 |
 |
| Hi, you're in the Archives, September 2023 - Part 1 |
| |
| |
| |
September 7, 2023 |
|
  |
Just a few more Glen Garioch
We noticed yesterday that the quality of the recent vintages, at least those that the independents can get their hands on, was very high and resembled the rich and waxy style of some Northern Highlands. Let's continue, if you will.. |
Andrew Wood (Geograph) |
|
Glen Garioch 13 yo 2010/2023 (55.6%, Maltbarn, sherry cask, 168 bottles) 
Always a joy to try whisky from the ever-reliable and wonderfully unboisterous Maltbarn. Colour: gold. Nose: rather rich, fully on orange blossom water (baklavas and other oriental pastries) and warm beeswax, fresh putty, tarte tatin and some more regular apple pie, with a little praline, fudge, nougat, the expected walnut cake… With water: wonderful coffee and praline. Mouth (neat): intense, almost a little violent, very peppery for starters, a little astringent, with bitter nuts (almonds, walnuts), leaves and those bitter cider apples. Water should help. With water: it does indeed, this baby was tough on the palate when undiluted. Nutshell, more walnut cake, bitter marmalade and Walker's coffee toffee. No, no, we don't do any product placement on Whiskyfun, I promise, neither do we do any affiliation. Finish: still a little bitter and tough (cinnamon mints, chlorophyll) but we're more than fine. Comments: It's possible that the leafy sherry and the rather full-bodied whisky stepped on each other's toes a bit.
SGP:361 - 84 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 18 yo 2003/2021 (58.7, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #19.51, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 'Comfy and Cosy', 210 bottles) 
Looks like they've bottled a lot of Glen Garioch in 2021. Let's see if this sister cask is a god as yesterday's 19.62. Colour: pale gold. Nose: totally on green tea, apple peel, bitter zests and chalk when unreduced. I'm not finding it very 'comfy' this far. With water: terrific beetroots, gentian, new leather, celeriac, touch of 'good' soap brought by dilution (we shan't wait until it would go away)… Mouth (neat): tough and powerful, but pretty brilliant on the palate. Very punchy bitter oranges, squash, Schweppes', gin and tonic indeed, cardamom, juniper… Big boy. Comfy and cosy, really? Not too sure but we do love the SMWS's creativity as far as names are concerned. After all, they've been mentioning my own moustache wax a while back. With water: perfect, salty and lemony. Salted grapefruit juice, caipirinha… Finish: long, zesty, vigorous, chalky, lemon, waxy… Comments: it's not comfy and cosy at all in my book, but who cares, it's fab whisky. I suppose no one would buy it if they had written 'Dangerously Toxic' or anything like that.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 18 yo 2003/2021 (58.3, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #19.50, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 'A Special Treat', 186 bottles) 
Alright, they didn't rack their brains too much to come up with a name this time. Colour: straw. Nose: similar, but grassier and chalkier, as if the barrel had been a little less active, although I would also find traces of coconut wine. Let's see… With water: mint leaves, bay leaves, roots, waxes, fresh oak, celeriac… All that is perfect. Mouth (neat): who's just mentioned caipirinha? But this GG is actually ultra-tart when unreduced, it's almost concentrated lemon juice, with just a little barley syrup. With water: gentler exotic fruits coming out, bananas, mangos, papayas… It was a good barrel. Finish: long, zestier again, closer to #19.51, chalky, peppery, grassy, lemony… Comments: everyone will agree with the name this time; it truly is a special treat.
SGP:561 – 87 points. |
A little one from the old days… |
|
Glengarioch 1989/2010 (48.9%, Romantic Rhine Collection, sherry octave, cask #465377, 71 bottles)
Glengarioch, that's Duncan Taylor's way of writing Glen Garioch, is it not. Colour: rich gold. Nose: pure walnut cake, paraffin, mustard, tomato leaves, rubber, coffee dregs, a little compost, sawdust… A pretty rich nose from when those octaves could be a little 'too much' in my book. All the recent ones I could try have been rather gentler and, say better integrated. Mouth: rich, leafy, with a lot of liquorice, black tea, a lot of sweet thyme liqueur, cherry liqueur, cedarwood… Finish: long, spicier, with a little oak, otherwise those liqueurs, cherry, chartreuse, walnuts… Peppery aftertaste. Comments: a little extreme, a little anecdotal, but worth trying, absolutely. In fact, I like its power.
SGP:472 - 83 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 30 yo 1991/2022 (41.4%, Whisky Sponge, bourbon and Port, 175 bottles)
After twenty years in a Port barrique, I suppose you could safely state that this one was 'matured in Port wood', so let's not expect any pink oddities… Colour: amber. Nose: I would say between Madeira and Port, possibly even white Port. You're actually having the feeling of nosing a box of Partagas, plus some very old balsamico, coffee-schnapps, hoisin, some roasted sesame oil, American smoky barbecue sauce, walnut stain, soft soap, old leather polishes, a drop of marmite, some mocha… There really is a lot happening and all is beautiful, it is absolutely not a Porty Port. In short, no cassis. Mouth: perhaps a tad more, say organic and anarchic, with very heavy walnuts, amontillado, basalt, stone dusts, tobacco, salty bouillons, teriyaki sauce, glutamate, artichoke, Cynar… Old walnuts are clearly running the show here, some tough old armagnac as well. Finish: very long, on umami, bitter herbal liqueurs, Unicum, Underberg… Heavy chestnut honey and fir honeydew in the aftertaste. Comments: almost some sauce, a little insane, avant-garde, experimental… Love it because of that.
