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                            Hi, you're in the Archives, July 2005 - Part 1 |  |  |  |  |  
                     
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                                          | Bruichladdich 
                                            15 yo 1986/2001 ‘Country Life’ 
                                            (46%, OB, cask #356)     Colour: pure gold. Nose: big sherry 
                                            and some sulphur (a nice one) with 
                                            some dried flowers and fruits. Very 
                                            fresh and, clearly superb. Notes of 
                                            pink grapefruit, stone, cedar wood… 
                                            Rather complex! Mouth: what a great 
                                            balance. . Dried fruits, Sauternes. 
                                            A bit dry but still enjoyable. Banana 
                                            flambéed, burnt cake… 
                                            Some soft tannins, Havana cigar, leather… 
                                            An excellent one. 88 points. |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: sure she hasn't got Etta 
                                            James' voice but Spanish singer Juana 
                                            Molina manages to create 
                                            her very own, appeased world, full 
                                            of nice melodies and peaceful, yet 
                                            entrancing rythms. And her band is 
                                            very good. Have a go at Tres 
                                            cosas.mp3 and then buy her CDs 
                                            if you like her music. |  
                                         
                                          | TASTING 
                                              - OLD AND NEW GLENCADAMS Glencadam 
                                              15 yo (40%, OB, 2005) 
                                                 Colour: orange amber. Nose: round 
                                              and powerful, not unlike some old 
                                              fortified wine. Very toffeeish and 
                                              caramelly, with some rum and raisins. 
                                              Some spicy notes too (mulled wine). 
                                              Hints of oak. Mouth: rather hot, 
                                              on rum again, sultanas, Xmas cake… 
                                              Very creamy, in fact, rounded but 
                                              quite nervous. Rather long and rummy 
                                              finish. A very good one, even if 
                                              it’s curiously 'hot' for a 
                                              whisky. 81 points. |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | Glencadam 
                                            14 yo 1964/1979 (45.7%, Cadenhead 
                                            dumpy)     Colour: gold. Nose: very herbal, with 
                                            lots of tea, getting quite spicy (clove 
                                            and white pepper). Otherwise quite 
                                            simple, getting a bit too grainy and 
                                            yeasty. Mouth: ah, this is so much 
                                            better! Flower jellies, dried pineapple 
                                            and guava, fresh tropical fruits… 
                                            How good! Astonishingly nervous after 
                                            more than 25 years in its bottle. 
                                            Develops on quince jelly… It’s 
                                            all excellent. Too bad the nose was 
                                            so-so, otherwise it would have deserved 
                                            much more than 86 points. |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: is Patti Smith back? Well, 
                                            she never really left but maybe anti-folk 
                                            passionaria Randi 
                                            Russo is sort of a new 
                                            Patti. That's what I thought when 
                                            I heard League 
                                            of the Brigands.mp3 for the first 
                                            time. Do you like her slightly detuned 
                                            voice? Then buy her music! And ah, 
                                            yes, Patti Smith... Do you remember 
                                            Redondo 
                                            beach.mp3? Great memories... |  |  |  
                                         
                                          | TASTING 
                                            - TWO 1969 BOWMORES |  
                                         
                                          |  | Bowmore 
                                            31 yo 1969/2001 (46.45%, Douglas Laing 
                                            OMC, 102 bottles)      Colour: straw. Nose: starts on some 
                                            very bold, very ripe melons and peaches. 
                                            A bit of peat (or is it my mind?) 
                                            Lots of vanilla crème. Some 
                                            great flowery notes too (mostly peony). 
                                            Lots of smoky notes appear after a 
                                            few minutes, smoked ham, sausages. 
                                            Very funny! Some notes of fern, rainy 
                                            forest… Great complexity. |   
                                          | Mouth: 
                                            ah, now we’re talking! Bold, 
                                            complex, nervous… Lots of icing 
                                            sugar and grapefruit juice, but also 
                                            some sour woody notes. Some fudge, 
                                            cold coffee, pepper… Very nice 
                                            indeed, although it gets a bit too 
                                            dry and even a little prickly. Anyway, 
                                            a very nice one indeed! 91 
                                            points. |  
                                         
