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Hi, you're in the Archives, February 2006 - Part 1 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- TWO 1966 BOWMORES |
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Bowmore
18 yo 1966/1984 (53%, Samaroli ‘Bouquet’,
720 bottles) 
Poured by Maniac Luc as the aperitif
at our latest Maniacal dinner in Oostende.
Colour: pure gold. Nose: starts very
fruity as expected but it’s
not the usual wham-bam tropical fruits
(1968, anyone?). More complex, with
quite some pink grapefruit but also
Williams pears and semi-dried figs,
the whole developing on unusually
farmy aromas (‘clean’
cow stable, fermenting hay, manure…).
It gets then rather maritime and very
fresh, with whiffs of freshly cut
horseradish and a little vanilla crème.
Definitely more complex than the usual
1968’s and others. It explores
all directions, getting even rather
smoky (smoked ham) and herbal and
flowery (grass, lilac). A catalogue
of aromas? Really, really stunning!
|
| Mouth:
the attack is nervous, fruity (lemon
and grapefruit, icing sugar), sustained
by a beautiful bitterness (herbs,
thyme, sage but also chilli, pepper).
Gets really boldly peppery and lemony
after a moment, which gives it the
kind of austerity and sharpness I
cherish. Quite some fresh walnut,
propolis, candied grapefruit skin,
bitter oranges, herbal tea, liquorice…
A very long development… Also
some Nori (Japanese seaweed), says
Michel. The finish is very long, focusing
on crystallised citrus fruits and
jams… Wow! Not an easy, sexy
old Bowmore at all, almost a ‘bugger’
and you have to sort of tame it, but
when you manage to do so, it’s
just splendid. One of the very few
total winners I’ve been lucky
to be allowed to taste. 97
points (and thanks, Luc.) |
| Bowmore
35 yo 1966/2001 (44%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 192 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: something
similar at first nosing, but this
one is clearly more a classical fruitbomb.
Lots of tropical fruits ‘of
course’, with the usual passion
fruits, guavas, pink grapefruits and
mangos. It makes me think of a multi-vitamined
mixed fruit juice. We have also a
little sandalwood, vanilla sauce…
And finally a little peat, rather
of the farmy kind (hay, cut flowers,
horse sweat) but it’s rather
delicate here. Not monstrously complex
but nicely balanced and, most importantly,
not tired at all, although there are
whiffs of oak. Mouth: the attack is
not too bold and a little dry, with
quite some oak now. Rather tannic…
It is fruity indeed but focuses on
grapefruit and lemon skin, with a
developing bitterness. Notes of over-infused
tea, burnt herbs, olive oil, apple
seeds and skin… Getting bitterer
and bitterer over a few minutes, but
it’s still bearable. The finish
is medium long, frankly too bitter
and drying now, with notes of mastic
and a little peat. I’m sure
this one was marvellous ten or fifteen
years ago… 84 points. |
 |
| CRAZY
WHISKY AD - WINTER SPORTS - A SHORT
HISTORY - Part 2 |
| |
Left, King Black Label,
1945: 'Be right - Drink light.'
Lightness starts to be the American
whiskeys' USP, and King's that light,
that you can even do some ice skating
after a dram or three. The ice won't
break...
Right, Seagram's V.O.,
1947. 'Another triumph... by Men
who Plan beyond Tomorrow - Pleasure
or Profit from Man-made Snow!.' This
ad was part of a series about technological
innovations, which was talking openly
about profit and about the fact that
tycoons were drinking Seagram. It
was tricky to invest in skiing resorts
at the time, because you could have
no snow some years... |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
THE WATERBOYS, Shepherds Bush
Empire, London, February 3rd 2006
|
 |
| It
would be easy to think that the
Waterboys have been treading,
err….water, since the release
of their acclaimed Universal Hall
in the summer of 2003, with only a
moderately well-received live album,
Karma to burn (2005) appearing since.
However that would be to ignore the
fact that the band have toured almost
incessantly ever since, both as an
‘acoustic’ three-piece
(see the review on this site from
October 2004) with Mike Scott being
joined by founder Waterboy, fiddler
and mandolin player Steve
Wickham and keyboards wizard Richard
Naiff, and more recently as a full
band, joined by a soul-infused rhythm
section of Carlos
Hercules (drums) and Steve Walters
(bass). If the three-piece gig was
an evening of crescendo-driven peace
and love, then the full band provided
a funk-tinged Celtic roots rock and
roll night, with Mike Scott –
truly a rock and roller at heart if
I’ve ever seen one – leading
the way with some piercing guitar
playing, theatrical poses and typically
cryptic interchanges with the audience.
Never doubt who’s in charge
when Scott is about. |
Mr Wickham Snr and friend |
We’re
upstairs at the Bush – and it’s
packed. I leave my seat for a minute
(well about ten really, as the bar-staff
were working to rule) and return to
find the photographer deep in conversation
with the two old boys next to us (she
seems to have a thing about older
men) who, it turns out, are Steve
Wickham’s dad and his pal. Cowboy-gear
clad Mr Wickham gives us a brief low-down
on the history of the Waterboys (more
of a collective than a band it’s
a long story that lasts most of the
interval, and of course features Steve
right at the start in the early 80s,
and then again when he rejoined in
2000) and what we might expect from
the evening. Useful because you never
can tell with Mike Scott – a
feisty soul who has single-mindedly
pursued his own path in a musical
world that often seems littered with
disappointing compromises. |
| It’s
a great set – with a couple
of new tunes (‘Everybody takes
a tumble’ and ‘Crash of
angel wings’) at the start and
then a roll-call of Waterboys classics,
with a few slightly less well known
songs from the back catalogue. The
band, it appears to me, is in cracking
form, with all the drive and power
you expect from them, but with just
a slightly different rhythmical feel
coming from the bass and drums. Steve
Wickham (and I don’t just say
this because of his Dad) was quite
outstanding – and prompted a
post-gig debate over a glass of tickle-tonic
as to who, between he and Fairport’s
ex Soft Machiner Ric Saunders deserved
the top fiddler’s spot (actually
for me it’s the slightly more
subtle and sophisticated Saunders,
but there you go). |
| ‘Glastonbury
song’, the wonderful ‘Peace
of Iona’ (definitely best heard
on the deck of a boat under the stars
in Scotland), ‘When will we
be married’, ‘The whole
of the moon’, ‘Killing
my heart’ (better known as ‘When
you go away’), ‘Long way
to the light’, ‘Song for
the life’, ‘The stolen
child’, a spine tingling ‘Red
Army blues’ (an odd and old
song from 1984’s Pagan Place,
as you might as first hearing dismiss
it as corny old tosh, but Scott seems
to inject enormous power, emotion
and sincerity into the lyrics that
tell of the hapless career of a Soviet
army recruit), ‘Medicine bow’,
‘The Pan within’ and to
end ‘Let it happen’, a
particular favourite of mine from
the sometimes overlooked 2000 album,
Rock in a weary land. There was a
surprising first encore of Bruce Springsteen’s
‘Independence day’, and
finally the crowd pleasing ‘Fisherman's
blues’. Actually that wasn’t
quite the end – the band came
back to the stage, but with no more
songs to play set about a pub bar
version of ‘Sergeant Pepper’
– at which point we took our
leave of Mr Wickham senior and headed
for the hills. |
Mike Scott |
 |
Actually
I have to say that I was pleased to
get the photographer out before the
end, because the most unfortunate
part of this gig was the outrageous
behaviour of a few drunks at the front
of the balcony. I can only offer my
deepest sympathy to those sitting
right in the sight line of the fou,
fat, foul-mouthed woman (they must
still see her bottom every time they
blink) who just couldn’t sit
down. And to those (including I have
to say, the stewards, who did their
best but in the end were just intimidated
by these frankly intimidating creeps)
obstructed, abused and threatened
by her two falling-over-drunk acolytes.
