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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2009 - Part 1 |
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October
14, 2009 |
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TASTING
TWO GLENDRONACH |
Glendronach
16 yo 1979/1996 (58.1%, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society, #96.6, ‘Scents
from Austria, Russia and the Balkans’)
A funny teaser on this old one! Maybe
a mix of Sachertorte, vodka and gunpowder?
Something to do with 1914? Colour:
gold. Nose: punchy and rather raw
and spirity, esthery and indeed a
tad sulphury (gunpowder indeed, gas).
Nail polish remover. More and more
sulphur… Aargh… With water:
no. Vase water and damp wood. Improves
a bit over time but never quite gets
there. Fern. Mouth (neat): sweet,
raw, overripe apple coated with some
sort of vanilla and marshmallow sauce
(!) plus quite some green tea (tannins).
Hmm… With water: it’s
better but still raw and very simple.
Spirity. Mixed eau-de-vie (tutti frutti
– oh Rudy). Finish: rather long
but a bit raw and immature. Comments:
neither really bad nor flawed but
utterly boring in my opinion. Austria,
Russia and the Balkans deserve better
whisky. SGP:341 - 72 points.
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Glendronach
37 yo 1972/2009 (53.3%, OB for LMdW,
oloroso sherry butt, cask #705, 275
bottles) 
Colour: mahogany. Nose: starts smoothly
on a rather fruity/chocolaty kind
of sherry, with just a little tar
in the background. No sulphur that
I can detect (it seems that trying
to spot sulphur in almost any whisky
is a new game in certain circles ;-)).
Goes on with a fifty-fifty combination
of ‘red’ fruitiness (raspberries
first) and light meatiness (rather
ham, bacon…), the whole being
rather clean but also maybe not immensely
expressive. A little parsley. With
water: explodes with many fresh fruits,
blood oranges, mangos, raspberries
and many other ones. Enters another,
higher dimension, with ‘something’
that’s usually more to be found
in very old peaties. And quite some
nutmeg and dried cardamom. Mouth (neat):
very nice attack, rather more unusual
than on the nose. Red fruits and medicinal
notes? Raspberry and cassis jellies
mixed with cough syrup (pine resin,
eucalyptus) and pepper? And bitter
chocolate? Sounds weird but it’s
very pleasant in fact. With water:
once again, water works very well,
even if not as spectacularly as on
the nose. More liquorice and a few
leathery notes. More cassis jelly,
more pepper. Finish: long, more on
peppered chocolate and raspberry liqueur.
Just a faint tannicity. Comments:
just excellent. The chocolaty/tannic
notes still are below my limits, despite
the old age of this mucho olorosoed
Glendronach. SGP:561 - 90
points. |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too
long for Twitter! ;-)) |
| It
seems that the good people at The
GlenWonka were plain amateurs, they
didn’t even think of issuing
a ‘vintage-alike’ bottling
as mesmerising as the new Macallan
1824. 1824, of course, is… the
number of decanters within the release.
Brilliant, a true stroke of genius!
Okay, the distillery was also founded
in 1824. |
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The
Moodie
Report adds that the recommended
retail price is €1,450, and that
Jim Murray gave it a score of ‘97.5%’
(sic), ‘the highest ever score
for any single malt whisky.’
‘The 2009 release is bottled
at 48%abv and drawn exclusively from
sherry seasoned Spanish oak casks.’
<< WF takes this opportunity
to announce that we could put our
hands on The GlenWonka’s old
archives, where we found this stunning
albeit aborted project of a GlenWonka
‘763 replica’, supposed
to be ‘barley al-kohl’
distilled in Persia (ha, relocations!)
It is very sad that it never came
to light! |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
more 'elliptic' (or at least very
unusual) music with the fabulous
Annette
Peacock and Paul
Bley doing Mr.
Joy (that was on the duo's 'Revenge'
album, 1971). Or when synthesizers
were bringing true madness to music...
Please buy Annette Peacok and Paul
Bley's music. |
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October
13, 2009 |
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| TASTING
SEVEN AMERICAN RYES |
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Warning, I’m completely inexperienced
regarding these kinds of whiskeys.
I’ll post impressions and even
dare add ratings (!) but in no way
they should be taken as ‘judgements’.
They’re just there to reflect
the preferences of a (almost) total
and eternal newbie in these matters.
Thanks for your understanding. Please
read the above lines once again, and
then you may read the following…
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The
Classic Cask 15 yo 1984/1999 (45%,
OB, Kentucky Straight Rye, batch #RW101)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: all on soft
sweet oak at first nosing, vanilla,
a little coconut, just touches of
ginger and something that would remind
me of some middle-aged rum. Also hints
of overripe strawberries and plum
jam. Very nice, maybe just a tad dusty
in the background (slightly chalky).
Mouth: quite some oak at first, then
the rye’s fruitiness bursting
on your palate. A mix of strawberries,
bitter oranges and tinned pineapples,
all that coated with vanilla and caramel.
Quite some pepper from the oak in
the background (white pepper) and
touches of cloves. Just a little cinnamon.
Finish: medium long, unexpectedly
earthy now with the rye glowing in
the aftertaste (strawberry drops).
Comments: what can I say? Good stuff.
SGP:520 - 84 points.
(please do not take too seriously) |
Sazerac
18 yo 1984/2002 (45%, OB, Kentucky
Straight Rye) 
Colour: pale amber. Nose: punchier
than the Classic Cask but also more
directly varnishy at first nosing.
Also more oak and notes of dried bananas.
The rest is closer to the Classic
Cask, with some coconut, vanilla and
ginger. Toffee, even vanilla fudge.
More mint after a while as well as
a little eucalyptus. Bigger, cleaner.
Keeps getting nicer over time and
easily leaves the Classic Cask behind
now. Mouth: rich, oily, much fatter
than the Classic Cask, with the cursor
more towards the wood than towards
the fruitiness. That means more spices,
cinnamon, cloves, maybe cardamom.
A little black tea (tannins). Notes
of strawberry drops blinking on and
off. Finish: long, with even more
tannins and notes of coconut milk.
A tad ‘green’ in the aftertaste
(capsicum?) Comments: excellent despite
the slightly heavy oakiness (according
to Scottish standards). SGP:351
– 88 points. (please
do not take too seriously) |
Michter’s
10 yo (46.4%, OB, batch #7, Straight
Rye) 
Colour: amber. Nose: less expressive
than the Sazerac despite a slightly
higher strength. More orange cake
and overripe plums. Also less oak
even if it gets a tad dusty after
a few minutes. Maybe it needs water
to wake up? With water: water works
very well, to the point where it starts
to resemble the Sazerac. Banana, mint,
light toffee, vanilla, even a little
bacon, liquorice. Very fine nose.
Molasses. Mouth (neat): a rawer whiskey
indeed, rather tannic at first sipping.
A lot of cinnamon and green tea, I’m
sure you see what I mean. The rye’s
fruitiness is almost absent. With
water: it’s the oak and the
tannins that have the say now. Water
doesn’t work as beautifully
s on the nose I’m afraid. Finish:
not short but maybe too drying and
tannic. Comments: the best part is
on the nose when diluted down to 40%.
SGP:350 – 78 points.
(please do not take too seriously) |
Rittenhouse
(100° US proof – 50%, OB,
Straight Rye) 
A ‘Pennsylvania style rye’
says the back label. Colour: pale
amber. Nose: more spirity and punchy,
rawer than the first three, much less
complex. Damp wood and something slightly
meaty (ham). This is strange because
a 21yo that I had last year was much
more emphatic. With water: not the
same development as with the Michter’s.
Maybe a slight meatiness and a certain
roastedness plus hints of crystallised
oranges. Cointreau? Mouth (neat):
more straight pleasure than with the
Michter’s, all this is more
rounded and polished even if the oak
is still big. Notes of kirsch, green
tea, banana skin. With water: water
works well on the palate this time,
the fruits are back. Strawberry jam.
Finish: long, balanced between the
oak and the rye. Some mint and liquorice,
especially in the aftertaste. Comments:
it’s good. SGP:441 -
80 points. (please do not
take too seriously) |
| Wild
Turkey (50.5%, OB, Straight Rye)
Colour: dark gold. Nose: once again,
no big talker when undiluted. Whiffs
of beer, mash, oak and leather. Tutti
frutti spirit. With water: more mash,
boiled cereals, beer… It’s
as if water did set its age back to
2yo. Notes of malt (seriously). Some
varnish. Mouth (neat): it’s
a little smoother than the Rittenhouse
but it’s still a beast. Quite
some pepper, capsicum like in the
Sazerac, cardamom… Gets more
and more spicy. Just hints of Turkish
delights. With water: resembles the
Rittenhouse, with maybe more notes
of bubblegum and tinned pineapple.