                                          | Bowmore 
                                            1969/2005 (42.7%, Peerless, Japan 
                                            only)     Colour: sweet white wine. Nose: extraordinarily 
                                            flowery, herbal, vegetal. Spearmint 
                                            and fresh mint and then leather and 
                                            tobacco, vanilla crème, fudge. 
                                            Interesting notes of white Bourgogne 
                                            (butter and toasted bread). Some nice 
                                            orange flowers, rosewater, with the 
                                            usual passion fruits and citrus that 
                                            are soon to follow. Very, very complex 
                                            malt that keeps developing. A mix 
                                            of pink grapefruit and old roses… 
                                            really endless. Mouth: the attack 
                                            is a bit bitter and curiously perfumy, 
                                            and doesn’t quite match the 
                                            nose (but how could it?) Apple skins, 
                                            burnt cake, smoked tea, dried herbs, 
                                            Provence herbs… Medium long 
                                            finish, on lemon zest and grass. The 
                                            nose was stupendous, the mouth is 
                                            good if not pure pleasure: 89 
                                            points. |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: New Yorker Aswel 
                                            does a very nice, peaceful song called 
                                            Everybody.mp3. 
                                            Please support Aswel and buy their 
                                            music. |  
                                         
                                          | FOUR 
                                            CRAZY ADS AFTER GLENEAGLES - SPONSORED 
                                            BY THE G8 |   
                                          |  |  |   
                                          | Miller's 
                                            1990 (encore). No comment... | Seagram's 
                                            V.O 1974. No comment... |  
                                         
                                          |  |  |   
                                          | Hennessy 
                                            1934. No comment... | Chivas 
                                            Regal 1997. No comment... |   
                                          |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: it's easy, it's nicely 
                                            made, it's refreshing as a morning 
                                            sunrise and not complicated at all: 
                                            new cat Kate 
                                            Earl, 22, from Chugiak, 
                                            Alaska, sings an obviously quiet Silence.mp3. 
                                            Please buy her album 'Fate is the 
                                            hunter' if you like her. |  
                                         
                                          | TASTING 
                                            - Allt-A-Bhainne 12 yo 1992/2005 (58.9%, 
                                            Weiser, Germany, cask #96/24232, 306 
                                            bottles)   Colour: white wine. Nose: quite nicely 
                                            flowery but really spirity, making 
                                            this whisky smell like gin. Notes 
                                            of Schweppes, freshly cut apples and 
                                            mashed potatoes. Gets quite grassy, 
                                            with even some hints of bubble gum. 
                                            Not too interesting but not bad either. 
                                            Mouth: very sugary, starting on fruit 
                                            liquor and plums and getting quite 
                                            peppery. Develops on pear spirit… 
                                            Again, it’s not too bad – 
                                            certainly not the worst Allt-A-Bhainne 
                                            I ever had. 76 points. |  |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: for all our friends in 
                                            London, ELO 
                                            does Mr 
                                            Blue Sky.mp3. Thanks Nick. |  
                                         
                                          | Sorry, 
                                            no fun today. We all love London. |  
                                         
