, pure Ardbeg. Many
oysters in the aftertaste ;-). Comments:
maybe not totally stellar but still
very, very excellent. Great selection
by Hart Bros and solid Silver Medal
at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2008. I
liked it even better than my compadres
did. SGP:447 – 89 points. |
Ardbeg
1990/2007 (52.8%, OB, for Fortnum
& Mason, UK, sherry butt, cask
#86, 300 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: it’s definitely
got something of the older 17 OB (fresh
almonds) but otherwise it’s
a rather meatier version, probably
thanks to the sherry cask. Notes of
old leather, whiffs of cow stable
and farmyard, seawater again, iodine,
seaweed… Then milk chocolate.
All that isn’t too big, that
is. Another strangely whispering Ardbeg?
With water: an extreme farminess now,
all on fermenting hay. Mouth: it’s
big and it’s ultra-lemony, to
the point where the peat hasn’t
even its say. Well, quite. Fructose,
limejuice (litres!), cactus juice,
lemon drops, grass… Very ‘green’,
very unusual! Let’s see what
happens with water: ah, that worked,
it’s classic Ardbeg now. Big
peat, big lemon, big saltiness, big
notes of green apples. Finish: long,
clean, zesty and lemony. Comments:
one may be tempted not to add water
to this one but it does benefit from
a few drops. Good stuff, but the sherry
does walk-on parts here. SGP:357
- 87 points. |
Ardbeg
17 yo 1979/1996 (64.3%, Adelphi for
USA, cask #11928, 258 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: a hospital
and that’s it. Litres of antiseptic.
Extremely aggressive (but one can
‘feel’ this is great),
let’s try to tame it using water.
With water: woooh! One of the most
extreme Ardbegs I could ever try –
and I tried a few. The heavy notes
of antiseptic are still there, mingling
with fabulous notes of old pu-erh
tea, tar, benzine, tasty oysters (I
mean, not overly refined ones) and
gunflints. Also whiffs of old copper
coins. A version that’s true
to Ardbeg as it should be. Mouth (neat):
wow, it’s almost drinkable!
Almost as lemony as the 1990, but
there are many other flavours it seems
and, above all, a lot of salt. Amazing!
With water: wait, let’s add
more water. This is so big! Good,
you really have to bring this one
down to roughly 45% vol. or it’ll
just burn your throat. But then it
gets truly magnificent, certainly
as good as the most legendary Ardbegs.
Fantastic saltiness, exceptional resinous
notes, beautiful ‘coastalness’
(wot?), fabulous fruits (lemon and
green apples first as usual)…
Finish: as long as G.W. Bush’s
late apologies. This Arbdeg’s
balance is more than perfect. Comments:
absolute top notch, ‘takes no
prisonners’. Why can’t
all whiskies be like this? (go to
bed, Serge). SGP:568 - 93
points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: remember the Talking
Heads and their hit Psycho Killer?
The whole album was a hit at home
at the time and I must say this
unexpectedly 'combat' version of
Psycho
Killer.mp3 by Argentina's Argies
reminds me of very good times. Please
buy Argies' music! |
|
|
December
4, 2008 |
|
|
STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST
proposes
his Christmas malt cocktails
Cocktail
#1:
"Speyside's
New Fashion"
Pour into an old-fashioned glass:
- 6 cl Glen Deveron 15 y.o. OB
- 4 cl sweet vermouth
- a few drops Pernod
- 1 cl lemon juice
- 1 cl orange juice |
|
|
Stir
well, finish (moderately) with cold
Perrier. Add 2 big ice cubes, then
a few drops of Angostura bitter
on top of them. Deco: one lemon
slice and one tangerine slice.
For maximum effect, you may take
off the central part of the tangerine
slice so that you can slide a straw
into it and put the whole on top
of the ice cubes..
This
recipe is a tribute to two famous
classic cocktails i enjoy a lot:
The Manhattan and The Old-Fashioned.
You may try different variations,
depending on your own ideas/preferences.
You may substitute the Glen Deveron
with any other light and rounded
speyside malts. |
|
TASTING
THREE ‘FOREIGN’ WHISKIES
(gaze at the wonders of globalisation) |
Mackmyra
'Batch 2008-02' (46.1%, OB, Sweden,
bottled 2008)
Colour: white wine. Nose: starts very
expressive, with whiffs of wood smoke
and a wide range of ‘young fruity
flavours’ such as straight apples,
grapefruits, pineapples and crushed
gooseberries (very obvious here).