Medium tannicity. Finish: medium long,
balanced, rather smooth. Toffee, pepper
and marmalade. Comments: nose and
palate are completely different. I
prefer the palate I must say. SGP:451
– 79 points. (please
do not take too seriously) |
| Old
Potrero 2 yo and 1 month (62.2%, OB,
Pure Pot Still Rye, Essay 10-RW-ARM-3-G)
18th century style spirit. Colour:
pale gold. Nose: you know what? This
is quite nice but it seems that the
cask was relatively active. A little
beer and butter but also ginger, roasted
nuts, vanilla and litres of various
fruit spirits (I’m thinking
of plum and kirsch but also raspberry.)
Also small berries spirit, such as
sorb or rowan tree. Young but works
well. Just a faint sourness that’s
a tad disturbing (tiny-wee hints of
baby puke). With water: smells more
and more like eau-de-vie. No signs
of oak anymore, this is young, nicely
distilled spirit. Mouth (neat): plain
eau-de-vie! Tutti frutti! (yeah, yeah,
oh Rudy). With water: same. Finish:
rather long, maybe just a tad grassier.
Comments: it doesn’t taste like
whisky but once again it’s excellently
distilled. I sort of (should) know
what I’m talking about mind
you, I do distil fruits since twenty
years. SGP:720 - 78 points.
(please do not take too seriously) |
| Thomas
H. Handy (67.4%, OB, Straight Rye)
Said to be 6 years old, made by Sazerac.
It is well known that in some parts
of the US, the strength goes up instead
of down thanks to the heat and dryness.
Water evaporates quicker than alcohol,
unlike what usually happens in Scotland.
This rye at 67.4% abv is probably
a good example. Colour: amber. Nose:
not much, the alcohol blocks almost
everything. Vanilla sauce? Roasted
peanuts? With water: haha, water never
was that worthy! Superb whiffs of
shoe polish and old leather, old books,
tar, ham, metal polish, herbs…
We’re much closer to Scotch
than with any other rye I could try
(right, I tried very little of them).
It is superb. Mouth (neat): guess
what, it is ‘swallowable’
but it’ll hurt your oesophagus.
Strawberries… With water: once
again, water did wonders. Mint, camphor
syrup, banana, liquorice, vanilla
liqueur, 100% agave tequila, coffee,
cloves, pepper… Fab! Finish:
endless. Comments: with the Willets,
my favourite rye so far. But then
again, I didn’t try many –
oh, was I supposed to like the 18yo
better? SGP:552 - 90 points.
(please do not take too seriously) |
| (Thank
you Mr Tom B., you rock). |
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SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too
long for Twitter! ;-)) |
Interesting stats (?!), the top cities
where WF is read:
1. London - 2. Paris
- 3. Zurich - 4.
Berlin - 5. Munich
6. New York - 7.
Stockholm - 8. Frankfurt
- 9. Taipei
10. Goteborg - 11.
Amsterdam - 12. Oslo
- 13. Helsinki
14. Alborg - 15.
Tokyo - 16. Malmo
- 17. Moscow
18. Oulu - 19. Tai-Chung
- 20. Glasgow - 21.
Edinburgh |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
WF absolute favourite Brian
Auger doing In
and out in 1967 (that was on
'Open'). Please buy Brian Auger's
music. |
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October
12, 2009 |
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TASTING
TWO MIDDLE-AGED BALBLAIR |
| Balblair
1991 (43%, OB, +/-2009)
A brand new vintage bottling. Colour:
pale gold. Nose: it seems that it’s
a Balblair that’s right in the
middle between youth’s grassy
and slightly mashy/porridgy notes
and the plain exuberant fruitiness
that’s often to be found in
older expressions. Mildly vanilled,
with also notes of cut grass, not
too ripe banana, oranges and strawberries.
Hints of lemonade. Mouth: sweet and
fruity, more on white fruits this
time, mainly apples and a little pear.
There’s also quite some vanilla,
a certain oakiness (tannins), the
whole getting grassier over time.
Not really a strong presence but it’s
globally enjoyable. Finish: medium
long, a little more drying (banana
skin). Some honey and oranges in the
aftertaste. Comments: good, but maybe
not the most Balblair-esque Balblair.
SGP:451 – 83 points.
|
| Balblair
18 yo 1990/2008 (46%, Cooper's Choice)
Colour: straw. Nose: less fruity than
the 1991, grassier, with also more
milky tones and whiffs of freshly
sawn oak but little vanilla. Very
‘natural’ malt whisky,
maybe also a bit ‘neutral’.
Hints of ginger tonic, green tannins,
faint sourness. Mouth: punchy, good
attack, fruitier now, also a little
caramelised. Vanilla fudge, apple
peeling, malt, a little coffee and
just wee hints of strawberry sweets.
Finish: just like the 1991, it becomes
drier and more marked by the oak.
Comments: we aren’t too far
from the official, but this one is
a tad rougher, especially on the nose.
Good but a little ‘middle of
the road’. SGP: - 81
points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
I've always been wondering whether
Archie
Shepp was human or
not. Or maybe he's only a genius,
as Crucificado
may show (from his 'Stream' album).
Ah, the first measures... Please
buy Archie Shepp's music. |
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October
11, 2009 |
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| WARNING,
SPRINGBANK COLLECTION STOLEN! |
Sad
news, our friend Michiel, who’s
not only the biggest Springbank collector
in the world but also very knowledgeable
and always ready to help just found
out that a part of his collection
was stolen (exactly 183 bottles that
were in a storage house, not at his
home).
No need to say that Michiel is devastated
so please let’s try to help
him by keeping an eye open on any
suspect auction or other kind of sale
that would include one or several
Springbanks or Longrows that are listed
there
(Excel list). Should
you notice anything, please just drop
us a line.Thank you!
Please note that the remaining part
of Michiel’s collection is neither
in that storage house, nor at his
home anymore.) |
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October
10, 2009 |
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TASTING
TWO 1973 AND TWO 1972 HIGHLAND PARK
(superlative variations on mint and
honey for the week-end) |
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Highland
Park 1973/2001 (45.4%, OB, cask #11151,
500 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: rich, starting
on menthol and honey, pine resin and
walnuts, unusually medicinal. Vicks,
balsam, a little orange marmalade.
Gets then more mentholated and briny.
With water: becomes even more aromatic
but maybe also a tad rubbery –
just a tad. Mouth: rather powerful,
with more oak and tannins than on
the nose. Develops on caramel and
liquorice as well as the trademark
honey. Also a smokiness, the whole
being drier than on the nose. The
mint comes out after that, as well
as some fig, date and salted butter
caramel. With water: gets rather earthier.
Finish: long, salty, maybe a tad drying
but otherwise very, very nice. A few
vinous hints in the aftertaste. Comments:
rather less emphatic than other old
officials but still great. Nice smokiness.
SGP:542 – 90 points.
|
| The
Dragon 1973 (56.6%, Robertson, Kirkwall,
Highland Park, 75cl)
A very rare and much sought-after
private version of HP, bottled in
the late 1980s or very early 1990s
on Orkney in a Bordeaux-shaped wine
bottle. There were also two other
bottlings/vintages. Colour: amber.
Nose: superb, complex! Beeswax, pollen
honeycomb, maple syrup, a little mint
once again and just faint whiffs of
bicycle inner tube. Then a lot of
Vicks again. Rather compact and very
beautiful. With water: just like the
OB, it gets earthier. Notes of angelica,
vanilla and salmiak liquorice. Gets
even more complex after a while, with
more fresh fruits such as kiwis and
peaches. Mouth (neat): rich, powerful,
on toffee, mint, raspberry drops and
eau-de-vie. Then loads of salmiak
again (salty liquorice). Very punchy,
compact yet rich and ‘wide’.
With water: not as much difference
as on the nose. A little more peat
and herbal tea (verbena, lemon balm).
Finish: long, on more of the same.
Comments: the Vicks + smoke + salmiak
combination reminds me of some old
Ardbegs. Wow, now I understand why
HP lovers desperately seek this one.
