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Hi, you're in the Archives, August 2009 - Part 1 |
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August
14, 2009 |
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TASTING
– TWO NEW 1967 STRATHISLA |
Strathisla
42 yo 1967/2009 (44.5%, The Whisky
Agency Fossiles Series, bourbon hogshead,
120 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: nervous! Sure,
not as nervous as a three years old
Laphroaig at cask strength but what’s
really striking with this old Strathisla
is its youthfulness and compactness
on the nose. Starts right on mirabelle
eau-de-vie (you know, these very aromatic
small yellow plums), honey and a delicate
yet obvious toasty/coffeeish oak as
well as quite some milk chocolate.
Develops further on a slightly spicier
mode, with a little cumin, ginger
and just tiny-wee whiffs of lavender.
Also quite some mint-flavoured tea.
Very, very impressive at such old
age. Mouth: it’s the oak that
talks first this time, which is not
surprising at 42 years of age. Starts
on nutmeg, ginger and green tea, with
also quite some liquorice wood and
the fruitiness a bit hidden behind.
Gets then more and more ‘spicy/herbal’,
on some thyme, capsicum… The
fruits aren’t masked too much
that is. Seville oranges, hints of
sherry? Finish: medium long, oaky
but not drying. Aftertaste: earl grey
tea (or a combination of unsweetened
tea and oranges). Comments: the palate
isn’t as youthful and full of
aromas as the nose but it’s
till quite vigorous. Very good oldie,
maybe a tad less emphatic on the palate
than the old Strathisla-branded sherry
monsters. Obviously. SGP:561
– 89 points. |
| Strathisla
42 yo 1967/2009 (45.8% Whisky-Fässle,
refill sherry wood)
Whisky-Fässle is a small German
bottler with a good reputation. Colour:
gold. Nose: very, very close to its
bro, only a little sharper, with the
oak’s spices coming a little
quicker to the front. Maybe added
hints of aniseed and maybe a little
less honey. A tad drier. The overall
quality on the nose is just the same,
that is to say pretty high. Mouth:
once again, same overall feeling as
with the previous one, even if the
notes of oranges are a little quicker
to appear here. Tangerines. The rest
is similar to its bro’s. Finish:
a little bigger and longer and, once
again, a little more citrusy. Comments:
a tad drier than the Whisky Agency
on the nose but a tad rounder, fruitier
and more honeyed on the palate. Not
enough to make a one-point difference
as far as scores are concerned. See,
in such cases, even a 100-scale isn’t
precise enough. Very good Strathisla
once again. SGP:561 –
89 points. |
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And
also Strathisla
30 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail,
+/-1995) 
Nose: a very nice fruitiness,
with whiffs of yellow flowers and
lemongrass. Perfect balance. Mouth:
perfect balance once again, honey
and light tannins. Not big but…
err, balanced and highly drinkable.
SGP:650 – 87 points
(and thanks, Pascal). |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
I went to a three-gig show last
night, Nina Hagen, Simply Red and
a surprise band from Israel, Asaf
Avidan and the Mojos.
I enjoyed the latter very much,
at times I felt like if I was at
an old Led Zep gig. Try their Hangwoman
and you'lll see what I mean. Please
buy Asaf Avidan and the Mojo's music!
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August
13, 2009 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on holidays
in St Tropez |
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TASTING
– THREE LONGMORNS FROM THE
MID-70s BOTTLED IN 2008 |
Longmorn
1975/2008 (46%, Montgomerie's, cask
#3967) 
Colour: deep gold. Nose: very 1970s
Longmorn in style, that is to say
very fruity but also a tad waxier
and oilier than usual, with even whiffs
of olive oil as well as a faint meatiness
(ham). The fruitiness from the start
(green bananas, apples) fades away
a bit, the whole getting drier after
a few minutes and even more on wax
and apple peeling. Not the sexiest
old Longmorn ever on the nose but
this relative austerity is very pleasant.
Mouth: sweet but gingery at the attack,
with more and more oak that makes
it a little dry. Banana skin, flour,
tea, apple compote. More and more
ginger and then quite some white pepper.
Still nice but it seems that the oak
finally had the upper hand. Finish:
not very long, even a little fleshless
so to speak. Quite some tannins in
the aftertaste. Comments: still very
okay but not one of these wonderful
old Longmorns in my opinion. Having
said that, it wasn’t expensive.
SGP:351 - 82 points. |
| Longmorn
32 yo 1976/2008 (53%, The Whisky Agency,
bourbon hogshead, 120 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this one
is rather more marked by the oak on
the nose, with a lot of vanilla at
first nosing, butterscotch, brioche
and even croissants (true ones, excuse
my Frenchness) but no ‘dryingness’.
It’s also a little dusty but
water should help a lot. With water:
nah, water doesn’t help much,
it rather makes this one drier and
oakier. More apples, that is. Mouth
(neat): ah yes, much more flesh and
bones here even if the spicy and gingery
oak is well present. Peppered orange
marmalade and apple compote. Big!
With water: now it got really good,
more elegant and beautifully fruity.
Williams pears and the spirit made
thereof, strawberry drops, vanilla
fudge… Finish: long, very pleasant,
fruity/spicy. Gets a tad citrusy.
Comments: embarrassing that this one
swims much better on the palate than
on the nose, you almost need two glasses
when trying this baby! SGP:551
- 87 points. |
| Longmorn
1976/2008 (53%, Scotch Single Malt
Circle, cask #5896, 120 bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re
relatively close to the The Whisky
Agency at very first sniffing but
it’s soon to get fruitier and
much more fragrant. A little musky
and muscatty, with even hints of lychees
and roses that remind me of some gewürztraminer
(note to 80% of the restaurants in
the world, it’s gewürz
and not gewürtz). A little nutmeg
and ginger as well. Other than that
there are lots of apples and vanilla.
With water: more sweet oak, vanilla
and ginger. First fill bourbon style.
More mint. Mouth (neat): more fruitiness
than in the TWA when neat, more power
as well. Spicy fruit salad, cardamom
and a little chilli. Rather wild.
With water: even more modern-style,
with some vanilla, ginger, nutmeg
and apple pie. Same notes of Williams
pears as un the TWA. Finish: long,
once again very fruity/spicy. Grated
ginger and cinnamon on apple pie.
Comments: simply very good. SGP:551
- 88 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
(if you have good speakers): the
extraordinary Buster
Williams, one of the
kings of double bass, playing the
stunning ballad The
enchanted flower (from his 1977
Crystal Reflections album). Please
buy Buster Williams' music. |
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August
12, 2009 |
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| SPEED
TASTING – SIX BLENDS |
| I’m
often accused - gently - of trying
too many rare or hard to find whiskies,
which is an idea I solemnly refute
;-). It’s just that when you
have the opportunity to freely choose
between Petrus and Red Bicyclette,
you usually go for Petrus unless you
have a very twisted mind. Anyway,
we’ll have a few blends today.
Please note that we always use the
same scale, whether for ’75
Ardbegs or cheapo blends (or motor
oil). |
Cutty
Black (40%, OB, Berry Bros & Rudd,
+/-2009) 
There’s also a version at 100°proof.
Colour: full gold. Nose: starts rather
malty, with whiffs of toasts and a
little toffee, but not overly expressive.
Touches of oranges, dandelions and
honey and a tiny-wee hint of peat.
