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Hi, you're in the Archives, December 2007 - Part 1 |
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December
14, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– SIX NEW ROSEBANKS |
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Rosebank
16 yo 1991/2007 (46%, The Single Malts
of Scotland, small batch)
This one was bottled in September
but I didn’t see it on The Whisky
Exchange’s website yet. Colour:
white wine. Nose: a big but very typical
Rosebank it seems. Starts on breaths
of farmyard (wet hay) and rather big
porridgy notes, with the expected
lemony notes bursting out after that,
the whole getting cleaner and cleaner
over time. Quite some smoke, at that,
as well as dill and aniseed. Classic.
Mouth: sweet and rounded at the attack
but gets very citrusy after that,
kind of acidulated. Very good and,
as I said, very typical. Good body.
Develops on lemon and vanilla fudge,
lemon pie... In brief, lemons. Finish:
rather long and, guess what? Yes,
lemony – and also a little gingery/nutmeggy.
A very good Rosebank that’s
still full of youth. SGP:752
(wazzat?)
– 85 points. |
Rosebank
16 yo 1990/2007 (50%, Douglas Laing
OMC, Cask ref 3404, Claret finish,
263 bottles) 
Colour: pale apricots. Nose: starts
on blackcurrant jelly and strawberry
sweets but gets then meatier. Quite
some ham and also quite some soap
– or let’s say kind of
soapiness (pick your brand). Quite
pleasant but certainly not too ‘Rosebank’
in style I think. Gets smokier after
a while. Mouth: maybe you know that
when I see ‘claret’ (or
any other red wine) on a whisky label,
thousands of flashing lights come
on in my head, so I may well be biased
here but... This is too winey for
me. I’m not saying it isn’t
good, I’m just saying this isn’t
Rosebank. Peppered strawberry sweets,
liquorice allsorts, raspberry cordial,
lemonade... Well, you see what I mean.
Finish: long, getting a little bitterer
which is good news in my books. Not
my cup of malt but some may really
like this (and I know some do), so
here’s my opinion (repeat, only
an humble, isolated opinion and no
f****g gospel of course): 70
points (SGP:731). And oh,
I would like to take this opportunity
to insist on one thing: it’s
not because I don’t like wine-finished
whiskies generally speaking (there
are many exceptions) that I’m
not a wine guy, which seems to be
a common misconception among distillers
and bottlers. I’m ALSO a wine
freak and that’s precisely why
I’m not always into mixtures
of both. Oh well... |
| Rosebank
16 yo 1991/2007 (56.1%, The Whisky
Society)
This is from a new series by The Whisky
Exchange’s people but last time
I checked, it wasn’t yet available.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s
the oak and its vanillin that play
the first parts here it seems, at
least for a few minutes, but lemons
and tangerines are soon to have the
upper hand. Great notes of fresh butter,
newly cut grass, ‘clean’
porridge and all sorts of grains.
Very clean and, once again, quite
smoky. Mouth: rounder, very fruity
but extremely clean, all on lemon
and pineapple sweets. In other words,
Rosebank (as far as the lemony notes
are concerned). Anything but made-up.
Great zing. Finish: long, lemony,
ultra-clean and highly satisfying.
Prototypical. SGP:830 –
86 points. |
| Rosebank
1990/2007 (57.7%, Malt Pedigree, LMdW,
cask #1511, 326 bottles)
From a series by La Maison du Whisky
in Paris. Great label I must say...
Colour: white wine. Nose: sharp and
very punchy, with more farmy and vegetal
notes again and, yes, big lemony notes.
Rather lime actually. Sharp like a
blade. With water: not much changes,
even if it does get a little farmier.
Mouth (neat): softer but also much,
much more lemony this time. I don’t
know if lemon eau-de-vie exists (not
liqueur) but I imagine it wouldn’t
taste unlike this Rosebank. With water:
excellent development, the whole getting
rounder, creamier, more candied. In
short, more civilised. Finish: long,
balanced, fruity and lemony. In the
same league as the 1991, I’d
say. SGP:731 – 85 points. |
Rosebank
15 yo 1990/2006 (59.5%, Blackadder
Raw Cask, Hogshead #1522, 294 bottles)
Colour; straw. Nose: less talkative
and a little less ‘evident’.
Grassier, with also nice notes of
marzipan. Lemony for sure, but less
so than the ones we just had. With
water: gets very grassy and also a
little soapy, even after quite a long
time (no simple ‘saponification’
that quickly vanishes after reduction).
Mouth (neat): a bit harsh, overpowering,
more acid than lemony I’d say.
Spirity and very ‘green’.
With water: gets better this time,
even good. Creamier, rounder, with
a better ‘lemony definition’.
Finish: rather long but slightly caramelly
this time, and also slightly bitterish.
Not bad at all but there are better
Rosebanks I think (and much better
old Glen Grants at Blackadder’s
these days... Yummie!) SGP:451
– 78 points. |
Rosebank
25 yo 1981/2006 (61.4%, OB, 2500 bottles)
Yeah, I know, it was about time I
published my notes for this recent
OB... Here they are. Colour: gold.
Nose: hey, but this smells like olive
oil when neat! Little lemony notes
so far, rather various oils (okay,
olives but also linseed) and quite
some paraffin. And talc? Also notes
of green tea and fresh mushrooms (fresh
chanterelles – no, I’m
not trying to be smart). With water
(obligatory here): the oily notes
remain but are complemented with rather
beautiful farmy notes (faint whiffs
of wet dog), wet hay as often, beech
smoke, matchsticks, wet chalk... Very
austere in fact but it’s a rather
magnificent austerity, I’d say.
I don’t know why this makes
me think of an Islayer form the south
coast, but without the peat... Mouth
(neat): quite sippable, I’m
afraid (it’s always frightening
not to be shaken by such high strengths,
isn’t it?) More lemons it seems,
including zests. But let’s not
be a braggart and add a few drops
of water again: ah, we’re really
back to civilization now. It got much,
much more complex, with rather superb
notes of fresh marzipan, stone fruits,
plum spirit, butter pears and dried
figs. This is good. Finish: very long,
clean, always on the same notes...
And big lemons and citrons. Excellent
powerful Rosebank, reminding me of
the Rare Malts 1981/2002 at 62.3%.
Same kind of enjoyable ‘rigidity’
if you see what I mean. SGP:651
- 89 points. |
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How
many editions of the famous
Black Bowmore 1964 are
there to date? |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Let's have a little John
Lennon today, but not
whith his usual band (nor the Beatles)
as it's the Rolling Stones who play
with him on Yer
blues.mp3. |
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December
13, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– FIVE OLD TULLIBARDINES |
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Tullibardine 5 yo (40%, OB, Italy,
1970’s)
This is just the apéritif.
Colour: white wine. Nose: rather big,
smoky, ashy and porridgy, with also
quite some liquorice and notes of
burnt coffee. Whiffs of wet clothes
and boiling milk. Quite nice I must
say! Mouth: falls a bit apart now
but the body’s good. Bubblegum
and oatcakes, caramel, muesli, vanilla
custard. Gets a bit dirty after a
moment. Finish: surprisingly long,
malty and still quite bubblegummy.
Marshmallows. Not too bad, really!
SGP:551 (wazzat?)