SGP:472 - 89 points. |
Alright, I think we've had a good little tour, we'll stop here, but let's just have one last old GG by The Sponge... |
|
Glen Garioch 33 yo 1988/2022 (44.6%, Whisky Sponge, refill hogshead, 145 bottles) 
Colour: light gold. Nose: exactly the opposite, this is all softness, complexity, gentleness, with some soft herbal teas, ripe fruits and many flowers. Mirabelles and chamomile, dandelions and quinces, touches of Barbour grease and ski wax, hints of patchouli, vetiver, benzoin, green oranges (Hermès's), overripe apples in the cellar, a drop of honeydew, a drop of pine resin, sauna oil… It is very complex indeed, in a fractal way, I'm afraid we could go on for ages. Mouth: some mentholy oak and green tea at first, with some honey inside, then some cough syrup, liquorice tea, lemon and cinnamon tea, half a cup of lapsang souchong (lightly tarry), leaves and pine needles, eucalyptus… Finish: medium, with almonds, menthol, citron and eucalyptus syrup. Comments: it feels like the wood and the distillate have been fighting for a good twenty years, that no one won in the end, and that peace was signed. It's a very nice feeling and a superb old Glen Garioch, unless you detest any hint of wood.
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
These Sponges have made for perfect encores. |
| |
September 6, 2023 |
|
|
Grouped shot with Glen Garioch |
Will Glen Garioch regain its unique peatiness that the distillery graced us with in the 1970s? And the splendid sherries of the 1960s? Let's taste a few, more or less at random, and try to find out… That said, there were also magnificent fat and fruity versions in the 1990s. Let's kick this off with youngest we have in the box… |
Anne Burgess (Geograph) |
|
Glen Garioch 5 yo 2012/2018 (50%, Scotland Grindlay's Selection, cask #1200002406, 236 bottles)
How young this was! Colour: pale white wine. Nose: slivovitz and umeshu, pears poached in sweet white wine, stout, Ovaltine, chicory coffee… With water: the barley's coming out, together with some vanillin and soft herbal teas. Mouth (neat): very sweet, and almost totally on ripe plums and pears. The eaux-de-vie made out of those fruits that we usually drink tend to be older, and always aged in glass; it's true that white eaux-de-vie benefit even more from bottle aging than spirits previously aged in wood. With water: eau-de-vie de barley. Finish: medium, a tad greener, grassier, quite some custard and sweet ale in the aftertaste. Comments: one of those intriguing modern youngsters that are better than they should be.
SGP:541 - 84 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 8 yo 2011/2020 (55%, Dram Mor, bourbon, cask #2697, 241 bottles, 2020)
Angus almost fell in love with this one a while back (WF 88). Colour: white wine. Nose: I understand why. It's a very crisp, clean, yet fattish Glen Garioch, with apples, gooseberries, mirabelles and lighter honeys (dandelion and acacia). Some fresh marzipan too, a pack of Mozart Kugeln, rather a lot of sesame oil, karite butter… This is the kind of fatness I was alluding to. With water: some rhubarb tarte, with custard and meringue please. Mouth (neat): more on raw lemons this time, cactus, fresh agave… It is both very zesty and fat, which is greatly… Meursaulty. With water: excellent, incredibly full-bodied, with lemon oil, chilli, honeycomb (lovely to chew on provided no bees are around). Finish: long, on granny smith drizzled with lemon and a little white mezcal. Limoncello in the aftertaste. Comments: naturally, Angus was right.
SGP:661 - 87 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 11 yo 2011/2022 (55.2%, Fadandel, 1st fill ruby Port barrique finish, cask #2704, 48 bottles)
Perhaps a baby barrique (which wouldn't be a barrique then, but there)... Ruby Port and Glen Garioch, could be Ozzy doing Bach, let's see… Colour: blush/partridge eye. Nose: wine and raspberry vinegars, then rose petals and peonies, horse saddle and pipe tobacco. This is very specific, as they would say in Brussels. With water: mushrooms, paprika, raspberries, more pipe tobacco. Fun, good fun. Mouth (neat): blood oranges and a lot of pepper. A little mad on the palate, perhaps. With water: almost miraculous. Raspberry liqueur, mustard and salt, anyone? Finish: long, rather rich, but the raspberries keep lifting it. Comments: pure fun. I don't think they would release two thousand magnums of this, but it's got its charms and, as they also say in Brussels, idiosyncrasies.
SGP:751 - 84 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 10 yo 2011/2022 (48.5%, Decadent Drinks, Equinox & Solstice)
DD/Sponge were also having much older Garioch, we'll try to taste a few later one within this session. Colour: white wine. Nose: Glen Garioch as in Glen Garioch, with apples that have fallen to the ground (well, apples and earth), as well as greengage plums, shoe polish, paraffin, melon skins, and a little white beer... This malt has quite a bit of personality, you can already tell from the nose. Mouth: there is a kind of grassy smoke, some chalk, oils, peppers, some mead, chouchen, ale… It's really not an easy-easy GG, I mean it's relatively fat, corpulent, appropriately fat, it's even got some kind of waxiness ala Clynelish. Finish: long, waxy, almost thick, and yet refreshing. Which also means 'dangerous'. Comments: serve it blind to your enthusiastic friends, they should locate it further North on the East Coast.
SGP:562 - 88 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 10 yo 2013/2023 (57.1%, Dram Mor, cask #1005, 225 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ha, Doritos Sweet Chilli Pepper. There's been some smart flavouring going on; even if Glen Garioch have increased their percentage of peated malt in recent years, which remains to be proven, I doubt they went as far as what we have in our tasting glass right now. In order of appearance, peat, gentian, earth, roots, vanilla, lemon liqueur, beach sand, cough syrup, ginger. With water: samphire, seaweed, green pepper, candlewax… Mouth (neat): feels like a peppery CI. With water: good apples, lemons, peat, seawater and one oyster. Say No.3. Finish: medium, on similar Islayan notes. Comments: of course that works, even more so because Glen Garioch offers this rather oily texture.
