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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2004 - Part 1 |
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| TASTING
- FOUR LONGMORNS
Longmorn
20 yo 1981/2001 (50%, DL OMC, 570
bottles, sherry)
Colour: 9kt gold. Nose: ouch! Sour
milk, wood, rancid butter. Once
you overcome these weird aromas,
you get some nice cooked apricot
and fresh pineapple, plus some hints
of oriental pastry, baklava. Mouth:
warming, very solid. A mixture of
overcooked coffee and ashes. Almost
bitter. Rum? Long, bitter finish.
Interesting for its boldness, perhaps,
but it’s really too dirty
and rancid for me. 77 points
(Olivier 76). |
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Baklava
- Oriental pastry |
| Longmorn
30 yo 1973/2003 (56%, Millenium Malt,
Duncan Piper, cask #3978, sherry)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: bold sherry.
Cedar wood, burnt cake, crystallised
orange, a little eucalyptus, mocha,
clove, say sauce. Beautiful sherry,
with no lumpiness or sulphur whatsoever,
which is rare. Really wonderful. Mouth:
very powerful and bold. Lots of bitter
chocolate, Van Houten cocoa powder,
pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sure
it’s very drying, but that’s
sort of enjoyable here. An anti-sweet
sherry monster for big boys? Long
and drying finish. 90 points
(Olivier 90) – thanks
for this one, Ho-cheng. |
Longmorn
25 yo 1978/2003 (58.1%, Peerless,
cask #5556, bourbon)
Colour: gold. Nose: much fresher and
neutral, yet powerful. Very bourbony.
Vanilla, oak, roasted peanuts. Gets
quite spicy. White pepper. A little
sugarish. Candy sugar. Mouth: very
powerful. Lots of salted liquorice.
Kikkoman sauce. Sweet and sour…
Very special, for sure. Long finish,
on salted liquorice. Quite mono-dimensional.
Interesting, but not too enjoyable
for my tastes. 80 points (Olivier
80).
Longmorn
1967/2002 (57.1%, James MacArthur,
Cask Strength selection)
A 35 yo Longmorn! Should be interersting.
Colour: gold-amber. Nose: old church
(incense, old wood, wax, lis). Develops
on lots of flowers (Lily from the
valley), rose. Stunning in such an
old malt. Beeswax, eucalyptus, shoe
polish, fresh fruit (kiwi). Gets woody
but not too much. Mouth: bold and
powerful. Lots of pepper and spices
from the wood. Liquorice and bitter
orange. Perhaps the wood took too
much of its share. Lacks a little
complexity. Long, but alcoholic finish.
As often with theese venerable malts,
a beautiful nose, but a slightly disappointing
nose. 84 points (Olivier 84). |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
French indie protest-singer Fred
Alpi. Fred, who's a
friend, already has two CDs out
and leads a powerful rock trio.
Having said that, I prefer his quieter
works, like Ton
nom en rouge dans mon carnet noir
(mp3 - my favourite) or his acoustic
version of Joe
Hill (mp3). Fred was formerly
a member of Berlin based cult band
'Sprung aus dem Wolken', and he
composed their song 'Pas attendre',
which has been used by Wim Wenders
in 'The Wings of Desire'. He's touring
Canada these days, and will be in
Montreal on October 27th (dates
on his website). |
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MUSIC
- CONCERT REVIEW: RON SEXSMITH
- by deluxe guest writer
Nick Morgan
The
first time I saw Ron
Sexsmith play was in
a circus tent, when he looked like
a lost child at a fairground. Last
night in London's Queen Elizabeth
Hall he looked like an androgynous
nephew awkwardly out of place at
a school prizegiving. But somewhere
inside that clumsy boy there's a
rock & roll star bursting to
get out - as he demonstrated in
a set that swung from heart-rending
pathos ('In a Flash', when we all
nearly cried) to tremolo and vibrato
driven Graham Parkeresque rock ('Wishing
Wells'). |
| Awkward
or not - with his voice of an under-age
choirboy getting stronger as the night
went on - he captivated an audience
(equally ill-at-ease with the venue)
through almost two hours of tunes
from his beautifully crafted song-book.