- 78 points. |
| Tullibardine
1975/2007 (52,7%, OB, cask #1009,
194 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: starts on an uber-woodiness
(varnish and shaving) and gets then
very farmy. Wet hay, soaked grains,
‘clean’ horse dung (I’m
saying ‘clean’ because
frankly, this Tully doesn’t
stink at all). Big notes of fresh
mint coming through. It’s a
very nice nose, provided you like
oak of course as well as a little
sourness. Mouth: big attack, with
lots happening. Vanilla crème
and oak and then liquorice allsorts,
jell-O, strawberry jam and a little
salt (excuse me, a certain saltiness).
Cider apples and grass. The tannins
grow bigger with time. The whole is
very enjoyable, though, especially
at the finish, which is very long
and nicely liquoricy and salty. Big
oakiness but it’s quality oak.
SGP:372 - 85 points. |
Tullibardine
1973/2005 (50.2%, OB, cask #2514,
300 bottles) 
Colour: paler gold. Nose: this one
is much cleaner and purer than the
1975 at first nosing. Big almonds
and kelp, rather coastal in fact.
Apple juice, vanilla creme and rhubarb
(slight sourness again). Again, gets
farmier after that. I really like
this nose I must say. Mouth: good
attack, similar to the 1975’s
but then it gets a bit disjointed,
going into various directions. Huge
grassiness, walnut skin, apple peelings
(yeah I know that’s only one
direction – so far) and then
more strawberry or pineapple sweets,
raspberry chewing-gum (as far as I
can recall), rosehip tea, soft liquorice...
Finish: rather long and quite cleaner
now, with the liquorice taking control
and quite some pepper. Less demonstrative
than the 1975 but still very good.
SGP:452 – 83 points. |
| Tullibardine
1973/2005 (50.2%, OB, cask #4138,
356 bottles)
A sister cask with the same degree,
funny. Colour: pale gold. Nose: very
similar to cask#2514, just a tad sharper
and more straightforward on the nose.
Also maybe a little more of these
bubblegummy notes than in the nose
of cask #2514. Mouth: rounder and
more polished than cask #2514, maybe
more coherent. Peppered apple pie
with vanilla crème and liquorice.
Very balanced oakiness – but
the tannins are well here. Finish:
very long, bigger than cask #2514
now as well as much oakier –
it’s the oak that won over all
other flavours at the end. Concentrated!
Very good but you really have to like
oak in your whisky. SGP:374
– 86 points (and
thanks, Ilias). |
| Tullibardine
1965/2005 (48.3%, OB, cask #949, 199
bottles)
Colour: brownish amber. Nose: starts
on very bold whiffs of walnut stain
and old rancio, arrak (distilled dates)
and wine lees. Goes on with wet paint
and ‘new plastic’ (it
isn’t as horrible as it sounds)
and gets then much more classically
sherried, with the usual cortege of
chocolate, coffee, raisins and a little
mint. Not spectacular but balance
is reached if you don’t rush
this one too much. Mouth: hmm... Now
it got seriously woody, with big,
rather drying wood tannins and grape
skin. The good news is that what’s
behind the oak is rather classy here
(ripe strawberries, Smyrna raisins)
but these flavours struggle to make
it through the tannins. This was probably
much more ‘accessible’
ten years ago. Finish: long, oaky
and winey, as you may guess, very
drying. Hard finish, water really
needed here. The nose was very nice
but took some time to develop, but
I think the palate is really ‘too
much’ for my taste. SGP:372
- 78 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: ever wondered how Australian
suburban indie-country-pop sounds?
LIke The
Triangles and like their
Will
it float?.mp3. Charming indeed...
Please buy The Triangles' music. |
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December
12, 2007 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
– THREE PORT ELLENS |
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Port
Ellen 28 yo 1979/2007 ‘7th Annual
Release’ (53.8%, OB, 5274 bottles)
Here’s the new Annual Release!
We’ll oppose it to the 3rd Annual
Release because it’s the one
we never gotten around to write decent
tasting notes about, and to a new
Signatory because it’s, err,
new. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it seems
that this one is a rather complex
version, which does not start only
on big whiffs of burning tyres and
lemons but also on soaked grains,
porridge and wet ropes. The peat smoke
is big as expected but it’s
melted into the rest. Mullein flowers,
crystallised lemons, lemon honey,
vanilla crème, raw wool, clams,
spearmint. It gets then a little more
austere but never ‘brutal’.
A civilised Port Ellen? Palate: well,
yes, in a certain way. Quite interestingly,
this one reminds me more of an old
Ardbeg than of a Port Ellen on the
palate. Very nervous and very ‘wide’,
with notes of tangerines, Chinese
anise, bubblegum (hints), smoked tea,
gentian spirit (hello Vienna?), crab,
green Chartreuse and even Jägermeister,
liquorice roots... Gets almost restless
now, concentrated, big, bitterer and
bitterer (more herbs liqueurs)...
What a presence! Finish: long, more
on marzipan now, green walnuts, liquorice,
kippers, sea water (remember?) Well
well well, we had thought this one
would be a very nice and gentle whisky
when nosing it first but at the finish
it got quite a monster. A vampire?
Great whisky anyway – nothing
really new under the sun. SGP:288
(wazzat?)
- 92 points. |
Mullein |
| Port
Ellen 24 yo 1979/2003 ‘3rd Annual
Release’ (57.3%, OB, 9000 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one
is much more vegetal, grassy, lemony
and malty, maybe not really violent
but it hasn’t got the ‘polished’
side of this year’s release.
Big notes of lamp oil, fresh putty,
walnut skins and marzipan. Also hints
of antiseptic and nail polish. I like
the ‘7’ really better
as far as the nose is concerned. Mouth:
much better now, even if a tad less
complex than the ‘7’.
Quite similar in fact, maybe a tad
waxier and more almondy and peppery.
Also a bit drying – it seems
that there’s more oak here.
Gets a little too hot, let’s
see what happens with water (while
the nose got even grassier): it’s
almost plain seawater now! Smoked
seawater, amazing... Finish: long
‘of course’ but rather
rough, salty and grassy. Well, this
is great whisky but I liked the ‘7’
better. Much more complexity. SGP:187
– 86 points. |
| Port
Ellen 25 yo 1982/2007 (60.1%, Signatory,
cask #645, 486 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: a little
more closed at first nosing and definitely
more austere and maybe ‘simple’
even after a few minutes of breathing.
Lemon, white chocolate and green tea.
Extreme lemon after a moment (lime
juice) and wet wool, car polish, cactus
juice. Sharp like a blade actually...
Let’s try it with a little water:
it’s a whole horse stable now.
Sweat, straw and old leather. Gets
then back to lemon and polish. Mouth
(neat): very punchy, compact, ‘focused’,
lemony, smoky and almondy. Not complex
but very good and satisfying now I
must say. But let’s unleash
more flavours using water... It got
even more austere, ‘pleasantly’
cardboardy, dry, waxy, mineral, ashy,
salty... Not the sexiest Port Ellen
for sure. Finish: very long, on the
same flavours, with a little more
salt. Very good anyway but maybe a
little reserved I’d say. SGP:277
- 87 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: between the Flaming Groovies
and the Fab Four, the rightly named
Marmalade
Souls from Sweden are
doing It
won't be too long.mp3. Quite fresh,
quite fresh... Please buy their music. |
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December
11, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– A FEW BENRIACHS |
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Benriach 21yo Authenticus (46%, OB,
circa 2007)
This one is a very controversial whisky.
Some people think it’s almost
Ardbeg-like, others are more hesitant...
I must say the first batch didn’t
overwhelm me but when I tried this
one (it’s the third batch I
think) I though it was way better
IMO. Let’s dig a little deeper
into it if you please... Colour: pale
gold. Nose: well, in Scotland’s
mainland I think only the early Broras
had this typical Islay character.