SGP:554 - 85 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 12 yo (46%, Canmore, bourbon barrel, 287 bottles, 2023)
Colour: gold. Nose: fine, fat and fruity. Apples, sunflower oil, candlewax, barley syrup, vanilla, dried figs, grenadine syrup. That last part is 'funny'. Mouth: this could have been an official. Some tropicalness this time, around mangos and small pink bananas, plus some peach-flavoured iced tea, a huge hit for several summers now. It is a very easy, very good Glen Garioch in my opinion. Finish: medium, still fruity, this time more on papayas and oranges. Comments: actually, I'm not sure I would have said Glen Garioch. I'm really fond of these tropical fruits – a little less happy about that peach-flavoured iced tea but that's personal. Very good surprise, once more.
SGP:741 - 85 points. |
|
Glen Garioch 18 yo 2003/2021 (58.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #19.62, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 'A tweed-clad mango', 168 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this one's ueber-waxy, really. We're in a candle-shop somewhere in California. Mango-scented candles? That could be a hit… With water: I think I get the tweed! And a lot of lemongrass too, coriander, basil, Thai food…. Mouth (neat): it is super-good, even more citrusy than expected, more on lime, mangos indeed, and always these waxes. Terrific, just a tad hot. With water: all is fine now. A wonderfully refreshing Glen Garioch. Finish: rather long, tarter, chalkier, more sauvignony in other words. Comments: I didn't remember that Glen Garioch could be this 'tropical'. One loses touch quickly…
SGP:751 - 87 points. |
|
Glengarioch 10 yo 2012/2022 (53.4%, Duncan Taylor, cask #461200002245, 260 bottles)
Did they, indeed, fill as many as 461 billion casks at Glen Garioch? To think that this one was filled in June 2012, which would suggest they actually fill one trillion casks over one single year. Impressed, we are. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: pear juice, apple juice, chalk, drop of diesel oil. I agree that was fast. With water: only apple juice and chalk, actually. Tiny rubber. Mouth (neat): oh, excellent! Chalky apples, pepper and Sancerre. That's all. With water: pinch of salt. Awesome Finish: rather long, as vertical and blade-y as whisky can get. Comments: the beauty of ultimate simplicity in malt whisky, great cask by DT.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
Last one, perhaps more tomorrow… |
|
Glen Garioch 12 yo 2009/2021 (62.4%, Pin-Xin Whisky Shop, Taiwan, Ronin Series, barrel, cask #653, 202 bottles)
It's amazing how lively the whisky scene is in Taiwan! These excellent folks at Pin-Xin are located in the city of Kaohsiung. Colour: straw. Nose: this one's a bit more closed, which is normal at 62% vol. More dough, bread, orange blossom, eaux-de-vie, limestone, orange zests… With water: as we sometimes say, it's a liquid panettone. It's not that that doesn't exist in real life, but they really messed up the manufacturing in that case. Mouth (neat): it is almost some pure peach and grapefruit syrup on the palate, only with a lot of ethanol. But then again, 62% and smidgens... With water: peaches, apples, melons, lemongrass, a little sourness, a little oak. Finish: long, tight, focused on apples. A little honey, oak and more liquid panettone. Comments: excellent, but It's always a bit challenging to properly dilute a spirit that's been bottled at such a high proof. Unless you have a lot of time and maybe an electronic pipette.
SGP:641 - 86 points. |
|
|
Glen Garioch and bottle aging |
It's a Glen Garioch by Samaroli that undoubtedly represents the most perfect and legendary example of what we call "bottle aging." It is the Glen Garioch 1971 (59.6%, Samaroli, 2280 bottles, sherry) which was bottled at just 8 or 9 years old around 1980. After many years of resting in the bottle, it acquired the incredible complexity typical of much older whiskies. Admittedly, we hadn't tasted it at the time of bottling, which we now regret (but we were very young, ha), and any direct comparison is impossible, but Silvano Samaroli, a proponent of "bottle maturation" himself, explained to us that this Glen Garioch was, when he had selected it, extremely rough, rustic, and characteristic of a very young and robust Highlander not even 10 years old. |
| |
September 5, 2023 |
|
|
|
WF's Summer Trios
Today Three Knockando |
That'll be one OB and two IBs. Just like Glenrothes for example, Knockando too is losing its vintages that used to make its bottles stand out on supermarket shelves. I find it regrettable, but isn't cutting corners a general trend these days?... Well, as long as they do no Knockando Triple Oak (just everyone's current innovation), I'm fine. |
|
Knockando 15 yo (43%, OB, richly Matured, +/-2023)
Ex-refill bourbon and sherry. The latest 15 we've tried was still bearing a vintage mention, it as a 2005/2020, a little average I have to say (WF 79). Colour: light gold. Nose: deep porridge, cider, stewed plums, dry sherry, drop of umeshu, ale… But this is very nice! Well, I'm finding it very nice. They're right, who needs a vintage statement under these conditions ? (come on, S.) Mouth: perfectly fine, nutty and malty, in the style of several high-volume Speysiders, but with more maltiness, nuts, tobacco… Not to mention scones, cupcakes, muffins… Yes, we can have this neat little Knockando instead of a five o'clock afternoon tea, of course we can. Finish: medium, nutty and malty, with an excellent tea-y leafiness. Comments: uncomplicated ueber-classic malty Speysider. Yeah, who needs vintages! Pretty excellent. You may cellar a few bottles, they're cheap.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
I would have thought the IBs would crush the official 15. Not too sure anymore… |
|
Knockando 10 yo 2011/2022 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-Chillfiltered Collection, dechar-rechar hogsheads, casks #306236, 306238, 306243, 30624, 306246) 
Colour: white wine/straw. Nose: we're curiously close to the OB, which wasn't the case when we last did this kind of OB vs. IB combo. Having said that this one has more raw oak, more leaves and grasses, more porridge, more grist and more sour mustard. Tiny hints of baby v***t too, fermenting hay, lager... And then nougat from the burnt woods. Mouth: nicer on the palate, if a little sour and really full of heavier beers. Some sour apples, peach leaf tea, then muscovado. It's as malty as the OB. Finish: medium, both grassy and malty. Once again, muscovado makes it easier in the aftertaste. Comments: good robust malt, but earlier SigV UCF Knockandos have been even tougher in my book. In the hipflask or in a soup.