Songs from the new Retriever led the
way - but at the heart of the evening
were classics such as 'Cheap Hotel',
'Wastin' Time' (with Ron solo on the
Piano), 'Riverbed' (another piano
arrangement with three part harmonies
from the band and support artist Sarah
Slean), 'Secret Heart', 'Lebanon Tennessee'
and somewhat appropriately, a final
encore - guitar and cello, 'Speaking
with the Angel'. Oh yes - and somewhere
in the middle a duet, 'Lo Mismo Que'
with Alexis Puentis. On the face of
it all simple tunes - but with a deceptive
complexity in terms of structure,
musicianship (an excellent band -
but Ron can play that guitar), and
in particular lyrical structures.
An evening with only one blemish.
Ron - where did your Mum buy that
suit? - Nick Morgan |
| Thank
you Nick. Here's a recommended listening:
Lebanon,
Tennessee (mp3, 1996 acoustic
radio recording, via the Ron
Sexsmith pages) |
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| TASTING
- Talisker NAS (59.2%, OB, for sale
only at the distillery, 2004)
Colour: straw. First nosing: sharp,
peaty and farmy, not unlike some old
Broras. Haha! This one makes me remember
when Dave Broom caught me in front
of dozens of French whiskyfreaks -
we did taste a great malt blind and
Dave asked me what it was. I said
Talisker, it was Brora. Dammit. The
only excuse I found was that Brora
and Talisker did share the same maltings
back in the 70's. Anyway, this Talisker
develops on wet hay, dried flowers,
wrack. Then come the smoke and the
pepper. How clean, how fresh! Cleaner
and less woody than the recent 20
yo ‘bourbon’. Whiffs of
sea spray. Mouth: almost pungent.
Even a little prickly, but so nicely
balanced. Punch and balance, I’d
say. Lots of peat, vegetable juice,
wintercress, white pepper, liquorice
stick, rubber. Quite compact and sort
of austere - perhaps not for some
of the newbies who must tour the distillery.
Long and nicely bitter finish, on
cold, infused tealeaves. Just superb,
exactly my tastes. 92 points. |
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| TASTING
- NEW MACALLANS 'FINE OAK' VERTICAL,
FROM 10 TO 30YO
Macallan
10 yo 'Fine Oak' (40%, OB, 2004)
The youngest of the new ‘Fine
Oaks’ Colour: straw. Nose:
fresh, light and grainy. A little
spirity, with lots of flowery notes:
violet, lilac. Develops on sour
crème and hot butter. Hints
of overripe orange. Really different
from the former 10 yo ‘sherry’.
Smells like a good Lowlander (Rosebank?)
Surprisingly enjoyable! Mouth: nice
attack on caramel, roasted peanuts,
malt, but not much development.
Quite rounded, with hints of vanilla.
Quite nervous, still, and sort of
satisfying. Alas, the finish is
rather short and leaves nothing
but a few tannins on your tongue.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s
still quite enjoyable! 78
points.
Macallan
12 yo 'Fine Oak' (40%, OB, 2004)
Colour: straw. Nose: much less expressive
than the 10 yo at first nosing.
Woodier, and more buttery/creamy.
Grassier too. Still flowery, but
much less than the 10 yo (more towards
dandelion, buttercup). Traces of
sherry – just traces. Mouth:
more aromas, but less body. Sweet
and quite fruity (ripe apple). Sort
of weak and almost watery compared
to the 10yo. It really lacks the
latter’s oomph. Short finish,
on caramel and wood – getting
sort of sour rather quickly. Like
I thought the first time I tasted
this new Mac, it really lacks personality.
77 points.
Macallan
15 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, 2004)
Colour: straw. Nose: quite different
this time. Much more discrete than
both the 10 and the 12yo. Much less
flowery, but fruitier: ripe apple,
pear, peach. It needs time to open
up, but while it gets punchier,
it gets much, much woodier as well.
This one clearly smells ‘older’
than its youngest brothers. Gets
very dusty after a while (old cardboard).
Mouth: a much bolder, and easily
more enjoyable, oaky attack. Fine
oak indeed! Gets bourbonny, with
lots of vanilla stick and spices
(nutmeg, cinnamon). Too bad it’s
getting a little bitter with time.
Hints of liquorice, cocoa powder,
dust. But again, the finish is only
short to medium, getting dustier
and dustier. Too bad. 79
points.
Macallan
18 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, 2004)
Colour: straw – yes again,
all four, 10, 12, 15 and 18 yo show
almost the same colour. Nose: ah,
quite a different class this time.