Smoke and peat of course but also
seaweed, shells, wet stones, wet raw
wool and soaked grains. Then we get
a little pepper, bitter oranges, smoked
tea and walnut skins. And dried kelp.
Moray isn’t far from the sea,
after all.... Mouth: it’s on
the palate that the resemblance with
the Islayers from the south shore
is most striking. Dry, phenolic, smoky,
herbal (hawthorn tea, chlorophyll),
malty, with hints of lavender honey
(which hasn’t much to do with
lavender as far as taste is concerned)
and a very pleasant earthiness. And
roots. Finish: long, getting interestingly
hotter once you swallowed it, with
only the ‘peat’ remaining
but for a long time. This Authenticus
really grew on me, sample after sample!
SGP:327 (wazzat?)
- 86 points. |
| Benriach
19 yo 1989/2007 (51.3%, Exclusive
Malts, finished in European oak hogshead,
cask #14388, 351 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: the wood’s
influence is very obvious here, and
reminds me of Glenmorangie’s
experiments with new oak. Huge lactones,
vanilla, resin and marzipan, with
something very bourbonny. Hints of
varnish, soft curry and paprika, nutmeg
and capsicum. Whiffs of warm butter
and pastries. This one smells very
‘modern’ but it smells
good. Mouth: same, but with even more
spices from the wood. It’s not
exactly plank infusion but the wood
dominates the whole, especially since
unpeated Benriach is rather subtle
malt whisky. And frankly, you wouldn’t
obligatorily feel it if it was some
peated Benriach ‘behind’
the wood. Now, the good news is that
the whole works quite well if you’re
into heavy wood, especially since
this is anything but tannic or too
dry. In short, vanilla, spices and
resin. A ‘Californian’
single malt? Finish: long, simple
but very nicely resinous and spicy.
Nutmeg galore! SGP:641 - 84
points. |
| Benriach
15 yo 1990/2006 (57.3%, Dewar Rattray,
cask #10697, 301 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: as
the colour suggested, this is very
fresh, with little wood influence
if any. I’ always happy to put
my hands on such whiskies because
it’s really the distillery’s
‘naked’ character that
you get (well, that you should get).
So, this seems to be close to newmake,
with big, clean notes of fruit eau-de-vie.
But instead of the usual pears and
pineapples that one gets in many newmakes,
it’s rather apricots here, plums,
maybe guavas and papayas and black
cherries (and the spirit made thereof).
Also quite some rubber and a little
sulphur, as often in new spirit. 15
years old, really? Mouth: it’s
better now. Still in the same vein
(fruit spirit) but with less rubber.
Let’s see what happens with
water (while the sulphury notes became
even bigger on the nose, even after
having waited for a few minutes):
oh, now it’s pure pear juice
with the addition of, err, pear spirit.
Finish: long, still on pears, with
maybe just faint hints of salt and
a little buttered caramel. Good but
lacking maturity. SGP:621
– 78 points. |
| And
also Benriach
33 yo 1972/2006 (45%, OB, cask #1733,
562 bottles)
Nose: this one is very refined, elegant,
subtle, maybe a little reserved. Bananas
and white pepper, patchouli and incense.
Mouth: slightly green (tannins) at
the attack but it develops superbly
after that. Trademark fruitiness (tropical
+ apricots). Very, very nice. SGP:742
- 90 points. |
| Benriach
28 yo 1978/2006 (54%, OB, cask #1596,
201 bottles)
Nose: extremely rounded, almost syrupy
on the nose. Ultra-big apricots and
honey. Echoes of old Balvenies here,
funny. Mouth: a little more passion
fruits. Candied. Big creaminess, oily
mouth feel. A very direct, exuberant
Benriach. SGP:821 - 88 points. |
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Which
distillery was established
in 1786 by William Longmore
in Keith and was originally
called Milton? |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: oh yes, Tim
Barry! He's doing Church
of level track.mp3 with great
Bowiesque accents (Ziggy era). Please,
please buy Tim Barry's music! (thanks
to Suburban home records) |
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December
10, 2007 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan |
Dave Kelly |
THE
BLUES BAND
The 100 Club, London
November 23rd 2007
They’ve
put the seats out at the 100 Club,
apparently for the Senior Citizens,
amongst whom either the Photographer
or I must number, given the way
that some nice young men stand up
to offer us their places. OAPs they
may be, but they’re certainly
putting their bladders to a means
test given the number of pints of
London Pride that are being sunk.
What with the old-fashioned (and
very uncomfortable) chairs and the
booze, it seems like a rather alcoholic
school assembly. All we need are
the teachers – and, masquerading
as a blues
band, here they are!
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| There’s
the chemistry master and slide guitar
maestro Dave Kelly (brother of the
late Jo-Ann Kelly), Gary
Fletcher (Games and French, and
upside down bass guitar), woodwork
and metalwork teacher, and drummer,
Rob Townsend, classics master and
rhythm and lead guitarist Tom McGuinness,
and of course the smartly-dressed
Deputy Head Master, Paul Jones. |
You
may remember many of these names,
but Mr Jones is possibly the most
famous – ex-Manfred Mann vocalist,
actor, broadcaster and harmonica player.
And he leads the very receptive class
in a most scholarly fashion –
kicking off with a short and very
learned seminar on Charley Patton
– it actually gets a little
wearing after not too long. Every
song has an introduction; some of
the anecdotes are engaging, like McGuinness’s
story about Arthur ‘Big Boy’
Cruddup's rat-gnawed stage suit, but
the rather patronising lectures begin
to sound like preaching (did I mention
that Mr Jones is a ‘new born’
Christian who evangelises with his
wife?) if not hectoring. It’s
almost as if he’s forgotten
he’s on the stage and thinks
he’s back on
the radio. It all gets too much
for one wag at the back of the class.
“Sir, please Sir, get on with
it” he shouts. “No, this
is it, this is it!” replies
the Deputy Head, with a messianic
fervour worthy of a Fifth Monarchy
Man awaiting the dawn of a new age.
But despite these occasional millennial
excesses I have to say that the Staff
Room put up a pretty good show. The
set was divided into two halves, the
first largely acoustic, the second
electric and as a rocking as a gang
of old pedagogues can be. Dave Kelly
plays his slide guitar like a dream,
and has a much better blues singing
voice than I remember. Fletcher’s
left-handed upside-down bass playing
(how does he do that?) is bewilderingly
good, and he also has a shot at a
couple of his own upside-down acoustic
numbers too, including ‘Payback’
from his solo album Human Spirit.
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Paul Jones (top)
Rob Townsend |
| McGuinness
doubles up on guitar and mandolin
(that trademark sound from his number
one McGuinness Flint hit ‘When
I’m dead and gone’) and
managed some tasty old blues licks
on his Stratocaster in the second
half, although I can’t help
thinking he’d have been better
off playing something with a bigger
sound. And as for the Deputy Head,
well of course he can sing, and write
(but his rather self-consciously maudlin
‘Sonny Boy’ would frankly
have been better without the lyrics),
and he can certainly talk for England,
but his harmonica playing at times
was top of the class, with some really
intricate work on the high notes.
Have I missed anyone off the register?
Hang on, what about Mr Chippy, the
woodworking drummer? Well, if ever
a band was over-serviced in the drumming
department this was it, and I’m
not sure that they really deserve
the atomic-clock timing of ex-Family
sticks man Rob Townsend, or his occasional
and witty fills. Superb stuff at the
back. |
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Now,
what did they play? Do you really
want to know? Well let’s start
with tune number one, ‘Moon
goes down’. Not many people
know that Charley Patton was born
a veteran blues man in 1891 (or was
it 1887?) in Edwards (or was it Bolton?