It was all getting pretty much out
of hand (I’m not sure if Mike
Scott could hear the continual refrain
from one section of the balcony of
‘Get your fucking fat arse out
of the way’ – but if he
did he must have been very confused)
and looked sure to kick-off big time
as everyone left. Such selfish and
boorish behaviour is very unusual
at the boisterous and friendly Bush,
and what was more surprising was the
suspicion that the culprits (do you
have a word for arseholes in French
Serge?) were there with the liggers
on the Waterboys Guest List. I hope
not. Peace and love from the Waterboys?
Are you listening Mike Scott? -
Nick Morgan (photographs by Kate) |
| Many
thanks, Nick! Just because you asked,
and because anybody needs a little
'unwinding' from time to time, here''s
a list of French expressions for 'arsehole',
(but may I suggest you use them parsimoniously
next time you come over here - all
that is very 'colloquial', to say
the least): trou du cul (abr:
trouduc), gros connard
(fem: grosse connasse, var:
pute borgne), pompe à
merde, sac à merde, anus bourré
de champignons, gros beauf (fem:
doesn't exist), bordel de pompe
à merde de brosse à
chiottes, capitaliste (used even
by French capitalists), cornefoutre,
cul de singe (fem: cul de
guenon), étron vernaculaire
(literary), face de cul, furoncle
ecclésiastique... And
many others, see here.
Phew! As for music by the Waterboys,
I think I already posted this one
but 'pleasure twice can do no harm',
so here's The
return of Pan.mp3 again. We have
also a live version of Fisherman
blues.mp3 (I don't know where
and when it was recorded, probably
a long time ago). |
| TASTING
- ANOTHER TWO SUPERB OLD LONGMORNS |
 |
Longmorn
36 yo 1968/2005 (53.8%, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society 7.27)
Colour: full amber. Nose: wow, a very
animal sherry, like in some old Bourgogne
wines. Hare belly, game, notes of
old rancio… A very nice peat,
at that. Keeps developing after a
few minutes, on fireplace, ashes,
smoked ham… And hashish indeed
(I think, yeah, yeah…) No wonder
they called it ‘a Rasta malt’.
Mouth: very punchy, creamy and vigorous,
starting rather herbal and vegetal
and getting resinous, waxy, with quite
some camphor. Notes of mint flavoured
tea (Oriental indeed). The finish
is very, very long, very resinous
and maybe just a little drying and
tannic but nothing excessive. An unusual,
powerful, excellent old Longmorn.
91 points (and
thanks, Geert.) |
| Longmorn
36 yo 1966/2002 (50.7%, Premier Malts,
sherry wood, cask #611)
Colour: coffee. Nose: we have, once
again, a beautiful sherry here, very
lively and extremely aromatic. Lots
of liqueur chocolate, old rum and
cooked strawberries… Whiffs
of wood smoke, burning matchsticks,
getting then even more chocolaty and
also coffeeish (top-class espresso).
Notes of hot chocolate cake (hot brownies),
roasted nuts… And, ‘of
course’, all sorts of dried
fruits. Very, very classical but very,
very beautiful. Mouth: extremely fruity
attack (instead of the usual winey
flavours). Very ripe strawberries
and redcurrants, apricot jam, cherries
again (eau-de-vie soaked bigarreau
cherries), kirsch… Wasn’t
it rather a Chambertin cask? |
 |
| Something
rubbery in the background –
but it’s nice here – and
then a great mix of toffee, herbs
(thyme, mint) and spices (Chinese
anise, cinnamon). And again something
smoky! The finish is long as ‘a
day with no bread’, invading,
on fruit liqueurs and cake…
Really excellent, I think! Another
Burgundian Longmorn, but not a Rasta
this time… And yes, S., I must
dig deeper into Longmorn! 92
points. |
| TASTING
- TWO GLENTAUCHERS |
 |
Glentauchers
14 yo 1990/2004 (46%, Whisky Galore)
Colour: white wine. Nose: unexpectedly
exuberant at first nosing, very fruity
(fresh pineapples, pears, green apples).
Goes on with quite some varnish, paint
thinner, ‘industrial’
orange juice (Fanta) but it’s,
quite curiously, rather enjoyable
here. Notes of green gooseberries,
lemon balm, rubbed lemon skin…
Really youthful! Gets then quite grassy
and flowery (dandelions), with also
notes of mead. Whiffs of aniseed,
dill… |
| Mouth:
very coherent, which means lots of
white fruits (apples and pears plus
quite some melon) and again something
like varnish (not that I drink varnish
too often but I guess it would taste
like this). Gets rather gingery, spicy,
a tad drying but it’s all right.
Something sweet and sour… The
finish is medium long, on fruits and
maybe a little mint. Well, nothing
too special here, in fact, but this
Glentaucher is perfectly drinkable.
79 points. |
| Glentauchers
15 yo 1990/2005 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail for La Maison du Whisky,
cask #14521)
Colour: amber. Nose: this one is completely
different. Very sherried, starting
extremely coffeeish and chocolaty.
Lots of sultanas, chicory coffee.
Develops on very bold notes of old
rancio (it smells almost like an old
Rivesaltes) and quite some cloves,
and then it gets rather hotter, with
quite some old red wine (maybe a little
tired), Grand-Marnier and whiffs of
soy sauce, getting very also very
mushroomy (dried Chinese mushrooms).
Not 100% sure the malt could stand
the heavy sherry but the palate will
tell… Mouth: a classic, sherried
attack, dry and quite smoky. Very
chocolaty, with a lot of ‘rough’
rum (Stroh!) and fruitcake. Gets really
vinous, also some honey sauce, liqueur-filled
chocolates, something herbal (thyme?)…
The finish is rather long but a little
drying now, like a 90% cocoa chocolate.
Not the best sherried Speysider ever
but not an unpleasant one either.
81 points. |
| |
| CRAZY
WHISKY AD - WINTER SPORTS - A SHORT
HISTORY - Part 1 |
| |
Turin's
Winter Olympics just kicked off and
I thought it would be funny to see
how winter sports and whisky have
often been associated in advertising.
At least when skiing was trendy and
part of the obligatory 'Western' lifestyle...
So, let's start our chronological
review today with...
Left, VAT 69, 1928:
'Quality Sells - This Brand has been
in the same family since its inception,
and is quite independent.' Note
the 'quite' and the beautiful graphics.
Right, Four Roses,
1940. America wasn't at war yet and
it was cool to have a few hot toddies
after a good day of skiing...
Cool cap and goggles! (which
reminds me, I have to post a few wartime
ads one day - very interesting, I
think.) |
|
MUSIC
– It's Sunday,
we go classical with Danemark's
Inger
Dam-Jensen singing
Schumann's Spillemanden
Op.40.mp3 (Christen Stubbe Teglbjaerg).
Please buy her records and go to
her concerts! (Photo Isak Hoffmeyer) |
 |
| TASTING
- TWO LITTLEMILLS |
| Littlemill
13 yo 1990/2004 (43%, Signatory, cask
#2374)
Colour: very pale, almost white. Nose:
starts very fresh and rather clean,
very grainy and feinty (mashed potatoes
and porridge, hot milk), getting then
nicely flowery (lily of the valley)
and a little fruity (sweet lemon,
boxed pineapple). It gets then rather
herbal on freshly mown lawn, tealeaves…
Whiffs of violets. Rather nice! Not
too complex but nice. Mouth: very
sweet attack – maybe a little
weak but not unpleasant at all. It
tastes just like a peppered apple
juice, with a little liquorice and
light caramel. That’s all folks!
The finish is rather short, at that,
but it leaves your mouth fresh as
a baby’s. I’ll save the
rest for this summer… It’ll
be nice on ice! 78 points. |
 |
| Littlemill
1977 (43%, Natural Color, France,
2005)
Strange that they call it ‘color’
and not ‘colour’ –
it’s not a bourbon, is it? So,
colour: white wine. Nose: certainly
punchier but also very oaky, extremely
vegetal and herbal. Lots of sour lemon
juice, getting then much nicer, with
an interesting mix of grapefruit and
violets again. Quite some apple skins
as well, cider… Again a nice,
uncomplicated Littlemill. Mouth: very,
very much alike, apple juice, white
pepper and liquorice – and maybe
also a little chlorophyll. Less sweat
than the Signatory, and probably bolder,
although just as simple. The finish
is rather long, in fact, on gin and
pepper… Getting quite drying,
leaving a very cardboardy aftertaste.