Not very aromatic but nicely composed.
Gets more expressive after ten minutes,
with more dried fruits. Mouth: good
honeyed attack, malty again, roasted
and toffee-ish. The middle is a little
thinner but clean. Caramel. Finish:
not as short as I had thought, with
mild smokiness and quite some roasted
peanuts and notes of figs. Comments:
it has something of Johnnie Black
indeed. Good quality blend. SGP:332
– 78 points. |
Passport
Scotch (40%, OB, William Longmore,
+/-2008) 
This is rather big in Africa, I found
this bottle in Morocco. Colour: gold.
Nose: que gran horror! Raw wood spirit
and nail polish remover. Ugly! Mouth:
rather powerful and not as ugly as
on the nose, smoother and rounder
but still whacky and naughty. For
(bad) cocktails? Finish: rather long
but kind of burning, making you want
to rinse your mouth with water. Comments:
no. SGP:231 - 55 points. |
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| 1970
advert for Passport Scotch. Has
Passport always been a whisky for
blondes? -> |
| Scotia
Royale 12 yo (40%, OB, A. Gillies
& Co, +/-1995)
One of the base malts is obviously
Glen Scotia. Colour: gold. Nose: hello,
anybody in there? Rather flattish
at first nosing, getting then finely
smoky and grassy but lacks the roundness
and smoothness that one would expect
from a 12yo blend. After ten minutes:
a pleasant waxiness, orange zests.
Mouth: ah yes, this is much better.
Pine resin, bananas, honey and a very
pleasant earthiness. There must be
quite some good quality malt in there.
Very good body. Finish: long, peaty
and slightly medicinal. Cough drops.
Comments: too bad it was a little
shy on the nose because the palate
is excellent. SGP:242 - 80
points. |
The
Talisman (43%, OB, +/-2005)
The malt behind Talisman is Tomatin.
According to the owners, it’s
“a whisky of good fortune and
great character. » Colour: white
wine (little or no caramel, congrats!)
Nose: smooth, relatively malty (but
not as malty as the Cutty.) Whiffs
of wet papers, faint hints of oranges.
But where’s Tomatin’s
fruitiness? Mouth: smooth, round,
fruitier than on the nose but also
weirdly resinous and cardboardy. Gets
then drier and drier despite hints
of bubblegum. Finish: medium, a little
spirity. Marshmallows. Comments: not
too bad, I’d say. SGP:231
- 70 points. |
King
George IV (40%, OB, The Distillers
Agency, Taittinger France, +/-1980)
Colour: full gold. Nose: the smokiest
of them all. Also notes of mint flavoured
tea. Gets then a tad too soapy and
cardboardy. Whiffs of sea brine and
more peat coming through after a while,
finally a little vanilla and honey.
Nice nose, the most complex of them
all. Mouth: powerful attack, smoky
and waxy, very dry. Almost hot after
all these years in glass. No development,
though, gets dry and austere, all
skin and bone. Finish: rather long,
dry, waxy. Comments: maybe it was
good… one day. The nose was
very interesting but the palate is
or got too dry. SGP:251 -
65 points. |
| The
Three Scotches (43%, OB, Paisley Whisky
Co., Grain, +/-1980)
This is an unusual all-grain version,
there used to be also a regular blend.
Colour: white wine. Nose: typical
grainy nose that reminds me of Black
Barrel (remember?) Vanilla-infused
vodka, varnish and cut grass. Not
exactly a disaster, though. Mouth:
not totally unpleasant. Sweet, simple,
bubblegumy and mildly spicy (ginger
tonic). Sweet pepper and kirsch (gorilka?)
Finish: rather long but very narrow.
Very grassy aftertaste. Comments:
we’ve tasted worse whiskies.
SGP:430 - 60 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
Argentina's supergenius saxophonist
Gato
Barbieri playing one
of his super hits Bolivia
(form his eponymous record, 1973).
Please buy Gato Barbieri's music. |
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August
11, 2009 |
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TASTING
– DAILUAINE AFTER 30 YEARS |
| Dailuaine
11 yo 1997/2009 (46%, Douglas of Drumlanrig,
cask #4888, 715 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: not a very
expressive kind of spirit but the
profile is clean and straight, not
exuberantly fruity nor porridgy/mashy
at eleven years of age. It’s
a Dailuaine that’s clearly more
Highlands than Speyside in style,
with notes of green apples, linseed
oil, candle wax, pastries and just
a little vanilla crème. Perfectly
enjoyable and well balanced. Some
quince coming through after ten minutes.
Mouth: excellently sweet and fruity
with a medium spiciness. Green apples
and lemons plus almond cake, fresh
oranges, a little ginger, a little
cinnamon and just touches of salt.
Very, very good in my view. Finish:
long, clean, a little more candied
(Demerara sugar). Barley sugar and
just hints of lavender sweets. Pepper.
Comments: excellent surprise, this
youngster is a perfect dram, excellent
value for money (sorry, I cannot remember
the price but it isn’t expensive).
Recommended. SGP:552 - 87
points. |
Dailuaine-Glenlivet
31 yo 1966/1997 (56.8%, Cadenhead's
Authentic Collection)
I believe there was also a ‘Chairman’s
Stock’ version of a 1966/1997,
it was great, great whisky (WF94).
Colour: full gold. Nose: it is very
interesting to try this one after
the 11yo because we’re well
within the same family as far as the
base spirit is concerned, with these
waxy/oily notes and a moderate fruitiness.
But then, what the long ageing and
ten years of further mellowing in
the bottle did to the whisky is rather
spectacular, with superb notes of
camphor and eucalyptus, mint, wax
polish, truffles (NOT sulphur), old
books (by a great novelist ;-)), a
little saffron… With water:
more of the same, gets a tad more
leathery and even phenolic. Mouth
(neat): oh yes oh yes oh yes. Powerful
of course but extraordinarily fruity
and resinous at the same time, just
like on the nose. Angelica, crystallised
lemon, spearmint, dried papayas, liquorice
rolls, marzipan, mint liqueur (or
Ricqlès if you know that)…
What a blast! With water: stunning,
just stunning. Mint flavoured tea
shared with Debra Winger and a Tuareg
chief right in the middle of the Sahara
(I’m sorry, I watched Bertolucci’s
Under the Sheltering Sky again last
night). Finish: endless and fabulously
balanced. Comments: a masterpiece
by Cadenhead’s (and Dailuaine
Distillery of course). I hate not
to have a sample of that Chairman’s
Stock on my shelves for due comparison
but I can’t see why I wouldn’t
score this one just the same. Big
dram. SGP:562 - 94 points.
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on holidays
in St Tropez |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
a Breton band called Strollad,
playing St-Malo.
It's typical modern 'fusion' music
(Celtic, rock, reggae) from Brittany,
please buy Strollad's music.
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August
10, 2009 |
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| TASTING
– MORE OLD GLEN GRANT SPANNING
SEVERAL DECADES |
| After
the rather difficult 1974s I had the
other day, I felt like I should try
a few old wonders by this well-known
yet slightly low-key distillery. And
not just any old wonders… |
| Glen
Grant 1965/2004 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail, Licenced)
Colour: amber. Nose: ooh this starts
well. Exceptional at first nosing,
bursting with soft yet intense sherry
and tons of dried fruits, then a wide
range of soft spices and all things
finely leathery. Develops on stewed
fruits and a little mint and parsley,
getting more and more complex. When
I see the junk that some distillers
issue for the same amount of money
as what cost these superb old Glen
Grants, I feel like going to bed.