There’s even rather big notes
of ripe kiwis. Develops more on herbs
(mint-flavoured tea) and liquorice,
ending up with straight fresh spicy
notes that only young or new oak can
impart. Ginger first, then a little
cardamom and a little cinnamon. Some
porridgy and yeasty notes prove that
this is still fairly young whisky,
that is. Mouth: good attack, creamy,
fruity and spicy, very assertive.
It’s there! It does taste ‘unusual’
but certainly not lame. Orange liqueur
with ginger and white pepper, then
a little mint, then bourbonny notes
from the oak that must have been rather
fresh (very sweet vanilla) and finally
quite some spices (cloves first).
Finish: long and sweet/spicy. Comments:
this is very good and this bottling
is much more ‘drinkable’
than earlier batches (for which we
published very few notes). It seems
that Mackmyra is not only for hardcore
Swedish malt freaks anymore (don’t
shoot, don’t shoot!) SGP:631
- 83 points. |
Lark
Distillery 'Distiller's Selection'
(46%, OB, Tasmania, cask #LD105, 172
bottles, Bottled June 2008, Tasmania)
Colour: gold. Nose: bizarre, bizarre…
Starts on unusual notes of hot roasted
chestnuts and dried bananas, burning
fabric, then a lot of fern and other
wild herbs (agaves? Tequila?) and
finally some rather big bubblegummy
notes. Certainly not unpleasant but
very ‘different’. Mouth:
extremely unusual and very thick and
oily. Huge resinous notes that remind
me of ‘liquid’ propolis.
In case you don’t know, propolis
is kind of a resin that the honeybees
harvest from some trees and that they
use as cement and/or preservative
(for instance on dead rodents in the
hive). This one goes on with even
heavier notes of mead, prunes and
even plum spirit (slivovitz). Amazing
how resinous this is, to the point
where I’m wondering whether
they did not use eucalyptus casks
or something like that. Finish: long,
maybe just a tad more classic now.
Prune and wine liqueur. Comments:
very unusual and unlike any other
whisky. But it’s good! SGP:730
- 73 points (please don’t
take this rating too seriously). |
Lark
Distillery 'Single Malt Whisky' (58%,
OB, Tasmania, cask #LD31, Bottled
2008, Tasmania)
Colour: red amber. Nose: great smoke.
This is much more classic than the
version at 46%, and maybe more complex
as well even if it’s a bit hard
to nose at 58%. Right, let’s
quickly add water… With water:
great! There’s some smoke, various
herbs, great spices, various resins
just like in the version at 46%, notes
of Armagnac-soaked prunes, dried mushrooms,
horse saddle, old Burgundy wine, old
Sauternes as well… An immense
surprise so far (but it would be criminal
not to add water to this one). Mouth
(neat): excellent! Big, punchy, wonderfully
full, chocolaty and spicy, with very
special earthy notes. Now, it does
need water again. With water: we’re
much, much closer to the version at
46% as far as the general profile
is concerned (resin and prunes). A
little more ginger as well, cinnamon,
dried bananas, raisins, crystallised
pineapples, coconut milk… Also
a very pleasant earthiness. Finish:
long, very compact and coherent, more
on fruits and easier on resin. Comments:
great stuff, just great stuff. I scored
this 84 when I tried it blind and
shall stick with that but it may deserve
even more. It seems that there are
great distillers downunda. SGP:641
- 84 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I'm having huge troubles
getting Nneka's
Heartbeat.mp3
out of my head. Agreed, it's not
very clever to post about the wonderful
Nigerian singer on WF then... Anyway,
please buy Nneka's music! |
|
|
December
3, 2008 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW
by
Nick Morgan
RODDY
FRAME
Cadogan Hall, Sloane Square,
London, November 18th 2008
If
you’re a frequent visitor
to Sloane Square then you’ll
no doubt be familiar with the Cadogan
Hall which lies just to the
north on Sloane Terrace. If like
me, you’d rather not go to
Chelsea, then the building would
no doubt surprise you as much as
it did me. Designed in the early
twentieth century by Robert Fellowes
Chisholm, who spent much of his
career working in India where he
pioneered a style of architecture
known as Indo-Saracenic (it would
be easy, though incorrect, to describe
it as ‘Moorish’), which
sits uneasily with the grand residential
terraces of South West London. |
|
It
was built for Mary Baker Eddy’s
Church
of Christ, Scientist. According
to the Photographer she was Duane
Eddy’s mother. The church originally
