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Hi, you're in the Archives, April 2009 - Part 2 |
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April 30, 2009 |
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CONCERT REVIEW by Nick Morgan
ALAN PRICE AND HIS BAND
The Bull’s Head, Barnes, London, April 9th 2009
I’m not sure if you’ll have heard of the English comedian Bobby Thompson, otherwise known as The Little Waster. In fact, I’m pretty sure most of you won’t have. |
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| Thompson was born and brought up in County Durham, Wearside, and throughout his career remained largely unknown outside the North, and particularly North-East, of the country. His dry and misogynistic humour ("Wu got off the train at Blackpool, the porter came up an' asked if 'e could carry me bag. I said 'Na, let 'er walk'.") was formed and fashioned by the poverty, unemployment and indebtedness that had historically defined so many working-class lives in the area (it was, of course, the home of the famous Jarrow marchers of 1936): "A man come to oor door. I says come in, tak a seat. He says 'I'm coming in to tak the lot.'". I remember people taking coaches from Lancaster to see him perform in the early 1970s, but his thick accent was as impenetrable to the majority in the South as the scenes he described, and success (unlike the Inland Revenue) eluded him. |
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Coincidentally, singer, organist, musical arranger of the Animals and composer of note, Alan Price, was also born in County Durham, in the village of Fatfield where Thompson was brought up. And although Price has lived in comfortable and uber-middle class Barnes on the banks of the Thames for many decades, his live show in the famous Bull’s Head (where he plays around once a month) has more than a echo of a dour and down-to-earth Thompson show, even if Price’s accent has been softened and modulated by years in the South. |
| Correctly assessing the average age of his audience at around sixty, Price begins with a truly sad story having recently attended the funeral of drummer Reg Isadore (famed for his work with, amongst others, Robin Trower), the victim of a massive heart-attack. “You see”, he said, like a grandfather sharing a cautionary tale with a group of wide-eyed innocents, “Reg wouldn’t take his pills. He should have known better but he wouldn’t take them. And then he went out for the weekend and – well, that was it. Heart attack – gone’. He lingers on the last word, eyes scanning the crowd like an Ancient Mariner, for the next one to go. In what follows there’s enough fiscal misery to delight the Little Waster - pensions advice (the diminishing value of pension funds being a hot topic amongst this particular tranche of the population at the moment), the falling value of savings and the dangers of romance with younger women (“you know in the end they’ll take all your money”). And there are also a few warm reminiscences of some of the myriad of distinguished people Price has worked with during his career, most of whom seem to have been ‘miserable’. |
| This impoverished running commentary almost became tedious – but it wasn’t enough to detract from Price’s performance, or that of his excellent band. Peter Grant was on bass, Martin Wild on drums, and on guitar and vocals the truly sensational Bobby Tench, whom I swear I last saw playing with Streetwalkers in Banbury way back in, well, you can guess. Together they made a sympathetic and at times surprisingly rocking background to Price’s timeless material and some well-chosen covers (including ‘the most miserable song in the world”, written by “that miserable git” Jackson Browne “as part of his divorce settlement”). Most of which was sung by Price in a voice that, like his sometime partner Georgie Fame, could have been plucked from three decades ago. In addition to some Animal highlights, notably ‘Please don’t let me be misunderstood’ the evening was stolen by Price’s compositions for the score of Lindsey Anderson’s (who according to Price had “a very myopic view of British society”) Oh Lucky Man. |
Bobby Tench, esq. |
‘Sell sell’, ‘Changes’, ‘Poor people’ (dedicated, naturally, to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Fred Goodwin), and ‘Oh lucky man’ are all outstanding examples of a truly English song-writing aesthetic, even if the influence of Randy Newman (composer of Price’s hit ‘Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear’) looms large on some of them. And of course these were followed by his ‘Jarrow song’ (“I remember that people there used to drink tea out of jam jars”) which celebrated the famous Jarrow march and was a top five hit in the UK. All of which, of course, helped Mr Price take up residence in lovely Barnes. I wonder what the Little Waster would have said about that? - Nick Morgan (concert photographs by Kate) |
| PETE McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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TASTING – TWO SHERRIED 1990 GLENROTHES |
Glenrothes 15 yo 1990/2005 (43%, Jean Boyer, Best Casks of Scotland, first fill sherry)  The good people at Jean Boyer’s are good at finding exquisite sherry casks, such as a more recent Dailuaine… So this should be good. Colour: dark gold. Nose: it’s a flowery kind of sherry, as elegant as sherried Glenrothes can be. In that sense this one is close to an OB. Notes of pollen, dandelions, acacia honey and apricots, then a few winey notes (a little rancio and strawberry jam), walnuts and just the right amount of gunpowder. Actually a little more vinous than the average OB. Mouth: rather winey again at the attack but clean, also rather nutty. Gets then much more honeyed and ‘walnutty’, with just a few kirschy notes in the background. Notes of coffee and black tea (Russian) plus a little pepper (just as black). Good presence, good dryness. Finish: rather long, drier, clean, chocolaty. Comments: a good sherried malt that reminds us a bit of the old Macallan 12, with ‘a smokiness’. SGP:352 - 84 points. (and thank you, Anthony) |
| Glenrothes-Glenlivet 1990/2008 (46%, Cadenhead, 610 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: starting all on walnuts and gunpowder (sulphur again) and developing more on coffee, dark chocolate and leather. Also quite some burnt cake, liquorice and tar but that’s pretty all. For lovers of this style. Mouth: a lot of sherry, with exactly the same flavours as on the nose. Faint dirtiness. Finish: long, with a little more honey. Comments: simply good! Typical dry, heavily sherried middle-aged malt. In the same league as the Jean Boyer. SGP:352 - 84 points. |
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April 29, 2009 |
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TASTING
THREE GLENDULLAN
Glendullan may well not be the ‘bluest chip in Scotland’ but I must say I have fond memories of a very fruity young official 8 years old that we had in France ten or fifteen years ago (as a fighting bottling for the distillers). |
| Glendullan 11 yo 1996/2007 (46%, Duncan Taylor, NC2, cask #10712) Colour: pale straw. Nose: amazing how this one reminds me of ‘my’ humble yet beloved old 8yo! Imagine very ripe white cherries and gooseberries plus some watermelon and add to that a few spices (freshly ground white pepper), then top the whole with some fresh dairy cream or maybe mascarpone, spread some vanilla-flavoured sugar and that’s it. Mmmm… Mouth: ultra-clean pear spirit this time, with some aniseed in the background. Develops more on tangerine liqueur… This one should take ice like a charm later in summer! Finish: medium long, not complex but wonderfully fresh. One may try to sprinkle a fruit salad with this, or even drink it with Perrier (don’t shoot!) Comments: simple pleasures are the best ones. SGP:720 – 84 points. |
| Glendullan 14 yo 1993/2007 (46%, Murray McDavid for Malts&More, Bourbon/Rioja Tempranillo, cask #05/0052 no.4, 493 bottles) Colour: apricot/salmony. Nose: as often, the wine brought some smoky and flinty notes to the youthful spirit, as well as a grassiness that may come from (relatively) fresh oak that’s not been heavily charred or toasted. To cut a long story short, take the desert we just had and add raspberries plus a little mint, or even chervil. A little sulphur in the background (struck matches). Mouth: exactly the same happens on the palate, it’s the 1996 plus raspberries, pepper and a faint rubber-like bitterness. Gets kind of fizzy (orange soda). Finish: medium long, clean, fruity, with less of the rubber. Comments: these faint sulphury notes are not disturbing and the rest is beautifully fresh. Same usage as the 1996 would be suggested. SGP:731 – 84 points (-2 for the faint sulphur, +2 for the raspberries ;-)). |
Glendullan 12 yo 1996/2008 (58.2%, Cadenhead, bourbon hogshead, 252 bottles)  Colour: white wine. Nose: vanilla crème at cask strength! Plus nutmeg and cinnamon… The spirit hasn’t much to say here, but water should help. With water: indeed, we’re extremely close to the NC2 now. Let’s say it’s almost the same whisky. Hints of leather. Mouth (neat): rich, creamy, all on vanilla but also on oranges and gooseberries. More expressive than on the nose, as almost always with high-strength whiskies. With water: once again, it got very good, clean, rich, creamy, almost as thick as a liqueur but also as fruity as a… fruit liqueur. Finish: medium long, crisp, fruity, clean. Comments: we’re obviously in the very same category as above. One more point for the extra 12% vol. (let’s not be cheap!) SGP:720 - 85 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Canada's Paper
Moon doing a cover
of Hot Little Rocket's "Down
With Safe". Very good, let's
buy Paper Moon's music! |
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April 28, 2009 |
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| PETE McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING – SIX GLENCADAM |
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| Glencadam 10 yo (46%, OB, +/-2008) “The Rather Delicate Highland Single Malt”, states the label. Colour: white wine. Nose: well, this is a typical ultra-clean, ultra-fresh half-fruity, half-grainy young whisky, with faint whiffs of coal smoke and a slight waxiness (more paraffin). A lot of apple juice topped with a little limejuice. Not mindboggling but most pleasant so far. Mouth: as clean, crisp and fresh as on the nose, with an excellent body. Uncomplicated but assertive. Lemon, strawberries and tangerines with some candy sugar and a little honey. Good stuff. Finish: rather long, on the same notes. This is no dissonant malt whisky! Comments: like them clean and fruity but not immature? This one is for you. SGP:531 – 84 points. |
| Glencadam 15 yo (46%, OB, +/-2008) A new livery for the 15, it’s true that the former one was quite strange. Jim McEwan used to say this 15 was his favourite malt, after Bruichladdich of course (err, probably!) Colour: straw. Nose: it’s not that often than a 15 is a 10+5 years, if you see what I mean. Yeah, well, I mean that this one noses exactly like the 10 with five extra-years, that is to say with more vanilla, more spices (soft ones here) and a more refined fruitiness (added ripe strawberries here). The rest is similar (apples, lemon, wax, smoke.) Very nice. Mouth: exactly the same happens on the palate, all flavours playing louder this time. That means that it’s big whisky, full flavoured, interestingly citrusy and getting maybe just a tad too grassy/dry after a while. Quite some vanilla. Gets then funnily medicinal (no Laphroaig though), a tad camphory. Eucalyptus drops. Finish: long, still very zesty. Comments: more complexity in this one, a very entertaining profile. We like this one a lot, and it’s rather fairly priced. SGP:641 - 87 points. |
