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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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August 6, 2020 |
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Bag of Bastards
(Another bag of blended or undisclosed malts) |
I find them more and more puzzling, even embarrassing, those new blended malts. Sure many are simply superb, but you’re never quite sure whether they’re really blended or not, meaning if they aren’t simply single malts in disguise (code name: teaspoon) instead of the results of the patient work of some extremely talented and multimedalled Master Blenders who are almost as famous as Jagger and on first-name terms with Bob. I mean, Dylan. Let’s see what we have… |
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Royal Duke Club 17 yo ‘Batch 01’ (46.2%, Gleann Mor, Taiwan, blended malt, sherry, 498 bottles) 
As a Frenchman, I couldn’t possibly encourage anything bearing the Duke of Wellington on the label, but I do promise I won’t take that into account now. Well, I’ll try. But wasn’t Wellington rather Irish? Colour: amber. Nose: I swear I’m not finding a little gunpowder just because of Wellington, neither am I unearthing some lovely cakes, pastries, roasted raisins, malt and touches of earth because of him. I find this rather old-Macallan in truth, say in the style of the late 1970s. Lovely chocolate and cappuccino too. Mouth: a tad rougher than expected, but the sherry does its job very well, with some candied cherries, the obligatory Mars bar, some maple syrup, roasted malt and nuts, walnuts, coffee-schnapps, a little pipe tobacco, touches of cloves, and that delicacy that all whisky enthusiast just cherish, Christmas cake. Good body, 46-50% always work very well in my book. Finish: rather long, drier, more on walnut wine, bitters, cinnamon and chocolate cake… Ginger and pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: very good, Nelson. I mean, Wellington.
SGP:451 - 87 points. |
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Aerstone 10 yo ‘Land Cask’ (40%, OB, William Grant, single malt, +/-2019) 
This was launched as a ‘budget’ single malt for Tesco. It’s good that it would come with an age statement, but the ABV screams ‘cheapo’. It is, in fact, one of the several styles made at Ailsa Bay at Girvan. Let’s see… Colour: light gold. Nose: some farmy peat, a little mud, some grist and a touch of vanillin. Well, this baby does not tear you apart, that’s good. In a way. Mouth: extremely light, with some smoke, a touch of apple and lemon, notes of smoked ham, and perhaps a touch of iodine. There is something of the lightest Laphroaig 10s – not the current production mind you. Frustratingly light body. Finish: short, leaving a feeling of smoked water. Comments: peat is good but when there’s only peat (plus a little barley), that’s not quite enough. A little disappointing, typical 75-pointer in my book, hope they’ll also do a kind of high-proof version, without dropping the age statement.
SGP:444 - 75 points. |
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Aerstone 10 yo ‘Sea Cask’ (40%, OB, William Grant, single malt, +/-2019) 
This should be Ailsa Bay as well, but not at the price of Ailsa Bay. What’s a sea cask by the way? Did they use floated wood? Stored this on an island? On some shore? Now let’s not forget one of the industry’s talking points, ‘Scotland is integrally coastal’. Aye aye. Colour: light gold. Nose: I like this better. It’s a fine, balanced, easy malt whisky, on barley, vanilla, bread and caraway/nutmeg. I always like it when it’s this close to bread and barley, even when it’s not complex. Mouth: yes, it’s pretty pleasant, what a shame that it hasn’t got much watts, and that it is dragging itself along with little enthusiasm. Wee touches of brine, that’s nice – is that the ‘sea’ part? Finish: short, but really okay as far as flavours are concerned. Comments: good potential here. 43% would really be welcome.