Almost 30 years in wood is probably
a little too much for a rather simple
Littlemill, but this one is far from
being boring. 79 points. |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - We have another peaceful
and quite piece, this time by Guggenheim
Grotto. It's called
A
lifetime in heat.mp3 and I think
it's rather beautiful. Please buy
Guggenheim Grotto's music - thanks! |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? BILLY
BRAGG AND COMRADES
The Barbican, London, February 2nd,
2006 |
| I
sometimes wonder what we did to deserve
Billy
Bragg. I mean don’t
get me wrong, I’m sure he’s
a nice guy (or should I say bloke?)
and I don’t question the sincerity
of his views, and I would be the first
to confess that he can write a decent
song or two, but doesn’t his
brand of simple minded and sanctimonious
schoolboy socialism just wear you
down after a while? It’s the
sort of naïve and haplessly enthusiastic
amateurism that would only be tolerated
in Britain, where (judging by his
audience tonight) he is held in high
esteem. But I’m sorry, and if
I may use a comedic metaphor, I have
to say that for me he’s the
Harry Worth of revolutionary socialism.
|
 |
But
then maybe I’m the sort of disenchanted,
middle-aged, comfortably-off cynic
that Dick
Gaughan (one of the stellar list
of performers who joined blokey Billy
in this BBC 4 sponsored evening of
songs of protest) sang about, preferring
an easy life of material pleasure
to one of continual struggle. Well
perhaps. But I don’t see why
I have to put up with patronising
primary school lectures from Billy
the Bloke about the p’lyikul
folk tradition, what it means to be
English (a subject which, god help
us. Billy Bloque is writing a book),
the English p’lyikul folk tradition,
Billy’s role in the p’lyikul
English struggle of the traditional
folk – well, I think you get
the picture. We’re here to listen
to some outstanding talent (on a good
day I might even put BB in the lower
quartile of that group) celebrate
the songs of Woody
Guthrie and Ewan
McColl in particular, not to suffer
the Blokeoid bouncing around the stage
like a podgy Leninist Labrador pup
with pitiable posture. Enough!
To be frank when I booked these seats
the line up was only about half complete.
So I was as surprised as anyone when,
after Billy and his two accompanying
blokes first kicked off with a couple
of tunes (including Florence Reece’s
‘Which side are you on’,
which gave the evening its title)
and then with Robb Johnson sang Woody
Guthrie’s ‘I guess I planted’,
Donovan walked on the stage. Looking
like a portly pixie who’d spent
the last thirty years in the magic
pie shoppe he briefly presented his
credentials - “It was out of
Glasgow that I came, and my father
was a socialist” – and
then, sadly, croaked his way through
his mega-hit, Buffy St Marie’s
‘Universal Soldier’. |
Martin Carthy |
But
the evening got better – Martin
Carthy, (who I have come to regard
as truly outstanding since I saw him
last year, having revisited some of
his old stuff that I had hidden away,
and explored his newer material) gave
us a master class in two short sessions
of how English folk music should be
played and sung. His well chosen songs
were MacColl’s ‘I’m
champion at keeping them rolling’
(yikes – a song about British
truck drivers?), the moving ‘Company
policy’, an angry lament for
the lost British sailors of the Falklands
war, and the even more moving ‘18th
June’ , about THAT famous battle
at Waterloo in 1815. If you haven’t
listened to Carthy
then you should – his droning,
picking guitar style is almost unique.
But it does remind me a little of
Dick Gaughan, son of Leith, with a
spine shuddering voice and an astonishingly
aggressive and staccato guitar style.
In addition to giving us complacent
ones a sharp dig in the ribs, Dick
sang ‘Outlaws and dreamers’
and Peggy Seeger’s ‘Song
of choice’. Frankly I could
have listened to him all night and
wouldn’t have got too cross
about his unyielding dialectic –
for a debunking of the romantic myths
of Scottish History as refreshing
as Michael Marra’s, try and
find him singing ‘No gods and
precious few heroes’. |
| We
got history of a sort from Maggie
Holland singing her award winning
composition ‘A place called
England’ (BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
“Best Song of 1999”).
This England, so much admired by Radio
2 listeners, is one where freedom
and liberty is assured to all good
and true providing we set about growing
nasturtiums and runner beans on the
land occupied by disused steel works,
shipyards etc. Yes friends, it was
predictable that this had to be followed
by an ensemble performance (Bragg,
Gaughan, Holland) of ‘The world
turned upside down’, a celebration
of the short lived Digger movement
of the English Civil War, much feted
in a book of the same name by the
great Marxist historian Christopher
Hill, who like all good scholars never
allowed facts to get in the way of
an argument. It’s all Golden
Age nonsense really, and only goes
to confirm my suspicions that all
Radio 2 listeners live firmly in a
fantasy world. Ironically when I typed
‘The world turned upside down’
into Google one of the first references
I got was to a
popular song from the seventeenth
century lamenting the defeat of
King Charles at the Battle of Naseby,
and the subsequent suppression of
festivities (English good and true)
such as Christmas by the radicals
and Cromwell’s New Model Army.
Strangely this song of protest didn’t
get onto the set list. |
Left to right: Dick Gaughan,
Billy Bragg and Andy Irvine
|
|
But some cracking ones did. A real
surprise to me was the foursome of
Chris Wood, Karine Polwart, and Neill
and Callum MacColl – the two
sons of Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
They performed three songs written
by their father, the stunning highlight
of which was Chris Wood singing the
touchingly cynical ‘The father’s
song’. I read that Wood’s
2005 album The Lark Descending is
a real cracker – put it on your
list, it’s certainly on mine.
But before these guys we had, in my
opinion, the star turn of the night,
Andy
Irvine of Planxty fame. Readers
may recall my enthusiasm for Irvine
from last year’s Planxty gig
at the same venue – apparently
Irvine is a great Guthrie scholar,
and much admired by Mr Bragg. This
evening his short performance alone
was worth the cost of the ticket.
With Bragg and Gaughan he performed
Guthrie’s ‘Do re mi’,
and solo, playing bouzouki and harmonica
a simply jaw-dropping version of ‘Tom
Joad’, followed by his own song
about Guthrie, ‘Never tired
of the road’. Just wonderful.
And Billy didn’t do too badly
towards the end as he sang his lovely
‘Between the wars’...
|
 |
| But
then of course it was time for the
dreadful bit when the stage was filled
(at least when Gaughan and half the
performers could be lured back from
the smoking room) and the assembled
cast stumbled their way through MacColl’s
‘Dirty old town’. Of course
by this time we were all bursting
to rush for the barricades, so as
soon as the fulsome and largely deserved
applause died down we scrambled for
the fenced-in taxi rank. “Anyone
like to share a cab to the revolution
in W4?” - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate). |
Thanks
Nick. Very interesting, now we (well,
I) know much more about the "conscious
English folk scene". I must
say you're very lucky, our own "conscious"
artistes are all dead since quite
a long time. OK, we still have a
few, breeding horses or geese in
the south of France but other than
that... I must say we sometimes
miss them (especially the ones who
died before the Berlin wall got
in shambles, or even before Soljenitsin).
But as Signoret said, even nostalgia
isn't what it used to be, even if
we can still watch Alice's Restaurant
or Costa-Gavras' movies on cable
TV from time to time... As for Billy
Bragg, I must say I knew him more
thanks to the few songs he sang
with one of my idols, the great,
great Natalie Merchant (another
conscious artist), but let's listen
to him now, doing (of course) NPWA.mp3
- oh, and Sexuality.mp3.
I'm sorry but I quite 'liked' that
one. Perhaps because it sounded
very much like a 10,000 Maniacs
piece? |
| TASTING
- TWO OLD STRATHISLAS
Strathisla
40 yo 1955 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail)
Colour: amber – Cognac. Nose:
not violent, as expected but very
expressive, with lots of dried oranges,
caramel and vanilla – lactones
at first nosing. Not ‘simple’
at all, in fact, because it really
takes off then, with whiffs of menthol
and eucalyptus together with lots
of candy sugar, soft brown sugar,
roasted nuts… Astonishingly
fresh and lively, not tired at all.