Glencadam 25 yo 1983/2008 (46%, OB, decanter, cask #1002)  Colour: deep amber. Nose: this is obviously another league, even if the slightly lemony notes that we had in the others are well here. The rest is quite symphonic, on all things ‘old’ and ‘preciously woody’. Fantastic notes of dry sherry, old furniture, wax polish, leather, walnuts, cured ham, whiffs of tarmac/’good’ sulphur, prunes, raisins, chocolate, lovage, parsley… A total classic, perfectly balanced sherried whisky that reminds us of many older versions of Macallan. ‘More classical, you die’ would say Arthur – but these ‘good’ sulphury notes never stop getting bigger. Mouth: starts like a classic, assertively and on full sherry but the same kinds of citrusy notes as in the 10 and 15 enter the dance after that, growing bigger and bigger just before a true herbal explosion, with wonderful notes of verbena liqueur, genepy (European alpine liqueur) and various herbal teas. I think I never had that much genepy (okay, make that ouzo or pastis if you don’t know genepy) in a malt whisky. Finish: long, even more on genepy (resp. ouzo, pastis, raki, absinth, whatever….) Comments: a great nose but maybe not enough ‘idiosynchracy’ there, and a very unusual and most spectacular palate. Not for malt lovers who hate any forms of sulphur, that is… SGP:561 - 89 points. |
Glencadam 16 yo 1991 (46%, Milroy's, Single & Single Collection, +/-2008)  Colour: straw. Nose: another very fresh and very clean Glencadam but this time it’s maybe too clean, displaying only a few mineral, grassy and ashy notes for a start, and developing on the same kind of fruitiness as in the 15yo, only a little simpler and less expressive. Very nice, though… Mouth: once again, we’re very close to the OBs. Big fruitiness, a lot of apple juice and quite some strawberries. Maybe a tad simpler once again, less polished. Finish: long, fruity, youthfull, ending on bubblegum and black pepper. Comments: a good dram. I didn’t quite like it when I first tried it (100% blind) but I think it benefited from a little breathing. SGP:631 - 82 points. |
| Glencadam 34 yo 1974 (50.2%, Exclusive Malts, sherry cask #2179, 2008) Colour: full gold. Nose: this one has something that reminds us of the official 25/1983 but everything is toned down a bit here. A little more figs and dates but less of the rest, especially the herbs (parsley and such). Less sulphur as well but there is some left. Let’s see if water will make it bigger. With water: ho-ho, here come the parsley and lovage and here comes the… sulphur and leather. Not offensive at all, though. Still a bit under then 1983 OB globally. Mouth (neat): more directly expressive than on the nose, now water need here it seems. The attack is both very spicy (chilli peppers) and very fruity (truckloads of sultanas), the whole developing more on orange syrup and jam, orange blossom honey and some zesty fruits as well (tangerines, maybe very ripe mangos.) Not extremely complex but extremely sippable, I’d say. Finish: long, creamy, rich, fruity and perfectly balanced. Very discreet oakiness. Comments: once again, a very good Glencadam, offering a lot of pleasure. SGP:541 - 87 points. |
Glencadam 19 yo 1989/2008 (57.6%, Signatory, sherry butt, cask #6018, 575 bottles)  Colour: gold. Nose: probably the shier of them all, but that’s probably the high strength. Vanilla-infused vodka. No changes over time. With water: that made the oakiness come out, as well as notes of butter and melon. Baked pears. Very different from the previous five. Mouth (neat): much more expressive than on the nose when undiluted, starting on a lot of orange squash, orange drops, tinned pineapples and very ripe melons. Yes, this is very fruity, too bad there’s something just a tad metallic in the background (silver spoon). With water: fresh, uberfruity and extremely young, as if it was ten years old – max! Not a first fill sherry cask, obviously. Finish: long, on pears and pears (and pears). Comments: not a bad dram for sure, but it’s not quite mature at 19 years of age in our view. Other than that, it’s pretty flawless. SGP:531 - 78 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: the wonderful late
Nino
Ferrer going brasilian
just like anybody was at the time
- but better, with La Rua Madureira
(1969). Please buy Nino Ferrer's
works... |
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April
24, 2009 |
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TASTING
- THIRTY-FIVE JAPANESE WHISKIES
It's
Limburg
this week-end, so no posts until
Monday, or maybe Tuesday, except
possibly a few Tweets (or maybe
not, we'll see!). In the mean time,
let me unload a bunch of older 'Japanese'
sessions. I believe all have been
previously published on
Nonjatta,
Chris' ultimate website about Japanese
whiskies, where you'll find detailed
information about all these whiskies
and distilleries. Oh, and before
you ask, of course we haven't tried
all 35 whiskies in a row, but in
separate sessions. And now, let's
all sing, "Schnapps, das
war sein letztes Wort, Da trugen
ihn die englein fort, Schnapps das
war..." See you! - S. |
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| Nikka
Taketsuru 12 yo (40%, OB, pure malt,
+/-2008)
A pure malt named in honour of Nikka's
founder. We already tried the 17 (80)
and the 21, that we liked quite a
lot (85). Colour: gold. Nose: this
is very floral and fruity and really
reminds me of the Balvenie 10yo. Apple
pie, plum jam, dandelions, nectar,
vanilla crème and cappuccino.
Very good presence and a very clean
profile, with very soft tannins in
the background. Mouth: very, very
sweet attack on, well, sweetened apple
juice and nutmeg, with more malty
notes and cereals after that. Gets
then more on roasted nuts and butterscotch,
with an amusing salty touch. Not really
big nor complex but highly sippable.
Finish: medium-long, all on vanilla
cookies and apple pie topped with
a few grains of salt. Comments: warning,
this is good and highly drinkable.
Remember, no refills! SGP:621
– 80 points. |
| Nikka
Pure malt 'Red' (43%, OB, batch #02H22C,
+/-2002)
Colour: gold. Nose: there’s
more peat than in the Taketsuru, but
we wouldn’t say this is peaty
whisky. Rather grassy but not too
much, malty but not too much, fruity
(oranges, marmalade, quinces) but
not too much… We’re getting
closer to the Taketsuru after a while,
with delicate floral notes (yellow
flowers) but… Not too much.
Keyword: balance. Mouth: once again,
this is bigger whisky than the Taketsuru,
but also less smooth and less directly
drinkable. The attack is rather punchy,
all on cooked fruits and cornflakes,
but it drops a bit after that. Mead
and something perfumy. Baklavas? Gets
then quite dry. Finish: medium-long,
maltier and more caramelly, and then
maybe a tad soapy in the aftertaste.
Again a little salt. Comments: good
balance but I think I liked both the
‘black’ and the ‘white’
versions better. This ‘red’
lacks a little more oomph on the palate
in my opinion, but it’s still
good, flawless malt whisky. SGP:432
– 78 points. |
Nikka
21 yo (43%, OB, Pure Malt, +/-2007)
Colour: gold. Nose: we’re well
in the same family, but this is obviously
more complex and, I must say, quite
superb. Once again, we’re in
Balvenie territories, with very round
notes of quince pie, orange blossom
water and apricot jam, the whole getting
then even ‘jammier’, with
notes of dried longans, figs, dates
and a lot of acacia honey. Buttercream,
hot brioche. Very round, very soft
and very luscious. Reminds me of a
Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives from
a good maker’s. Mouth: once
again, this is very creamy, sweet,
rounded and fruity but never ‘lumpish’.
Notes of mango pie, Mirabelle jam,
earl grey tea, bitter oranges marmalade…
And then a rather superb spiciness,
very mellow but firm. Excellent backbone.
Finish: the longest so far, less sweet,
spicier and even a tad peaty/peppery.
Comments: very excellent, maybe one
of the best vatted I had. Masterfully
composed. SGP:642 - 90 points. |
| Super
Nikka Whisky (55.5%, OB, pure malt,
+/-2007)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: more power,
more oak, more vanilla and more grassy
notes than in its ‘colleagues’,
but that may come from the higher
strength. More bourbonny for sure
and a tad plankish, but I’m
sure water will help mucho. With water:
ah yes, this one swims like a champ.
More phenols, whiffs of hashish, camphor
and tiger balm… And then it
gets very dry and grassy, in a pleasant
way. Very good spiciness (nutmeg).
Mouth (neat): good stuff but both
the alcohol and the oak sort of block
any other flavours that may, or may
not be there. A little viscous. With
water: once again, that worked, even
if it does get a little ‘regular’
in style this time. Good oak, good
vanilla, good green bananas and good
hints of coconut liqueur (no brands!)
It’s only after a good ten minutes
that it starts to develop more towards
‘funny’ herbal notes.
Sorrel? ;-) Finish: long, ‘modern’,
‘normal’. Sweet vanilla
and soft tannins. Comments: an interesting
whisky, that goes through unusual
notes but ends up being rather, err,
‘regular’. That is to
say ‘modern’. Oh well,
I’m sure you see what I mean.
SGP:551 – 84 points. |
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Nikka
'The Blend' (40%, OB, +/-2008)
They wrote ‘Malt Base Whisky’
on the label… Doesn’t
that precisely mean ‘Blended
Whisky’? Colour: gold. Nose:
rather spirity, pretty malty and a
tad cardboardy, with also whiffs of
warm paraffin and olive oil. Very
little fruitiness, a rather austere
profile. Not unpleasant I must say,
and certainly not ‘commercial’.
Mouth: rather dry, not really weak
at the attack but a little too cardboardy.
Good proportion of peated malt it
seems, and even a little salt, but
that’s not enough to lift this
one to recommendable levels, even
if this is certainly not undrinkable.
Actually, it does improve over time,
gaining body and an even bigger peatiness.
Also a little pepper and quite some
ginger. Finish: short but clean and,
again, nicely peaty. Comments: a blend
that reminds us of Black Bottle in
a certain way – not the 10yo
that is. The palate is much nicer
than the nose. SGP:232 –
74 points. |
| Nikka
'Gold & Gold' (43%, OB, blend,
+/-2008)
Colour: gold. Nose: we’re close
to the ‘Blend’, only even
drier and a little maltier. Hints
of beer and soft spices (ginger, cumin).
Just as austere, but these whiskies
are probably not made for deep nosing.
Mouth: not very big at the attack
but rounder and creamier than the
‘Blend’. Notes of beer
again (gueuze, fruit flavoured Belgian
beer), marzipan, quite some malt and
the same kind of salty peatiness as
in the ‘Blend’. Really
warms up after a few minutes. Hints
of kirsch. Finish: medium-long, maybe
just a tad too sugary but the peatiness
blends well with soft spices and something
slightly ‘oriental’ (orange
blossom water). Aftertaste a tad too
spirity. Comments: a blend of good
quality. SGP:342 - 76 points. |
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Nikka
'Kingsland' (43%, OB, +/-2008)
What a ‘beautiful’ N°5-alike
bottle! Colour: gold. Nose: once again,
we’re close on the nose but
this is a little bigger and certainly
smokier. Also quite grassier…
A higher proportion of malt whisky,
probably. Hints of bananas skin. Mouth:
similar to the ‘Gold & Gold’.
Mouth feel a little oilier. The whole
is a tad more candied and rich, and
there are also more spices. Reminds
me a little of some ginger liqueur
I tried once – well, of its
good side, because. Finish: medium-long,
even more gingery and sweet. Comments:
another good one, with quite some
personality. The sweetest so far,
a little less peaty as well. SGP:441
– 76 points. |
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Nikka
'Super' (43%, OB, +/-2008)
These bottles with very long necks
are very clever as even when the level
goes down a bit because of evaporation,
the contact surface with air remains
very small. Colour: gold. Nose: ah,
this is much more expressive than
the ‘Blend’, ‘Gold
& Gold’ and ‘Kingsland’.
Much more honeyed and fruity (dried
figs), with also the same kind of
waxiness. Also a little cardboard
but the overall profile is very enjoyable.
Gets smoky. Quality blended whisky.
Mouth: pretty much the same as the
Kingsland’s, only a little smoother
at the attack, and a little grassier
after that. Finish: maybe a little
shortish but clean. Spicy baklavas.
Comments: a good blend. SGP:341
– 75 points. |
| The
Blend of Nikka 17 yo (45%, OB, circa
2007)
Colour: gold. Nose: now we’re
really talking. There’s peat,
there’s a whole basket of fruits,
there’s a rather beautiful spiciness
(nutmeg, cumin, dried cardamom) and
then a long development on coastal
notes and pineapples. An unusual combo
that works very well. Much more in
malt whisky territory. And keeps improving!
On par with the best Hibikis so far.
Mouth: same feeling on the palate.