housed large congregations before
falling into disuse and disrepair
in the 1990s, when it was rescued
by the Cadogan
Estates, becoming the home of
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Inside, the huge arched space is somewhat
reminiscent of the Royal Horticultural
Hall, though it doesn’t share
the latter’s brutish concrete
modernism. Instead the Indian influences
evident in the exterior are still
present – the décor is
a stark white, and on both floors
the seating is church style, highly
polished, wooden benches. And the
acoustics are simply fantastic. “How’s
the sound out there?”, asks
Roddy
Frame half way through
his performance, “It’s
just brilliant up here”. He
looks as though he could stay up there
listening to his guitar all night. |
Last
time I reviewed Roddy Frame my editor
chastised me for exceeding my strictly-monitored
superlative allowance, and so for
a detailed account of this show I
will refer you to that
review. Not that the set list
was the same; this was more of an
extensive trawl through Frame’s
substantial back catalogue (I’m
going to play you some songs I don’t
normally get to sing”), with
far less emphasis on his more recent
albums, Surf, and particularly the
brilliant Western Skies. I’m
not sure that Frame was better here
– although the sound of his
booming guitar was quite remarkable
and certainly far superior to anything
the old Bush could hope to produce,
even at its very best. And I should
add that his voice was not too far
behind. Frame was relaxed and chatty
– one could almost have been
in his living room (though the scale
of the venue did detract from the
sense of intimacy) – and was
particularly happy to see his chum
Edwyn Collins, who was sitting with
his son a couple of rows from us.
I’ll leave it at that. Needless
to say, you’re commended to
buy his more recent albums, and if
you have a hole in your collection
you should stock up with the best
of Aztec Camera, Frame’s band
of the 80s and 90s. And as for your
Christmas shopping, well if any you
have got any spare cash – unlikely
I know in these challenged times –
but if you have, you could always
buy me this
wonderful Freshman twelve-string guitar.
I’m sure Mr Frame played one
during this gig, and let me tell you
the sound was, as befits the setting,
without imperfection. - Nick Morgan
(photographs by Kate) |
|
TASTING
ONE
NATURAL AND THREE ‘OTHER’
NEW YOUNG BOWMORES |
|
|
Bowmore 13 yo 1995/2008 (46%, Jack
Wieber, Castle Collection, cask #2617)
You got it, this one
is the ‘natural’ version.
Colour: straw. Nose: as straight and
clean and almost sharp as Bowmore
can get. Loads of iodine, flints and
apple peelings, then notes of grapefruits
that tend to become tangerines (no
genetics involved), and finally straight
peat smoke. Nothing more, nothing
less. Classic. Mouth: same, a classic,
clean, pure and compact Bowmore. Peat,
smoked fish, salt and lime juice.
Very little oak. Finish: long and
in keeping with the palate. Maybe
just a little more salt. Comments:
as I said, classic. SGP:347
– 86 points (yes, I
know, classic). |
Bowmore
6 yo 2002/2008 (46%, Murray McDavid
for Ermuri Berlin, cask ref 02226,
Chateau Margaux Ace’d)
I believe they smoke much more cigars
in German-speaking countries than
in other parts of the world (right,
not Cuba) so maybe that’s why
they called this one an ‘opulent
cigar malt’ on the label. Maybe
there will be a ‘mind-blowing
marijuana malt’ for Jamaica
one day! Colour: apricot/salmon. Nose:
the young whisky is big and the wine
is big too, which makes for a very
big dram albeit an extremely unusual
one. Both talk one after the other,
but after a few minutes it’s
rather Bowmore’s peat that wins
the fight against the strawberry and
cassis jams. As often with this series,
this nose is very entertaining. Mouth:
the same sort of thing happens at
the attack, with a very obvious vinosity
but that’s not unpleasant. Fresh
strawberries, peat, a certain earthiness,
quite some liquorice… Finish:
long, even more on liquorice. Or rather
a kind of liquoricy flavour. Allsorts.
Comments: it’s no secret that
this category of whiskies is not to
our liking generally speaking, but
I’m sure this performs quite
well within the category. SGP:456
– 77 points. |
Bowmore
12 yo 1995/2008 (46%, Murray McDavid,
bourbon/viognier, 995 bottles)
The viognier casks had contained some
of Guigal’s Condrieu, a very
spicy and rather exuberant white wine
from the north of the Rhone valley.