SGP:563 - 93 points. |
| Highland
Park 18 yo 1972/1991 (56%, Dun Eideann,
Donato, cask #9017, 120 bottles)
Colour: amber-orange. Nose: starts
on an amazing blend of honey, oranges,
raisins and old papers and books.
Loads of sultanas! There’s also
notes of late harvest Alsatian Pinot
Gris, and then the same kind of medicinal
notes as in the others. Magnificent
(this time!) winey notes in the background,
mint… ‘Clean old barrel’.
With water: more on old leather, various
herbal liqueurs, very old Sauternes,
more mint… And faint whiffs
of burnt matches and exhaust pipe.
Too ‘sulphury’? Not! Mouth:
rounder and rather creamy attack,
getting then superbly dry, with distinct
notes of parsley. Then wine sauce,
with a beautiful spiciness. Cloves
and various peppers. With water: more
salt, ham, milk chocolate and overripe
apples. Finish: very long, wonderfully
mentholated. Comments: ultra-superlative
(was that short enough?) SGP:552
– 94 points. |
| Highland
Park 21 yo 1972/1994 (56.5%, Cadenhead,
Authentic Collection, sherrywood)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: starts maybe
a tad simpler than the Dun Eideann
but hugely ‘focused’.
Honey and oranges galore, then coffey
and flints. Supremely compact. With
water: gets amazingly phenolic. Loads
of mint liqueur, chocolate liqueur,
ham and old leather. Mouth: very powerful,
ultra-rich, creamy and oily. Coffee-schnapps
(high-end coffee plus high-end schnapps),
toffee, salt… Incredibly ‘thick’.
Develops on citrons and orange tree
honey. With water: fantastic, rounder
but still powerful, fruitier. A little
tar. I’m runny short of superlatives…
Finish: long, fruity, mentholated,
just superb. Comments: well, ‘wow’.
SGP:562 – 94 points.
Note: we had this little HP session
as a well deserved reward after having
filled quite some samples for the
MM Awards 2009 - with heartfelt thanks
to Olivier! |
| BREAKING
NEWS! Did Google change logo - AGAIN? |
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| Yes,
after Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed,
Flickr, YouTube, Orkut and very recently
iTunes, this is what appears to be
a new genuine tour de force by Whyte
& Mackay! |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
a very easy yet classy big band
piece by Horace
Silver called Dameron's
Dance (a reference to Tadd Dameron).
That was on the Silver 'N Brass
album. Please buy Horace Silver's
music. |
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October
9, 2009 |
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| TASTING
FOUR OLD HIGH STRENGTH CLYNELISH (a
short retro-verticale) |
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No need to advertise Cynelish’s
very peculiar fruitiness in the early
1970s, when it was working in tandem
with Brora. We’ll take the occasion
of the new 1972 G&M ‘Book
of Kells for LMdW’ to do a short
retro-verticale spanning four vintages,
all being at very high strength for
their ages. You may expect a bit of
maltoporn… Or not! |
| Clynelish
32 yo 1971 (54.2%, Whisky-Fässle,
bourbon cask)
Colour: gold. Nose: fresh, vibrant
and complex. Not quite an uber-fruity
Cynelish at first nosing, rather a
‘ready-made’ blend of
these old Clynelishes’ cardinal
markers, that is to say fresh yellow
fruits, beeswax, flowers and that
very particular minerality. The oak
is well behind that winning combo,
distilling soft spices and a certain
firmness to the whole. Compact! With
water: oh yeah! Swims like Mark Spitz
(remember Munich? Seven gold medals!)
Almost perfection. Mouth (neat): very
creamy, rich, oily, thick and…
rather salty! That was unexpected.
Loads of orange marmalade and ginger
from the oak, zests, hints of dried
bananas and quite some white pepper.
Green tea in the background (the oak
again). A rather firm and solid old
Clynelish so far, no exuberant fruitbomb.
With water: water does not seem to
work quite as stunningly as on the
nose. It got rather grassier but still
very excellent. Finish: long, grassy,
salty and waxy, with some peat in
the aftertaste. Comments: this one’s
only flaw may be that nose and palate,
neat or reduced, aren’t 100%
coherent but is that really a flaw?
Great, big Clynelish. SGP:552
- 91 points. (10/10 update:
I tried this baby again and it may
deserve one or tow more points.) |
| Clynelish
36 yo 1972/2009 (59.4%, Gordon &
MacPhail for LMdW, refill sherry hogshead,
cask #14301, 197 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this new one is
probably less balanced than the 1971,
but also more spectacular even if
not really easy-easy. Starts on slightly
overripe oranges and passion fruits
plus a very distinct muskiness and
even hints of foundation cream (or
something like that). Also a lot of
honey and beeswax, whiffs of peat
and a rather unusual floweriness,
a little heady. Lily? With water:
wowowow! A whole beehive. Stunning.
Mouth (neat): yes! Perfect attack,
closer to the 1971 in style, that
is to say spicy, even a tad oriental
(reminds me of some Indian spice mix)
and rather peatier than the ‘average’
1972 Clynelish (but how ‘average’
can a 1972 Clynelish be?) Lemon juice,
a certain greenness (rhubarb, sorrel,
grass) and the expected waxy/honeyed
combo. With water: fruitier, more
honeyed, more ‘1972 Clynelish’
but there’s still quite some
peat. Maybe not as ‘wowowow’
as on the nose. Say wowow (!Enough
with that! -Ed.). Finish: long and
firmer, more on pepper and ginger.
Definitely spicier and beautifully
so. Bitter almonds and pu-erh tea
in the aftertaste. Comments: another
one that goes in many directions.
At least three whiskies in one here!
And I did not know that G&M had
1972 Clynelishes… SGP:652
- 92 points. |
Clynelish
33 yo 1973/2007 (54.5%, Signatory,
refill butt, cask #8915, 399 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re
changing profiles here, with more
freshness, more citrus fruits (lemon,
grapefruits), a much bigger minerality
and many earthy and rooty notes as
well as a more obvious peatiness.
It is one of these 1973 Clynelishes
that tends to be a little more Brora-ish,
which can’t be bad news! Also
some fresh mint, a little wasabi and
a faint farminess. Brora indeed. With
water: it changed a little less than
the 1971 and 1972. Peatier for sure,
but also a tad bubblegummy later on.
A little bizarre. Mouth (neat): how
young and nervous! More classically
‘Clynelish’, maybe a tiny-wee
bit more spirity than other versions
(there are still notes of pear drops
and tinned pineapples in this 33 years
old), with quite some lemon, a mild
waxiness, crystallised oranges, peat
and hints of spearmint. Sweet mustard.
With water: more notes of sweets and
gumdrops. Definitely unexpected. Finish:
long again but once again, this ‘young
fruitiness’ is strange in an
old Clynelish. Something from the
sherry? Comments: very, very good
but below the stunning casks #8912
and 8914 by the same excellent bottler.
It’s as if this cask was more
inactive. SGP:533 - 87 points. |
| Clynelish
23 yo 1974/1998 (59.1%, Rare Malts)
Colour: straw. Nose: this baby is
more brutal, more spirity, rougher
and also a little more coastal (brine).
It hasn’t got the other ones’
roundness and expressiveness but it’s
true that it’s also ten years
younger. Kirsch, tincture of iodine,
lemon juice, then more classical notes
of wax and pollen plus wet rocks.
We’re already a bit in the style
of the 1980s. With water: oh, this
is bizarre, this one does not swim
quite as well as its eldest bros but
it’s still a champion. More
grass, more wax, more orange zests.
Mouth (neat): once again, it’s
a tad aggressive a very first sipping
but the profile is so perfect –
provided you like this kind of course
– that it instantly wins. Once
again, we’re closer to the early
1980s in style, with the waxiness
more to the front and less straight
fruitiness. A lot of lemon though,
and quite some grass and liquorice
wood as well. Big malt whisky! With
water: superb! Everything’s
into position, perfect. It takes water
much better than on the nose. Finish:
long, classic, Clynelish. Comments:
great dram, maybe a wee bit too young
when it was bottled in my opinion.
Yup, nit-picking. SGP:452
- 89 points. |
|
SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too
long for Twitter! ;-)) |
|
Alright, just like every year as soon
as Jim Murray publishes his new Whisky
Bible, several friendly whisky bloggers,
rebloggers and commentators start
to question with the best intentions
the use of numerical scores
for whisky. Same discussions all over
again since fifteen years, that old
chestnut is a bit depressing. Not!