- scholars disagree on that like so
many disputed points) Mississippi,
sometime in the 1890s, or possibly
the late1880s in a small forgotten
town that would forever be remembered
as the home of the most influential
… - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| Thank
you, Nick. I found this moving song
written by Gary Fletcher called World
gone crazy.mp3, and the story
behind it is here.
– S. |
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MALT
MANIACS NEWSFLASH by Ho-cheng
Yao
Our
fellow Malt Maniac Ho-cheng
Yao had the opportunity to
try the new Macallan 55yo
‘Lalique’ at the
‘Asian launch party’
that just took place simultaneously
in four different capital
cities (Taipei, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Seoul). Here are
his tasting notes. |
Macallan
55yo Lalique II (40.1%, OB,
420 Bts.)
Brown colour. Some clear sherry
notes attack first, quite sweet,
with lots of malty and toffee
notes as well as a rich fruitiness.
A quite clear smoky influence
comes out later, with just a
hint of highland peat. Reminds
me of the unique character of
the 1946 bottling. Very matured
and layered, displaying the
usual nose of an old malt. However,
maybe was poured out too long
ago and the very little amount
in the glass oxidized very quickly.
After just 3 minutes, it changes
very fast and reveals some creamy
and nutty notes, and gradually
comes with dried plum and grassy
noses. Becomes then ‘old’
with a rather tired oaky nose.
The palate is actually very
dry and light. Somewhat sour
and oxidized. I realised later
that it was poured around 30
min. before the tasting, without
any cover on the glasses, a
pity. Quite a drop between nose
and palate, with a short and
extremely dry finish. Honestly,
I quite enjoyed the nose but
didn’t get exactly the
same feeling with the tasting.
Old malts are quite fragile
and need a lot of care. Such
a large event is probably not
the best occasion to taste such
rare and old malts. But who
am I to complain, without such
an event, I wouldn’t even
have the chance to taste it.
85 points.
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TASTING
– THREE BUNNAHABHAINS |
|
Bunnahabhain 23yo 1979 (50%, Lombard,
Jewels of Scotland, bottled +/- 2002)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: quite some
sherry it seems, of the flinty and
sulphury kind (good sulphur here).
Whiffs of olive oil and paraffin,
shoe polish and coal smoke. Soot.
Gets meatier after that, on ham and
fresh wild mushrooms. Humus, tobacco
and mint. Very nice. Mouth: excellent
sherry, nervous, with what could well
be peat in the background. Very good
fruitiness (raspberry eau-de-vie)
and absolutely no heaviness here.
Roasted nuts, chocolate, rose jelly,
white pepper and maple syrup plus
hints of juniper berries. Finish:
medium long, clean, sherried, mid-dry
mid-sweet. Balanced, eh! SGP:444
(wazzat?)
– 86 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
16 yo (54%, OB, Oloroso Shery cask,
cask #274, 190 bottles, Feis Isle
2007)
I never gotten around to writing notes
about this one that made so many smiling
people queue early in the morning
in front of the Distillery office
at the latest Islay Festival. That’s
what happens when prices are fair
and whiskies brilliant (are you listening,
A****g?) Colour: full amber. Nose:
a bit mono-dimensional at first nosing,
mainly on chocolate, but then it’s
quite an aromatic explosion, with
a little mint, quite some smoked tea,
mushrooms like in the 1979, game,
oyster sauce, barbecue smoke, leather,
tobacco... Great! And a perfect balance
again, which doesn’t always
happen with heavily sherried malts.
Not heavy at all. Mouth: big, fat,
oily, candied, coating... Phew! Yet,
it’s anything but cloying, quite
the contrary. Develops on various
chocolates (bitter and milk) and various
jams (blackberries, blackcurrants,
raspberries), always superbly balanced.
A little mint and dried herbs (thyme)
and then the spices arrive (clove,
cinnamon and pepper). And always this
balance... Finish: as long as a movie
with Gwyneth Paltrow and in the same
vein (I mean, as the palate). Excellent
Bunnahabhain! SGP:745 - 91
points. |
| Bunnahabhain
9 yo 1997/2007 (59.6%, Adelphi, cask
#5265, 597 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, this
is from these peated batches! Very,
very powerful and punchy but ‘nosable’,
very peaty, smoky, earthy, rooty and
iodized. Fatter than other young peaty
versions of Bunnahabahain we’ve
tasted before I think, yet clean and
rather pure despite a few mashy/feinty
notes. Great freshness. With water:
more raw wool and fresh herbs but
other than that it smells like the
Port Ellen Maltings when they’re
working. Mouth (neat): exactly as
you imagine it just now. Big peat,
a bit raw but already balanced, with
also quite some fruits (eaux-de-vie
in fact). Pear and pineapple juices.
With water: even fruitier. Fresh quinces
and Williams pears, the peat being
a little more discreet. Finish: long,
on pear eau-de-vie and peat just like
it started. In short, it’s probably
not the most complex young Bunnahabhain
ever but what a set of muscles! SGP:427
– 86 points. |
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December
9, 2007 |
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TASTING
– TWO OLD ‘SWISS’
BOWMORES
Bowmore 34 yo 1972/2007 (48.4%,
OB, for Globus 100th Anniversary,
Switzerland, Hogshead, 100 decanters)
I absolutely adore this new bottle,
I think it’s very sensual
(wot?). Let’s see if the whisky
matches the container... |
| Colour:
full gold. Nose: ah, this isn’t
a traditional uber-fruity old Bowmore
at first nosing. Starts slightly reserved,
with the oak playing the first parts
(but it’s a very elegant oak).
Vanilla, white pepper, bananas and
apricots. It gets more phenolic after
that, more ‘Islay’ if
you see what I mean. Whiffs of seawater,
oysters and also fresh almonds and
butter as well as beeswax. Great complexity.
Keeps developing, getting back to
fruits but more on plums now. Also
hints of pine sap, quinces, marzipan...
And finally a discreet, but very noticeable
smoke. In short, a rather different
old Bowmore, less sexy and wham-bam
than others but maybe (even) more
elegant. Mouth: quite rougher now,
rather wilder than it was on the nose.
Definitely ‘Islay’, farmy,
peppery, smoky, peaty, with good oak
and good fruits. Plums, apricots,
strawberry sweets, hints of icing
sugar that keep it very ‘alive’,
green tea and ‘good’ rubber.
It’s rather powerful whisky
at 34 years of age, with the pepper
growing stronger and stronger. It’s
quite funny, the nose was really from
the city whilst the palate is from
the country (I know, silly analogy
- sorry, I’ll do better next
time). Finish: medium long but lively,
with quite some mint, eucalyptus and
resin as well as a little pepper lingering
in the background. In short, a very
dual whisky in a very sexy decanter,
very different from any other Bowmore
I could taste up to now. And very,
very good. Now, the price tag is quite
heavy – 1,400 Swiss Francs (do
your math) – but I wouldn’t
say it’s not worth it. SGP:656
(wazzat?)
