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Hi, you're in the Archives, November 2008 - Part 1 |
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November
14, 2008 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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TASTING
– BRILLIANT HPs |
Highland
Park 17 yo 1991/2008 (46%, Signatory
for LMdW, cask #15098, 820 bottles)
From a sherry butt; this one didn’t
remain unnoticed for long at Whisky
Live Paris this year. Colour: gold
amber. Nose: independent HPs are usually
quite different from the officials
in style but this one isn’t.
Smoke, vanilla fudge and gooseberries
strike first, then plain peat and
mocha, then fir honeydew and even
mead, then smoked tea and kiwis, then
sea air and shells, then oranges and
tangerines like in much older Islayers,
then eucalyptus and camphor like in
old Laphroaigs… A divine surprise,
this one is truly multifaceted yet
extremely coherent. Great, great HP!
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| Mouth:
my, this is as peaty as, say some
Ardmores and maybe even Taliskers!
Settles down a bit after the wham-bam
attack, getting more on citrus fruits
and cough medicine, with also quite
some salted liquorice and orange marmalade.
Lemon drops, spearmint… Also
a slight meatiness, most probably
from the sherry. Excellent. Finish:
long, with now more pepper and salt.
A very coastal Highland Park, most
definitely. Comments: a very excellent,
restless and rather affordable indie
HP, we feel the need to applaud! SGP:564
– 91 points. |
| Highland
Park 21 yo 1987/2008 (50.4%, Duncan
Taylor Rare Auld, cask #1529)
A brand new bottling. Colour: straw.
Nose: I had feared this one would
have a hard time after the wonderful
1991 but greatest of news, it’s
quite as superb. There’s less
candy and coffee and more white fresh
fruits (simply apples) but almost
all the rest is there. Smoke, peat,
tangerines, sea air, camphor, ‘resinous’
honey… Gets finally a tad farmier
and rougher, with more wet hay, whiffs
of farmyard… And quite some
fresh mint as well. Great nose anyway,
a little less ‘easy’ than
the 1991. Mouth: we’re closer
to the 1991, just even bigger, thanks
to the higher ABV. Wild, peaty, extremely
smoky and peppery, with layers of
candied lemons and oranges, ‘resinous
honey’ again, waxes, smoked
fish, salt… Wow, it’s
almost a brute! (flog me baby!) Finish:
very long, all on orange zests and
pepper now. Comments: lots happening
in this HP that has its eye on Skye
or even Islay. A big dram, in the
same league as the 1991 as far as
quality is concerned. Highly recommended,
especially since the quality of indie
HPs can be very, say ‘uncertain’.
SGP:475 – 91 points. |
And
also Highland
Park 12 yo 1995/2007 (59.8%, OB for
Dr Jekyll’s Pub Oslo, cask #1556)
An OB among the IBs! Colour: dark
amber. Nose: punchy, all on chocolate,
bicycle inner tube, roasted chestnuts
and barbecued beef. Big sherry. With
water: huge notes of gunpowder, then
leather and cigar tobacco (smells
like a box of Partagas). Game. Mouth:
more on strawberry jam, kirsch, a
little rubber, nutmeg… With
water: more classic now, less peaty
than the IBs but still quite peaty.
Vegetal. Cardamom. A very good youngster,
very big. 20 more years of bottle
ageing may propel this baby way over
90 pts. SGP:463 – 88
points. (and thank you
Astrid and Morten) |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: some 'modern' R&B
on WF? Hell, why not, when it's
Erykah
Badu, first American
diva of neo-soul. She's singing
Honey.mp3
and you should buy her music... |
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November
13, 2008 |
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TASTING
– THREE OLD GLEN KEITH |
Glen Keith 30 yo 1978/2008 'Keen Light'
(46%, The Nectar, 120 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s
the oak that plays the first part
here it seems, with quite some ginger,
cardamom and cinnamon at first nosing.
Then there’s more freshly cut
apples and pears, gooseberries, even
kiwis, beer, hints of cloves, gingerbread,
green tobacco… Not quite exuberant,
rather ‘natural’ in fact
and in that sense quite different
from most other old Glen Keiths we
could try. Mouth: big, acidulated
(lemon drops) and grassy, extremely
nervous at 30 years of age. A lot
of marzipan as well, smoked tea, grapefruits…
Gets oakier after a moment but never
too tannic or drying. Good balance.