;-) |
| Not
that it really matters but here’s
my take again (I can always copy-and-paste
it again next year ;-)). I’m
fine with ANY way of assessing whisky,
whether with or without numerical
scores, letters, stars, thumb’s
ups, glass icons, whoofs or barks.
Only two obligations in my opinion:
first, know a bit about whisky and
keep learning, and second, be honest
and, if possible, remain independent.
Oh, and don't be too serious! |
Why
I’m using numerical scores (that
system that's anything but perfect!):
- Because they’re a very easy
way of sorting whiskies for my own
use.
- Because it’s the easiest way
of summarizing a full-blown tasting
note.
- Because they’re widely used
in all sorts of fields and since a
very long time.
- Because Michael Jackson used them.
He was our Master.
- Because professional or amateur
tasters that I respect a lot use them.
That includes the Malt Maniacs.
- Because when you want to calculate
averages, especially within a team
of tasters, numerical scores come
very handy (mind you!) Just ask MS
Excel...
- Because they are very handy for
quickly comparing my feelings with
whisky chums.
- Because I doubt anybody would thoroughly
read thousands of ‘naked’
tasting notes while trying to find
out about which Littlemills or Ardbegs
the writer liked best.
- Because after a few hundred whiskies
from the same distillery, not tasted
at the same time of course, I like
to be able to check which ones I liked
best, for instance, even if there
can be variations over time (learning
curve…) Or the ones I should
try again
- Because many friends keep telling
me ratings are sometimes a bit useful.
- Because if it aint broken, I won't
try to fix it. |
Having
said that, I believe there are conditions:
- Never blindly follow a score if
you don’t know about the writer’s
tastes and experience/position. Independent?
Consultant? Industry people? Journalist?
Retailer? Consumer? Sherry lover?
Sherry hater? Amateur? Peat head?
Student? Master Blender? Newbie? Industry
blogger? Else?
- Remember that one single score is
nothing but the expression of one
guy’s opinion. It can't be science
(no, Mum & Dad, actually it IS
science).
- Always try to taste the whiskies
yourself. I see scores and notes as
suggestions as for what you may want
to try yourself, should our tastes
more or less match, certainly not
as suggestions regarding whiskies
of which you should instantly buy
bottles, cases or palettes.
- Scores summarize tasting notes and
do not replace them. Scores without
tasting notes or with just one or
two lines are much less useful, unless
you know the writer very, very well.
And I mean very well (for example,
we can exchange simple ratings amongst
Malt Maniacs because we know each
other very well).
- I certainly understand why some
people do not like numerical scores,
nothing is black or white and nothing
is perfect, and that's why I always
add simple stars as well (just don't
look at the scores then!) as well
as a short profile that I call the
SGP. I agree there can be some kind
of feeling of diktat behind scores
(or any other kind of mark) and I
agree that's the ugliest part of it.
- I'm still looking for a better system,
and so are many whisky lovers. |
| And
after all, is all that so important?
Let’s have fun
and only fun with whisky, even if
the fun may sometimes be a bit too
mumerical for our taste! Peace.
|
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
late master Claude
Nougaro does Dansez
sur moi live at the Theatre
Des Champs Elysees. Dazzling. Please
buy Claude Nougaro's music and never
forget him! |
 |
| |
|
October
8, 2009 |
|
|
| CONCERT
REVIEW
by Nick Morgan
SOULSAVERS
The Relentless Garage,
Highbury London
August 27th 2009
|
 |
| Isn’t
it great when someone plays you music
by a band that you’ve never
really heard before and you just fall
for it on the spot – like love
at first sight? Especially when it’s
one of your children. |
| That’s
what happened to me in the late summer
when I was lucky enough to hear some
pre-release tracks by the Soulsavers,
from their now released third album
Broken. So taken was I by the very
distinctive mournful groove that the
band set up that I went out the following
day and bought album number two: It’s
Not How Far You Fall, It’s the
Way You Land. This is an immense piece
of work which begins with ‘Revival’,
quite simply one of the most mesmerizing
songs I’ve heard in a long while.
If ever there was a plea for redemption
that we could all identify with, just
a little bit, then it’s in this
wonderfully powerful song. That it
comes from the pen and lips of Mark
Lanegan only gives the sentiment
added potency. Lanegan, former Screaming
Trees and Queens of the Stone Age
vocalist, one half of the Gutter
Twins, and recent collaborator
with former Belle and Sebastian singer
Isobel
Campbell, has, as they say, been
through the mill. His journey from
Seattle’s emerging grunge scene
to Stoke-on-Trent’s Soulsavers
has apparently taken him through more
than a generous helping of all of
the vices associated with ‘the
rock and roll lifestyle’; “I
drank so much sour whiskey I can hardly
see” go the lyrics of one of
his songs (‘One way street’
from 2001’s Field Songs), apparently
not so much of an understatement,.
Lanegan’s clean of addictions
for now, there’s no drinking
on stage, and apparently the after-show
parties aren’t a lot of fun.
But his singing is enough to stop
you in your tracks, and if anything
it’s better on stage than on
the record. |
| And
who are these Soulsavers? Hard to
say, really. Originally a production
and re-mixing duo from the Potteries,
with a penchant for the electronic,
they are Rich Machin and Ian Glover,
who also have a successful sideline
in writing film-scores. Their collaboration
with Lanegan extends to their last
two albums but has also brought in
a host of other writers, musicians
and vocalists, including Will Oldham,
Richard Hawley, Jason Pierce and fellow-contributor’s
to the latter’s Spiritualized.
But in terms of style they have come
a long way from their first album,
and Broken has a distinctive guitar-led
earthy blues sound which is even more
emphatic performed live. Rich Warren,
sometime of Spiritualized, Starsailor
and The
Cold Light of Day contributes
much of the guitar on the last two
albums, and is on stage wielding a
frighteningly effective Fender Jaguar
along with Machin (playing rhythm
guitar and keyboards), and bass player
Martyn
Lenoble, Red
Ghost on keyboards and vocals,
and a sadly unidentified drummer.
It’s Warren who almost steals
the show with an insistent and aggressive
performance that almost takes over
from where Marc Ford, playing with
Booker T Jones a few weeks before,
left off. There’s lot of tremolo
arm action, even more near-feedback
and plenty of power. But that’s
to discount Lanegan, apparently a
foolish thing to do: “I would
want Mark on my side in a street brawl.
He’s one of those guys”
said bassist Duff McKagan in an interview
last year. |
| Lanegan
follows the band onto the stage and
takes a position in the centre which
he occupies, almost unmoving, for
the whole set. He’s not brawling,
but he’s a big man, a powerful
brooding figure swathed in shadow,
who says nothing until he finally
leaves the stage, post-encore, with
a gruff but not grudging “Thanks
very much”. The recently-refurbished
Garage at Highbury Corner, it’s
actually called the Relentless Garage
but the only relentless thing about
it is the heat, is full of record
company types (one of whom very kindly
got me the ticket, a rare piece of
ligging on the part of your reviewer)
and Lanegan adorers. They’re
waiting for him, and although the
gig only lasts sixty minutes they’re
not to be disappointed. |
 |
| Any
longer might either have been overwhelming,
or over-doing it. The timing was perfect.
As was Lanegan’s gloomy growl
of a voice, as the band worked through
songs from the last two albums, with
the addition of an unlikely ZZ Top
cover, Jesus Just Left Chicago. Highlights?
Well certainly Oldham’s ‘You’ll
miss me when I burn’, Gene Clark’s
‘Some misunderstanding’
and ‘Unbalanced pieces’,
all from Broken. But the two special
moments for me were ‘Jesus of
nothing’ and the final encore,
the aforementioned ‘Revival’.
And it’s all about the intensity
of the voice, matched by Warren’s
tormented guitar. You know, there
are times when you can hear more than
echoes of the Alabama
3 in the sound of the Soulsavers,
and you could occasionally think that
Lanegan is pulling off a mean Larry
Love impersonation. But for all their
faux menace and outlaw behaviour there’s
never a joke too far away in an A3
performance; that’s part of
their appeal. There are no jokes with
Lanegan and the Soulsavers. When Lanegan
pleads for a revival, and for “this
dark night to be done’, he really
means it. - Nick Morgan. |
| Listen
(and watch): Soulsavers featuring
Mark Lanegan, promo clip for 'Revival'
|
|
 |
TASTING
OLD YOUNG AND NEW OLD BENRIACH |
| Benriach
1969 (40%, G&M Connoisseurs Choice,
Old Map label, +/-1985)
An older 1969 at 12yo under the old
‘brown label’ was great,
so this one should be a worthy sparring
partner for the new official 1976.