There’s something Irish in
the background (red fruits, Bailey’s)
and hints of pistachios and Chinese
anise. Super! Hints of curry as
well… Really complex, with
even some distant maritime notes.
More or less in the same vein as
the brilliant recent 30 yo for La
Maison du Whisky, even if the 1955
seems to be less sherried. |
 |
| Mouth:
good news, it’s not too tannic
nor drying. Rather punchy, in fact,
even a little prickly, which is ‘nice’
here. I guess they did not need to
reduce it a lot to reach the 40% vol.
It develops on caramel, espresso coffee,
herbal teas, lots of various herbs
and gets sort of waxy (propolis, chlorophyll)
and minty again, with also quite some
burnt cake (an enjoyable bitterness).
Sure there’s quite some wood
but it’s nicely integrated here.
The finish isn’t too long but
balanced, with soft tannins, green
tea, praline and caramel. A very,
very good one in any case, despite
the 40%. 90 points. |
 |
Strathisla
34 yo 1967 (46%, Hart Bros)
Colour: gold. Nose: less expressive,
certainly rawer and grainier at first
nosing but with some ultra-bold smells
of freshly opened Havana cigar box.
It gets then quite soapy (freshly
washed hands – no I didn’t
wash mine ‘lately’) It
gets also a little beer-ish (Guinness,
English bitter), mashy and malty.
Notes of chicory ‘coffee’,
American coffee… It’s
in now way as ‘perfect’
as the old G&M but it’s
still an enjoyable, yet unusual Strathisla.
Mouth: punchier again, with quite
the same aromas aas on the nose. Quite
some green pepper from the wood, liquorice,
cocoa powder, getting a little cardboardy.
Lots of tannins in fact, not as nicely
integrated as in the G&M but there
are also more fresh fruits (mainly
pears). A little ginger… And
a medium-long finish, maybe a little
too drying but the whole is still
quite enjoyable. Not a winner but
a good, serious and solid old Strathisla
with little sherry influence if any.
87 points. |
| TASTING
- THREE TEANINICHS |
 |
Teaninich
12 yo 1993/2005 (51.5%, Exclusive
Malts, sherry)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: really punchy,
powerful, starting on something very
winey, feinty, minty and sulphury
at the same time. Probably not very
academic, to say the least, but I
must say this strange mixture produces
rather interesting results. Notes
of rubber (band), hot milk, beer,
Indian yoghurt and these funny notes
of spearmint flying over the whole,
plus quite some apple juice and freshly
cut grass. Interesting, really. Mouth:
lots of vivacity and an attack that’s
much cleaner than I feared. Starts
on apple compote and cider, aniseed,
dill, getting quite ‘leguminous’
(celeriac, salsify). |
| It
gets much more bitter after a moment,
though (very strong liquorice, salmiak,
pipe juice - err…-, strong caramel…)
and has a long, ‘mentholated’
finish… Again, it’s not
very ‘orthodox’, and probably
a little perverse but don’t
we need differences from time to time?
Maybe some would say it’s a
little flawed but I quite like it.
85 points. |
| Teaninich
21 yo 1982/2004 (62.3%, The Bottlers,
refill sherry butt, cask #7202)
Colour: full amber. Nose: wow, extremely
sherried for a refill cask! Are they
sure it’s a refill? Lots of
coffee, rum and cooked fruit with,
again, some very bold minty notes
– it’s almost overwhelming.
Tell me about a sherry monster! Notes
of salted liquorice, rubbed orange
skin, turpentine, a little camphor,
eucalyptus (Vicks)… And maybe
faint hints of ammoniac. Something
odd here, but again it’s an
interesting whisky. Mouth: extremely
creamy, starting sort of similarly,
on ultra-bold notes of liquorice and
mint mixed with dried fruits and caramel.
Lots of cough syrup, salmiak again,
dried plums, pipe tobacco again…
Not lace, that’s for sure. Almost
monstrously liquoricy! Goes on on
fruitcake, strong herbal tea, mint
drops (again!) Now it gets a little
hard to enjoy, probably too extreme
for my tastes… And the finish
gets a little bitter, at that. Well,
it’s an interesting one again
but I feel it’s got less ‘charms’
than the ‘Exclusive Malt’.
83 points. |
 |
 |
Teaninich
22 yo 1957/1979 (80° proof, Cadenhead
dumpy)
Colour: pure gold. Nose: starts incredibly
fruity and as waxy as an old Clynelish,
with a very genteel peat. Loads of
grapefruit, mangos and guavas but
the whole stays beautifully fresh
and elegant. Whiffs of freshly grinded
white pepper… Just superb. Mouth:
takes off quite smoothly and a little
discreetly but it gets much more bodied
after a while. Peppery, spicy, gingery,
starting to display a wide range of
fruits (apples, grapefruits, pears,
peaches, gooseberries – probably
less ‘tropical’ than on
the nose). The finish is very long,
quite waxy, with a very enjoyable
bitterness (candied lemons). This
one is pure pleasure, this time! 91
points (and thanks, Michiel). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - I can hear you thinking
from here, 'Oh no, Serge got completely
mad! He's posting about the new
Sing-sing!
Too much Brora?!' You're right,
I should hate Sing
me a song.mp3 but hell, I can't
help it, I like it! Maybe it's the
solid combo they have behind them...
Anyway, 'please buy their music'... |
 |
| TASTING
- A VERY SPECIAL GLENFIDDICH AND A
SIMPLER ONE |
 |
Glenfiddich
1955/2006 (53.5%, OB for Hans-Henrik
Hansen, cask #4221, 1 bottle)
Hans-Henrik is a famous Glenfiddich
collector from Danemark and the distillery
just made a one-bottle bottling just
for him. Thank God Hans-Henrik got
a sample bottle as well, so that he/we
could taste the malt without having
to crack the bottle open! Colour:
amazingly pale, almost white wine.
Nose: extremely fresh and very ‘Glenfiddich’,
with a beautiful oakiness and very
elegant notes of fresh butter and
flowers from the fields. Most elegant
and well bred. |
Develops
on freshly squeezed oranges, old dry
white wine (something of a Montrachet)
and apples… Amazingly clean
and pure. Mouth: more tannins now
but very silky ones, superbly integrated.
Still quite grainy – superbly
again, with notes of corn flakes and
oat cakes and a pinch of white pepper.
Keeps developing superbly, on apple
compote and quite some spices (nutmeg).
The finish isn’t extraordinarily
long but very delicate and elegant.
In short, a stunning, quintessential
Glenfiddich, probably the best I ever
tasted. Don’t look for it, because
again, there’s only one bottle!
(I know, those were rather useless
tasting notes then ;-)) 92
points.
SPECIAL
FEATURE: Hans-Henrik
just sent us the beautiful photographs
of the bottling operations. How many
people does it take to 'do' one single
great bottle? The answer is here!
And many thanks again, Hans-Henrik!
|
| Glenfidddich
1991 ‘Vintage Reserve’
(40%, OB, 2005)
Colour: gold. Nose: fresh, a little
spirity, starting on notes of tea
and something lightly minty (dried
mint leaves). Also quite some citronella,
lemon balm, developing on vanilla
crème and light caramel. We
have then whiffs of resin and cooked
mushrooms (funny!), plus touches of
eucalyptus and lots of various herbal
teas (chamomile, linden tree, a little
verbena). Not really bolder than the
regular expressions (12-15-18) but
certainly a little more complex. Mouth:
the attack isn’t too bold but
neither weak, rather grainy (cereals)
and getting quite perfumy (lavender
sweet). Quite some wood in the background,
a little liquorice and finally something
a little bitter – not too nice
now, like some strong, un-sugared
herbal tea. Notes of orange skin.
