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Hi, you're in the Archives, July 2006 - Part 2 |
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July
31, 2006 |
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TASTING
- TWO RECENT SPRINGBANKS
Okay,
the temperatures got more bearable
here (27°C, a bit chilly I must
say) so time to resume our little
tasting sessions just like we interrupted
them: with two Springbanks. But
recent ones this time. |
Springbank
37 yo (41.5%, Dun Bheagan for Park
Avenue Liquors USA, cask #56, 96 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: it starts extremely
fruity and aromatic, with lots of
fresh pineapple underlined with some
fine oaky tones (toasted bread and
quite some vanilla). Goes on with
something distinctively milky (sugared
yoghurt, fromage blanc) but then we
have a fruity explosion: ripe kiwis
and gooseberries, strawberries, very
ripe Williams pears… Amazingly
youthful at such old age. Not the
most complex old Springbank on the
nose but it’s really playful.
It reminds me of some very old Benriachs.
Mouth: creamy, sweet, sort of light
but certainly not weak. Lots of fruits
again but also lots of tannins now,
rather drying. Grape seeds, lemon
zest… A certain lack of body
after a while, with a rather weak
middle. Quite some spices but other
than that there’s not much left.
The finish is a bit bolder, though,
but maybe too oaky and drying –
but we do have a little coconut. Too
bad, as often with these old whiskies,
the nose was fab but the palate doesn’t
quite deliver. 84 points. |
Springbank
25 yo (46%, OB, 2006)
A fairly new official expression.
Colour: pale amber with green hues.
Nose: this one’s much oakier,
maltier and probably more complex
right at first nosing. Quite some
vanilla and caramel crème,
toasted brioche, cornflakes, even
maple syrup (eh, breakfast?), a few
spices (a little nutmeg, white pepper,
hints of dried ginger). It gets then
rather fruitier, with quite some,
overripe apples and pears, cooked
apricots, strawberries… Notes
of toffee as well and finally a little
ginger ale and something slightly
meaty (ham). Certainly not as complex
and exciting as the older official
25 yo ’s but it’s good
whisky on the nose, definitely. Mouth:
much bolder than the 37 yo although
it’s not precisely powerful.
Lots of oak, lots of spices (cloves,
ginger, nutmeg, pepper) and quite
some crystallised citrus fruits (mainly
orange zests). Kind of a ‘nice’
bitterness in the background. Gets
woodier and woodier, also a little
grassy (bitter salad like rocket –
or do you say aragula?) The finish
is rather long but again, drying and
rather oaky, with just a little salt
and notes of burnt cake plus something
slightly metallic. And coconut? Yeah,
yeah… Anyway, not a thrill but
a rather good Springbank 85
points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Scotland's Arab
strap doing their very
good - I think - 1997 tune Hey!
fever.mp3. Please buy these
guys' music! |
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July
30, 2006 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- It's Sunday, we go classical with
Eritrea's young soprano Awet
Andemicael singing
a refreshing Rejoice,
rejoice greatly.mp3 (from Haendel's
Messiah). Quite appropriate... Please
go to Miss Andemicael's concerts
and operas! (to our French friends,
she'll be in Brittany
very soon - to everyone, no, she's
not Condi's younger sister).
WHISKY
TASTING – We'll
resume our little sessions right
tomorrow! |
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July
29, 2006 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- Our very own French girl Camille
doing Tuxedomoon's In
a manner of speaking.mp3 (in
English, pleeezze - from a French
TV show). Very delicate... Please
buy Camille's music. |
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July
28, 2006 |
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| MUSIC
AND WHISKY INTERVIEW - MIKE NICOLSON |
| It
is not the first time that I’m
lucky enough to be able to get in
touch with Mike Nicolson,
retired Scottish distillery manager
(think Lagavulin) and blues guitarist
and singer extraordinaire (think of
a “deep Gitane scarred gravel
toned howl - a sort of Captain Beefheart
meets Tom Waits” according to
Whiskyfun’s famous ace concert
reviewer – you can also read
the earlier interview at Maltmaniacs)
… We caught Mike at his home
on Vancouver Island, while he was
making a good recovery from some sort
of motorcycle accident. |
Mike Nicolson (right) with Mose
Allison |
Serge:
Mike,
please tell us briefly about what
you do, music wise.
Mike
Nicolson: Well,
I confront disappointment.
That brief enough? What it means is,
I look for blooze musicians, hang
out with them and then attempt to
galvanize them to common purpose,
in an ensemble. Piece of cake, eh? |
Serge:
So,
which other musicians did you play
with?
Mike:
That’s
a very, very long list of people that
you’ve never heard of. These
folks have been quite remarkable,
ranging from junkies, lushes and depressives
to those with major psychological
disorders, serious criminal records,
significant comedic talent, musical
passion and all with a need to do
it and, be, live. What bound them
together was the feeling that playing
the blues, in bars, in Scotland, might
be a good idea so, on that criteria
alone, you can see that the only really
suitably encompassing descriptive
category would be, “disturbed”.
These people are collectively responsible
in enriching my life with experience
available to few. A litany of adventures
resulted, usually during the hours
of darkness and, unaccountably, without
serious criminal prosecution. With
some of these folks I traveled to
the equivalent of the musical g-spot
which, is these seemingly nano seconds
of musical intensity that once visited,
musicians are forever doomed to attempt
to recapture. If I could thank them
all I would but, to do it here would
be a bit silly and anyway, I wouldn’t
be completely confident, at least
in some cases, of their reading ability. |
Serge:
Which
are your favourite artistes?
Mike:
Here’s
a abridged performance description
by author Robert Palmer:- “
He had the hugest voice I had ever
heard – it seemed to fill the
hall and get right inside your ears,
and when he hummed and moaned in falsetto,
every hair on your neck cracked with
electricity. The thirty minute set
went by like an express train, with
Wolf switching from harp to guitar
and then leaping up to prowl the lip
of the stage. He was the Mighty Wolf,
no doubt about it. Finally, an impatient
signal from the wings let him know
that his portion of the show was over.
Defiantly, Wolf counted off a bone
crushing rocker, began singing rhythmically,
feigned an exit, and suddenly made
a flying leap for the curtain at the
side of the stage. Holding the microphone
under his beefy right arm and singing
into it all the while, he began climbing
up the curtain, going higher and higher
until he was perched far above the
stage, the thick curtain threatening
to rip, the audience screaming with
delight. Then he loosened his grip
and, in a single easy motion, slid
right back down the curtain, hit the
stage, cut off the tune, and stalked
away, to the most ecstatic cheers
of the evening.
He was then fifty-five years old.”
Sounds like a good night huh?
To get a little more up to date Serge,
if either of your readers play slide
guitar, I would strongly recommend
that if Sonny Landreth is ever performing
in their neighbourhood they should
go. Even if he’s not
in their neighbourhood they should
go. Hell, they should cross continents
to catch him. |
Serge:
Which
are your current projects?
Mike:
Well,
I’m glad you asked. Getting
a band together is the answer. Having,
as you know, relocated to Canada or,
as I prefer to call it, the Big Rock
Candy Mountain, I am experiencing
some unexpected cultural difficulties.
First of all, it’s so good here,
that it’s actually pretty hard
to find someone that actually has
the blues. Secondly, there is the
motivational thing. When I first thought
about coming to British Columbia,
I sort of knew that it was a pretty
laid back, hippy, trippy, kinda place,
which sounded ok., and it is, but,
getting four or five musos to focus
on anything for longer than it takes
to roll a joint, is proving to be
a bit of a problem. However, there’s
nothing like a challenge so, watch
this space. |
Serge:
When
did you start enjoying whisky?
Mike:
Late,
late, late. Thirtysomething, which
is a bit surprising really, given
that it was a commodity of some significance
to several generations of my family.
I guess that my aversion, up to that
point, was a result of too many “hot
toddies” as a child. A “toddie”
is an infusion of whisky, hot water
and some other stuff that you really
don’t want to know about, that
was administered to a sickly child
(bairn) by a parent (Maw) and, failure
to consume this noxious liquid promptly,
would result in immediate physical
violence (skelp). This kind of behaviour
may seem somewhat barbaric to an urbane
sophisticate like you Serge but, you
will have to remember that this was
in fact so long ago that it was the
only available medication in
Scotland, well, if you discount bloodletting
that is. |
Serge:
So,
what’s your most memorable whisky?
Are there any musical memories you
particularly associate with that moment?
Mike:
Tasting
Lagavulin for the first time as the
Manager was a moment of fairly vivid
recollection and understanding. It
was one thirty in the morning and
I was on my own, an unusual set of
circumstances for Islay I know but,
I was new, remember? The only musical
association would be that agitated
rhythm that you get from fingernails
on skin when scratching insect bites.
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Serge:
Do
you have one, or several favourite
whiskies?
Mike:
Yes.
(Oooo you are naughty Serge, didn’t
we do this somewhere before?) |
Serge:
Oh
well, I’m sorry but that one
is part of our ‘pre-formatted’
flight of questions… And are
there whiskies you don’t like?