Finish: medium long, fruity and oaky
in a nice way. Walnuts. Comments:
a very good ‘natural’
old Glen Keith, maybe a tad shy but
perfectly composed and balanced. Good
oakiness. SGP:351 –
87 points. |
| Glen
Keith 1967/2006 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice)
Colour: amber. Nose: this one starts
on ultra-big notes of used matches,
gunpowder (it’s really like
a gun that just shot) and coal. These
notes never vanish actually, and hide
any other aromas that may –
or may not – be there. Very,
very extreme. Also hints of pemmican
and other dried meats (Grisons, bresaola
and so on). Mouth: ultra-dry, with
a lot of sherry, tannins, spices,
cardboard and strong tea. Very extreme
in its style. Finish: long and very
tannic, but that’s no ‘flaw’
as such here. Once again, just very
extreme in style. Comments: yup, extreme
and for that it may be worth having
in your bar. I think I never had a
malt that displayed such heavy notes
of gunpowder. SGP:262 –
85 points. |
| Glen
Keith 1968/2007 (54.8%, Gordon &
MacPhail for LMdW, Cask #2625, 64
bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: superb grassiness,
with quite some burnt matches again
but also a lot of newly cut grass,
fresh walnuts, apple peeling, fresh
almonds… Quite beautiful. With
water: gets meaty, on ham and smoked
meat. Mustard, paprika, coriander,
nutmeg. Mouth (neat): big, expressive,
somewhat prickly, lemony (skin), hugely
grassy. Big tannins, kind of leathery.
With water: more of the same, but
with more pepper and other spices.
Still a bit prickly. Finish: long,
with a more obvious oakiness now.
Lemon and a little salt. Quite brutal.
Comments: big oak and a big grassiness.
Exactly what you wouldn’t expect
from a very old Speysider. SGP:271
– 88 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: often right between plain
free jazz and straight ahead tango,
Argentina's first blower Gato
Barbieri plays Nunca
mas.mp3. Fantastic! Please buy
the maestro's music... (btw, did
you know that he was the inspiration
for the crazy Muppet that was playing
the saxophone?) |
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November
12, 2008 |
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TASTING
THREE
RARE LAPHROAIGS |
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Laphroaig 10 yo (43%, OB for Bonfanti,
short label, mid 1970s)
To true Laphroaig aficionados, ‘Bonfanti’
is a sesame. There are very little
‘very large batch’ OBs
that ever came close to these whiskies,
maybe except for old Lagavulins and
Taliskers. We already tried a few
other bottles from Bonfanti’s
and we’ve always been blown
away. Colour: gold. Nose: epitomical
old Islayer, even if it’s maybe
a tad ‘less big’ than
other versions. Actually, it’s
not too easy to decompose this one
into several well-known aromas, it’s
kind of an aroma of its own. Maybe
‘very old RAF sheepskin flying
jacket’ or something like that
(ridicule has never been the unmaking
of anyone, has it?) Mouth: we have
the expected winning combo of citrus
fruits and peat here, even if, once
again, this is not extremely big.
Kumquats, cough syrup, mastic, kippers
(a lot of salt), salted buttered fudge,
lemon liqueur, smoked tea, pine resin…
Gets more candied over time (toffee).
‘Great anyway’. Finish:
rather long, very complex, ending
up on something like salted liquorice
and caramel sweets. Comments: amazing
whisky, but that’s no breaking
news. SGP:467 – 94 points. |
| Laphroaig
10 yo (91.4 US proof, OB, imported
by R.H Elsbach & Co, San Francisco,
4/5 quart, late 50s or early 60s)
One of the earliest Laphroaig 10yo
we’ve ever tried. This one comes
from Marcel van Gils’ collection
and we’ll try to spare you any
even sillier comments (such as ‘1947
Soviet leather ushanka’ ;-))
Colour: dark gold. Nose: well, this
is much punchier and bigger than the
well-known Bonfantis, with much more
metallic and sooty notes. At random,
we get notes of old oil stove, flints,
old car engine, charcoal, old turpentine,
linseed oil, pencil lead… And
god knows what else. Less fruity than
the Bonfanti (that one had citrusy
notes), and probably more sherried.
More austere in fact, ‘without
any compromise’. Mouth: we’re
closer to the Bonfanti now, only bigger
again. Incredible attack, hugely peaty.
Usually peat would get smoother through
the years but it’s neither smoothened
nor ‘transformed’ at all
here, which may suggest that this
whisky was extraordinarily peaty when
it was bottled. As for the rest, well…
Please call the anti-maltoporn brigade!