SGP:451 - 82 points. |
|
Knockando 11 yo 2011/2022 (46%, Van Wees, The Ultimate, 1st fill hogshead, cask #302550)
Signatory stock, obviously. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: pure porridge, rapeseed oil, old papers, croissants, crushed almonds and hazelnuts, grist, maize flour, elderflowers… I find it nice, really. Malt whisky totally al natural, with no oak and no wine in the way. Well, barely. Mouth: really good, on gueuze, a little cherry juice, cider, then more grass and green tea. Green pears, artichoke, amer bière, perhaps radicchio (chicory)… Some barley sweetness keeps it all 'not too bitter'. Finish: medium, on pretty much the same flavours. More bitters in the aftertaste. Quick, another sip… Comments: I would not score it differently. These indie Knockandos are a little intellectual (say Fred Frith's latest recording, see what I mean).
SGP:361 - 82 points. |
Last minute bonus, this one just in… |
|
Knockando 10 yo 2011/2022 (47%, Signatory Vintage for Whic, Spirits of the Forest, dechar/rechar Hogshead, cask 306252, 329 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: there's something extra in this one, more sweetness, ripe bananas, plums, ripe apples, cakes, brioches, sweet woodruff tea, orange blossom… Not much from a forest though, just this woodruff. Having said that, I totally love woodruff, which we also call waldmeister. Here in Central Alsace, the surroundings are teeming with woodruff (and magical creatures including friendly tourists, ha)! Mouth: closer to its sisters on the palate, a tad tougher and tighter, more gristy and porridgey, but I'd swear I'm finding woodruff too, plus rather a lot of ultra-dry cider as they have in Bretagne. More cider apples, leaf teas, gentian tea (I like the eaux-de-vie better)… Finish: long, still very tight. Grassy, leafy, malty. Some sweetness back in the aftertaste, as well as lemons. Comments: It's true that when one mentions Knockando, one immediately thinks of a rather light, very classic, and somewhat round malt. In any case, this little beast offers nice potency without being too bitter.
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
| |
September 4, 2023 |
|
|
A new short journey among the whiskies of the world
Let's see what we'll have today… And kick this off from France, as we tend to do.
Kinglake Distillery's new Tasmanian-made pot still (Kinlake Distillery) |
|
|
Ed Gwenn (46%, OB, Distillerie des Menhirs, Affinage Bourgogne, 2023)
Distillerie des Menhirs are famous for their buckwheat 'whisky', Eddu, but they also use barley, that's their Ed Gwenn. Not too sure it's malted, or at least they do not claim it is, while this very expression has been double-matured in Saint-Romain casks from domaine Capitain-Gagnerot, a Bourgogne from the south (of Bourgogne, obviously). See, borrowed terroir in spirits, I think I recently wrote a few lines about that. Colour: white wine. I doubt it would have been red Saint-Romain then. Nose: orange cake, Jaffa cake, williams pears, quinces, honeysuckle, then a few very slightly rubbery spices from the pièces. Remember barrels are called 'pièces' in Burgundy. Also custard tart and a few mirabelles. Mouth: good body and a lot of sweets, gummy bears, liquorice allsorts, something floral, and indeed a feeling of lighter chardonnay, perhaps rather Chablis-style? Doesn't matter… Mirabelle jam and more custard tart then, as well as a feeling of proper barley eau-de-vie. Finish: medium to short, really sweet and fruity, but the oak and the wine do feel a little bit in the end. Green tea. Comments: very good indeed, with this lighter, rather fresh fruity style. Not too winey.
SGP:740 - 83 points. |
In my humble opinion, French distillers in general should also be able to manage without the massive and systematic use of ex-table wine casks to flavour their whiskies. I'm sure they will, but let's change hemispheres... |
|
Kinglake 'O'Grady's Stand' (46%, OB, Australia, ex-bourbon, +/-2023)
A new distillery in Oz that started in 2018, just north east of Melbourne, in Victoria. This is a single malt and carbon-neutral, well I'm not 100% sure it's still carbon-neutral once it's reached France (ha, S.) Colour: gold. Nose: love, it's got something of an 'American west-coast malt whisky', with some rather profound fermentary notes, all kinds of dark breads, banana cakes, spice bread, some deeper chardonnay (you can find chardonnay while there isn't any chardonnay, you see) and the not-so unusual spicy quartet, ginger – turmeric – nutmeg – cinnamon. Plus custard tart once more. Very lovely and it looks like no corners were cut this time. Mouth: big punch, oak spices and yellow fruits and custard are somewhat stretching themselves thin but it holds. Cakes, breads, and more of that spicy quartet we've just mentioned, big mirabelles, and some kind of spicy and grassy smokiness, as when chefs would smoke some dishes using hay. Did anyone ever try to smoke malted barley using hay? Finish: long, with some milk chocolate and Italian hazelnut paste. Oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: very good, modern, spicy… It would be interesting to try this juice after a few extra-years of mellowing in re-re-refill casks.