Not a big bodied whisky but everything
is there, from peat to fruits and
from spices to herbs. Pineapple syrup,
dried ginger, light caramel, lychees
(very obvious). Tastes more and more
like a spiced-up lychee and pineapple
salad. Finish: long this time, balanced,
lingering, spicier at this stage.
More cloves. Comments: a very, very
good blend that will defeat many malts.
The proportion of malt whiskies must
be huge. SGP:542 – 87
points. |
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TASTING
NIKKA’S KEY MALTS (and a grain) |
| These
‘Key Malts’ are sold by
Nikka in small 180ml bottles, all
at 55% vol., as components for blends
that you can then assemble yourself.
They are available at the company’s
famous ‘Nikka Blender’s
Bar’ in Tokyo, and each is marked
with two main adjectives that are
supposed to characterise them. I think
it’s a very clever idea, but
let’s not take chances and just
try each separately for now, without
any water for once. |
| Nikka
Coffey Grain Whisky 12 yo 'Woody &
Mellow' (55%, OB)
Colour: gold. Nose: typical grain
whisky from a rather active casks.
Loads of vanilla and coconuts, the
whole being still quite soft and very
rounded. Distinct whiffs of plain
oak (sawdust, roasted nuts) and hints
of yellow flowers. Mouth: rich, smooth,
extremely coconutty and vanilled,
developing on ripe bananas. It’s
probably quite simple but we can really
see how this will be a perfect ‘rounding
base’ for any blend. Finish:
not very long but in keeping with
the palate, with soft, silky tannins.
Comments: again, we’re not into
grain whisky but what’s sure
is that this is faultless. SGP:520
– 80 points. |
| Nikka
Key Malt Miyagikyo 12 yo 'Soft &
Dry' (55%, OB)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: very expressive
but very malty and grainy, with big
notes of bakers’ yeast, bread,
soaked grains, yoghurt and vanilla
crème. Hints of chicken bouillon
as well – and, believe it or
not, warm sake (very particular yeastiness.)
Mouth: well, it’s not that dry
I must say, rather fruity at first
sips (apple juice), but it does get
yeastier and more porridgy indeed
after a few seconds. Big maltiness
as well, notes of lager beer this
time, sake again (yeah, sure!)…
Finish: rather long, on a 50/50 mixture
of beer and cider. Comments: I don’t
think this is very pleasant as such
but it may bring a good structure
and a certain ‘assertiveness’
to a blend. In other words, an ‘anti-grain’
component. SGP:261 –
75 points. |
| Nikka
Key Malt Yoichi 12 yo 'Woody &
Vanilla' (55%, OB)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: much more
bourbonny but not only bourbonny.
A lot of vanilla as ‘promised’
but also black tea, apple juice, stout
(right, Guinness), cocoa powder (bitter)
and not too ripe bananas. Goes beyond
a simple bourbon bomb. Mouth: rich
indeed, vanilled indeed, and woody
indeed. Very woody in fact, the spirit
having extracted loads of spicy components
from the wood. Lactones, ginger, tannins
(very tea-ish), white pepper, over-infused
tea… Was that new oak? Finish:
not long but pretty tannic. Comments:
another one that really tastes like
a ‘component’ and not
like a ‘complete’ whisky.
But it’s good! SGP:461
– 78 points. |
| Nikka
Key Malt Miyagikyo 12 yo 'Fruity &
Rich' (55%, OB)
Colour: gold. Nose: this one is, indeed,
much fruitier, starting on cider apples
and gooseberries but developing more
on melons (big aromas) and butter
pears. Hints of rum in the background
(molasses, candy sugar). We’re
rather close to Speyside here. Mouth:
very smooth, fruity and rich indeed.
The melons are back – and big
time. Actually, this tastes like new-wood-matured
melon eau-de-vie. Well, ‘probably’,
as I’m not sure anybody has
ever tried to produce such an oddity
(I may try one day, when melons will
be on sale). Finish: medium long and
now really liqueur-like. Comments:
the fruitier and ‘richer’
of all fruity and rich whiskies, but
don’t expect anything else.
SGP:740 – 80 points. |
| Nikka
Key Malt Yoichi 12 yo 'Sherry &
Sweet' (55%, OB)
Colour: full amber. Nose: classic
sherry, totally flawless. Chocolate,
raisins, ham, toffee, coffee, prunes
and strawberry jam. The chocolaty
notes start to dominate a bit after
a few minutes. Mouth: big and much
to my liking, even if this isn’t
properly a complex whisky. Same flavours
as on the nose, minus the meaty notes
(no ham and such here). Very slight
rubber. Finish: longer than its colleagues.
Strawberry liqueur and Armagnac. Comments:
once again, one can really ‘feel’
how this would make for a perfect
component for a blend, but it’s
also a very good malt whisky as such.
SGP:631 – 84 points. |
| Nikka
Key Malt Yoichi 12 yo 'Peaty &
Salty' (55%, OB)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: typical
‘Japanese’ peatiness,
a combination of straight peat smoke,
bitter oranges and polished leather.
Very rich and very engaging. Develops
more towards smoked fish and seashells,
with also quite some spices (nutmeg
and grated ginger). Gets finally pleasantly
earthy. Compact and very flawless.
Mouth: explosively ‘Islay’
I must say. Big peat (even if it’s
probably not a ‘peat monster’),
salt, orange marmalade, orange drops
(and even icing sugar), Virginia tobacco,
candy sugar. Once again, this is balanced
and flawless. Finish: medium-long
and rather citrusy and salty. And
a little rooty/earthy. Comments: another
one that would certainly stand on
its feet alone. SGP:356 –
85 points. |
| I’m
sure you’re now wondering whether
we’ll try and do a vatting of
these or not, aren’t you! The
answer is yes, but we won’t
toy for hours with our samples and
rather compose one single vatting,
which will consist in 7 parts: 2 parts
Coffey grain and 1 part of each of
the five ‘Key Malts’.
What’s very handy is that as
all components are proposed at 55%
vol., it won’t be a nightmare
to try to calculate the average strength
of our vatting ;-). |
 |
|
Serge’s
Nikka Vatting ‘2-1-1-1-1-1’
(55% - I hope so, Private)
Colour: gold. Nose: hey, cool! Something
a little ‘modern’, in
the sense that there’s obviously
much oak, vanilla, lactones, coconut,
ginger and so on, but also a rather
wide range of ‘secondary’
notes. Leather, bananas, apple peeling,
tea, a little peat smoke… As
expected, the rather raw yeasty and
malty/grainy notes that were in some
components have been absorbed by the
oakiness – or so it seems –
or maybe just covered. Mouth: wow,
the peat is much bigger on the palate,
and dominates the woody vanilla this
time. So much so that this is still
a very peaty whisky (say, thrice as
peaty as a current Highland Park).
Other than that, we have quite some
ginger, green tea, mocha, a little
blackberry jam, fudge, hints of chilli…
All that is very good, very good.
Finish: certainly longer than any
of the components. I didn’t
know that blending could stretch a
whisky’s finish. Comments: I’m
so proud of myself! Imagine, a whisky
that I created myself!… I’m
feeling a bit like God now…
Ok, agreed, let’s cut the crap,
this isn’t funny. SGP:455
– 87 points (honest)
(with heartfelt thanks to Bert
V.) |
 |
TWO
COFFEY GRAINS BY NIKKA |
|
Nikka Coffey Grain 1992/2007 (57%,
OB, cask #116333, Warehouse #20)
Beginners may not know that ‘Coffey
Grain’ and ‘coffee bean’
aren’t sort of the same thing.
Coffey grain is grain whisky distilled
in so called ‘Coffey stills’,
named after Mr Aneas Coffey, an Irishman
who invented this kind of continuous
still around 1830. Colour: gold. Nose:
huuuge notes of vanilla and coconuts,
then white chocolate, cut grass and
nutmeg, with a faint soapiness. Needs
water, so with water: less aggressive
but not really more complex. Maybe
a little more gingery and almondy,
with also a little menthol. Mint-flavoured
marzipan? Mouth (neat): hot and extremely
fruity and vanilled. Litres of coconut
liqueur and quite some soft spices
plus a little salt (straight from
the oak). Good but rather monodimensional,
just as many grain whiskies in our
opinion. With water: the tannins come
out, together with quite some pepper
and kind of a grittiness. Finish:
medium-long, sweet. Ginger, vanilla,
coconut, tannins, white pepper. Comments:
it’s pleasant and flawless spirit
but I find most of these grain whiskies
a little boring, with the oak doing
all the work. Yawn… SGP:530
- 79 points. |
| Nikka
12yo '70th Anniversary' (58%, OB,
Single Coffey Grain, Bottled +/- 2008)
From a 4-set that includes four 12yos
(Yoichi, Miyagikyo, Coffey Grain,
Blend,). Colour: gold. Nose: rather
different from the 1992. Less rounded
and less ‘directly’ vanilled
but rather more spirity, with also
fairly strange whiffs of sweat (locker
room after a rugby game – on
second thought, not quite). Also hints
of blood oranges and something like
lychee liqueur (we already had lychees
in several Nikka blends). Ginger.
It’s a little bizarre, let’s
add water now. With water: cleaner
but once again, not really more complex.
A lot of marzipan, just like in the
1992. More honey and putty as well
as what the Berbers call ‘hamlou’
(almonds, honey and argan oil mixed
together). Mouth (neat): almost the
same whisky as the 1992 when undiluted.
Hard to pick up any differences, so
let’s add water right away.
With water: same. Sweet wood extracts…
Mashed chestnuts. Finish: same. Comments:
once again, it’s very good spirit,
perfectly made, but we’re not
into grain, many taste the same, it’s
a bit boring, blah blah blah…
I’m sorry. SGP:530 -
79 points. |
 |
TWO
MIYAGIKYO |
|
Miyagikyo 1989/2007 (60%, OB for LMdW,
cask #105419, Warehouse #20)
Colour: amber - apricot. Nose: what
strikes first is a rather marvellous
smokiness. Peat of course but also
exotic woods such as eucalyptus and
even pinewood smoke. This big smokiness
never disappears and is only complemented
with whiffs of earl grey tea, orange
marmalade, furniture polish, cigar
box and beeswax. It is a superb nose,
even at such high strength. With water:
it gets both fruitier and meatier.
Say cured ham with pineapple slices.
More wax and leather as well. Mouth
(neat): heavy, immensely concentrated,
starting all on plum spirit (zwetchke
– sweet purple plum) with hints
of Chinese anise and cinnamon. An
unusual kind of spiciness. Gets then
just a tad winey but never too much.
Water may be needed more than on the
nose. With water: the oak comes through
now, the whole losing its ‘vividness’
a bit. Actually, water did not work
too well here. Finish: long but a
little too tannic and drying. Comments:
great nose, both when neat and reduced,
and great palate when neat, but the
palate gets quite disappointing when
diluted. Too bad, I had the feeling
this one would go over 90 points.
SGP:465 - 87 points.
|
| Miyagikyo
1986/2008 (63%, OB, cask #80283, Warehouse
#23)
Colour: gold. Nose: as superb as the
1989 at first sniffs, maybe even more
so. More straight peat, very ‘wet’
(garden bonfire with wet grass) and
a lot of lemon balm, lime, crystallised
oranges and hints of passion fruits.
Great nose at 63%! With water: oh,
this is very strange. Gets kind of
‘pleasantly rotten’, on
notes of well-hung game, gunpowder,
even mud… Strange but nice,
even if a tad ‘perverse’.