                                          | TASTING 
                                              - TWO 'ITALIAN' BRORAS Brora 
                                              1982/2002 (40%, G&M Private 
                                              for Collecting Whisky, cask #43, 
                                              120 bottles) 
                                                 Nose: fresh and lively, quite waxy, 
                                              developing on caramel, praline and 
                                              butterscotch. Quite flowery (daisy, 
                                              dandelion). Nice notes of caramel 
                                              crème and apple juice. No 
                                              smoky aromas here, but it’s 
                                              still most enjoyable. Mouth: rather 
                                              light if not weak. Always these 
                                              40% vol! It’s much simpler 
                                              than on the nose, with some nice 
                                              notes of caramel, pollen and light 
                                              honey but not much else. It’s 
                                              a nice and flawless Brora but it 
                                              really lacks a little more oomph. 
                                              Anyway, ‘Had they bottled 
                                              it at 43%, or preferably at 46%, 
                                              it would etc. (you know that song, 
                                              don't you?)’ 83 points. |  |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | Brora 
                                            19 yo 1982/2001 (50%, Silver Seal, 
                                            light version, 280 bottles)     Different from the other cask by Silver 
                                            Seal (240 bottles, sherried). Colour: 
                                            white wine. Nose: rather light, grainy 
                                            and very flowery at first nosing, 
                                            with quite some farmy notes and a 
                                            bit of yeast coming through. Gets 
                                            quite waxy and nutty, with some notes 
                                            of fresh plums. Very clean and fresh, 
                                            with no peat at all. Mouth: lots of 
                                            body! It starts on a mix of fructose 
                                            and pepper, strawberries… There 
                                            is some peat coming through now, even 
                                            if it’s far from being bold. 
                                            It goes on with some nice fruits like 
                                            apples and green pear, while the rather 
                                            long finish is mostly on tea. A nice 
                                            one, no doubt. 85 points. |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: excellent Chilean singer 
                                            Mariana 
                                            Montalvo does a rather 
                                            traditional (but not too traditional) 
                                            Cantas 
                                            del Alma.mp3. Mariana was forced 
                                            into exile when Augusto Pinochet took 
                                            power, and she lives in France since 
                                            1974. Please buy her great music if 
                                            you like it! |  |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | TASTING 
                                              - TWO 1968 BOWMORES Bowmore 
                                              34 yo 1968/2002 (40.2%, Hart Bros) 
                                                  Colour: straw. Nose: full citrus. 
                                              Freshly squeezed oranges and passion 
                                              fruits ‘at full speed’. 
                                              Spectacular. Notes of ripe kiwi, 
                                              strawberries… Really fresh, 
                                              vibrant and extraordinarily fruity 
                                              at 34yo. So typically 1968 Bowmore… 
                                              Whiffs of wet straw, hay, sawdust. 
                                              Mouth: creamier than expected, but 
                                              also more bitter/green notes. Grapefruit 
                                              skin, lemon seeds, wood plank… 
                                              Too bad, had the mouth matched the 
                                              fantastic nose, it would have been 
                                              a winner. Gets a bit drying and 
                                              not too enjoyable. Green tannins. 
                                              Too much time in the wood, obviously. 
                                              But the nose, the nose! 85 
                                              points. |  
                                         
                                          | Bowmore 
                                            35 yo 1968/2003 (42.05%, Peerless, 
                                            cask # 1424, 201 bottles)     Colour: light gold. Nose: much less 
                                            expressive than the Hart Bros., although 
                                            there are lots of citrusy notes and 
                                            passion fruit. Perhaps a bit more 
                                            lemony. Lemon pie, light caramel, 
                                            fudge. Some very nice eucalyptus and 
                                            camphor, and even some spearmint, 
                                            citronella, mango… Less oomph 
                                            than the Hart Bros but more complexity. 
                                            It just needs a little more time to 
                                            open up. Mouth: this one seems a little 
                                            more balanced, a little spicier. Lemon 
                                            zest again, grapefruit juice… 
                                            Quite some green tannins, nutmeg, 
                                            infused tealeaves, ‘oak juice’. 
                                            At the limit but inside the limits. 
                                            A very good oldie! 88 points. |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | MUSIC 
                                            – Oldie but 
                                            Goldie: 1974, Gil 
                                            Scott-Heron does a funky 
                                            and sweet In 
                                            the bottle.mp3 ('See that 
                                            black boy over there, runnin' scared, 
                                            his ol' man's in a bottle. He done 
                                            quit his 9 to 5 to drink full time, 
                                            so now he's livin' in the bottle...') 
                                            Pretty excellent, don't you think? 
                                            And I love these old bass lines! Please 
                                            buy Gil Scott-Heron's music! |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Oldie but 
                                            Goldie: 1967, young Etta 
                                            James sings a wonderful 
                                            I'd 
                                            rather be calling.mp3, from her 
                                            album 'Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle 
                                            Shoals Sessions'. The 'undisputed 
                                            Earth Mother' indeed! Please buy here 
                                            music, if you didn't already. (via 
                                            moistworks) |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | TASTING 
                                              - TWO OLD HIGHLAND PARKS Highland 
                                              Park 22 yo 1957/1979 (45.7% - 80 
                                              proof, Cadenhead for Samaroli, 360 
                                              bottles) 
                                                   Colour: sweet white wine. Nose: 
                                              extremely delicate, on sea water, 
                                              wax polish, eucalyptus… Quite 
                                              medicinal, with some very nice notes 
                                              of dried flowers and herbal tea. 
                                              Not tired at all, that’s for 
                                              sure. Mouth: sweet, rounded, and 
                                              again, delicate. Lots of fruit syrup, 
                                              light tea, herbal tea again (quite 
                                              typical in these old bottles). Some 
                                              wee resinous notes… Really 
                                              beautiful even if perhaps slightly 
                                              thin. It’s all delicacy. 90 
                                              points. |  
                                         