SGP:4541 - 79 points. |
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Secret Speyside 32 yo 1987/2020 (45.8%, Whisky Sponge, refill hogshead, 229 bottles) 
This one’s supposed to stem from ‘The second least amusing distillery in Rothes’ and given that some salmons are adorning the lovely label featuring Jon Beach (of Fiddler’s fame) and father Dick, we do believe here at WF Towers that it couldn’t quite be Glen Grant, Caperdonich, Glenrothes or Glen Spey. Which leaves us with just one choice, unless we’re wrong. Having said that, I don’t think we’ve ever seen some 1987 from ‘that’ distillery, so I wouldn’t be too sure about all that. Other tricks have been played in the past. Colour: white wine. Nose: pretty contemplative, as Greek malt lovers would say, fresh, led by tiny herbs and even salads (rucola, dill, mint) and a mild earthiness that makes us remember our last walk in the woods. Mosses, fern, mushrooms, old stump, also a tiny-wee acetic side (old Jerez vinegar). It’s all delicate and attractive, the exact opposite of that ruthless brute nicknamed ‘The Sponge’. Mouth: crikey, someone’s distilled chenin blanc yet again. Indeed this is zingy, fresh and refreshing, rather on lime, with touches of tuffeau (that chalky stone they have in Loire) and lemon honey. No oak in the way, just a few spicy elements, a hint of ginger ale (slight fizziness) and some granny smith. Finish: medium, still refreshing. Lemon, kiwis and ginger. Comments: so my understanding is that they have secretly planted chenin blanc in Rothes, a few years before 1987. Now why there’s Port Ellen’s old filling head in a corner of the label, I couldn’t tell you.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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Highland Single Malt 2014/2020 (65.7%, Or Sileis, Taiwan, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #3534, 342 bottles) 
Is it even 6? Colour: reddish amber. Nose: one has to be careful with these murderous strengths, you could easily burn your nostrils and then need at least 12 hours to let them get back to normal. What you obviously get is a bourbony side, but that’s just the strength, as well as notes of varnish, butterscotch and Starbucks’ whacky coffees with hazelnuts inside. So yeah, not quite coffee. With water: always let them mingle with oxygen after reducing… zzz… zzz… Right, earth, porcinis, crude chocolate, cigars, old balsamico, more earth… This oozes of smartness. Mouth (neat): same feeling of bourbon, cellulose, caramel, sucrose… Water’s needed, obviously. With water: very good. I’m not sure the sherry would have left the distillery markers come through, so I won’t even hazard a guess, but this liquid cake just works, even if it’s probably not as complex as on the nose. They never are anyway, you’re right. Some kind of earthy organic chocolate bar made by an world-conscious urban mob (wot?) Finish: rather long, chocolaty, slightly leafy. Touches of flinty grasses and leather in the aftertaste. Comments: a Scottish Kavalan, that’s funny! Like this a lot and yes, I’ve seen the age.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Images of Speyside ‘Bridge of Avon’ (53.2%, Malts of Scotland, cask #MoS20011, 365 bottles)
The bridge of Avon? That’s in Ballindalloch on the A95, which leads us to… Tormore? Or Glenfarclas in the opposite direction… Cragganmore is off the path. But let’s not speculate any further… Colour: rosé wine. What happened? Nose: rosé wine, really. One of those thick rosés they make in Southern Rhône, full of red berries, especially raspberries, but also cassis. Some clafoutis (that’s a kind of pie we make with cherries). That’s right, pure liquid clafoutis. With water (we’re having blush wine in our glass this time): it’s balanced, fruity, fresh, not as dissonant as we could have feared, and still in whisky territories. Nectarines and red peaches this time, as far as fruits are concerned. Mouth (neat): there is a feeling of premix but no off notes that I can get. I cannot not think of clafoutis once again. With water: right clafoutis and preserved peaches (perhaps those small flat red ones that are all the rage in my town, is it the same at your place?) Finish: medium, fruity, summery. How fitting. Comments: I doubt you could do much better with red wine – except drink it, of course. Now as for the distillery, well, we found bupkis!
SGP:751 - 85 points. |
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Images of Ayrshire ‘Burton Railway Viaduct’ (53.2%, Malts of Scotland, cask #MoS20004, 384 bottles)
Sweet Vishnu, all the work we have to do with Google Maps – do Goole Maps pay their taxes, by the way? What, Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire? But that’s just north of Birmingham, not in Ayrshire! Oh let’s just try this little baby… Colour: gold. Nose: a lighter texture and some pretty good active oak, with leaves, teas and fruit peel, then quite some sunflower oil and a few flowers. Fine and nice. With water: butterscotch just everywhere. Mouth (neat): punchy and really very good. Stuff from Girvan’s? Ailsa Bay again? Very nice, creamy arrival (limoncello, brioche, vanilla), while the middle is a tad weaker. Let’s try it with water: enter butterscotch once again, Walker’s shortbread, thein flower syrups, mullein, elderflowers, woodruff/waldmeister… In French we call it aspérule or reine des bois (queen of the woods). Finish: medium, cake-y, nutty. Café latte. Comments: only good things to say about this little baby, even if it seems that the cask did the larger part of the job.
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
Seven, that’s enough. We’ll have many more bastard malts in the very, very near future, as they’re creeping in like zombies in a Walmart these days… |
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