But we’re not done with this
session… Mouth: rich yet playful,
candied, extremely sippable, all on
fruitcakes and various herbs that
keep it full of youth at almost 40
years of age. Old sweet white wine,
then a little mint (mint julep?),
caramel fudge, onion jam, liquorice…
Some sherry but it’s no sherry
monster as such. Finish: rather long,
rounded, clean, fresh. A little more
honey again. Comments: a classic.
Why these aren’t three times
more expensive (or the others three
times cheaper) is beyond understanding
– or most buyers just don’t
know their whisky. SGP:542
- 91 points. |
| Glen
Grant 1929 (20 u.p., Matthew Gloag
& Son, 1950s?)
20 under proof, that is to say 80°proof
UK if I’m correct, that is to
say roughly 46% vol. This was available
by the dram at Limburg’s Whisky
Fair and we’re assuming it was
genuine. Colour: gold. Nose: it does
not ‘smell old’ at all
but rather smokier than the 1965 and
pretty intense. Superb whiffs of walnuts
and waxed cardboard, ‘a bag
of apples from last year’, spearmint,
green tea, then beeswax and green
bananas… Ale. Wonderful but
certainly not antique in style. I
guess only god knows… Mouth:
big, fat, thick, as peaty as, say
today’s Talisker, starting also
on some slightly extreme herbal and
resinous notes that, indeed, are to
be found in some very old casks. Peated
honey (will you stop! –Ed),
faint geraniumy notes, old sweet wine
(a bit tired), some cardboard and
then more cardboard. More mint and
lemon as well. Unusual and certainly
not ‘recent Glen Grant’
but I’m afraid I’ve got
no experience with Glen Grants from
the 1920s. Who has? Finish: long,
half-syrupy, half-cardboardy but,
I must say, very good in spite of
the heavy tannins that start to come
through in the aftertaste. Comments:
some odd resinous/medicinal notes
in this one, and certainly little
‘Glen-Grantness’. Is it
genuine, is it a fake? Only three
or four Italians may know. It’s
very interesting for sure, especially
if Glen Grant used to be rather peaty
indeed before WWII. SGP:374
– 87 points. |
| Glen
Grant 48 yo 1953/2001 (45%, Gordon
& MacPhail, Private Collection,
casks #1860-1864)
Blimey, this one is younger than yours
truly! Colour: dark mahogany with
bronze hues. Nose: well, this is completely
different again, with many more wood
extracts. Starts very resinous, with
huge notes of rum agricole and ripe
bananas (reminding me of a fab old
Old Pond 1941 rum by G&M). Develops
more on chocolate liqueur and balsamic
vinegar, then banana liqueur again,
Mandarine Imperiale and chestnut purée.
Superb nose but you have to like them
‘concentrated’. I do.
Mouth: more a liqueur than a whisky
at first sipping, but it does get
drier after a few seconds, with truckloads
of dry sherry, then mint drops, hawthorn
tea (big time), chocolate, Smyrna
raisins (not the sweetish kind of
raisins such as sultanas) and finally
some rather funky ‘youngish’
notes. Strawberry Jell-O? Some crème
de cassis too. Anyway, it’s
wonderful, not tired in any way. Finish:
medium long, playful, on even more
cassis and something such as hazelnut
liqueur. Comments: yet a wonderful
old Glen Grant by G&M. How many
casks do they still have? It’s
often said the Glen Grant is a very
light spirit. Maybe, but in that case
how come can it stand the test of
time that beautifully? SGP:551
- 92 points. |
| Glen
Grant 1969/1984 (59%, Samaroli, 3
hogsheads, 720 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: this one is unusually
spirity (yeah I saw the ABV), harsh,
very grassy, with heavy notes of lees,
red wine and cherry stem tea. Not
very pleasant I’m afraid but
I’m sure water will help mucho.
With water: gets a little cleaner
and smokier as well, but not really
any more aromatic. A little more mint,
though, as well as a little leather.
Hints of peat. Did they sometimes
peat Glen Grant in 1969? Mouth (neat):
wham-bam-bim-a-la-dong! It’s
all pretty much higgledy-piggledy
when undiluted, even if less so than
on the nose. I believe very old Glen
Grants can be superb at 40 to 50%
vol., but they may lack oxygen when
climbing higher. With water: water
works a little better than on the
nose, bringing out more spices but
other than that it’s hard to
say this one improved a lot. A little
peat once again, but less than on
the nose. Finish: rather long, unexpectedly
grassy and paraffiny. Herbal liqueur,
Underberg. Comments: Mr Samaroli was
unbeatable in those years, but he’s
human. And humans fail sometimes.
SGP:362 - 82 points. |
| Glen
Grant 36 yo 1972/2009 (56.3%, The
Whisky Fair, 209 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: typical of these
rich 1972 Glen Grants from Duncan
Taylor’s stable, all on figs,
dates, beeswax, honey and apricot
pie. Extremely appealing, no need
to say more. With water: exactly like
a beehive. Amazing. Superb. Fabulous.
Entrancing. Right, let’s save
our adjectives for later duties. Mouth
(neat): extraordinarily candied. Fudge,
baklavas, figs, honey… Oh well,
I’m sure you see what I mean.
Brilliant vintage at GG. With water:
the only problem is that one could
swallow litres of this. The very best
mead ever made for Mount Olympus (I
guess you know that Greek gods used
to quaff mead when on the mount.)
Finish: maybe not the longest ever
but these meady/honeyed notes are
fantabulous. Comments: not whisky
but candy for grown men and women.
SGP:631 - 92 points. |
| Glen
Grant 34 yo 1973/2008 (54.7%, The
Single Malts of Scotland, sherry puncheon,
cask #1856, 489 bottles)
I chose to add this one to this longish
session because 1973 was a rather
unusual vintage. Colour: gold. Nose:
starts on huge whiffs of vanilla but
it’s also too hot and too grassy
in my opinion, very different from
the 1972. Once again, water will be
necessary. With water: it does not
help much, alas. It’s very,
very nice whisky but it seems that
they broke the mold at Glen Grant
at the end of 1972. Mouth (neat):
it is much better than on the nose
when unreduced, but still sharp around
the edges and lacking a bit of the
old Glen Grants’ lusciousness.
But once again, water may be salutary
here. With water: works pretty well,
it’s the herbal/mentholated
side that comes out. Spearmint, buttered
tea (Tibetan of course, ever tired
that?) and liquorice. Finish: long,
but gets a little drying and tannic.
