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Hi, you're in the Archives, May 2008 - Part 2 |
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May
30, 2008 |
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TASTING
- TWO
GLEN SCOTIA |
Glen
Scotia 16 yo 1992/2008 (51.6%, Jack
Wieber’s, Auld Distillers, 174
bottles) 
From a bourbon barrel. Colour: pale
gold. Nose: first there’s a
little wood smoke but then it’s
‘the porridgy cavalry’
that turns up, together with notes
of fruit spirit (kirsch first). Mid-yeasty,
mid-fruity... Improves a bit after
a while, with hints of fresh mint
and other herbs, and the vanilla showing
out. Cleaner now. |
| With
water: now we have big notes of coconut,
praline, caramel crème and
vanilla like in some grains. It got
quite simpler actually, but it’s
pleasant whisky. Mouth (neat): very
punchy and with much more character
than on the nose. Big maltiness, caramel,
toffee and roasted peanuts, getting
then very salty and liquoricy. Salmiak?
Slightly brutal, let’s add water:
right, it’s plain wood that
comes out first, and then liquorice.
Once again, water made it a little
simpler. Finish: rather long, with
resinous and oily notes now, as well
as quite some salt. Comments: not
the best swimmer ever but it’s
an interesting example of heavy oak
influence that doesn’t completely
destroy the spirit. SGP: 372
– 84 points. |
| Glen
Scotia 14yo 1991/2006 (57.7%, Cadenhead's,
198 bottles)
From a sherry hogshead. Colour: dark
gold. Nose: this is bold and all on
warm butter and plain oak (fresh sawdust,
varnish, lactones). Extremely oaky
but with little sweetness and a very
discrete sherry – if any. With
water: oh, now we have whiffs of rotting
fruits, very strong pipe tobacco,
even well-hung game (oh well, Glenn)...
What’s funny is that it’s
so unusual, that it becomes interesting.
Calms down after that, more on ‘regular’
tobacco and malt. Mouth (neat): once
again, it’s the wood that speaks
first, and very boldly. Huge tannins,
pencil (like when we were at school),
honey and salt-coated almonds, very
strong liquorice... Big, big whisky,
with a huge concentration of oak,
but not of the drying kind at all.
A mega Californian chardonnay? Hints
of black cherries in the background.
With water: a lot of salt, more dryness,
hints of chilli, dried herbs (thyme)...
It really got ultra-dry now. Finish:
long, salty and slightly tarry. Comments:
a rather big Glen Scotia and certainly
not an easy-easy dram. Chewing tobacco?
SGP:273 – 84 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Ah, Madeleine
Peyroux! Of course
she ain't Billie Holiday but still,
she can sing and what a voice! Let's
listen to her swingin' version of
Back
in your own back yard.mp3 today
and then buy a few of her records... |
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May
29, 2008 |
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TASTING
– A SHORT MORTLACH VERTICALE |
Mortlach
19yo 1969/1989 (45%, Gordon &
MacPhail for Intertrade)
Colour: gold. Nose: starts on fresh
oranges and tangerines plus a little
malt and café latte and gets
then a little farmier (wet straw,
wet grains). Slight meatiness and
hints of wet papers, cardboard. Pleasant
nose but we wouldn’t say this
is very complex. Mouth: rather powerful,
malty, grainy and orangey, displaying
little complexity just like on the
nose. Caramel and nougat plus white
pepper and apple compote with quite
some sugar. Finish: medium long, balanced,
honeyed, a tad meaty and smoky now.
Comments: certainly good but a little
middle-of-the-road, which was quite
unusual with Intertrade whiskies.
Reminds me of older versions of Highland
Park 12. SGP:442 – 81
points. |
Mortlach
1961/2000 (40.8%, Scott's Selection)
Colour: straw. Nose: ah yes, this
one has much more to tell us it seems.