SGP:562 - 84 points. |
|
Kinglake 'O'Grady's Stand Full Noise' (61%, OB, Australia, ex-bourbon, +/-2023)
Said to be the same juice, only at cask strength. So quickly, just for the sake of research and experimentation (but of course)… Colour: gold. Nose: some mango and banana cake straight from the oven, drizzled with some meadows honey and some liquid fudge. Then crème brûlée. The additional watts are absorbed without flinching, quite the opposite. With water: very proud, we managed to reproduce the one at 46% vol. Don't laugh, that's absolutely not always the case. Mouth (neat): I think the oak's better handled, while some more chilli would come out too. Other than that, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and nutmeg keep running the show. With water: even at the same strength of 46% vol. (roughly), there's something extra, perhaps more citrus? The spicier smokiness is there too. Finish: long, same. Comments: I like them also because they're true to their raw ingredients.
SGP:662 - 86 points. |
Australia's really become a whisky nation. Let's hop to Tasmania for more evidence, that's not very far away in Australian miles (ha)… |
|
Hellyers Road 18 yo 2005/(60.4%, OB, for LMDW, Australia, cask #4022.09, 145 bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: pure, big, immaculate lemony peat, as we sometimes say, even if both do somewhat fight each other. Massive lemons (and fresh mint), plus massive peat. I also find it dangerously noseable, let's not burn our nostrils, we could use them… With water: relaxes well, gets much more medicinal. Even more medicinal than 'L', with massive ointments and balms, camphor and all that. Some dried flowers too, melissa water, it's even becoming a tad composty, with some potting soil, humus, decomposing fern… I'm not sure I've already nosed something like this. Mouth (neat): very intense, to say the least. Same huge lemons, huge peat, mint extract, plus some ashes and charcoal. With water: no quarter! (nod to John Paul Jones). Just more of everything, citrus, peat, menthol, earth… Finish: just the same, for a long time, plus rosemary and thyme oils. Aftertaste's a little sooty, ashy and drying. Comments: devilish whisky from Downunda. The aftertaste costs it one or two points (no quarter!)
SGP:666 - 89 points. |
Didn't we say we'd do some Millstone vs. St. Killian stuff? Good, back to Europe then… |
|
Millstone 25 yo 1996 'Batch 5' (46.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 10th anniversary, The Netherlands, oloroso, 380 bottles)
The very honourable bottlers wrote that this baby 'has all the sherried magnificence of Macallan without the price tag'. We would tend to believe these fine folks. Colour: mahogany. Nose: sweet Vishnu, and they were right indeed, even if we're talking 1950s Mac in fact. Exceptional suet, toffee, marrow, goulash, sultanas, Sauternes, dried figs, rancio, wood smoke and old cognac. And zillions of smaller elements. Mouth: awe. 18th century brandy de Jerez, 1950s Macallan, very old rancio, Rivesaltes, malmsey, Malaga, whatever very old and formerly 'sweet' wine you could think of. It's a dream and not a dream that you'll often find bottled at 46.5% vol. Forgot to mention coffee. Finish: long and with dazzling meatier tones. Game, grouse, cranberry jam, fig jam, bouillons, marrow, sultanas, old mead… Comments: who's still making this style in Scotland? You've got two minutes, answer on a postcard. Nah don't waste your time and a post stamp, no one does. And what a nose, I don't think I'll ever wash this glass; no worries, I've got plenty.
SGP:651 - 93 points. |
|
St.Kilian 2019/2023 (60.6%, The Whisky Jury, Germany, 1st fill bourbon, cask #3952, 268 bottles)
Malt peated to 54ppm; light my fire, as they say. Colour: white wine. Nose: it's the dirty side that pleases us, and when we say dirty we mean full of concrete dust, paint scrapings, dried mud, scoria, excavation soil and all that. There's some brine too, gherkins, black olives… and a lot of ethanol. So, with water: big porridge, sourdough, wholegrain bread and mustard. Smoky mustard, perhaps. Mouth (neat): who brought this cask down from Islay? Or rather from the Midlands, as I cannot not think of Ballechin here? Very good news if you ask me. Muddy peat, lemons, touch of yoghurt, plus Thai stuff, cardamom, basil, coriander… You could pour this over a Bò bún (that's rather Vietnamese, S.) With water: the reveal. Muscat grape (yep), lemons, cigar ashes, juniper, rye, peppermint oil, heavy caraway… It sure is a fighter. Finish: very long, not totally unlike some aged gin, but in that case it would be the best aged gin ever. The muscat grapes are back in the aftertaste, together with a little geranium liqueur, which is all very funny. Some liquorice as well. Comments: I hope we'll be able to try these batches when they are, say five years older. Already extremely very impressive.
SGP:566 - 88 points. |
Please a Millstone of similar age… |
|
Millstone 3 yo 2019/2003 (51.2%, OB for Whisky In Leiden, The Netherlands, PX, cask #2548)
Never been to Leiden. One day, hopefully. Colour: gold. Nose: is this some kind of poshy cough syrup? Or is it a secret, forgotten batch of Laphroaig 10 yo C/S? And who's added some spent oil from an old V8? And drops of Tabasco? And who's thrown a bottle of Corsican citron liqueur into the cask? It must be the Belgians' doing. Just kidding, you know we love you! With water: it's rather geared towards some kind of earthy gingerbread now. Mushrooms too, especially those large Chinese black ones. Mouth (neat): more sweet spices, gingerbread, speculoos, genever, some oak spices too (cinnamon-led)… it's a bit more matte so to speak, a little more drying. With water: careful, not much water needed, there are tannins lurking that are just waiting to emerge. Finish: rather long, awesomely on gingerbread, juniper, liquorice, raisins and smoked herbs. Comments: you do feel that it is a little young, but the coherence is already impressive. A bit of tannicity that should further integrate.