It’s much more expressive,
although in the same vein as the
15yo. It’s woody right from
the start, with old books and cocoa
powder mixed with some flowers,
not unlike the 10 yo (violet, lily,
lilac). Hints of sherry and milk
caramel, vanilla fudge, orange.
Not bad at all. Mouth: sweet but
extremely woody. Rum, raisins, vanilla,
fruitcake, cocoa… Some fresh
fruit too (apple). Again, the finish
isn’t very long but quite
woody. This one really makes me
think of some rum from La Réunion.
It’s good whisky, but again,
like last time, I get the feeling
it’s really far from the older
18 yo – whichever the vintages.
But I’ll taste the new ‘sherry’
18 yo very, very soon. Why not do
a HtoH tasting with this ‘Fine
Oak’? Good idea, stay tuned!
80 points |
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Macallan
21 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, 2004)
Colour: straw again, just a little
darker. Nose: again a step forward.
Much more oomph this time. Some very
nice notes of heather, lavender and
tropical fruits (passion fruit, guava).
Very nice balance. Vanilla crème,
kumquat, skin of an overripe orange.
Nice nose! Some oakiness and dust
emerge after a few minutes. Mouth:
rather bold attack, on crystallised
orange, dried fruits, fructose. Nice!
Hints of smoke and ashes. Too bad
it gets a little too woody and tannic
again. Develops on toasted bread,
burnt cake, with hints of liquorice.
Medium finish, on tannins and pepper.
This one is much better than the 18yo,
that’s for sure. 83
points. |
Macallan
25 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, 2004)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: ah, it’s
getting better and better. Again a
nice balance, more on fruitcake, orange
peel, tangerine. Lots of ginger too.
Quinquina. Develops on lavender, fresh
nutmeg, fir honey. I like it! It makes
me think of Highland Park… Wait!
Highland Park? Hmmm, Highland Park
belongs to Edrington Group, just like
Macallan, and we always wondered where
the Macallan people could have found
all these ‘new’ bourbon
casks and… and… Hey, I’m
joking! Anyway, this 25 yo has got
a very, very nice nose. Mouth: balance
is the word here, even if the attack
is just a little watery. But the 'spirit'
arrives after ten seconds, and then
this 25 yo gets most enjoyable. Freshly
squeezed orange juice, spices (clove),
all sorts of dried fruits, ginger,
pepper… Hints of Grand Marnier.
And again a very nice balance even
if, between us, they could have bottled
these high-end malts at 46% instead
of 43. You’re right, and why
not the youngest ones as well? The
nose was still nicer than the mouth,
which has a quite weak and rather
short finish, on orange peel. Too
bad! But it’s really a nice
malt… 85 points. |
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Macallan
30 yo 'Fine Oak' (43%, OB, 2004)
Colour: dark straw. They really didn’t
exaggerate with caramel – or
let’s assume they didn’t
use caramel at all. Good! Nose: a
little more closed than the 25yo,
but pretty much in the same league.
Ginger, orange peel, honey…
They might well have used more sherry
casks in this one. Curiously, the
30 yo is also more spirity, even a
little harsher than the 25yo. Some
very nice hints of lavender crème
– like the one they serve you
in Provence. Oh, after a few minutes,
it gets more and more complex, and
not too woody in any way. I really
like it. Mouth: ouch, now it's a little
too woody for my tastes right at the
start, but then it gets much more
balanced, and much bolder than the
25yo. It gets even richer and richer,
which is great news considering the
most recent Macallan bottlings –
the Replicas and all that. The wood
keeps on talking, but it’s some
nice wood. Gets dusty, your tongue
sticks to your palate. Lots of spices
emerge, certainly from the wood: clove,
nutmeg, cinnamon, white pepper…
Interesting, even if a little tiring.
The finish is the longest, but it’s
still not too long. Let’s rate
this one just like the 25yo: 85
points. |
| TASTING
- TWO GLEN GRANTS
Glen
Grant 31 yo 1970/2001 (45%, Samaroli,
sherry cask #1025)
Colour: bronze-amber. Nose: quite
meaty! Soy sauce. Nice dark caramel,
mocha. Very refined and elegant.
Lots of sherry but not a monster.