I think I never came across a malt
that displayed such big notes of sultanas
at first nosing, followed by a big
honeyness and then all things resinous
(pine resin, cough syrup, eucalyptus,
fresh putty and the rest.) Settles
down a bit after a few minutes, getting
a tad woodier and vanilled but it’s
still pretty beautiful. Hints of smoke
and ham as often in Mortlach. Mouth:
oh yes, this is unusual. Exceptional
attack on bananas flambéed
(not the Irish kind of bananas –
eh?) and vanilla crème, and
then we have more and more bananas,
as if the cask was made out of banana
wood (don’t be silly, Serge,
banana wood probably doesn’t
taste like bananas.) Rum, sultanas
and orange liqueur. Just excellent
and very ‘diferent’. Little
meatiness this time. Finish: rather
long, less on bananas and more on
honey-coated ham. Comments: a wonderful
and quite spectacular whisky at almost
40 years of age, but Mortlach is hard
to recognise here. SGP:732
- 92 points. |
Mortlach
50 yo 1957/2007 'Ping V' (41.7%, Juul's
Vinhandel, cask #3019, refill sherry)
Colour: gold. Nose: a little similar
to the Scott at first sniffing, but
even more resinous. Also a little
herbal (fresh mint, lemon balm, camomile
and verbena), with notes of rosehip
and hawthorn teas. Hints of sandalwood,
old roses, rubbed orange skin, and
finally delicate oaky tones and a
little praline. Antique? Not quite,
this one is still quite talkative
if not nervous. A very classy oldie.
Mouth: more wood here, obviously,
but also fresh mint, walnuts, strawberry
sweets, something like cranberry juice
(no kiddin’), liquorice, old
pu-erh tea and dried herbs (parsley,
coriander). A little woody but not
tired! Finish: not too long but balanced,
with rather soft tannins and again
a little banana, green this time.
Cinnamon. Comments: sure there’s
quite some wood in this oldie but
what’s good news is that it’s
never drying or too ‘green’.
Moving old whisky, but maybe not quite
as thrilling as the famous 50yo’s
1936-1939 by G&M. SGP:361
– 87 points. (Thank
you Hans-Henrik.) |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: it's a 'strange' sound
that you don't hear too much anymore,
but it was quite in a few years
ago - it's trumpetist Jon
Hassel and his Flash
of the spirit.mp3 (recorded
1988, with Farafina). The good old
days of 'world' music... Please
buy Jon Hassel's music, his recent
recordings are very good. |
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May
28, 2008 |
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TASTING
– TWO VERY YOUNG AND TWO VERY
OLD MACALLANS AT 43% vol. (but
does that make any sense?) |
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Macallan
1998/2007 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Speymalt) 
Colour: pale straw. Nose: all on pear
spirit, baker’s yeast, newly
cut grass and porridge, with also
a little wood smoke and whiffs of
fresh mint and liquorice. Uncomplicated
but exactly what you’d expect
from a very young un-sherried Macallan.
Less nutty/malty than the young Fine
Oaks, for instance. Mouth: drier than
expected, and bigger as well, with
more maltiness and less porridge.
Good liquorice and then we’re
back on pears and ripe apples. Finish:
rather long, still on the same flavours.
Comments: good young Macallan, with
more personality than the young Fine
Oaks but maybe a little less than
the official sherried versions. A
rather big – and good - spirit.
SGP:431 – 79 points. |
| Macallan
1998/2008 (43%, Jean Boyer, Best Casks
of Scotland, Small Barrels)
The people at Jean Boyer’s are
extremely good at selecting young
single malts that usually display
a lot of straighforwardness and cleanliness.
Colour: pale straw. Nose: much more
‘chiselled’ than the Speymalt,
sharper, purer and cleaner. Less yeasty/porridgy
and much more almondy, minty and a
little mineral (wet chalk). Mouth:
very close to the Speymalt as far
as the general profile is concerned
but a little cleaner, sharper and,
again, purer. Hints of what tastes
like peat but it can’t be peat,
can it? Gets bigger over time. Muesli,
blueberries. Finish: long, with quite
some liquorice again and hints of
gentian. Comments: very good, flawless
and pure. Loved the gentian in the
finish. SGP:532 – 84
points. |
| Macallan
33 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Pinerolo, circa 1975)
Probably distilled around WWII. Colour:
dark gold. Nose: how immensely fruity!
It’s really a full basket of
tropical fruits, such as bananas,
passion fruits, guavas, oranges and,
err, oranges. Freshly squeezed oranges,
that’s it! Well, at least for
fifteen minutes, and then it starts
to get more complex, with refined
whiffs of coal and wood smoke, a little
coriander, tamarind, fresh parsley,
pineapples, grapefruits… It’s
beautiful whisky, but frankly, I’d
have rather said this was a 1968 Bowmore,
had I tried it blind. Amazing…
Mouth: good body but of course, it’s
no ‘monster’. Starts on
the same citrusy, tropical fruits
but in a more ‘whispering’
manner. More on jams than on fresh
fruits. Very soft spices (gingerbread,
a little white pepper). Gets definitely
‘Macallan’ after a few
minutes, less exuberantly fruity and
much more malty, more sherried and
more on dried fruits and a little
resin. But it’s still a very
vibrant old whisky of very high quality.