- 92 points. |
Bowmore
1976/2000 (55.3%, Lateltin Lanz for
Waldhaus am See St. Moritz, Switzerland,
100cl) 
Colour: pale straw. Nose: another
world! Much rougher, sharper, even
spirity, displaying very big notes
of distillation (slight rubber, kirsch,
something sour like porridge mixed
with yoghurt). The peat smoke manages
to come through after a moment but
the huge notes of fruit stone (very
peculiar almondiness) and kirsch are
still striking. Slight soapiness as
well and whiffs of freshly ground
pepper. A rather bizarre Bowmore and
certainly a distillate that was already
very ‘differently’ made
before it was filled into its cask.
Mouth: simple, fruity and quite spirity
again. Apple juice, pear juice, tinned
pineapples, wax, kirsch, zwetchke
spirit (dark-red plums). Improves
a lot after a moment, with more peaty/smoky
components but also a rather excessive
bitterness. Lavender sweets. Finish:
longer than the 1972’s but still
rough, spirity and sort of immature.
More pepper. Do they have cherry trees
on Islay? SGP:364 –
80 points. |
| And
also Bowmore
16 yo 1991/2007 (53.1%, OB, Port matured,
18,000 bottles)
Nose: a very pretty mix of fresh fruits
and ‘Bowmore’. Sure the
cassis is heavy, and so are the strawberry
notes, but it goes well with the peat
and the pepper. Lots of liquorice
roots as well. This one works for
me on the nose, and better than the
older version (Bowmore Voyage). Mouth:
yes it works. Port and whisky create
kind of a third dimension here, it’s
not like if both walked just side
by side like in many Port wood finished
whiskies (but this is full maturing).
Ginger, pepper, bubblegum, ginger
tonic. A success but beware, the Port
is rather heavy. SGP:726 -
86 points. |
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| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: want something cult today?
Right, then let's have something by
Detroit's Nathaniel
Mayer, like his Lonely
man.mp3. Disjointed, rough and
sigularly out of tune sometimes but
it's not without reminding us of the
early Stooges. And the drumming! Ah,
Detroit! Please buy Nathaniel Mayer's
music... |
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December
7, 2007 |
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TASTING
– THREE TIME WARP MACHINES
Ballantine’s Liqueur Blended
Scotch Whisky 17 yo (bottled 1935)
A famous old blend poured at WhiskyLive
Paris by the owners – much
appreciated! Of course, a sample
was filled and here we are... Maybe
it is also to be noted that 1935
was the year when Canada’s
Hiram Walker took over the company.
|
| Colour:
gold. Nose: wow, it starts all on
smoke, mushrooms, old leather and
camphor, extremely aromatic and very,
very far from modern blends. Develops
more and more towards moss, fern,
humus, eucalyptus leaves, wax polish
and patchouli. Yes, as if you had
reopened grandma’s cupboard
in the attic for the first time since
thirty years... Superb whisky, absolutely
not tired. Gets very liquoricy after
a few minutes. Mouth: very good attack,
of course a bit ‘weaker’
than on the nose but still rather
nervous for its age, malty, unexpectedly
salty, waxy and resinous, sappy, with
also notes of Turkish delights and
praline. What a body! Wait, 1935...
Of course, Katharine Hepburn! Finish:
medium long, maybe a tad dusty now
but imagine, more than 70 years in
a bottle! SGP:343 –
88 points (for what it’s
worth) Picture: Katharine Hepburn
circa 1935 |
| Old
Mull Blend, John Hopkins & Co,
Tobermory (bottled 1917, driven cork)
We already had a much more
recent version of the Old Mull
by John Hopkins & C° in 2005
. A current version is produced by
Donald Fraser & C° but we
never tried it. This oldie was a gift
from a precious friend who brought
it over from London and was shared
with the Maniacs during the Alsatian
MM Awards celebrations. Thank god
we managed to save quite a few cls
from the savages for proper tasting!
|
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| Colour:
gold. Nose: we’re obviously
in the same league here, but the style
is quite different. More mineral and
ashy at first nosing, certainly more
‘old Highlands’ and much
more coastal as well. Beautiful notes
of smoke, malted barley, lamp oil,
turpentine, wet chalk, fresh kelp,
citrons, metal polish, shoe polish,
waxed paper, leather (horse saddle)
and even fresh mint. Sure it’s
got something ‘antique’
in style but otherwise it’s
stunningly fresh and clean. Develops
more towards fresh almonds and high-end
marzipan after a few minutes. Less
sherry then in the Ballantine’s.
Superb and very good news regarding
the ‘durability’ of our
modern cork-sealed whiskies. Mouth:
it really makes the difference with
the Ballantine’s at this stage,
despite its older age. Starts on bigger
resinous and waxy notes, with also
more liquorice and more mint and again,
a lot of salt. Big maltiness and lots
of spices (soft paprika, white pepper).
Rather big smokiness (yes, everything
is big in this), notes of lemon marmalade,
peat, grass... What’s amazing
is the slight roughness that remains
in this one, like an echo from the
auld Highlands. This one really makes
your mind wander, from the trenches
of WWI to the Russian revolution through
the wild Western Highlands. Better
than any Hollywood movie, I can tell
you. Finish: guess what, it’s
long! Very good bitterness, wax, salt
grass and liquorice. SGP:145
– 90 points (for what
it’s worth – and thanks,
Nick). Picture: Mary Pickford circa
1917 |
 |
| Gilmour
Thomson's Liqueur Whisky (bottled
1911, driven cork)
Gilmour Thompson were Glaswegian blenders
who owned Glencadam Distillery at
the time. This old whisky was bottled
in a Pinch/Dimple-like bottle and
probably contained whisky distilled
in the 19th century at Glencadam!
It’s funny to read on the remains
of the neck label that a ‘Public
Analyst’, Mr. George Combe Stewart,
‘analysed a sample of Messrs.
Gilmour Thomson’s Liqueur Whisky,
and find it to be perfectly pure,
with an attractive flavour and aroma.’
Further reading: ‘I consider
it to be a blend of excellent character,
matured by age, and wholesome in composition’.
This, of course, has to be related
to the ‘what is whisky’
case that any good book will tell
you (such as Charles MacLean’s).
Colour: gold. Nose: amazing, we’re
very close to perfection again! Pretty
close to the Old Mull this time, that
is to say more ‘Highlands malts’
and less sherried than the Ballantine’s
although it’s still got more
sherry notes than the Old Mull. It’s
also nuttier, with more chocolate,
malt, cereals and praline. Quite some
smoke as well, shoe polish, beeswax,
mint, paraffin, avocado... Again,
superb! Mouth: but are all old Highlanders
that tireless? Yet, this is quite
different in style now, more medicinal,
with notes of iodine and a lot of
liquorice and aniseed (ouzo or raki)
and also an even bigger grassiness
than in the Old Mull. It even grows
powerful, can you imagine that? I
know some people who would even say
this is hot and burning – no,
not only girls. Amazing. Finish: incredibly
long and like the Old Mull, really
rough, salty and wild. 1911! SGP:244
– 89 points (for what
it’s worth – and thanks,
Geert) Picture: Sarah Bernhardt circa
1911 |
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Is
it true that Golden Promise
is a new American R&B
singer and Beyoncé's
younger sister? |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: If you like peaceful
and quiet little songs, you'll like
Ryan
Groff (from the band
Elsinore) and his Harrison
St.mp3. Nice voice, nice atmosphere,
nice composition... Oh well, all
that is very nice. Please buy Ryan
Groff's music... |
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December
6, 2007 |
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TASTING
- THREE TRULY LEGENDARY LAPHROAIGS |
| Today
I’d like to celebrate with great
pomp the Non Plus Ultra Award (Ultra
Premium Category) won by the new ‘Black’
Laphroaig 27yo 1980 at the Malt
Maniacs Awards 2007, with a short
but dense flight of three much older
and much rarer siblings. Good idea,
don’t you think? So let’s
kick this off with the... |
| Laphroaig
12 yo (80°proof, Cadenhead, tall
bottle black label, bottled 1977)
A rare bottle carefully selected by
the Lindorables in Verviers, obviously
distilled around 1964/1965. Colour:
straw. Nose: superbly expressive,
displaying a very classic ‘evolution
of peat’ at first nosing. First
we have citrus skins (tangerines and
pink grapefruits), then passion fruits
and grapefruit juice and then it’s
Laphroaig’s typical medicinal
side that explodes in front of your
nose. Big iodine, seawater, kelp (fresh
and dried), antiseptic, camphor, eucalyptus...