A little peppery. A very nice nose,
even if not spectacular. Mouth:
very classical. Sherry, cocoa, cinnamon,
dusty. Hints of parsley. Not flat
dead on the palate, but it still
lacks a little life. Medium finish,
on cocoa. 82 points (Olivier
83). |
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| Glen
Grant 27 yo 1976/2003 (58.7%, Signatory,
sherry cask, distilled 19/3/73)
Colour: surprisingly light. White
wine. Nose: powerful, with almost
no wood influence that I can smell.
Spirity, flowery, on hot butter and
peardrops. A 27 yo Glen Grant, really?
Hints of overheated metal, hot milk.
Strange… Mouth: sulphur, grass,
stale water… What’s that?
Tastes like a cask strength Drumguish.
Long, spirity and dirty finish. Err…
but where’s the sherry? 69
points (Olivier 69). |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
Basement
jaxx plays HotnCold
(mp3). 'Everybody knows that dance
music is in trouble. The DJs are too
old, the clubs too lazy, the promoters
too greedy and the beats too tired.'
That's what the 'dynamic duo' writes
on his website. Well, perhaps it's
that there's very little good dance
music... Check also Good
luck (mp3 - Feat Lisa Kekaula) |
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Yes,
that's a square whisky barrel!
It's an experiment conducted in Seagram's
Waterloo plant, probably in the sixties.
'Ageing whisky in a square barrel
did seem to result in a whisky of
a different character, but the logistics
of moving square barrels soon proved
this design impractical' - dixit
Seagram. Well, I guess they were also
trying to put more casks in each warehouse.
Yes, a bean counter's idea, probably
;-). Info via the city
of Waterloo. |
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TASTING
- THREE WINNING TALISKERS
Talisker
18 yo (45.8%, OB, 2004)
A brand new official bottling, that
should sort of compensate the fact
that the well-known 10 yo became
a little simpler, even if still
much enjoyable. Colour: full amber.
Nose: fresh and sweet, with lots
of tropical fruit at first, mixed
with some peat and pepper. We’re
well in Taliskerland. The first
impression is that it’s a
little less punchy than the usual
10yo, but also mellower and subtler.
Gets very fragrant after a while
(rose water), orange water (oriental
pastry). Hints of oak, slightly
sour (cooked cider apple). A beautiful
balance, still. Notes of ginger
ale emerge after a few minutes.
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big, bold and punchy attack –
much punchier that what the nose suggested.
Lots of pepper, coffee, rather tannic.
Gets quite dry rather quickly, on
wood, clove, smoke. Not much fruit,
except some bitter orange. Gets then
really peppery and smoky, with some
hints of chilli. Really austere, not
for beginners, I’d say. There
obviously is some sherry in there,
but the winey notes just can’t
make it through the smoke. I really
like it. Finish: long, on pepper and
tannins. 90 points.
(The latest 10 yo I had scored 86
points). |
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18yo,
20 yo bourbon, 1955/1993 G&M |
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Talisker
20 yo 1982/2003 (58.8%, OB, Bourbon,
12000 bottles)
This one always suffered from the
comparison with the stunning 20
yo 1981/2002 sherry, even if the
Diageo people always claimed that
this Bourbon version was better.
But the customer is king, and the
king prefers the sherry version,
period ;-). But let’s try
this ‘bourbon’ again
now… |
| Colour:
dark straw (lighter than the 18 yo
– maybe less caramel). Nose:
much less mellow than the 18yo, and
less expressive too. Somewhat austere.
Woody, smoky and peppery. Gets grassy
– freshly cut hay, fern. Develops
on vanilla stick and pepper. Beer,
apple skin. A bold and ‘peppery’
peat then takes control. A very nice
nose, even if not really explosive.
Notes of apple compote emerging after
a few minutes. Mouth: again, a big,
bold malt. Lots of interesting medicinal
aromas: camphor, propolis, tar. Develops
on liquorice stick, ashes, pepper.
Again, very austere, getting nicely
bitter (quinquina, Campari). This
one takes no prisoners, and makes
almost all Ardbegs taste sweetish.
Finish: very long but rather elegant,
again on pepper and wood. 92
points (+ 2 points since
last tasting – the sherried
20yo, which won the Malt Maniacs Awards
2003, is still ahead with 93 points).
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Talisker
1955/1993 (53.6%, G&M Cask series,
c. #1310, 1311, 1257)
Not the first time I taste this one
– it’s always been a winner.
Colour: mahogany. Nose: big bold sherry,
not tired in any way. Beeswax, shoe
polish, eucalyptus, camphor. Gets
oaky but not too much. Develops on
bitter orange and yes, some peat that
goes through the quite heavy sherry.