And sooo drinkable! Finish: long and
much more on tobacco now, nuts, flor
(or vin jaune), orange marmalade…
Comments: an ever-changing old Macallan
of the highest grade. Extremely good
– but please beware of all the
fake old Pinerolos on eBay, notably
the pre-war versions. SGP:743
– 92 points. |
| Glen
Gordon 50 yo 1939/1989 (43%, Gordon
& MacPhail, 120 bottles)
Even if G&M don’t divulge
this kind of information, many suppose
that Glen Gordon is/was usually Macallan.
Colour: amber. Nose: almost as expressive
as the 33yo at first nosing but pretty
different. Drier and more marked by
some sherry wood, with also much more
smoke and all kinds of roasted nuts.
A bigger meatiness as well (cured
ham, Parma), notes of soy sauce, tar,
toffee… All that is extremely
subtle in fact, but the whisky’s
very far from being weak. Very faint
OBE (metal). Gets much more ‘tertiary’
after a good fifteen minutes, with
even more ham, other meats, steak,
even poultry… This one has a
lot of old stories to tell us, which
is very moving in any case. Certainly
more complex than the 33yo, and less
wham-bam despite its vintage (come
on!) Mouth: great attack, again much
drier than the ‘disclosed’
Macallan but definitely of the same
breed. Walnuts, tobacco, burnt cake,
dark chocolate, espresso, peanut butter
with a little salt, salmiak, orange
marmalade… Incredible how this
is concentrated! Now, the wood has
its say as well, which is normal after
50 years, isn’t it! More and
more on old walnuts, walnut liqueur,
coffee, ‘dry’ toffee…
And even more walnuts. It is dry whisky,
for sure. Finish: long, with the wood
becoming even more obvious now but
not tannic and drying nor dominating.
Comments: an antique whisky that one
may like a little less when not knowing
both its age and vintage, but still…
What? No, no notes of gunpowder I’m
afraid. SGP:453 – 90
points (I must confess a
small handful of them may be a little
emotional.) |
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TOUJOURS
L'HUMOUR - Seen on
Oddbins'
website, this one already made the
MM's laugh. At this strength, no wonder
the 168 bottles issued in 2006 aren't
all sold yet. (thanks, O.) |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Sheila
Landis can sing for
sure. Let's listen to her very afro-cuban
rendition of the unshakeable Summertime.mp3...
Good, eh! Please buy Sheila Landis'
music. |
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May
27, 2008 |
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TASTING
HIGHLAND
PARK 1972-1977
a short retro-verticale |
| Highland
Park 26 yo 1972/1998 (55.7%, Signatory
10th Anniversary, cask #1632, 252
bottles)
Colour: old. Nose: starts fragrant
and honeyed, but the oak is soon to
strike a bit (vanilla, tannins). Very
nice notes of apricot jam, acacia
honey, then also a little salpetre,
iron and coal. |
| Keeps
improving once the oak has vanished
again, getting both rounded and vigorous,
with more and more smoke and also
a little ginger. An entertaining HP.
Mouth: big, peppery, salty and candied
attack, certainly wilder than most
official old HP’s. Then it’s
big liquorice and pine resin (like
if you swallowed a whole bottle of
cough medicine), and then even more
salt. Very excellent zestiness in
the background (tangerines) and good
oak. Finish: long, candied, spicy
and resinous. Comments: a lot of punch
and a great profile, wilder than usual.
What’s more, this was bottled
at its peak it seems. SGP:554
– 90 points. |
| Highland
Park 1973/2007 (43%, McKillop’s
Choice, cask #8395)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very unusual,
starting on big notes of peanut butter
and mint, getting then a bit more
porridgy. Indian cashew and cream
sauce. Gets then more resinous and
herbal (forest, pine needles, fern).
Another one that’s very entertaining!