Comments: a good old Glen Grant for
sure but there are so many of them…
SGP:451 - 87 points. |
| STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST |
|
proposes
his Summertime malt cocktails
"So
British" |
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Pour
into a shaker, with ice :
- 6 cl St Georges "Chapter IV"
(peated) 46%
- 4 cl London dry gin (a good one!,
like Tanqueray or Old Raj)
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass,
decorate with an olive and a bacon
slice on a stick. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
Artist: WF favourite Abdullah
Ibrahim
Title: a peaceful and soothing For
Coltrane
From: African Dawn (1987)
Please buy Abdullah Ibrahim's music. |
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August
9, 2009 |
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| Our
friend and Malt Maniac Luca is as
passionate about some bands and musicians
as he is about whisky. He sent us
this review of a CD by one of his
favorite bands, a band which I know
only by name. Weren't it for Luca,
you'd never hear about Dream Theater
on WF, so thank you Luca. - S. |
|
CD
REVIEW by Luca Chichizola
DREAM THEATER
BLACK
CLOUDS AND SILVER LININGS
Roadrunner Records |
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| What
do you have if you try to imagine
a Dream
Theater album without
the freshness, innovation and unexpected
twists of their two masterpieces called
“Images and words” and
“Awake”, without the awe
inspiring grandeur and cinematic flow
of “Scenes from a memory”
(their best and most creative studio
recording to date), without the impressive
scope of the monumental and very diverse
“Six degrees of inner turbulence”,
without the monolithic modern/trendy
metal heaviness of “Train of
thought” (maligned by some fans,
who considered it a sellout, but actually
very energetic), without the bland
commercial radio-friendly derivativeness
of “Octavarium” and even
without the sprawling gothic excesses
and toungue-in-cheek flamboyancy of
“Systematic chaos”? You
have an album which is very weird
indeed, and at the same time not surprising
at all… on the contrary, in
spite of the lack of all the above
mentioned elements, it manages to
be a perfect distillate of Dream Theater,
a textbook example on how to make
a progressive metal record, and not
a bad one at that (even if it might
be one of their less immediately appealing
and accessible works ever). Yes, “Blacks
Clouds And Silver Linings” could
be considered the most straightforward
(but, by no means, not lacking in
ambition, grandeur and heaviness)
Dream Theater album so far. An album
which blends extremely solid and classic
heavy metal with softer moments, without
giving a damn about commercial appeal.
Solid from start to finish, enjoyable,
stunningly played but without too
many frills in spite of the prog metal
flourishes, almost restrained at times. |
| The
opening track, “A nightmare
to remember”, is absolutely
wonderful: very heavy, metal-sounding,
dense and dark, gothic, clocking at
more than sixteen minutes but never
overlong. It’s like Megadeth,
but subtler. There are some Opeth
influences in the more delicate parts
at the beginning of the second movement,
too. If I were to find a weakness,
it’s that the lyrics (narrating
about a car accident happened to John
Petrucci as a kid) are VERY mundane
and literal, spoiling the atmosphere
a bit. Alas, it’s a problem
which plagues the whole album and
which somewhat detracts from its grandeur:
not that Dream Theater have ever been
particularly subtle about lyrics,
but they have done better than this.
Not to mention that Mike Portnoy’s
very fake and digitally processed
“growl” in the final part
is, as in previous albums, quite lame.
No, Mike, you are not Mikael Akerfeldt...
sorry! Anyway, a very good opening
for the album. |
| The
second track is also the first single
(though the radio and TV version was
severely cut for length reasons):
“A rite of passage”, about
freemasonry. It’s an OK metal
song, very epic and somewhat sounding
like it was lifted straight from the
‘80s. Good stuff, not memorable
but very solid. Of course the best
part of it is the wild guitar and
keyboard soloing in the second half,
which is pure Dream Theater progressive
rock. |
 |
| Then
we have the softer song of the album,
called “Wither” and dealing
with the writer’s block which
had struck drummer Mike Portnoy. |
| Very
delicate, very melodic, and the only
track with potential commercial appeal
on the album (not to mention the only
one at a “normal” length).
A fine song if you ask me, but no
originality at all: Dream Theater
have had some better ballads in the
past, more touching and sincere. And,
again, the lyrics are so mundane that
they are almost painful at times… |
| Those
who know Dream Theater already know
that Portnoy is an ex-alcoholist,
and that in each of the last four
albums he wrote a song dedicated to
his rehabilitation. “The shattered
fortress” is the fifth and final
chapter in his Alcoholist Anonymous
saga, and it’s an excellent
one: it blends themes, chords, lyrics
and moods from the previous four ones
in a lengthy (almost 13 minutes) saga
which is rousing, heavy, diverse and
brilliant. Sure, with all the influences
and references at times it may sound
like a patchwork of already known
songs, but it manages to complete
the saga in a very nice way. I won’t
be as enthusiastic as the reviewer
of Allmusic was (he even managed to
say that it’s a song which features
“emulation of the Conceptual
Continuity Clues method favored by
one of Portnoy’s herpes, Frank
Zappa”), but just let me
say that if you don’t stand
Dream Theater you will hate it, if
you know them by heart you will absolutely
love it… |
| The
fifth song, “The best of times”
is a bit hit-or-miss. Sure, the theme
is absolutely sincere: it’s
Mike Portnoy paying homage to his
recently departed father, a role model
for his life. It’s sincere,
yes, and it’s touching. And
the Eric Clapton-like guitar intro
is pure gold. But… once again
the lyrics are so stereotypical, so
literal, so trivial, so blunt that
they might not be out of place in
the soundtrack of a Disney movie.
Sure, personal feelings are not to
be criticized, but a little more effort
would have been welcome to avoid this
song getting into sappy sentimentalism,
not to mention that like most other
songs in the album it’s very
long and this time it DOES feel overlong
indeed. |
| The
album ends with the sixth track, an
absolute masterpiece of mood, stunning
musicianship and sprawling grandeur:
“The Count of Tuscany”,
once again testing hard the patience
of non-fans with its NINETEEN minutes
but leaving fans in bliss (they will
feel like those 19 minutes were only
five or six, completely entranced
by its utter brilliance). It’s
an almost horror tale, about a meeting
with an eccentric nobleman in the
Italian countryside and the eerie
history of his ancient estate. It’s
at the same time heavy, melodic, chilling
and uplifting, a true gem in Dream
Theater’s discography. Sure,
the trained ear will find some echoes
of the band Rush, but it only adds
to the preciousness of this composition:
once again Dream Theater prove that
they can write long epics that if
it weren’t for the loud drumming
and guitars wouldn’t be out
of place in a classical music symphony.
Don’t miss, in particular, the
lovely intro and the ethereal Vangelis-like
keyboard intermezzo which serves perfectly
as a bridge between the heavier and
darkest first half and the sunnier
and joyous ending. “The Count
of Tuscany” is a long, stylish,
complex composition which does wonders
in reminding us that progressive rock
is not dead and crushing many modern
rock bands into shame: it’s
beautiful, it’s bold, it’s
brave and it stimulates the ears and
the mind, while rocking so incredibly
hard when it’s needed. Again,
the lyrics are not particularly subtle,
but this time the music covers any
possible flaws in the song. |
| “Black
Clouds And Silver Linings” is
a grower, an album which you probably
won’t fully appreciate on the
first listenings but which will see
you returning to it in time: while
exquisitely crafted, it won’t
catch your attention immediately like
the previous Dream Theater albums
did. And even after some listenings,
you will probably think that it’s
a very solid record, with the usual
great musicianship… but a bit
less entertaining, flamboyant, daring
and creative than usual. It’s
a rather hardcore album: very classic
heavy metal with less frills than
expected from the band, very solid
and monolithic, and with some softer
but not less interesting moments.