Whiffs of pepper and nutmeg. Again
a very nice nose, even if it would
be hard to guess it’s a Talisker
when nosting this one blind. After
a few minutes: some interesting notes
of soy sauce, grilled lobster shell
– well, you see what I mean.
Mouth: again, lots of power. The peat
and the pepper take control now, but
the marriage stands. Lots of dried
fruits, orange, chestnut tree honey.
Develops on eucalyptus, camphor, gentian.
Gets quite earthy. Over infused tea
(tannins), toasted bread, Wet Havana
tobacco (chewed cigar). Finish: again
quite long, on overcooked coffee and
yes, pepper again. 91 points.
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| In
short, three beautiful expressions
of Talisker, so different (very different
wood treatments) but so similar at
the same time. The pepper and kind
of an austerity reign supreme, and
the spirit itself – whether
distilled in the 50’s or the
80’s, - always kind of stand
up to the wood, whether heavy sherry
or full bourbon. Untameable Talisker!
Now, the brand new 18 yo sure is a
winner. |
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MUSIC
- Billie
Holiday was 44 when she
died, 45 years ago. She was the best
singer ever, and nobody will ever
hold a candle to her. My favourite
record is Lady in Satin - the one
so many stupid people hated. It was
also Billie's favourite, and she recorded
it with the Ray Ellis string orchestra
less than two years before she passed
away. Why do I love it? The answer
is here
(mp3). Mesmerizing. |
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| MUSIC
- This is exactly
what we need on a foggy Sunday: Brasilian
drummer and percussionist Zé
Bruno playing Big
Circle (mp3). Have also a listen
to Maculele
(mp3) and Berimba
(mp3), both tracks composed for a
choregraphic work named 'Psyche Roots'.
Bursting with energy! Please buy Zé
Bruno's music if you like it. |
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TASTING
- TWO GLEN MORAYS
Glen
Moray 13 yo 1980/1993 (43%, Master
of Malt, cask #80/81)
Colour: white wine. Nose: light,
grainy and lactic. Very fresh and
clean. Develops on floral notes
(violet, flowers from the fields).
Hints of freshly sawn wood. Very
light but enjoyable. Mouth: bold
and quite peppery. Gets a little
coffeeish, Pear liquor, herbs, oat
cakes. Rather long, but undefinite
finish, on cake. Clean and fresh,
not bad! 78 points (Olivier
78) |
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| Glen
Moray 1992/2004 (46%, Murray McDavid,
MM0422, bourbon)
Colour: white wine. Nose: punchy and
spirity. Lots of flowers and a little
citrus. Very clean, with very little
wood influence. Really fresh and straightforward.
Develops on freshly cut apple (granny
smith) and pear. Mouth: bold and very
satisfying. A little feinty. Varnish.
Lacks a little complexity. Creamy.
A good hipflask malt. Long and spirity
finish. 80 points (Olivier
80). |
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MUSIC
- Week-end special:
Japanese born singer Lisa
Ono lives in Brasil
since the age of 10. All you
can say, is that you can hear
that when listening to her very
nice interpretation of The Police's
mega-hit Every
breath you take (mp3). Undemanding
and most enjoyable. Please buy
her music if you like it! |
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| TASTING
- Bowmore ‘Dawn’ (51.5%,
OB, circa 2004)
Colour: amber with a reddish hue.
Nose: lots of wood and pepper jumping
to your nose. Quite a lot of smoke
and some rather interesting fruity
notes (strawberry jam, overripe raspberry).
Some ‘perfumy’ notes but
not too disturbing this time. Mouth:
bold and powerful. Winey. Lots of
pepper and whiffs of smoke, getting
a little meaty. Long finish, on liquorice
and pepper. Much better than expected.
80 points. |
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MUSIC
- Take a good dram
from Islay, click here,
then close your eyes, and imagine
you're in a pub in Scottland, Ireland,
or any other 'Celtic' place. It works,
doesn''t it? But what's this music,
you may ask? It's Great
Big Sea, from Newfoundland,
playing 'Billy Peddle'. Another good
tip from my friend Peter - thanks,
pal! |
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| BRORA
NEWS: Not many new
bottlings these days, but Duncan
Taylor will bottle a new Brora
1981 next week, in
their 'Peerless' series (and not as
a 'Rarest of the Rare' bottling as
their website says.) |
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| TASTING
- TWO BENROMACH
Benromach
15 yo (40%, OB, circa 2000)
An older bottling that's been replaced
with the 18yo. Colour: dark straw.