Mike:
Yes.
(You just don’t give up do you?) |
Serge:
Do
you have a favourite musical whisky
reference?
Mike:
Indeed,
I’m rather fond of “Arrested
for Drivin’ while Blind”
by ZZ Top. It can be found on the
album “Tejas” which, of
course, was back in the days when
they were “just a little Texas
Blues Band”. For general ditties
concerning carousel, then Ry Cooder’s
“Drinkin’ Again”
on his album “ The Slide Area”,
gets my recommendation, if you can
deal with the muddy production, which
I don’t quite understand, unless
of course, they were hammered. Highlighting
one of my other weaknesses, “Tanqueray”
by Johnnie Johnston is a suitably
mellow hymn in praise of another of
life’s essential liquids. Mr.
Johnston , whom, I’m sure your
reader will not require to be reminded,
was Chuck Berry’s piano player,
who got no credits for all those hits
performed, mysteriously, in all those
“ piano” keys. (Who was
Chuck Berry, Grandad? … ……
… … ….) |
Serge:
Music
and Whisky are often thought of as
being male preserves. Should girls
play guitars, should girls drink whisky?
Mike:
Well,
if I didn’t know better, I might
suspect that some of these questions
were set by someone looking to get
me in trouble. That’s extremely
thoughtful of you but, I can do that
on my own.
Answer one :- If they can, they should.
If your Debbie Davis and can hold
down a spot in Albert Collin’s
Band and produce Albums like “Tales
from the Austin Motel” then,
you ain’t got nothin’
to prove to nobody. Bonnie Raitt?
I rest my case. If you’d like
me to express an opinion on the legion
of talentless persons of the female
persuasion who use it, rather like
statistics, for support rather than
illumination, I’d love to but,
It’ll be dark soon.
Answer two:- Not only should they,
they should be encouraged! Marketing,
being the scurrilous, manipulative,
unprincipled and contemptible discipline
that it is, means, of course, that
I find it rather attractive. I know
some people that do it. One of these
people, a successful, droll, sophisticated,
normally rather intelligent person
responded thus, when once I enquired
of him why the Malt Whisky Industry
made no visible attempt to market
to wimmins. “ We don’t
need to Mike, they’ll drink
it because their menfolk do”.
Now, forgive me but, that’s
the kind of language that’s
gonna get him stabbed, in a back alley
some night, by a gang of biker dykes.
Arithmetic was never my forte, in
fact, I’m crap at it but, it
occurs even to me that, globally speaking,
there are quite a lot of them, women
that is. Ignoring fifty percent of
your potential customers doesn’t
sound much like best business practice
to me. Anyone who has significant
experience in running serious whisky
tasting events will tell you that,
often, the people with the most talent
and ability are the ones wearing skirts.
I don’t understand, they’re
out there, interested, good at it,
use real money just like men, why
the fuck don’t we try to sell
them some? It would need to be done
kinda subtly though, big perfume bottles
with lovely pastel labels ain’t
gonna do it because, in addition to
all of their other virtues, they’re
smart and don’t dig being patronized. |
Serge:
LOL!
By the way, I once heard an eminent
whisky professional say that he tasted
whisky in colours. Do you taste whisky
in music?
Mike:
You
should tell his eminence that he should
get a bit more up to date with his
recreational drug use. Still, whisky
in colours? ... .... .... .... ......
Wow! … …… …
…… That’s far out!
.... ..... .... .... .... .... Man. |
Serge:
Everyone
thinks of Jack Daniels as being the
great rock and roll whisky –
why not Scotch?
Mike:
Are
you sitting comfortably? First of
all, I’m not completely at ease
with the word “great”
in the question. Would you care to
justify yourself? |
Serge:
Okay
Mike, let’s say ‘THE rock
and roll whisky’ then…
Mike:
Their
success in this field feels to me
like it came about because they had,
(a) A plan.
(b) The will.
(c) That old “first mover advantage”.
(d) Marketers that were even less
affected by matters of scruple than
the rest of their deviant profession.
Before I was able to set my children
on the true musical path that is the
blues, they seemed to have unhealthy
propensities for other genres. At
about twelve or thirteen, Heavy Metal
was the cat’s pyjamas and, at
that time, piles of the attendant
magazines could be found holding open
doors, leveling the table with the
short leg and, in one case, as bedding,
chez Nicolson. Since you are aware
of my ambivalence about matters marketing,
you will be unsurprised how impressed
I was, to find not so subliminal advertisements
for the North American liquid, therein.
There is something wholly admirable
about an organization that will put
in what must be the colossal effort
involved in subverting copious Government
legislation and, successfully shucking
off any sense of social responsibility
whatsoever, to sell booze to children.
No matter how contemptible, these
guys have focus with a capital “F”.
They don’t mess about. No wonder
they won.
Being now a boring old retired fart,
living in the woods with a rusty pick
up, thirteen cats, four broken chain
saws, foodstuff stains on his dungarees
and whose idea of gardening is to
occasionally have some of the scrap
cars removed, I feel free to moan
about the declining standards in our
lives. Take my previous employers
for instance, the great and mighty
Diageo. For years, decades in fact,
they struggled manfully to retain
the high ground by declining any association
with their products and motoring.
Heroic. What’s happening now?
Not only has that policy been reversed
but they now sponsor a community whose
only goal is to drive cars as fast
as it is possible to go. It’s
a scream really. I just can’t
help feeling though, that if the people
who market the aforementioned North
American liquid were in charge, Kimi
Raikkonen would be walking around
with an image of a man with a big
hat and a stick tattooed on his face.
To your point Serge about why not
Scotch? I’m buggered if I know.
Giant lost opportunity. I suppose
that you would need to overcome chronic
lack of imagination, lack of plan
and of will. There would be of course
some conflict surrounding the core
values of Scotch and the rock and
roll fraternity, if in fact they have
any, but, if the business can suddenly
find itself so suddenly and dramatically
at peace with the internal combustion
engine at nineteen thousand revs then,
how hard could it be?
Advertising could get interesting.
We could have Lemmy in front of a
backdrop of a trashed nightclub in
the early stages of conflagration,
drinking straight from the bottle
and proclaiming that he liked this
brand of Scotch because it was the
only one loud enough for him. Watcha
think? To be completely embraced by
the rock and roll World might be asking
for a bit much though, because, there
is a bit of a problem.
It’s a liquid. It’s hard
to snort liquid.
Maybe the boys down at R&D could
do some work on that. |
Serge:
Mmm…
Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead, Scotch…
Dammit, that’s clever! But let’s
be a little posher now if you don’t
mind, with our very last question:
there is a famous passage in a book
written in the 1930’s (Aneas
MacDonald) where the author compares
different styles of whisky to different
sections of an orchestra – how
would you see that working in a jazz
or rock band, or in a classical orchestra?
Mike:
Ah
yes, Aneas, I always think that he
is the whisky business’s equivalent
of Robert Johnston, cast a long shadow
for a dead bloke.
Now, I thought I would leave till
last, the most profound thing I can
recall hearing about this whisky/music
thing. I was in a bar one night, conversing
with a saxophone player and good friend,
a woman short of stature but large
of attitude and, the subject of live
performance came up.
“ You know Mike” says
she, “ I’m not a real
musician”
Knowing her proficiency to be pretty
hot, I said, “what do you mean?”
“ Well” she said, “I
can’t do it when I’m pissed”. |
Thanks
Mike, that was both interesting
and entertaining. We all hope you’ll
manage to gather a wonderful bunch
of musicians over there on Vancouver
Island and bring them all to Islay
for the next Festival. Remember,
it’s whisky AND music...
And here's ZZ Top with that
La
Grange.mp3 that jostled us all
in 1973 (I think)... |
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July
27, 2006 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
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July
26, 2006 |
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| HELL'S
BELLS! - We ran short
of tasting notes! I’m afraid
the current heat wave over Europe
doesn’t allow any proper whisky
tasting session but we’ll resume
all that as soon as weather permits.
In the meantime, we’ll publish
more Pete and Jack cartoons (the buggers
are still in Saint-Tropez), music
etc. Please accept our deepest apologies… |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
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MUSIC
– JAZZ - Recommended
listening: well, yes, it's free
jazz, and yes, it's not easy-easy
but the piece's name is Etheric
cleanse.mp3... Still life, if
you prefer... Ah, yes, the forceful
tenor sax, It's Jim
Ryan from the Bay area.
Please buy his music... |
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July
25, 2006 |
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TASTING
- TWO LOCAL BARLEYS by Springbank
Springbank
1965/2001 ‘Local Barley’
(47.6%, OB, cask #1965/8) 
Colour: full amber.
Nose: starts fresher than expected,
on very ripe apples cooked in butter
as well as eucalyptus syrup and
whiffs of smoke and oak. Very lively.