But it’s also much less gratuitous,
less derivative (and with an absolute
bare minimum of pure show-off technical
wizardry) than one could legitimately
think, which will be good news for
those who thought that Dream Theater
had taken a bad road of excess in
recent years. |
| Personally,
I am divided: the absolutely demented
and unsubtle “cheese”
factor of songs like “In the
presence of enemies” from the
previous album (which dared to include
a furious ripoff of “Flight
of the Bumblebee” and heavy
Faustian themes), while extremely
criticized by purists, was certainly
much funnier than anything on “Black
Clouds And Silver Linings”.
And even if “The Count of Tuscany”
is a great suite, it’s no match
to the eclectic brilliance of the
“Octavarium” suite from
the (otherwise mediocre) album of
the same name. These guys are so over
the top in musical style that IMHO
it’s actually fitting when they
write cheesy and larger than life
stuff, when they overindulge in their
dazzling instrumental antics. So,
we have nothing of the ultra-ludicrous
but fun Egyptian horror of “The
dark eternal night” here, or
of the romantic vampires of “Forsaken”,
or of the ambitious psychological
themes of the second disc of “Six
degrees of inner turbulence, or the
complex murder thriller investigation
of “Scenes from a memory”.
It’s a return to “A change
of season” territory: still
overblown, still filled with more
changes in tempo and style than you
can imagine, and with gigantic and
larger than life structures and wild
arpeggios… but with some more
restraint than usual. Solid, coherent
and compact in spite of the length
of the compositions, even. In “Black
Clouds and Silver Linings” there
are many Dream Theater trademarks:
the long running times, the musical
wizardry, the intricate textures and
arrangements of the instruments, the
stunning melding of classic metal
with the most creative progressive
elements. But, compared to previous
efforts, you almost never get the
feeling that the musicians are continually
desperately trying to get astray on
a berserk solo every ten seconds,
on a personal showcase of talent regardless
of the rest of the band and of the
purpose of the songs themselves. So,
is it a better integrated, tight (well,
at least for a band that insists on
20 minutes epics…) and well-organized
album than the previous ones, or simply
a less exciting, daring and creative
one? I won’t try to answer the
question: I prefer to listen to it
once again, and simply say that it’s
a good album and that you should definitely
own it if you like progressive rock
and heavy metal. |
| Don’t
forget that it’s also available
in a fantastic deluxe boxset: this
limited edition contains the album
itself on CD and on two audiophile
vinyl LPs, a CD with all the tracks
in instrumental versions (for the
heavy metal purists who always complain
that James La Brie’s voice is
too delicate/effeminate for the genre),
a DVD with all the separate wave tracks
of the instruments so that you can
mix your own version of the album
at home, and a mousemat and a numbered
lithography with the cover artwork
(although on the mousemat there is
a funny difference… spot it!).
But wait, there’s more: a third
CD filled with some very nice songs
from other bands! It’s very
nice to hear Dream Theater covering
Rainbow, The Dixie Dregs, Zebra, The
Queen (La Brie’s voice is the
best Freddie Mercury impersonation
I’ve heard EVER!), Iron Maiden
and (to the possible shock of some)
even King Crimson’s “Larks
tongues in aspic, part two”.
|
Random
copies of the boxset may also include
a lithography hand-signed by the artist,
or a ticket for meeting the band in
person at a concert of choice. No,
I haven’t found any of these
two bonus gifts… better luck
next time? - Luca Chichizola
Rating: 80 |
| |
|
August
7, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO 1982 CLYNELISH
I’m not far from thinking that
Clynelishes from the 1982/1983 era
were as close as they could get to
‘old Clynelish’, that
is to say the old distillery before
it was rechristened ‘Brora’.
Maybe because Brora was about to get
silenced forever… |
| Clynelish
27 yo 1982/2009 (53.9%, The Perfect
Dram II, Bourbon, 240 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: holy featherless
crow! This is it, one of the most
austere yet magnificent spirits ever
made by man. A spirit so great that
it does not need any vulgar speedy
oak doping, nor any crappy wine finishing
to express its full class. In other
word, a distillate that needs no crutches!
As I had hoped, we’re very close
to ‘old Clynelish’ (think
the different old 12yo 100°proof
for Giaccone), with a quintessential
waxiness and a full bag of other aromas
such as limejuice, flints, oysters
and riesling. The perfect profile
in my opinion. With water: lemon-scented
candles and old Alsatian riesling
from the best makers’. Mouth
(neat): it is exceptional Clynelish,
no doubt, reminding me of a very rare
1983 by Samaroli for A. Bleve in Rome
that was very impressive. Indeed,
this 1982 is an amazing whisky, maybe
not the most complex ever but these
flavours of lemon pie and honey-loaded
beeswax plus a very tensed flintiness
are totally perfect. And so is the
oak. With water: please call the anti-maltoporn
brigade. Finish: long and exceptional.
Comments: I want to marry this whisky.
Perfect dram indeed. Oh and one more
thing, this isn’t an uberfuity
Clynelish such as the ones from the
early 1970s so if it’s what
you’re looking for you’ll
be disappointed. More for us! ;-)
SGP:363 - 93 points. |
| Clynelish
1982/1995 (64.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky
Society, 26.3)
One of the first Clynelishes by the
SMWS. Colour: dark amber with reddish
hues. Nose: it seems that we’re
in the same category as the 27yo but
this is so powerful that the tiniest
vapours will just perforate your nasal
fossae and blow your brain out in
a flash. If you don’t mind,
I won’t even try and shall pour
a good dozen drops of water into it
before going on. With water: superb
notes of parsley, very old balsamic
vinegar from Modena (a genuine one,
not the supermarket crap), leather,
walnut liqueur, coffee and shoe polish.
Does the heavy sherry mask Clynelish?
Not quite, they rather work in symbiosis
here, which isn’t that common
with whisky. Mouth (neat): wowie!
Coffee-schnapps galore but it’s
all too strong. Cough, cough…
With water: a very old Château
Chalon by Jean Macle or Marius Perron,
only with more alcohol. If you don’t
know these superb wines yet, you should
really try to put your hands on one
or three bottles, they age even better
than Charlotte Rampling. Amazing ‘taste
of yellow’ and walnuts. Finish:
endless, more on toasted bread. Quite
some peat in the aftertaste. Comments:
I liked the ‘naked’ version
a little better coz it’s purer
but this is fantastic as well. SGP:463
- 92 points. (and thanks
a bunch, Luc). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on holidays
in St Tropez |
| |
|
|
|
| Whith
thanks to Bruno at whisky-distilleries.info
(forum) |
| |
|
August
6, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO YOUNG GLENDRONACHS
(well, if it goes on like that
in Scotland, 12yo will soon be very
old for malt whisky)
Glendronach
12 yo 'Original' (43%, OB, 2009)
Picture: various recent labels,
from oldest to newest (the one we’ll
now try). |
| Colour:
full gold. Nose: oh, once again it
seems obvious to me that the new Glendronachs
do fill the seats left vacant by The
Macallan a few years ago. Seriously,
this is very close to the ‘old
12’ in style, with that very
peculiar blend of maltiness and sherriness
with some very pleasant notes of yellow
flowers plus toasted brioche and orange
marmalade. It’s also obvious
that it’s much better composed
than the older Glendronach 12 ‘Original’
that wasn’t very inspiring in
my opinion. Mouth: syrupy, much bigger
than ‘40%’ and probably
more complex than on the nose, which
is quite an achievement at such young
age (but again, is 12 still young?)