Colour: apricot. Nose: this is absolutely
incredible! It really smells like
a fortified Doriane (Guigal’s
most famous Condrieu) and certainly
not like whisky. Huge spiciness and
quite some muscatty notes. The problem
is that there’s also a huge
lot of sulphur and even notes of ‘English’
vinegar (the one they serve with fish
and chips). A very, very strange winesky.
The good news is that these heavy
sulphury notes do vanish a bit after
a few minutes but their halo effect
is so big that it’s still, say
‘unusual’. Bowmore is
unrecognisable here. Mouth: once again,
the wine is easily detectable in itself
(it’s also got something of
an Alsatian pinot gris, or even malvasia),
and brings some funny notes of game
and roasted spices to the whole. Very
ripe pineapples. Peat and pepper strike
second and third, and the whole starts
to work pretty well after a moment,
despite some added notes of Comté
cheese (or Gouda if you prefer). Finish:
long. Comments: one of the strangest
whiskies I could try this year. We’re
extremely far from a classic Bowmore,
but what’s sure is that it’s
‘fun’, and fun is priceless
these days, isn’t it! SGP:436
– 72 points (someone
should start wineskyfun.com one day,
to do these kinds of whiskies ‘better’
justice). |
Bowmore
16 yo 1992/2008 (53.5%, OB, wine cask
matured)
As ‘usual’, they used
casks from Château Lagrange,
a rather good St. Julien that’s
owned by Suntory (that owns Bowmore).
What's a bit tricky is that whilst
this is only a double-matured malt
(bourbon, then wine) they call it
'wine cask matured' on the label,
which implies that it's been fully
matured in those wine casks. A tad
misleading... Colour: red amber. Nose:
we aren’t too far from the 2002,
and St. Julien isn’t far from
Margaux after all (don’t be
silly!) but this is more polished
and much less exuberant, with less
obvious winey notes (blackcurrants,
blackcurrant buds, strawberries, grenadine
and so on). Well, that’s true
for a while but the wine never quite
loses control and gets then bigger
actually, even if balance is maintained.
Pleasant farminess, soft peat, herbal
tea (rosehip, hawthorn, cherry stems)
and strawberry jam. Mouth: it’s
here that things get worse. Once again,
the wine’s too big for our taste,
and gives the whole these sweet and
sour notes that we like mucho in Chinese
cooking, but not in whisky. Finish:
yes. Comments: it’s not that
this isn’t drinkable of course,
but frankly, they make utterly brilliant
whiskies at Bowmore since quite a
few years now, why spoil them with
such a heavy treatment? Does ‘the
market’ really ask for this
kind of ‘variation’? Oh,
and another silly question: why doesn’t
Suntory treat some of their Yamazakis
or Hakushus the same way? (I told
you, I'm prejudiced!) SGP:446
- 73 points. |
And
also Bowmore
17 yo 1990/2007 (54.1%, Dewar Rattray,
cask #261, 202 bottles)
A clean, punchy, mid-complex, very
briny Bowmore. Big peat and a lot
of grapefruits. Excellent balance.
SGP:446 – 89 points.
Ahhhhhhhh! |
|
December
2, 2008 |
|
|
|
TASTING
THREE
NEW SPRINGBANKS |
Springbank
10 yo (46%, OB, 2008)
The new style labelling conquered
the 10yo too. Previous batches of
the 10yo scored 83-84 points in my
book. Colour: straw. Nose: beautifully
clean yet complex at first nosing,
extremely pure, with notes of fresh
butter, flowers from the fields (our
beloved dandelions), beeswax and other
waxes (no paraffin that is) and then
straighter fruity notes (strawberries
and quite some tangerines), with also
a little peat smoke. It’s very
natural and maybe a tad old-style
(make that traditional), which is
an asset in our opinion. Absolutely
no obvious wood treatment. Mouth:
very good ‘nervousness’,
sweet, fruity (the notes of coconuts
are back!), getting even fruitier
over time (strawberry syrup, marshmallows).
Also these very peculiar notes of
overripe oranges and leather that
are only to be found in Springbank
or Longrow, rather discrete here.
