 |
|
Hi, you're in the Archives, June 2007 - Part 1 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
June
14, 2007 |
|
 |
 |
THE
FEIS ILE SESSIONS – THREE
BOWMORES FROM THE SEVENTIES |
Bowmore
27 yo 1973/2000 (50.2%, Blackadder,
cask #3176, 233 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: probably a little
spirity at first sniffing but then
we have very pleasant notes of tropical
fruits ‘as usual’ (more
mangos this time as well as quite
some tangerines and papayas) and light
honey and pollen. A little vanilla,
caramel, café latte. Also not
too ripe bananas. Fruity but quite
robust. Mouth: the palate matches
the nose. Lots of tangerines and oranges
and lots of vanilla. Gets a little
oaky after a while, a little tannic
and cardboardy, drying (quite some
white pepper). Also a little more
peat than on the nose but it’s
far from being a peat monster. Finish:
rather long, nicely hot, still orangey.
Lots of honey at the retro-olfaction.
Not the best old Bowmore ever but
it’s still a great whisky.
87 points. |
| Bowmore
20yo 1976/1996 (53.6%, Signatory,
cask #3547, 275 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather discreet
at first nosing, with faint whiffs
of yellow flowers from the fields,
banana skin and vanilla as well as
a little honey (light breakfast honey
like they serve you in most hotels).
Actually, it never really takes off
without water. With water: huge saponification…
Let’s wait. After a few minutes:
water brought out a few tropical fruits
but it also made the tannins bigger
and drier, like if it was a 35yo whisky,
a bit tired. Strange. Mouth (neat):
much better than on the nose when
neat, candied and very fruity (oranges,
butter pears). Alas, it gets then
a little drying and oaky. With water:
that work on the palate, we have now
fruit salad with lots of bananas,
oranges and tangerines. Finish: quite
long, honeyed and vanilled. A Bowmofre
dating from the time when the ‘tropical
fruits’ changed to more ‘northern’
ones. Good whisky, more interesting
with water. 86 points. |
Bowmore
1976/1989 (60%, McLelland's for Scotch
Single Malt Circle, cask #1976/47)
Colour: full gold. Nose: a little
bizarre at first nosing, kind of dirty
(old wine barrel) and musty. Hints
of English brown sauce and stale orange
juice. Not development. Water needed
I guess… No, that doesn’t
quite work. It got very dry, cardboardy,
with maybe just some added notes of
cocoa and mocha. Mouth (neat): hot
and quite tannic and peppery. A little
hard I must say. With water: now it’s
the spices that came out, lots of
ginger, pepper, even chilli. Amazingly
peppery in fact. Strange… Also
something slightly soapy (even after
a good twenty minutes). Finish: long
but hot and too spicy, with just hints
of green apples. A tricky one! Not
much pleasure. 78 points. |
| |
June
13, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO DALWHINNIES
Dalwhinnie
15 yo (43%, OB, circa 1986)
A pre-Classic Malts version. We’ve
heard from reputable sources that
whilst most malts don’t go
too well in refreshing cocktails,
Dalwhinnie sort of does, so it’s
probably one of the very few global
warming-compatible malts. But let’s
try this oldie neat… |
| Colour:
pale gold. Nose: quite vibrant, maybe
not as gentle as expected, starting
very honeyed and fruity (lots of white
peaches). A delicate wood smokiness
in the background. Also lots of vanilla,
pollen, flowers and nectar as well
as notes of apple juice. Rounded but
not as soft as anticipated. Mouth:
ho-ho, this one is truly restless
and not really smooth. Strong despite
the 43%, caramelized, very malty and
nutty, toasted… Heavy notes
of natural vanilla and chicory, strong
honey, cake… And still a little
smokiness. Really punchy although
maybe a little too much on the malty
side. Finish: yes, long, still very
malty, cereally, candied and nutty…
Good powerful whisky, probably one
to pour your friends who’d like
to move up from blended whisky. If
you’re suffering from a heat
wave and plan to use it in cocktails,
please watch your proportions. 84
points. |
| Dalwhinnie
20 yo 1986/2006 (56.8%, OB)
This one comes from refill European
oak casks. Colour: full gold. Nose:
this one is quite nutty, malty and
cereally, with hints of toasted bread
and coffee as well as a little grass.
Keeps a little shy for a while but
then we have quite some sherry coming
through as well as roughly the same
aromas as in the older 15yo, that
is to say peaches, honey, pollen and
beeswax. Also very ripe gooseberries
and plums and a similar smokiness
as well. Gains complexity with breathing,
with a wider palette of fruity aromas
(melons, guavas, strawberries, sultanas…)
Very, very elegant. Mouth: more sherry
at the attack, with quite some kirschy
notes. Huge maltiness again. Slight
rubber – nothing disturbing
– and lots of cooked fruits
(apricots) and orange marmalade, with
that slight bitterness. The nose didn’t
need any water but let’s try
what happens on the palate (while
the nose got nicely mentholated):
it got fruitier but maybe a little
simpler too, more orangey. No real
improvement – not that it needed
any. Finish: rather long, a little
spicy now (ginger and cloves) and
just a tad rubbery again. Maybe not
the most characterful of all malt
whiskies, even at cask strength, but
it’s got something to say and
is certainly very palatable.
85 points. |
| |
June
12, 2007 |
|
|
| THE
FEIS ILE SESSIONS – FOUR OLD
BOWMORES |
 |
Bowmore
33 yo 1969/2003 (42.5%, Duncan Taylor
Peerless, cask #6085, 238 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: classic tangerines
and passion fruits right at first
sniffing but with maybe a little more
pat than usual – or, at least
in comparison with the 1968’s.
Very nice smokiness, notes of quince
jelly, grenadine, pomegranate. Very
intriguing notes of cardamom in the
background as well as quite some rice
pudding. This one is very entertaining.
Mouth: candied attack, with more caramel
and honey than usual with these old
Bowmores. Hints of violet sweets,
quite some toffee, vanilla fudge,
roasted chestnuts. Also a little overripe
orange. Finish: not too long but truly
salty and orangey. Very, very good,
not tired at all. 91 points.
(and thanks, Konstantin.) |
| Bowmore
1964/1979 ‘Bicentenary’
(43%, OB)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: a completely
different style, much more coastal.
Whiffs of sea air, dried kelp, then
balsamic vinegar, then all kinds of
herbs such as thyme, oregano, pesto…
Truly amazing. It gets then fantastically
resinous (fir honeydew, a little camphor,
cough syrup, hints of natural tar…)
Also lots of dried fruits (dates,
figs)… And curcuma, and saffron,
and freshly ground black pepper (quite
heady), and of course tropical fruits
(guavas). And hints of wormwood. Truly
mind-boggling. Mouth: creamy, thick,
very sherried, probably less complex
than on the nose. Kind of smoky blackberry
jam. Also prunes, a little chlorophyll,
cough sweets, quite some mint. Lots
of pepper (various kinds), crème
brulée, chestnut honey…
Parsley, quetsches… And a long,
creamy finish, with quite some nutmeg
and cumin. No further comments needed.