Colour: dark gold. Nose: not all these
old indie Benriachs were very fruity
but this one is! Superb profile, all
on fresh oranges mixed with fresh
mint leaves at first nosing. It gets
then rather drier, with some cocoa
and coffee, various herbal teas as
well as plain tea, but also various
tropical fruits that glimmer in the
background, mainly mangos and passion
fruits. All that isn’t too big
of course but this oldie’s freshness
is quite stunning. Mouth: greatest
of news, it’s not weakish nor
tired, rather vibrantly fruity, with
this very peculiar blend of fresh
tropical fruits (again, mangos, tangerines,
passion fruits and oranges) with many
soft spices (oh well, you name them).
There’s also a little honey
and just a very faint tiny-wee dustiness
that one may find in some of these
old CCs. Finish: surprisingly long,
with more herbs now, such as parsley
and even thyme. An extra-dimension,
great! Too bad it looses steam in
your glass after ten minutes, and
gets drier and maybe a tad soapy.
Comments: to be honest, it’s
not as big a Benriach as my notes
may suggest but excellent it is –
for ten minutes. A few more degrees
would have propelled it over 90, no
doubt. SGP:630 - 89 points.
|
| Benriach
1976/2009 (51.6%, OB for LMdW, hogshead,
cask #3551, 160 bottles)
Colour: full gold.
Nose: the 1969 but at cask strength,
punto basta. Actually, there’s
a little less mint and a little more
fresh fruits (same as above plus bananas)
as well as a little more oak. Globally,
it’s superb, as expected. Water
isn’t needed but let’s
try… With water: more mint and
other fresh herbs. Some farmy notes
too. Mouth (neat): oh yeah, it’s
a 1976 Benriach. The oak is quite
obvious but the rest is a fruity symphony,
led by all citrus fruits. Don’t
worry, I’ll spare you further
crappy musical analogies. With water:
oh does it swim well! The best fruit
salad. Finish: maybe a little drying
but long and superbly balanced. Passion
fruits, mangos, oranges and a little
honey. Maybe hints of Turkish delights.
Comments: exquisite, as expected.
Maybe a tad sharper than earlier official
1976s. SGP:831 - 92 points.
|
| |
|
October
7, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW BOWMORE |
| Bowmore
15 yo 'Darkest' (43%, OB, +/-2009)
The old Darkest, that had no age statement,
never quite convinced me (that’s
an understatement) but let’s
try this newer version, now at 15
years of age. It’s a sherry
finish. Colour: amber. Nose: hey hey,
this is quite nice! The sherry is
rather discreet while the peaty brine
is rather beautiful. No disturbing
notes of burnt rubber like in older
versions, rather a pleasant cleanliness
and hints of dried seaweed as well
as a few farmy notes (clean cow stable
– well…) Also a little
leather and raisins. Well made. Mouth:
round, starting on chocolaty peat
(eh?) and bitter orange marmalade
and developing more on cake and spices.
Pepper. Some overripe apples in the
background and a little caramel. Faint
leather and tobacco. Finish: medium
long, with a distinct saltiness and
maybe a little more sherry. A tad
rounder but there’s quite some
pepper in the aftertaste. And peat,
of course. Comments: amazing how the
Darkest improved since… err,
eight years or so. Its balance is
particularly impressive. SGP:456
- 86 points. (ouch, just
checked that I already tried a 2007
version, that I had at 87. Oh well…) |
| Bowmore
10 yo 'Tempest' (56.3%, OB, first
fill bourbon, Batch #1, 2009)
Colour: gold. Nose: punchy, clean,
crisp, peaty, coastal, mineral and
slightly lemony. Not aggressive, flawless
– so far. With water: this is
interesting, it gets rather more spirity
and aggressive when diluted, as if
water had unleashed some kind of tincture
or iodine and mercurochrome (is that
the ‘tempest’?). But it’s
soon to calm down, getting more complex,
with aromas that are usually to be
found in much older Islayers, such
as camphor and pu-erh tea. Mouth (neat):
the most superb combination of peat,
lemon, pepper and iodine that one
could taste, with a few spices from
the oak in the background (the usual
nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger). It’s
no overly complex whisky but once
again, the balance is impressive.
And it’s so drinkable at cask
strength! With water: once again,
complexity arrives with water. More
herbs and even pine resin, the only
thing that’s just a tad disturbing
is a slight ‘new oak’
note (a little too much ginger/nutmeg
for my taste). But that’s nothing.
Finish: long, clean and perfectly
balanced once again. And very fresh.
Maybe a tad sweeter than before (marmalade?)
Comments: it’s great that the
Distillery joined the many independents
who already issued superb young clean
Bowmores in recent times, even if
this Tempest is a little sweeter than
most. A lovable 10yo. SGP:457
- 88 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
remember the 1970s, when Hare Krishna
people used to wander in the streets
selling some kind of devotional
music on cassettes and LPs? The
band Rasa was one
of the most successful at the time,
and I'd bet Jamiroquai or Simply
Red listened to Everything
You See Is Me back in 1978!
Please buy Rasa's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
6, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE NEW PORT ELLEN |
| Port
Ellen 29 yo 1979/2009 (53.8%, Douglas
Laing, Platinum, for World Duty Free,
261 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts raw and
slightly sour, ‘close to the
mash’, with some lemon, yoghurt,
fresh almonds and wet rocks. Noses
certainly younger than almost 30yo.
Oh, and quite some peat of course.
Gets pretty cleaner after a few minutes,
more on fresh walnuts and marzipan
as well as a little camphor. Yes,
an improvement! With water: typical
high-end Port Ellen, need I say more?
Beach under the rain, sheep, wet grass,
raw peated barley, the sea…
That’s right, Islay. Mouth (neat):
excellent attack, compact, peaty and
almondy with quite some lemon as well.
Superbly resinous in a certain way,
clean, fresh and punchy but starting
to get more rounded around the corners.
Develops mainly on apple peeling and
fresh walnuts. Superb, in fact! No
mashy notes whatsoever. Grows more
lemony, kind of sharper and zestier
after that. Another restless PE. With
water: more salt, more pine resin,
more lemon marmalade, more walnut
liqueur, more fresh putty. Exceptional
balance. Finish: it’s maybe
not the longest PE I ever tried but
everything is in place. Nutshell:
lemon, peat, salt and almonds. Comments:
one of the best Port Ellens I could
try this year. It’s a tad slow
at the start but then… What
a trip indeed. SGP:447 - 93
points. (Thanks a bunch,
Billy!) |
| Port
Ellen 27 yo 1982/2009 (58.6%, Signatory
for LMdW, Collectors’ Edition,
cask #1523, 229 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: a much rounder
and more polished version, unusually
fruity for a Port Ellen, with rather
beautiful notes of fresh oranges and
passion fruits. Port Ellen, really?
Actually, it does remind me of some
older vintages such as 1969, which
is great, great news. The peat is
toned down like in these old Islayers
that we like so much (Laphroaig 10,
anyone?) Smells more and more like
peated blood oranges, should that
exist. After a few minutes: gets more
austere and a little closed, with
much less fruits. Strange! With water:
oooh, it woke up! Cow stable, dried
seaweed, very old leather grease and
tiny-wee hints of new tyres, typical
of many PEs. Entrancing whisky, what
a movie! Mouth (neat): we’re
very close to the 1979 now, only a
little more polished. It’s also
a little smoother despite the higher
strength, but a big PE it is. Superb
compactness, with the peat to the
front and a wide array of pepper and
other spices on second row. All that
works perfectly well. Gets then even
more powerful and even nervous, with
quite some iodine, lime and plain
salt. Amazing how it grows bigger
and bigger over time. It’s a
giant! With water: please call the
anti-maltoporn brigade. A wild beast.