So much for a friend who was telling
me that Japanese whiskies were ‘lab
whiskies.’ Mouth (neat): ultra-strong
but funnily enough, this is ‘swallowable’
as it does not really burn. Very rich
but straighter than the 1989 again,
with a big smokiness and a very special
association of citrus fruits and very
aromatic fruits such as ripe raspberries
and even rose-flavoured sweets (or
high-quality Turkish delights). With
water: gets drier but very pleasantly
so this time. More bitter chocolate,
un-sugared herbal tea and plain tea,
notes of cough syrup, peppermint…
And always a lot of peat. Finish:
long, maybe a little simpler than
expected because of the rather heavy
woodiness but very clean and very
peaty (and quite salty). Comments:
a big, concentrated dram that stands
water perfectly well this time. At
63%, it’ll make for two bottles
for the price of one - almost. SGP:566
- 89 points. |
| And
also Miyagikyo
10 yo (45%, OB, +/-2008)
Nose: fragrant and very oaky, with
a lot of vanilla and hints of star
anise, orange blossom water and bitter
oranges. Very expressive. Mouth: very
expressive as well, with a lot of
oak again, notes of black tea and
chewed Havana cigar. Also hints of
morels and dark chocolate. A very
unusual malt – and very interesting.
84 points. |
 |
|
Yoichi 1987/2005 (49%, OB, Peated,
cask #254816, Warehouse #3)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts very
meaty, on lovage and ham with notes
of veal cooked in butter, even a tad
acetic (wine vinegar). A lot of bacon
too (the ferry to Islay at 8 in the
morning – hard for continental
stomachs!) The good news is that all
this gets cleaner and purer after
a few minutes, much more on crystal-clean
peat, lemon juice and white pepper
with faint whiffs of incense and sandalwood.
Very, very discreet notes of horse
manure. Very nice nose but nothing
too wild here, even if it gets both
fruitier and cheesier after a good
twenty minutes. Mouth: a very compact
attack, all focused on Seville oranges
and peat. More citrus fruits after
that (slight fizziness) and more herbs,
with hints of coriander and parsley.
Good development on crystallised ginger
and Szechuan pepper, with a return
on crystallised oranges. Very balanced
peat. Finish: long, half-round, half-wild,
with added notes of chewed cigar.
Comments: maybe not total magic but
very, very good. Perfect balance peat/wood
that create a most pleasant spiciness.
SGP:455 - 87 points. |
| Yoichi
1987/2007 (55%, OB, 2000 bottles)
This one won the 2008 World Whisky
Awards prize for the best single malt
whisky in the world, it was about
time we decided to try it! Rumours
say that there’s been subsequent
bottlings after the Award but no idea
if this is true, even if we did see
at least two different labels for
this one. This sample was gathered
early in 2008 so it should be the
original version. Colour: gold. Nose:
straight peat smoke and mocha at first
nosing, then more Virginia tobacco,
old wooden furniture, burning beeswax
(candle), new tyre and new leather
jacket. Hints of smoked tea as well
(lapsang soochong) and just a little
seawater. Very nice, rather compact.
With water: more of the same, with
even bigger notes of newly tanned
leather but otherwise no further development.
Actually, it falls down a bit after
a few minutes, really losing steam.
Mouth (neat): we’re more or
less in the same category as the other
1987, only more aggressive and lemony.
Notes of limoncello and a little nutmeg.
With water: now it got really, really
good. Perfect balance between the
peat, the spices, the dried fruits
and the various other phenolic notes.
Quite some buttered caramel. Finish:
long, getting a tad grassy and drying
now. Comments: very good Yoichi (of
course) but some parts are nicer than
others. What’s sure is that
there are better Yoichis – in
our book! SGP:364 - 85 points. |
| Yoichi
1986/2008 (59%, OB, cask #112112,
Warehouse #15)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: starts a
tad meatier again, closer to the single
cask version of the 1987s, and just
like it, gets then much sharper and
‘crystal clean’. Big notes
of vanilla and lactones (a little
too bourbonny here), then cinchona,
ginger tonic, leather, moist tobacco
and wet earth. The most organic version
so far. Also hints of bubblegum and
strawberry sweets. With water: much
more development than with the 1987.
Vanilla and lemon crème, fermenting
hay, horse manure again... Nice nose,
a lot of smoke and something medicinal
after a while. Hospital. Mouth (neat):
hot, peaty, earthy, minty and peppery,
with also quite some orange marmalade
and just hints of cough medicine (something
‘paraffiny’). With water:
added notes of bitter oranges and
gentian but other than that, no changes.
Finish: rather long, gingerier and
mintier now. Comments: another one
that’s very good. There’s
no bad single cask or small batch
Yoichi anyway! SGP:365 - 85
points. |
| Yoichi
1991/2007 (62%, OB, cask #129493,
Warehouse #15)
Colour: amber. Nose: really straighter,
more vivid and more ‘mineral’
peat smoke. The driest and the most
austere of all, but maybe that’s
because of the very high strength,
so let’s add water right away.
With water: big fruits and big peat,
an excellent combo, well above the
1986 and 1987s in my opinion. Superb
waxiness and leafiness, notes of marzipan-filled
dates, fresh putty, macadamia oil,
limejuice… A great nose no doubt.
Mouth (neat): big very punchy and
very similar too its siblings. Maybe
a tad grassier and bitterer but once
again, water is obligatory. With water:
oh yes, the best so far, no doubt.
Straight ‘coastal’ peat,
fresh nuts (almonds, walnuts), lemon
zests, coriander, cardamom, sage,
green pepper, heart of palm…
Totally excellent. Finish: long, a
tad sweeter and rounder now. A little
mind in the aftertaste. Comments:
goody-good! My favourite so far and
by far. It seems that they increased
the peat levels at Yoichi’s
between 1987 and 1991 (but I may be
way off the marks here). SGP:467
- 90 points. |
| Yoichi
1987/2006 (63%, OB, LMdW, cask #113200,
Warehouse #15)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: certainly
the most ‘Ileach’ of all
five at first nosing, and the most
‘caramelly’ as well. Quite
some sulphur. But again, that may
come from the very high alcohol, so
with water: once again, we aren’t
too far from the last distillery on
Kildalton road here. Peaty, tarry,
fruity (cider apples, lemons) and
the most coastal of them all (seashells).
Hints of paraffin. Mouth (neat): maybe
the better balanced despite its high
strength – or so it seems. Very
spectacular notes of ‘earthy
leather’, with a very nice bitterness.
With water: again and again, we’re
on Islay, with big tarry and liquoricy
notes mixed with apple compote and
quite some salt. On second thought,
we may be on Skye. Finish: very long,
with more pepper. Comments: a big,
wild Yoichi, maybe less ‘crafted’
and ‘engineered’ that
its siblings. Maybe this style has
something to do with a different set-up
of the stills, maybe the excellent
Chris at Nonjatta’s has the
answer… SGP:646 - 88
points. |
 |
KARUIZAWA
‘92+’91+’86 |
| Karuizawa
1992/2007 (61.5%, Number One Drinks
Company, American oak/Sherry Butt,
cask#3330, 430 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: hot and maybe
a tad lactic at first nosing, with
the sherry being quite obvious but
not raisiny or chocolaty at all. A
little raw and spirity, hints of ale.
Water should help: ah it got sort
of richer, more candied and much more
on crystallised oranges and honey.
Huge notes of fino sherry (notes of
‘yellow’). Water really
works here. Mouth (neat): extremely
rich, hot and concentrated. Same notes
of ale as on the nose, peat, curry,
plum spirit (good slivovitz), dried
ginger… Rather explosive I must
say. Quick, water: right, it’s
the smokiness that comes out now,
together with notes of date arrak,
dried longans, oranges and even very
strong coffee (ristretto). This one
really needed water! Finish: long,
on coffee beans and bitter chocolate,
which is very far from our first impressions
on the nose. Ginger. Comments: I had
this one at 83 before but probably
didn’t give it enough time.
What’s more, water did wonders
on it. SGP:553 - 85 points.
|
| Karuizawa
1991/2007 (62.5%, OB, cask #3318)
Colour: full gold. Nose: once again,
this is very hot, a little more on
the leafy/earthy/mineral side. Whiffs
of crushed almonds and then a sudden
‘bubblegummy burst’, with
the odd winey notes. With water: the
bubblegum disappeared but the rest
didn’t. Very nice earthiness
and notes of figs. Are figs one of
Karuizawa’s markers? Mouth (neat):
very hot once again and a profile
that’s closer to the 1992’s
at this point. Plum spirit and truckloads
of spices from the oak. ‘Ouch’
(err…) With water: it doesn’t
seem to get any more complex this
time, as if alcohol had anaesthesised
it for good. But it’s still
very good. Finish: long, still a little
simple and all on figs and ‘oaky’
spices. Slight earthiness that grows
bigger in the aftertaste. Comments:
very good (especially this earthiness)
but not the best. SGP:452
- 84 points. |
| Karuizawa
1986/2008 (60.7%, OB, cask #7387)
Colour: amber. Nose: once again, it’s
hot whisky but the notes of old walnut
liqueur, brown coal and tarry rope
are superb. When I first nosed this
one (blind) I thought it was an old
Hakushu. With water: superb. Same
profile, with a little more mint and
sandalwood. The one that’s probably
the most ‘Japanese’ in
style. Mouth (neat): sweet, rounder
and better integrated than the youngsters.
Everything is big but everything is
mellower. Vanilla, ginger, fruit spirit
and orange marmalade. With water:
absolutely excellent. Peat, salt,
spices, liquorice and gentian. Finish:
long, more vegetal now, with notes
of lemon and pepper. We’re close
to the Scottish isles here! Comments:
the best of the flight, luv’
it. SGP: 454 - 90 points.
|
 |
KARUIZAWA
‘77+’71 |
| Karuizawa
1977/2008 ‘Noh Whisky’
(62.8%, Number One Drinks Company
for LMdW, cask #7026, 528 bottles)
From a first fill sherry butt and
bearing a beautiful label… ‘and
I said noh, noh, noh!’. Colour:
amber – brown. Nose: an explosion
of raisins, fir honeydew and walnut
husk, developing on tar, cigar smoke
and liquorice. Actually, it’s
amazing how this one smells like cigar
smoke – and like plain cigars
as well. Not brutal despite the very
high strength but let’s add
water, still. With water: stays on
the same notes and it’s not
even really smoother. Just a little
more menthol and plain malt. Not extremely
complex but ‘damn nice’
if you see what I mean. Reminds me
of some old very sherried Port Ellen
but with much less peat of course.
Mouth (neat): extremely rich, kirschy
and coffee-ish (our beloved coffee-schnapps)
and pretty hot. Water is more than
needed here. With water: it got sweeter,
rounder (plum jam) and much more peppery
(black pepper, chilli crisps), with
a tarry feeling again. Big whisky
for sure, lots of sensations. Finish:
very long, with notes of chestnut
liqueur and lapsang souchong tea and
a fruity tang (gooseberries). Comments:
really a big, fat (and phat), restless
and imposing old sherried whisky,
wilder than most old heavily sherried
Scotches that we could try so far.
One for the (golden) hipflask rather
than for the cognac snifter? SGP:663
- 90 points. |
| Karuizawa
1971/2008 (64.1%, OB, cask #6878)
This one won one of the five Gold
at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2008. What
an amazing strength at 37 years of
age! Colour: amber – bronze.
Nose: very hot and more on gentian
eau-de-vie and very ‘ripe, dry
figs’ (not rotting but quite).
This should be superb but it’ll
burn your nostrils as sure as 1+1=2.