95 points. |
| Bowmore
1965 (43%, OB, mid-1980's)
A lighter version of the 'full proof'
1965 that we found in a Milanese pizzeria
with Johannes a few years ago. Colour:
full gold. Nose: maybe a little more
sipirity (although it’s not
spirity – well, you see what
I mean). A little more caramel, hints
of tapioca, polenta… The sherry
is more on red fruits (strawberries,
blackberries), peonies, blackcurrants…
Probably more classic. Very nice pepper,
a little dill, parsley, crystallised
oranges, hints of smoked ham, spearmint…
Less complex than the Bicentenary
on the nose but still very beautiful.
Mouth: bolder, more powerful than
the Bicentenary at the attack, fruitier,
more honeyed. It’s almost thick!
Goes on with plums (both green, yellow
and red), smoke, spices of all kinds
(lots of nutmeg and cinnamon). Finish:
amazing, preciously woody and spicy,
candied, jammy… Absolutely wonderful.
94 points. |
| Bowmore
‘Bowmist’ (70°proof,
OB, Sherriff, bottled 1960’s)
A fabulous old bottle of Bowmore,
a ‘finest west highland scotch
whisky’! Colour: pale gold.
Nose: not bold ‘of course’
but rather expressive considering
the age. No ‘loud’ fruitiness
but rather a fine minerality, whiffs
of ashes, stones, wax, marzipan (like
often in these very old bottles).
Gets meaty with time. There are also
quite some flowers from the fields
(dandelions). Hints – just hints
- of tangerines. Really complex, subtle,
with a long development, ending on
tallow and soot. Mouth: punchier than
expected! Now we have some lemon sweets,
lemon pie, roasted hazelnuts…
Then verbena and spearmint (other
flavours that are quite common in
very old bottles) as well as a great
waxiness. Gets then quite maritime,
with a little salt that starts to
play with your palate as well as grapefruit
juice. The peat is well here in the
background, also a little honey. How
good! |
 |
| Finish:
long, salty, lemony and nutty, even
better than at the attack or the middle.
Great aftertaste on mandarins. What
an excellent surprise, with a development
that’s much longer than expected.
And it got neither drying, nor tea-ish
- at all. 91 points
(and many thanks, Olivier). |
| |
June
11, 2007 |
|
|
| THE
FEIS ILE SESSIONS – SEVEN 1967
ARDBEGS |
 |
Ardbeg 32 yo 1967/1999 (43.1%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 120 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: starts on a rather
beautiful sherry, very fruity (apricot
jam) and quite lively, even if the
distillery character is a little absent
here. Nice notes of parsley, chives
and a little fresh mint. Starts more
and more to smell like a freshly opened
pack of liquorice all-sorts. Also
quite some orange marmalade. Absolutely
no sulphur at all. A little peat after
a long time. Mouth: the attack is
on very dry sherry, with lots of bitter
chocolate and espresso, cocoa, Smyrna
raisins and mint. Again, little distillery
character left in this one. The peat
takes its time but when it comes it’s
rather beautiful, sort of earthy,
leafy and tobacco-like (chewed pipe
tobacco). Finish: not very long but
quite beautifully dry, coffeeish and
earthy. Not the best very old Ardbeg
ever (the sherry is maybe too dominating)
but it’s still a legend. 89
points. |
| Ardbeg
32 yo 1967/2000 (49%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 309 bottles)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: starts peatier,
closer to the distillery, even if
it’s not as expressive. Whiffs
of peonies, blackcurrant buds and
beer (a strange mixture indeed), then
fir honeydew, mint sauce, dill…
A little camphor… It gets more
and more on ‘Ardbeg’…
A very long development, very complex.
More and more on cough syrup and old
nuts, then cinchona (Campari). Mouth:
one that slowly takes you by the sides,
soothingly (is that maltoporn or what?)
Notes of wormwood, earl grey tea,
kumquats, mint liqueur, verbena…
Then small bitter oranges. Superb
smokiness, bitter chocolate from the
best makers, curcuma… Excellent
old Ardbeg. Finish: not immensely
long but balanced, subtly resinous
and herbal. Just a tad drying but
that’s normal. 93 points. |
| Ardbeg
32 yo 1967/1999 (47.5%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 185 bottles)
‘A green Ardbeg’. Colour:
bronze (amazingly green), greener
than anything else we’ve seen
before. Nose: I don’t know if
this is my mind playing dirty tricks
but it smells like fir buds liqueur,
honeydew and aluminium pan. Gets more
and more resinous, camphory…
Then we have humus, wild mushrooms,
shitake, black tobacco (Balkan Sobranie).
Extremely entertaining and ‘different’.
Mouth: (I must confess this green
colour is scary). Quite some mint
at the attack, various herbs (verbena
again, dill…), a coastal side
that subsists despite the old age
and the odd wood. Alas it slightly
falls apart after a moment, like an
old wine. Notes of old wood, spearmint,
sorrel… Very different indeed.
Finish: not long but nicely dry and
minty, still herbal, with hints of
plum jam… A very unusual Ardbeg.
From Mars? 90 points. |
| Ardbeg
30 yo 1967/1997 (49.8%, Signatory,
dark oloroso, cask #1140, 536 bottles)
Colour: full amber. Nose: more power,
more oomph, a little more peat. Gentian
and liquorice, quince jelly, mint
again, moss… Then it’s
more on vanilla and plum pudding.
Faint whiffs of church incense, tobacco,
leather. A little flowery as well
(peonies). Mouth: vibrant and punchy,
candied and freshly fruity (pomegranate),
with quite some oak. The tannins are
of the silky kind. Goes on with rosehip
tea, dried mushrooms, very ripe plums,
mint drops… Now, the tannins
get a little too bold after a moment
(cocoa). Maybe not the best of all
‘1967 olorosos’ by Signatory.
Finish: longer than the OMC’s,
fruitier but also a little more tannic
again. But what a wonderful old whisky.
92 points (and
thanks, Ho-cheng). |
 |
Ardbeg
29 yo 1967/1996 (52%, Kingsbury, cask
#923)
Colour: full amber. Nose: extraordinary
honeyed attack (chestnut, fir) with
superb notes of old sweet wines (Yquem
springs to mind) and all sorts of
herbs. Verbena, citronella, chamomile…
Then it gets all on roasted nuts and
milk chocolate, bourbon vanilla, nougat…
The peat is wonderfully integrated.
