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Hi, you're in the Archives, January 2006 - Part 1 |
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| TASTING
- TWO VERY
GOOD YOUNG IMPERIALS |
Imperial
11 yo 1994/2005 (59.2%, Single Malts
of Scotland, sherry butt #1537)
Colour: straw. Nose: punchy and powerful,
starting on some bold notes of espresso
coffee, burnt cake… But sorry,
it’s too strong for me, I’ll
need some water… Ah yes, that
works pretty well. The malt gets much,
much fruitier, with lots of freshly
cut apples (golden delicious) and
pears, fresh pineapples, peaches…
Something smoky in the background
(wood smoke), notes of lemonade, rosehip
tea. Young and simple but enjoyable
(sorry, I didn’t quite get the
sherry). |
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Mouth
(reduced to approx 45%): very sweet
and fruity (dried oranges, walnuts,
nougat), with quite some sherry now.
Notes of violet sweets, mint and liquorice
sweets, chlorophyll chewing gums.
Also some apricot pie, bananas flambéed,
honey… Very enjoyable, perfectly
balanced, compact, satisfying, with
a rather long and bold finish on caramel
cream and crystallized oranges. Very
good! 86 points.
Imperial
12 yo (65%, James MacArthur, early
1990’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: funny, it’s
a little less pungent despite the
ultra-high abv. Again some coffee,
quite some cherries, quince jelly,
burnt notes… Well, no, it does
need some water as well in fact (and
so do my nostrils). Yes, again that
works, but this time the malt gets
farmier, with also some beautiful
waxy/resinous notes (beehive, paraffin,
camphor, coffee drops, bitter almonds…)
And the coffee is superb now, like
a high-end Italian espresso. A magnificent
nose – what a surprise! Mouth
(reduced to approx 45%): more sherry,
definitely, and even more body and
‘compactness’, even if
we have more or less the same profile
here: dried oranges, walnut liqueurs,
liquorice, wax… There’s
more tropical fruits, that is, dried
figs, dates, longans and lychees,
macadamia nuts, all that with lots
of body and oomph (even when reduced).
Notes of dried herbs, fir honey, maybe
a little cardboard… And the
finish is very long, creamy, on paraffin
and Smyrna raisins… Wow, a great
surprise again! 90 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Oldies but Goldies: 1966,
Jeff Beck joins the Yardbirds
and they record a rather psychedelic
Lost
woman.mp3 (from the Roger the
Engineer LP, named 'Over Under Sideways
Down' in the US, don't ask me why).
Note that both Page and Beck were
on the picture at the left, dated
Nov. 1966. |
| TASTING
- TWO 1982
PORT ELLENS BY DOUGLAS
LAING |
Port
Ellen 21 yo 1982/2003 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC for Islay Whisky Shop, 216
bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: wow, the
first nosing reveals something really
superb, some big rubbery notes but
of the enjoyable kind. That’s
rare! Also quite some sherry and some
classy oak, with all the usual Port
Ellen markers sort of toned down –
for the better, here. |
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What’s
interesting is that we have both the
sherry’s and the usual Port
Ellen-ish rubbers (rubber band and
new tyre). There is some smoke, of
course (peat smoke, smoked ham) and
then it gets superbly fruity (bitter
oranges), developing on fresh mastic,
high-end pu-erh tea, kirsch marzipan…
Even white truffles (from Alba –
and God knows I love that despite
the heavy prices). A stunning nose,
so perfectly ‘integrated’
– how great! Mouth: again, it’s
superb, very waxy, with lots of sea
elements this time (oysters, salt).
Very nervous, developing on marzipan,
mastic-flavoured Turkish delights,
salted butter caramel, smoked salmon,
smoked tea, grilled tea (hochicha),
herbs (rosemary, BBQ herbs), a little
nutmeg… It’s endless,
unusually complex and perfectly balanced…
And it goes on, on balsamic vinegar
and olive oil, not to mention the
very long, superbly waxy finish. High
quality! 93 points
(and thanks, Luc).
Port
Ellen 18 yo 1982/2001 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, sherry, 777 bottles)
Colour: dark amber. Nose: oh, this
one is certainly simpler, more powerful,
and the sherry is really bold, whilst
there are lots of medicinal notes
(camphor, bandages, tiger balm). More
‘agitated’ and probably
less ‘coherent’ but not
less interesting, especially because
it gets then extremely resinous and
waxy, which I like. Keeps developing
on burnt cake, dark toffee, old rum,
crystallized oranges… Yes, the
sherry starts to dominate the whole
but it’s still a superb malt.