So, with water: loads of soft spices,
ginger, sultanas, a little mint and
unusual hints of Swiss cheese (gruyère
– no flaw here, rather the contrary).
It IS superb. Mouth (neat): ouch!
As hot and heavy as a spirit can be,
but not vulgar it seems… These
notes of figs seem to be there, though…
With water: yes, the figs are here,
alongside dates, caramel fudge, a
peppery peatiness, sultanas and plum
jam. Simply excellent. Finish: long,
maybe just a tad rough (but the 1977
was a little rough as well). Comments:
yes, simply excellent. Gets even better
after 30 minutes of breathing. SGP:563
- 90 points. |
 |
KARUIZAWA
‘81+’88+’88 |
| Karuizawa
'Vintage' 1981/2007 (58.1%, OB, cask
#103)
This one was selected by Marcin at
One Drinks Company and it did extremely
well at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2007,
with a Gold Medal and the Top Japanese
Malt Award. Colour: amber. Nose: truly
powerful, starting on an immense,
but truly enjoyable woodiness. Big
varnishy notes, almonds and marzipan,
green tea and hints of horseradish
(or wasabi – Japanese indeed).
Then it’s the wilderness that
speaks out, with notes of humus, moss,
pine needles, roots, wet dead leaves...
And finally a big mint and a big eucalyptus.
Oh, and our beloved dried mushrooms.
It’s not really subtle whisky
but the boldness and compactness are
very, very enjoyable. With water:
now it’s fully on dried mushrooms
(boletus and these huge black Chinese
ones) and Havana tobacco. Hyper-concentrated.
Mouth (neat): huge, fat, punchy, heavily
concentrated. ‘Good’ oak
infusion, walnut skin, curry, mustard
and bread crust. Goes on with cough
syrup and green bananas. It’s
amazing that all this oakiness remains
good – I mean, excellent. With
water: it’s the spices that
really go out now. Pepper first, then
cloves and cinnamon, then nutmeg...
How big this is! Finish: very long
– more of the same. One of the
most muscular whiskies I had these
months, no doubt. SGP:586
- 91 points. |
| Karuizawa
19 yo 1988/2007 (60.6%, The Whisky
Fair, sherry wood, 462 bottles)
Colour: amber with green hues. Nose:
very similar to the 1981 but a tad
more discreet and more marked by the
sherry (but not by the wood) at first
nosing. Maybe a little more tobacco
and old leather. Great menthol as
well. Gets a little beefy after a
while. Hints of lovage and dried parsley.
Gets really bigger after a while and
maybe a little more complex than the
1981. Frankly, this is great. With
water: it got more mineral, ashier,
maybe a tad more austere now. Funny
how it diverges from the 1981 with
water. Also notes of ham. Excellent
anyway. Mouth (neat): very, very close
to the 1981, with maybe an extra-roundness
(sultanas) and a bigger fruitiness
(dried bananas, figs). It’s
superb, I must say, but let’s
not tempt fate and add a little water
to it: it got even closer to the 1981,
with maybe just a little more orangey
notes and a little less spices and
oak. Similar finish. Just as excellent
I think, no reason to give this one
a different score. SGP:676
- 91 points. |
| Karuizawa
19 yo 1988/2007 (58.3%, The Whisky
Fair, refill sherry, 480 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose:
punchy but much less marked by the
cask this time. Much fruitier as well
(tinned pineapples), with notes of
ginger and spearmint as well as a
little lemon juice. Whiffs of linseed
oil and cut cider apples. Starts to
‘sauvignonise’ after a
moment. Excellent zing. With water:
not much change here, were’s
till on dry white wine, lemons and
pineapples. Mouth (neat): punchy but
sweet and fruity again. Pear and lemon
drops, pineapple jell-O, strawberries,
vanilla fudge, a little ginger again,
bergamots, chamomile tea, hints of
mocha... With water: gets more complex,
with quite some grapefruit, ginger,
cinchona, vanilla fudge, lemon pie...
And then even more ginger. Quite amazing
how gingery this one is. Finish: long,
candied, lemony and gingery. Very
good again, even if it hasn’t
really got its siblings’ pretty
immense stature. SGP:553 –
87 points. |
 |
TASTING:
TWO KOMAGATAKE
|
| According
to the excellent nonjatta, Shinshu
is a distillery that’s located
near Suntory’s Hakushu distillery
and that does not make whisky anymore.
Let’s see if it’s a shame… |
| Shinshu
Komagatake 1989/2006 (60.1%, OB, cask
#616, 430 bottles, bourbon)
Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s
the oak that does all the job here.
Huge vanilla, huge lactones, whiffs
of sawdust and hints of coconut, strawberries
and ginger. This one reminds us of
the ‘Missouri Oak school’.
We aren’t too far from grain
whisky here. With water: it’s
much nicer. Not any more complex but
the smoothness is perfect now, with
a faint maltiness. Very ‘Glenmorangie’,
maybe the famous Highlands distillery
had been benchmarked at some point?
Mouth (neat): typical uber-sweet very
oaky whisky. Exactly the same profile
as on the nose when neat. Needs water
again! With water: the wood really
stands out now, with an unusual blend
of plain cane sugar and very dry tea
and spices (white pepper). A rather
light distillate it seems. Finish:
medium long, clean but a little indefinite.
Comments: good average light whisky
in a rather active cask (that won!)
Maybe not much depth but it’s
perfectly drinkable. SGP:431
– 77 points. |
| Shinshu
Komagatake 1986/2006 (60.5%, OB, cask
#448, 402 bottles, sherry)
Colour: amber. Nose: classic mild
sherriedness over a rather simple
whisky, or so it seams because water
is really needed. Quite some oak,
oranges, cedar wood and dried coconut.
With water: a bigger meatiness with
a little coal smoke and whiffs of
rusty iron but the whole remains a
tad too simple in our opinion. Mouth
(neat): concentrated sweet wine over
very active oak and a shy spirit.
Very hot and burning so quick, let’s
add water again: it got much better!
Quite some bitter chocolate, prunes,
coffee and old walnuts, the oak getting
then much bigger and rather drying.
Finish: medium long, clean, more on
strawberries, with the same kind of
oakiness as in the 1989. Comments:
perfectly good whisky and an unusual
bourbonny background, as if this was
an ex-bourbon cask that was sherry-treated;
but it’s most probably not the
case. SGP:441 - 80 points.
|
| |
|
April
23, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– THREE TOP NOTCH BLENDS |
 |
Cream of Glenlivet (40%/70°proof,
The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries,
1970s)
Wolverhampton & Dudley, aka Wolves,
used to be a large brewer and pub
operator and have been renamed Marston’s
a few years ago. I didn’t find
much information about this whisky,
which wasn’t issued as a blend,
nor as a malt, but as a ‘Special
Scotch whisky’. Did that mean
blend? Colour: full gold. Nose: an
immediate old bottle nose, and a beautiful
one, blending passion fruits and these
metallic notes that can be so beautiful
(‘aluminium pan’, silver
polish). A faint mouldiness too, mushrooms,
old leather, parsley… Quite
some malt as well, roasted nuts, caramel,
pine resin… A beautiful old
blend for sure, with maybe something
‘Glenlivetty’ indeed.
Yes, maybe! |
| Mouth:
ooh-aah! A big, big whisky at the
attack, really full flavoured, starting
with tons of oranges and various cakes
(including anise cookies) and going
on with malty and nutty notes, just
before it starts to get drier and
fade out a bit, which is rather normal
after all these years. A big presence
anyway, and more peat than on the
nose. Finish: medium long, still very
malty and slightly bitter and tee-ish.
Comments: an excellent surprise but
I must say that often happens with
old blends, whether very popular or
rather obscure like this one. SGP:332
- 86 points. |
| Old
Parr 12 yo (40%, OB, McDonald Greenless,
1970s)
With the funny label that states that
Thomas Parr, A.D.1483-1635, aged 152
years, was interred at Westminster
Abbey. The Old Parr brand is big in
South America these days (check the
old Peruvian ad!) Colour: full gold.
Nose: this one is completely different
from the Cream of Glenlivet, much
more on toffee and chocolate, with
an even bigger maltiness and more
smoke as well. More empyreumatic.
Less old bottle effect too, but it
gets a tad soapy after a while. The
peat is quite obvious here. Very nice
and way above a standard blend for
sure. Mouth: this palate is very,
very similar to the Cream of Glenlivet,
only a tad maltier and more tea-ish/bitter.
Traces of kumquats. Finish: rather
long, in the same vein. Comments:
well, no surprise here, all whisky
fans know that these old Old Parrs
were (and maybe are still) rather
good drams (and that they tend to
extend any drinker’s life, obviously,
although old Thomas Parr became blind
way before he passed away.) SGP:
343 - 84 points. |
 |
 |
Black
Bull 30 yo ‘Deluxe Blend’
(50%, Duncan Taylor, 2009)
An old brand that’s been revived
by Duncan Taylor. This new version
is made out of 50% malt and 50% grain,
the whole having been vatted at birth
and then matured for thirty years
in sherry casks. Colour: gold/amber.
Nose: we’re much closer to the
Cream of Glenlivet than to the Old
Parr, although everything is bigger
in this new baby, and not only the
alcohol. Very pleasant whiffs of precious
wood (and maybe thuja), wood varnish,
then Seville oranges, a slight meatiness
(ham), wet hay… Then we’re
back on chocolate and coffee, before
some rather sexy notes of dried bananas
and coconut come through, reminding
me of these old grains that Duncan
Taylor issue from time to time (Invergordon
1965, anyone?) More leather and pipe
tobacco after a few minutes –
a rather beautiful sherry. |
| Mouth:
rich and creamy yet rather dry at
very first sips, with notes of brownies
and roasted chestnuts. The orange
marmalade does kick in after that,
as well as some bitter caramel and
liquorice. It is not a luscious old
blend for the 19th hole, rather a
vibrant and nervous fighter that’s
much closer to malt whisky than to
grain on the palate. Pleasant dryness
and an oakiness that’s quite
assertive (hints of pine resin). Good
stuff! Finish: long and spicier now,
with quite some black pepper and cloves,
dark chocolate and bitter oranges.
Comments: alas, I never tried the
old version of Black Bull, but this
new one is quite potent and, considering
it’s a blend, top shelf material
for sure. SGP:352 - 87 points.
|
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: That's right, the fabulous
Booker
T. & The MG's doing
their Green onions in 1962. Please
buy Booker T. Jones' music (and
all things Stax!) |
 |
| |
|
April
22, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE
SCAPA |
| Scapa
1993/2005 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail,
licensed bottling)
Colour: white wine. Nose: starts as
briny as expected, with quite some
sea air, but gets then more flowery
and slightly tea-ish (earl grey, with
bergamot). More fresh oranges after
that, a little vanilla fudge, just
hints of wood smoke and finally notes
of cedar wood (cigar box, or even
humidor) and cinnamon. Fresh, clean
and rather complex. Mouth: smooth
and a tad shy at the attack, with
this feeling of sugared vodka that
one can sometimes find in ‘shy’
whiskies, but it does improve mucho
after that. Nice notes of gingerbread
and speculoos, vanilla fudge once
again, sweet liquorice… Gets
then a tad drying, on white pepper
and cocoa powder but it’s still
nice whisky. Good freshness altogether.
Finish: short to medium, a little
more on cold tea and fudge. Pencil.
Comments: a good, inoffensive everyday
dram. The soft side of the islands.