We have also a great meatiness (well-hung
game, smoked ham) as well as quite
some wax polish (grandma’s cupboard).
Symphonic. |
| Mouth:
amazing attack. Totally amazing. Bold,
majestic, powerful but never overpowering…
All kinds of nuts and fruits, chocolates,
ganaches, rare spices (saffron), ginger,
quince jelly, balsamic vinegar. And
the peat? You may ask. It’s
well here, crouched behind the sherry,
providing this wonderful dram with
even more structure and zing. Amazing.
Finish: long, toasted, peaty, jammy,
nutty… It’s got everything.
96 points. |
| Ardbeg
29 yo 1967/1996 (54.6%, Kingsbury,
cask #922)
Colour: full amber. Nose: less on
honey but more on roasted nuts and
coffee beans. Hazelnuts, black nougat…
The sherry is also stronger than in
cask #923, the whole getting fruitier
(blackberry jelly, strawberry jam).
Immensely elegant. Also humus, mushrooms,
high-end sake, balsamic vinegar, Spanish
ham (patanegra). This one simply leaves
me speechless. Mouth: similar to cask
#923, really, maybe just a tad more
peppery and even more assertive. A
true monster. Enough said. 97
points. Pure madness: a vatting
of both casks. On the nose,
it got much more organic, with more
notes of dried mushrooms and balsamic
vinegar. The mouth didn’t quite
change but they were rather similar
right from the start. Just between
us, they should have vatted both at
Kingsbury’s, maybe that would
have given us the best whisky in the
world (in my books). |
| Ardbeg
28 yo 1967 (53%, Scotch Malt Sales,
500ml)
An ultra-rare version! Colour: pale
gold. Nose: what an amazing purity!
It starts right on honeysuckle, almond
milk and apple skins and gets then
amazingly maritime, smelling just
like a plate of queen scallops and
razor-shells. It gets then even fresher
(now it’s really oysters and
lemon) and then fantastically phenolic
(faint whiffs of diesel oil). There’s
also hints of wet wool. Incredible
purity and freshness! Mouth: amazing
attack, really in line with the nose.
The peat is extraordinary and so are
all the fruits (lemons, citrons, pink
grapefruits). Then we have notes of
lavender sweets, violet sweets, high-end
marzipan, a little salt… Then
the same oysters and queen scallops,
hints of liquorice, cappuccino, argan
oil... And then it’s the fresh
almonds again. |
 |
|
It’s amazing how this ‘naked’
old Ardbeg stands comparison with
the sherried Kingsburies. Finish:
long, almondy, leaving a surprising
sweetness on your tong as well a just
a little salt. Tremendously good.
95 points (and
heartfelt thanks, Bert). |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Let’s have some very
great fiddle today with friend François
Dreno and his band Trefiddle
playing Tripping
up the stairs.mp3. François
is one of the best French fiddlers
and besides playing excellent traditional
Celtic music he’s also an accomplished
jazz and classical musician as well
as a musical director and composer
for movies and theatre. Please buy
his music as soon as his new CD, ‘The
Irish Call’ is out! (we’ll
also try to interview him within the
coming weeks). |
 |
| |
June
10, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– THREE 16 yo CAOL ILAS |
 |
|
Caol Ila 16 yo 1969/1985 (40%, Intertrade)
Again, it’s always interesting
to try a ‘pre-expansion’
Caol Ila. Colour: pure gold. Nose:
just fantastic. Extraordinary notes
of leather (‘Russian’
would add true wine anoraks) and tar,
big fat oysters, incense smoke, high-end
cider and bergamot. Stunning. The
rest is censored by the anti-maltoporn
brigade – yes we have a new
government over here. Mouth: definitely
censored. Totally great. Same notes
as above, please just add hints of
small bitter oranges. I think I never
had a whisky at 40% that was that
big – a masterpiece, the Callas
of the Hebrides, or the first piece
of Monteverdi's
Orfeo. 95 points
(and many thanks, Marc S.). |
| Caol
Ila 16 yo 1990/2006 (56.3%, Milano
Whisky Festival, 277 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: completely
different. Much grainier, mashier,
less peaty, more vanilled and slightly
cardboardy. Don’t get me wrong,
this is perfectly all right but the
1969 was so big despite its 40%...
Nice whiffs of sea breeze, that is.
An average Caol Ila on the nose –
which still means a beautiful Islayer.
Mouth: excellent attack this time,
nowhere near the 1969 of course but
absolutely flawless, compact, sweet
and peaty, liquoricy, candied, balanced,
peppery… Prototypical modern
Caol Ila, with an ultra-long finish.
85 points. |
| Caol
Ila 16 yo 1991/2007 (57.4%, Whisky-Doris,
bourbon cask)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: we do have
roughly the same whisky here. Very
little differences… Maybe this
one’s a tad more crystalline
and more maritime. Keyword: oysters.
Mouth: almost the same whisky again.
Maybe a tad sharper again, more precise
aromatically and maybe a tad more
lemony. Great finish, very powerful
and very compact, as smoky as it can
get. A Caol Ila that’s just
as ‘boldly peaty’ as any
of its compadres from the south shore.
87 points. (I agree
I should have had the 1969 at the
end, but I had thought the 40% would
have handicapped it. I was wrong.) |
| |
June
9, 2007 |
|
|
 |
THE
FEIS ILE SESSIONS – THREE
CAOL ILAS from the old distillery. |
| Caol
Ila 1966/1995 (40%, G&M Centenary
Reserve)
Colour: amber with orange hues. Nose:
delicate like a very old Sauternes.
Only hints but superb hints of anthracite,
wet earth, fir honeydew and trappist
beer. Then it gets more on apricot
juice, light honey, mullein flowers.
Hints of overripe apples, toffee,
caramel crème, cappuccino…
And the peat? It’s well here,
subtle, delicate… Marvellous
old Caol Ila, if only they had bottled
it at a slightly higher strength…
Mouth: excellent attack on baked apples,
mead and soft pepper. Not weak at
all I must say. Apricot pie, crystallised
oranges, toasted brioche, white pepper.
Very nice notes of smoked salmon.
Finish: quite long! Toasted, peaty,
with quite some dried figs…
A tad drying, ‘of course’.
A poem, quite moving. 91 points. |
Caol
Ila 20 yo (40%, Sestante, ‘red
lettering’, 1980's)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one
is much smokier, mineral, ashy…
Notes of wet clay and chalk, old books,
straw… Light spices (soft paprika).
A little linseed oil, paper, whiffs
of fresh mint… Rather less expressive
than the 1966 but still delicate and
subtly smoky. Same comment on the
ABV. Mouth: weaker, quite tired, on
apples and lightly infused tea. Cardboard.