Quite a beast, in fact, that reminds
me of the Plowed Port Ellen. There’s
almost only sherry remaining after
fifteen minute (yes it won) but it’s
a, excellent one. Mouth: oh, this
is even nicer, a great alliance between
the sherry and the peat (now it reminds
me of the official Laphroaig 1974,
the latter being more complex, that
is). Lots of Cointreau, tar, Tia Maria,
‘good’ rubber again. Lots
of richness in all simplicity. What’s
funny is that it’s the peat
that wins this time – lots of
enjoyable bitterness, grilled herbs
(from Provence, no need to say), spices
(curry, pepper, cardamom). Yes, an
enjoyable beast with a long, tarry
and caramelly finish. Another very
nice sherried Port Ellen: 91
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Some say French band Air's
early works were better. Well, they
were certainly more 'solar'... Try
for instance Le
soleil est près de moi.mp3
(The sun is close to me), while imagining
you're in Provence in August, near
a huge aquamarine swimming pool. It's
very hot... you pour yourself a Campari-orange
(okay, a Rosebank on ice) and... Does
that work? What? You fell asleep?
Maybe there was a Cherry
blossom girl.mp3 missing. Anyway,
please buy Air's music! |
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TASTING
- TWO NEW OLD SPRINGBANKS
Springbank
35 yo 1969/2005 (50%, Dun Bheagan,
refill sherry, 516 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: rather punchy,
fragrant, aromatic at first nosing.
Faint whiffs of smoke, then a whole
basket of both tropical and ‘northern’
fruits (mangos, pears, bananas,
sultanas, strawberries). Then it
goes on on flowers from the fields,
linden tree and lots of waxy/resinous
notes (fir tree), as well as cooked
fruits, orange marmalade, marzipan…
Very rich, diverse, ‘wide’
if not complex. It gets then more
and more caramelly, ‘fudgy’,
with some pollen… Almost perfect!
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Mouth:
creamy, bold, powerful, very waxy
and very resinous again. Very malty,
nutty, with very little sherry influence
that I can get. It’s very compact,
nervous, unexpectedly full-bodied
at 35 yo but also a little simple.
A very slow maturing, probably. Some
spicy notes (notably a little clove,
pepper), dark toffee… The finish
is very long, echoing, with an added
pinch of salt and a little (bitter)
chlorophyll. What a beast at 35yo!
90 points.
Springbank
35 yo 1970/2005 (59.5%, The Whisky
Fair, bourbon hogshead, 120 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: a little more
discreet right at the start but then
some beautiful, and more delicate
notes of fruit jellies and a beautiful
oak (antiques) do arise slowly. Notes
of wax polish, orange salad, fruity
olive oil, dried coconat. It’s
probably ‘narrower’ than
its brother but much more elegant.
Classy stuff! It’s also very
clean… Keeps developing, with
some notes of hazelnut oil, mint-flavoured
tea, pepper… Menthol fir honey
sweets, whiffs of coal… Beautiful!
Mouth: I’m very curious now,
almost 60% at 35yo! This one must
have matured in a very hot environment,
and probably very, very slowly. And
the mouth confirms that, it’s
extremely punchy, with some super-bold
wax, dried oranges, honey and a lot
of salt – amazing. It’s
also rather bitter, tannic and drying,
but nothing (too) excessive. Wow,
it gets then saltier and saltier,
with also a little rubber, mastic,
salted liquorice, cake, marzipan,
strong olive oil (ever tasted the
Palestinian olive oil? It’s
excellent – no politics here.)
Some bold notes of cough syrup, at
that, mirabelle and apricot jam, quince
jelly… Another (gentle) beast,
no doubt, that reminds me of some
very old OB’s. No need to say
I like it a lot. 93 points. |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - Terezinha
Araújo is from
Cabo Verde and she's got a beautiful
voice, as the 'tr'adictional' Landu
di Amor.mp3 should testify. Please
buy Terezinha Araújo's music,
it's full of soul. |
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Not
hugely complex but the balance is
perfect, with also a little liquorice
and a few vegetal notes (hay). Maybe
a little peat as well? It gets better
and better with time, with the wood
taking control but it’s definitely
an elegant kind of oak. Mouth: powerful
and sweet, with again a very nice
tannic structure. Lots of body! Huge
liquoricy and caramelly attack, with
lots of roasted nuts and quite some
smoky ‘stuff’. It gets
then nicely sugarish (fruit liqueurs,
Jell-O) with lots of vivacity. Nice
notes of herbal tea, Turkish delights…
The finish is long, balanced, mostly
on praline and vanilla. A very good
un-sherried Macallan, nicely compact
and with lots of oomph! 87
points.
Macallan-Glenlivet
8 yo 1989/1997 (61.5%, Milroy’s)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts very
discreetly when compared to the Duncan
Taylor, but it’s still got a
similar profile at first nosing. It
then gets more spirity and much nuttier,
with some bold caramel, liquorice
and roasted coffee beans. It’s
a ‘nice’ young Macallan,
simple but already mature and balanced.
Mouth: powerful, ample, again quite
similar but more fragrant this time.
A beautiful fruitiness, with quite
some pineapple (like in many young
spirits but it’s really beautiful
here), very ripe tangerines…
Gets quite stunning for a 8 yo malt.