                                          | Highland 
                                            Park 21 yo 1959/1980 (43%, OB) 
      Colour: gold amber. Nose: oh yes, 
                                            again one of these stunning old ‘dumpy’ 
                                            Highland Parks. Very resinous, with 
                                            lots of dried fruits (all sorts), 
                                            beehive… It then gets very heathery 
                                            (the marker is well here), with some 
                                            bold caramel and praline. Whiffs of 
                                            smoke and spices… Absolutely 
                                            stunning. Mouth: oh, it’s so 
                                            balanced and so satisfying! Superbly 
                                            coating, with lots of herbal tea again, 
                                            dried fruits (all sorts again), caramel 
                                            crème, and bunches of soft 
                                            spices. Just brilliant. No less than 
                                            95 points. |  |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | TOYS 
                                            FOR BOYS - Forget 
                                            about buying the latest BMW, here's 
                                            a brand new 'vehicle' made with pride 
                                            by the Tennessee 
                                            Whiskey Barrel Company right in 
                                            Franklin. Granted, perhaps it's not 
                                            aerodynamically perfect, but at a 
                                            speed of 2 kmph, who cares? Plus, 
                                            no need to say that it's environmentally 
                                            friendly... This one is a model for 
                                            fit persons, but perhaps they also 
                                            have 'butts for big buts', 
                                            as one might say. Yeah well... The 
                                            splendid bodywork comes from Jack 
                                            Daniels' (good at sketching, eh? Pininfarina 
                                            design to come later on) and I've 
                                            even been told you can also use it 
                                            as 'a portable planter or garden 
                                            tool caddy, or a beverage cooler...' 
                                            As the company says: 'Just Use 
                                            Your Imagination!!' |  
                                         
                                          | TASTING 
                                            - TWO FABULOUS 1966 DAILUAINES BY 
                                            CADENHEAD |  
                                         