Good whisky. Finish: medium long,
with a little salt and hints of olive
oil that add to its complexity. Oak,
Turkish delights and oranges. Comments:
once more, this is proof that Springbank
really improved the quality of its
whiskies in recent years. SGP:542
– 86 points. |
Springbank
1997 'batch #2' (54.9%, OB, Bottled
+/- 2008)
We loved the first batch of this 1997
(89), it was so much cleaner and purer
than earlier bottlings that were treated
with heavy wood. Colour: gold. Nose:
quite close to the regular 10, only
with more oomph. A lot of oranges,
beeswax, fresh butter and ‘yellow’
flowers but also a little white chocolate
and then mint, apple peeling, moss,
mushrooms and wet earth. A little
less shoe polish and ginger than in
the first batch, which I liked maybe
just a tad better. More porridge.
Mouth: big-big, smoky, wonderfully
nutty and roasted and very gingery
as well. Quite some lemon as well
and then a lot of pepper. Grows a
tad too powerful after a few seconds
so let’s add water now (while
the nose got more mineral and smoky):
excellent development, it got creamier,
oily, rich, wonderfully spicy (cloves)
and orangey. Same ‘orangey/leathery’
notes as in the 10. Finish: long,
very ‘full’, more on lemon,
vanilla, chocolate, ginger and salt.
Comments: I can’t wait to try
these batches when they will be 20
years old! The first time I tried
this one it was blind and I scored
it 87. This second go (disclosed)
makes me go up to 88. SGP:453
- 88 points. |
Springbank
17 yo 1990/2008 (51.5%, OB for Springbank
Society members, refill Port hogshead,
570 bottles)
Colour: apricot/salmony. Nose: this
is completely different and, to tell
you the truth, rather less to my liking.
There’s a rather extreme farmy/winey
combo that does not quite work in
my opinion but once again, it’s
just my opinion and this isn’t,
of course, technically flawed. Mixture
of blackcurrants and wet hay. Smells
like a finishing and not like full-maturing
that is, even if the label does not
mention a finishing. Mouth: extremely
sweet, thick, jammy, bubblegummy and
spicy. Very, very extreme. A mixture
of Malibu, Limoncello, lychee juice
and strawberry jam with a fistful
of spices thrown in. Finish: yes,
in the same vein. Comments: one of
these UFMs (unidentified flying malts),
more or less in the same league as,
for instance, most Tokaji finishes
by various distilleries. Now, we perfectly
understand that the very honourable
Springbank Society would like this,
of course! Once again, it’s
not flawed as such and all this is
only a matter of taste anyway, isn’t
it? SGP:831 - 77 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Abbey
Lincoln's very peculiar
voice singing Street
of Dream.mp3. Please buy Abbey
Lincoln's music... |
|
|
December
1, 2008 |
|
|
TASTING
FIVE AMRUTS
The Amrut Distillery, is located
in Bangalore. To our friends who
know Islay better than India, Bangalore
is located right in the middle of
the southern Indian ‘horn’.
Amrut did extremely well at the
MM Awards 2008! |
|
|
Amrut
‘Single Malt’ (40%, OB,
+/-2006)
This should be four or five years
of age. We already liked the first
batches when they were 3 years old
in 2005 (75 points) Colour: gold.
Nose: well, it’s always very
hard to prevent one’s mind from
wandering off when trying a drink
that’s very ‘evocative’
(by its name, label, origins, whatever)
and guess what, we do get cardamom
at first sniffing. Also various other
spices, quite some vanilla, ‘clean’
dust, apple juice, compote, porridge
(typical from young whiskies), a little
sandalwood and incense (our mind at
work again?) Anyway, this is pleasant.
Bring poppadoms instead of oatcakes!
Mouth: sweet, clean and fruity (oranges),
with a good attack but a middle that’s
a tad weakish for my taste. Wood and
spirit aren't quite ‘interwoven’
enough but otherwise it’s perfectly
drinkable and better than many Scottish
blends. Finish: medium long, maybe
a tad too caramelly now. Comments:
very pleasant nose, quite unusual
(hence entertaining) but the palate
is more mundane. I think this version
has been discontinued, that is. SGP:221
- 76 points, still. |
Amrut
'Indian Single Malt Whisky' (46%,
OB, bottled 4/2008)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this is much
less exotic on the nose, much, much
closer to Scottish malt whisky. Actually,
to Japanese malt whisky. Unusual notes
of ham and geranium, grenadine, Turkish
delights, bubblegum and then much
more oak and vanilla, Japanese-style.