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| Goes
on with cheesecake and raisins, fresh
pineapples soaked in rum, hints of
passion fruit, white pepper, apricot
jam. Keeps developing on cigar box,
hints of nutmeg, getting even grassy
and flowery (mainly lilies). Excellent
but not thrilling. Will it improve
on the palate? Mouth: starts rather
peppery and quite dry, on apple juice
and cinnamon (lots), a little coconut
(yeah, yeah), white chocolate, white
peaches… Lots of oak and maybe
not enough roundness and sweetness,
not to mention complexity. Gets even
a tad bitter after a while. The finish
is rather long but again, quite drying,
with lots of cinnamon. Don’t
get me wrong, it’s an excellent
whisky (the nose was great) but it's
probably not worth 800 euros. Now,
there are many better Local Barleys
I think.... 89 points. |
Springbank
1966/2000 ‘Local Barley’
(55%, OB, cask #511) 
Colour: amber. Nose: very vibrant
and aromatic at first nosing, with
something that reminds me of the best
old Highland Parks. Starts on lots
of beeswax and honey, something resinous
and also something maritime. Unusually
fresh and very complex. Lots of plum
jam, flower nectar, light pipe tobacco
(early morning pipe), then fir honey
and liqueur, eucalyptus and mint (Vicks),
then hints of tar and turpentine…
Fab, just fab. Goes on with fruitcake
and then lots of sea elements (shells,
kelp). A brilliant whisky with lots
of presence and a perfect balance
between the fruity/jammy notes and
the resinous/coastal ones. Yes, just
fab, even if not monstrously complex.
Mouth: punchy and full of youth, with
maybe just a little too much rubber
at the attack, but then it gets very
salty and jammy, together with quite
some chlorophyll and resin. Maybe
a tad rough in fact, but the overall
profile is almost perfect. Gets quite
spicy (cinnamon – lots -, curry,
chilli) with more and more winey notes
coming through. Lots of dried fruits
as well (oranges, figs and dates).
The finish is long, quite hot and
maybe a tad bitter, mostly resinous
and finally quite herbal (Jägermeister).
Maybe not the best model of the genre
because of its relative roughness
but what a presence! 92 points. |
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July
24, 2006 |
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TASTING
- TWO BOWMORES
Bowmore
15 yo 1981/1996 (57.7%, Glenhaven,
USA) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: a rather
austere and spirity start on pear
and pineapple juices but with a
little coal smoke and butter coming
through… Rather closed in
fact. Hints of green bananas, apple
skin… Gets more and more herbal,
grassy, on newly cut grass and privet.
Hints of paraffin and walnut skin,
and finally quite some lemon juice
and fresh almonds. Not too expressive
but interesting. |
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| Mouth:
more peat now but it’s quite
burning and a little bitter. Huge
notes of over-infused tea and liquorice
again… It becomes almost burning
now, let’s try it with water
(while the nose gets quite chocolaty
but even grassier). It gets sweeter
and a little rounder but not really
more complex, except for a few added
spicy notes (pepper). The finish is
long, that is, nicely dry and lemony
and getting hugely salty. Little peat
and smokiness in this one but it isn’t
unpleasant I think. 80 points.
(I think it’s the first
time I could taste a bottling by Glenhaven,
thanks Tom). |
| Bowmore
14 yo 1991 (56.1%, Cadenhead, 294
bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: much smokier
and peatier this time, closer to a
classic Bowmore. Whiffs of cow stable,
seaweed, then quite some liquorice
and apple juice, getting quite earthy
(wet tealeaves). Very simple but very
flawless. Mouth: playful and very
peaty, almost in the same league as
the southerners. Quite some gentian
and liquorice, raspberries, notes
of coffee… With water: not much
difference except for something a
little cardboardy, even soapy. The
finish is long, classically peaty
and maritime, with again lots of salt
on the tongue (incredibly salty in
fact). In short and again, it’s
simple but good (if you like saltiness
in your whisky), even if it tastes
younger than 14 yo . 83 points. |
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And
also Bowmore
15 yo 1990/2006 (53.1%, Spirit Safe
& Cask, Hogshead #3351, 270 bottles)
A very pleasant peatiness blended
with notes of anise and fennel on
the nose. The palate is very clean,
quite smoky and liquoricy, with something
pleasantly nutty (fresh hazelnuts
and almonds). A classic, ultra-clean
Bowmore. 87 points. |
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July
23, 2006 |
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| TASTING
- FIVE OFFICIAL CARDHUS |
| Cardhu
8 yo (75° proof, OB, UK, 1970’s)
Colour: gold – amber. Nose:
very, very strange, starting on walnut
liqueur and lots of smoked ham, sausages,
Madeira, prunes… Very unusual.
Develops on eucalyptus, a little mint
again, tiger balm, a little kirsch…
Notes of old wood (washbacks), smoked
fish, hints of tequila, fino sherry…
Very interesting to ‘follow’,
this one. Mouth: sweet and interestingly
winey, with again quite some walnut
liqueur but also old Pomerol and rancio,
nougat, all sorts of old liqueurs
and also smoked fishes… Lots
of fun and a rather short but interestingly
smoky and honeyed finish. Worth trying
if you can find one, there’s
much more sherry in it than in the
recent or current versions. 87
points. |
| Cardhu
12 yo (40%, OB, UK, early1980’s)
Colour: straw. Nose: ah yes, we have
a typical old bottle effect here.
Something slightly metallic and mineral,
grapefruit juice and a little passion
fruit, praline and caramel…
Goes on with orange juice, lemon pie,
pastries and then something minty
and slightly resinous. Hints of smoked
meat… Complex and pleasant.
Mouth: simpler and more tea-ish, alas,
but the mouth feel is good. Maybe
a tad sugarish but other than that
we have nice quince, oranges, cereals,
cake… And a rather short but
nicely minty finish. Good. 85
points. |
Cardhu
12 yo (40%, OB, Simon Frères,
pale cream label, late 1980’s)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts enjoyably
cereally and very, very flowery, almost
like a Lowlander (Glenkinchie?) Hints
of oak, fresh butter, vanilla. Goes
on with orange juice and finally some
huge notes of freshly cut apples.
Very fresh and very clean, perfect
in summer. Mouth: sweet and tannic
attack, with lots of punch. Again
quite some oak and vanilla but also
something disturbingly drying. Quite
some cinnamon and white pepper. Develops
on dried ginger, caramel, tea…
Much les fruity and clean than on
the nose. The finish is surprisingly
long but rather caramelly and sort
of narrow. Well, the nose was great
but the palate is too simple and lacks
freshness. 78 points. |
| Cardhu
12 yo (40%, OB, Moët-Hennessy,
dark cream label, early 1990’s)
Colour: straw. Nose: very similar,
maybe a tad more caramelly and also
mashier but other than that we do
have these bold notes of fresh apples,
nice oak and also whiffs of incense.
Mouth: more backbone now, much maltier.
Quite some caramel, cake, plum jam,
sugared cereals… I like this
palate a little better than the older
version’s, it’s rounder
and better balanced – but the
nose wasn’t as great. Let’s
say 78 points again. |
Cardhu
12 yo (40%, OB, Pure Malt, 2004)
Colour: straw. Nose: certainly ‘from
the same family’ but simpler
and grainier, without these nice oaky
tones we had in its older siblings.
Apple skins, porridge, cereals, praline,
vanilla crème… Something
a little farmy in the background.
Gentle but less complex, uncomplicated
but enjoyable. Mouth: now it’s
completely different, I guess the
other distilleries start to show off.
Something slightly waxy and smoky
mixed with sweet toffee and notes
of cappuccino at the attack, but the
middle is sort of weak and curiously
papery despite a certain oiliness.
Yet, the finish is bolder again, more
satisfying and rather coating, with
something ‘funny’ persisting
(olive oil? Hazelnut oil?) and finally
a little fruit (figs). No winner but
not worth the scandal either. We’ve
had lots of worse singles. 76
points. By the way, I’ve
seen that some crook already tried
to sell this one for 75 euros on the
Web – yes, professional sellers.
I’m sorry, but I'd say f*ck
‘m! |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- It's Sunday, we go classical and
Lebanese with Sister
Marie Keyrouz singing
the Maronite (Catholic Arab) traditional
Ya
umma-l-lah.mp3. No comment needed
- except that you should buy her
beautiful music. |
|
|
|
July
22, 2006 |
|
|
| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - FUNNY PARODY, LAZY ADVERTISING
OR PLAIN PLAGIARISM? |
 |
| Left,
TV spot for Chanel
Egoiste perfume, 1990
- Right, web video clip for Ardbeg
1965, 2006. Yes, did
you see the movie for that new official
Ardbeg 1965 yet? Please watch
it (you'll need Flash) and then
have a look at the 1990 French TV
ad for Chanel. Amazing, isn't
it? And no, Chanel does not belong
to LVMH... |
TASTING
- TWO VERY DIFFICULT DALLAS DHUS
Dallas
Dhu 23 yo 1979/2003 (60.8%, Cadenhead)
Colour: straw. Nose: extremely spirity
and inexpressive. Just raw alcohol
and porridge, let’s drown
it. Oh no, too bad, water doesn’t
help. It gets extremely herbal and
grainy as well as a little mineral
(wet stones). Extremely austere.