                                          | Dailuaine-Glenlivet 
                                            31 yo 1966/1997 (56.8%, Cadenhead's 
                                            Authentic Collection)      Colour: pure gold. Nose: wow, this 
                                            is special! Some heavy notes of cooked 
                                            (fresh) fish, marzipan, seawater… 
                                            Extremely maritime! Yet, Dailuaine 
                                            isn’t too close to the sea, 
                                            is it? Some notes of hazelnut oil, 
                                            white truffles… an endless development. 
                                            It then gets very resinous, with some 
                                            whiffs of eucalyptus leaves… 
                                            Superb! Mouth: a very bold attack 
                                            on spearmint and various herbal teas, 
                                            as well as lots of dried fruits (including 
                                            tropical ones). Some notes of butter 
                                            caramel and fudge, and a finish that 
                                            does the ‘peacock’s tail’. 
                                            Fantastic, thanks for the tip, Marc. 
                                            No peat, no sherry and no finishing: 
                                            that’s whisky at its best. 94 
                                            points. |  |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | Dailuaine-Glenlivet 
                                            27 yo 1966/1994 (45.7%, Cadenhead's 
                                            Original Collection)      Colour: dark amber. Nose: beautiful 
                                            sherry. Lots of dried tropical fruits 
                                            (pineapple, guava). Some interesting 
                                            animal notes like in an old Bourgogne 
                                            (civet – I like that) with quite 
                                            some burnt sugar. A great one, for 
                                            sure. Mouth: beautiful as well, on 
                                            herbs and Sauternes wine. Lots of 
                                            dried fruits, fresh mango… Gets 
                                            very spicy, with some white pepper 
                                            and a bit of clove. Wow, again a great 
                                            old Dailuaine by Cadenhead! 90 
                                            points. |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: avant-garde trumpet star 
                                            Olu 
                                            Dara sings and plays 
                                            a most wonderful and very bluesy Harlem 
                                            Country Girl.mp3, from 'In The 
                                            World: From Natchez to New York'. 
                                            He used to play with Don Pullen (wow!), 
                                            David Murray or Cassandra Wilson, 
                                            and is also the father of hip-hop 
                                            artist Nas. I love him (the father, 
                                            not the son) - please buy his fantastic 
                                            music! |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | PREVENTING 
                                            HANGOVER – Every 
                                            whisky aficionado has his own methods, 
                                            from B vitamins to Uncle Rummie's 
                                            and from not mixing grape and grain 
                                            to swallowing litres of water. Yet, 
                                            we have another method now that should 
                                            be much more efficient. Indeed, after 
                                            every sip of whisky, you just have 
                                            to do this. 
                                            When it starts to sound too horrible 
                                            (meaning when your friends have left 
                                            the room since a long time), you're 
                                            done: just stop drinking. If your 
                                            friends left the room right after 
                                            - or during - your very first attempt, 
                                            try this. 
                                            In case you fail again, the method 
                                            won't work for you, I'm afraid (vocal 
                                            coaching by Chris 
                                            Beatty) |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: a beautiful one... Robert 
                                            Cray does Twenty.mp3, 
                                            blending blues, soul, a wonderful 
                                            guitar and some moving lyrics. Please 
                                            buy Robert Cray's brand new album! 
                                            (via moistworks) |  |  
                                         
                                          |  |  | TASTING 
                                            - Macallan 17 yo (43%, OB, Spain, 
                                            80’s) 
      Colour: amber. Nose: much more delicate 
                                            and less sherried than the regular 
                                            Maccallans, even there’s still 
                                            some heavy notes of orange marmalade. 
                                            It gets even quite peaty! What a perfect 
                                            balance – I wonder whether they 
                                            made it much less sherried because 
                                            it was a bottling for Spain… 
                                            Mouth: very elegant and refined, with 
                                            and extraordinary balance. Quite some 
                                            crystallised fruits, oranges, crème 
                                            caramel, like in the old Balvenies 
                                            (for instance the recent ‘Thirty’). 
                                            A beautiful Macallan, even if it’s 
                                            not too complex. 90 points. |  
                                         
                                          | MUSIC 
                                            – Recommended 
                                            listening: already almost six months 
                                            since we had some Natalie 
                                            Merchant. You're right, 
                                            a shame! So, let's listen to Jealousy.mp3 
                                            right away, and why not also have 
                                            a great oldie like her former band 
                                            10,000 Maniacs' unplugged version 
                                            of These 
                                            are the days.mp3. Rule Natalie 
                                            the goddess! Please, please, buy her 
                                            music... |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | TASTING 
                                            - Glen Grant 1970/2005 (57.7%, Duncan 
                                            Taylor)     Colour: full amber. Nose: starts on 
                                            some big sherry and lots of dried 
                                            oranges. Develops on milk chocolate, 
                                            caramel… Perfectly balanced 
                                            although not ultra-complex. Very satisfying, 
                                            in any case. Mouth: creamy, caramelly 
                                            and fruity, getting somewhat rubbery. 
                                            Some notes of burnt cake, fudge and 
                                            bitter orange. Long finish, with some 
                                            nice notes of cooked wine. A very 
                                            good one, very ‘classical’. 
                                            89 points. |  
                                         
                                          | CONCERT 
                                            REVIEW: CROSBY 
                                            STILLS & NASH Hammersmith 
                                            Apollo, London, Tuesday 28th June 
                                            2005 - by Nick 
                                            Morgan
 |  
                                         