Lots of kiwis at that, crystallized
kumquats, liquorice… Lots of
‘scope’, complexity, and
it doesn’t seem to need any
water, which is amazing at 8 yo and
61.5% vol. Lots of roasted peanuts,
praline… Compact, nervous: what
a great palate! The finish is long,
sort of invading, with a little salt
and clove. Wow, it’s a thrilling
young Mac’! 90 points
(and thanks, Johannes) |
Add to that a little vanilla, mocha,
Turkish delights, sweet box and maybe
a faint rubberiness and you have a
flawless old malt, with nothing really
unusual or spectacular but that’s
most enjoyable. Mouth: more body and
more oomph, and also more tannins
that bite your tongue a bit. Nothing
excessive but it’s clearly very,
very woody. White pepper, nutmeg,
vanilla cake, notes of gin, ginger
ale, beer, caramel sauce… It
gets quite drying, let’s try
to add a little water (… while
the nose gets even oakier…)
Now we have a second layer of flavours,
mostly tea, cloves, bread crust…
But it’s still very woody, and
the finish is rather tannic again,
slightly bitter but not sour at all.
Right, this one is kind of an oak
infusion, but it’s far from
being unpleasant, quite on the contrary.
Just a very woody profile, for aficionados
who like wood in their malt (obviously
- and I know there are many). Our
Belgian friends have done a good job
here, I've had several old Tomatins
before that were much more tired and
got rather bland. 86 points.
Tomatin
28 yo 1976/2005 (51.1%, Exclusive
Malt, David Stirk)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: how weird
at first nosing! A strange mixture
of gym socks and rotten fruits (oranges),
rancid butter and backwater…
Let’s give this one time, maybe
it’ll get cleaner after some
breathing… (after 15 minutes...)
That’s bizarre, it gets now
extremely chocolaty, with some notes
of burnt cake (well, chocolate cake),
rubbery (Wellingtons), but still with
these disturbing whiffs of rotting
oranges or pineapples and even some
paint thinner. Probably a defective
cask – or is it the bottle?
Mouth: hmm… It’s not as
bad as expected although there’s
kind of dirtiness. Very unusual, in
any case, with some chocolate again,
overripe mangos, rotted game (very
rotted), stale beer… And it’s
quite punchy, at that, getting extremely
peppery (it’s almost chilli),
biting, prickly… A very strange
beast indeed! Not my cup of tea at
all but this one should pull funny
comments at any tasting session. Not
boring, that’s for sure! 68
points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Another young girl who
doesn't sing too well, has a detuned
voice and plays with a amateur-sounding
band, yet I quite like her work, athough
I couldn't explain why: it's Bosque
Brown and she's singing
Still
afraid.mp3. Please buy her music! |
| TASTING
- FOUR BENRIACHS |
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Benriach
21 yo 'Authenticus' (46%, OB, peated,
4800 bottles, 2005)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: quite hot,
starting on peat smoke and caramel
and developing on some rather bold
liquorice, with something curiously
meaty (not too young smoked ham),
not too enjoyable. Some soy sauce,
barbecued meat, whiffs of soy sauce.
Something unbalanced and kind of ‘dirty’,
I’m afraid. Mouth: the attack
is nervous, peaty and peppery, but
quite sugarish at the same time. Something
too ‘simple’ here. Gets
rather spicy, with quite some over-infused
tea and caramelized apples but that’s
it. The finish is medium long, very
balanced but very simple as well.
Now, we’ve seen much worse and
it still deserves 80 points
in my books, for it’s rather
flawless. Quite uninteresting but
flawless.
Benriach
19 yo 1986/2005 (58.6%, OB, cask #285,
201 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: quite curiously,
it’s less hot than the Authenticus,
starting very herbal, vegetal (cut
grass, hay), with a lot of cake. Very
enjoyable, in fact, and it gets nicely
caramelly, toffeeish, with notes of
crème brûlée,
rum, soft brown sugar… Goes
on with hot praline, cappuccino, herbal
teas… Whiffs of menthol, very
ripe apples, smoke… A great
nose, with lots of freshness and ‘sincerity’
(!) Mouth: again a very nice attack,
quite nervous, with bold notes of
wax, mastic and a little lavender,
but too bad, it develops towards something
weird. Granted, there’s some
nice caramelized fruits but also something
strangely ‘burnt’, raw
spirit, rubber… And then it
gets really too burning. Let’s
try it with water now: right, the
nose gets even nicer and the palate
much sweeter, with some tea, violet
sweets… And the finish is long
and balanced. A malt that needs water,
in fact, very ‘natural’
but no real thrill. 84 points.
Benriach
1968/2005 (46%, OB for LMW, cask #2711,
Hogshead)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: wow, very
aromatic! Starts on some bold notes
of tropical fruits, together with
lots of menthol and eucalyptus. Lost
of oomph for such an old baby! It’s
even quite hard to break it…
Ah yes, lots of flowers from the fields
now… The aromatic storm calms
down then, and lots of other, tinier
smells do arise: fruits (oranges,
mangos, pineapples, lychees), resinous/minty
(eucalyptus again, pine needles, fresh
mint leaves), flowers (dandelions,
buttercups) and finally a bold, almost
muscular woody structure that keeps
the whole together. A beautiful balance
and lots of vitality considering its
age. Very compact and ‘wide’
at the same time. Mouth: ah yes, it’s
beautiful. Somewhere a synthesis of
an old Lochside, and old Bowmore and
an old Clynelish (no less). An avalanche
of tropical fruits (quite some banana,
pineapple, mango, passion fruit, very
bold notes of dried longans). Lots
of oomph indeed and no sign of tiredness,
even if it’s not monstrously
complex. Ah, yes, also some pink grapefruit
and a little ginger, white pepper
and clove. Really beautiful, an excellent
surprise with a long finish on orange
zests and hot caramel. Delicious!