Something ‘modern’. Mouth:
very powerful at 46%, a good step
above the older version at 40% but
it’s also very, very bubblegummy
(Haribos galore). Good oakiness. Turkish
delights again, strawberry drops,
white pepper from the wood and orange
cake. Finish: long and unexpectedly
salty, but there’s too much
oak, which is a little bizarre in
such a young whisky. I’m 100%
sure they did not use oak chips/extracts,
that is! Must be the climate…
Comments: good malt whisky, displaying
something ‘different’.
It’ll keep improving with age.
SGP:440 - 77 points
(rated blind). |
Amrut
'Indian Single Malt Whisky' (61.9%,
OB, Cask Strength, bottled 9/2007)
Colour: full gold.
Nose: very powerful and extremely
oaky, almost like a carpenter’s
workshop, with whiffs of warm oak
(hot sawdust) and wood smoke. Rather
spectacular, and it’s no ‘drying’
oak. With water: hey hey, this is
quite superb! Beautiful notes of moss
and leaves, leather, then candied
oranges and Demerara sugar, meat and
smoke (smoked ham, right)… super.
Mouth (neat): big, big whisky, way
better than the ‘46’ version,
even when undiluted. Less bubblegummy
notes (but there are some left), more
grassy and leathery notes, and a big
‘satisfaction’ on the
palate. And not burning! With water:
ditto. Very rich, creamy, with a lot
of orange marmalade. This is impressive.
Finish: long, rich, orangey and peppery.
Perfect balance. Comments: I couldn’t
believe my eyes when I saw that this
was an Amrut, and had to try it thrice,
only to get always the same impressions
and ratings. SGP:550 - 85
points (rated blind). |
Amrut
(62.7%, Blackadder, c#BA 1/2008, 277
bottles, 2008)
Colour: full gold. Nose: very, very
expressive. A tad less oaky than the
OB when neat, and fruitier too. Very
big notes of freshly cut oranges and
ginger roots, a little nutmeg, white
pepper… That from the wood,
probably. With water: wonderfully
grassy/leathery. Fresh almonds and
walnuts. Top class, fab balance and
already very complex. Mouth (neat):
just excellent! There’s what
may now be defined as ‘the Amrut
profile’ (bubblegum, oranges
and spices) and also a lot of vanilla
and various other spices. But the
alcohol is so high, let’s not
take any further chances and check
whether it’s a good swimmer
or not. With water: even more complex
than the OB we just had (although
we wouldn’t say this is complex
whisky as such). Even more spices
and more herbs. A little more oak
as well. Finish: long, very pleasantly
bitter (tannins, tea). Lots of soft
spices. Comments: this one isn’t
‘a peated whisky’ as such
but it’s more phenolic than
the OB. A huge surprise in any case.
SGP:462 - 87 points
(rated blind). |
Amrut
'Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky'
(62.78%, OB, bottled 4/2008)
Isn’t it funny that an Indian
distillery would use peat? Colour:
gold. Nose: starts mainly on peat,
with a lot of alcohol of course but
it’s not spirity as such. Notes
of kiwi, fruit eau-de-vie, something
youngish ‘of course’.
With water: unusual notes of whitecurrants,
redcurrant jelly, even Jell-O. The
peat is still here, bringing funny
notes of wood smoke (‘a roaring
fireplace after a good day of skiing
in the Alps – err, excuse me.)
Mouth (neat): round and peaty, pretty
much on salted liquorice, with quite
some salt and a lot of spices from
the wood. And god it’s hot!
With water: it got very good for a
while but fell into kind of a ‘flavour
warp’ involving white chocolate,
green pepper, chlorophyll and lemon
squash. Indeed, ‘unusual’.
Reminds me of the dark side of Longrow
(that does not appear very often these
days, by the way!) Finish: long and
big, sweetly peppery. Comments: I
wrote ‘twisted but pleasant’
when I tried this blind and shall
stick with that. SGP:365 -
79 points (rated blind). |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I believe it was Gong's
first lineup and they were doing
an interstellar Squeezing
Sponges Over Policemen's Heads.mp3.
Much, much better than Pink Floyd...
Please buy Gong's music! |
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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
17 yo 1979/1996 (64.3%,
Adelphi for USA, cask #11928, 258 bottles)
Carsebridge
42yo 1960/2002 (41.6%,
Chieftain's Choice, Grain, Oloroso cask #15010,
135 bottles)
Clynelish
12 yo (86 Proof US, OB for Clark's
Inc., Washington DC, USA, 4/5 quart, 1960s)
Strathisla
30 yo 1954/1984 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail for Intertrade)
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