Big honey and apricot jam, ripe yellow
plums, then notes of sherry, milk
chocolate and a little Cointreau plus
drops of Bailey’s (I’m
really sorry). Extremely coherent
and superlatively drinkable. Finish:
unexpectedly long and big, with quite
some spices kicking in. Pepper and
cloves. Bailey’s is back in
the aftertaste. Comments: sure it’s
no very complex whisky but it’s
perfectly balanced despite its richness
and relative thickness. Recommended.
SGP:531 - 86 points. |
 |
Glendronach
9 yo 1987/1997 (58.5%, Signatory Dumpy,
cask #57, 520 bottles)
Warning, Signatory had several stupendous
sherried Glendronachs at the time…
The 1970s are legendary. Colour: amber.
Nose: take some gunpowder, some dark
chocolate and some pepper, then mix
the whole and add a good deal of alcohol
and you may get this. Truth is that
it’s superb, except if you’re
a whisky pacifist and hate gunpowder
in your dram. Actually, there isn’t
much else in this youngster but you
can achieve balance using only two
or three elements, can’t you?
With water: gets drier, with maybe
a little sulphur and certainly whiffs
of bicycle inner tube. Not greatly
great at this point. |
| Mouth
(neat): big yet elegant attack, more
complex than on the nose (same phenomenon
as with the new 12), more on strawberry
jam, fudge, Armagnac-soaked prunes,
liqueur-filled chocolates and something
like peppered gunpowder (wot? –Ed)
With water: does not change like it
did on the nose, which is great news.
More of the same, just more quaffable.
Finish: very long, balanced, with
a little more marmalade and ginger
liqueur. Comments: the nose was ‘interesting’
but the palate was really superb.
It reminded me of some sherried Port
Charlotte in a certain way, great
casks can do wonders in a flash. I
mean, genuine great casks. Too bad
water brought out a little too much
rubber for my taste, otherwise this
fearless youngster would have deserved
a full 90 points in my book. It’s
also not far at all from the new 12
somewhere on the palate. SGP:541
- 88 points. |
| STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST |
|
|
proposes
his Summertime malt cocktails
"El
Capitan" |
 |
Pour
into a cristal wine glass :
- 4 cl Glendronach 15 yo Revival 46%
- 4 cl ruby port of quality (e.g.
Churchill's crusted port 2002)
Place the glass into the fridge about
30 minutes before to serve and drink.
Dedicated to my trip in La Baule and
to a great person to absolutely meet
there : Gilles Le Capitaine. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
another treat from the past, Germany's
seminal band Amon
Düül II do
Luzifers
Gnom (that was on 1969's Phallis
Dei).
Ah, krautrock! Please buy Amon Duul
2's music. |
 |
| |
|
August
5, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– THREE 1982 CAOL ILA |
| Caol
Ila 27 yo 1982/2009 (50%, The Whisky
Agency Fossils Series, Rum Wood finish,
115 bottles)
Finishing an old Caol Ila in rum sounds
like marinating goose foie gras in
Diet Coke to me but who knows, maybe
the end result would be good. Colour:
gold. Nose: right, Caol Ila is powerful
whisky so as expected, it’s
not a few litres of rum that will
harm it too much. Actually the rum
is very discreet here and if it did
impart an extra-sweetness to the malt,
it’s very hard to say whether
that sweetness came from the rum or
if was there before the transgression
was organised ;-). Anyway, this is
a rather simple, sweet, mildly peaty
Caol Ila. With water: more farmy notes
as often, and less sweetness. Clean
cow stable, clean manure, hints of
burnt sugar and molasses indeed, maybe
from the rum. Mouth (neat): good,
sweet peat, rather rich and creamy,
candied (quince jelly, dried bananas),
mildly peppery. No ‘coastalness’
here, or very little. Pleasant but
certainly not mindboggling. With water:
oh, this is unexpected, the ‘coastality’
just came out, with notes of tinned
sardines and anchovies and quite some
salt. So funny! Finish: medium long,
now on a mixture of cane sugar and
kippers. Sounds horrible but it isn’t.
Comments: a funny baby indeed, going
back to the sea as any living being
will sooner or later (well, that’s
what I’ve heard). SGP:446
- 85 points. |
| Caol
Ila 27 yo 1982/2009 (62.4%, The Perfect
Dram II, Bourbon, 108 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: another
world, completely another world. Sure
it’s hot and powerful but I
do get a few camphory, tarry and resinous
notes plus quite some pepper and ginger,
a profile that reminds me of much
older bottlings of CI and, to tell
you the truth, of some old Ardbegs.
With water: yes indeed, even if it
got crisper and flintier and rather
less medicinal. Maybe a tad more ‘Port
Ellen’ this time. Huge notes
of wet limestone and ‘the beach
under the rain’. Mouth (neat):
once again, there’s something
antique in this one, that is to say
notes of cough syrup and tar liqueur
that are usually more to be found
in older bottles. Also a great zestiness
(lime juice). With water: bursts with
Islayness, peat, iodine, oysters,
lemon, pepper… And a slight
sugariness in the background (orange
drops.) Finish: long, now ultra-clean,
well in the style of the best Caol
Ilas. Comments: a fascinating dram.
Sometimes Cao Ilas can be a tad boring
(all peated Islays can actually) because
there are so many of them but this
one is different. Excellent and very
big for Caol Ila. SGP:467
- 91 points. |
| Caol
Ila 1982/2008 (62.7%, Scotch Single
Malt Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, cask
#2724)
Colour: gold. Nose: once again, an
extremely powerful beast that hits
you right between the eyes as soon
as you raise your glass to your nose.
Let’s say that it seems that
this one is rather farmier, kind of
more organic than the Perfect Dram.
With water: it came a little closer
to the Perfect Dram but once again,
it’s farmier and earthier, and
more herbal as well. Gentian roots,
mint and liquorice tea, a little verbena…
Mouth (neat): a little rounder than
expected but once again, it’s
much more ‘down to earth’
than the Perfect Dram, rootier, more
on liquorice wood and green apples.
Not the same whisky at all. But it’s
damn h-o-t! With water: once again,
a little more typically Caol Ila than
its bro even if they’re much
closer than when tried neat. Kippery
for sure, iodized, gently lemony,
a tad medicinal (cough drops), earthy…
Finish: very long, with more lemon
marmalade. Clams. Some lemon playing
with your lips. Comments: more a classic
but of the same high quality as the
Perfect Dram. I’m sorry, I won’t
spend all night trying to decide on
which is my favourite. SGP:357
- 91 points. |
| |
| THE
GLENWONKA ANNOUNCE DAZZLING NEW PRODUCTS |
 |
| In
a shock development, after their record-breaking
new 100 years old, The GlenWonka just
announced imminent launch of no less
than seven (7) new bottlings, ranging
from the most innovative (The GlenWonka
For Girlz!) to the most traditional
(The GlenWonka 1898 ‘Sissi’).
All details at The
GlenWonka’s website. |
 |
PS
- By the way, do you know The
Imperial Tribute, a legend
that 'was born 2,000 years ago
when the proud Ninth legion of the
Roman Army were defeated by the fiercely
independent men of Caledonia.'
and a whisky that's 'highly sophisticated,
venerably aged, as smooth and rounded
as a Henry Moore sculpture?'