92 points (and
thanks Hubert).
Benriach-Glenlivet
17 yo 1978/1995 (59.7%, Cadenhead,
sherrywood) Colour:
brown. Nose: oh, now we have asherry
monster, it appears. Lots of punch
and some huge chocolaty notes at first
nosing, getting then more classical,
on old rum, raisins and buttered caramel.
The sherry is very, very ‘obvious’
(in the PX style) and this Benriach
starts to smell almost like a superb,
genuine sherry or port and not like
a whisky anymore. Quite spectacular!
There must have been litres and litres
of wine remaining in the cask (or?)
Keeps developing towards notes of
Armagnac, baked buttered apples…
Really beautiful – if you like
‘clean’ sherry, that is.
No sulphur, no rubber at all here.
Incredible notes of pears poached
in wine. I really like this one a
lot, even if the distillery probably
hasn’t its say anymore here.
A very clean sherry-bomb! Mouth: again,
it’s extremely vinous, almost
like a wine that would have been fortified
up to 50% vol. with neutral spirit.
Really hot, maybe a little rubbery
this time. Lots of crystallized fruits,
sultanas… And again, it starts
to taste like an excellent Armagnac.
The balance is perfect and the finish
long and coating, with a pinch of
salt – this one would probably
defeat many high-end Craigellachie
or Ballindaloch born sherried Speysiders.
An excellent surprise, it’s
not often that I came across such
heavy sherry with that much balance
in a malt. 91 points
(and thanks, Antoine). |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Strongly recommended
listening - The great pianist (and
Whiskyfun Award winner) Uri
Caine plays Schumman's
Im
Wunderschonen Monat Mai.mp3 with
La
Gaia Scienza (excerpt
- from 'Love fugue', Winter &
Winter). Uri Caine's works are always
stunning and he always manages to
blend classical music and jazz in
the most beautiful way - whilst many
fail at that dangerous exercise. Please,
please buy Uri Caine's music (his
works on Mahler are amazingling good
as well). |
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Coleburn
1980/2004 (62.9%, McKillop’s
Choice, sherry wood, cask #1261)
Nose: really beautiful, starting on
some bold notes of crystallised oranges
and quite some smoke. Liquorice, smoked
tea… Really special. A little
water brings some maritime notes,
sea air… An unusual Coleburn,
rather delicate and subtle despite
its strength and the sherry. Mouth:
bold and compact at the same time,
with a beautiful sweetness and lots
of dried fruits, developing on eucalyptus
candies, beeswax with honey (the beekeeper’s
chewing-gum)… Long finish with
‘a smoky touch’. One of
the best Coleburns I ever had. 90
points. |
| MUSIC
– It's Sunday,
we go classical with the great Frank
Zappa conducting the
Ensemble Modern for one of his last
works, Outrage
at Valdez.mp3 (from The Yellow
Shark, 1993). No sir, it's no Rock
and Roll... But it's extremely brilliant.
Please buy Frank Zappa's works! |
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| TASTING
- THREE INDIE CRAGGANMORES |
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Cragganmore
1972 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old map label, early 1990’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: rather simple
and not too expressive. Very grainy
and woody with a little caramel, getting
slightly yeasty with some notes of
dried oranges… That’s
all, folks. Mouth: not too bad but
too common: caramel, wood, white pepper,
orange marmalade and basta. Not bad
at all but rather uninteresting. Cragganmore
should have more to tell.us. 77
points.
Cragganmore
14 yo 1969 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old brown label)
Colour: yellow gold. Nose: rather
fresh and clean, nicely fruity, flowery
and spicy (cinnamon). Notes of old
wood. Also a little fudge and milk
chocolate, heather, and lots of dried
fruits. Most enjoyable. Mouth: rather
powerful, with quite some vivacity.
Very nice notes of passion fruits
and some big, bold pepper and salted
liquorice. Rather long finish with
some thyme and rosemary… A perfect
body! 85 points.