Then we have notes of old white wine
of the highest grade (ever tried Haut-Brion
Blanc?), a little fresh butter, cut
apples... And then we’re back
to these superb citrusy fruits. And
the peat is well there. What a ride.
Mouth: fantastically assertive, like
if it had been bottled yesterday and
not thirty years ago. The peat is
more striking, more ‘modern’
than on the nose so to speak, but
the fruits and the medicinal notes
are well here, playing their wonderful
parts. Lemon zests, green, white and
black pepper, grapefruits, cough sweets,
bitter oranges, marzipan... Totally
stunning whisky (did I already say
that?) And a lot more but let’s
hurry a bit if you please. Finish:
very, very long, very compact, on
lemons, peat, oysters, pepper and
oranges. Sensational Laphroaig. SGP:777
– 96 points. |
| Laphroaig
27 yo 1967/1994 (50.1%, Signatory,
cask #2957, 208 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: wowie, this
is totally amazing again, albeit quite
different from the Cadenhead’s.
Even bigger and even more medicinal
upfront, with huge notes of cough
syrup mixed with orange marmalade
but also less peat smoke. It really
has something of the famous 10yo for
Bonfanti, only at cask strength. Again,
we have a little butter, then seaweed
and seashells, then lemons, then hints
of kippers, then myriads of other
fruity notes (passion fruits just
like in the 12yo, guavas, kumquats,
small bitter cherries...) Extremely
dense, concentrated and totally dazzling.
Amazing (I think I’ll really
run short of laudatory adjectives).
Mouth: holy lama! It’s all there
in a big basket, oysters, pepper,
peat, lemons, oranges, tangerines,
spices, butter pears, salt, quinces,
citrons and dozens of other flavours.
And the whole is so powerful! Now,
if we really want to be a bit more
analytical, this one is a little less
complex than the Cadenhead’s
but more full-bodied and more ‘direct’.
And no need to tell you about the
finish, it’s so long and salty
that it may get embarrassing if you
have to meet with important people
in the following hours. So, is it
better than the Cadenhead’s?
Less good? Nah, the very same rating
will do. SGP:678 – 96
points. |
| Laphroaig
15 yo 1967/1982 (57%, Duthie’s
for Samaroli, sherry)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: even more
of everything plus a fantabulously
chocolaty and smoky sherry. I’m
sorry, the rest will be censored by
the anti-maltoporn brigade. Mouth:
my god. Finish: my god. Comments:
this is why we’re into whisky.
We’re approaching perfection
here. By the way, did you know the
joke about this guy who wanted to
cook a turkey with whisky and who............
SGP:878 – 98 points.
|
| It
is to be noted that all these Laphroaigs
were poured at the Lindores Festival
in Belgium this year. What are you
doing next year? |
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In
1920, Professor Saintsbury
recommended a mixture
of Smith's Glenlivet and....
? |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: some rather good pop-rock
with good gimmicks (I'm short of
descriptors, sorry), its Phonograph
from NYC and they are doing In
your mind.mp3. Please buy these
people's music. |
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December
5, 2007 |
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| MUSIC
AND WHISKY INTERVIEW - LIAM GRUNDY:
|
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'Rock
and Roll’s too broad a church
to go for an ‘official’
whisky!'
Loyal
readers of Whiskyfun may recall
Nick’s review
of the legendary Scotty Moore gig
at London’s Jazz Café
in 2005. The band was really good
and the man at the piano was no
less than the excellent Liam Grundy,
an artiste of many talents - and
of great humour - who happened to
play with some of the very best
rock musicians on this small planet
(such as, yes, Jack Bruce!) No need
to say that we were thrilled when
Liam accepted to do this little
Music and Whisky interview for Whiskyfun... |
Serge:
Liam,
tell us briefly about what you do,
music-wise.
Liam
Grundy: I
sing and write country-based Americana
music. I play piano and guitar and
work with my band in the UK, Europe
and The USA. |
Serge:
Which other musicians are you playing
or did you play with?
Liam:
I’ve had a long association
with my good friend Bass Player Pete
Pritchard. We collaborate on various
projects. At present he’s working
mainly with Alvin Lee but we toured
together this year with Billy Swan
and James Burton and are looking to
do some recording with them in the
coming months. In my current band
there’s Richie Sadler on Bass,
Steve Rushton on Drums and Preben
Raunsbjerg on Guitar. Other artists
I have worked with include Scotty
Moore, James Burton, Billy Swan, Dave
Edmunds, Linda Gail Lewis, Frankie
Ford, John Otway plus backing up musicians
such as Steve Cropper, Leroy Parnell,
and others. |
Serge:
Which
are your other favourite artistes?
Liam:
Little
Feat, Hank Williams, James Taylor,
Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Johnny Horton, Carl Perkins,
Scotty and James of course, Billy
Swan, Dave Edmunds, Moon Mullican,
Asleep At The Wheel, Phil Alvin, Leon
Russell, George Jones, Dolly Cooper,
Irma Thomas, Alan Toussaint, Randy
Newman, The Band, The Beach Boys…..all
vital for the survival of life on
this planet. |
Serge:
Which are your current projects?
Liam:
New
Album being launched in February….it’s
taken ages, but then it is rather
good! Originally we called it ‘Back
To The Bar’ but the album is
brighter than that name suggests so
watch this/or my space/ for news on
that. Got some Festivals coming up.
St Ives Cornwall UK Festival pencilled
for this September 2008 and The Big
Chill UK too is a possibility…just
putting dates together as we speak. |
Serge:
When did you start enjoying whisk(e)y?
Are there any musical memories you
particularly associate with that moment?
Liam:
I remember bottles of
Irish John Powers Whiskey being spoken
of fondly in Irish literature and
music and Tom Waits always featured
whisky somewhere it in his writings.
Randy Newman in Mama Told Me Not To
Come leads the lyric of with it of
course and then there’s all
those great Honky Tonk Blues songs
Let Me Go Home Whiskey etc. which
is on the new album and Whisky Heaven
which we do live with band. I started
having the odd glass in my early twenties
on my frequent trips to Galway in
Ireland. I never took to Bells and
the blended scotches and the Single
Malt thing is too intense for me.
It seems to require solitude and calm
and I only drink when I’m out
and about. |
Serge:
What’s your most memorable whisky?
Liam:
I like John Powers frankly, a good
domestic spirit. It doesn’t
drive you mad like some brands. |
Serge:
Do you have one, or several favourite
whiskies?
Liam:
Yep Powers. |
Serge:
Are there whiskies you don’t
like?