Too bad. Very short finish. Very nice
nose but almost no palate I’m
afraid. 72 points. |
| Caol
Ila 1968 (57%, Samaroli, oval label,
1980's)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: powerful,
punchy, peaty, peppery and superbly
herbal. Lots of vegetables (fennel,
celery, salsify), superb whiffs of
pine tree smoke, oak wood smoke. Gets
then rather camphory. Notes of cider
apples, kiwis. Tiger balm, lemon-flavoured
toffee, butter and lemon sauce. Litres
of sea water as well. Sensational
nose. Mouth: hugely candied and peaty,
maritime and medicinal just like these
official single cask Ardbegs distilled
in the early 1970’s. Lots of
cough syrup (eucalyptus, mint). A
little mastic, high-end pu-erh tea
(great earthiness), gentian and liquorice,
mustard, horseradish… The rest
is censored by the anti-maltoporn
department. 96 points. |
| And
also Glen
Ila 5 yo (40%, OB, Bulloch & Lade,
late 70’s)
A ‘pure vatted malt’ by
the owners of Coal Ila, that probably
contains Caol Ila. Colour: straw.
Nose: waxy and delicately peaty, with
obvious whiffs of wood smoke. Goes
on with green apples and marzipan.
A young vatted malt that was nicely
composed and that has some of Caol
Ila’s freshness. Mouth: quite
powerful, still waxy and smoky. Not
unlike a vatting of young Caol Ila
and Clynelish plus a Speysider or
two to add roundness (a recipe that
John Glaser wouldn’t disown).
Excellent balance. Finish: surprisingly
long, more honeyed and delicately
peppery. 84 points.
(thanks, Lindores) |
 |
| |
June
8, 2007 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
AMY WINEHOUSE Shepherd’s
Bush Empire, London
February 2nd,
March 9th, May 29th
2007 |
 |
Third
time lucky, or so they say, but it
doesn’t quite feel like it up
here on the second floor of a packed
and sweaty Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
Amy
Winehouse is over thirty
minutes late and the audience don’t
like it – booing, foot stamping
and all that stuff. Some of the out-of-towners
are audibly worried about buses and
trains home. Some of the younger girls
around us (in this highly diverse
audience) are taking a tip from their
heroine and simply getting plastered
– her hit single ‘Rehab’
has become something of an anthem
for them and their like. But hang
on – Amy’s not thirty
minutes late, she’s over three
months late. |
| This
gig should have been on 2nd February,
but Ms Winehouse postponed. It was
rescheduled for 9th March and by the
skin of my teeth, I made it to the
Bush from Scotland to meet closed
doors. Amy had broken a tooth “following
a fall” was the excuse, but
as tabloid pictures showed, it didn’t
stop her from buying wine at Sainsbury’s
or boozing in Camden Town pubs. Hot
gossip was that she’d split
up with her beau. Tonight’s
hot gossip – there’s a
lot of gossip about Amy - is that
she has just married her beau (no
– not that one, but the other
one from before, who apparently inspired
most of the songs on her fantastic
album Back to Black). So what? This
time it’s been a ferry, car
and plane ride from Islay (and horror
of horrors, no dinner) to get here
on time. On time? Maybe I’m
just getting old-fashioned. |
| A
few minutes later, Amy totters out
onto the stage and as you might imagine
everything is immediately forgiven.
It’s a nightclub set-up: ruched
curtains, satin-shaded standard lamps
and red carpet. Amy’s dressed
for the part (as are her dark suited
nine-piece band) in a tiny dress,
her crown of dark hair tumbling down
her tattooed and scarred arms (self-harming
apparently). Her legs are painfully
thin. Her heels dangerously high.
And she’s on a high too. Sir
Elton, who was here last night with
David (there’s a Gallagher on
the other side of the balcony tonight
– Noel I think, and a Weller
too) proclaims her “the world’s
most talented female singer”.
She’s just won an Ivor Novello
award (her second) for the self-penned
‘Rehab’ and she also picked
up the Brit Award for Best British
Female Artist – pipping little
Lily Allen at the post (much to the
delight of many). Lily, you may like
to know, has struck back by putting
a lot of whine into her grotesquely
self-indulgent and self-regarding
Myspace blog – “fat, ugly
and shitter than winehouse”
she wrote recently. But back to Amy
– she’s tipped for just
about every prize that’s going
this year, and of course, like I said,
she’s just got married. Sadly,
the
latest gossip is that after only
a month it’s not going too well
– as Ms Winehouse wrote, ‘Love
is a losing game’. |
| What
with those legs, and those shoes,
Amy doesn’t too a great deal
of moving (it’s a sort of inhibited
shimmy with exotic hand movements),
except that is to curtsey painfully
(remember the skirt?) to pick up one
of two glasses by her monitors. In
one, an ever-replenished supply of
red wine and in the other, something
that looked like Lemsip. She’s
got a bit of a throat, or as she explains
after singing the Zutons’ ‘Valerie’,
“Me voice is going all shitty”.
Actually that’s about as eloquent
as Ms Winehouse got in the speaking
stakes. Every attempt at communication
ended in a faded barely articulate
mumble. She did manage to introduce
us to dad (on the right of the first
balcony), and hubby (on the left of
the first balcony), and ‘my
girls’, who are up there squeaking
and squealing with hubby. Hubby, by
the way, gets lots of waves, kisses
and long languid looks – it’s
sometimes as though the audience isn’t
there. She talks a little about the
songs, which could be interesting,
but it all ends up getting lost in
the Norf London mumble – “this
song’s about, well, I dunno,
oh fuck it…” Shame. I’d
like to know how a little girl (figuratively)
can write such complex and grown up
songs. Yes, they’re probably
very self-focussed in terms of content
but the structure is immensely mature
and sophisticated. That comes across
even more when you hear the stuff
being performed live by a very accomplished
band. |
 |
| It’s
almost too good, and it makes me wonder
what happened between 2004 after the
release of her first album Frank and
the release of Back to Black at the
end of 2006 – did she sell her
soul to the devil at the Golders Green
and Finchley Road crossroads? |
|
Throat problem or not Ms Winehouse’s
voice is a pretty remarkable thing,
and she excels on songs such as ‘Back
to black’, ‘Tears dry
on their own’, and ‘Me
& Mr Jones’. And who could
imagine having songs like ‘Rehab’
and ‘You know I’m no good’
(with its deliciously aromatic, if
not botanical lyric, “sniffed
me out like Tanqueray”) at the
age of 23? It’s great stuff,
and what Ms
Winehouse lacks - particularly
movement - is made up for by her band
and the two singer/dancers who barely
stop dancing all night. Pity that
it ends with a great song (the Maytals’
‘Monkey Man’) poorly executed,
but maybe her voice had given up by
then. Booing and jeering long forgotten,
an exhilarated audience made their
way happily home across Shepherd’s
Bush Green. I certainly wouldn’t
have missed this for anything –
not any means of transport you care
to mention – but I still couldn’t
help thinking that three months was
just a bit too long to make me wait.