Finish: it’s that long that
it’s not really a ‘finish’,
rather an endless extension. Comments:
maybe the boat trip to San Francisco
fifty years ago improved this one
even further? We’re very close
to perfection here. SGP:558
- 96 points. (thank you
Marcel and Luc) |
| Laphroaig
12 yo (53.1%, OB for World Duty Free,
oloroso, 2007)
We believe this one came from a single
cask. Colour: straw (oloroso? Probably
third or fourth-fill then). Nose:
typical young modern Laphroaig. Peat
smoke, gentian, cider apples, butter
and sea air. Extremely nice but there’s
nothing really ‘different’
here, even if there are some very
nice notes of crushed mint leaves
and even verbena developing. Good,
classic young Laphroaig at cask strength
like many IBs have issued in recent
years. Mouth: punchy, clean, classic.
Smokiness, apple juice, icing sugar,
liquorice allsorts and salt. Finish:
long and maybe a tad sweeter than
usual. Comments: this one reminds
me of the 1994 ‘Feis Ile 2006’.
Very, very good young Laphroaig, but
where’s the advertised oloroso
sherry? (not that we’re complaining,
of course…) SGP:438
- 87 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: maybe you'll remember
the late Big
Twist and his Mellow Fellows,
right between Philly and the blues
shouters? Today we'll have Just
one woman.mp3... (but please
not THAT one!) Please buy these
people's music.
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November
11, 2008 |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
TWO ‘JAPANESE
JAPANESE’ FROM 1979 |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1979/2002 (56%, OB,
Japanese oak "Mizunara",
cask # RF1013)
Colour: full gold. Nose: a rather
beautiful attack on the nose, compact
as often with ‘crafted’
Yamazakis but with very distinct notes
of ginger and soft curry added to
a rather waxy and oily character (paraffin,
linseed oil, olive oil.) With water:
it got much more vegetal and grassy,
which is a little curious I must say.
Whiffs of peat arising. No sweetness/fruitiness.
Mouth (neat): hugely concentrated
but not thick, which is quite an achievement.
Loads of spices, crystallised oranges,
ginger, cardamom and pepper. A lot
of wood but it’s great wood,
I must say (spices.) With water: rounder
of course, and more ‘oriental’
as well. Turkish delights, lychees
like we found in other versions, orange
squash, mint flavoured tea. Excellent
now. Finish: rather long and a tad
more resinous. Comments: an ultra-dry
nose and a rounder and fruitier palate,
which is exactly the contrary of what
happens with many old Scotch. Two
whiskies in one! SGP:552 –
91 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1979/2005
(56%, OB, sherry butt, Japanese oak
"Mizunara")
Colour: full gold. Nose: as expressive
as the ‘COY’ but with
more sherried notes that make it a
little less ‘focused’
right at the attack, but it gets then
just as superb. A little more mint
and camphor plus hints of game (hare).
With water: it behaved quite differently
from the COY, keeping its fruitiness
(hints of coconut from the wood as
well as pineapples) beyond the same
kind of grassiness. A tad phenolic.
More game, more animal notes as well.
Superb nose, very complex, which is
maybe not what was expected. Mouth
(neat): contrarily to what happened
on the nose, I like this one a little
better than its bro at the attack.
Somewhat drier, more elegant and just
as big. Oranges, tobacco and herbs,
then the same kind of spices plus
a little chilli (Thai red sauce.)
Perfect balance between the big spiciness
and the fruits. With water: wilder,
even spicier, with an even bigger
presence. Spearmint, cardamom, coriander,
basil and bitter oranges. Yes, an
unusual mix. Finish: long, more liquoricy
and herbal. Comments: it’s hard
to decide between these two marvellous
1979’s. Let’s not even
try… SGP:553 –
91 points.Yamazaki
makes me think of Lexus. I mean, fifteen
years ago we were thinking that Lexuses
(Lexi?) were pale imitations of Mercedes,
which they more or less were actually.
Today some people think that Lexuses
are better cars than Mercedes, and
are rather more innovative. As for
'heritage', well... |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Probably one of the best
'free' jazz pieces ever, Archie
Shepp and his band
doing Blasé.mp3
in 1969, with singer extraordinaire
Jeanne
Lee (photo) on vocals. Famous
(yet stunning) piece. Please buy
Archie Shepp's music! |
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November
10, 2008 |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
THE SHERRIED
EARLY 1980’s |
Yamazaki
1982/1997 (45%, OB, sherry wood)
Colour: amber. Nose: very, very compact,
starting on hints of dried mushrooms
and cigar box and displaying notes
of honey, caramel, roasted nuts and
whiffs of smoke and peat after that.
Gets also a little meaty (grilled
beef.) Les exuberant than many of
its colleagues. Mouth: much, much
more sherry influence on the palate.