It's real,
even I couldn't have made that one
up! |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on holidays
in St Tropez |
| |
|
August
4, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
BRUCE
SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND
|
| Hyde
Park, London
June
28th 2009
I
know, Serge that like me, you abhor
excess. The gross and grotesque
over- consumption that seems to
signal, even in times of recession,
twenty-first century society. A
“we want more” world,
when quantity so often seems to
be preferred over quality, where
responsibility is abrogated in favour
of thoughtless over-indulgence,
with the consequences of obesity,
ill-health and mental weakness.
|
|
| And
of course it’s always someone
else’s fault ; accountability
kept firmly at arm’s length
by the perpetrators as they feed with
frenzy at the trough of intemperance.
But just once in a while, the architect
of this gluttonous greed is so clearly
apparent that culpability cannot be
denied. Those heartless villains whose
only thought is to fuel this culture
of surfeit. Which is where Bruce
Springsteen comes in.
Who in their right mind needs a three
hour concert? In case you don’t
know, Bruce has come hot foot to Hyde
Park Calling in London from Glastonbury,
where his barnstorming Saturday night
headline (only about two and a half
hours) blew a hole in the curfew,
earning the disapproval of the local
authorities and a fine for the organisers. |
| Don’t
get me wrong. This is a brilliant
showboating performance, from the
moment that the Boss and his indefatigable
E Street Band take to the stage and
break into the opening chords of ‘London’s
calling’ (they opened Glastonbury
with Joe Strummer’s ‘Coma
girl’). If that wasn’t
enough to win the hearts of the crowd
(many of whom were showing predictable
signs of a surfeit of beer by this
time) it was followed by several quick
jaunts from the stage to the crowd.
Requests were collected and several
played, and at one point, Springsteen
stretched his arm as far as he could
to hold his microphone to the lips
of a young child held aloft by his
father, who promptly sang a word-perfect
chorus for the Boss. And of course,
despite his brash braggadocio (displayed
at its worst by an ill-judged tub-thumping
appeal to the ‘power of love’)
, he also displayed vulnerability,
falling prone on the steps on one
of his return journeys to the stage:
“I’m sixty, man, get me
a fucking elevator”. Quite where
Mr Springsteen gets his energy from
I don’t know, but the remarkable
thing is that it was matched to every
last degree by his band. Of course,
long-time collaborators ‘Little’
Steven
Van Zandt and Nils
Logfren are to the fore; Logfren’s
guitar playing, which is often overlooked,
was particularly good. But the outstanding
performance of the night, after the
Boss himself, probably came from drummer
Max
Weinberg. He hardly stopped playing
for the whole set, drumming out of
one song and, as Springsteen changed
guitar with a “One two three
four”, drummed into the next. |
 |
| So
there’s not much wrong with
the performance, it’s just too
long. It’s like having those
extra two or three drinks that you
don’t need, or another bowl
of chips or an extra portion of chocolate
dessert. You know you don’t
need it, you know you don’t
want it, and as you do have more you
lose the sense of appreciation and
enjoyment of what went before. |
| Certainly
with Bruce one of the problems is,
not least because of the way the songs
run into each other, that after a
while you can easily get the sense
that the songs all sound pretty much
the same, and lose the impact they
might have had. I’m sure the
Bruce-addicted gourmands probably
relished every one of the one hundred
and eighty minutes. But we weren’t
alone amongst the gourmets who chose
to leave before the Boss crashed into
his encore of Rosalita, Hard Times,
Jungleland, American Land, Glory Days
and Dancing In The Dark. It’s
just too much, Bruce. It’s not
responsible. - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| TASTING
– THREE GLENGLASSAUGH |
| The
new owners managed to put Glenglassaugh
back under the whisky lovers’
radars thanks to some clever social
marketing and a few unusual bottlings
such as some newmake and even finished
newmake (!) But today we’ll
rather have an old indie as well as
two recent old style decanters. |
| Glenglassaugh
1983/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Connoisseur's Choice, old map label)
Colour: gold. Nose: starts very fresh,
on light notes of flowers from the
fields, acacia honey and cereals as
well as a faint toastiness. Pretty
harmless, very gentle and rather clean.
Goes on with whiffs of a newly opened
pack of liquorice allsorts and maybe
some tiny-wee hints of cardboard and
cold tea. ‘Pleasant’.
Mouth: sweet, light but not weak,
very cereally and malty with touches
of caramel and gingerbread. Funny
that we find quite some liquorice
again (funny? – Ed). Gets maybe
a tad bitterish towards the finish
(over-infused tea). Finish: medium
long, very malty and somewhat tea-ish.
Comments: it’s good, just a
little middle-of-the-road. Were now
used to more firmness in our whiskies,
aren’t we? SGP:331 -
81 points. |
| Glenglassaugh
21 yo (46%, OB, Glass Decanter, +/-2009)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one
is more polished and probably more
elegant but the general profile is
pretty close to the 1983’s.
Light, moderately fragrant, pleasantly
flowery and honeyed. More vanilla
as well, and also notes of apple pie,
strawberry pie and butterscotch, fresh
butter and just a little sawdust.
The oakiness grows bigger over time
(quite some cinnamon and a little
mint). Mouth: once again we find the
same profile as with the 1983, only
much bigger this time and rather fruitier
too, with notes of peppered pear drops,
should that exist. Gets then frankly
grassy and malty, with the oak singing
rather loud. Strong tea, Nescafé
and a little vanilla plus white pepper
and cinnamon. It’s not very
‘wide’ but there’s
good quality oak behind the whole.
Finish: medium long, the oak giving
it kind of a slight sourness. Cider
apples? Liquorice wood. Comments:
it’s not a luscious old Speysider
such as the ones that usually end
up in decanters, but it’s pleasant.
SGP:331 – 82 points.
|
Glenglassaugh
30 yo (55.1%, OB, Glass Decanter,
+/-2009) 
Colour: gold. Nose: much more oak
in this one, which is probably normal.
Yet it’s not exactly plankish,
but there’s quite some cinnamon
and nutmeg. Develops much more on
lemon balm, lemon pie and even citronella
oil, with a good deal of marzipan
in the background. A little grassy
too (and apple peeling). With water:
more apple peeling, fresh walnuts
and plain oak and much less fruits.
Still nice. Mouth (neat): much, much
more happening than in the 21yo, even
if this one is very concentrated and
almost thick. Heavy wood extracts
plus blackberry jam and touches of
chilli. It’s also funnily grapy
(big red muscats). Turkish delights.
With water: it’s the oak that
comes to the front, with more strong
tea, but the playful sweet notes (jelly
beans?) are still there. Finish: long
and kind of dual, on ‘green’
oak and sweets. Comments: a thick,
heavy baby this time, maybe a little
more panzerish than the younger ones
but also more interesting and entertaining.
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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August
3, 2009 |
|
|
BREAKING
NEWS - £1,999,999 A BOTLLE!
NEW
MOST EXPENSIVE RECESSION PROOF SCOTCH
EVER TO BE LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER,
FETCHES 99.9 POINTS |
 |
From
the heart of Speyside comes this new
expression of one of the world's most
intriguing single malt whiskies. Aged
for exactly 100 years by three generations
of dedicated craftsmen the whisky
has lain undisturbed in our oldest
and finest palletised warehouses and
has now finally been deemed ready
for bottling. Presented at natural
cask strength of 40° alcohol and
bottled without filtration in the
finest hand blown decanters made from
the glass of the distillery’s
old spirit safes.