Finish: very long, actually a little
too rough and youngish at 27yo. I’m
not kidding. Comments: lots happening
in this one – it’s a true
movie-malt. A thriller-malt? SGP:358
- 93 points. |
| Pe1
(58.7%, Specialty Drinks, Elements
of Islay, 2009, 50cl)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: I must say
I’m not surprised the good people
at TWE/Specialty Drinks chose a sherried
version, and what a version. A lot
of chocolate at very first nosing,
then a little gunpowder, then the
same kinds of fruits as in the 1982,
only dried or crystallised instead
of fresh. There’s also quite
some wildness behind all that, with
a little game and quite some balsamic
vinegar. Quite some ham too. State
of the art sherried PE so far. With
water: warning, you have to like this
kind of profile! Indeed, it got very
different, with something like clams
plus well-hung game, before it settled
down a bit with more fresh almonds
and marzipan. Even praline. What a
rollercoaster! Mouth (neat): you can’t
tame a good PE, can you? It’s
as if the spirit refused the sherry’s
influence on the palate! There is
some sherry, of course, but the spirit
is that big that the wine’s
influence gets sort of peripheral
(do you see what I mean?) A very nervous
PE, zesty, lemony, wild, herbal, biting…
It’s the wildest of them all
despite the sherry cask. With water:
appeased, on high-end Cuban cigar,
bitter chocolate, coffee and Corinth
raisins. Hey hey, the sherry stroke
back! Finish: endless, with a little
mint and many other flavours. Splendid
retro-olfaction. Comments: a huge
whisky in a little bottle (wasn’t
that too easy, S.?) SGP:468
– 93 points. |
| Conclusion:
some PEs can be, well, not too nice
(sometimes sulphury), but today it
was an unquestionable strike. Sure
I could have tried to split hairs
and come up with different scores
but to do that I’d have needed
decimals. We’re not there yet!
(and I hope we’ll never be!)
I’ll try the new 30yo OB later
on… |
| |
|
October
5, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE NEW BENROMACH |
| Benromach
10 yo (43%, OB, 2009)
The first 10yo entirely distilled
by the current owners, Gordon &
MacPhail, who bought the little but
valiant distillery from Diageo in
the late 1990s. Colour: gold. Nose:
it’s a characterful spirit,
starting with typical farmy and malty
notes as well as quite some grass
and tea plus a little peat smoke.
Goes on with notes of vanilla custard,
chamomile, quite some liquorice wood,
a little porridge and then a bigger
grassiness that goes very well with
the general profile. Mustard. A style
that’s a little ‘old skool’,
very pleasantly so. And good news
that they didn’t try to dope
it with overactive wood! It does remind
me a bit of the old Banff actually.
Mouth: even more unusual than on the
nose, with an attack on liquorice,
mustard again, blackcurrant jelly
(containing little sugar) and a leathery
dryness as well as a faint saltiness.
It’s also quite farmy again,
organic in the organoleptic sense
of the word, getting finally a little
roasted and sweeter. Coffee beans.
Finish: surprisingly long, with a
good deal of green peatiness and hints
of white rum. Cane sugar in the aftertaste.
Comments: a lot of individuality and
an excellent old style malt, more
a Highlander than a Speysider. SGP:453
- 87 points. |
| Benromach
'Organic Special Edition' (43%, OB,
2009)
There’s been a first ‘organic’
in 2006, this one is a new batch.
Colour: gold. Nose: sweeter and rounder
than the 10yo at first nosing, with
what seems to be more wood influence
with typical gingery and nutmeggy
tones. The profile is also a little
simpler and more on cereals. Unusual
notes of cumin, quite a lot of cardamom
too, scented candles. Vanilla, roasted
maize. Very interesting and rather
unusual but the 10yo has more class
in my opinion – so far. Mouth:
to tell you the truth, this one is
having troubles after the 10. It’s
less full and it does lack a bit of
coherence. Curious combination of
fresh fruits (raspberries), mead,
sweet spices (mulled wine mix), ginger
and a faint dustiness. Don’t
get me wrong, it’s actually
quite pleasant and interesting but
once again, the 10 was mucho classier.
Finish: pretty long but the oak gets
bigger, with quite some nutmeg and
even more ginger. Unexpected notes
of raspberry liqueur in the aftertaste.
Comments: good and unusual but once
again, it had trouble after the 10.
I also seem to remember that I liked
the first organic a little better
(85). SGP:441 - 83 points.
|
| Benromach
2002/2009 'Sassicaia Finish' (45%,
OB)
Finished for two years in that Supertuscan’s
casks. Colour: pale apricot. Nose:
less presence than both the 10 and
the organic and a vinosity that’s
there but not wham-bam at all, probably
not first fill Sassicaia wood (good
news if it’s true, I say). Other
than that it’s rather rounded,
mildly fruity malt, displaying some
of the 10’s main markers (grass,
a little mustard, a little smoke,
tea). It’s nice. Mouth: once
again, no excessive vinosity but there
are some notes of fruit drops indeed.
Strawberries, raspberries… and
other berries. A little sour, all
that coming from the casks, most probably.
I liked the nose better. Finish: rather
long but getting a little too tannic
and sour for my taste. Comments: I
think red wine wood is always very
tricky to handle. This one isn’t
bad at all, but the others were much
more to my liking. The 10yo is a whisky
I’ll buy. SGP:551 -
78 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
for Michel, Marion
Brown and this magnificent
Solo
that was on the album 'Reeds 'n
Vibes' that he recorded in 1978
with Gunter Hampel. Please buy Marion
Brown's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
4, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW DALMORE
Kings of twittered and facebooked
PR blitzkrieg (copyright the excellent
Tim Forbes over at The
Whisky Exchange Blog) Whyte &
Mackay have just issued two lavishly
packaged new Dalmores. Let’s
see what gives. |
| Dalmore
18 yo (43%, OB, Matusalem sherry finish,
2009)
According to the info sheet, comes
in a 'Robust top loader box with
an innovative lid that becomes a bottle
plinth in cobalt blue/purple with
silver graphic and detail.' Enough
to make The GlenWonka blue, I mean
green with envy. Colour: pale amber.
Nose: the wine strikes first here,
with typical mildly sour and slightly
sulphury notes at first nosing. The
good news is that they’re soon
to vanish, leaving room for more straight
Dalmoreness, that is to say notes
of chocolate, malt and oranges. Orange
squash, ganache, blood oranges and
just hints of strawberry jam. It’s
still a bit vinous in fact but nothing
too much. Keeps developing on fresh
walnuts and a little ginger tonic
– and Campari. The more you
wait, the cleaner it gets. Nice nose.
Mouth: not big but balanced and a
little antique in style, starting
with notes of lavender and violet
sweets, then the expected oranges
and a delicate oakiness. Falls a bit
after that, with a middle that’s
maybe a tad thin. Some winey notes
glimmer in the background. Finish:
not very long but a bit bolder again,
with quite some cloves and dried oranges.
Little winey notes at this point.
Comments: good Dalmore, just a tad
too winey for my taste. I believe
it would benefit from three or four
more % abv. More or less in the same
league as the good Dalmore King Alexander
III. SGP:441 – 83 points.
|
| Dalmore
1981/2009 'Amoroso Sherry Finesse
' (42%, OB, Amoroso finish, 484 bottles)
What a name! According to the info
sheet, this one comes in a 'Very
Heavy, premium, innovative solid acrylic
cocoon style box'. Cocoon? The
movie? Colour: amber. Nose: much less
vinous than the 18 at first nosing,
and much more complex it seems. Whiffs
of old roses, tinned litchis, loads
of fresh oranges and tangerines, maybe
a little tamarind, musk, then the
same kinds of notes of ginger tonic/cinchona
as in the 18. The whole is very fresh,
very elegant and maybe a little feminine.
Very beautiful. Mouth: excellent attack,
extremely well balanced, fresh, fruity,
clean and vibrant. Excessively coherent
with its nose, with exactly the same
aromas/flavours, which does not happen
too often. Please re-read above. Finish:
medium long, just as clean and fruity
as before. Loads of blood oranges
and just a little dry oak in the aftertaste.