A rather short, but very herbal and
tea-ish finish… Well this one
has quite some personality! An interesting
dram, no doubt. 79 points. |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Oldies but goldies (Nick,
don't laugh!): 1965, Marie McDonald
McLaughlin Lawrie aka Lulu
sings Try
to understand.mp3. Wasn't it
groooovey? And she's still around,
isn't she? Anyway, let's all buy
Lulu's music... (unless some have
the LP's in their attics...) And
no, it's not going to be Petula
Clark bext time... Nor Peter Skellern! |
 |
| TASTING
- ANOTHER TWO 1968 BOWMORES |
 |
Bowmore
25 yo 1968 (43%, OB)
Bottled around 1993. Colour: gold
– amber. Nose: we have the much
anticipated blast of tropical fruits
right at the start, with lots of pink
grapefruits, papayas, guavas, mangos
and truckloads of passion fruit. It
gets then a little waxy, with also
notes of caramel rice, a little smoke,
heather, hints of sandal wood, balsam,
light cigarette tobacco (Virginia).
Typically 1968 Bowmore (remember,
when a truck loaded with ripe mangos
went into the ditch next to the filling
station ;-)) Quite some caramel, whiffs
of white pepper, and always quite
some tobacco. It keep developing for
a long time (on wax, eucalyptus, camphor,
old books) and then we have also notes
of forest after the rain (pine needles,
ferns, moss…) Just superb. Mouth:
almost the same profile here, although
it’s perhaps more on orange
juice, tangerines, lemon squash…
We have the usual tropical fruits
cocktail, together with something
resinous and then it gets quite cardboardy
– not excessively. It’s
very minty at that, with spearmint
and also citronella. The palate is
perhaps not as complex as the nose
but it’s still really excellent,
with a rather long finish despite,
perhaps, kind of a weakness, on lemon
zests and smoked tea. A true classic,
anyway. 91 points
(and thanks, Luc). . |
| Bomore
33 yo 1968/2001 (46.2%, Signatory,
cask #1431, 218 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: again a
beautiful 1968 Bowmore, even if it’s
quite different from the usual bunch.
Starts on tobacco and boiling milk,
almond milk, before the bold notes
of passion fruits do arrive as expected.
The whole is probably more straightforward
and less complex, though, and also
mashier (muesli). Some very enjoyable
whiffs of fresh herbs (dill, chives,
plain grass) and summer Comté
cheese. Surprisingly youthful, although
not as ‘wham-bam’ as the
OB – I like it almost as much.
Mouth: we’re in the same family,
obviously, with lots of citrus fruits
(but more lemony and less orangey)
and quite some pepper, the whole getting
even quite hot after a while. Quite
some ginger, spices (clove, nutmeg).
The finish is rather long, again quite
lemony and spicy, the whole being
finally rather simpler than the OB
but with lots of oomph and a rather
unusual pepperiness. Very good, in
any case: 89 points
(and thanks, Ho-cheng) |
 |
| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - THE PLANT BEHIND IT |
 |
| Left,
Harwood's Canadian 1948,
'The Distillery Behind the Bottle'
- right Grant's 1972,
'In 1899 Major Grant installed
new equipment to make his Scotch distillery
run smoother. Cooper Duncan's cow'.
Both ads ran in the US, with slightly
different approaches... What's more
reassuring? |
| |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - French one-man band (!)
I
N Fused aka David Lavaysse
plays this.mp3
and this.mp3.
Sorry, I don't know the titles but
both tracks are on his CD 'Kind of
Clue', which I think you should buy
asap! Easy music with a serious twist... |
 |
| CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
BABYSHAMBLES Shepherds Bush
Empire, London, January 29th 2006 |
 |
Whiskyfun
readers will no doubt be shocked to
discover that my ‘The Gig that
was So Bad that I Couldn’t Be
Arsed to Review It’ Award, that
I presented to Steve Harley in the
Whiskyfun
Music Awards for 2005, did not
find favour with all parties. In fact
“your review stinks” was
what was written in an e-mail to Serge,
which some may remember is more or
less what I thought about the gig
(actually that’s an understatement,
but let’s not start that again).
|
Our
mystery correspondent continued, “Perhaps
you should have gone to see Babyshambles...
sounds like more your scene”.
Hmmm….well, never one to resist
a challenge, I managed (that very
day!) to get hold of tickets for said
band of the moment, fronted by Kate
Moss’s ex boyfriend, tabloid
darling Pete Doherty, at the Bush.
“You’re wasting your time
dad” sighed my daughter as she
agreed to stand in for The Photographer,
“he’ll never turn up”.
Well, for once I should have listened
to the voice of impetuous youth, as
over the past few weeks Pete’s
been arrested for possession of cocaine
and heaven knows what else twice,
and as a result is now languishing
at her Majesty’s Pleasure, as
we like to say, rather than cavorting
about the stage of the Bush. The only
thing that consoles me is that Pete
was quoted as saying at the time of
his arrest "Please, officers,
don't do this. I've got a gig tonight,
cut me a break." No doubt it
was the Whiskyfun review he was thinking
about.
Well Pete, I hope you're getting the
care and attention that you need (‘though
I somewhat doubt it) and that you
get well soon. In the meantime readers
could do worse than listen to some
of the new Babyshambles album Down
in Albion which is decent enough,
and certainly shows that young Mr
Doherty is on the way to wasting a
considerable talent.
Err… can I have my money back
please? - Nick Morgan |
| Well,
thank you Nick... I tried to find
some Babyshambles music on the Web
but couldn't (So I had to cancel my
researches as well). But I just checked
that my very own progeny knows Babyshambles
quite well - and does have the CD! |
| TASTING
- HIT AND MISS, TWO LONGMORNS |
 |
Longmorn
30 yo 1972 (50.2%, Kingsbury for Japan,
cask #1100, 312 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: ah, what a
beautiful sherry we have here! Rather
unusual, with something smoky and
mineral upfront (flints) and not the
usual heavy sweetness. Dry, almost
sharp and fantastically elegant, although
it gets quite meaty after a while
(high-end wine sauce, game). Develops
on bananas flambéed, very old
rum, pu-erh tea… And we also
have whiffs of menthol, citronella,
old rancio. Absolutely fab! Mouth:
oh yes! A fantabulous sherry indeed,
quite similar in style to the Black
Bowmores or to the Bowmore 1964 ‘oloroso’.
|
Something
heavy and aerial at the same time.
Lots of tropical fruits but not of
the ‘too obvious’ kind,
crystallised kumquats, getting then
very chocolaty (bitter chocolate)
with also notes of mocha, toffee…
Wow! And then we have other fruits
arriving, such as cooked strawberries
and very ripe mangos… This one
is stunning, really. It gets then
quite spicy (lots of nutmeg and quite
some white pepper). Some notes of
orange marmalade and strong tea give
it kind of a bitterness that balances
the whole beautifully. And the finish
is long, at that, compact and still
flawless, mainly on chocolate and
candied citrus fruits. In short, this
Longmorn is totally stunning, I love
it. 94 points. (and
thanks, Govert).
Longmorn
17 yo 1986/2004 (58.2%, OB, Chivas)
This one is/was sold only at the distillery.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: powerful
but rather unimpressive, close to
raw spirit. Hey, somebody in there?
A little grainy, mashy, but that’s
almost all. Maybe a little vanilla.
Let’s try it with a little water,
it’ll improve, I’m sure…
Oh no, it’s not a swimmer. No
further development, I’m afraid.
An obvious lack of maturing –
in my opinion of course. Mouth: (neat)
again, just raw spirit, with a little
fruit (apple juice) and perhaps hints
of violet and lavender sweets. Gets
quite Sugarish. With water: it gets
a little more vegetal, herbal, even
a little acrid. Too bad, no interest
whatsoever as far as I’m concerned
(but I know Martine and Dave liked
it, and they are the pros). Or a matter
of tastes and colours?… 71
points. |
| |
| Just
a few words about the Lindores
Whisky Festival in Oostende,
Belgium (I'm just back). It was a
fantastic, very friendly event with
lots of high-end old whiskies to taste,
so lots of tasting notes to come on
Whiskyfun. You should not miss the
next one! (in 2008, I've heard). |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Today we have some rather
good 'honky-tonk country' (and God
knows I'm...) by Truckstop
Honeymoon, who are
doing Johnny
and June.mp3. I think you should
consider buying their music! |
 |
| TASTING
- TWO CITRUSY ROSEBANKS |
 |
Rosebank
12 yo 1991/2004 (43%, Signatory, casks
#4700/02)
Colour: white wine – very white.