Nose: fruit syrup, caramel, overripe
apple, a dash of pepper, that’s
it. Oh yes, just a little lavender.
Mouth: de-structured, quite tannic
and dusty, with some apple juice
covered with dust and white pepper.
Weak finish. Too bad! 75
points (Olivier 74).
Benromach
14 yo 1968 (40%, G&M CC old
brown label)
Colour: amber. Nose: bold, lots
of coffee, toffee, dried fruits,
orange peel. Fruit jam. A little
spicy. Some nice honeyed notes.
Gets peppery. A very nice nose.
Mouth: nice and powerful. Overcooked
fruits, Christmas cake, chocolate,
praline, candy sugar. Quite similar
to some brown rum. Gets just a little
thin and woody after a while. Medium
finish, on notes of rum. 85
points (Olivier 84). |
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Interesting,
this self-heating coffee with
whisky seen on a German website.
What's even more interesting is the
way they promote it. Let me translate
what they say for you: 'Your wife
is gone, she took the children with
her, and she left the Videotape collection.
Now you really need something, quickly!
A coffee with whisky! With Caldo Caldo
(read Caliente Caliente) all that's
no problem anymore! Press the button,
shake for approx 1 min, and here you
have your hot coffee with whisky!'
Well, I guess the ad man was
also responsible for sourcing the
whisky... ;-) |
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As
you can see, I decided to make a
few tweakings to the layout, so
that each page gets somewhat shorter.
Perhaps it'll look a little funkier
than previously... Well, I hope
not! I also added a 'Coming Soon'
section on the left side. Yes, .
FUN
- Left: here's a
drawing by French free-thinking
cartoonist and jazz aficionado Siné.
Well, I guess it would also work
with Stuart Thompson, Jim McEwan,
Donald Renwick or Iain Henderson
- or (almost) any other distillery
manager! |
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| TASTING
- Isle of Jura 6 yo 1996/2002 (60.5%,
Adelphi, cask #1917)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: extremely
powerful. Very fragrant and spirity
on one side (eau de Cologne), lots
of apricot and mirabelle on the other
side. Quince jam. Very nice, even
at 60%. Mouth: very punchy of course,
but the fruits come through. Peach,
apricot. Hints of vanilla. Quite mature
for such a young malt. Great freshness,
not too far from a ‘white’
eau de vie. An Alsatian one, of course.
Long fresh and playful finish, like
Paganini's Capriccio
n°24 played by Renato di Barbieri.
86 points (Olivier 88). |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
German guitar player Tillman
Hoehn plays Genesis'
The
Carpet Crawlers (medium quality
mp3) with excellent singer Elke Diepenbeck
(picture). Memories, memories... I
remember when I went to see Genesis
in concert in 1975 or 1976, when Peter
Gabriel was still the singer. It was
magical! And yes, how time flies! |
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GIFTS
- I'm sure you'll
'need' this Lilliputian whisky distillery
for Christmas, won't you? At £19.95,
it's a cheap way of owning your
own, dust-gathering distillery,
even if made in China. I know, I
have good tastes ;-). |
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| MUSIC
- Yet
a very good young songwriter, with
very nice orchestrations and great
maturity: it's Mirah!.
Please don't listen to Cold,
cold water (mp3) if you don't
want to get addicted to her art. Archipelago
(mp3) is much less dangerous... Well,
not sure! |
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MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
still provocative at 60, Brasilian
superstar Ney
Matogrosso sings Poema
live (mp3). The server is a little
slow, but it's worth it, what a
nice slide guitar! |
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TASTING
- THREE OLD 10 yo LAPHROAIGS AND
A BONUS
Laphroaig
10 yo (43%, OB, ‘unblended’,
Cinzano Italy, circa 1985)
Colour: golden. Nose: a perfect
mix of fruits, coffee and smoke.
Hints of tropical fruits –
perhaps the old bottle effect. Roasted
peanuts. Fresh cream. Very complex.
Mouth: very powerful. Lots of smoke
and lots of citrus. Big, bold peat.
Notes of coffee bean, getting vegetal.