SGP:341 - 80 points. |
| Scapa
16 yo (40%, OB, 2008)
The recent new Scapa, already pretty
well-known. Strange that they bottled
it at a slightly stingy 40% vol. The
older 14 was nicer than the previous
12, maybe this 16 will go further
towards quality. Colour: full gold.
Nose: we aren’t too far from
the G&M as far as the style is
concerned, we’re actually very
close, with maybe a little more honey
and more citrus fruits as well as
a little white chocolate. The rest
is all on sea breeze, cinnamon, yellow
flowers and earl grey tea again. Hints
of menthol. Light and crisp, certainly
not weak – yet? Mouth: a little
more oomph than in the 1993 but it’s
still not big whisky. A crisp clean
lemony touch, oranges, spice mix for
mulled wine (star anise, cloves, cinnamon
and… and… well I can’t
remember just now.) Also apple compote
and something clearly caramelly and
roasted (well, caramelized peanuts)
that reminds us of some blends. Acceptable
body. Finish: medium long, with the
oak kicking in, making the whole a
little drying. Quite some pepper and
a little salt plus a little mint.
Comments: once again, good whisky
with a nice personality but a little
more punch would have been welcome.
In the same league as the older 14yo,
but the new bottle is much fancier.
SGP:431 - 83 points. |
| Scapa
14 yo 1991/2005 (56.1%, Douglas Laing
for John Scott & Miller, 303 bottles)
JSM (John Scott & Miller) is a
grocery store in Kirkwall. They also
have their own line of Orkney whiskies,
some old Highland Parks having been
exquisite. Colour: white wine. Nose:
as expected, this one is more a brute,
more an islander than his low-strength
bros. It’s much more on wet
rocks, garden bonfire, fresh walnuts,
kelp, rubbed lemon skin… Gets
then even grassier and a tad spirity.
Rougher indeed. With water: not much
development I’m afraid. It gets
even grassier and just a tad coffee-ish.
Hints of bubblegum as well. Oh, and
bacon… Strange combo. Mouth
(neat): rough and perfumy attack,
with notes of newmake that aren’t
too… well, nice. Very spirity
and without any finesse, but water
will (should!) help this time. With
water: creamier and much, much maltier
and meatier, with something reminiscent
of Mortlach. Beef jerky, dried oranges,
gin fizz and honey. These are the
best moments. Finish: rather long,
still not quite tamed and civilised
but the profile is acceptable. Peppered
orange marmalade. Comments: a rather
difficult Scapa in our view, but the
palate is enjoyable once reduced a
bit. Water is obligatory. SGP:452
- 77 points. |
 |
STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST
proposes his malt
cocktails for the
Springtime
TODAY:
"Samurai
Sling" |
Pour into a highball, with ice:
- 6 cl Karuizawa 12 y.o.
- 2 cl cherry Heering (or another
cherry brandy)
- 1/2 lemon juice
Finish with Perrier and decorate with
cherries or/and exotic fruits.
In memory of the excellent Singapore
Sling.
Variants : substitute Karuizawa with
a young japanese whisky of your choice.
|
 |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: more Northaf caliente
with Rachid
Taha singing Ya rayah
with a bunch of great musicians.
Please buy Mr Taha's music... |
 |
| |
|
April
21, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– ANOTHER THREE LAPHROAIGS |
| More
and more Laphroaigs to try –
we already wrote notes for +/-150
of them – and only God knows
why we never get bored with these
babies. Maybe it’s got something
to do with quality… Signatory
Vintage, among other bottlers, already
showed us that 1990 and 1991 were
great years at Laphroaig’s,
so we have deep expectations now... |
| Laphroaig
17 yo 1991/2008 (52.7%, Cadenhead's,
Bond Reserve, bourbon hogshead, 206
bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: it is a tad
spirity and rubbery at first nosing
(newly opened box of rubber bands),
as well as weirdly bubblegummy (or
a newly opened pack of Haribos this
time), and never quite manages to
find its way out of these rather invading
notes, even if nice notes of fresh
almonds and wet wood smoke do come
through. Slight sourness too (overripe
apples). Water may be needed here…
With water: indeed! Here comes the
smoke, the tar, the camphor, the sea
air, the grapefruits and the tangerines.
A completely different Laphroaig with
water – quite superb! Mouth
(neat): it is much, much more to my
liking than on the nose when undiluted!
Clean, crisp, on fresh notes of lemon
marmalade with fresh ginger, pepper
plus ‘of course’ a lot
of peat and anything from the sea
(weed, shells, other seafood…)
Very good. With water: excellent,
crisp, clean, almondy, citrusy, smoky…
And a little more herbal as well.
Top notch. Finish: very long, ultra-clean
yet very complex and rich. Superb
aftertaste on smoked marzipan or something
like that. Comments: this one swims
like the hidden son of Mark Spitz
and Shirley Babashoff. Too bad the
nose was a bit off when undiluted.
SGP:548 - 89 points. |
| Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (56%, The Whisky Agency,
bourbon hogshead, 240 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: this is much
more ‘Laphroaig’, whatever
that means. Actually, that means that
there are no heavy rubber and no bubblegum
whatsoever, rather a straight smokiness
(pine wood smoke, peat smoke ‘from
the kiln’) as well as notes
of antiseptic (not big), almonds,
lemon zests and smoked fish (make
that trout for a change). With water:
more of the same, with a little more
wet hay and even more smoked fish,
with also an added zestiness (more
lemon juice). Mouth (neat): quite
unusual, starting big and powerful
but also sweeter than usual, with
notes of dried pineapples and various
fresh fruits that we didn’t
get on the nose – at all. Goes
on with a lot of sweetened lemon juice
sprinkled over smoked fish, something
slightly drying (flour, tapioca, cocoa),
and finally a bigger smokiness (lapsang
soochong tea). Not a classic, but
very good nonetheless. With water:
a big smokiness mixed with lemon zests.
Somewhat dry and austere but that
is pleasant. Finish: long, very dry,
all on smoke, smoke, smoke and ashes.
Comments: less luscious than other
Laphroaigs, hence very interesting.
Maybe a tad Calvinistic? SGP:258
- 89 points. |
| Laphroaig
12 yo 1991/2004 (59.0%, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society, N°.29.32, 'As
good as it gets')
As good as it gets? Let’s check
whether that very bold statement is
pure codswallop or not… Colour:
full gold. Nose: all right! It’s
like if this one was at least ten
years older, as there are already
these magnificent notes of fresh fruits
(passion, tangerines) that one may
find in much older expressions of
Laphroaig. And kumquats, soot, coal,
ripe gooseberries, smoked almonds,
refined oysters (fines de claire),
tincture of iodine… Epitomical,
as they say. With water: wow, wow,
wow! More of everything, including
more elegance and a stunning leatheriness
that’s only to be found in much
older bottlings. A typo somewhere,
for sure – stencilling of the
casks, bond book, in the bottling
hall, at the SMWS’ headquarters,
whatever! Mouth (neat): extremely
‘full’ yet very wide,
most certainly one the most medicinal
of all medicinal Laphroaigs I’ve
ever tasted. It’s hard to describe
it as these medicinal things are usually
not things that you may swallow, but
I’d say that we have quite some
antiseptic, bandages (gulp!), mint
and eucalyptus-based balms, camphor…
And mercurochrome. Enough to cure
many illnesses. With water: massive!
Finish: long, full, more Laphroaig
than the most Laphroaig of all official
Laphroaigs. Comments: of very, very,
very high quality. Like we sometimes
say, this is why we’re into
whisky (but they should really check
this typo problem at the SMWS! ;-))
SGP:558 - 93 points.
(and thank you Marcel) |
 |
FESTIVALS:
The Lindores Whisky Festival
will take place in Oostende, Belgium
on October 24 & 25, 2009. Once
again, a great opportunity to taste
rare whiskies and to meet nice people.
A part of the program has already
been announced and seats can be booked
right now on the Lindores’
website, ‘Events’
section (Cadenhead’s white labels
tasting, Lagavulin breakfast, Battle
of the Springbanks and so on…)
But the genuine highlights of the
festival will be this… |
WORLD
EXCLUSIVITY:
The whisky and shrimp croquettes!
Some delicious traditional
Oostende shrimp croquettes seasoned
with rare whiskies such as Bowmore
Bouquet, Springbank 12yo 100proof
Samaroli, Laphroaig 10yo Bonfanti
or, if your budget is tighter, Glenfarclas
10yo or Arbdeg Renaissance will be
served during the whole festival by
Super-Chef Geert Bero and Maître
d'Hôtel Luc Timmermans. Luc
commented: 'These won't be available
as samples, so be there!' We
will! |
 |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: this will surely ring
a bell (oh no...), it's Pierre
Henry, grandfather
of electronica, 'doing' his very
famous Psyche Rock in 1965 (from
Messe pour le temps présent,
a work for Béjart's ballets).
Please buy Pierre Henry's works... |
 |
| |
|
April
20, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– FIVE OLD BUNNAHABHAIN |
 |
| Bunnahabhain
38 yo 1970/2008 (40.2%, Duncan Taylor,
Rare Auld, cask #4075, 213 bottles)
These old ‘Bunnies’ are
usually very good. Colour: full gold.
Nose: a full truckload of fresh fruits
explodes, with thousands of ripe kiwis,
green apples, tangerines and apricots
crashing right under your nose. Sorry
about that weird image. The oak kicks
in after that wham-bam start but it’ll
never manage to dominate the huge
fruitiness, adding just some very
nice vanilla and ginger notes as well
as a little ‘all-flowers’
honey and fresh mint. It’s no
complex whisky actually, but the pleasure
is integral. Mouth: there is some
wood in the attack, and in rather
large quantities (dry tea, cherry
stem tea) but the fruits do resist
it and the combination works well.
Once again, it’s no complex
whisky but the balance is perfect.
Ripe apricots and blood oranges with
some white pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg
as well as a little acacia honey (a
light one). Finish: medium long, still
beautifully balanced. Hints of Turkish
delights. Ends on oranges and even
papayas, with a straight oakiness
remaining. Comments: simple pleasures
but full pleasures – well, we
don’t always need complexity,
do we! SGP:641 - 89 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
35 yo 1973/2008 (50.1%, The Whisky
Agency, refill sherry, 509 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this baby
is completely different from the 1970,
much more austere, flinty, meaty and
even kind of dirty (hints of cold
cuts, probably from the sherry.) It’s
only after a good ten to fifteen minutes
that the fruitiness starts to develop,
with the same kind of honeyness as
in the 1970 (mixed wild flowers) and
a faint smokiness that’s quite
beautiful. Hints of gunpowder. It
wouldn’t stop after that, having
a ‘farmy moment’ (stable),
then a coffee moment, then pastries
(butter croissant, baklavas, lemon
pie…), then, then, then…
A wonderful nose but it takes its
time. Exactly the opposite of the
1970 in that sense. Mouth: it’s
more ‘direct’ than on
the nose, with more fruits upfront
(dried pineapples, ripe juicy apple),
kind of a smokiness, orange drops
and squash, then lemon balm and dill…
There’s a faint dirtiness in
the background (and a little rubber)
but the whole works very well. Much
more compact than on the nose. Finish:
rather long, with a little less fruits
and a little more rubber. Comments:
a wonder on the nose, a very good
whisky on the palate, that’s
what we think. It’s astonishing
that there isn’t more oak. SGP:452
- 90 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
34 yo 1974/2008 (59.3%, The Perfect
Dram, oloroso, 300 bottles)
amazing colour –
and amazing strength! Colour: mahogany.