Hints of fresh butter. |
 |
| Mouth
(neat): very sweet, with lots of pineapple
juice, liquorice, apple skins and,
you got it, alcohol. Almost undrinkable
like that, water needed. Well, that
reveals the tannins and makes it also
a little fruitier (apples). Some huge
peppery notes do appear, cardboard,
flour, nutmeg… Really harsh
and raw, even at roughly 45%. Exactly
the kind of malt that shouldn’t
be poured to non-single malt drinking
friends… No pleasure in there,
I’m afraid. 65 points. |
| Dallas
Dhu 24 yo 1979/2004 (61.4%, Cadenhead)
Colour: straw (identical). Nose: just
like the other one, it’s just
overpowering alcohol with a few mashy
notes. With water: nicer, a bit more
on the farmy side but not frankly
enjoyable either. Hints of chemicals,
white chocolate, tequila… Mouth
(neat): maybe better balanced than
it’s sibling but other than
that it’s not really easier
to enjoy. Some pleasant oaky notes.
With water: we’re exactly in
the same territories as with the 23
yo . Hard and almost painful. 66
points. |
 |
And
also Dallas
Dhu 31 yo 1969/2000 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 252 bottles)
Not too bad but quite ‘average’,
very malty, caramelly and grainy.
Flawless but simple and probably
a little too ‘uncontroversial’
(eh?) 80 points |
|
|
|
July
21, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- THREE LONGMORNS |
| Longmorn
9 yo (40%, MacMalt, , 26 bottles,
circa 2005)
Lots of positive buzz about old Longmorns
these days but let’s try these
youngsters today, starting with this
small German bottling. Colour: gold.
Nose: starts extremely sweet and rounded,
not unlike a Balvenie. Lots of flowers
and nectar, light honey, apricot jam,
orange cake… Goes on with very
ripe plums, mullein flowers, maple
syrup… As sweet and it can get.
Mouth: again, sweet and rounded and
certainly not weak despite the 40%.
Less fresh than on the nose but we
do have nice notes of honey and cake,
all kinds of ‘yellow’
jams, caramel, nougat… Not too
complicated but very pleasant. Quite
malty too, with a rather long, caramelly
finish with hints of fruitcake. Very
mature considering its age! Lots of
pleasure… 86 points.
|
| Longmorn
14 yo 1988/2003 (43%, Coopers Choice)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: pretty much
the same kind of profile with maybe
although it’s a tad rougher
but maybe that’s the three extra-degrees.
Slightly more buttery as well, maybe
a tad more on pastries and less flowery.
But it’s nice! Mouth: it’s
even closer to the MacMalt now, with
just more cake and hints of cappuccino
plus a longer and bolder finish. More
body, more oomph but a little less
elegance: 85 points. |
| Longmorn
10 yo (43%, OB, late 60’s, France)
Colour: straw. Nose: oh, an obvious
old bottle effect here, of the metallic
kind this time. Huge notes of metal
polish, coal oven, coins, lamp oil,
motor oil… And not much else.
It’s the first time I get it
to this point. Very hard to know what
to think… I’m kind of
lost here! Mouth: well, now it’s
clear, this one got sort of corrupted.
Is it just the twist cap? Too bad
because after you get used to these
metallic tastes there’s lots
of creaminess and fruitiness with
what could be praline, nougat, mocha,
marmalade… But all that’s
hidden behind these bizarre notes
of iron. Yes, too bad. Rating: 65
points but another bottle
could be much better – if it’s
an ‘old bottle’’
problem indeed. |
| And
also Longmorn
1969 (62%, G&M – Jas. Gordon,
Cask series, late 1980’s)
Unusually smoky, with
a rather resinous nose plus lots of
beeswax and propolis. The palate is
even more resinous, with lots of eucalyptus
and tangerines. Very special, I love
it. 92 points. |
 |
| MUSIC
AND WHISKY INTERVIEW - THE WHISKEY
BARDS |
|
Left
to right: Simon, Tonis, Cosimo and
Yonatan |
| Today
we have The Whiskey Bards from Tucson,
Arizona. Sure these guys have a great
name as well as a wonderful sense
of humour, they even have a CD entitled
‘Women, Whiskey & War!’
But they also sound absolutely great...
More than enough for us to decide
to interview them. All of them… |
Serge:
Bards, please tell us briefly about
what you do, music-wise.
The
Whiskey Bards: We’re
a 4-part a cappella group singing
pub songs, sea songs, stuff with an
older or medieval flair, and generally
anything that gets people to enjoy
themselves when they’ve had
a bad day. |
Serge:
Which musicians are you playing with?
The
Whiskey Bards: The
Whiskey Bards started out as a trio
of Simon (Chris Lyon), Tonis (Steve
Hoogerwerf), and Daithi (Sean Reddy).
We added Cosimo (Nevin Phull) for
a well rounded quartet. When Daithi
moved out of town, we realized that
as a trio we lost some of the rich
sound we had, so we pulled in Yonatan
(Jonathan Hopf) to round us back out.
So the current incarnation is: Cosimo,
Simon, Tonis, and Yonatan. In the
past, we’ve shared the stage
with several accomplished artists
including: Heather Dale & Ben
Deschamps, Siler & Clark, Heather
Alexander, and several other artists. |
Serge:
Which are your other favourite artistes?
Simon:
I’m partial to Celtic groups,
such as Battlefield Band and Silly
Wizard. I’ll also listen to
various consorts, P.D.Q. Bach, Rush,
Queensryche, E.L.O., Planet P Project,
The Blues Brothers, Rockapella, Da
Vinci’s Notebook, The Jolly
Rogers, Ralph Vaughn Williams, John
Williams, Howard Shore… Okay,
if it’s music, and it’s
done well, I’ll listen.
Tonis:
Styx has been my favourite since
I was about 12. Much like Simon I
will listen to anything that is done
well. Some of my top choices for various
moods are: Styx, Damn Yankees, Alanis
Morrissette (just something about
a girl that isn’t afraid to
say exactly what she believes and
feels), Heather Dale, Rockapella,
Acappella (Christian group I grew
up with), Michael Kelly…
Cosimo:
My biggest musical influences
are Rockapella, Oingo Boingo, Pink
Floyd and Dream Theatre.
Yonatan:
I listen to all styles of music
and pretty much every genre from current
day back to when records (you know,
those round flat black things??) First
hit the schenes. My Main loves are
Jazz, Folk (Americana and Celtic),
and Blues. |
Serge:
Which are your current projects?
The
Whiskey Bards:
We’re currently working on performing
at a variety of renaissance fairs
and at the Society for Creative Anachronism’s
Pennsic War in August. We’re
also busy recording bawdy songs for
our next album, tentatively titled
“Bottoms Up,” due in February
2007.
Yonatan:
I am also working on a duet album
with my wife Llora. |
Serge:
When did you start enjoying whisk(e)y?
Are there any musical memories you
particularly associate with that moment?
Simon:
Enjoying whisky? For me, that
really didn’t start until the
early 90s. Everything up to that point
had been tastes of blends that I really
didn’t care much for. The musical
memories at that moment don’t
stand out, but I was often listening
to Battlefield Band: Anthem for the
Common Man. As “Yew Tree”
tends to run through my head with
a glass of Cardhu, it’s likely
that it was playing in the background.
Tonis:
Whiskey was something I didn’t
really appreciate much until after
the beginning of the Whiskey Bards.
Two gentlemen here in Tucson (one
being Cosimo) introduced me to Tullamore
Dew and, for the first time, I found
I actually liked a whiskey. My musical
memories of whiskey really all revolve
around the Whiskey Bards and drinking
at parties with a group known as Keg’s
End. We have sung for them on many
occasion and shared a fair amount
of whiskey (and other “adult
frosty beverages” as well).
Cosimo:
I was actually clean as a whistle
from all types of drugs until 1996
when a friend convinced me to try
a beer. I thought I was pure shite,
so I convinced him to spend more money
on real beer. Since them we have tried
to out-do each other with alcohol
snobbishness. My first dive into Whiskey
was actually the Irish Whiskey Bushmills,
and shortly after a Talisker. I really
started enjoying them, however, when
I discovered Tullamore Dew (Irish)
and both the Dalmore and the Balvenie
Doublewood. The Balvenie is still
one of my standby favourites. I remember
clearly listening to a group called
the Finest Kind for the Balvenie –
I believe that fits.
Yonatan:
Being German I have always preferred
beer (preferably German) and (like
Tonis) had little exposure to Whiskey
beyond Jack Daniels. Being asked to
join the Whiskey Bards certainly did
broaden my exposure, so at this point
I would say I prefer Bushmills is
my preference when it comes to whiskey. |
Serge:
What’s your most memorable whisky?
Simon:
2 stand out. The first one sold
me on single malts (early 90s again.)