Liam:
Bells
and anything that looks like the label
should be on a shortbread tin. I’m
not keen on Jack Daniels either, it
tries too hard for me and all that
horrible merchandising. However I
have been known to ‘Persevere’
with it on occasion. I love everything
else about Tennessee though. I’ve
known people in TN drink Johnny Walker
Red label before now. |
Serge:‘If
the river was whisky baby, and I was
a diving duck’ is one of the
most famous and well used whisky lyrics,
from sea-shanties to blues and rock
and roll. Do you have a favourite
musical whisky reference?
Liam:
‘Let
Me Go Home Whisky’ Amos Milburn. |
Serge:
Music and whisky are often though
of as being male preserves. Should
girls play guitars, should girls drink
whisky?
Liam:
Girls should play guitars
as long as they’re not in a
Jazz Fusion workshop and wearing boiler
suits with short spiky hair. But then
no one should be playing Jazz Fusion
– the smuggest of all musical
forms. As for girls drinking whiskey,
sure! but I draw the line at a briar
pipe... |
Serge:
In some ways you could argue that
tasting a whisky is similar to listening
to a piece of music – you deconstruct
the two in the same way? Care to comment?
Liam:
Oh come on! |
Serge:
Do you have a favourite piece of music
to drink whisky with, or better still,
desert island dram, desert island
disc?
Liam:
It would have to be There
Stands The Glass - Webb Pierce. But
someone would need to hide the razor
blades. |
Serge:
Everyone thinks of Jack Daniels as
being the great rock and roll whisky
– why not Scotch?
Liam:
Exactly! It’s all
marketing….but then isn’t
everything now? |
Serge:
And if it was Scotch, can you think
of which brand? What would be the
Scotch equivalent of rappers drinking
Cristal?
Liam:
Keith Richards used to
drink Rebel Yell I believe. I ‘m
not sure we should be emulating rappers
inclinations. Rock and Roll’s
too broad a church to go for an ‘official’
whisky. Rock and Roll to me is a music,
and all the attitude bullshit and
lifestyle posturing is best left to
those who can’t carry a tune
in a bucket. |
| TASTING
- TWO 16yo HIGHLAND PARKS... |
 |
Highland
Park 16 yo (40%, OB, 1 litre, circa
2007)
Here’s the new presentation
of the ‘16’, usually only
available at duty free shops. Colour:
gold. Nose: ah, this one is rather
a whisperer it seems. Delicately honeyed
and floral, with faint whiffs of wood
smoke, a little vanilla, a little
porridge (or other soaked grains),
a little mint, a little liquorice...
Yes, a little bit of everything but
not much oomph it seems. Maybe it
was designed for travelling newbies,
as a peaceful and quiet introduction
to Highland Park... A whisperer indeed.
|
| Mouth:
mild, almost weakish, with a thin
body but quite a few tannins. Apple
peelings, bitter oranges, vanilla
and grass, all that as ‘whispering’
flavours. Hello? Finish: the honey’s
back but other than that, it’s
all a little shortish and again, a
bit tannic, bitter and caramelly.
I liked the nose much better. SGP:221
- 78 points. |
| Highland
Park 16 yo 1990/2007 (53.2%, The Single
Malts of Scotland, casks #1805/2508,
608 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: another
world. One of these restless, very
natural indie HP’s that are
so different from the OB’s that
one may wonder if it’s from
the very same distillery. Big porridge,
pears, pollen, cut grass, ashes, birch
smoke, dry white wine (sauvignon and
riesling), lemon, nutmeg and wet wood.
As restless as the 16yo was peaceful.
Mouth: excellent, big attack, very
coherent with the nose, starting with
peppered dried pears, dried apples,
cloves, cinnamon, tannins (not aggressive
but big), acacia honey (but where’s
the heather?)... Gets more liquoricy
and candied with time, with also notes
of quinces and bergamot sweets. Really
full-bodied – to say the least.
Finish: long, more peppery, smokier
and spicier, as well as more honeyed.
An ever-going Highland Park that needs
a little time if you want to catch
all its various layers in fact. Excellent,
in any case.
SGP:464 - 88
points. |
...
AND TWO HEAVY 25yo’s + ONE |
 |
| Highland
Park 25 yo 1981 (54.9%, OB, Binny's,
USA, cask #7380, 2nd fill butt)
Colour: mahogany/brown.
Nose: heavy sherry, heavy chocolate,
heavy coffee and heavy raisins. Certainly
not subtle, you got it, but balance
is still achieved, although we can’t
get any distillery character here.
Gets more winey with time, with big
notes of blackcurrant leaves and peonies
as well as a little rubber and raspberry
jam. We’re curious about the
palate here, we feel it’ll be
hit or miss... Mouth: thick, heavily
sherried as expected, almost monstrous
at the attack. Almost like wine that
you’d have reduced on fire for
a long, long time. Heavy mint in the
background, crystallised oranges,
bitter caramel, grape skins, robusto
coffee... Well, if you’re in
the US and are looking for a true
sherry monster (whatever the original
distillery), you’ll probably
like this. If it’s more Highland
Park you’re into, well.....
Finish: long but so heavily concentrated
that this length is a bit disturbing,
which takes the biscuit! Monstrous
indeed. SGP:675 - 78 points.
|
| Highland
Park 25 yo 1981 (48.9%, JWWW, Auld
Distillers, Ex Port Cask, 84 bottles)
Not a finishing but full portwood
maturing. Colour: deep amber. Nose:
it’s very interesting to try
this one alongside the sherry monster
because that really stresses the main
differences between full sherry and
port maturing. Quite curiously, this
is less winey and rather more elegant,
even if some rather big notes of blackcurrants
and fresh almonds are striking. Other
than that it’s all on wood smoke,
a little peat, quite some liquorice,
coffee flavoured toffee and beeswax.
Most enjoyable I think. Mouth (after
having downed litres of water because
of Binny’s monster ;-)): the
Port really shines through now, as
if this was further fortified tawny.
Blackcurrants, raspberries, oranges
(including ones that start to rot),
quinine tonic wine, dried ginger,
maybe hints of ketchup or even Tabasco...
Once again, not much Highland Park
character that I can get but that
isn’t too much of a problem
here, for the rest is very interesting
and pleasant. Finish: long, maybe
just a tad dusty now, also spicier
and more toffeeish, with something
like grape tannins coating your palate.
In short, no HP in sight but very
good hyper-fortified Port! SGP:733
- 87 points. |
| And
also Highland
Park 25 yo 1981/2006 (50.3%, The Whisky
Trader, Germany, cask #6048, 100 bottles)
Another ‘German’ expression.
This one was quite wild, peaty and
spicy, also slightly camphory and
resinous. Not round, for sure, but
perfectly bold and punchy –
and much more ‘HP’ than
both the Binny’s and the Wieber’s.
Very good meine Meinung nach. SGP:366
– 88 points (and
thanks, Astrid). |
| |
|
December
4, 2007 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
IAN SIEGAL AND HIS BAND
The 100 Club, London, November 22nd
2007 |
 |
Hey
Serge, I’ve just been away for
a few weeks on a course in California.
I can’t tell you exactly where
for reasons of commercial confidentiality,
but I can tell you we were studying
something called ‘viral marketing’.
We also looked at some ‘diffusion
models’, but that’s probably
a bit too complicated for you at the
moment. |
| Anyway
– let me explain how this viral
thing works. Think of it like catching
a cold. Now suppose I catch a cold
from that irritating person who’s
always coughing in the lift at work.