Cragganmore
15 yo 1989/2004 (55.6%, Signatory,
sherry butt)
Colour: straw. Nose: very powerful
and ‘joyful’, superbly
fresh and extremely fruity (apples,
white peaches, gooseberries and white
currants). Gets rather herbal (lettuce
– I know, lettuce hardly hardly
a ‘nose’, fresh parsley)
and yeasty. Nice notes of vanilla
crème, a little liquorice,
violets… Very nice even if there’s
almost no wood influence. Mouth: very
nicely citrusy and sweeet at the same
time, lots of white fruits and herbal
tea. Simpler than on the nose but
still enjoyable. Some pepper. The
finish is long, on, well, whisky (a
good one) and fruit liquors (such
as Parfait Amour or curacao). The
cask was rather lazy! 84 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Good, as in his October
14th review, Nick seemed to wonder
why I think Brian
Auger is 'sort of a Brora
of the jazz - and rock - world' (and
not only a Keith Emerson #2), here's
a double answer. First, Auger making
his organ roar in his most famous
'blue-eyed British soul' hit, Tiger.mp3
(1966, I think) and second, a much
more recent and obscure No
neck Louie.mp3 (1995) with Frank
Gambale and Dave Weckl (I know, Weckl's
drumming is a bit heavy). Please buy
Brian Auger's music! |
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| TASTING
- TWO CRAIGELLACHIES |
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Craigellachie
1982/2000 (61.9%, Scott’s Selection)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: powerful,
very malty, with hints of sherry in
the background. Lots of burnt cake,
bread crust, getting then very smoky
(coal smoke, fireplace, something
Port Ellen-ish) and farmy (fermenting
hay, hare belly – not Halle
Berry, alas ;-)) at the same time.
There seems to be quite some peat
in there. A nice sourness and a rather
perfect balance… An excellent
surprise! Mouth: punchy and very sweet
and winey (sweet white wine) with
lots of fruits (peach candies, very
ripe strawberries and pineapples),
getting even sort of sugarish –
but nothing excessive. Notes of rubber,
with kind of a bitterness (over-infused
tea, burnt herbs)… Perhaps a
little simple, let’s try it
with a little water… |
| Oh,
it gets even peatier now, with some
added notes of liquorice roots,
gentian, herbs, maybe a little olive
oil… Wow, but it’s beautiful!
The finish is rather long, peaty
and maybe a little too tannic –
just a little. A great surprise
indeed, this Craig’! 90
points.
Craigellachie
14 yo (43%, Flora & Fauna, circa
2000)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: quite
discreet at first nosing, with just
a few notes of melted caramel and
cooked meat, getting then strangely
maritime. Notes of almond milk,
wet hay, getting then slightly minty,
with also some notes of old books
and antiques shop. Not bad at all!
I like it. Mouth: starts sweet and
rounded, with a nice balance. Quite
some caramel, toffee, coffee sweets.
Rather creamy, with some notes of
sherry and even Madeira. Gets very
malty, with hints of salt. It wasn’t
too bold at first but now it’s
really getting more oomph, and the
finish is enjoyable, balanced and
quite coating. A uncomplicated,
but enjoyable malt. 83 points. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Oldies but Goldies - 1989
(yeah, not that old), Edie
Brickell and her New
Bohemians do What
I am.mp3. An excellent band! By
the way, Edie Brickell is also Mrs
Paul Simon... Please buy their music... |
Ledaig
15 yo (43%, MacNab, 75cl, 1980’s)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: starts very
smoky and mineral (burnt matchstick,
flint) together with some fresh butter
and roasted coffee beans. Goes on
with some coal, rubber bands, before
it starts to shift towards some rather
farmy notes such as wet hay, plus
some discreet medicinal notes (bandages).
All that is subtle and complex, very
elegant, with also quite some marzipan,
fern, pine needles, milk chocolate…
I’d bet it’s a 1972! Mouth:
oh, quite some body! The attack is
superb, very elegant yet smoky and
resinous, with quite some fruit juice.
Peated barley, smoked tea, roasted
almonds… Hints of Zubrowska
vodka, verbena, a little liquorice.
It gets even bolder and ‘wider’
after a while, rather peppery, spicy…
And the finish is long, waxy, smoky
and resinous, with a bit of salt…
An excellent surprise! 90
points. |
 |
 |
Ledaig
20 yo (43%, OB, circa 2000)
Colour: white wine. Nose: much sweeter
(caramelly and chocolaty) and also
much more papery and cardboardy. Less
smoky at that, more on apple juice
and herbal tea, with some very bold
notes of freshly cut grass after a
moment. Rather simpler, for sure,
but still quite enjoyable and harmless.
Some notes of fireplace and coal again
after a while but not much else, except
a little paraffin. Mouth: sweet and
curiously herbal, with also quite
some bacon, not so fresh prawns…
Um, something really weird here…
Notes of aspirin, rotten fruits…
There is a problem, I’m having
troubles… Sorry, I can’t
go on, it’s too repulsive (yes,
for my tastes but…) Now, maybe
the bottle was damaged - I had a previous
one at 79 points. 50 points. |
| Ledaig
13 yo 1972 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old brown label, circa 1985)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: wow, this
is unique again! Even better than
the MacNab. A superb mix of tar and
passion fruits, bandages and charcoal,
embrocations and cold ashes. Wowie!