I was in a store on my birthday, and
saw a bottle of 12 year old Cardhu
for an obscenely low price (something
like $15.00). My guess is that it
was mismarked, but I picked it up
thinking, “Why not?” It
turned out to be a good decision,
and from that point on I’ve
thought of Cardhu as birthday scotch.
Come to think of it, they modernized
their distilleries the same year I
was born… Loch Dhu was a later,
very memorable find. Yes, I’m
one of the folks that actually liked
the stuff. It was… different.
The level of difference is one of
the things that got me trying various
whiskies rather than sticking with
just one brand.
Tonis:
I will drink several although,
I have to admit, I need to be in the
mood for it to really enjoy it. As
I tend to prefer mixed drinks I have
become partial to sours so a good
whiskey sour does well for me. Tully
Dew is certainly my most memorable,
however, as it was my first…that’s
partly why I wrote the song.
Cosimo:
Like Simon, 2 stand out. 1 good,
one bad bad bad. The good: I purchased
a bottle of the Glenrothes –
1979 I believe (I thought it was a
1968, but I cannot find that vintage
– and the bottle and box are
long gone – so 1979 seems to
me what I probably bought) while in
Germany to celebrate a friends “promotion”.
We shared the bottle and that particular
Scotch was the smoothest, sweetest,
warmest finish scotch I had ever tasted.
That bottle successfully converted
3 non-scotch drinkers TO scotch whiskey
– and they haven’t looked
back since. The Bad – Laphroaig.
It socks you in the mouth up front,
makes you remember it and the last
piss you did for a few moments after.
After 12 shots in a row (don’t
ask) I count myself lucky for keeping
my lunch down.
Yonatan:
Fortunately, under the tutelage
of Simon, Tonis and Cosimo I have
enjoyed all my experiences with whiskey
but I rarely drink a lot so have little
to say on this matter. |
|
Serge:
Do you have one, or several favourite
whiskies?
Simon:
I favour single malts. Usually
Cardhu and Speyburn, and I liked Loch
Dhu while it was around so you can
guess I’ve a preference for
the Speyside malts. Glenmorangie is
another good whisky – either
the regular or aged in a Madeira cask
(the Port and Sherry casks while good,
come across sweeter than I like).
Occasionally I’ll go for Laphroaig
or Talisker, but I’ve got to
be in the right mood for them. I’ve
also developed a fondness for Tullamore
Dew, especially if I’ve a glass
of Pear Cider handy.
Tonis:
Tullamore Dew is my favourite.
Jameson is pretty good. I’m
not the connoisseur that Simon is
although he’s been slowly introducing
me to Scotch’s. I once went
to a Scotch tasting party in California
and made the mistake of trying some
Southern California 2-year Scotch
that wasn’t fit for toxic waste…for
some reason, I’ve had difficulty
getting into Scotch ever since then.
Cosimo:
I love to try many. I have developed
a love for Cardhu, Balvenie, Glenrothes,
and Loch Dhu. From the Irish side,
Tullamore Dew, Redbreast, Midleton. |
Serge:
Are there whiskies you don’t
like?
Simon:
It’s a rare blend that
catches my attention. While there
are times that I’m pleasantly
surprised, in most cases I catch a
flavour that I want more of but can’t
get to, or taste something that I’d
rather have as a more background flavour.
Frustrating.
Tonis:
Yes…whatever that was that
I tasted in Southern California…I
hope I never learn the name of it,
though…it was just bad!
Cosimo:
See above. Laphroaig. Too much
of a not good thing (15 hits in less
than 90 minutes).
Yonatan:
Fortunately, under the tutelage
of Simon, Tonis and Cosimo I have
enjoyed all my experiences with whiskey
but I rarely drink a lot so have little
to say on this matter as well. |
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?
Simon:
“The steeple was down, but
the kirk was still standin’,
they begat a lum where the bell used
to hang, a still-pot they got and
they brewed hieland whisky, on Sundays
they drank it and ranted and sang.”
-Parrish of Dunkeld.
Hey, they had to have someplace to
hold the party, and nobody was using
the church after they hung the minister
for sayin, “No ceilidhs, no
dancin’, no brewin’ or
drinkin’ of strong drink!”
Tonis:
Sorry, have to plug it…
“As fresh as the morning, we
called her Tully Dew.”
Cosimo:
Try as I might – I can’t
come up with anything better than
“Whiskey is the Life of Man.”
Its just so true…. (From Whiskey-O,
sea shanty)
Yonatan:
Now Charlie saw The Devil a’coming
‘cross the Lee - And Charlie
said “hey Devil……you
do not frighten me!” The Song
said “whiskey You’re the
devil” so then whiskey you MUST
be! And >>>POOOOF<<<
The Devil turned into a flask of sweet
whiskey! From the song Pass the Bottle
– Yonatan C 2004. |
Serge:
Music and whisky are often though
of as being male preserves. Should
girls play guitars, should girls drink
whisky?
Simon:
Yes and yes. I’d never
deny someone the joy of expressing
themselves musically, and guitar is
a wonderful instrument. Likewise,
good whisky (and good whiskey) is
a treasure. Live, laugh, love, drink,
enjoy.
Tonis:
Most certainly. There are incredible
female musicians out there on any
given instrument. Music is one arena
where parity has really been achieved
amongst the sexes and for good reason.
Besides, no matter how good the Rolling
Stones might be, who would you rather
watch play guitar…Keith Richards
or Sheryl Crow? As to drinking whiskey,
gotta respect a woman who can hold
her whiskey. Remember the scene in
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost
Ark where the female lead drinks some
guy under the table with strong shots???...yeah,
she caught my attention.
Cosimo:
Yes and yes. I think it should
especially be done with Men around.
No offense, mates, I love you all,
but she is WAY cuter than you.
Yonatan:
Is this a trick question…..
;-) my answer is absolutely. |
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?
Simon:
I would counter that tasting
a whisky is similar to enjoying art,
be it music, painting, acting, or
a good story. Someone put time and
their passions into its creation.
That shows in the final product as
much as the ingredients.
Tonis:
I’ll leave this one to
the whiskey connoisseurs in the group.
Cosimo:
I actually fully believe that
– and in a very classical sense.
As I taste a fine drink or food, I
typically have the same reactions
in emotions to that of good and compelling
music of the classical variety. Examples
– Glenlivet 12 year, Theme from
a Summer place. Laphroaig, Night on
Bald Mountain.
Yonatan:
I would agree – whiskey
has different flavours based on age
and brewing methods. So, I apply the
same philosophy to all alcohols, taste
all until you find those you like
and always be willing to try when
offered. |
|
The
Whiskey Bards' CD's: Women Whiskey
& War and The Recruiter |
Serge:
I once heard an eminent whisky professional
say that he tasted whisky in colours.
Do you taste whisky in music?
Simon:
Sometimes, but it would be more
accurate to say that I taste whiskey
according to my mood. Sometimes that
hits musically, sometimes visually,
and sometimes conceptually (again,
like a story where you get a foreshadow
of things to come, or a denouement
that wraps everything up.)
Tonis:
Not really, I taste whiskey in
colours of friendship. My fondest
whiskey memories have to deal with
enjoying the company of friends so
that is how I taste it.
Cosimo:
For me it depends on my focus.
I tend to throw my focus into one
or two areas at a time and I tend
to relate anything of value into those
areas. In most cases, its music, but
in the past when I was not performing
I related those feelings to sword
fighting.
Yonatan:
Nope, I hear whiskey in music
- jigs, reels and practically any
Irish or Scottish music has that underlying
sound. Come to think of it Bluegrass
also has that sound as well. |
Serge:
If your favourite whisky was a piece
of music what would it be, if it was
a musical instrument what would it
be?
Simon:
Probably a Celtic piece (go figure).
Slightly sad, slightly sweet, at times
defiant, at others romantic. Always
a story involved. Bagpipes would cover
a lot of ground there, but the mellower
Scotches would be more harp. Fiddle
would cover pretty much everything.
Toss in some penny whistle for sparkles
in the livelier ones.
Tonis:
A good Celtic Rock fusion song.
Hard on the surface but thoughtful
and surprisingly smooth underneath.
Cosimo:
Great question. Some form of
steady romantic piece, although I
don’t have a good example. The
swells would have to be consistent
and positive. If it were an instrument,
I would have to call it a Tenor Saxophone.
Can be melancholy, but mostly its
sweet.
Yonatan:
HMMMMMMM – see my previous
answer, but I would say Chanters,
Tin Whistle, Mandolin, or Bodhran. |
Serge:
There is a famous passage in a book
written in the 1930s (Aneas Macdonald)
where the author compares different
styles of whisky to different sections
of an orchestra – how would
you see that working in a jazz or
rock band, or in a classical orchestra?
Simon:
To me, it would be more the types
of whiskey being types of bands. Maybe
you’d see scotch as an orchestra,
bourbon as a jazz group, etc. Within
those classes you get some that are
heavier on the brass, some that up
the keyboards or percussion. I’ll
avoid trying to figure out a good
whiskey for the mosh pit.