Nose: rather mellow, a little toned
down but not weak in any way. Starts
on both some mashy and grainy notes
(porridge) and the usual citrus fruits
(lemon juice, grapefruits), with also
hints of freshly roasted coffee beans.
It gets then quite toffeeish, with
hints of burnt bread crust and cake,
and finally quite some apple juice.
Certainly a nice one, the prototypical
aperitif – as far as the nose
is concerned. Mouth: smooth, sweet
but quite nervous at the same time.
Very typical, with litres of sugared
lemon juice, getting rather malty
and vegetal… Not much else but
it’s enjoyable – lemon
vodka drinkers should try these young
Rosebanks, they’ll probably
change habits. The finish is a little
short but with a nice taste of aniseed
(pastis?) A good, harmless Rosebank,
in any case. 82 points. |
| Rosebank
22 yo 1981/2004 (61.1%, Rare Malts)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather discreet
aroma wise but otherwise really punchy,
with quite some fresh pear juice.
Almost pungent, in fact - let’s
add a few drops of water. Right, it
gets much farmier now, as often, but
with still a nice cleanliness and
the usual lemony aromas coming through
now. In short, it’s quite simple
(simpler than the beautiful 20 yo
1979, in my opinion) but flawless.
Mouth: very powerful when neat, mostly
on candied lemon. With water, it gets
even fruitier (all sorts of citrus
fruits such as grapefuits and tangerines),
with a nice sweetness but always some
kind of simplicity. Quite some honey
too. Typically Rosebank again and
certainly more body. 85 points. |
 |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
|
MUSIC
– It's Sunday,
we go classical with Raina
Kabaivanska singing
Puccini's
Suor Angelica.mp3 (an opera
in one act). Quite beautiful, I
think, and even if her voice isn't
'of prime youth' anymore, there
certainly is quite some depth here.
Please buy her records or go to
her concerts. |
 |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- TWO OLD HIGHLAND PARKS BY SIGNATORY |
| Highland
Park 25 yo 1967/1992 (51.6%, Signatory,
cask #6685)
From a mini. Colour: straw. Nose:
punchy, powerful and spirity as often
with these indie Highland Parks. Masy,
feinty, grainy (mashed potatoes, cereals,
porridge), getting rather smoky and
sort of meaty (cold cuts). Quite some
cod oil, pencil box (graphite). Rather
aggressive, despite the quite nice
flowery notes that arise after a while
(peony). Also gin fizz, artichoke
liqueur, bitter oranges… Not
directly enjoyable but interesting.
|
 |
Mouth:
rather nervous and fruity attack but
it’s soon to get quite aggressive
again, with ‘something’
that sort of affects your gums…
Er… It goes on with notes of
lemon pie, dried fruits, fruit eau
de vie (tutti frutti) A little difficult,
I must say, although it’s still
interesting. The finish is very long,
almost invading, a little Sugarish
and quite spirity. A virulent HP;
yes, ‘interesting’. 82
points.
Highland
Park 22 yo 1966/1989 (52%, Signatory,
cask #7815)
From a mini. Colour: gold. Nose: rather
similar, very similar in fact at first
nosing, maybe a tad fruitier (ripe
apricots) and more vegetal but otherwise
it lacks a little smoothness and compactness
again. There’s a little sherry
coming through after a moment, and
then it gets frankly vinous but in
a nice way. Keeps developing on bitter
almonds… It gets definitely
nicer than its brother now, more complex
and, above all, more enjoyable. Mouth:
now we have the sherry right at the
start, together with lots fruits and
spices. Creamier but still very sharp
an aggressive, getting a little salty
but also nicely ‘camphorated’
and resinous, almost minty. Better
indeed but again, it’s quite
a beast as well even if the ABV isn’t
that high. The finish is long again,
lemony and waxy… Another one
for big boys? 85 points. |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Oldies but Goldies -
1936, member of the Royal Hawaiian
steel guitar Hall Of Fame Andy
Iona records Naughty
hula eyes.mp3 Isn't it beautiful? |
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
BONZO DOG DOO DAH BAND REVISISTED
Astoria, London, January 28th
2006 |
 |
Life’s
like that isn’t it? I mean sometimes
it’s hard just to know where
things went wrong. There I was, a
nice lower middle class boy, school
rugby team, brought up on roast meat,
home grown vegetables (we even had
kept hens at one stage, which has
now become fashionably chic), Three
Way Family Favourites, The Navy Lark
and the Sunday Express. And then –
whoosh – rock and roll hit me
like a disease. |
| But
it didn’t happen like that –
it never does. So there was a gradual
process of exposure before the infection
properly took hold – my chum
from the States playing me his West
Coast rock records, illicit trips
to the Blues Attic (you know, the
one that wasn’t really an attic
but a function room – “weddings,
family parties, funerals” –
at the back of the Jolly Weavers),
John Peel on the radio (did I ever
tell you about the first time I heard
Interstellar Overdrive, sitting in
the back of the family car in a pub
car park in Kenilworth, eating crisps,
drinking lemonade and listening to
Peel?). |
| And
of course, at the more surreal end
of things there was the short lived
television programme (1968-1969) Do
Not Adjust Your Set, 29 episodes,
Thursdays (or was it Wednesday?) at
5.30, featuring the rump of what would
be Monty Python, David Jason and Denise
Coffey and the mind altering Bonzo
Dog Doo Dah Band (you
probably know Serge that they were
originally called ‘Da Da Band’,
which I think means ‘father’
in your French, but changed it to
‘Doo Dah Band’ to prevent
any confusion with your Gallic Dads).
|
 |
The
Bonzos provided wit, music, tomfoolery
and an infectious madness. In fact
once bitten by this dog you would
be deeply scarred for life. Ask me,
I know.
The Bonzos had been formed out of
a thriving art college jazz scene
in London in the mid sixties, but
took traditional jazz as their starting
point, mixed with a heavy splash of
surreal seasoning. However as they
developed they pioneered a unique
mixture of jazz, rock and roll, satire
(readers of this website should try
and track down their John and Yoko
parody ‘Give booze a chance’),
bizarre slapstick (mainly fuelled
by Ruskin-Spear’s robots, musical
legs, and other mad inventions) and
otherworldly humour. |
 |
By
1967 they had released their first
album, Gorilla, lost a few early members
– notably Sam Spoons and Vernon
Dudley Bohay-Nowell (who joined another
early Bonzo Bob Kerr in his Whoopee
Band) – and relatively ‘settled’
into a line-up of Vivian
Stanshall, Neil
Innes, Roger Ruskin-Spear, Dennis
Cowan, Legs Larry Smith, and Rodney
Slater. Minor chart success (‘I’m
the Urban Spaceman’) - several
albums (the classic Doughnut in Granny’s
Greenhouse, Tadpoles, Keynsham) was
followed by two fruitless US tours
and near bankruptcy, leading to the
break-up of the band in 1971 and a
final contract fulfilling album Let’s
make up and be friendly in 1972. |
In
the aftermath only Innes sustained
a musical career, performing (sometimes
with Stanshall) with Grimms –
an poetic scousers amalgam of Liverpool
Scene and Scaffold, pursuing a solo
recording and touring career, tying
up with the Pythons, various TV series,
The Rutles (with Python Eric Idle)
and most recently co-writing and performing
some frankly mediocre radio comedy
programmes. Stanshall never lived
up to the promise of his enormous
talent, plagued by alcohol dependency
and illness his work mainly centered
on Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (recorded
in 1978 and finally filmed in 1980)
and various outstanding radio and
TV cameos, ‘till his untimely
death in 1994. Perhaps most famously
he was ‘the voice’ on
Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.