Of course it is not easy to create
a whisky of such elegance. Over the
years the whisky has been carefully
monitored and cared for. The potential
of this spirit was detected when it
was a mere 50 years old, luckily enough
this coincided with the invention
of cling film and through careful
stock management this whisky has been
nurtured to a full century. Only bottled
when our master ear judged it a sound
dram.
We understand a product with such
high provenance will be truly desirable
and at such an alluring price who
would not be tempted? As is well known
the doors of our distillery have been
closed to the public for many years
and the industry is alive with speculation
and intrigue as to our techniques
and practices. That’s why to
mark the release of such a historic
bottling we are offering five lucky
people the chance to take a tour and
tasting with our elusive and legendary
manager Richard McEwan. These places
are to be allocated to anyone fortunate
enough to buy one of the five bottles
containing a gold cork, could you
be a lucky holder of the golden bung?
Also for a limited time only all bottles
will come with a complimentary Aston
Martin V8 Vantage available in either
Golden Promise Amber or Oloroso Sunset
with a bonded aluminium structure
and Spanish oak dash fashioned from
the casks of this legendary vintage.
Our master ear has personally selected
models with the finest engine note
to match this whisky.
This bottling will be officially launched
in a special ceremony at the British
Embassy in Paris next month. Among
the many distinguished guests will
be honorary master ear, HRH Prince
Charles. All casks listened to by
his HRH on the day will be auctioned
at the evening’s dinner, the
proceeds of which will go to aid the
plight of the Speyside Gardener's
Association.
This is undoubtedly a whisky of great
olfactory significance so we have
invited the well-known whisky expert
Angus W. Apfelstrudel, Jr*. to scribe
our official tasting notes. |
|
|
Gaze upon The GlenWonka's amazingly
deep, rich amber colour |
| |
|
Coming with the bottle: a magnificent
pewter tumbler made by Christofle
of Paris |
| |
|
Also this superb tartan scarf proudly
bearing The GlenWonka's embroidered
logo. |
| |
| Complimentary
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
(here in Golden Promise Amber) |
| The
GlenWonka 100 years old 1909 40% Single
Malt Scotch Whisky
(Suggested Retail Price £1,999,999**)
|
| N.
SWEET VISHNU! Never have I encountered
such a swirling, vibrant interplay
of oak and malt at such immense age.
The fruit glimmers like the tail feathers
of a frightened peacock disappearing
into a dark forest of European oak.
There is spice also, I am returned
to my long summers as a child working
the street markets of Bombay, ahh
olfactory nostalgia of the highest
order. There are even whiffs of the
pre-war sense of foreboding and apprehension
that pervaded the world of 1909 into
which this magnificent spirit was
spawned. |
 |
P.
Now we’re getting down to it.
Reminds me of all the women I’ve
ever seduced rolled into one and finished
with a fine Cuban. It dances a true
ballet on the palate, engaging all
parts of the tongue. Rich notes of
leather upholstery, old copies of
National Geographic sat for decades
in a private school's headmaster's
study all rounded off with a deft
flutter of the silkiest tannins. Makes
me pine for the great lost Speyside
character of old that I was proud
to turn the world's attention to many
summers past. Such complexity for
the age, like spending an evening
with Winston Churchill in a whirlwind
of whispering smoke and well stewed
fruits.
F. No finish on this
baby, finishes end, God's got some
thinking to do as this old beauty
redefines eternity. WOW! An orgasmic
tsunami of peat that peaks and seems
to fade like the lingering memories
of the finest Brazilian hookers, warm
and spicy but with bite. A truly memorable
drinking experience, on a par with
the Uigeadail for Canada but it even
eclipses that wild warhorse in the
end.
B. Well what can
I say? I was hoping for something
special but this takes the piss. I'm
so glad I came up with the idea of
using peat to dry the barley otherwise
whisky production might not have been
sustained through those delicate pre-war
years and this bottling might never
have been. As it stands this bottling
has done me proud.
99.9
points (would have
been higher were it not for a faint
whiff of bullshit) |
*
The latest edition of Angus Apfelstrudel’s
acclaimed Whisky Tora is in shops
now featuring over 375,000 new entries.
** The GlenWonka 100 years old
is an extremely limited edition of
only five decanters for the entire
world and will be available
at The Whisky Exchange (London), Loch
Fyne Whiskies (Inveraray), Royal Mile
Whiskies (Edinburgh), La Maison du
Whisky (Paris), Park Avenue Liquors
(New York), Potstill (Vienna), Whisky-e
Ltd (Tokyo), World of Whiskies (Heathrow
Airport), The Nectar (Zolder), Van
Zuylen (The Hague) and Malt Rarities
(Limburg). |
| The
GlenWonka is a Yu
Wan Mei Amalgamated Salvage Fisheries
And Polymer Injection Group brand.
Yu Wan Mei Amalgamated Salvage Fisheries
And Polymer Injection Group consider
that whisky is for drinking and do
not encourage speculation. Please
follow
us on Twitter. Please join
us on Facebook. Please watch
our videos on Youtube. Please
buy
our other fine products. Please
attend our masterclasses. Please read
our blog (work in progress.) Please
follow our updates on Plurk, Zing,
Boomf, Bang, Strumpf, Zing, Woosh,
Zwish, Proost and Slime. Please check
our announcements on any new digital
services that have yet to be invented.
Please do not visit our distillery
while wearing shorts, white socks,
sandals or our competitors' T-shirts.
Please remember that orange and yellow
do not go well together. Please don't
park your mobile homes in front of
the warehouses' entrances. Please
don't smoke spliffs in the still house.
Please remember that jerrycans are
forbidden in the filling station.
Please don't just buy miniatures,
Celtic jewelry, bagpipe CDs or fudge
in the visitor's centre. Please put
our Distillery only bottlings on eBay
using your iPhone as soon as you're
out of the visitor's centre but please
always put a reserve price that's
at least 1.5 times higher than our
shop price. Please don't cook Indian
food on the parking place in front
of our highly acclaimed Old Worm Coil
Café. Thank you, together we'll
make Scotland a better world. |
| For
more information about The GlenWonka,
the Yu Wan Mei Amalgamated Salvage
Fisheries And Polymer Injection Group
or Angus W. Apfelstrudel, Jr, please
contact Mrs Dearbhfhorghaill Yuan,
Keep It Stupid PR, Suite 23745127,
Building 9, 2918 North Zhongshan Rd,
Shanghai, 200063, The People's Republic
of China. |
| (Any
resemblance to actual companies, people
or events is purely coincidental) |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical: a heavy month!
Caol
Ila 27 yo 1982/2009 (62.4%,
The Perfect Dram II, Bourbon, 108 bottles)
Caol
Ila 1982/2008 (62.7%, Scotch Single
Malt Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, cask #2724)
Clynelish
1982/1995 (64.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky
Society, 26.3)
Clynelish
27 yo 1982/2009 (53.9%, The Perfect
Dram II, Bourbon, 240 bottles)
Dailuaine-Glenlivet
31 yo 1966/1997 (56.8%, Cadenhead's
Authentic Collection)
Glen
Grant 36 yo 1972/2009 (56.3%, The Whisky
Fair, 209 bottles)
Glen
Grant 1965/2004 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail, Licenced)
Glen
Grant 48 yo 1953/2001 (45%, Gordon
& MacPhail, Private Collection, casks #1860-1864)
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