SGP:565 - 87 points. |
|
Sailtt Môr 8 yo 2014/2022 (57.1%, WhiskySchwamm, Germany, beechwood smoked, barrel, 250 bottles)
Made in Germany by Destillerie Ralf Hauer and selected and bottled by our favourite Sponge (Schwamm in German). There, try to say 'Schnapps Schwamm' ten time in a row without stuttering. Congrats, either you've failed, or you're German (or Austrian, Swiss, Liechtensteiner, East Belgian, Trentiner etc.) We've already tried a sister cask ex-bourbon last year, it's been good. Colour: white wine. Nose: I wouldn't recognise beechwood, All I know is that some distillers use this wood because it offers good aging performance, without overpowering the spirits. But this is not quite what whisky makers are looking for... I'm finding notes of cachaça, apple juice, slight mizunara (there you go), sand, walnut skins, then more small mushrooms, mosses, old wood stump, lichen, mint extracts, spruce needles, nut husks… With water: same, just a little more piney and resinous. Mouth (neat): very creamy, sweet, full of lemons and limes, green spices, green chartreuse (a whole magnum), aquavit… I have to say it grows on you. With water: impeccable, this time with top-notch green tea, even the finest Wulong. Really not something I was expecting. Finish: medium, rather on fir bud liqueur and kumquats. Comments: extra points for the elegant originality and this profile, which is largely unknown elsewhere, except in certain cachaças that are aged in exotic woods. IMHO. Looks like beechwood is not as inert as I had thought.
SGP:471 - 88 points. |
(Thanks to Andy/Whiskyprism) |
| |
September 3, 2023 |
|
|
Let me remind you that WF is still in the running for the contest of The Most Stupid Blog Headline of All Time, across all categories. In any case, we've rather neglected our mezcals and tequilas in recent years, it's time to catch up. Let's see what we have in the boxes, randomly... I think that'll be just a few white mezcals at this point. |
 |
|
Se Busca 'Joven' (40%, OB, Mezcal, +/-2023) 
This is from Oaxaca, 'artesanal', and from 'agave augustifolia', which is just a more serious name for Espadin, the most common varietal (common but good!) Artisanal and at 40% vol. does sound too right, but we're no mezcal experts, far from that. Se Busca is a new brand seems to be sourced, it's not the name of a distillery. Colour: white. Nose: very much on olives, capers, green compost, fresh hay and with some very fermentary notes that remind me a bit of Japanese natto, although this grassy mezcal would be much gentler (thank God!) Love this nose. Mouth: a tad sweeter, almost sugary, even a little hot at just 40% vol. (but 40 is better than 38, right), more on limoncello but always with these amazing olives. Say pickled picholines and yuzus. Better have it cold if you want to avoid the sugars. Bell pepper. Finish: medium, rather innocuous but reminiscent of some Ben Nevis here and there. Roughly. Comments: I see a margarita coming tonight. In the meantime, I found it good, even if others might be smokier. We'll see…
SGP:561 - 79 points. |
|
La Tribute 'Joven' (45%, OB, Mezcal, +/-2020) 
This one's sourced from the state of Durango (East of Sinaloa) and made out of Cerizo aguave, which I had never heard of. It seems that this is a brand that's basically Spanish and that also makes gin. Colour: white. Nose: it is completely different, this time on beetroots, burnt papers, paper smoke, varnish, damp wool… Who said all mezcals were the same? The same folks who claim that all whiskies are the same, I suppose. But the jury's still out… Mouth: very weird, earthy and 'chemical', with rotting vegetables of some sorts and a lot of paper and cardboard smoke. And notes of gin as well, indeed. Finish: long, with notes of rancid butter, plastics, old pineapples… Many ashes in the aftertaste (cigarette) as well as a drop of brine. Comments: a very bizarre drink, not too sure what to do with what's left.
SGP:262 - 65 points. |
|
El Jolgorio 'Madrecuixe' (47%, OB, Mezcal, +/-2020)
Lovely bottle this time, nothing over-the-top. Madrecuixe is one the larger varietals. This seems to be authentically artisanal Oaxacan mezcal. The stories here are very similar to those of Del maguey, Real Minero et all. Mandatory figures in mezcal, it seems, well it's that or heavy decanters. Colour: white. Nose: a whole different league, this time very fresh, floral, superbly herbal and citrusy, with some welcome varnish, olives, coal smoke and limes. Bits of celeriac and gentian too. Awesome nose. Mouth: very perfect, starting a tad sweet (more limoncello) but unfolding with dill, liquorice, aniseed and indeed, olives. We're also reminded of verbena liqueur and absinth. Finish: rather long, with a few liquorice allsorts and a salty and slaty (!!) lemonness in the aftertaste. A little lavender and grenadine too. Comments: awesome mezcal, in my book in the same league as that that already gathers some coastal malt whiskies and higher-ester rums. And other mezcals, and gentians…
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
Didn't we mention Del Maguey? |
|
Del Maguey 'Madrecuixe' (47%, OB, Mezcal, +/-2021)
This from San Luis del Rio, in Oaxaca. Should be fun to compare… Del Maguey is now owned by giant Pernod Ricard, but it may remain 'artesanal' in some way… Colour: white. Nose: less fresh and herbal, more on varnishes, paint, turpentine, diesel oil and green olives. In other words, nothing that we don't like. Mouth: same comments, this is tougher, grassier, more rustic, more varnishy, glue-y, with a lot of brine, lime juice, benzine, then tropical fruits 'about to start to rot', especially the whackiest guavas… Having said that, it would tend to become a little smoother and gentler over ten minutes or so. Finish: long, still with rather a lot of varnish and petrol, plus the usual olives and rotting and pickled fruits. Comments: just extremely good, if a little less complex and compelling that the El Jolgorio. I think I'll have to dig deeper into the topic of anything 'El Jolgorio' in the coming months, stay tuned.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
|
Spheric Spirits 2018/2022 'Tepextate Silvestre' (57.8%, Hogshead Import, agave distillate)
This is 'single palenque' from Oaxaca, so single farm mezcal, although they wouldn't write that it is mezcal. The skull gives it away anyway, it is well Mexican. Aged in stone jars, I would suppose. Colour: white. Nose: glorious. Pine resin, lemongrass, verbena, wormwood, gentian, pinewood smoke, champagne, wild strawberries and prickly pears. I remain seated. With water: great fun, water boosts it up to the stars and towards Comté cheese, meadow flowers, cut hay, alpine pastures…And blanc de noirs (say 2/3 PN, 1/3 meunier). Mouth (neat): it is pure eau-de-vie de mirabelle, and I am not making this up. I know mirabelle very well, I distil some every four or five years. Believe me, this is mirabelle from Mexico. With water: gets fractal, the mirabelles generating citrus, which would lead us to olives and lemongrass, peat smoke (yeah, peat smoke) and oysters. Finish: long, still mirabelles-driven. Comments: a story of common molecules, I would suppose. Brilliant and fun.