Tonis:
Continuing on Simon’s theme,
moonshine is definitely the “Dukes
of Hazard” set in my mind.
Cosimo:
Mosh Pit would be anything over
130 proof.
Yonatan:
- the whiskey is the winds section
– Breath required, leaves a
heady feeling. |
Serge:
Do you have a favourite piece of music
to drink whisky with, or better still,
desert island dram, desert island
disc?
Simon:
Currently? For a while it’s
been a soundtrack. Hans Zimmer, “Pirate
of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black
Pearl.” It covers a lot of different
themes, and as a soundtrack it accents
the show rather than being the show.
Tonis:
Not particularly. I’d have
to say anything that has energy and
brings to mind good friends.
Cosimo:
This is sick, but I really prefer
listening to our genre of music. Our
own CD’s or Scottish, Irish
or even English folk music.
Yonatan:
I will drink whiskey in any situation
with any music – so long as
my friends are there to share their
company. |
Serge:
Everyone thinks of Jack Daniels as
being the great rock and roll whisky
– why not Scotch?
Simon:
I think there’s a psychological
influence at work here. Rock is all
youth and passion, rebellion and excitement,
fire and chrome. Scotch has a little
more history to work with, and the
images a good scotch conjures up deal
with older times, and the fires are
likely to be peat rather than magnesium.
Nothing says it couldn’t be
though. Just that it’s got that
image to overcome.
Tonis:
Rock & Roll has really become
more cosmopolitan so I could see a
shift some day that direction but,
honestly, in the U.S.A., no matter
how big Seattle or other cities become
in the rock scene, the heartland of
rock & roll is still the South
and I just can’t picture a group
rocking out to “Sweet Home Alabama”
while passing around the Glenfiddich.
Cosimo:
Jack Daniels is a Bourbon though
– not really a whiskey. Even
George Thorogood got that –
1 bourbon, 1 scotch, 1 beeeeeerrrrrrr….
Scotch seems to be more refined and
relaxing – not the kind of slamming
and high energy drink that a Jack
and Coke would be. Frankly I prefer
it that way – too much of modern
rock and roll has become cheap beer
instead of any high grade drink.
Yonatan:
I am not versed well enough in
whiskey to answer this question but
I will say that I was first introduced
to hard rock at right around the same
time as I was introduced to Jack Daniels. |
Serge:
And if it was Scotch, can you think
of which brand? What would be the
Scotch equivalent of rappers drinking
Cristal?
Simon:
When it was available, Loch Dhu
would have hit the mark perfectly.
Some folks love it, some folks hate
it. The old world image was pushed
aside in favour of a rebellious, dark
and sinister image. Much more of an
“in your face” kind of
whisky (for good or for ill). A little
too pricey now though. You really
want something you can get by the
case at a reasonable price.
Tonis:
Agreed with Simon. Chivas is
probably a likely candidate as it’s
easily recognizable and probably a
bit less pricey than Loch Dhu (and
most of the others Simon drinks, come
to think of it).
Cosimo:
Laphroaig. Just Kidding ;-)
Yonatan:
Again I will bow out on this
question claiming ignorance. |
Many
thanks, Bards, for the very extensive
and interesting answers!
Links of interest:
The Whiskey Bards' official
website
Streaming mp3's at Milehighmusic |
|
|
|
July
20, 2006 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
| TASTING
- TWO OFFICIAL HIGHLAND PARKS |
| Highland
Park 21 yo 1984/2005 ‘Ambassador’s
Cask’ (56.1%, OB, UK, cask #43,
270 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: quite powerful,
starting on notes of cooked apples
and lots of latex. Quite some peat,
mastic, Greek retsina wine, very unusual.
Develops on cooked strawberries and
very ripe oranges, pecan pie, and
gets then quite meaty after a few
minutes. Very assertive. Mouth: really
powerful and sweet, with quite some
peat and latex again, hints of violet
sweets, lots of roasted nuts, with
something a little ‘antiquated’.
Goes on with caramel-topped fruits
and marzipan… It’s almost
rough considering its age, in fact,
but gets rounder with time, with quite
some honey and black nougats. Gets
also more and more liquoricy and sort
of cleaner, the rubber having now
vanished… and also herbal (earl
grey tea, flvoured with that small
kind of orange called bergamot). A
long and creamy finish on liquorice
and nougat again… Very good!
90 points. |
| Highland
Park 12 yo (43%, OB, rotation 1980,
Italy)
One of the first dumpy 12 yo ’s,
please note the “decorated H”
(as opposed to the more recent “plain
H” at the right). Colour: amber
– gold. Nose: starts extremely
aromatic, almost exuberant, with lots
of honey, the trademark heathery notes
and old sweet wine (Sauternes). Quite
some Grand Marnier as well, tons of
mirabelle plum jam, dried apricots,
baklava, butter croissants. What’s
more, some very fine oaky tones give
it an enjoyable structure. Hints of
old books and antiques shop as well
as orange zests (sangria?) that give
it added complexity. Classy, very
classy. Mouth: lots of power and presence
at such ‘low’ strength,
starting on quite some rubber and
pepper mixed with orange marmalade
plus something slightly metallic.
Burnt cake. Certainly wilder and rawer
than on the nose. Notes of kirsch,
brandy, caramel, quite some cinnamon
and cloves… Kind of a dirtiness
that, oddly, make it interesting.
The finish is very long but maybe
a tad drying and, again, a little
‘dirty’, with a little
salt and maybe traces of peat. But
the nose was that great that it’s
impossible to give this one less than
90 points. More body
and more oomph that in the current
versions (and thanks Olivier). |
| And
also Highland
Park 23 yo 1982/2006 (57.9%, OB for
Whisky Magazine and Park Avenue Liquor,
cask 443, US)
Nose: much peatier than usual, quite
violent and rough, almost brutal.
Mouth: much better now, rounder and
very fruity (orange drops) but the
whole lacks a little subtlety and
complexity for my tastes. One for
big boys. 85 points. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– JAZZ - Recommended
listening: very percussive blind Spanish
pianist Tete
Montoliu does Body
and soul.mp3 in his very own,
almost aggressive way - I like it
very much, wow! That was on his 1974
album Catalonian Fire... Too
bad Tete left us in 1997 - but please
buy his music. |
|
|
|
July
19, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- FOUR NEW CELTIQUE CONNEXIONS |
 |
| Four
new expressions by France’s
Celtic Whisky Compagnie, all double-matured:
first in Scotland and then in wine
(or sometimes spirit) casks laid down
in Brittany, very close to the ocean. |
| Highlands
1993/2006 ‘Monbazillac’
(46%, Celtique Connexion, 365 bottles)
Further matured in a Monbazillac cask
for two years – Monbazillac
is a sweet white wine from the southwest
of France. Colour: pink gold. Nose:
very nicely integrated at first nosing,
not too far from a very good ‘full
sherry’ malt. Lots of very ripe
plums then notes of wild mushrooms
and hints of menthol as well as smoked
tea (lapsang souchong) and orange
juice. Really complex, with something
that reminds me of some old Highland
Parks – but it’s not Highland
Park. Hints of resin. Mouth: quite
nervous and powerful, very coherent.
The whisky and the wine integrate
perfectly here, thanks to the two
years I guess. Notes of very ripe
kiwi, crystallised citron and salted
butter caramel with a nice oakiness.
Maybe a tad wilder than on the nose.
Rather long finish on Werther’s
and hints of marc eau-de-vie. Beautiful
integration, far from just whisky
plus wine. 89 points. |
| Highlands
1992/2005 ‘Vin de Paille du
Jura’ (43%, Celtique Connexion,
390 bottles)
Vin de paille (straw wine) is made
in the French Jura region, where they
let ripe grapes (no noble rot here)
further dry after the harvest but
before pressing. They used to do that
by spreading grapes over straw beds
in the attic. Colour: gold. Nose:
sweet and very fruity, with quite
some banana, pineapple and fresh pear
juice. Hints of hay and dried flowers…
Not too complicated but elegant and
refreshing. Mouth: a sweet, rounded
and fruity start with quite some liquorice
and crystallised fruits, developing
on pineapple drops. Again, uncomplicated
but very drinkable. 82 points. |
| Single
Malt 1994/2006 ‘Quart de Chaume’
(46%, Celtique Connexion)
Quart de Chaume is a sweet white wine
from the Loire valley (made out of
chenin). Colour: straw. Nose: quite
nervous, with a little rubber at the
start but which is quick to vanish.