- Nick Morgan (photographs by
Kate) |
| Muchas
gracias Nick. I know Amy Winehouse
perfectly well, we’re in close
contact through email. Well, actually,
she sends me a lot of emails. I mean,
not her personally, but Island Records,
who are using her name and mailing
list to promote many of their artistes
(Ramble strips, Mutya Buena…)
The trick is well known, you have
an artiste with quite a following,
then you make him/her record duets
with several other artistes and try
to stir things up via myspace and/or
emails, trying to create kind of a
‘nuclear reaction’…
Seems to work! Now, Amy’s Stronger
than me.mp3 is quite nuclear too
I must say. - S. |
| TASTING
– TWO RECENT GLENTURRETS |
 |
Glenturret 26 yo 1980/2006 (47.3%,
Murray McDavid Mission Gold, enhanced
in Rioja casks, 680 bottles)
I’ve always had troubles with
Glenturret, I hope that’ll improve
soon. Why not today? By the way, Rioja
is a famous Spanish wine, some being
purely splendid. Colour: apricot –
salmony. Nose: a little strange I
must say. Vinous (blackcurrant buds,
cherries, peonies) and milky-mashy,
with also whiffs of tapioca and beer.
Reminds me of that kriek beer our
Belgian friends make. A funny nose,
not unpleasant at all but quite far
from ‘whisky’ I’d
say. Ah yes, also notes of mashed
carrots and pumpkin soup. Or is that
the colour? |
| Mouth:
funny, very funny! A lot of liquorice
sticks, all kinds of roots, gentian,
turnips and celeriac, dry wine such
as Jura’s or dry sherry (yes,
I know Rioja has nothing to do with
those), notes of strawberries, wine-poached
pears and blackcurrant jelly. It’s
good winesky and most certainly better
than it was prior to finis…
I mean enhancement (indeed). Finish:
quite long, rather balanced, liquoricy
and nicely dry, with a little caramel
and blackcurrant jelly again. Interesting.
Mind you, almost my best Glenturret
ever, mucho gracias! 83 points. |
Glenturret
20 yo 1986/2007 (50.3%, Cadenhead,
222 bottles) 
Colour: straw. Nose: green, grainy,
even mashier than the ‘Rioja’,
with notes of ginger tonic, raw wool,
wet wood, milk and porridge. Rough
and quite immature I’m afraid,
but maybe the palate will be nicer.
Mouth: it’s not. Very bizarrely
perfumy and kind of ‘dirty’.
‘Chemical’ orange sweets.
Prickly finish. Forget. 55
points. |
| |
June
7, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO 1977 BUNNAHABHAINS
Bunnahabhain 1977/2006 (43%, Private
Cellar Collection) 
Colour: gold. Nose: soft and fruity,
starting on ripe apples and hawthorn
tea, with notes of boiling milk
in the background. It smells younger
than it is. There’s also a
little ham, beer, grass starting
to ferment… And a little porridge
as often – although rarely
in 30 yo whiskies. Pretty harmless
I’d say. |
| Mouth:
again, very soft, sweet, grainy and
cereally with hints of liquorice allsorts
and sugared tea as well as a little
brioche (yeah, five o’clock
indeed) and toasted bread. All that
is a little subdued but I wouldn’t
say it’s a weak Bunnahabhain.
Finish: moderately long, quite candied,
with just hints of oak remaining on
your tongue. Not for hardcore malt
aficionados but this one should please
anyone else. 80 points. |
| Bunnahabhain
28 yo 1977/2006 (45.1%, Thewhiskytrader
‘Edition 01’, 210 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: again, a
rather delicate Bunnahabhain but this
one is much more elegant, with some
beautiful notes of yellow flowers
from the fields (buttercups, dandelions)
and quite some acacia honey. Very
‘Bunnahabhain’. Gets then
fruitier, with very nice notes of
ripe bananas and apples, almond milk
and quite some spearmint and lemon
balm. Extremely pleasant. Mouth: nice
body, firm and assertive but again,
with that understated elegance that’s
often to be found in old Bunnahabhains.
We have different kinds of honeys
(including fir and maybe eucalyptus),
roasted hazelnuts, a little café
latte, a little cinnamon, a little
orange cake… The oakiness is
very pleasant, giving the whole a
perfect backbone and even a little
dryness that balances the honeyed
notes quite perfectly. Hugely shippable.
Finish: not the longest I’ve
ever seen but it’s smooth, soft,
delicately fruity and nutty, with
also an unexpected smokiness at the
signature. Quite perfect if you need
an alternative to old sherry and/or
peat monsters. 89 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– by Nick
- Well Serge, we should have spent
our Wednesday night enjoying great
music (and dinner) at the Jazz Café,
listening to the Originator himself,
one of the fathers of rock and roll,
and number 20 in Rolling Stone's Greatest
Musicians of All Times list, Mr Bo
Diddley. But sadly Bo
suffered a stroke a few weeks ago
during a performance in Iowa. He's
back home now in Florida in a rehabilitation
facility so let's wish him a speedy
recovery and hope he makes it back
onto a stage. In the mean time, let's
listen to his You
can't judge a book by its cover.mp3. |
 |
| |
June
6, 2007 |
|
|
| Hi!
The Malt maniacs are in the habit
of bringing lots of old Islayers to
the Islay Festival each year and of
organising anthological tasting sessions
at their birth place. This year again,
we had some real crackers! We’ll
publish our notes from time to time
within the coming weeks, starting
right today with… |
 |
THE
FEIS ILE SESSIONS – SEVEN
PORT ELLENS from the early '70's
Port
Ellen 18 yo 1970 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail CC old map label)
Colour: gold. Nose: fresh and delicate,
starting on hints of lemon pie and
linseed oil as well as a little
caramel and light honey. Fine notes
of old books, putty, plasticine…
Then pollen, dandelions, then tinned
sardines… Rather complex and
beautifully maritime. Nice smokiness
but also quite some caramel. |
| Mouth:
not too bold and probably a little
too caramelly at the attack but then
there’s quite some peat and
pepper starting to coat our mouth.
Goes on with orange marmalade, orange
sweets, a little salt, notes of oysters
hat really taste of the sea, maybe
a little cardboard… All that
is quite delicate and subtle. Finish:
rather short as often with this series
but again, delicately peaty and salty,
with that layer of caramel. Caramelized
oysters? A good old Port Ellen in
any case. 87 points. |
| Port
Ellen 19 yo 1970/1989 (40%, Sestante
for Gallo, 75cl)
Colour: gold. Nose: very different.