I then go home on the train and unexpectedly
sneeze, spreading my cold germs to
about a dozen other people, who each
in turn catch the cold, and then give
it to another dozen people. That’s
a lot of colds. Now at the moment
I can’t quite see where that
fits into my job, unless we anticipate
that all these sneezing people will
go and make themselves hot toddies
with a generous slosh of you-know-what.
|
| But
maybe we’ll find out on the
second half of the course which
I think will be here. |
 |
| Anyway,
strangely this all put me in mind
of the hugely impressive
Ian
Siegal whom, you may
remember, we went to see earlier in
the year. Now it’s unusual to
see and review the same artist on
Whiskyfun in the same year, but these
were exceptional circumstances. We
were so disappointed with our trip
to see Walter Trout recently (not
being Stratocaster-hugging troglodytes
like the majority of the audience),
and felt that we had let down our
guests that evening so badly, that
we had to make it up to them. And
as Siegal and his band were playing
at the 100 Club as part of the London
Jazz Festival it seemed like too good
an opportunity to miss. |
| He
has also just released a new album,
Swagger (a most appropriate title
given his stage bearing), which, according
to my old man’s music magazine
“leaves the listener in little
doubt that Siegal is the cleverest
writer and most magnetic performer
of blues working in the UK”.
It’s a nice mixture of covers
and original compositions, and is
produced by Matt
Schofield, himself an outstanding
guitarist. |
| The
100 Club is busy – and so many
girls of all ages, an admiring posse
of whom hog the front of the stage
during the second set. Mr Siegal has
obliged with an all-leather outfit,
and duly dispenses with the shirt
to reveal his notable blues tattoos.
With him are his band, and guesting
on Hammond organ Johnny
Henderson, and harmonicas Giles
King. Siegal swaggers and sweats
his way through the evening –
in the course of which he laments
the difficulty of getting gigs in
the UK (you’re probably more
likely to see him in Continental Europe
next year than here) but does announce
that he’ll be playing at the
Troubadour
early next year. |
 |
Like
everyone else in the 100 Club our
guests are delighted by Siegal’s
electric performance – what
did I say last time? “Mature
song writing skills, a great and versatile
voice, a seriously studied blues vocal
style, a fierce and frenetic guitar
technique, an engaging and authoritative
stage presence” – yep,
we get all of that tonight and perhaps
a little more. Oh yes – and
in addition to his battered Telecaster
and Harmony Stratotone H44 he’s
also got on stage with him a hollowbody
Harmony
Meteor H70 (pictured here helpfully
from the rear) which has got a fantastic
raw sound. |
Back
to that viral marketing stuff. Well
my mate Ian was so excited by the
evening that he went home and downloaded
Siegal’s albums, and then
the next morning booked a dozen
tickets for the Troubadour gig,
and he’s going to take along
a bunch of friends who’ve
never seen or heard of Siegal. Now
Serge, is that how it’s supposed
to work?
- Nick Morgan (concert
photographs by Kate)
<-
Top, the Harmony Stratotone H44
Bottom, the
Harmony Meteor H70 |
| Thank
you, Nick. Ha, viral marketing! We
now use the words ‘propagation
marketing’ over here, after
having found out that it can be, indeed,
a disease. But let's rather listen
to Ian
Siegal. - S. |
 |
TASTING
– THREE GLENLIVETS |
| Glenlivet
18 yo (43%, OB, bottled +/- 2007)
Time to revisit this classic! Colour:
full gold. Nose: smooth at first nosing,
quite floral (dandelions) and slightly
caramelly, with a pleasant maltiness
and hints of sherry. Gets then fruitier
(oranges) and a tad smoky. Not much
oomph but no flaws either, exactly
what we’d call a ‘pleasant
whisky’. Mouth: starts very
malty and quite caramelised, with
an unexpectedly big oakiness and also
rather big notes of overripe apples.
Quite punchy at just 43%. Gets nuttier
and more honeyed, with also hints
of mint and liquorice as well as a
little marmalade (both lemons and
oranges). Finish: rather long, maybe
a tad drying now and not as silky
as expected, but the overall profile
is very, err, ‘pleasant’.
SGP:432 - 80 points. |
| Glenlivet
'Nàdurra' 16 yo (59,7%, OB,
bottled 2007, batch #0407C)
We really liked the first Nàdurra
when it was first launched at high
strength (89) but a version at 48%
was a little less convincing (80).
Colour: pale gold. Nose: very punchy
at first sniffs, with big vanilla
and big oak plus quite some fresh
butter and big citrusy notes (lemon
zests) but it doesn’t quite
develop after that, probably because
it’s so high in alcohol. Water
should help... Yes, it got fresher,
even more citrusy and minty, sort
of reminding us of a great Rosebank
or Bladnoch. Also rather big notes
of dill, aniseed and liquorice and
then nougat and praline. Very, very
well made, this Nàdurra. Mouth
(neat): very punchy, very sweet, very
vanilled and very citrusy, with a
big oakiness (spices). Very big whisky,
quite hot and a tad hard to enjoy
at almost 60%. With water: that worked
excellently. Great sweetness, oranges,
tangerines and lemons as well as ginger
and always quite some vanilla. Lemon
pie? Finish: medium long but quite
coating, still smoothly citrusy and
gingery. In short, a rather “modern’
whisky, not exactly complex but perfectly
assertive and balanced. Lemon-flavoured
barley sugar? SGP:532 –
88 points. |
| Glenlivet
30 yo (55.2%, Anniversary Selection,
375 bottles, 2007)
A new bottling by Specialty Drinks
/ The Whisky Exchange. Colour: amber.
Nose: quite some sherry but a rather
mellow one, otherwise it’s all
on earl grey tea, oranges, wood smoke
and roasted nuts (pecans, caramel-coated
pecans) plus whiffs of menthol. Let’s
see what happens with water: right,
it’s its herbal side that woke
up, with quite some parsley and lovage
and then hints of balsamico and even
a little soy sauce. Quite beefy, at
that. Mouth (neat): quite mellow at
the attack but vibrant, more winey
(sort of) than on the nose and oakier
as well. Grows much bigger over time,
with very big spicy notes (loads of
paprika). Also notes of strawberries
and cider apples – and of course
oranges and honey (chestnut, one of
the... biggest honeys). With water:
smoother, more civilized, the oak
being still quite present, with a
cortege of spices accompanying it
but also some smoother components
(honey, pecans, dried figs). Finish:
quite long, maybe a tad drying now
(quite some tannins) but also pleasant
gingery and peppery notes. SGP:434
– 87 points. |
| |
|
December
1, 2007 |
|
|
 |
|
|
MALT
MANIACS NEWSFLASH
THE
FULL RESULTS OF
THE MALT MANIACS AWARDS 2007
are
now on maltmaniacs.org!
|
|
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Benriach
33 yo 1972/2006 (45%,
OB, cask #1733, 562 bottles)
Bowmore
34 yo 1972/2007 (48.4%, OB, for Globus
100th Anniversary, Switzerland, Hogshead, 100
decanters)
Bunnahabhain
16 yo (54%, OB, Oloroso Shery cask,
cask #274, 190 bottles, Feis Isle 2007)
Old
Mull Blend, John Hopkins & Co, Tobermory
(bottled 1917, driven cork)
Laphroaig
12 yo (80°proof, Cadenhead, tall
bottle black label, bottled 1977)
Laphroaig
27 yo 1967/1994 (50.1%, Signatory,
cask #2957, 208 bottles)
Laphroaig
15 yo 1967/1982 (57%, Duthie’s
for Samaroli, sherry)
Port
Ellen 28 yo 1979/2007 ‘7th Annual Release’
(53.8%, OB, 5274 bottles)
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