Roasted peanuts, tea, whiffs of spearmint,
hints of freshly cut pineapples…
Playful, very pleasant. Mouth: sweet
and fruity, with quite some roasted
nuts again and something slightly
phenolic, smoky. Botrytis? (noble
rot). Not sweetish at all. Goes on
with crystallised oranges and quince…
Mellow, really enjoyable. 85
points. |
| Speyside
1991/2006 ‘Sauternes’
(50%, Celtique Connexion, 297 bottles)
Colour: reddish amber. Nose: more
complex than both the Vin de Paille
and the Quart de Chaume. Lots of very
ripe pineapple, overripe apples, funny
hints of seawater… A perfect
integration here, the whole blends
very well. Whiffs of menthol and eucalyptus,
slightly toasted. Something musky
and animal. Quite some oak (carpenter’s
workshop) that gives the whole a rather
perfect structure, hints of earl grey
tea (bergamot flavoured)… Really
great. Mouth: muscular, sweet, with
a faint pungency (maybe the tannins)
that counterbalances the mellowness.
Lots of ripe bananas, a little pink
grapefruit, strong tea (the tannins
again)… Very good. The finish
is medium long, on caramelised nuts
and nougat… Just as excellent
as the ‘Monbazillac’,
maybe a tad more complex in fact.
90 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening
- More French (and French sounding)
music for Summer with Helena
Noguerra doing M'en
aller.mp3 in 2001. Please buy
Helena's music, I've heard she's just
got a new album out. |
 |
|
|
|
July
18, 2006 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
THE BERMONDSEY EVENT: Joe Brown, the
Blockheads, Nine Below Zero, Albert
Lee and Hogan’s Heroes
Southwark Park, Rotherhithe, London,
July 8th 2006 |
| “Buy
the Bermondsey
Beat T-shirt. Only five
pounds. Buy the Bermondsey T-shirt
and you can wear it in Benidorm and
scare Northerners ….”
We’re in South London, to be
honest more Rotherhithe than Bermondsey,
and it’s fucking ‘ard.
Everyone seems to bristle with latent
aggression – the tattooed men,
the tattooed women, even the shaven-headed
children. The de-rigueur accessory
is some sort of slavering pit-bull
terrier straining at the leash –
they’re everywhere, adding to
the sense of resentful antagonism
that suffuses the atmosphere. This
is largely white working class Millwall
territory – “everyone
hates us and we don’t care”.
Fuck off. |
| Luckily
this is Jozzer’s patch. His
Manor. His gaff is round the corner
from the park, and being in his presence
is the equivalent of being in a war
zone with a few battalions of the
UN’s Blue Bereted best around
you. So as they spot Jozz, sitting
in his chair alternately snarling
and sneering as the debris of discarded
beer bottles builds around him, people
break into smiles, wish us civil ‘how
do you fucking dos’, and promise
us that we’re in for a real
treat. Which by and large we are –
the deep seated violence only kicks
off towards the end of the night,
when the main area in front of the
stage empties quicker than a school
playground as a rammy breaks out behind
the fairground. “It’s
West ‘Am” shouts a youth,
heading for the action; “You
comin’ or wot?”. |
 |
|
|
Anyway
it’s the annual Bermondsey
‘Event’ in Southwark
Park, almost “the largest
community music event in London”
says the website. It’s a day
in the Park really, with beer tent,
fairground, solar powered French
Circus, a few food stalls (mostly
it’s picnic time) and, not
surprisingly, a dog show. The reason
for being here is the remarkable
little line up of bands, including
some of Whiskyfun’s favourites.
Bizarrely the afternoon session
is introduced by local boy, “disgraced
comedian” Michael
Barrymore (“If
the council have paid him then I
want my rates back” mumbles
Jozzer), much to the bemusement
of first act Albert
Lee and Hogan’s Heroes.
Lee of course, is the UK’s
leading Country guitarist who was
born in the wilds of Herefordshire.
They ran through their stuff, featuring
some tunes from Lee’s
new album Road Runner, and ending
with Lee’s signature tune,
‘Country Boy’. But to
be frank it wasn’t too easy
to make out what was being played
as the sound was decidedly inferior
unless (as we discovered later)
you were right in front of the stage,
and the pleasing breeze seemed to
be blowing much of what there was
(sound, that is) down the river.
And Jozzer was still eating his
lunch, a prodigious plateful of
Bermondsey’s best bangers,
and toying with a frisky Rioja,
so we weren’t going anywhere
without the UN. Which meant that
we didn’t get the full benefit
of Nine
Below Zero, fronted
by two of Bermondsey’s favourite
blues-boys, ace guitarist Dennis
Greaves and harmonica genius Mark
Feltham. Jozzer still remembers
when they used to play “daan
the Apple and Pears”, a famous
Bermondsey boozer which he, and
many R & B fans used to frequent
way back in the 1970’s. Here,
once the sound was sorted, they
played at a breakneck speed for
over an hour, by which time the
bangers, and the Rioja, were spent
(as was the coke that we spotted
two guys snorting behind the Portaloos
in full view of the Old Bill). Anyway
don’t turn down a chance to
see Nine Below Zero, they’re
tight and top quality, “still
the business”, and are playing
all over Europe at Festivals throughout
the summer.
We needed to get closer for the
Blockheads - not South London geezers
of course, and what with all that
Essex tosh, and two band members
from Newcastle it was potentially
a dangerous place to be. But as
Jozzer led the lost tribe the crowds
parted ‘till, uncannily, we
were right at the front of the stage. |
| I
wasn’t sure about the
Blockheads as a festival
band, but that close up they were
simply brilliant. With or without
the much missed Ian Dury their sophisticated
and complex take on rock and roll
is simply still best in class –
driven by Norman
Watt-Roy’s sublime
Fender bass playing, Micky G on Hammond
and Chaz J and keyboards and Fender
guitar, and Dylan
Howe’s cool groove
drumming the performance was sublime.
An increasingly ‘emotional’
(as they used to say) John Turnbull
fronted with vocals shared with Derek
the Draw, mixing Blockhead classics
with new material from Where’s
the Party? |
 |
It
was as they ended that the fighting
started, and as mayhem had its day
the stage was quietly prepared for
the headline act, London rock and
roll veteran Joe
Brown, devoid, after
all of these years, of his Bruvvers.
Joe, you may recall, had a string
of not quite number one hits at the
start of the sixties, and then resigned
himself to being a nation’s
favourite chirpy cockney. “What”,
I slurred to Jozzer, “wash hish
big hit?” “Who knowsh?”.
Well Joe, looking as sprightly as
he had when I last saw him in the
late 1960s, wowed us with some well
chosen bluesy rockabilly, an a cappella
tune or two, and some notable playing
on the mandolin. All surprisingly
very classy – and indicating
serious talent and technical abilities
not, of course, suggested by the novelty
act reputation – in fact Joe
and his accomplished band went down
a storm at Glastonbury a couple of
years ago, always the key to musical
rehabilitation. He has a new album
out later this summer which might
well be worth a serious listen. In
the meantime Jozzer said “whasht
wash it?” just as Joe broke
into ‘I’m Henry the Eighth
I am” – never a hit, but
the song for which he will always
be remembered – no doubt much
to his chagrin. Then it all went wrong.
|
| With
the show running well over time the
firework chaps decide to trigger the
fuse, Joe was trying to play an encore
(“fucking disgraceful I call
it, said the DJ as we left for digestifs
chez Jozz, “letting off fireworks
when Joe wuz still playing”)
but the sound men were cued for ‘Land
of Hope and Glory’. So we got
fireworks, Joe, Elgar, fireworks,
no Joe, no fireworks, and finally
the remnants of Elgar sadly playing
out as, under the watchful eye of
the mass congregation of the local
Old Bill, we gathered the remnants
of our day back onto Jozzer’s
old dad’s costermonger’s
cart and pushed it back home. |
|
And looking back in retrospect what
had we learnt? Well, you don’t
have to pay £40 or more for
a good day out in the park. And that
once disarmed of prejudice (and music
is a great disarmer) you can have
a good old knees up with gawd blimey
heavens knows who you like. That the
Blockheads really do remain the benchmark
in funk soul rock and roll, relaxed
exemplars for all to follow. That
you don’t need a burger king
sponsor to spoil a good party. And
that Jozzer’s doll Trizza makes
a mean sausage bap. Ah yes Serge,
we may have been knocked out of the
World’s Cup, but we’re
back here in Blighty, and we’re
doing very well. - Nick Morgan
(photographs by Kate) |
| Many
thanks, Nick, that was amazing. Maybe
a bit scary as well, especially because
my daughter is currently in London…
I mean, is it always like that? Now,
she could always find refuge in that
‘solar powered French Circus’.
But what was it? What is a French
circus, diplomacy and football apart?
And what is a ‘croissant neuf’?
Do you collect old croissants? Did
the College of Pataphysics strike
again? Er... |
 |
TASTING
- TWO LONGROWS
Longrow
9 yo 1990/1999 (46%, Murray McDavid,
MM 206)
Nose: very fresh and very farmy
at the same time, very pure, with
notes of linseed oil, apples and
wet hay… Very elegant and
without any offbeat notes, contrarily
to what happens with many more recent
expressions I think (see below).
Also something buttery, mashy (bear),
yoghurt, mashed potatoes…
A clean one. |
| Mouth:
quite oily with lots of almonds, bitter
oranges, grain, smoke, oyster juice.