                                          | 
 |  
                                         
                                          | Apparently, 
                                            according to a bloke I met in my new 
                                            briny local by the Thames, the Lord 
                                            Nelson, this gig was organised as 
                                            part of the celebrations of the 200th 
                                            Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. 
                                            That explains, I thought, why tickets 
                                            were being promoted by the Daily Mail 
                                            (who also spent the last week pumping 
                                            up the Nation’s loins for this 
                                            celebration of our greatest day) amongst 
                                            the adverts for stair-lifts and time-share 
                                            hideaways in Cyprus, and why they 
                                            gave away a CS&N 
                                            CD with the paper (I use the word 
                                            in its loosest sense) at the weekend. 
                                            And why the venue was the Hammersmith 
                                            Apollo, originally named (as everyone 
                                            knows) The Victory Theatre when it 
                                            was built in 1805. And of course just 
                                            before the gig HM the Queen & 
                                            Co were conducting a review of the 
                                            Fleet at Portsmouth: “Our greatest 
                                            Victory over Europe ever” or 
                                            some such was the Mail’s headline. 
                                            In case you don’t remember Trafalgar 
                                            was the one when the brave British 
                                            boys, against the odds, destroyed 
                                            a combined enemy fleet under the flag 
                                            of, errr….well, you know who. 
                                            Odd really I thought that it had come 
                                            to this for these one time princes 
                                            of peace and outspoken critics of 
                                            injustice and oppression. But I suppose 
                                            we all change as time goes by, and 
                                            after all this is a band that’s 
                                            heading for the Bank of America Pavilion 
                                            in Boston, the Hampton Beach Casino, 
                                            and the Borgata Casino Resort in Atlantic 
                                            City (other visitors will include 
                                            Stevie Nicks, the Moody Blues, Chicago 
                                            and REO Speedwagon – ‘nuff 
                                            said?). |  
                                         
                                          | But 
                                            I have to confess that I’m like 
                                            much of the audience (for surely no-one 
                                            can really like much they did after 
                                            about 1972) – taken back by 
                                            CS&N to an innocent world, captured 
                                            by the naive insouciance of songs 
                                            like Nash’s Marrakesh Express. 
                                            On the positive side it’s the 
                                            very late 1960s in North Oxfordshire 
                                            with a friend who’d turned up 
                                            from San Francisco to live with his 
                                            Mum and stepfather (who made classical 
                                            guitars and things, which seemed very 
                                            cool at the time) with a bag full 
                                            of long playing records that changed 
                                            my attitude to music. Moby Grape, 
                                            the Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service 
                                            (damn – I did like that album), 
                                            Strawberry Alarm Clock, Love (forever 
                                            gets re-released) and Crosby Stills 
                                            and Nash. |  |  
                                         
                                          | On 
                                            the other hand, if you take Nash’s 
                                            great song as an exemplar, it’s 
                                            a grotesque mix of cultural ignorance 
                                            and cultural imperialism. Peace, love, 
                                            but not a great deal of understanding, 
                                            until maybe thirty or so years later 
                                            when that train came down the tracks 
                                            like an Express out of control and 
                                            forever shattered the complacency 
                                            (I hope) of western Europe and North 
                                            America. |  
                                         
                                          |  | On 
                                            our left is Steve Stills. Played the 
                                            guitar very well, but he seemed distressingly 
                                            out of sorts (looked like he was heading 
                                            for hip surgery at best) and spent 
                                            long periods off-stage. Lucky the 
                                            backing band behind them were so good. 
                                            As the on-stage chemistry went he 
                                            said not a word to Nash, but spoke 
                                            and hugged with Crosby. Saddest of 
                                            all his voice was spent (even when 
                                            he tried to rock his way through Booker 
                                            T’s Ole’ Man Trouble from 
                                            his most recent CD) – he managed 
                                            few of his original harmony parts, 
                                            the reason I guess that we were spared 
                                            Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. Centre stage 
                                            Graham Nash. I wanted to describe 
                                            him as hopelessly talent less, but 
                                            even with my deeply ingrained prejudices 
                                            realise this could not be so. |  
                                         