A little drying (blackcurrant leaves,
grape pips, green tea) and a little
too vinous for my taste. Prunes, blackcurrants,
bitter oranges. Finish: rather long,
still vinous but also spicier (cloves.)
Comments: not as ‘crafted’
as more recent bottlings but still
good – if you like heavy sherry
influence, that is. SGP:451
- 81 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1980/2004
(56%, OB, refill sherry)
Colour: amber. Nose: not very different
from the 1982 as far as the profile
is concerned, only much bigger and
expressive. Please read above. With
water: wilder, more animal (soy sauce,
beef bouillon.) Pu-erh tea, Habano,
bitter chocolate, coffee. Hints of
peat. Mouth (neat): explosive, very
fruity, very ‘sherried’
and very spicy. Huge concentration!
Much nicer than the 1982 in that sense.
Pepper, strawberries, hawthorn tea,
blackberry jelly and strong honey
(chestnut and the likes.) Gingerbread.
With water: smoother of course but
not less flavourful. More spices and
more herbs (interesting hints of thyme
and mother-of-thyme.) Liquorice. Finish:
long, with silky tannins and more
notes of blackcurrants (fruits and
buds.) Comments: very, very good,
this one pulled excellent comments
and scores at the MM Awards 2007.
SGP:552 - 88 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: the Silver
Jews from Nashville
doing their People.mp3.
We like their sound, their simplicity
and their multiple references. Please
buy the Silver Jews' music. |
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November
9, 2008 |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
TWO 1990’s |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1990/2005 (55%, OB,
cask #0W70223, Ohmi cellar, hogshead)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: oily, mineral
and waxy at first nosing, with quite
some vanilla in the background as
well as hints of flour (‘clean
dust’, sawdust.) Linseed oil,
fabric. Gets dustier over time. Tapioca,
cedar wood. With water: it got more
organic and even maritime, not dusty
anymore, with whiffs of oysters and
iodine, wet hay… Also a little
more ‘oriental’ (sandalwood,
incense), with always quite some plain
oak, and quite some smoke. Very ‘natural’.
Mouth (neat): rather explosive and
very fruity, on fresh pineapples,
apples (golden delicious) and hints
of bananas. A little spirity. With
water: more of the same, only smoother
and much better balanced. Pineapple
sweets and vanilla crème. A
tad simple but perfectly compact,
which isn’t the same. Finish:
long, jammy and smokier now. Comments:
a fruity/sexy one that’s an
excellent swimmer. SGP:731
– 86 points. |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1990/2008 (61%, OB,
cask #0N70646, 2nd fill Spanish oak
sherry butt, 504 bottles)
Another brand new one that’s
been bottled in June. Colour: mahogany.
Nose: very punchy and very chocolaty.
Hints of old books and old roses and
a little strawberry jam. Needs water!
With water: much, much nicer. Beautifully
vinous and ‘roasted’.
Old Port, green cigar like they make
in Indonesia, Smyrna raisins, dates
and hints of aniseed (or Ouzo/Raki).
Superb but really needs water. Mouth
(neat): the winey notes are rather
big here, with quite some strawberry
liqueur, backcurrant crème
and a little rubber. Heavy wine influence
it seems, but the whole is very strong.
Water needed again. With water: once
again, it’s way better at roughly
45% than at cask strength. Complex
development on tobacco, dark chocolate,
rum, prunes, cocoa powder and overripe
strawberries. Fruitcake. No more rubber.
Finish: long and spicier (cloves,
pepper) which is quite normal. Comments:
another one that really needs water
but that gets truly wonderful when
reduced. Super sherry. SGP:651
– 90 points. |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
TWO 1986’s
AND ONE 1989 |
| Yamazaki
1986/2003 (45%, OB, sherry wood)
Colour: full gold. Nose: starts more
on the waxy and oily notes (linseed)
that one can often find in Yamazaki
than on sherry. The sherry’s
quite discreet actually, most probably
refill. Notes of olive oil, sawdust…
Slowly takes off after a few minutes,
getting maltier and nuttier, the sherry
being more obvious now. Fig jam and
walnut liqueur, with whiffs of incense.
Very very nice now, with something
Irish. Mouth: soft and very fruity
attack, once again very Irish (Bushmills).
Pineapples, bananas flambéed,
honey sauce, papayas… Goes on
in the same vein, with just a little
more oak after a while (soft pepper.)
Finish: medium long, very fresh and
very fruity. Comments: one of the
fruitiest Japanese we could try. Perfectly
composed and highly drinkable. An
easy, sexy dram. SGP:720 –
85 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1986/2005
(56%, OB, sherry hogshead)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: how jammy!