Lots of propolis too, resin and, of
course, peat smoke. Old cardboard,
wet chalk… Another stunning
1972 Ledaig, it appears. Mouth: a
beautiful balance, with peat and dried
oranges, marzipan, nougat, smoke,
lapsang soochong… And even some
smoked ham. The finish is rather long,
at that. A magnificent old G&M
(that does ring a bell indeed in Elgin,
I’ve been told.) 93
points. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Don't we like a silly
little rock and roll tune from time
to time, part 2: The Flamin'
Groovies doing Headin'
for the Texas border.mp3 (from
their 1970 album Flamingo - punk rock
avant l'heure?) Please buy the Groovies'
music - it's not complicated... |
 |
 |
TASTING
- THREE NORTH PORTS
Brechin
28 yo 1977/2005 (53.3%, OB, 2040
bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: oh, extremely
fresh and clean (even hyper-clean),
starting on freshly squeezed lemons
and whiffs of white wood smoke.
Not extremely demonstrative, maybe
a little shy, but very elegant.
Notes of flint, mashed potatoes,
wet limestone, chalk… Quite
some freshly cut grass as well,
hints of fresh parsley, lemon balm,
hints of cold lager, caramelized
lemon pie. More and more ashes and
faint whiffs of lavender (the flower,
not any derivative). |
Again,
it’s very elegant… Mouth:
exactly what I expected, the palate
is very coherent, with lots of lemon
juice, grass juice (good for your
health!), maybe some salad and a little
liquorice. It gets then a little fruity
(orange sweets, violets sweets), with
notes of gin fizz… Let’s
add a few drops of water now: yes
it gets smoother, with quite some
apple juice and a little candy sugar,
but there’s also quite some
bitterness now (from the wood?) Nothing
excessive, though. Also something
strangely maritime (oyster juice but
maybe it’s the lemon ;-)). The
finish is rather long and dry, leaving
your mouth in good shape. A dry white
wine? Very good, in any case, even
if it’s, once again, a little
austere. 87 points.
North
Port (Brechin) 14 yo 1974/1988 (66.2%,
Intertrade, 75cl, 177 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: oh, this is very
interesting, it’s got almost
the same profile at first nosing,
with just some added dry sherry. It
gets then perhaps more herbal, with
quite some rubbed mint leaves, grass,
but other than that there’s
also quite some white wood smoke,
wet stone and lemons. What’s
amazing is that it’s not overpowering
at all, despite the whopping 66.2%!
Just as excellent… Mouth: maybe
it lost a few degrees because again,
it’s quite bearable at 66% (I
hope it’s not me!) It’s
rather different this time, sweeter
and, of course, much more sherried.
Some very bold notes of fruit liquors,
blue curacao, orgeat syrup, candied
chestnuts… Rather unusual! Right,
but now it starts to burn… quick,
some water! (… and whilst the
nose gets smokier but also a little
farmy, which is normal…) Ah,
the sherry grows really huge now,
with lots of bitter oranges and quite
some rubber, together with some tea.
The finish is very long, perhaps just
a little cardboardy but going back
to the basics (lemon + grass). A very
good surprise, more expressive than
the OB but a little less clean. Let’s
rate both just the same: 87
points. |
| North
Port-Brechin 1974/1993 (40%, G&M
Connoisseur’s Choice old map
label)
Colour: lemon gold. Nose: rather fresh,
grainy and a little malty attack,
developing on whiffs of fern, green
salad and grass again. Gets a little
papery but it’s not bad at all,
with even some nice notes of fresh
butter and apple. Mouth: a little
weak at first sip but getting then
rather nicely fruity (strawberries,
gooseberries) with also the usual
'GM' notes of white pepper and light
caramel. It gets just a little too
tannic, and too bad the finish is
a little too short (yet quite drying).
It is good whisky but it’s perhaps
too simple and not expressive enough
to make it to 80 points in my books.
So, it’ll be 79 points. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - maybe it's just straight
ahead pop rock for teenagers, but
these new cats seem to draw much attention
these days and I think they deserve
it because some of them know how to
play their instruments using more
than two fingers. It's Rilo
Kiley and they are doing
Portions
for foxes.mp3. Please buy their
music. |
| TASTING
- TWO RECENT 28 yo GLEN MHORS |
 |
Glen
Mhor 28 yo 1976/2005 (51.9%, Rare
Malts Selection)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts
very flowery, on nectar, yellow flowers
from the fields (dandelions, buttercups
etc.), with also some notes of beer,
malt, dampened grains and whiffs of
cold ashes, fireplace… Quite
some marzipan, fresh almonds and hazelnuts,
a little olive oil, paraffin, mashed
potatoes, dairy cream… Getting
then a little farmy (wet hay, wet
clay). A very ‘natural’
expression, maybe a little austere
- no make-up and no bling-bling, as
almost always in this series. For
aficionados only? Let’s see…
Mouth: it’s bold and punchy
but not pungent at all, with both
an impressively enjoyable bitterness
(it’s not that often that such
bitterness is an asset) and a huge
waxiness. Add to that a rather peaty
feeling and something very herbal,
vegetal (tea, apple and walnut skins)
and quite some salt (even diet salt).