                                          | After 
                                            all, as Crosby later said, “we 
                                            all had our jobs man. Nash wrote the 
                                            anthems. Stills wrote the rock and 
                                            roll. And I did the weird stuff. A 
                                            dirty job, but …” So let’s 
                                            just call him an egotistical prat. 
                                            Bare footed, silk trousered, compared 
                                            to his band mates grotesquely insincere, 
                                            he seemed like one of those spooky 
                                            old guys who hangs around in gyms 
                                            in Lycra looking at himself an awful 
                                            lot in the mirror. And to our right 
                                            was Crosby. Strolling around his patch 
                                            like a benign and increasingly avuncular 
                                            walrus this man who once made his 
                                            body a temple to drug and alcohol 
                                            abuse (‘till he had most of 
                                            it replaced) gradually stole the show 
                                            – with his personality, presence 
                                            and most of all, his singing. What 
                                            a star! |  |  
                                         
                                          |  | So 
                                            I would have to say that ‘Guinnevere’, 
                                            led by DC, was the moment of the evening, 
                                            probably followed by ‘Long Time 
                                            Gone’ (Crosby leading) and ‘Almost 
                                            cut my hair’ (Crosby again). 
                                            It was an interesting mix of material, 
                                            probably only 50% truly from the old 
                                            days, mixed with songs from Still’s 
                                            more recent work and the new (2004) 
                                            Crosby and Nash album. Oh yes, and 
                                            in the week of G8 and L8 we had to 
                                            have ‘Feed the world’. |  
                                         
                                          | I 
                                            have to say that much of this was 
                                            enough to make you wince – like 
                                            the sort of stuff they play when the 
                                            golf is on the TV, and confirmed my 
                                            theory that for blokes song writing 
                                            is for the most part a very young 
                                            man’s game – it’s 
                                            rare they can hack it once over about 
                                            25. Makes you wonder really how they 
                                            could ever have written songs like 
                                            ‘You don’t have to cry’, 
                                            ‘Chicago’, or ‘Helplessly 
                                            hoping’ (when Stills really 
                                            gave it a go on the harmonies – 
                                            “They are one person …”). 
                                            And they finished the evening – 
                                            of course, give the intimate link 
                                            with that greatest of all British 
                                            victories over those chaps from across 
                                            the English Channel, with ‘Wooden 
                                            Ships’. Oh how we danced. But 
                                            not for long before a bizarre encore 
                                            of ‘Teach your children’, 
                                            which saw Crosby being surrounded 
                                            by an increasingly large number of 
                                            his progeny, ages ranging from 30 
                                            or so down to about four. Which bits 
                                            did he have replaced? Oh yes. One final point. I know Serge 
                                            has been overwhelmed with anxious 
                                            enquiries about the date for my Glastonbury 
                                            review. Guys – don’t you 
                                            know me better than that? I went sailing 
                                            in Devon instead, but still had to 
                                            suffer the new age hippies – 
                                            actually pilled up City-boys and tequila 
                                            juiced secretaries, in their mud cased 
                                            Armani jeans on the way home on the 
                                            train. For those who don’t know, 
                                            it’s a smug self-satisfied weekend 
                                            in the country for crass adolescents 
                                            and over-grown middle-class Guardian 
                                            readers. I nearly choked on my Brora, 
                                            when watching it on TV late on Sunday 
                                            I heard one BBC young-thing say (in 
                                            a music-hall northern accent) “Ooooh, 
                                            I had that real tingle when Coldplay 
                                            came on stage”, only to be told 
                                            by the other (more comedy accent) 
                                            “No for me it was Brian Wilson 
                                            …”. When we saw poor old 
                                            Brian, empty eyed in front of an unplayed 
                                            piano bop-bop-bop-adoping his way 
                                            through the surf classics like a man 
                                            trapped in a Dante’s Inferno, 
                                            I really had to wonder what sort of 
                                            drugs they’d all been taking. 
                                            But never mind. We do have an upcoming 
                                            Festival special, for the very best 
                                            of English music, later in August. 
                                            Watch this space. Nick Morgan 
                                            (concert photos by Kate)
 |  
                                         