Cooked apple, pepper, nutmeg. Gets
grassier and grassier, but it’s
all a matter of peat getting stronger
and stronger. A beautiful malt,
that’s for sure. Finish; long,
on smoke, passion fruit and pepper.
Serge 90 (Olivier 88)
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Laphroaig
10 yo (43%, OB, Hiram Walker France,
circa 1990)
Colour: a little lighter gold. Nose:
much less expressive. Almost closed.
Feinty, a little milky. Develops on
dirty seawater, dirt mop. Sure there’s
some smoke, but it’s a little
subdued. Some fishy notes. Mackerel?
Some petrol as well. Mouth: weird.
Some big bold peat rushing into your
mouth after a few seconds, but it’s
not a nice one. Still some dirty notes.
Some sour woody notes as well. Not
too enjoyable, I’d say. The
weakest of the series. Finish: long,
on sardines and smoke. It’s
sort of funny. 81 points (Olivier
82)
Laphroaig
10 yo (43%, OB, UK, circa 1995)
Colour: same as 1990. Nose: full smoke.
Cold fire, bitter almond. Simpler,
but much more straightforward than
the two older ones. Much smokier,
in any case. Mouth: again, much smokier
than the other ones. Very close to
the current cask strength. Mouth:
extremely smoky – much smokier
than the current versions. Hints of
white fruits but otherwise it’s
switched on full-smoke mode. Really
spectacular. Finish: long, on guess
what? Yes, peat smoke. 89
points (Olivier 89) |
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Laphroaig
16 yo 1987/2004 (56.1%, DL for The
Whiskyfair Limburg 2004, sherry, 336
bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: bold mocha, dry
sherry and smoke. Roasted peanuts.
Burnt matchstick. Superb but perhaps
not as stunning as the greatest sherried
Ardbegs. The peat wins the fight after
a few minutes, and just starts to
overwhelm the sherry, until you just
forget about the latter. Mouth: very
punchy. Lots of peat and smoke, with
lots of other phenolic tastes. Fusel
oil, carbonised bread, chilli, pepper…
beautiful. Almost no sherry on the
palate. The peat keeps going on and
on. It’s just endless and almost
heroic, like Beethoven's Symphony
n°3 Op.55 (1st movt). 91
points (Olivier 92). |
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| TASTING
- TWO CAPERDONICHS
Caperdonich
16 yo 1972/1988 (40%, Signatory,
casks #7130-7132)
One of the very first Signatory
bottlings. Colour: deep amber. Nose:
beautiful, on ‘arranged’
rum, banana flambée, tropical
fruits, cristallised angelica, and
lots of Grand Marnier. A beautiful
sherry. Develops on eucalyptus,
tiger balm, camphor. Superb. Mouth:
great, but lacks a little oomph.
No wonder Signatory quickly switched
to 43% bottlings. Tropical fruits,
overcooked caramel, American restaurant
coffee at the end of the day. A
little sweetish, but quite nice,
still. Maybe it would have made
it into he 90’s, provided
the mouth was a little bolder. Anyway,
an interesting Caperdonich. 88
points (Olivier 88).
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Caperdonich
27 yo 1974/2001 (50%, DL OMC, cask
#475, refill hogshead)
Colour: light amber. Nose: pungent
and spirity. Starts on creamy notes
(fresh butter), nectar and light breakfast
honey. Fresh almonds and peeled fresh
walnut. Hints of pine tree resin and
wax. Beautiful. Mouth: bold and youthful.
Toasted bread, dried figs, dates,
bitter orange with hints of crystallised
ginger. Superb. A great, unmasked
malt. No peat, no sherry, just the
truth… And a long finish. This
Caperdonich makes me think of the
best Teaniniches. 91 points
(Olivier 91). |
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MUSIC
- Blues,
cabaret, gospel... Paula
Frazer blends many styles
beautifully. Sometimes she sounds
like Curved Air's Sonia Kristina -
if you're less than 40, I really have
to tell you about Curved Air one day.
Anyway, try That
you know or Think
of me (both mp3), it's worth it,
I think. And oh, please buy one of
her CDs if you like her. |
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MUSIC
- Yet
another very good singer:
Christina
Wagner. Not too energetic,
I'd say, but if you'd like to listen
to something cool and relaxing,
why not have a go at Not
to be mentionned (mp3).