Starts on hot butter, grains, cereals,
muesli… Then Corinth raisins,
caramel crème, vanilla crème…
More rounded than the Connoisseurs
Choice and rather less maritime and
peaty but still beautiful on the nose.
It’s after a good fifteen minutes
that the coastal elements come through
(peppered oysters). Also a little
tar. Mouth: very nice attack, peaty,
clean, purer than the G&M. We
have quite some crystallised lemons,
marzipan and nougat. Superb smokiness.
Also a little pepper and just hints
of tar. Too bad this one wasn’t
bottled at a slightly higher strength,
it would have been a legendary bottling.
The finish is a little longer than
the CC’s, that is, very nicely
salty and almondy. In short, an excellent
Port Ellen despite the low strength.
89 points. |
| Port
Ellen 15 yo 1974/1990 (40%, Antica
Casa Marchesi Spinola, Collection
N°1)
Colour: straw. Nose:
rather more vigorous than anticipated,
with quite some saltpetre, dust, watered
lemon juice, raw artichokes and turnips.
A little bizarre... |
 |
|
Faint peatiness. A little melted butter
as well, old wood… Quite shy
in fact, lacking expression. Not very
‘Port Ellen’ I'd say.
Mouth: sweetish, weirdly fruity (‘chemical’
sweets). Violet sweets, oranges…
A disappointment. Only the finish
is a little better, more in line with
what PE should be, with a smokier
signature now. Well, I’m sort
of wondering why this bottling is
so famous. Is it the tartan? 75
points (tried from various
bottles). |
| Port
Ellen 17 yo 1974/1992 (43%, Signatory,
cask #6199, 800 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: sharper, cleaner
and peatier. Notes of metal, flints,
coal oven, lemon… A little muesli
as well. Much more ‘Port Ellen’,
with also a little rubber and tar
as often. Classic and clean, I quite
like it. Mouth: ouch, now it’s
getting seriously weird. Soapy, cardboardy,
beerish, milky, dusty… In one
word: more or les flawed. Finish:
quite long but not any better, maybe
except for the nicely peppery aftertaste.
A weakish old Port Ellen on the palate,
that was promising on the nose (sort
of). 72 points. |
| Port
Ellen 14 yo 1974/1988 (64.3%, G&M
for Intertrade, 570 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, this
is another story, and it’s not
only for the higher alcohol. It starts
on beautiful whiffs of roasting peanuts
and cappuccino (that’s funny
and unusual) but gets then much, much
more classic. Peat, pepper, tar, lemon,
fresh butter. As clean and pure as
it can get. Brilliant. With water:
oh, it got even purer, with added
whiffs of raw wool and seafood. Top
class crystal-clean Port Ellen despite
being quite 'different' at first nosing.
Mouth (neat): amazingly punchy but
already marvellous. Almonds, pepper,
lemon and smoke. With water: it got
rounder, sweeter, more candied but
not less maritime. It really tastes
like fresh oysters with fresh butter
on white bread. Finish: long, more
peppery and even more almondy. One
of the classiest and purest old Port
Ellens I could try – and an
excellent swimmer. Maybe just a little
Jansenist, said Olivier. Matches the
recent OB’s. 92 points. |
 |
Port
Ellen 23 yo 1975/1998 (45%, Samaroli,
744 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this one
is surprisingly mashy and grainy,
smelling just like peated porridge
(or porridge topped with a peaty Islayer).
Also notes of pear juice, apple juice…
Not quite ‘Port Ellen’
to say the least, rather immature
and disappointing considering its
'pedigree'. Mouth: better now. Smoky,
on apple juice and pepper, mastic,
apple skin, a little marzipan…
The peat grows then bolder, the whole
getting rather peppery. Finish: medium
long, peatier, with also nice notes
of mandarins… Very nice finish
that's good enough to grant him a
rating above 80 but it's globally
disappointing I’d say. There
are so many better Port Ellens around…Rather
a collectors' bottle. 82 points. |
| Port
Ellen 24 yo 1975/1999 (56%, Adelphi,
cask #1765, 282 bottles)
With the first all-white (and maybe
more readable) Adelphi labels - sorry,
no pictures. Colour: straw. Nose:
cleaner but slightly inexpressive.
Whiffs of peat smoke, ginger tonic,
grass… Very spirity, at that.
Notes of chestnut liqueur, wet wool.
Something slightly soapy in the background.
Second choice Port Ellen if you ask
me, which is still good. Mouth: nicer
attack fruity – peaty –
peppery – chocolaty. Tangerines
and oranges plus ginger and white
pepper. Gets slightly cardboardy after
a moment, too bad. Finish: quite long
but that’s mostly thanks to
the alcohol. Hints of marzipan this
time again and a little salt. Well,
maybe 1975 was a poor vintage at Port
Ellen. 83 points
(for the very good attack on the palate). |
| In
a nutshell, and even if these PE’s
are very far from representing a worthy
panel of all early distillates after
the distillery reopened in 1967, it
seems to me that the overall quality
improved a little after, say 1976
or 1977. Maybe the demand for peaty
malt was back to normal after the
big needs of the late 60's - early
70's and maybe they could distill
more 'carefully' after that (Caol
Ila being back to full production
as well). Just wild guesses, nothing
serious... By the way, we'll have
a few 'Old' Caol Ilas as well in the
coming days, stay tuned. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| We
had prepared this little Pete &
Jack cartoon for one rainy, foggy
day on Islay, which we believed had
to happen. Well, the whole week was
as sunny as July in Ibiza! Never mind,
here it is… |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I guess you know Marlena
Shaw? She's very versatile
to say the least and I quite like
her California
soul.mp3 with its beautiful Quincy
Jones-alike orchestration. Sure it's
very, very 70's but don't we have
to take things at 3rd degreee sometimes?
We already had some Marlena Shaw a
few months ago... Please buy her music!
|
 |
| |
June
5, 2007 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
PATTI SMITH The
Roundhouse, London, May 17th 2007 |
| I
had never really thought that Patti
Smith and I would have
so much in common, not having been
that much of a fan of hers. I mean
everyone seemed to have those albums
back in the seventies and she was
just de rigueur for anyone on the
fringes of the feminised radical left.