Very big notes of plum jam (Mirabelle),
apricot jam, honey… Also rather
flowery (yellow flowers, nectar, orange
blossom) and ‘oriental’
like many of its bros (sandalwood,
incense, cardamom.) This isn’t
whisky, it’s jam. Almonds. With
water: a wonderful oakiness, very
straight, complementing the huge fruitiness.
Extremely pleasant. Mouth (neat):
superb attack, half fruity, half spicy.
Perfect mouth feel. Longans, figs,
bananas, ginger and white pepper.
A tad less extravagant than on the
nose but the balance is perfect. With
water: it all mingled, giving something
very compact and very coherent. Immensely
drinkable. Finish: long, with the
oak getting more distinguishable (lactones).
Comments: this one offers huge pleasures.
Perfectly crafted. SGP:641
- 90 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1989/2005
(56%, OB, hogshead, white oak)
Colour: full gold. Nose: much more
austere than the 1986, it’s
having a rather hard time after that
one. Vanilla, a little cardboard,
newly sawn oak and ginger. It’s
only after deep nosing that some fruitier
notes arise, such as pineapples and
ripe apples. With water: it got a
tad more organic. Hay. Mouth (neat):
much closer to the 1986 here, but
the woodiness is much more obvious,
and even a tad drying. Tinned pineapples
plus a lot of spices (ginger, pepper,
cloves, Chinese anise, liquorice).
With water: more of the same, with
also some slightly disturbing cardboardy
notes. Finish: medium long, rather
tannic but not excessively so. Comments:
the oak really stands out here. Quite
good but not my favourite. SGP:461
– 80 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Daevid
Allen and Robert Wyatt's
wonderful Memories.mp3
(from 1971's very famous Bananamoon
LP). Please buy Daevid Allen's music! |
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November
7, 2008 |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
ONE 1992 AND
TWO 1991’s |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1992/2005
(56%, OB, hogshead, white oak)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: expressive,
starting on quite some olive oil and
peat, very vegetal, organic and leathery.
Chlorophyll, leaves, ginger, sandalwood,
incense and pine resin. With water:
oh, it got quite simpler, more on
grass and vanilla. As if water had
shut it down – and yes we gave
this one time (it just got a tad more
pearish). Bizarre… Mouth (neat):
punchy but ‘drinkable’,
with a little peat and a rather big
‘greenness’. Walnuts,
salicornias, mint flavoured nougat,
mastic sweets… Notes of pears
and pineapples behind all that. Very
good, extremely satisfying if not
very complex - yet? With water: once
again, it got somewhat simpler. Not
bad at all, but simpler (pineapple
and green spices, cardamom?) Finish:
medium long, fruity, with a ‘return’
on vanilla crème. Comments:
a good Yamazaki but it seems to lack
most of its bros’ complexity
and ‘fullness’. SGP:542
– 80 points. |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1991/2002 (60%, OB,
bourbon, Ohmi cellar, cask #1O70640)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: extremely
similar to the 1992 it seems but the
high alcohol blocks many aromas, or
so it seems. Hops and tobacco. With
water: once again, it did not really
get more complex but what a great
profile! Smells almost like a newly
opened pack of mentholated Dunhills.
Hints of fresh butter. Mouth (neat):
round, fruity, grassy and peaty but
very, very hot. Aargh… With
water: very compact, reminding us
of Glenmorangie’s experiments
with new oak. Less vanilla and more
peat but the style is sort of similar.
Brown sugar, crystallised ginger and
cinnamon. Finish: long and spicy/oaky.
Comments: good again but maybe a tad
‘fabricated’. Well made
of course but lacks a little magic.
SGP:532 – 81 points. |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1991/2002 (61%, OB,
sherry, Ohmi cellar, cask #1O70047,
468 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this seems
to be extremely fine! Obvious notes
of palomino fino, old walnuts, petrol,
coffee, tobacco… Very hot, though,
so let’s not wait and add water.
With water: stunning nose now. Not
really complex but so wonderfully
straightforward, on a magnificent
trilogy of resin, peat and pears,
and then these notes of walnuts, marzipan
and fishing boat (including diesel
oil and tar). Yes it’s a tad
maritime. Mouth (neat): exceptional
profile – or so it seems because
once again, this is very hot. We’re
no sissy (yeah, yeah) but we need
our throat, so… With water:
this one is a winner. It’s not
that it’s really more complex
than its bros but he general feeling
is much more satisfying, and the wood
extracts rounder. Soft curry, cinnamon,
ginger, vanilla and hints of pineapples.