What’s quite astonishing is
the fact that it all blends nicely
and… austerely, with a nice
‘compactness’. A very
good surprise – I often have
problems with Glen Mhor – even
if this one is maybe a little too
‘intellectual’, and not
only a matter of pure pleasure. 88
points. |
| Glen
Mhor 28 yo 1975/2004 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 309 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: it smells like
an opened beehive at first nosing,
going on with quite some apple juice
and old overripe apples. Some funny
notes of Retsina (Greek resinated
wine). Not too complex but really
beautiful in fact – and I’ve
often had problems with Glen Mhor
so it’s good news for me. Mouth:
a rather creamy mouth feel, coating
and nicely papery. Quite some olive
and argan oil, paraffin, developing
on herbs (rosemary). Very interesting
indeed even if not extremely enjoyable.
84 points. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– Very strongly
recommended listening - The Zappa
series goes on - A guy named Zomby
Woof (!), from Hungary (he's
unknown to me but that's a shame),
did sort of rework Watermelon
In Easter Hay.mp3 and it's absolutely
beautiful! (via his excellent
Zappa
Internet Jam Sessions where anything
is brilliant.) |
 |
TASTING
THREE OLD
CLYNELISHES
|
Clynelish
1969/2005 (45%, Gordon & MacPhail
Private Collection, cask #5893, 93
bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: vibrant and
very expressive right at first nosing
but extremely winey, with lots of
sweet and sour notes (overripe oranges,
old red Bourgogne…) and quite
some hot butter, caramel, fudge…
Hot praline, cappuccino… An
then the smoke does come through,
together with some very enjoyable
fruity notes (mostly apricot and plum
jams) while the heavy winey notes
sort of slowly vanish. It gets smokier
and smokier (coal stove, campfire,
cigarette smoke). A different old
Clynelish, as enjoyable as the famed
1972’s but certainly less fruity
and waxy, but still rather fresh and
playful. I know some have been disappointed
by this one but I’m not at this
moment. Mouth: maybe the mouth feel
is a bit thin but other than that
it’s quite a festival of fruit
jams and, err… tannins. Lots
or orange juice, pineapple liqueur,
with something prickly (lemon juice)…
Notes of nutmeg and white pepper,
cardboard, flour, cocoa powder (yes,
the tannins) but also a little ginger
and clove… Some tea, herbal
tea, dried apricots… The finish
isn’t too long and, again, a
little thin yet bitter, with a little
salt. Alright, as often, the nose
was superb but the mouth doesn’t
quite deliver, although it’s
far from being unpleasant. So, I feel
it’s still worth 88
points, but the nose suggested
it would have fetched 92 or 93 a few
years ago… (thanks, Hubert).
Clynelish
12 yo (57%, Gordon & MacPhail,
early-mid-1980’s)
The label has been faded by the light,
normal colours are like bottle at
the right. Colour: gold. Nose: a rather
smoky attack, on coal again, hot bread
crust and hot wax, getting then quite
fruity (dried apricots) and rather
minty. Something maritime in the background
(sea air) and also whiffs of eucalyptus
trees, resin (a walk in a pine forest).
Notes of liquorice, whiffs of camphor
and quite some beer (English bitter)…
Really excellent, perfectly balanced,
although it’s rather less waxy
and oily than the old officials, which
makes me think this one comes from
the new distillery and not from ‘Brora’.
Mouth: bold, punchy but perfectly
balanced, with something rubbery at
the start but also lots of wax and
bunches of dried fruits and jams (apricots
again, yellow plums, kumquats, citrons…)
Some icing sugar that plays with the
tip of your tongue… Develops
on salted liquorice (Dutch, of course),
cough candies, propolis chewing-gum…
A nice bitterness… Notes of
heavily cooked wine sauce… Extremely
pleasant, and the finish is rather
long and very balanced, on smoked
candy sugar (!). A classic. 89
points.
Clynelish
12 yo (57%, Gordon & MacPhail
for Meregali, early 1980’s)
Colour: gold (a little darker). Nose:
rather similar of course but bolder,
more aromatic, smokier and perhaps
a tad less fruity. Sharper, a little
more austere but also more elegant.
Much waxier, with also notes of fern,
and even mashier (bold notes of warm
beer, Guinness…) This one might
come from the old distillery this
time, it’s closer to the old
12 yo white label. Mouth: oh, it’s
even more different this time. Again,
bolder, more coating and invading,
much waxier and more resinous (cough
syrup), really in the style of ‘Old’
Clynelish. Bold notes of strawberry
liqueur… Other than that it’s
rather similar, but everything is
sort of amplified here. What a beauty!
92 points |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Belgium's Whatchamacallit
aka the Abnormal Anonymous play Frank
Zappa's Hungry
Freaks.mp3! Very good! I don't
think they have something out yet
but let's buy their music as soon
as a CD comes out! And expect more
Zappa stuff on whiskyfun in the coming
weeks... |
 |
| NEW
YEAR TASTING - A VERY, VERY OLD AND
A VERY RECENT LAPHROAIG |
 |
Thanks
to some very dishonnest sellers,
many aficionados now think all old
bottles are fakes, which is just
as stupid if you ask me - and no,
the 'too good to be true' method
doesn't always work. Anyway, I was
there when this old Laphroaig was
opened and nothing (glass, label,
cork, capsule and content) suggested
this 1908 might not have been genuine.