Comments: many of W&M’s
malts are finished these days but
their ubiquitous and engaging master
blender is not. SGP:531 -
88 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
Barbara's
Hop
là. Nuff said. Please
buy Barbara's music. |
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October
2, 2009 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
THE RHYTHM FESTIVAL
(part two)
Twinwood Arena, Bedford,
August 21st-23rd 2009 |
| There’s
probably always one thing that sticks
in your memory about a weekend like
this, and sad to say on this occasion,
it was abject sound engineering on
the main stage, which plagued performers
throughout. Glenn
Tilbrook was the first
to fall foul of this on Friday, when
he performed with his Fluffers, an
engaging and lively set that ranged
from material from their new album
Pandemonium Ensues, to classics from
his Squeeze back catalogue. Mr Tilbrook
has always struck me as one of music’s
more genial characters, but his increasing
frustration with the inability of
the sound crew (who for much of the
Festival had the appearance of frightened
rabbits) to get the stage sound right
was evident for all to see. Thankfully,
that didn’t stop him, according
to my notebook, from playing his guitar
with his arse, an unusual technical
accomplishment that I seem to have
erased from my memory. More sound
chaos ensued with Friday night headliners
The
Proclaimers, who were
still very capable of captivating
a crowd with tight harmonies and well-chosen
material from their new album Notes
and Rhymes, their hits such as ‘I
would walk 500 miles’, and their
covers, such as an electric treatment
of Wreckless Eric’s ‘Whole
wide world’. But their road
manager spent much of the set glowering
across at the sound desk who struggled
with monitor levels, in the sort of
threatening way large six-foot-plus
Scots can have when they put their
mind to it. Saturday’s headliners,
Alabama
3, ended up doing the
mixing themselves. Thus, harmonica
player and tapes man, the permanently
anxious-looking Mountain of Love spent
as much time at the desk as he did
on the front of the stage. Nonetheless,
and despite a looming curfew (a result
of the time it had taken to get the
sound at least passable for them to
take the stage), they turned in a
characteristically high-energy set;
Larry Love ended the evening leading
the crowd in some community singing
when the band were prevented from
returning for an encore. Drawing on
classics from Exile on Coldharbour
Lane, the set also featured songs
from MOR and Outlaw, and a couple
of tracks from their forthcoming album
Revolver Soul (co-produced, apparently,
by ex-bassist Mr Segs), which they
will be touring later in the year. |
Glen
Tilbrook
A Proclaimer
D-Wayne
Love (Alabama 3)
Larry
Love (Alabama 3)
|
| Other
festival highlights? Well, Nick
Harper’s solo set featured
some interesting songs played in an
unusual open-tuned flamenco style,
with singing-cum-rapping and fadoesque
lyrics. The
Demon Barbers, despite their plaudits,
only served to remind me what was
wrong with a lot of so-called ‘folk-rock’.
The Photographer wandered off and
found herself having a very nice chat
with Jacqui
McShee, who with husband Gerry
Conway, keyboards player Spencer Cozens
and others turned in a tidy set as
Jacqui
McShee’s Pentangle. The
Strawbs’ ‘acoustic’
(let’s ignore the booming bass
pedals that also seemed to act as
an orchestron of sorts) sadly confirmed
all my prejudices about the outfit;
apologies to any Strawbs fans reading
this. And Dave Cousins’ tea-bag
dyed hair was almost as ghastly as
the music. The
Blow Monkeys had feedback problems
and their AWB-style groove seemed
out of place at six o’clock
on a very hot Saturday afternoon.
The
Beat, led by an impossibly
high-energy Ranking Roger and his
son Ranking Junior (who was struggling
to keep up with his dad), were fantastic:
I’d forgotten just what great
songs ‘Mirror in the bathroom’
and ‘Too nice to talk to’
were. Eric
Bell, one-time lead guitarist
with Thin Lizzy is best described
as a disappointment, even fluffing
his most famous riff, the memorable
introduction to ‘Whisky in the
jar’. And the excellent James
Hunter? Well, he closed
the weekend for us, but seemed totally
out of place in Sunday’s late
afternoon sunshine: his unique take
on R&B is night-time music. But
he turned out a typically tight and
perfectly-sung set which got the crowd
dancing, with Alvin Youngblood Hart
admiring Hunter’s impossible
guitar technique from the side of
the stage. And I noticed that some
of his band’s kids were having
a great and no doubt rare time enjoying
their Dads’ playing. |
The Photographer
with Jacqui McShee
Dave Cousins
Ranking Roger
James Hunter |
| Of
course there was a lot more going
on besides all of this, what with
digital circuses, solar cinemas, therapy
zones and the like, in addition to
all the bars. A limited range of food
providers produced some decent enough
grub, and lurking among the Nissen
huts were some gloriously tranquil
and perfectly clean cloakrooms (who
ever heard of electric hand driers
at a rock festival?). The ever-optimistic
promoter Jim Driver was already selling
tickets for next
year’s event before
this one had finished, so who knows,
we may be back next year, too.-
Nick Morgan (performance photographs
by Kate) |
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| |
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TASTING
TWO RECENT FINISHED BALVENIES |
| Balvenie
14 yo 'Cuban Selection' (43%, OB,
Cuban rum finish, 2009)
Colour: gold. Nose: this baby does
not start on Balvenie’s usual
honeyed and flowery notes but rather
on distinct notes of rum and a faint
smokiness, rather unusual in Balvenie.
It’s also rather malty, with
hints of roasted peanuts and a little
cake, then hints of Guinness. Not
a big malt on the nose but it’s
all nicely balanced and well composed,
with some dried fruits coming through
after a while. A little undemanding
but, once again, very pleasant. Mouth:
sweet, rounded, easy, then rather
nervous, with quite some candy sugar.
Other than that we have malt, nougat,
a little caramel and just hints of
honey sauce, then notes of tea and
a slight grassiness. Salted vanilla
toffee. I wouldn’t say this
one is a complex malt but coherent
and pleasant it is. Finish: medium
long, on sweetened tea, with some
rum in the aftertaste. Comments: a
very good ‘commercial’
malt whisky that nobody will dislike,
not even the girl next door ;-). SGP:431
– 85 points. |
| Balvenie
17 yo 'Madeira Cask' (43%, OB, Madeira
finish, 2009)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this one
starts much drier than the Cuban and
even farer from Balvenie’s usual
smooth profile. It isn’t vinous
as such, rather on leather and green
tea, with even a little balsamic vinegar
and something that may resemble a
faint peatiness, probably from the
Madeira. After a few minutes: more
notes of herbal tea and even tobacco
(newly opened pack of blond cigarettes)
as well as whiffs of shoe polish.
Just like the Cuban, it’s perfectly
composed and the finishing is anything
but overwhelming here. More leather
after a few minutes. Mouth: this is
funny, it was drier than the Cuban
on the nose but it’s sweeter
on the palate, with more wine influence
this time. Notes of strawberries and
oranges as well as just wee hints
of bubblegum. Icing sugar, orange
squash, marshmallows. Gets then drier
again, with more herbal tea (very
dry ones such as cherry stem or peach
tree leaves and so on). Just a little
honey. Finish: medium long, with obvious
vinosity and tannicity but all that
is under control. Comments: very,
very nice nose, the palate is a little
less enjoyable for my taste. I liked
the Cuban a little better globally.
SGP:451 – 84 points.
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October
1, 2009 |
|
|
| CONCERT
REVIEW
by Nick Morgan
THE RHYTHM FESTIVAL
(part one)
Twinwood Arena, Bedford,
August 21st-23rd 2009
It’s
festival time. We’ve given
Cropredy a miss, probably a bad
move as it happens. The line-up
there (for a change) was first rate,
the weather fantastic (despite the
presence of Richard Thompson, who
traditionally acts as a rain-magnet),
and the performances (so I’m
told) top-notch. |
 |
| Instead,
we’ve returned to the friendly
Rhythm Festival, which despite low
attendances last year, and other festivals
falling by the wayside due to poor
ticket sales, has managed to stagger
on. There don’t seem to be many
people here this year, although as
I’ve observed before, the Twinwood
Arena can easily soak up a large number
of people without seeming very full.
|
The
two campsites are fairly busy, but
we still managed to get a good spot
for the Whiskyfun Teepee (yep, that’s
what the recession can do for you)
and Jozzer pitched his next door.
|
 |
| You’ll
probably remember the Twinwood Arena:
a former RAF base, famous as Glen
Miller’s point of departure
for his fateful journey into oblivion,
and which serves as a venue for events,
as a second world-war museum and as
shrine to the memory of the lost band-leader.
It’s full of surprises, and
it’s full of beer, which is
just as well; last year, if my memory
doesn’t fail me, they ran out
of ale early on Sunday afternoon.
In this year of the ‘staycation’
there’s a very British holiday
atmosphere to the place: beer with
bacon for breakfast, followed by beer;
beer and burgers for lunch, followed
by more beer, then beer and biryani
for dinner, followed by a few glasses
of you-know-what. Actually that’s
not quite true. For some, it’s
cider and cereal for breakfast, followed
by cider; cider and sausages for lunch,
followed by more cider, then cider
and succotash for dinner. The wonderfully
diverse bunch of characters that we
came across (sadly, all their nicknames,
awarded by the start of day two, are
unprintable) stayed in fairly good
order; the Photographer having to
bark at only one rather hapless intoxicate.