Finish: rather long, an extension
of the palate. Comments: he kinship
with Dr Lumsden’s work at Glenmo’s
is very obvious here, and even if
it’s a sherry cask, it tastes
like brand new American oak as far
as we can taste. Not really romantic
but beautifully made. SGP:561
- 87 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: this beautiful little
song by Congo's Sam
Mangwana, called Maloba.mp3.
Please buy Sam Mangwana's music
- and African music in general. |
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November
5, 2008 |
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THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
TWO 1993’s
AT HIGH STRENGTH |
| Yamazaki
1993/2006 ‘Private Choice’
(62%, OB, NBA Osaka Kita)
A special bottling for the Nippon
Bartenders Association. Colour: gold.
Nose: whiffs of dead leaves and cigarette
tobacco, pine resin and putty. Let’s
not try too hard, at 62% it would
be a bit hazardous. With water: resinous
and leafy indeed. Obvious notes of
game, smoked tea (lapsang soochong),
argan oil, putty, fern, moss, mushrooms…
And a beautiful peat. Top notch on
the nose, compact yet complex. Mouth
(neat): rounder than expected, concentrated,
certainly peaty. Peated pears and
pineapples - should that be possible.
This seems to be very, very good but
again, let’s not take chances.
With water: excellent! Unlike other
any Scotch, blending resinous and
peaty flavours most wonderfully. Again,
hints of tinned pineapples. Finish:
long and just a tad tannic –
nothing embarrassing here. Comments:
the NBA know how to select a cask
it seems. No wonder… Maybe it’s
just a tad too mono-dimensional, but
let’s not split hairs. SGP:465
– 90 points. |
| The
Cask of Yamazaki 1993/2008 (62%, OB,
puncheon #3Q70048, 492 bottles)
This is a brand new peated version
(26ppm) and the puncheon was a 2nd
fill one (American oak). Colour: pale
gold. Nose: partly similar to its
‘bro’ but more phenolic,
resinous, smoky (pinewood) and herbal
(patchouli, hashish). Quite spectacular,
even at 62% ABV. With water: a tad
less resinous but also a tad peatier.
Greens, shoe polish, mushrooms (do
you know blue foot or wood blewit?
They smell exactly like this malt.)
Big stuff. Mouth (neat): almost the
same whisky as its sister cask, only
fruitier and more flavourful. Unusual
notes of lychee liqueur and rose jelly.
With water: again, close to the NBA’s
cask but with an extra-dimension,
brought by these very fruity notes
(lychees and such) that I never found
in any Scotch – I mean, to this
extend. Spectacular whisky. Finish:
long, on a very unusual lychee/peat
combo. Comments: had you told me a
whisky would taste like peated lychees,
I’d have told you to stop drinking.
It’s like a mixture of 80% Ardbeg
and 20% fine de gewurztraminer. I
love this, mind you. SGP:555
– 91 points. |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: we're in 1975 and Frenchman
Jacques
Higelin plays L'ange
et le salaud.mp3 (angel and
bastard - that was on Irradié)
with a killer riff. Please buy this
other grand Jacques' music. |
 |
| |
|
November
4, 2008 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
 |
THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
ONE 1994 AND
TWO 1995’s |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1994/2005
(56%, OB, barrel)
Colour: gold. Nose: dry, oily and
waxy. Whiffs of lovage. Quite some
oak, fusel oil, pencil eraser, charcoal...
Hints of cedar wood in the background.
Vanilla, grass, beer (yeast) and green
tea. Rather sharp. With water: more
phenolic and resinous. Wet hay, linseed
oil, wet chalk. We like it much better
now. Mouth (neat): much, much sweeter
and fruitier than on the nose. Loads
of pineapples (fresh, tinned and dried)
and an excellent oakiness behind these
pineapples. With water: reveals an
elegant spiciness but the pineapples
are still there, together with coconuts
and bananas. Finish: medium long,
very clean, fruity, still on pineapples
and honey. Comments: a tropical Yamazaki
that needs water – and then
it gets excellent. SGP:731
– 86 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1995/2005
(56%, OB, sherry)
This one is said to be very rare.
Colour: mahogany. Nose: this is a
sherried version, and a rather beautiful
one. Chocolate, cigar box, leather,
fudge, Parma violets, coffee and walnuts.
Flawless. With water: now it got truly
wonderful. Old Spanish ham (pata negra)
and very old white Madeira. Almost
stunning. Mouth (neat): what a beast!