Cowan died in 1972; Slater whilst
performing occasionally turned to
social work; Ruskin-Spear to teaching
art (his Dad Serge, is apparently
a famous painter), Legs Larry Smith
to design and, err, tap dancing. A
Bonzos’ reunion? Pigs might
fly!
So like most of the aged audience
in the Astoria on this coldest of
January nights I’m pinching
myself, partly to get my circulation
going after queuing outside for an
hour, but also out of disbelief. |
| The
pickle factory is packed – well
not really packed as it’s seated,
plastic chair village hall style,
so probably only half the normal crowd
are in. Maybe partly explains why
tickets went so quickly and were so
hard to find – changing hands,
or so I’m told, for hundreds
of pounds (it must be that madness).
I’m in the second row! To my
left the Chelsea and Kensington set,
fur coats, jewels and all –
but having a great time (Mrs Chelsea
and Kensington was almost word perfect).
To my left a man with a weak bladder
and pre-senile dementia (I promise
I’m not making this up Serge)
– so everytime he goes to the
Gents the very patient steward has
to rescue him as he wanders –
lost in his personal Bonzo heaven
- around the auditorium trying to
find his seat. The excitement and
sense of expectation is palpable.
The gig is being filmed for TV and
a DVD. And we’ve been asked
very nicely not to take photographs
– a shame, as in the temporary
absence of The Photographer I’d
smuggled the new Whiskyfun camera
in inside my sock (maybe I could be
one of Her Majesty’s Spies in
Moscow?). So no picture from me boys. |
 |
| The
stage is packed. In the centre is
Innes on keyboard and guitars, in
so far as it’s possible directing
the course of the evening. To the
right is the band, Innes collaborators
J J Jones (drums) Tom Fry (bass) Mickey
Simmonds (keyboards various) and Liverpool
Scene veteran guitarist Andy Roberts.
To the left are the Bonzos. At the
rear Sam Spoons on drums and Bohay-Nowell
on banjo and saw. At the front a straight-faced
Kerr (quite how he managed this all
night is a mystery) on trumpets, cornets
and teapot, a very lively Slater on
saxophones, clarinet and percussion,
and in his own chaos corner Roger
Ruskin-Spear, on god knows what. He
was so wired up with energy that I
feared he might explode. Legs Larry
Smith was downstairs putting on his
make-up. |
Neil Innes |
It’s easy to forget what a wealth
of material the Bonzos put together,
and it obviously proved no easy task
to agree the set list, which at two
hours challenged the Astoria’s
Saturday night curfew. What we got
was, roughly speaking, a jazz set,
followed by an electric set, both
kicking off, in suitably patriotic
vein, with ‘Rule Britannia’.
The first half included ‘Hunting
tigers out in Indiah’, ‘Little
Sir Echo’ (with Sam Spoons as
the ventriloquists dummy), ‘Ali
Baba’s camel’, Bohay-Nowell
singing a Euro version of ‘Falling
in love again’, ‘By a
waterfall’, ‘My brother
makes the noises for the talkies’
(with Ruskin Spear on his improvised
sound-effects rig), ‘Look out
there’s a monster coming’,
and ‘Jollity Farm’. Somewhere
in the middle of this we caught our
first glimpse of Legs Larry Smith
– “Hello Mabel!”
– “Hiya fellas”,
not looking at all bad in his tartan
mini-skirt and breast-hugging sweater
as he tap-danced across the stage
with Ruskin-Spear following at his
feet with a microphone. |
He
reappeared later to perform ‘Three
hands’. And Ruskin-Spear, introducing
an element of shambolic anarchy into
almost everything he did (“are
you waiting for me Neil?”, “well
yes Roger, but I don’t think
I’m the only one”) performed,
so to speak, with his Theremin Leg.
“Well, that was a surprise to
all of us” concluded Innes.
The ‘electric’ second
half focussed primarily on the material
most readily identified with Vivian
Stanshall, much of it from the Doughnut
album. To help them out in Stanshall’s
absence the Bonzos got assistance
from comedian Phil Jupitus, who sang
and played on ‘Mr Apollo’
(perfectly), ‘Can blue men sing
the whites?’ and ‘Canyons
of your mind’. Adrian Edmondson
sang the lavatorial ‘Strain’,
‘Tent’, and (excellently)
‘I’m bored’; cavorted
around as a parrot for ‘Mr Slater’s
Parrot’, and turned in an outstanding
version of the wonderful ‘My
pink half of the drainpipe’,
with word perfect narration by Rodney
Slater – “have you seen
my bullfight poster on the wall?”.
Paul Merton sang ‘Monster mash’
(and demonstrated to everyone in the
audience that he really can’t
dance) while Sam Spoons played a spoon-playing
monster to Ruskin Spear’s Frankenstein.
|
| And
Stephen
Fry was simply perfect –
and you should realise how hard it
is for me to write that about this
usually grotesquely self regarding
egotist – but yes, Stephen Fry
was simply perfect on ‘Sound
of music’, ‘Sport’
and ‘Rhinocratic oaths’.
He also added the coda (“the
part of old Bill was played by a Frying
pan, the rest of old Bill was played
by …”) to Ruskin-Spear’s
masterpiece ‘Trouser Press’.
Quite what the wigged and white-coated
Ruskin-Spear was doing is another
matter, but fighting with an exploding
musical trouser press (which looked,
as did most of his props, to be close
to the original one he had used in
the late 60s) probably best sums it
up. Is that clear Serge? |
Stephen Fry |
|
I should add that the guests avoided
that stage-hogging limelight-grasping
behaviour that often happens on such
occasions, and that they were anyway
all upstaged by Legs Larry Smith performing
‘Look at me I’m wonderful’
and ‘I left my heart in San
Francisco’. It was only a shame
that someone had decided to end the
evening with the recorded version
of ‘The Intro and the Outro’
– as the stage filled with costumed
family, friends and relations the
whole thing became a bit of a mess,
and ended with a fizzle rather than
a bang, with the Bonzos not even getting
an opportunity to line up at the end
to take the audience’s fulsome
applause. But they’d given us
a memorable two hours of under-rehearsed
and rather poorly prepared pleasure,
full of a somewhat old-fashioned,
innocent and naive humour tinged with
contagious lunacy. There was a lot
of laughter, loads of applause, and
not a few tears as the evening went
on. But it was probably the expletive
fuelled Adrian Edmondson who captured
the spirit of the moment for everyone:
“I just can’t fucking
believe this, I can’t fucking
believe I’m here. These guys
were my fucking heroes, my fucking
heroes …” - Nick Morgan |
| Many
thanks, Nick. I must say 'Da Da'
or 'Dada' doesn't mean anything
in French I'm afraid, it's closer
to your 'Daddy'... Or is it Russian?
(Yeah, yeah)... Or maybe was it
a reference to the Dada 'non-art
movement', of which I'm a devoted
fan (you know, Picabia's "the
best way of keeping your ideas clean
is to change them frequently"
etc.) Sure the Bonzos sound a little
'Dada', or even like The Mothers
of Invention go to London', which
is good news. See the record covers
below... As for the music itself,
we have the interesting The
Intro.mp3, where we get introduced
to the band - funny indeed, and
a very Zappa-esque - I think - The
brain opera part 3.mp3. I also
found a pretty excellent No
matter who you vote for.mp3
by Neil Innes. And we need The Photographer's
photographs! |
 |
Left,
Zappa and The Mothers
'We're only in it for the money',
1968 - right, the Bonzo Dog
Band 'Tadpoles', 1969. |
| |
| |
| TASTING
- TWO OLD MACALLANS |
 |
Macallan
25 yo 1967/1993 (43%, OB, Anniversary)
Colour: full amber – Cognac.
Nose: very ‘oloroso’ of
course, starting mainly on chocolate,
dried oranges and something fairly
minty. Really powerful at 43%! An
old-style, full-bodied Macallan, getting
rather coffeeish with also quite some
plum jam, molasses and high-quality
balsamic vinegar (not the supermarket
stuff). Hints of Guinness and gin,
mulled wine, getting very spicy (cardamom)
and even a little herbal (fresh coriander).
Very complex and quite different from
what we’re used to nowadays
– a true, classic Macallan.