                                          | Thank 
                                            you very much, Nick. First, the music: 
                                            I find it a bit strange that you, 
                                            the fine fleur of the whisky industry 
                                            (I insist), decided to go see a guy 
                                            who did this. 
                                            Are you sure it wasn't rather Crotchy 
                                            Stills & Mash? You know, the band 
                                            that, precisely, did Wooden Chips 
                                            – I mean, Wooden 
                                            Ships.mp3. |  
                                         
                                          | Second, 
                                            the Trafalgar thing (rings a bell 
                                            indeed - isn't the place near the 
                                            Falklands or something like that?) 
                                            I feel I must excuse our mad French 
                                            government for having sent the Charles 
                                            de Gaulle to your celebrations. I've 
                                            heard our monstrous carrier happened 
                                            to be the largest ship in situ, and 
                                            hadn't she been a nuclear one, I'd 
                                            have said you should have sent her 
                                            to the bottom immediately. Now, perhaps 
                                            not using a 18th century schooner, 
                                            that is... |  |  
                                         
                                          | And 
                                            finally, back to Stephen Stills. Do 
                                            you know what he did just before he 
                                            flew to London? He did a gig with 
                                            his ex-wife, French singer Véronique 
                                            Sanson. Where? On the Eiffel Tower. 
                                            Traitor! By the way, we also have 
                                            a very good live duet with Véronique 
                                            Sanson and bluesman Paul Personne: 
                                            On 
                                            m'attend là-bas.mp3. |  
                                         
                                          |  |   
                                          | TASTING 
                                            - TWO BALVENIES 'VINTAGE CASKS' |  
                                         
                                          | Balvenie 
                                            30 yo 1970/2001 ‘Vintage Cask’ 
                                            (44.6%, OB, cask #12524, 320 bottles)      Colour: light amber. Nose: lots of 
                                            herbal teas, spearmint, a bit of camphor. 
                                            Some coffee, getting quite herbal. 
                                            Very nice. Mouth: bold attack, on 
                                            cardboard (a nice cardboard ;-)) and 
                                            icing sugar. Cocoa, ripe kiwi, cape 
                                            gooseberries. Very creamy mouth feel, 
                                            a most enjoyable old Balvenie. 90 
                                            points. Balvenie 
                                            32 yo 1968/2000 ‘Vintage Cask’ 
                                            (50.8%, OB, cask #7294, 180 bottles)
      Colour: dark gold – orange. 
                                            Nose: wow, really beautiful, with 
                                            some light coffee, straw, fudge, leather 
                                            and tobacco. Lots of vanilla too, 
                                            dark chocolate, marzipan… Really 
                                            beautiful, complex and quite nervous 
                                            yet bold. Mouth: incredibly creamy, 
                                            coating… Starts by tasting like 
                                            a great Riesling or a chenin. Lots 
                                            of vivacity, in fact. Really fresh, 
                                            with some fantastic notes of kiwi, 
                                            fresh pineapple, tangerines. I love 
                                            it, for it’s very complex yet 
                                            immediately enjoyable. Splendid: 92 
                                            points (and thanks, Ho-Cheng). |  |  
 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: Balvenie 
                                  30 yo 1970/2001 ‘Vintage Cask’ (44.6%, 
                                  OB, cask #12524, 320 bottles) Balvenie 
                                  32 yo 1968/2000 ‘Vintage Cask’ (50.8%, 
                                  OB, cask #7294, 180 bottles) Bowmore 
                                  31 yo 1969/2001 (46.45%, Douglas Laing 
                                  OMC, 102 bottles)  Dailuaine-Glenlivet 
                                  27 yo 1966/1994 (45.7%, Cadenhead's 
                                  Original Collection) Dailuaine-Glenlivet 
                                  31 yo 1966/1997 (56.8%, Cadenhead's 
                                  Authentic Collection) Highland 
                                  Park 21 yo 1959/1980 (43%, OB) Highland 
                                  Park 22 yo 1957/1979 (45.7% 
                                  - 80 proof, Cadenhead for Samaroli, 360 bottles) Macallan 
                                  17 yo (43%, OB, Spain, 80’s)           
 
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