Concentrated, even sort of heavy,
with quite some oak (tannins –
maybe a bit green) and truckloads
of prunes plus English brown sauce.
Sticky. With water: stunning whisky.
More coffee and chocolate and then
more fruits (blackcurrants, prunes,
blackberries). Cleaner and less meaty
than when neat. Finish: long, clean,
fruity and jammy (blackberries). Comments:
luv’ this. ‘Natural’
sherry maturing perfectly handled.
SGP:652 – 90 points. |
| Yamazaki
‘The Owners Cask’ 1995/2006
(58%, OB, for World Liquor Brutus,
cask #5C3009, 401 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: fantastic
sherry here. Sure it’s a tad
vinous but it’s so spectacularly
compact! Walnuts, dark chocolate,
blackcurrant buds, grilled beef, balsamico
and espresso coffee. With water: gets
very close to the ‘Vintage’
version, maybe a tad more complex
(various herbs). Mouth (neat): ooh-aah!
As concentrated as if they had cooked
this one for three days before bottling
it. Plum jam, blackberry jam, prunes,
lees, cherry stem tea, caramel, orange
liqueur, spearmint, cough syrup…
What a monster! With water: it got
really amazing. Dry sherry at its
best. High-end tea, tobacco, thousands
of spices, fruit liqueurs, herbs…
Finish: endless but more on spices.
Comments: maybe this is a tad ‘engineered’
but all I can say is that it’s
awfy good. Sherry lovers should try
to track this down, honest. SGP:652
– 92 points. |
 |
CRAZY
WHISKY
ADS
Seagram's
7 Crown, USA, 1980.
Teaser: “Every Party's
Choice."
Body: "No matter how
you mix it, Seagram's 7 Crown's a
winner. 7 & Cola with a slice
of lime! Triumphant! 7 & 7! Victorious!
Even all by itself over ice, it's
unbeatable! And enjoy our quality
in moderation." |
| 
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: we're in 1969 and
John
D. Loudermilk does his
rather famous Goin'
to hell on a sled.mp3. Psych country
at its best, scary but funny. Please
buy John D. Loudermilk's music. |
 |
| |
|
November
3, 2008 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
 |
THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
After 30 Highland
Parks a few months ago, we did have
another 'Summer Session' in July,
this time with 20 Yamazakis including
two brand new ones, exclusive to Europe.
That Yamazaki can be wonderful is
no secret anymore, so once again,
we had high expectations. Please note
that these have already been published
- rightfully so - on Chris' very excellent
Nonjatta,
the best blog about Japanese whiskies,
with loads of information.(with
heartfelt thanks to Bert V. and other
friends): |
 |
THE
YAMAZAKI SUMMER SESSIONS
THREE NO VINTAGE
BOTTLINGS
|
| Yamazaki
15 yo ‘80th Anniversary’
(43%, OB, 2003)
This was bottled to commemorate Yamazaki’s
80th anniversary. Colour: pale gold.
Nose: very expressive, fruity (plums,
apricots) and pleasantly oaky (vanilla).
Develops on quite some mint and whiffs
of cinnamon and ginger, as well as
chocolate, vanilla fudge and acacia
honey. A very sexy and very well composed
nose. Mouth: again, quite a lot happening
on the palate, even if the general
profile is much, much drier. Notes
of cider, apple peeling, green tea,
mead, vanilla… Gets more peppery
and gingery after a moment. Quite
chewy. Finish: medium long, prolonging
the palate in the same style. Comments:
very good malt, with a big personality.
Huge difference between nose and palate,
though. SGP(on average):551
– 86 points. |
| Yamazaki
12 yo (43%, OB, bottled in the 1980’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: drier and more
phenolic than the more recent 15yo.
Tea, sandalwood, cedar wood, patchouli…
Gets maltier after that. Hints of
olive oil, waxed paper, fresh almonds.
Less sexy, I’d say. No OBE yet
on the nose. Mouth: we’re extremely
close to the 15yo now, with roughly
the same profile. Same rather big
dryness. Grassy. Bigger spiciness
arising, though (pepper, mustard.)
Not an easy whisky. Finish: long,
peppery, liquoricy and a little resinous.
Comments: very punchy and very, very
spicy old Yamazaki. SGP:362
– 80 points. |
Yamazaki
15 yo 'Tarudashi Genshu' (56%, OB,
distillery version, circa 2004)
Only available at the distillery.