But she didn’t seem to have
sticking power and like many artists
of the period quickly fell off my
radar, confined to occasional radio
flashbacks.But here she is on stage
at sold-out Roundhouse, baring her
soul, her love and her hates. |
| Take
deodorant for example – she
hates it, and I hate it too. It’s
not natural is it – putting
all that icky chemical stuff all over
yourself just to stop your body from
doing something natural. And she has
a thing about so-called ‘English
breakfasts’ with baked-beans
– don’t they just make
you vomit? She’s also got a
big problem with so-called ‘attention
deficit syndrome’ (ADS), with
which I also completely agree. You
know, vaguely over-active kids who
can’t sit still and get over-excited
with stuff, for which now they’re
increasingly pumped full of drugs
such as methylphenidate (found in
patent drugs such as Ritalin). |
 |
| She’s
so angry about this that she talks
about it twice – “they
haven’t got attention deficit
syndrome. There’s no such fucking
thing as attention deficit syndrome.
They’ve got ants in their fucking
pants. I should know, I did too”.
Yup – there go we all but for
the Grace of God. You know, I rather
like this lady and I’m beginning
to think I’ve been missing out
on something. |
| When
she leans forward over the standing
crowd, foot on monitor, jeans, long
hair, baggy white shirt and long jacket
(sound familiar?) and sings “Jesus
died for somebody's sins but not mine”
as her excellent band break into opening
song ‘Gloria’ from her
1975 debut album, I just know I have.
The atmosphere is electric –
the band charge into the song like
an express train at full tilt - it’s
almost, to employ an over-used and
rather tasteless Americanism, “shock
and awe”. |
 |
And
it stays at the same pace for pretty
much all of the night. Of course most
of the audience know exactly what
to expect – they’re believers,
and they’re here to worship.
Take my friend Colin whom I bump into
by chance (a great admirer of Whiskyfun,
Serge, and a passionate and very professional
advocate for all single malt whisky,
the wonderful Bowmore in particular)
– he tells me he’s been
to every Patti
Smith gig since 1966 (some exaggeration
perhaps Colin?), and tonight he’s
here with a surprisingly lively party
of undertakers from Cornwall. They’ve
got their eyes on the cadaverous form
next to me – male, around 23,
who stands all night trancelike mumbling
the words to all the songs and occasionally
grinning. In front we have two city-boy
drum enthusiasts who swap braggadocio
about the size of their tom-toms,
and next to them two old guys who
are trying to recapture their youth
by downing prodigious quantities of
what passes for beer in this place
(they eventually leave somewhat unsteadily,
but very happy). |
| Ms
Smith is here because she’s
released a new album, Twelve, a collection
of covers of her favourite songs.
It’s had mixed reviews, the
consensus being that it has its high
points, and some inexplicable low
points too (of which more later).
But Ms Smith is on the offensive.
She talks slowly, detached, every
word carefully and perfectly chosen
(even the expletives) but with menace;
she reminds me slightly of Laurie
Anderson’s pilot on ‘From
the Air’. “People ask
me, when I’m enjoying a lonely
evening by myself in the gutter, people
ask me, ‘Patti, why have you
released a covers album? Did you lose
your inspiration? Did your record
company bind and gag you and tie you
to a desk and make you do it?’
And I reply, ‘Because I fucking
wanted to’”. Fair enough.
|
| The
set mixes these ‘new’
songs and some Smith classics like
‘Redondo Beach’, ‘Privilege’,
‘Pissing in a river’,
‘Because the night’, ‘Rock
n’ roll nigger’. From
Twelve she largely picks the strongest
songs – a remarkable ‘Are
you experienced’, an intriguing
and unexpected ‘Within you and
without you’, a powerful ‘White
Rabbit’ which she cleverly uses
as a platform to express her rage
against ADS, and a steamy version
of the Door’s ‘Soul kitchen’.
Best of all is ‘Smells like
teen spirit’ which she manages
to make her own, mystifying the two
beer-drinking guys who have clearly
never heard of Nirvana. |
 |
| Unwisely
she also sings ‘Helpless’,
a wonderful song best left to Neil
Young and tuneless school-kids, and
most mystifying of all the anodyne
‘Everybody wants to rule the
world’, of Tears for Fears fame.
Now I know the answer I’d get
if I asked Ms Smith why she chose
to record this, and certainly performed
live it sets her up for a powerful
denunciation of those who would seek
power as she moves into Babelogue,
but really, it is simply a dreadful
song. |
 |
Not
to worry. Nothing could knock the
gloss off this outstanding performance.
It’s assisted by the playing
of veterans Lenny
Kaye (guitar) and Jay Dee Daugherty
(drums), along with accomplished multi-instrumentalist
Tony Shannon. But the plaudits have
to go to Ms Smith. She towered over
the Roundhouse’s performance
space like a giant – she threw
off an aura (I think that’s
the word Serge) that was as entrancing
and as captivating as the most exotic
perfume. The night belonged entirely
to her – and I still haven’t
stopped talking about it. If I gave
stars or points for concerts, which
I don’t, this would have to
be five and 95 respectively. Non plus
ultra, as we sometimes say. -
Nick Morgan |
| Thank
you Nick - let's go straight to Patti
Smith's wonderful music with her seasonal
Summer
cannibals.mp3. And let's all buy
her works! |
 |
TASTING
– FOUR OLD GLENLIVETS + ONE |
|
Glenlivet 1972/1988 (46%, Moon ‘The
Sea’, cask #3156, 384 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: very fresh and
very fruity at first sniffs, starting
mainly on bananas and custard. It’s
then more floral (huge notes of dandelions),
discretely honeyed and spicy (hints
of cinnamon). Balance is there. A
Glenlivet that smells more like an
old Balvenie, actually. Quite elegant.
Mouth: quite powerful but maybe not
as delicate as on the nose. Rougher,
quite peppery and much more marked
by the wood, getting somewhat bitterish
and bizarrely mustardy. Quite liquoricy
as well. A little disappointing I
must say. Finish: quite long, liquoricy
and a little salty but with still
that drying oak… Too bad. It’s
very good whisky and the nose was
very pleasant but the palate is barely
above average in my books. 81
points. |
| Glenlivet
29 yo 1971/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing
Old Malt Cask, 558 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: much
more sherried – very, very sherried
in fact. Starts on hints of cellulose
varnish and soy sauce (or Maggi –
or lovage), lots of old rum, speculoos…
Develops more on ham with pineapple,
caramel sweets, cappuccino, Smyrna
raisins and chocolate. What’s
funny here is that we get the soy
sauce first and that it gets ‘cleaner’
with time, whilst it’s usually
the contrary that happens (chocolate
and such first, then meatiness). Top
notch, in any case. Mouth: almost
as great at the attack. Maybe slightly
sourish as often with sherry monsters
but then we have a very entertaining
development, with lots of pepper for
a start as well as huge notes of cloves
and tobacco (like when you chew a
cigar). It gets more classical after
that (sultanas, chocolate, rum and
coffee). Faint hints of old rancio
but other than thart, no vinosity.