SGP:652 - 90 points. |
|
Spheric Spirits 2018/2022 'Tobala' (59.5%, Hogshead Import, agave distillate)
Tobala is another wild agave. Let's see if we find mirabelles again… Colour: white. Nose: huge fun, more smoke, roasted herbs, esp. thyme and rosemary, compost and genepy, geranium, hibiscus, some butter, wee whiffs of spent lees here and there, fermentation, Lagunitas… (the original Lagunitas)… It is more lactic than the Tepextate. With water: more lactic yet, doughy, with some muesli, buttercream, mosses, late-season mushrooms (the spiciest), ashes, fireplace, cigar ashtray… Mouth (neat): oh! Bergamots, yuzu, oysters, seawater, Ardbeg (I know), citrons… It's rare to find a distillate that's both this fat and this tight. With water: dazzling. Plums are back, together with sloe, damsons, brine, absinth, salty chartreuse, sorb… Finish: long, salty. Comments: alright, I'd need a double-magnum of each in order to be able to tell you which I like best. Tepextate was cleaner, Tobala was more complex, both were brilliant. Mezcals de la muerte.
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
Mezcals are arguably the spirits where the impacts of the different varieties of distilled materials are most noticeable. Incredible, these different agaves! Come on, a quick easy white tequila to recover... |
|
Cenote 'Blanco' (40%, OB, tequila, +/-2023)
Made from 100% blue agave, so not a 'mixto'. They have it everywhere on cocktail websites and blogs, which I always find a little frightening as in my rather binary thinking, if you have to mix a spirit (with a lot of wood, with wine, or with any other ingredient) it's because it isn't good enough in its natural state. As I told you, very binary thinking... Colour: white. Nose: it's very much on herbs for starters, on celery salt, on lovage, on parsley, then it heads towards caraway and lemon, so aquavit, with a rather smoky background. It's pretty gentle but it's absolutely not empty. Mouth: rounded and gentle indeed, with a little caramel, agave syrup, some fudge, a drop of cologne, and these good herbs and citrus in the back. Alsatian caraway liqueur (my compatriots would distil or make liqueurs out of anything, ever tried celeriac schnaps?) Finish: not too long but sweet and pleasantly earthy. Comments: not exactly my favourite style, but definitely better than 90% of the tequilas on the market. And it held up after the mezcals, kudos!
SGP:441 - 78 points. |
|
|
NOM numbers |
Proper bottles of mezcal or tequila should carry a NOM number that would identify the specific distillery where the spirit was produced. NOM stands for Norma Oficial Mexicana. One can only hope that our Scottish friends, for instance, would do the same. No more Secret Speysider or Secret Islay! In a way, and even though they are not official, the codes of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society partly serve the same purpose. |
|
|
Terroir and Riffles |
Our last brief and probably a little clumsy commentary on the notion of 'terroir' last week (on August 27) has sparked quite a few remarks from professionals, both in the realms of rum and whisky, and both on social media and through private messages. We expected nothing less! Some prefer not to use the term at all. A few are quite comfortable with the official definition of the word 'terroir' in the dictionary (Larousse, translated from French: the collective lands of a region, considered from the standpoint of their agricultural potential and providing one or several characteristic products), while many, and this is quite understandable, would like to extend or even totally adapt it to their own practices, especially when those are not aligned with this seminal concept (lands, region, agriculture). In other words, 'terroir is what we do at home,' and in general, they couldn't care less about the dictionary, which, after all, was not written by distillers (that's for sure). No problem, there's nothing worse than stagnation, and anyway, the meanings of words rarely stay fixed over the centuries, even less so when those words are adopted by other cultures, other languages.
What remains very amusing, though, are the feats of ingenuity deployed, with the most common tactic being what we would call 'the smart sharpshooter'. That's when you first shoot and then draw a well-rounded target around the point of impact. It's always the best way to hit the bullseye. Peace. |
| |
September 2, 2023 |
|
|
|
Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland
Two high flying old Tomatin
Time is, once again, at a premium just now. So this will be another quick pair of older drams today, this time Tomatin. So, I believe we should anticipate some fruits. These are bottles of my own that I've been opening in anticipation of doing an old and rare stand at the Whisky Show in London, so we might try and publish a few other notes for interesting old bottles in the coming weeks. |
 |
|
|
 |
Tomatin 36 yo 1976/2012 (49.3%, The Whiskyman, 103 bottles) 
From a short lived series by our much loved friend Dominiek Bouckaert. Colour: pale amber. Nose: extremely fruity! Reminiscent of this rather rustic + exotic old school Irish style in some regards with tinned pineapple, papaya and guava mixed up with old copper coins, tiny sooty notes, roots, then also greener orchard fruits, cassis, mango jam and a hint of serrano ham which presumably comes from the sherry. Totally gorgeous and luscious nose. In time I find a lovely wee menthol and minty touch too. Mouth: every bit as brilliant as the nose, which is seriously impressive. Stunningly fleshy and textural fruitiness. Fruit syrups, mango pulp, guava jam, lemon curd, tinned pineapple rings in their juices. Then also deeper and firmer notes of wood spices, cinnamon bark, earthy dark teas, liquorice and fir wood resins. Many dried exotic fruits and teas galore! Finish: long and wonderfully fruity, some overripe banana mashed up with darker fruits, more cinnamon, mint and lovely camphor touches which go towards waxes in the aftertaste. Comments: pure fruit juice! Hats off to you Mr B!