Nose: full-blown oloroso but not of
the clumsy/lumpy kind. Chocolate sauce
(mole), Corinthian raisins, prunes
and dried oranges (loads). Also hints
of old Armagnac. Amazing how this
one is easy to nose at such high strength,
but let’s not go too far and
reduce it right now. With water: whooo,
now it smells just like an old wine
cellar somewhere down there in Jerez.
Balsamic vinegar, horse sweat, mushrooms,
saltpetre, old… err, sherry!
Either you like this, or you don’t.
I do but maybe a wine background is
really needed here. Mouth (neat):
starts very, very flinty, getting
aggressive because of the very high
strength. Water needed! With water:
a very pleasant prickliness (lemon,
not too ripe kiwis), quite unexpected,
then these leathery notes, walnuts
again, ‘acidic’ coffee
(un-sugared of course)… Once
again, a bit ‘like it or not’
but it’s quite spectacular.
Finish: rather long, even more leathery,
getting finally completely dry –
but never drying. Bitter chocolate.
Comments: an old sherry monster that
wasn’t made in the lab, if you
see what I mean. SGP:262 -
91 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
32 yo 1976/2008 (55.7%, The Whisky
Agency, fino sherry, 300 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: as expected,
this one is much drier, more austere
and grassier than its siblings, probably
thanks to the fino. Fairly big notes
of fresh walnuts, leaves, tea, shoe
polish… With water: it got sort
of fruitier, but also maybe simpler,
as if water closed it down. Not a
good swimmer? Mouth (neat): ah yes,
this works wonderfully now! Superb
complexity right from the start, even
if the whole is rather super-dry.
Pu-erh tea, walnuts (of course), mushrooms
(morels – not kidding), oatcake,
liquorice, very old comté cheese
(there is quite some salt!), balsamic
vinegar and just hints of old rancio.
Seville oranges. It’s a little
unusual actually but much to our liking.
Much closer to Jerez in style than
some other ‘sherry’ whiskies
and a beautiful sourness. With water
(even if water may well not be needed
here): well, not much improvement.
Pass. Finish: long, with more fruits
now, which is funny. Pomegranates,
cranberries and such. Comments: this
Bunny is a problem. The strength is
high but it doesn’t seem to
swim too well. Bah… SGP:361
- 89 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
1978/2008 (50%, Samaroli, Coiltean,
sherry butt, cask #7224)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this
one is a much rougher and rawer version
of Bunnahabhain, quite different from
earlier distillates. We’re much
more on butter, fermenting hay, overripe
apples, green tea and lemon balm.
It’s not that it isn’t
nice whisky, but the others were clearly
in a different category as far as
I can tell. With water: no luck. Mouth
(neat): once again, this is so much
simpler than all the other ones. Grainy,
grassy, flinty… It’s not
bad of course, it’s just very
simple without the ‘explosive
temperament’ that the 1970 had.
With water: gets cardboardy. Finish:
ditto. Comments: not the best version
of an old Bunnahabhain in our opinion
but it’s also true that it came
after quite some stunners. And it’s
no flawed whisky of course! SGP:251
- 78 points. 2010 update: this was in fact bottled at 45% ABV. (thanks Oliver) |
CD
REVIEW by MM's Luca Chichizola
DEPECHE MODE - SOUNDS
OF THE UNIVERSE
(Mute
Records / EMI) |
 |
| You
know you are in trouble when a band
opens their new album with the same
irritating and dissonant screeching
noise for the third time in their
career. Songs of faith and devotion
used this device to instantly grab
attention on “I feel you”,
as a desperate scream of help and
a warning as if to say “we have
changed, we no longer are synth pop
idols, we have become loud and aggressive
rock devils”. 2005’s Playing
the angel used the same trick
(possibly even louder and to a more
arresting effect) for the opening
track “A pain that I’m
used to”, as a symbol of how
back on the saddle Depeche
Mode were, of how boldly
and aggressively, full of renewed
confidence, they were ready to kick
ass once again after the very atmospheric
but subdued Exciter. |
| Sounds
of the Universe, once again,
starts with 80 seconds of electronic
distorted noise. Granted, this time
it’s a less aggressive and more
spacey noise (in theme with the title
of the album), more like a radio getting
tuned, but the effect is puzzling,
a bit irritating. And, worse than
that, it sounds like a cheap trick,
like something tried once too many.
Bad foreboding for the quality of
the album, hailed by the band as a
glorious and arrogant return to their
electronic roots? |
| Personally
I had great hope for SOTU, since in
almost thirty years of career Depeche
Mode never released one truly bad
album. Actually, after experimenting
in pure synth-pop and then in Einstürzende
Neubauten-like extravaganzas in the
early ‘80s, they nailed a chain
of mind-boggling masterpieces: albums
that are considered landmarks of electronic
arena rock, triumphs of darkness and
desperation, filled with rousing anthemic
songs and quiet ballads. Depeche Mode
are one of the few bands which managed
to match experimentation with pop
sensitivity, to have a constantly
stunning sense for great hooks, melodies
and lyrics, to reach commercial success
and critical praise at the same time.
Not to mention the success of their
2005-2006 tour for Playing the
angel: I attended to the Manchester
show and it truly was a memorable
evening, with the band in peak form
and many genuinely moving moments. |
| And
yet, SOTU falls flat on its
face. It’s the first serious
wrong step in Depeche Mode’s
career, an album that does very little
to innovate, to move the listener,
to at least repeat the same old formula
in a manner which I can consider something
more than “plain listenable”.
It’s an album that adds nothing
new to their repertoire, that sounds
artificial, “easy” and
not challenging… but without
even that extra sparkle and hookiness
that would be required to make it
radio-friendly and truly “easy-listening”
commercial stuff. |
 |
| Yes,
it’s a weak album both under
the point of view of a longtime Depeche
Mode fan (although there will be some
who disagree and say it’s great),
and under that of a casual MTV audience
(because many of the songs are simply
too flat and not immediate enough
to qualify as chart material). Sure,
a mediocre Depeche Mode album still
is better than 90% of most modern
pop music (for the truly bad stinkers,
just have a listen to Britney Spears
or Take That…), but it’s
a disappointment nonetheless. |
| The
album starts quite nicely (after the
noisy electronic intro…) with
“In chains”, the usual
hot and sweaty DM song. It’s
not bad at all, and rather catchy:
moody and doomed enough to be one
of the standouts. “Hole to feed”
is the first of the three tracks penned
by lead singer Dave Gahan rather than
by the usual Martin Gore, and also
the best of them: a hard beat, a rough
and dirty sound and pace. Then we
have the only gem of the album: “Wrong”,
which is as simple as it is effective
and pumping, an instant Depeche Mode
classic. It’s not a coincidence
that it was chosen as first single,
as its dynamic, doomed, spooky and
powerful electro-blues sound is relentless
and truly memorable. Fourth on the
tracklisting we have “Fragile
tension”, again one of the best
tracks, well paced and full of synth
sounds, but backed by a distorted
electric guitar. Very catchy, desperate
and ominous. The good stuff ends with
the next song, “Little soul”,
a slow, tortured, whispered and moody
track which sounds very much like
something out of Exciter with
some of the electronic effects wizardry
from Playing the Angel. Again,
some nice guitar work by Gore on this
song! So far the new Depeche Mode
album would be completely acceptable:
nothing groundbreaking or particularly
exciting, but a solid work in their
tradition. But then it starts to lose
steam, to become more and more unfocused,
like a collection of yawn-inducing
B-sides with the occasional spark
of genius which only makes the listener
angrier at the thought of what a missed
occasion it is. |
| “In
sympathy” is generic radio-friendly
(but not particularly catchy) disco-pop,
a very weak and undistinguished song.
“Peace” is sonically interesting
with its ‘80s sound and almost
religious choirs, but lyrically it’s
one of the most awkward DM songs since
1984’s “People are people”,
and the second Gahan track “Come
back” is amateurish and bland
stuff that seems like a leftover of
his solo debut album Paper Monsters
(yes, not even deserving of being
considered in the same league of his
second solo album Hourglass
which was vastly superior although
by no means a masterpiece and certainly
very overproduced at times). Then
we have the usual instrumental, “Spacewalker”,
which is very retro: a sort of a ‘70s
sci-fi electronic soundtrack, actually
not bad and rather atmospheric, though
very cheesy and frankly too short
and underdeveloped. The pace picks
up a little with “Perfect”,
which again is a rather generic and
very electronic disco-like slow song,
but at least it’s very pleasant
and a with a truly wonderful, abrupt,
sincere and dramatic (but also, sadly,
brief) change of pace and mood in
the second half. Very space-age and
rather uplifting, although again rather
pedestrian (except, as I said, for
that unexpected twist after the middle
of the song). And then, there’s
nothing more to remember… The
third song by Gahan (“Miles
away/The truth is”) is as heavy-handed,
instantly forgettable and un-melodic
as the second one was. “Jezebel”,
the only ballad sung by Martin Gore
alone (he usually sings two or three
per album), has fine doomed/perverted
lyrics and the usual great vocals
that the wonderful larynx of Depeche
Mode’s main author/second singer
can provide… but it’s
also something that we have heard
dozens of time before, and the “orchestration”
is so poor that it sounds like bad
lounge music, like one of those ludicrous
basic prerecorded backing tracks from
a Casio keyboard from the ‘80s.
|
| The
album ends on a particularly weak
note with “Corrupt”, a
song very DM in style but so bland
and generic in its grittiness and
darkness, that even after several
repeated listenings I still fail to
find a hook of particular interest
to sing/hum along. |
 |
| What
went wrong with this album? An excess
of self-confidence? A lack of creativity
after eleven stunning records? Who
knows… Gore had clearly expressed
his enthusiasm for having managed
to overcome his creative block and
having effortlessly written almost
a double quantity of songs compared
to how many (or, rather, few) he had
always managed to provide for the
previous records, so many that the
band was forced to discard a lot of
them because as they often state in
interviews they are allergic to releasing
double albums. Well, not to be mean,
but perhaps he should have kept concentrating
on quality rather than on quantity…
The scariest consideration is that
Gore has always been the lyrical creative
genius of the band, while golden-voiced
lead singer Gahan always seemed content
to be a “plain and simple singer”
(a quote from that unexpected brilliant
moment in “Perfect”)…
at least until Playing the angel,
when he threatened the band to leave
if they hadn’t let him write
a few songs (a hard dilemma, since
his solo album “Paper monsters”
had shown very run-of-the-mill writing
and musical talents). Actually, Gahan’s
three tracks for PTA were
surprisingly good, with “Suffer
well” particularly brilliant
and probably the best song in the
album. The scary thing, as I said,
is not that Gahan’s three songs
for SOTU are nothing to write
home about (everyone is allowed a
moment of greatness in life, and good
Dave already had his one with PTA),
but that this time in many instances
the superiority of Gore as a songwriter
struggles to come through. Actually,
some of the Gore-penned songs in SOTU
are just as bad and uninventive, with
the most trivial lyrics and rhymes,
as the worse Gahan offerings… |
| Another
gripe is with the production. Returning
at the task is Ben Hillier, who had
done at the same time a great and
a lousy job with PTA. Great,
because the album was energetic, in-your-face,
punchy (as Hillier himself said in
an interview with his very Brit accent:
“doirtier, grittier”).