It’s really maritime and most
nicely balanced. Nice sweetness and
again a little marzipan that give
it a pleasant body. A rather long
finish with a pinch of pepper. In
short, it’s not too complicated,
not unforgettable but hugely enjoyable
despite its young age. 88
points. |
| Longrow
11 yo 1994 (58%, Cadenhead for Whiskyplus
Berlin, 288 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: starts
quite hot and very milky, cardboardy
and mashy like most recent OB’s.
Lots of fresh butter but also wet
chalk, cod oil, aspirin and rubbed
orange zest, the whole getting frankly
‘chemical’ after a while.
Notes of canned pineapple… Very
little peat left after a moment but
something like fisherman’s nest,
motor oil. Hints of overripe fruits
(kiwis?) and camphor. Highly unusual
indeed, a nose unlike any other malts’.
Mouth: a very funny attack that really
makes me think of Hazelburn, with
its weird but interesting profile.
A little salt, Alka-Seltzer, concentrated
lemon juice, rosehip tea, hints of
salmiak and even kippers… It
goes in many directions but always
off the beaten track, which makes
it sort of lovable (although I don’t
‘like’ it). The finish
is long but a little chemical again,
with notes of ‘artificial’
orange juice and something a little
soapy. Well, I think this one is really
unconventional, hence well worth trying,
that’s for sure. 77
points. |
|
|
|
July
17, 2006 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
| TASTING
- THREE 1995 CAOL ILAS |
 |
Caol
Ila 1995 (58.3%, Jack Wieber’s
Prenzlow Collection)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: powerful,
peaty, smoky, maritime and almondy.
Rather raw but very clean and very
fresh, with something earthy in the
background and maybe a slight soapiness.
Nothing special but no flaws either.
|
| With
water: hints of varnish at the start
but then it gets hugely farmy (horse
sweat and dung, manure) but in all
elegance. Funny how the fresh pear
comes out as well. Very pleasant and
with lots of backbone. Mouth (neat):
sweet and fruity with lots of backbone.
Huge notes of apple skins, lemon zests
and, quite simply, peat. Easily drinkable
just like that but let’s try
it with water. Right, it gets much
earthier and more liquoricy, with
also notes of smoked tea, smoked oysters…
And a long, very liquoricy and quite
salty finish. Very good, young Coal
Ila... 87 points. |
| Caol
Ila 9 yo 1995/2005 (60%, Acorn, Japan)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very
similar of course, maybe a tad more
chocolaty but also slightly less expressive.
Probably more delicate as well. With
water: this one gets a little more
coastal rather than farmy (seaweed),
but they are still very close. Very
pure, these Acorn. Mouth (neat): it’s
almost the same malt now, with maybe
just a little more sweetness (yeah,
splitting hairs). With water: again
it’s almost the same, maybe
with a little more cardboard at the
finish. 86 points. |
| Caol
Ila 11 yo 1995 (60.5%, Cadenhead,
Cask #12406 330 bottles)
Colour:
pale white wine. Nose: again very
similar, a little more spirity this
time and a tad more almondy but it’s
again a tad less expressive than both
the JWWW and the Acorn. With water:
Closer to the Prenzlow, i.e. farmier
but with maybe more ‘minerality’
now (wet stones). Mouth (neat): same
malt would I say. Almost. With water:
yeah, almost. This one is maybe just
a tad rougher and also saltier. 86
points. |
| All
these three Caol Ilas were perfectly
distilled, no doubt and I can’t
wait to taste these batches when they’re
20 or 30 years old. An interesting
case where the distillery seems to
be much more important than the wood
and the warehouses… |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - More French music, I
mean French music that sounds really
French (after Air, Daft Punk, Stereolab,
Katerine et. all.) - it's Louis
Philippe doing L'hiver
te va bien.mp3 in 1995 (produced
by Bertrand Burgalat). Please buy
these guys' music! |
 |
|
|
|
July
16, 2006 |
|
|
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK on vacation
in Saint-Tropez |
| TASTING
- TWO AUCHROISKS BY CADENHEAD |
 |
Auchroisk
12 yo 1978/1990 (59.3%, Cadenhead,
dumpy black label, 75cl)
Colour: straw. Nose: rather closed
at first nosing, with just notes of
hay and wet stones as well as salt
and Fanta. A bit hard I must say and
somewhat chemical. Let’s give
it some time… Well, there’s
also some ginger tonic coming through
after a moment, old cardboard…
And then it gets much cleaner, finally,
mostly on newly cut apples. With water:
oh yes, what a pull-up! It got much,
much cleaner, nicely herbal and citrusy,
with also quite some vanilla crème
and whiffs of fresh mint. Amazing
what water does to this one. |
| Mouth
(neat): punchy, aggressive, very bitter
and very lemony. Ouch! Quick, water:
it improves again but in lesser proportions.
It’s still very lemony and quite
bitter but we have also a little tea,
tangerines, cake… Much more
tannins as well and a finish that’s
rather long but a little dry and sort
of indefinite. But what a miracle
on the nose! 80 points. |
Auchroisk
15 yo 1989 (59.5%, Cadenhead)
Colour: straw. Nose: much more sherry
but other than that it’s again
a little weird at first nosing, with
notes of vase water, ‘old’
oranges, ‘old’ meat…
Also quite some rubber and even new
plastic. Yet, we do have some nice
whiffs of freshly cut herbs (chive?)
Let’s add a little water now:
gosh, now it’s almost pure rubber!
Brand new bicycle inner tube, rubber
bands and all that… A rubber
monster? I guess some would like it
– I don’t. Mouth (neat):
certainly creamier than its older
sibling but also more rubbery, with
lots of burnt fruits and a little
salt… Rather hard again. With
water: no real improvement I’m
afraid, always these huge rubbery
notes until the end of the finish…
Not my style I’m afraid. 68
points. |
MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening - It's Sunday, we go classical
(sort of) with an excellent piece
by Terry
Riley called 15/16.mp3,
solo piano recorded live at the
Festival dos Capuchos, Lisbon, in
July 1995. Bl**dy excellent and
not minimalist at all, eh! Please
buy all of Mr Riley's music... |
 |
|
|
|
July
15, 2006 |
|
|
| TASTING
- TWO OLD DUMPY GLENURIES |
 |
Glenury
Royal 1964/1977 (80° proof, Cadenhead,
dumpy)
Colour: straw. Nose: hey, isn’t
this an old Clynelish? Huge waxiness
and oiliness, with notes of rubbed
orange zest, tin can, candles, paraffin,
newly printed book (fresh ink and
paper), old wardrobe, attic, hints
of mothballs… Quite some peat
in there… Also hints of anchovies,
the whole getting more and more maritime
with time (dried fish)… Superb
but you have to like this kind of
profile. |
| Mouth:
punchy, kind of sweet, sour and salty,
with again these fishy notes right
from the start, mixed with rosemary,
orange zest, paraffin, fir honey and
mastic, developing on cough syrup
and Smyrna raisins as well as a little
mint. Excellent, and the finish is
rather long, nicely and ‘sweetly’
resinous, like a great old liqueur.
A whisky that keeps talking to you
for a long time (but sorry, we’re
in a rush). 92 points. |
| Glenury
Royal 1966/1979 (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy)
Colour: straw. Nose: this is completely
different, although both were very
much alike at very first nosing. Much
more resinous (fir honey, a little
camphor and eucalyptus) and also both
rounder and more compact. Pine needles,
dired oranges, lemongrass, grapefruit,
and again a great waxines. This one
is probably a little sexier and easier
but not less interesting, that’s
for sure. Mouth: the palates are closer
to each other now, this one being
just a little bolder and more nervous,
but maybe a tad simpler at the attack.
A little fruitier (dried fruits, oranges,
kumquats…) but less resinous.
Hints of rose sweets, Turkish delights,
getting a little spicy (faint hints
of nutmeg and cinnamon). Lots of body
and a very satisfying finish, candied,
citrusy and peppery at the same time,
maybe a little drying. Tie: 92
points. |
MUSIC
– JAZZ - Highly recommended
listening - the great Ella
Mae Morse aka the Dynamite
Texas Diva does George Handy's beautiful
Rip
Van Winkle.mp3 (yes) in 1945. |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews |
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Glenury
Royal 1964/1977
(80° proof, Cadenhead, dumpy)
Glenury
Royal 1966/1979 (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy)
Highland
Park 12 yo (43%,
OB, rotation 1980, Italy)
Highland
Park 21 yo 1984/2005 ‘Ambassador’s
Cask’ (56.1%, OB, UK, cask #43,
270 bottles)
Longmorn
1969 (62%, G&M – Jas. Gordon,
Cask series, late 1980’s)
Speyside
1991/2006 ‘Sauternes’ (50%,
Celtique Connexion, 297 bottles)
Springbank
1966/2000 ‘Local Barley’ (55%,
OB, cask #511)
|
| |
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|