SGP: 651 - 92 points. |
|
|
 |
Tomatin 15 yo 1963/1981 (80 proof, 'Bottled by University Arms Hotel, Cambridge', sherry)
A very rare old bottle that I cracked open recently. Had a screw cap and a driven wine cork with the hotel name printed on - very cool! The University Arms Hotel still exists and appears to be a rather 'up market' place to stay in Cambridge. Colour: deep reddish amber. Nose: utterly exquisite old style sherry! Another type of fruit bomb entirely, one dominated by plump and juice sultanas, plums, raisins, damson puree and figs soaking in very old Armagnac. Add to that the dampest and most scented of pipe tobaccos, unlit cigars, wine cellar must and walnut oil. A whole glass full of rancio! Mouth: perfectly bitter black coffee and pristinely dark chocolate, more toasted and crushed walnuts, expensive salted liquorice, treacle full of sea salt, tar liqueur and aged Fernet Branca with these myriad bitter herbal notes. A gorgeous and complex bitterness that never strays too far into excess against the fruits. Still many notes of prune, plum, walnut and coffee liqueur. Stunning and utterly old school. Finish: medium in length but sappy, herbal, deeply earthy and even showing a surprisingly resilient dark fruit sweetness along with all these layers of rancio and ancient Oloroso sherry. Comments: you can never say how much was cask Vs Tomatin distillate in these old style sherry bombs, and anyway with such a rare bottle who cares, all you can really do is sit back and let it wash over you!
SGP: 662 - 93 points. |
|
|
| |
September 1, 2023 |
|
|
|
WF's Summer Duets
Today middle-aged Royal Brackla from the indies |
No officials today, rather a recentish Cadenhead and one of those wee octaves from Duncan Taylor's. |
|
Brackla 14 yo 2006/2021 (55%, Duncan Taylor, Octave, cask #9330348, 85 bottles)
This baby got finished for 8 months in one of those reconstructed ex-sherry-oak mini-casks. Colour: straw. Nose: I have the impression that the cask had been 'medicinalised' (what?) but that's only an impression, surely. We do find some kind of lemon soda and chalk, the expected green walnuts, something sherbety, some muesli, lilac, a touch of coconut, blancmange, mouthwash indeed, icy mint… It is pretty unusual but I really like this fresh little baby so far. With water: virtually no changes to the nose. Mouth (neat): some rather heavy oak, with some green tannicity, some oversteeped tea, bitter sawdust, citrus… I find the oak a tad loud but water may help (or destroy it, let's see… With water: it's nicer, more on spicy herbs, bay leaves, a feeling of blackcurrant buds, fresh cabernet (but no vinosity)… Finish: rather long, rather on oak and spices. Blackcurrants are back in the aftertaste. Comments: I find the distillate - oak balance always a bit fragile with these octaves, but here it's really not bad. At all.
SGP:461 - 81 points. |
|
Royal Brackla 15 yo 2006/2022 (57%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 186 bottles)
It appears that while Brackla isn't Royal at Duncan Taylor's, it is at Cadenhead's. Colour: light gold. Nose: this very chalky arrival once more, some baker's yeast, fresh bread, then all kinds of apples and plums, straight from an orchard. This is the right season in Europe (for apples, a little late with the plums). With water: a few mint leaves and more fresh bread, plus some apple peel. Mouth (neat): this creamy fruitiness that some malts by Cadenhead's often display, some limoncello and custard, a little spearmint, some piney oak that's working well, certainly some liquorice wood and ginseng powder… It's pretty oak-forward but I think the greenish barrel was rather of superior quality. With water: excellent fruitiness coming out, with guavas and greengages, more apples, and just this slightly piney oak once more. Finish: long, on the same kinds of flavours. I find the aftertaste a little more difficult, rather oakier for certain (fresh sawdust). Comments: another one that's pretty oak-forward, but the apples' tartness has done its job.
SGP:561 - 84 points. |
We'll try to find some Bracklas that would be more spirit-driven next time. Peace. |
 |
August 2023 |
Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Speyside Distillery 28 yo 1992/2021 (56.4%, House of MacDuff, Golden Cask, bourbon barrel, cask #CM275, 171 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Banff 17 yo 1976/1994 (60.5%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection) - WF 91
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Smoky Scot (46%, Aceo, single malt, bourbon cask, +/-2022) - WF 88
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Cuban Rum 50 yo 1971/2021 (46.7%, Chapter 7, Cuba, 99 bottles) - WF 93
Serge's thumbs up this month:
None
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Bacardi 8 yo 'Reserva Ocho' (40%, OB, Puerto Rico, +/-2022) - WF 20 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Best spirits Serge tried those weeks, 90+ points only
Millstone 25 yo 1996 'Batch 5' (46.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 10th anniversary, The Netherlands, oloroso, 380 bottles)
Spheric Spirits 2018/2022 'Tepextate Silvestre' (57.8%, Hogshead Import, agave distillate)
Spheric Spirits 2018/2022 'Tobala' (59.5%, Hogshead Import, agave distillate)
|
| |
|
|