Colour: pale amber. Nose: even more
wood here, Japanese style. Cinnamon,
cigar box, cinnamon… Notes of
fresh putty and almonds, leaves, tannins…
Then chlorophyll, green tea, bay leaves,
juniper… Rather ultra-dry. Hints
of rubber bands. Mouth: punchy and
very expressive, with a good fruits/wood
combo. A lot of ginger, white pepper,
nutmeg, cloves and mint. Peppered
quince pie. Let’s see what happens
with a little water (while the nose
got woodier and more tannic): it got
a little rounder, more ‘polished’,
but the resinous notes got even bigger.
Finish: long and very tannic/peppery.
Comments: not unlike the old 12yo
in style, only bigger and punchier,
with more oak and more mint. A tad
too much for my taste but it’s
good nevertheless. SGP:371
– 83 points. |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: isn't Benji
Hughes very funny?
Let's listen to his Why
do these parties always end the
same way?.mp3 and then buy his
music. |
 |
| |
|
November
2, 2008 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO DUFFTOWNS |
Dufftown
15 yo 1987/2003 (46%, Duncan Taylor,
Whisky Galore) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: fresh, young,
fruity (apples) and slightly smoky.
Notes of mashed potatoes and oatcakes,
hints of juniper berries and wet paper.
Gets more porridgy and even a little
yeasty. Mouth: very fruity and quite
youngish. A tad sugary in fact. Apple
pie, blackberry jam, lemon pie, ginger
tonic and vanilla fudge. Finish: medium
long, on overripe apples and pineapple
drops. Notes of dried ginger and Turkish
delights. Comments: simple and drinkable.
SGP:421 – 78 points. |
| Dufftown-Glenlivet
19 yo 1988/2008 (53.5%, Cadenhead,
243 bottles)
From a sherry hogshead. Colour: straw.
Nose: very big oak, on the verge of
being sour. Cider apples, slightly
rancid butter, yogurt and dairy cream.
Lemon juice. Gets very grassy…
Well, a little hard to enjoy. With
water: even more on sour apples and
yoghurt. Sawdust, wet wood. Mouth
(neat): very sweet but simply fruity,
without the sour notes that is. Apple
soda and lemon-flavoured chewing gum.
With water: added notes of violets-flavoured
liquorice and bubblegum. Finish: long,
sweet, fruity, with notes of icing
sugar and violets again (parfait amour
liqueur). Comments: maybe a tad more
expressive than the 1987 but also
sourer on the nose. SGP:431
– 77 points. |
| And
also
Dufftown – Glenlivet (80 Proof,
OB, clear glass, 1970’s)
Nose: all on smoke, Parma ham, parsley,
ash, soot and metal polish. Great
stuff. Mouth: more camphor here (cough
sweets) and orange marmalade. Verbena
liqueur and yellow Chartreuse (not
Chartroose, Quentin). Brilliant whisky,
very complex despite a slightly weakish
attack. Other wise it would have gone
even higher on my scale. SGP:553
– 91 points. |
 |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: fantastic jazz drummer
and pioneer Andrew
Cyrille plays Pioneering.mp3.
A lot of fun and a lot of free spirit
in the Sixties. Please, please buy
Andrew Cyrille's music. |
 |
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:
Dufftown
– Glenlivet (80
Proof, OB, clear glass, 1970’s)
Highland
Park 17 yo 1991/2008 (46%,
Signatory for LMdW, cask #15098, 820 bottles)
Highland
Park 21 yo 1987/2008 (50.4%, Duncan
Taylor Rare Auld, cask #1529)
Laphroaig
10 yo (43%, OB for Bonfanti, short
label, mid 1970s)
Laphroaig
10 yo (91.4 US proof, OB, imported
by R.H Elsbach & Co, San Francisco, 4/5
quart, late 50s or early 60s)
Yamazaki
‘The Owners Cask’ 1995/2006 (58%,
OB, for World Liquor Brutus, cask #5C3009, 401
bottles)
Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1995/2005 (56%,
OB, sherry)
The
Cask of Yamazaki 1993/2008 (62%, OB,
puncheon #3Q70048, 492 bottles)
The
Cask of Yamazaki 1979/2002 (56%,
OB, Japanese oak "Mizunara", cask
# RF1013)
Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1979/2005 (56%,
OB, sherry butt, Japanese oak "Mizunara")
Yamazaki
1993/2006 ‘Private Choice’ (62%,
OB, NBA Osaka Kita)
Yamazaki
‘Vintage Malt’ 1986/2005 (56%,
OB, sherry hogshead)
The
Cask of Yamazaki 1990/2008 (61%, OB,
cask #0N70646, 2nd fill Spanish oak sherry butt,
504 bottles)
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