Mouth: we have pretty much the same
here, and the 43% are far from being
‘weakish’. Good body,
quite some resin, dried and crystallised
fruits, herbs, a lot of mint... Maybe
just a faint ‘paperiness’
but also quite some salt. No smokiness,
that is. Finish: medium long, clean,
very pleasantly resinous, with a little
vanilla from the wood. Comments: a
fresh and clean old Highland Park
displaying excellent herbal and minty
notes. Would fetch higher scores at
46%+, that is. SGP:362 –
86 points. |
| Highland
Park 33 yo 1974/2007 (44.8%, OB, Ambassador’s
Cask #3, cask #9035, 35cl)
Colour: gold. Nose: starts both smoky
and floral (dandelions), with also
quite some old leather. Maybe a bit
austere but it gets then much fruitier.
Quite some peat as well, green tobacco
(do you know Indonesian cigars?),
shoe polish... Very interesting in
any case. Gets more and more complex,
step by step. Fresh mint, camphor,
cough medicine, cloves... Beautfiful
and ‘complete’. Mouth:
much fruitier now, with a lot of tangerine
and pineapple, candied oranges, very
ripe bananas (or dried – not
the ‘Irish’ kind), getting
then zestier. Lemon marmalade, even
passion fruits, hints of melon and
peach... Balance: perfect. The whole
is highly drinkable, which may be
he problem here, with 35cl bottles...
Finish: not too bold nor long but
smooth and very, very more-ish. Comments:
fruitier than usual, isn’t it
strange that ambassadors choose casks
that aren’t too typical of the
distillery? But we won’t complain
here, this one offers a lot of pleasure.
SGP:642
– 92 points. |
Highland
Park 20 yo 1975/1996 (43%, Signatory,
cask #4307) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: ouch! This
one is much cheesier, sweaty, acetic...
Gym socks? What’s funny is that
all that disappears after a moment,
leaving room for unexepected notes
of mangos, passion fruits and fresh
pineapples. Well, it’s still
slightly ‘on the edge’
but what an improvement! Do some bacterias
survive in 43% spirit? Mouth: well,
bizarre it is. On one side, there
are these pleasant liquoricy and minty
touches, but on the other side, notes
of very (very) overripe fruits and
something ‘cheesy’ again
(quite lactic, in fact) make it frankly
too weird for me. Finish: shortish,
caramelly, a tad cleaner now. Comments:
a strange brew – not undrinkable
but we liked the 1972 by Signatory
so much better! SGP:261 –
70 points. |
| Highland
Park 18yo 1976/1994 (59%, Cadenhead's
for Oddbins, cask #4646)
Colour: full gold. Nose: unexpectedly
‘nosable’ despite the
almost 60%, all on roasted nuts and
various kinds of honeys, including,
of course, heather. And then we have
coal smoke, and then whiffs of resin
and eucalyptus, a little ginger (just
a little), a little nutmeg... All
that is very complex and not masked
by the alcohol at all. Also bitter
oranges and quinine tonic wine, touches
of cinnamon, fresh parsley, even a
little oregano... ‘Wow!’
With water: it got much earthier,
now totally on fresh mushrooms, wet
clay, even ‘good’ mud...
And morels, truffles, old Vin Jaune,
old pu-erh tea... F*ck, this is great!
Err, sorry... Mouth (neat): big, fat,
oily whisky! Pepper, mint, apples
and much more peat now. Then we have
lemon marmalade with a little salt,
then something like dried boletus
(yeah, I know – or is it tobacco?),
tar (a lot), salted liquorice... It’s
really concentrated – and high-class
whisky, but let’s se how it’ll
behave with a few drops of water.
With water: holy featherless crow!
Finish: even more of everything, and
tankerloads of gentian. Which is great
news according to us. Comments: a
fabulous very earthy Highland Park.
SGP:474 - 94 points
(und vielen Dank, Konstantin). |
| Highland
Park 1977/1988 (50%, Duthie for Samaroli,
Fragments, 'Orkney', 648 bottles)
A well-known bottling – it was
about time I wrote a few notes about
it! Colour: straw. Nose: this is ‘less
big’ than the Cadenhead’s,
and it’s not only for the lower
ABV, but it’s also (even) more
complex. More herbal (moss, fern and
all that jazz) and waxy for a while,
then fruitier. All kinds of crystallised
citrus fruits, kumquats, tangerines,
then orange peel, then paraffin and
turpentine, linseed oil, fusel oil...
It’s all quite soft and never
aggressive. Perfect on the nose, let’s
just hope that the palate will be
a tad bigger (soft noses can be great,
but translate not too well on the
palate). Mouth: success! Much, much
more in line with the Cadenhead, to
the point where it’s almost
the same whisky, just a tad softer.