Anyway, let's go... |
Laphroaig
Reserve 1908 (70° proof, Berry
Bros and Rudd, probably 1920’s)
Colour: pale gold, almost the same
as the 10yo’s, just a little
less bright. Nose: starts with a huge
shot of ‘old bottle effect’
(dust and wax here) with hints of
dry sherry and grandma’s cupboard
(a little musty), but it’s soon
to get much cleaner. Some big, bold
notes of eucalyptus bark, very medicinal
(bandages) and, yes, smoky (burning
fir wood). Very little peat, though.
Develops on all sorts of fruits like
overripe gooseberries and kiwis, cider,
apple juice, apple skins, very fresh
walnuts… A fino character, really.
It gets quite maritime, with whiffs
of seaweed, brine… The whole
is very complex, delicate and subtle…
It keeps developing, getting quite
waxy again and also smokier (lit candles,
beeswax) and more medicinal as well
(camphor, embrocations). Really stunning,
and it gets more and more Laphroaig-ish
with time: more sea breeze, more smoke,
more camphor – exceptional!
And there’s also some wet moss
and fern… After a good 20 minutes,
something slightly metallic arises,
with also some vanilla crème,
café latte, and even a little
hawthorn and rosehip tea… plus
something neo-oxidative like in some
very old sweet wines… Wowie!
But will the palate deliver?... Mouth:
ah, now it’s much, much weaker
and very, very dry. I feel the a.b.v.
got slightly below 30% here, the Talisker
1913 we had for Christmas was in much
better shape. There is some straw,
un-sugared tea, stale bread. Thank
God it gets a little nicer with time,
with a little quince jelly and quite
some pepper and salt (salty butter
caramel). There’s quite some
tannins and it gets very papery, cardboardy,
with even some flour and finally a
little cough syrup. It’s really
like a very, very old, tired wine.
The finish is very short as expected,
almost evanescent… Good, again,
this very old Laphroaig had a stunning
nose but lost almost all its power
on the palate (which wasn’t
totally unpleasant, though). So, let’s
give 95 points to the nose and 75
points to the palate (because it still
had a little cough syrup and pepper),
which makes an average of 85
‘organoleptic’ points.
But, just like the Talisker 1913,
it would be much higher on an emotional
scale.
Laphroaig
10 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
Contrarily to what we did with the
Talisker, we decided to have the young
one after the ancestor because it
was much bolder. Colour: bright, pale
gold. Nose: so similar in its profile!
Granted, it’s much simpler and
less delicate, but other than that
there’s a lot of similar aromas,
like the bold notes of kelp, camphor,
bandages, oysters, iodine and smoke…
Now, it’s not a wham-bam Laphroaig
– at all – and it gets
a little beer-ish, although it stays
quite clean and almost crystalline.
It keeps developing for a little while,
on freshly cut apples, wet grass,
with whiffs of pepper and diesel oil
(just whiffs). Mouth: not very bold
(to say the least) but very, very
medicinal. Lots of eucalyptus, camphor,
smoky ‘stuff’, oysters…
A certain lack of body but I guess
we really get used to the stunning
10 yo Cask Strength. There’s
also dampened cereals, porridge…
Not too complex but pretty typical.
The finish is medium long, spicy and
peppery but quite watery at the same
time, with just a little rubber at
the end. 83 points.
Anyway, it was interesting to check
that even if it’s hard to compare
these two ‘phroaigs because
of the obvious ‘old bottle effect’
in the old one’s palate, the
overall profile, just like with the
Taliskers, did not change too much
within 90 years! Is that Heritage? |
| |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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:
Benriach-Glenlivet
17 yo 1978/1995 (59.7%, Cadenhead,
sherrywood)
Benriach
1968/2005 (46%,
OB for LMW, cask #2711, Hogshead)
Clynelish
12 yo (57%, Gordon & MacPhail for
Meregali, early 1980’s)
Coleburn
1980/2004 (62.9%, McKillop’s
Choice, sherry wood, cask #1261)
Craigellachie
1982/2000 (61.9%, Scott’s Selection)
Imperial
12 yo (65%, James MacArthur, early
1990’s)
Ledaig
13 yo 1972 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old brown label, circa 1985)
Ledaig
15 yo (43%, MacNab, 75cl, 1980’s)
Macallan-Glenlivet
8 yo 1989/1997 (61.5%,
Milroy’s)
Port
Ellen 18 yo 1982/2001 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, sherry, 777 bottles)
Port
Ellen 21 yo 1982/2003 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC for Islay Whisky Shop, 216 bottles)
Springbank
35 yo 1970/2005 (59.5%, The Whisky
Fair, bourbon hogshead, 120 bottles)
Springbank
35 yo 1969/2005 (50%, Dun Bheagan,
refill sherry, 516 bottles)
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