Nice voice, don't you think? |
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TASTING
- FOUR CRAIGELLACHIES
Craigellachie
14 yo (40%, OB, circa 2004)
Colour: straw. Nose: very fragrant
(eau de Cologne), hot milk, sour
cream, getting grassy (fern, heather)
and grainy. Hints of dry wood, vanilla,
dark chocolate. Very little sherry.
Nice and fresh. Mouth: enjoyable!
Quite powerful for a 40% malt. Liquorice,
roots, pear. Lots of lavender, bitter
orange. A little woody. Rather long
finish, on gentian roots. A nice
surprise. 82 points (Olivier
81)
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| Craigellachie
1988/2003 (40%, G&M CC)
Colour: light straw (no caramel?)
Nose: quite similar to the OB! Fragrant,
on rosewater, with grassy notes, hot
milk, sour cream. Develops on roasted
nuts, and then goes back to dried
flowers. Mouth: powerful again, but
a little less ‘compact’
than the OB. The wood’s a little
more drying, making the spirit itself
get sort of thin. Gets peppery and
dusty – the wood again. Medium,
drying finish.78 points (Olivier
78) |
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1987/2002 (40%, G&M CC)
Colour: straw again. This one’s
different. Less fragrant, less punchy.
Nuttier, maltier. A little weaker,
even if still enjoyable. Some nice
coffee develops after a while –
coffee drops, cappuccino. Dark toffee,
violet, roasted coffee beans. Whiffs
of smoke. Nice development. Mouth:
nicer than the 1988 this time. Lots
of dark, cold coffee, cocoa powder,
vanilla. Again a little weak, wasn’t
it for the wood. Gets drying, with
a rather short finish, on rum and
Smyrna raisins. 78 points
(Olivier 78).
Craigellachie
1982/1996 (40%, G&M CC old map
label)
Colour: straw. Nose: much more ‘closed’.
Caramel, malt, burnt cake. Quite
flowery (nectar), caramel, hot butter.
Too bad it’s a little weak.
Mouth: drying and Peppery. Dusty.
Plank… Not much else. Not
too ripe banana (supermarket banana).
The two younger ones were better
– not to mention the OB. Rather
short finish – too bad. 75
points (Olivier 76). |
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TASTING
- TWO NEW DIAGEO BOTTLINGS
Glenkinchie
12 yo (58.7%, OB, Limited Edition
for France, 5010 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose : punchy
and spirity. Quite grassy and malty,
with hints of peat. Clean and somewhat
austere. Some flowery notes emerge
after a while. Mouth: powerful but
nicely rounded. Lots of fruits (pear,
quince). Long, but rather spirity
and grassy finish. A good and punchy
Lowlander, even if not too complex.
81 points.
Dalwhinnie
29 yo 1973/2003 (57.8%, OB, Limited
Edition)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: bold and
rich, with tons of beehive aromas.
Wax, hay jam, quince jam, mirabelle
jam. Just beautiful. Hints of oak
and vanilla, and whiffs of peat.
Mouth: lots of crystallised fruits,
apple compote, candy sugar and honey.
Really beautiful. Long and nicely
balanced finish, on dried fruits
and vanilla ice cream. I liked it
very much. 90 points. |
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| GIFTS
- I
love playing backgammon while sipping
a good malt, so this splendid backgammon
board sheltering a few minis is
very appealing to me, even if I would
replace the Bailey's or the Dimple
with some great malts sooner or later.
When is Christmas again? Too bad this
beauty is sold in Greece! |
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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:
Auchentoshan
29 yo 1973 (51.4%,
OB, individual cask #803)
Caperdonich
27 yo 1974/2001 (50%, DL OMC, cask
#475, refill hogshead)
Dalwhinnie
29 yo 1973/2003 (57.8%, OB, Limited
Edition)
Laphroaig
10 yo (43%, OB, ‘unblended’,
Cinzano Italy, circa 1985)
Laphroaig
16 yo 1987/2004 (56.1%, DL for The
Whiskyfair Limburg 2004, sherry, 336 bottles)
Longmorn
30 yo 1973/2003 (56%, Millenium Malt,
Duncan Piper, cask #3978, sherry)
Talisker
NAS (59.2%, OB, for sale only at the
distillery, 2004)
Talisker
18 yo (45.8%, OB, 2004)
Talisker
20 yo 1982/2003 (58.8%, OB, Bourbon,
12000 bottles)
Talisker
1955/1993 (53.6%, G&M Cask series,
c. #1310, 1311, 1257)
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