Maybe a tad more elegant as well.
Finish: long, soothing, more civilised
than the Cad and probably a little
more citrusy. The more you wait for
it, the more complex it gets, at that
(various herbs spring to mind but
a list would be, err, very boring.)
Comments: quite amazing how this one
gained power and richness from first
sips to the afterglows of the finish.
Now, I liked the Glen Garioch in the
same series even better (94)! SGP:574
– 92 points. |
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And
also Highland
Park 1977 (46%, La Reserve, cask #89/195)
Nose: this one is very fragrant and
floral, all on heather (of course),
lilies of the valley, violets, ripe
melons... Gets a bit more mundane
after the rather stunning attack on
your nostrils, more on apple juice,
soft spices and ginger. Mouth: sweet,
starting right on very ripe melons,
getting then more citrusy (pink grapefruit),
which make it an unusual Highland
Park. Comments: a good, uber-fruity
and interesting variant. SGP:632
– 87 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: yes, Theodore Roosevelt
Taylor a.k.a. Hound
Dog Taylor doing a
dirty Look
on Younder's wall.mp3. Enough
said. Please buy Mr Taylor's music...
But beware of the dog! |
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May
22, 2008 |
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TASTING
- TWO
GLEN ORD |
| Glen
Ord 10 yo 1998/2008 (59.5%, Signatory,
cask #3447, 321 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: powerful
of course but fresh, young and fruity
– as expected. Rather ‘noseable’
at such high strength, displaying
freshly cut pears, oranges, a little
linseed oil, very distinct whiffs
of coal smoke, then cappuccino, hints
of olive oil... What a beautiful young
whisky! Classy profile, even if it
gets slightly yeasty after a moment..
|
| With
water: the sweetness disappeared and
it got much grassier and yeastier
for a while, with apple juice making
a comeback, together with a little
oil (fusel, olive.) Clean but simpler
with water. Mouth (neat): young, fierce
but balanced young whisky, certainly
rougher than on the nose and maybe
lacking a few more years of ageing.
Other than that the fruitiness is
perfect (pears, pineapples and apples,
none excessively dominant.) Water
should really help here. With water:
indeed, it got almost perfect now.
Very clean, simply but beautifully
fruity, with just hints of pepper
and a little coffee and toffee. Slight
smokiness as well. Finish: long, in
the same vein but with also a little
salt. Comments: excellent young Glen
Ord that reminds us of the beautiful
official 30yo in its fruitiness. SGP:642
– 87 points. |
| Glen
Ord 16 yo 'Manager's Dram' (66.2%,
OB, 1991)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: the first
feeling is that it’s very similar
to the 1998, as if Ord didn’t
change at all within twenty years.
Quite some coffee again, milk chocolate,
overripe pears (as opposed to freshly
cut ones), roasted peanuts, hints
of pineapples and a little smoke again...
But at 66% ABV, let’s not take
chances with our nostrils. With water:
It’s funny, this one got fruitier
with water, more complex, with a lot
of quince jelly, candy sugar, ripe
apricots, fresh mint and a little
pine resin. AH, Managers have it good!
(don’t shoot!) Mouth (neat):
shall we dare to put this into our
mouth? Of course, and that was a good
idea. Not ‘assaulting’,
very creamy, thick, not cloying, all
on milk and white chocolates, vanilla
fudge, mint and a little banana and
melon. Excellent. With water: almost
exactly like the 30yo (a benchmark
for us.) Does ‘the peacock’s
tail’ on all sorts of crystallised
fruits and jams (oranges, quinces,
Williams pears) with a little nutmeg
and ginger. Even eucalyptus. Finish:
prolonging the palate for a long time.
Comments: another proof that Glen
Ord can be a super-malt. SGP:651
- 92 points. (and thanks,
Luc) |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: more blues, always more
blues, this time with the incendiary
Dave
Hole and his Keep
your motor running.mp3 (1996).