Lousy, because the album was so filled
with aggressive noises, so distorted
and “ugly-sounding”, that
at times it could become tiresome
to the ears. No big problem, as the
songs were top-notch and as a one
time experiment the gritty/noisy production
could be accepted as something innovative
and fresh for a band which was in
need of such a facelift. The problem
with SOTU lies in the fact
that musically there is not much meat
on the bones to start with, and as
a consequence there was little a producer
could do to embellish the songs and
fill up the holes. And, starting from
an already dangerous situation, Ben
Hillier and the band took some further
questionable steps. |
| Many
songs either sound sparse, cold and
empty (a big contrast to 1997’s
Ultra, which was even MORE
sparse… but soooo warm and atmospheric!),
or filled with electronic gimmickry
to try to conceal the lack of a solid
melody. To put it in other words,
there only is a certain amount of
dissonant/ random/unnecessary background
bleeps, plinks, plonks, chimes, etc.
that the human ear can stand before
they become distracting, annoying
and most of all completely out of
place. And, again, while in PTA
they actually fit quite well in the
overall economy of the songs, here
they sound like cheap tricks from
a tired magician’s hat. |
 |
|
In old Depeche Mode albums, every
weird sound and sample (fireworks,
scissors, ping pong balls, hammers
on iron, trains passing by, etc.)
had either a precise meaning or was
at least interesting and impactful
(let’s not forget the influence
that Einstürzende Neubauten had
on the band from Basildon!). Not here:
on SOTU they rarely have
other purpose rather than filling
the awkward gaps in the songs, and
they all sound vague, generic, purely
electronic. Again, like the cheesy
Casio-like backing track in “Jezebel”
which I mentioned before. And yes,
I know that the band deliberately
tried to recreate an ‘80s sound
by using old equipment and buying
from eBay some prehistoric analog
synths, but in my opinion the result
is much flatter, colder/more electronic
and less organic than what they achieved
25 years ago when they were using
this same kind of equipment! |
| This
review will probably seem too harsh
to many Depeche Mode fans. Sorry,
but I am a fan too: it’s the
band I love most, and I own all of
their CDs/DVDs/singles. I have a ticket
for their show in Milan in June, and
I will be glad to attend (even if
they will probably play lots of material
from SOTU) because in live
performances they are a marvel to
behold, even better than in studio
albums due to different arrangements/pacing
and to a great scenic presence. Weird
for an “electronic” band,
isn’t it? But if you have never
been to a Depeche Mode concert, please
trust me on this and give them a try.
So, as I said, I adore the band…
but sorry, this album is in my opinion
the weakest they have ever released.
It is not offensively bad, it actually
comes out as pleasant and rather listenable,
and certainly less dark, ominous and
desperate than expected. At times
(occasionally…) it even shows
the usual hints of brilliance, and
4-5 songs surely deserve praise. But
still, it is globally only marginally
better than both Dave’s or Martin’s
solo efforts… and in some particularly
weak moments, quite a notch below
compared to the best cuts from them. |
| Score:
72 (but your mileage may
vary). |
| Note:
Sounds of the universe also
comes in a very expensive but exquisitely
crafted special deluxe edition including
extra CDs with some of the songs which
didn’t fit on the regular edition
of the album, some remixes, a whole
lot of interesting never-released-before
demos, and a “making of”
DVD. Not to mention the nice booklets
with Anton Corbjin’s usual excellent
photos, a poster and two badges. Even
if the album is only so-so, I couldn’t
miss it in my collection… |
 |
| |
|
April
17, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– FOUR BRUICHLADDICH |
 |
|
Bruichladdich 15 yo ‘Links Torrey
Pine USA’ (46%, OB, ACEd in
Château Latour caks, 18,000
bottles, 2008)
Bottled to to commemorate the US Open
2008. Colour: slightly apricotty.
Nose: there are little winey notes
as such at first nosing, rather whiffs
of warm fudge and praline plus hints
of blackcurrant jam (not winey here).
Behind that we have a rather fresh
and, indeed, kind of Atlantic spirit,
combining hints of fresh melon and
sea breeze. Fresh, clean and pleasant,
the usually big wine of Château
Latour working just like some soft
spices here. Mouth: it’s the
sweetness that strikes first, with
quite some fruit liqueur and then
notes of cherry stem tea and white
pepper. It all goes from that sweet
fruitiness to more and more spices,
probably from the oak. Notes of rosehip
tea. Finish: medium long, the fruitiness
and the spices being at the same levels
here and mingling well. Comments:
not a demanding whisky but one that’s
very drinkable and totally flawless.
A lazy adman would write “a
perfect 19th hole dram”. SGP:541
- 85 points. |
| Bruichladdich
18 yo 1989 (46%, OB, ACEd in Carmel
Wine Cask)
Carmel is a winery in Israel and the
wine is kosher. Not too sure this
Bruichladdich is kosher – or
not kosher - as well but there’s
quite a lot of nice writing in Hebrew
on the back label. No ‘kosher
stamp’, though. Colour: apricot.
Nose: very, very similar to the Torrey
Pine. Maybe even more praline/nougat,
and a little less ‘Atlantic
freshness’ as the owners would
say, although the proportions of both
components do change every minute.
Very close. Mouth: once again, we’re
very close to the ‘Links’
here but it’s as if there was
something more ‘spicy/oriental’
(not kidding!) Baklavas? The whole,
although very similar, is a little
more emphatic than the Links but maybe
a little less elegant and balanced.
A little rubber. Finish: longer than
the Links’ but maybe a tad spirity/kirschy.
Comments: not much to add. Nice dram,
maybe a tad hot. SGP:541 –
83 points. |
| Bruichladdich
21 yo (46%, OB, Matured in Oloroso
Sherry casks, 2008)
Fully matured, and not just finished
in oloroso casks. Colour: full gold/pale
amber. Nose: this one starts on rather
obvious whiffs of struck matches and
rubber bands, but we wouldn’t
say it is unpleasantly sulphury. Develops
on notes of farmyard after the rain,
old Port, mulled wine (cloves and
cinnamon) and hints of bubblegum (or
a pack of liquorice allsorts), and
gets finally more on gunpowder and
tar/tyres again. In short, yes there
is some sulphur but unless you hate
that, it’s still a very nice
nose that we have here. Mouth: much
richer than the ACEd versions, with
once again quite some gunpowder (not
that we chew that kind of stuff every
day) and rubber bands (that we used
to chew at school.) After that it’s
more an orangey and peppery profile
that develops, with quite some old
oak (slight mouldiness) and more and
more spices including cardamom and
cinnamon. Notes of raspberry liqueur.
Finish: long and, just like the ‘kosher’,
maybe a tad kirschy/spirity, with
also quite some pepper. Comments:
a middle-aged olorosoed Laddie that’s
not on the ‘thick and round’
side, nor ultra-dry as some are. Kind
of a nervous sub-Blacker Still if
you like. Now, I’m happy because
of the three OBs we just had, I liked
the cheapest one best. Yeah, let’s
fight the recession! SGP:531
- 83 points. |
| And
also Bruichladdich
1988/2007 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd,
cask #1879)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: the antithesis
of the three Laddies we just had.
No obvious cask treatment, rather
a slightly shy-ish but also ultra-clean
malt, with quite some grass, fresh
butter, grapefruit and green melon
(not the very aromatic orange ones).
Also the same kind of slightly coastal
notes as in the Links (sea breeze).
Mouth: very nice attack, surprisingly
waxy/phenolic ala Clynelish. Marzipan,
lemon marmalade and ginger. Zing!
Finish: long, a tad rawer and more
peppery thanks to the oak (I guess).
Comments: a good Bruichladdich ‘à
l’état de nature’.
Pardon my French. SGP:341
- 83 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: The
Fantastics! playing
The White Out with a good groove
and of course a Hammond organ (from
their 2009 album Mighty Righteous).
Please buy the Fantastics' music! |
 |
| |
|
April
16, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO
1983 PORT ELLENS
It’s been ages (OK, months)
since we had our latest Port Ellen.
Are they finally getting rare indeed?
These two puppies come from the
very last months of distilling,
as Port Ellen got mothballed later
in 1983. |
| Port
Ellen 1983/1998 (54.9%, Scott's Selection)
Colour: straw. Nose: ‘a newly
opened paint box’. Then there’s
quite some lemon and whiffs of raw
alcohol as well as tincture of iodine
but that’s pretty all. Raw!
With water: hesitates a little between
these notes of paint and a straighter
peatiness but finally makes the right
choice, and then it just unwinds.
Tarmac, our beloved wet dogs (sorry
dogs), kippers (sorry kippers), leather
(sorry leat… err…) Superb
and frankly oldardbeggian if you give
it a little time. Mouth (neat): much,
much better than on the nose when
neat. Thick and creamy, with a lot
of lemon marmalade, pepper and notes
of white rum (mojito!) and then the
expected ‘peat blast’.
Ultra-clean and extremely palatable
at almost 55% vol. With water: simply
more of the same and added notes of
string mustard. Btw, did you know
that Obama loves mustard? Finish:
rather long, more austere, a classic.
Comments: not one of the sexiest Port
Ellens but at 17 years of age, it’s
got quite a lot to tell. The diluted
nose was the best part. Oh, and the
peat is big. SGP:248 - 89
points. |
| Port
Ellen 1983/2008 (58.4%, Scotch Single
Malt Circle, Refill Sherry, cask #2542)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this one
is more buttery/sulphury at very first
sniffing, but some lemony and slightly
fudgy notes are soon to get it back
on the straight and narrow. Amazing
how fast this one improves, after
some additional notes of bitter oranges
and honey (unusual in Port Ellen)
have arrived. Very zesty nonetheless.
With water: what happens is less spectacular
than in the Scott. Maybe a little
more leather (and shoe polish). Seafood,
kelp, tarry rope. Mouth (neat): this
one is much meatier and more leathery
than the Scott, with the obvious sherry
giving it a rather animal profile.
Smoked fish (your pick) as well. A
little rubber and some slightly ‘chemical’
notes showing up after a while (fake
lemon juice – I mean, industrial
lemon juice.) Other than that it’s
extremely good Port Ellen. I feel
water isn’t needed again but
duty, heavy duty! With water: didn’t
I tell you so? It doesn’t collapse
but except for even more leathery
notes, there isn’t much development.
Finish: long, a tad grassier now.
Unusual notes of celeriac and, just
as in the Scott, quite some mustard.
Very dry in the aftertaste. Comments:
rather multifaceted, which isn’t
always the case with Port Ellen in
our opinion. SGP:247 - 90
points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: the very crazy but very
talented Rita
Mitsouko and their
Petit train (superb Bontempi sound
- that was in 1989). We miss Fred
Chichin... But please buy Rita Mitsouko's
music. |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Bunnahabhain
34 yo 1974/2008 (59.3%,
The Perfect Dram, oloroso, 300 bottles)
Bunnahabhain
35 yo 1973/2008 (50.1%,
The Whisky Agency, refill sherry, 509 bottles)
Karuizawa
1986/2008 (60.7%, OB, cask #7387)
Karuizawa
1971/2008 (64.1%, OB, cask #6878)
Karuizawa
1977/2008 ‘Noh Whisky’ (62.8%,
Number One Drinks Company for LMdW, cask #7026,
528 bottles)
Karuizawa
'Vintage' 1981/2007 (58.1%, OB, cask
#103)
Karuizawa
19 yo 1988/2007 (60.6%, The Whisky
Fair, sherry wood, 462 bottles)
Laphroaig
12 yo 1991/2004 (59.0%,
Scotch Malt Whisky Society, N°.29.32, 'As
good as it gets')
Nikka
21 yo (43%, OB,
Pure Malt, +/-2007)
Port
Ellen 1983/2008 (58.4%,
Scotch Single Malt Circle, Refill Sherry, cask
#2542)
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