When things did get slightly out of
hand, the miscreants, a team of stewards
and the police ended up providing
a wonderful Sunday morning comedy
half-hour, causing most of the main
campsite to lay down their newspapers,
turn off the Archers on the radio,
and adjust the position of their fishing
chairs for a ringside view. Maybe
it was street theatre? |
 |
Oli
Brown |
| It’s
an equally diverse bill which includes
the up-and-coming and the over and
out. In the former category was frighteningly
youthful blues guitarist
Oli
Brown, who played a passable
set with his band on Friday, but seemed
a little out of place on such a big
stage faced with a relatively small
audience. Veteran pub rockers Eddie
and the Hot Rods probably
fall into the latter category, but
no-one had told either cadaverous
vocalist Barrie Masters, or ace guitarist
and Whiskyfun fan Richard Holgarth,
who together delivered a blistering
performance on Saturday afternoon
under equally blistering sunshine.
There was also less reliance on big
names from the United States, perhaps
given that in 2008, some had performed
so lamentably badly. |
| However,
Gandalf
Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of
Dreams have returned
as festival favourites, openers and
closers, following their sterling
efforts in the rain last year. I have
to say I’m not quite sure what
all the enthusiasm was about. Wonderful
festival fodder, perfectly pleasant
but perfectly ordinary (despite the
name) would be my conclusion. Original
material that nonetheless trawls through
a very obvious series of largely American
influences, ranging from Dylan to
Diamond, with a touch of Johnny Cash
and Tom Petty in between. It’s
nice, but not going anywhere. Perhaps
I’m missing the point, or maybe
it’s just that their faux hippyism
stirred a distant fond memory in the
ale- and cider-fuddled minds of the
largely fifty-something audience,
prompting their astonishing generosity. |
Jozia
Longo (Gandalf Murphy) |
| Of
more interest was Alvin
Youngblood Hart, who
began his Sunday afternoon set firmly
in North Mississippi Hill Country
Blues style. He then moved through
an eclectic selection of songs, using
a wonderful collection of guitars
including a lovely Harmony Bobkat,
and took in urban blues, country and
western and what used to be called
blues-rock (in a very British vein).
Despite a heavy cold (“This
swine flu’s whooping my ass,
man”) and some odd tuning from
his guitar tech, he turned in a lovely
cameo performance; in short, a big
recommendation. If you can’t
get to see him live then you can see
him sing a couple of songs in the
commendable Wim Wenders movie, ‘The
soul of a man’. Equally worth
seeking out is the smart-suited and
distinctly coiffured Terry
Reid, one of the great
nearly-men of rock and roll, and for
many years a permanent resident of
the USA (not that he hasn’t
lost a very cheeky English conversational
style of presentation). Reid is one
of the great rock voices, as he demonstrated
in his Saturday evening set. You may
remember we saw him last year at a
disastrous gig with Mick Taylor (Reid
was far from being the culprit, but
fell victim, like the audience, to
a spat between Taylor and drummer
Mitch Mitchell). Here he’s with
his own band, his own songs, some
beautiful guitars and a hot-rod Telecaster
merchant, Ed
Rainey, to whom he’s happy
to give a lot of space. There’s
a strangely morose (not to say frankly
slushy) feel to much of his more recent
material (odd, given the irrepressible
nature of the singer), and sadly,
a sense that his still remarkable
voice could do with some better and
less ponderous songs. |
Alvin
Youngblood Hart
Terry Reid |
 |
TASTING
– TWO PEATY THREE YEARS OLD
(and two first!) |
| Kornog
'Taouarc'h Kentan' (57.1%, OB, Glann
ar Mor Distillery, Brittany)
Kornog is the peated version of Glann
ar Mor and this one is the first cask
ever bottled. The malt had been peated
to 35ppm, distilled in traditional
direct-fired (hear, hear) pot stills
and matured for a little more than
three years in a bourbon barrel in
the distillery’s warehouse on
Brittany’s north coast. Two
famous professional tasters –
sorry, no names - have already tried
it and were flabbergasted. Colour:
straw. Nose: the first two words that
come to mind are ‘balance’
and ‘freshness’ –
and peat, of course. Kind of a slightly
cleaner version of a seven or eight
years old Ardbeg, with something medicinal
(embrocations, bandages), obvious
whiffs of sea breeze, iodine and seaweed
and a light fruitiness that reminds
me of a very good cider. There’s
also some wax, a little engine oil,
fresh walnuts and almonds and just
touches of vanilla. With water: more
marzipan and fresh putty like in some
much, much older Islayers, even a
little camphor. It gets also more
widely phenolic, with a little turpentine,
ink and diesel oil. Funny hints of
bergamot in the background. Mouth
(neat): excellent attack, balanced
once again but potent, with more fruits
than on the nose (hints of pineapple
and pear drops that come from its
young age, maybe even kiwi) and kind
of a sweet peatiness that makes it
very quaffable at cask strength –
provided you like peat. Notes of oysters
that remind me of Caol Ila this time,
and quite some salt too. Smoked salted
almonds. With water: more pine resin,
maybe from the wood, as well as a
little lemon and quite some marzipan.
Finish: long, mostly peaty and resinous,
which makes for a beautiful combo.
Some lemon and salt in the aftertaste.
Comments: a brilliant achievement,
too bad there’s only one cask
(a general release at 46% abv will
be out in November). More Islay-like
than all Scottish Islay-like Highlanders
in my view, highly recommended if
you enjoy seriously peated whiskies
– and if you can find it! SGP:447
- 87 points. |
| Kilchoman
2006/2009 (61.1%, OB for Whisky Live
Paris, fresh bourbon, cask 232/2006)
This is the first ‘pure bourbon’
version of Kilchoman, the inaugural
release at 46% abv having been finished
in sherry casks. This baby was first
poured at the opening ‘Icons
of Whisky’ dinner at Whisky
Live Paris last Friday and pulled
enthusiastic comments from most of
the audience. Colour: white wine.
Nose: this one is just as peaty as
the Kornog if not more, and rather
wilder and rougher around the edges.
Very hot at more than 60% abv but
not unbearable, with even more iodine
and a much more obvious farmy character
(wet hay, farmyard after the rain
and all that jazz). It’s also
a little less medicinal than the Kornog.
With water: goes on in the same direction,
very peaty, half-farmy, half-coastal.
And iodine, mercurochrome, even more
whiffs of damp farmyard… Mouth
(neat): once again, this is bigger
and less civilised than the Kornog,
even if we’re well in the same
kind of family. Apples, salt and all
kinds of smoked things (your pick).
It’s even rather kippery, and
also a little less farmy than on the
nose now. Rather big saltiness. With
water: absolutely excellent now considering
its age, peaty, fruity (cooked apples)
and always very salty. Finish: long,
peated, calms down a bit. Always this
farminess. Comments: the Kornog is
a little more mature and polished,
the Kilchoman tastes a little younger
and wilder. Both are of very high
quality and it’s absolutely
impossible for me to decide between
both. It’s a tie. SGP:358
– 87 points. |
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: a heavy month!
Benriach
1976/2009 (51.6%,
OB for LMdW, hogshead, cask #3551, 160 bottles)
Clynelish
32 yo 1971 (54.2%,
Whisky-Fässle, bourbon cask)
Clynelish
36 yo 1972/2009 (59.4%, Gordon &
MacPhail for LMdW, refill sherry hogshead, cask
#14301, 197 bottles)
Glendronach
37 yo 1972/2009 (53.3%,
OB for LMdW, oloroso sherry butt, cask #705,
275 bottles)
Highland
Park 1973/2001 (45.4%, OB,
cask #11151, 500 bottles)
The
Dragon 1973 (56.6%, Robertson, Kirkwall,
Highland Park, 75cl)
Highland
Park 18 yo 1972/1991 (56%, Dun Eideann,
Donato, cask #9017, 120 bottles)
Highland
Park 21 yo 1972/1994 (56.5%, Cadenhead,
Authentic Collection, sherrywood)
Port
Ellen 27 yo 1982/2009 (58.6%,
Signatory for LMdW, Collectors’ Edition,
cask #1523, 229 bottles)
Port
Ellen 29 yo 1979/2009 (53.8%, Douglas
Laing, Platinum, for World Duty Free, 261 bottles)
Pe1
(58.7%, Specialty Drinks, Elements
of Islay, 2009, 50cl)
Thomas
H. Handy (67.4%, OB, Straight Rye)
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