Please buy Dave Hole's music.
|
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May
21, 2008 |
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TASTING
THREE
MILTONDUFF |
| Miltonduff
8 yo 1999/2008 'Mille Tonnes d'Œufs'
(46%, The Nectar, Daily Dam, 336 bottles)
Mille Tonnes d’Oeufs is pronounced
‘miltonduff’ in French,
and means ‘one thousand tons
of eggs, but as far as we know, there
are no eggs involved in the production
of Miltonduff whisky. Colour: white
wine. Nose: an extremely fresh start,
all on grain, freshly cut apples and
pears and something slightly floral
(lily of the valley). Add to that
hints of vanilla and ‘new’
oak and you’ll have a young
whisky offering a lot of pleasure,
if not complexity. Another summer
malt. Mouth: rounded and a little
more mature and spicy than on the
nose. Peppered apple juice, raw malt,
grapes, a little nutmeg... Also quite
some liquorice and hints of orange
drops. Finish: medium long, with a
slight bitterness that actually improves
the balance. Comments: less spectacularly
fresh on the palate than on the nose
but still clean. It’s very good
young whisky globally. SGP:442
– 83 points. |
| Miltonduff
27 yo 1980/2007 (51.9%, Dewar Rattray,
cask #12499, 241 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: it’s the
oak that strikes first, with whiffs
of carpenter’s workshop, varnish,
warm sawdust... Goes on with a little
mint and apple peelings, then liquorice,
then notes of dandelions and a little
pollen... The wood remains quite present,
even if it gets better integrated
after a moment. Very, very slight
soapiness. Mouth: rounder and sweeter,
almost sugary attack, with the oak
well behind the whole. Apple juice,
pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Maybe
a little simple... Finish: medium
long, with a little caramel. Comments:
very ‘middle of the road’.
No flaws (well, the wood is a bit
too heavy on the nose) but no thrills
in our opinion. SGP:352 –
77 points. |
| Milton
Duff 36 yo 1966/2002 (41.7%, Douglas
Laing Platinum, 184 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: much fresher and
much more vibrant than the 1980 despite
its older age. Starts on very impressive
notes of ‘petrol-like’
riesling (we adore that) and lemon
juice, getting then a little rounder,
more on vanilla and all kinds of wild
flowers. The aforementioned dandelions
but also lilac, buttercups, roses
(not the headiest ones), orange blossom...
It’s a superb nose, totally
unexpected at 36 years of age. Keeps
developing for a long time, getting
more and more citrusy (big notes of
tangerines and blood oranges). Superb.
Mouth: a desert! Very smooth attack
but in no way tired, even after the
1980 that had 10 more degrees. Orange
cake and orange drops, tangerines,
notes of passion fruit, grapefruits...
The oak gets bolder after a while
but below the limits (quite some cinnamon).
Finish: a bit shortish but clean,
on peppered oranges. Comments: as
often with oldies, the nose was nicer
than the palate but the latter was
perfectly enjoyable. In other words,
a wonderful nosing whisky. SGP:651
– 90 points. |
SCOTTISH
HUMOUR - Another Feis
Isle 2008 bottling has been announced,
a Bunnahabhain
21yo 1986 bottled at 46.7%
vol.and priced at £219 on the
distillery's website. Very, very funny!
Seriously, we're wondering what the
actual price of this very appealing
bottle is, coz it's a typo, right?
Oh, and our Maniacal
friend Mark Gillespie (also of whiskycast.com
fame) just told us that according
to Jim McEwan, Bruichladdich
are releasing the X4 as the
Festival Cask for Feis Ile next week
(as British Spirit). That's the quadruple-distilled
monster they produced 16 months ago,
and it will be bottled at 65% ABV
(down from 88% in the cask.) No smoking
at Feis Isle this year! |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening.
More jazz piano with the splendid
and discrete Andy
Laverne playing Pannonica.mp3
(it's on his album True Colors). No
need to tell you about Monk, Nica
and so on I guess, but please buy
Andy Laverne's music! |
 |
| |
May
20, 2008 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– GLENFIDDICH: TWO 1961’s
AND TWO 1976’s |
| Glenfiddich
21 yo 1961/1984 (45%, OB for Zenith,
Italy) Colour:
gold. Nose: starts all on straw and
camomile tea, with a slight old bottle
effect (OBE). The latter grows bigger
after a few seconds, with hints of
shoe polish and soot. Also something
delicately ashy as well as notes of
freshly brewed coffee (torrefaction).
Also nougat and praline and finally
something slightly farmy (wet hay).
Less rounded and floral than more
recent old versions. Very nice. Mouth:
sweet and rounded attack, fruity like
an old Tomatin (if you see what I
mean), with hints of violet sweets
and mint, liquorice, orange drops
and roasted nuts. Very pleasant ‘old
resinous waxiness’ that may
come from OBE again. Funny hints of
marshmallows as well, not that frequent
in old bottles, and finally quite
some tannins from the wood –
and pepper. Finish: medium long, a
little oakier, drier... Not the best
part I think. Comments: very good
old Glenfiddich despite the slightly
drying finish and maybe a certain
lack of personality on the palate.