Finish: quite long, compact, chocolaty,
with notes of kirsch lingering…
Very excellent. 90 points. |
| Glenlivet
38 yo 1968/2007 (52.1%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #6199, 202 bottles)
Colour: deep amber – just a
tad yellower. Nose: extremely close
to the 1971, just slightly more powerful
and maybe even meatier, with also
notes of dried mushrooms (boletus
but also Chinese black ones). Another
beautifully sherried one on the nose.
Mouth: creamier, sweeter than the
1971 at first sip and then, curiously,
drier and more toasted. We have a
little bitter caramel, figs and dates,
bitter chocolate… Curious hints
of metal (aluminium, silver fork).
More classically sherry after that.
Finish: long, fruity, sort of prickly
(those metallic feelings) but that’s
more funny than troublesome. Gets
very dry, that is. 86 points. |
| Glenlivet
36 yo 1970/2006 (54.8%, Duncan Taylor,
cask #1999)
Colour: full gold.
Nose: probably the shyer one at very
first nosing but it gets then closer
to the Moon (so to speak), delicately
honeyed (acacia) and just a tad less
fruity (a little less bananas but
more apple skin). The ten extra-years
are well here as well, with more oak
on the nose (sawdust) and vanilla.
The whole is still quite beautiful,
just not immensely complex. Mouth:
round, creamy and spicy again, with
the oak in its full glory. Lots of
vanilla, white pepper, nutmeg and
ginger, with then quite some mint
and even hints of cough syrup. Also
beeswax and pollen. Gets slightly
biting after a while (horseradish,
wasabi) but also kind of phenolic.
Maybe there’s a little peat
in this one. I must say I like this
one’s peppery notes a lot. Finish:
very long, compact, still very peppery
and oaky but it is ‘good’
oak. A very enjoyable dryness in any
case. 89 points. |
 |
 |
Glenlivet
1990/2006 (46%, Jean Boyer ‘One
Shot’)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: a rather
buttery and vanilled attack, with
a development on mashed potatoes and
boiled milk. Hints of grass. Quite
young and maybe not hugely interesting
but other than that it’s flawless.
Mouth: certainly much nicer now, with
a nice oakiness and quite some liquorice,
tea and vanilla again. Finish: not
extremely long but precise, with pleasant
notes of smoked tea and quite some
tannins. Peppery signature. One that
kept improving. 83 points. |
| |
June
4, 2007 |
|
|
 |
Back
from Scotland...
TASTING
- THREE MORTLACHS
|
| Mortlach
1988/2006 (45%, Samaroli Coilltean,
sherry)
Colour: straw. Nose: milky and fizzy
at first nosing, with lots of notes
of muesli, grains, porridge and ginger
tonic. Something weirdly green in
the background (cider apples). All
that gets much nicer after a good
fifteen minutes, with the sherry coming
through (milk chocolate, toffee, vanilla
fudge…) Litres of vanilla custard.
Not vinous at all but still a little
simple. Mouth: sweet, liquoricy and
a little woody, prickly, peppery…
Interesting notes of peppered oranges
and grapefruits (or something like
that). Also a little clove. Gets spicier
with time, even more peppery. Finish:
long, bolder, spicier, more candied…
Maybe it was about time! Good but
not overwhelmingly so. 78
points. |
| Mortlach
13 yo 1993/2007 (46%, Coopers Choice,
sherry cask)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: rounder and
mellower than the Samaroli at first
nosing, a little more on caramel and
vanilla but it’s still very
grainy and porridgy. Some very nice
notes of hot cake after a while, violet
(very temporary), liquorice…
Not a cracker, gets a little rougher
than the Samaroli at third or fourth
nosing. Quite some oak despite its
young age. Mouth: a little rounder
again at the attack but just as liquoricy
as the Samaroli. Quite candied, nougatty
and grassy at the same time. Quite
some tea as well, both ‘regular’
and earl grey, white pepper. Gets
closer and closer to the 1988 but
maybe better balanced. Finish: just
as long and as spicy, just a little
fresher. In the same league but one
rank above. 80 points. |
| Mortlach
1994/2007 (58.7%, Norse Cask)
Colour: white wine. Nose: fresher
and cleaner than its two lighter brothers,
fruitier as well. Pleasant hints of
aniseed, whiffs of lilac, liquorice
roots, apple skin and ‘good’
lager beer. Hints of hops? Let’s
try it with water: first it gets a
little grainier, smoky and ashy (nice
profile) and then slightly fruitier
(crystallised oranges). Whiffs of
wet hay and cleaned cowshed. An excellent
swimmer, this Mortlach. Mouth (neat):
punchy, powerful but quite cleaner
than its siblings. Something a little
green, bitterish, a little drying…
But a nice vanilla on top of all that
that smoothens it a bit. Quite some
pepper again. With water: it reveals
an enjoyable smokiness again, maybe
a little tar, cough sweets, chlorophyll
chewing gum, liquorice… Again,
it swims like Mr. Phelps. Finish:
rather long, now spicier just like
its younger bros but a little more
complex. This one will keep you busy,
provided you don’t forget to
add a few drops of water. 83
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: let's go German today with
Annett
Louisian and her Das
grosse Erwachen.mp3. Pretty wunderbar
I think, even if a little sense of
2nd degree may be needed here (not
sure our German friends like her in
fact.) Anyway, please buy her music!
|
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Ardbeg
28 yo 1967 (53%,
Scotch Malt Sales, 500ml)
Ardbeg
29 yo 1967/1996 (52%, Kingsbury, cask
#923)
Ardbeg
29 yo 1967/1996 (54.6%, Kingsbury,
cask #922)
Ardbeg
30 yo 1967/1997 (49.8%, Signatory,
dark oloroso, cask #1140, 536 bottles)
Ardbeg
32 yo 1967/2000 (49%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 309 bottles)
Ardbeg
32 yo 1967/1999 (47.5%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 185 bottles)
Bowmore
‘Bowmist’ (70°proof,
OB, Sherriff, bottled 1960’s)
Bowmore
1964/1979 ‘Bicentenary’
(43%, OB)
Bowmore
1965 (43%, OB, mid-1980's)
Bowmore
33 yo 1969/2003 (42.5%, Duncan Taylor
Peerless, cask #6085, 238 bottles)
Caol
Ila 16 yo 1969/1985 (40%, Intertrade)
Caol
Ila 1966/1995 (40%, G&M Centenary
Reserve)
Caol
Ila 1968 (57%, Samaroli, oval label,
1980's)
Glenlivet
29 yo 1971/2001 (50%,
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, 558 bottles)
Port
Ellen 14 yo 1974/1988 (64.3%, G&M
for Intertrade, 570 bottles)
|
| |
|
|