Mouth: ah, now it’s a little
simpler, starting quite salty and
slightly rubbery, without the expected
bold oloroso notes. A little ‘strange’
but enjoyable. Sweet and rather tannic,
with again something ‘beer-ish’,
ginger ale, maybe a certain weakness
in the middle. It gets a little deceptive
now, the finish itself being unexpectedly
a little short, caramelly and slightly
drying. No doubt it’s not one
of the very best old Macallans, finally,
although it’s still worth 87
points in my books. |
| Macallan
31 yo 1966/1998 (53%, Signatory, cask
#4178, 198 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: extremely different,
yet very enjoyable at first nosing.
Punchier, probably thanks to the 53%
vol., but also milkier and more fruity
(apricots). It gets then very waxy,
on paraffin, then passion fruits,
diesel oil… Very unusual for
a Macallan (closer to a Clynelish,
in fact!) Some superb notes of camphor
as well, it gets nicer and nicer and
rather smoky (fireplace) with also
quite fresh vegetables and freshly
cut grass. Unusual indeed –
and beautiful. Mouth: a creamy, fruity
attack, very bold and compact at the
same time. It’s quick to get
really spicy and gingery (the wood
I guess), developing on lots of dried
tropical fruits, bananas flambéed,
rum-soaked pineapples, coconut…
|
 |
| Yes,
it gets very Springbank-ish now! In
no way I’d have said it’s
a Macallan, had I tasted it blind.
And then it gets even spicier (clove,
nutmeg, pepper…) The finish
is long, very satisfying, creamy,
fruity and perhaps a tad too herbal
and bitter now. Very demonstrative
in any case, even if, again, it’s
not ‘Macallan’ at all
(rather like a vatting of old Bowmore,
Clynelish and Springbank). 91
points (it would have fetched
93 points with a little less bitterness
at the finish). |
 |
TASTING
- THREE 1974 ARDBEGS
Ardbeg
1974/2005 (51.7%, OB for France,
bourbon cask #2743, 106 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this one starts
astonishingly fresh and very, very
classically aroma wise. Sort of
delicate, with the usual tary, slightly
rubbery notes but it’s not
‘agitated’, with obvious
‘fullness’ and ‘plenitude’.
Develops on almond milk and marzipan,
getting then rather maritime (sea
shells). Hints of camphor and walnut
skins. Extremely balanced, probably
a tad simple but the plus is a superb
compactness. Very pure, with something
that reminds me of the old 10yo’s
(white label, red lettering). Youthful
yet mature, and most enjoyable,
as expected. |
| Mouth:
very creamy, very compact, really
full bodied but not excessively ‘wham-bam’.
Smoky and nicely rubbery, quick to
develop on bold notes of liquorice
and lemon pie. Again, it’s not
too complex but very satisfying and
‘full’. Develops on notes
of earl grey tea (bergamot), gentian
eau de vie, crème brûlée
(the bourbon cask?)… Most harmonious.
The finish is long (the kind of Ardbeg
you keep remembering for two hours),
peaty and quite fruity (lemon) now…
A classical, full-bodied, tireless,
uncomplicated old Ardbeg. 92
points. |
| Ardbeg
1974/2005 (53.1%, OB for Belgium,
bourbon cask #2738, 75 bottles)
Colour: gold (slightly darker). Nose:
a very, very similar profile and it’s
hard to come up with outright differences.
There’s a little more vanilla
and notes of tangerine liqueur, although
the whole is a little more discreet,
a little more delicate, and probably
a tad less phenolic. Otherwise we
have the same superb smokiness, freshness
and these maritime notes (sea shells
again) and also hints of freshly cut
apples. A little camphor as well.
Really hard to tell whether this one
is any better – or worse –
than its French sister. |
 |
| Mouth:
ah, now it’s even closer to
the cask for France. Almost the same
whisky, so no need to tell you more,
going into details would be pure madness
;-). Same kind of barrel, probably
same day of distilling, probably same
spot in the warehouse, same day of
bottling (my birthday!)… Same
whisky! 92 points. |
 |
Ardbeg
28 yo 1974/2003 (50%, Douglas Laing
Old Malt Cask, 264 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: ah, it’s
very similar again, perhaps a tad
more ‘elegant’ and discreet
but maybe that’s the slightly
lower ABV. Otherwise we’re strictly
in the same category! Mouth: almost
exactly the same whisky as the OB
for France, amazing. Perhaps an added
micro-touch of fruitiness but that’s
all. Ha! 92 points. |
| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - IT'S ABOUT BODIES |
 |
| Left,
Maker's Mark 2003,
right Ardbeg 2003.
Hum... |
| |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Mike
Wexler's music and
voice ring a bell (well, all the
bells of Notre-Dame) and/but it's
most enjoyable. Try Sound
the mirror.mp3 and you'll see
what I mean - and then buy his music,
please. |
| TASTING
- TWO INDIE ARDBEGS |
| Ardbeg
14 yo 1991/2005 (50%, Douglas Laing
OMC, DL 1297, 340 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: starts slightly
more medicinal than usual, with rather
big notes of bandages and camphor.
Goes on with lit candles, campfire,
getting quite chalky… Much less
sweet than the official 10yo, for
instance. I like that, I must say.
Mouth: much more vegetal and bitter
than the same 10 yo OB we all know
very well and, again, much less sweet.
Gets rather leafy after a moment,
with some tea, dried parsley…
and also drier and drier. Perhaps
a little too austere in fact, a little
more fruit would have been welcomed
but it's still a very nice ones for
fans of the 'austere' side of Ardbeg.
85 points. |
 |
 |
Ardbeg
21 yo 1974/1996 (40%, Sestante)
Colour: gold. Nose: ah, this is much
nicer than last time I tasted this
one (from another bottle)! Starts
very waxy and resinous (like an old
Clynelish?) with whiffs of smoke.
Beautiful notes of argan and olive
oil, toasted bread, marzipan. Gets
smokier with time (campfire) but not
exactly peaty. Very nice, even if
a little simple. Mouth: a bit of old
bottle effect, with lots of wax and
maybe something metallic. A bit thin
at first sip but soon to grow rather
bolder. I’ve had some very old
blends that tasted similar. Herbal
tea, marzipan, something papery and
slightly lemony at the same time.
Finish: long but getting rather bitter
and drying (lemon seeds). In short,
a different Ardbeg. Not a stunner
but I do like it, Johannes ;-)!. 86
points. |
| An
also
Ardbeg Committee (55.3%, OB, bottled
2002)
A very dry one, probably too austere
now. Lots of peat and lemon skins,
but lacking a bit of sweetness for
my taste. Don’t get me wrong,
it’s a very nice Ardbeg OB but
I think there are many much better
ones. 85 points. |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - I wanted to post about
Nellie McKay again but it's going
to be NYC's 'anti-folk diva' Regina
Spektor instead today,
with Prisoners.mp3.
Doesn't she have, I mean... Anyway,
please buy her music! |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews |
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Ardbeg
28 yo 1974/2003 (50%,
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, 264 bottles)
Ardbeg
1974/2005 (51.7%, OB for France, bourbon
cask #2743, 106 bottles)
Ardbeg
1974/2005 (53.1%, OB for Belgium, bourbon
cask #2738, 75 bottles)
Bowmore
18 yo 1966/1984 (53%,
Samaroli ‘Bouquet’, 720 bottles)
Bowmore
25 yo 1968 (43%, OB)
Glenfiddich
1955/2006 (53.5%,
OB for Hans-Henrik Hansen, cask #4221, 1 bottle)
Longmorn
30 yo 1972 (50.2%, Kingsbury for Japan,
cask #1100, 312 bottles)
Longmorn
36 yo 1968/2005 (53.8%,
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 7.27)
Longmorn
36 yo 1966/2002 (50.7%, Premier Malts,
sherry wood, cask #611)
Macallan
31 yo 1966/1998 (53%, Signatory, cask
#4178, 198 bottles)
Strathisla
40 yo 1955 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail)
Teaninich
22 yo 1957/1979 (80° proof, Cadenhead
dumpy)
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