SGP:261 – 86 points. |
Glenfiddich
22 yo 1961/1983 (45%, OB for Nadi
Fiori, 350 bottles)
The ever engaging Nadi Fiori is the
Italian gentleman who was behind Intertrade
and is now behind High Spirits, which
says long about his ability to select
great whisky. Colour: gold. Nose:
very similar as expected, maybe a
tad shier at first nosing. Grows more
herbal after a while, with very nice
notes of fresh mint and hints of eucalyptus.
Same notes of shoe polish as in the
Zenith, as well as a little coal smoke.
Very nice again. Mouth: this one has
much, much more to say than its twin.
Bigger, much more flavourful albeit
more tannic and woody – pleasantly
so, with notes of not too ripe bananas,
roasted nuts, strong black tea and
Turkish delights. Peppered oriental
pastries (don’t we sound like
the SMWS?) Finish: long, sweet and
tannic at the same time. Peppered
orangeade this time. Comments: a playful
old Glenfiddich. SGP:362 –
88 points (and thanks,
Geert.) |
 |
Glenfiddich
1976/2006 (47.0%, OB, for La Grande
Epicerie Paris, cask #16392, 243 bottles)
La Grande Epicerie is part of the
general store Le Bon Marché
in Paris. Colour: gold. Nose: much,
much more on butter and plain oak
than the 1961’s. Something sourish
and almost rancid, at that. Yoghurt,
even yak butter (I only came across
yak butter once in my life, actually).
Gets then more fragrant (orange blossom)
but the whiffs of sour wood never
really vanish. There’s also
a little camphor, that is. Mouth:
starts well, on liquorice, vanilla
and mint but gets then sort of overwhelmed
with tannins and dry spices (white
pepper, nutmeg). Also a bit chalky.
Finish: long and very woody, almost
prickly. Comments: yes, very woody.
SGP:271 – 78 points. |
| Glenfiddich
1976/2004 (50.3%, OB, for Queen Mary
2, cask #21229)
This was a single cask bottled exclusively
for Cunard's latest Super Liner. Colour:
gold. Nose: a little more discrete
than its twin at first nosing but
it’s also much more elegant,
more ‘Glenfiddich’ so
to speak. Something that reminds me
of the 30yo. Herbal teas (camomile
like before, rosehip), vanilla and
nougat, then cappuccino, Seville oranges,
triple-sec... Grows bigger after a
moment, delicately spicy, gingery,
with also a little wood smoke (beech
wood). Not wham-bam for sure, but
a very elegant malt on the nose. Mouth:
the wood is more ‘active’
on the palate, but not quite as problematic
as in the ‘Grande Epicerie’.
Very pleasant mix of herbal teas,
pine resin, liquorice, green tea,
bitter oranges and then the spicy
cortege (white pepper and company).
Gets even better balanced over time,
even if still quite dry and woody.
Finish: long, all on ‘the good
side of oak’. Comments: well,
you have to like oak but if you do,
you’ll really enjoy this ‘unsinkable’
Glenfiddich. SGP:361 - 88
points. (and thanks,
Hans-Henrik.) |
 |
 |
And
also Glenfiddich
30 yo 1968 (50.3%, OB, cask #13147)
From the Timmermans sessions. This
one is quite austere on the nose,
mostly on grains, oak and apples,
but thje balance is quite perfect
in its own genre. Mouth: fruitier
(very ripe apples and pears). Lively
notes of dill and aniseed. We like
its freshness. SGP:360 –
88 points. |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening.
Let's go Algerian today with
Cheb
Khaled (aka Khaled,
eh) and Safy
Boutella doing Chebba.mp3
in 1988 (just discard some 'funny'
arrangements.) Please buy these
guys'music! |
 |
| |
May
19, 2008 |
|
|
|
TASTING
– FOUR OLD GLENFARCLAS |
| Glenfarclas
45 yo 1961/2008 (45.4%, OB, Germany,
casks #1, 1319, 1321, 458 bottles)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: ho-ho-ho!
Sherry galore but elegant sherry galore.
Wax polish, rosewood, cigar box, blackcurrant
jelly, camphor, orange blossom, unlit
Havana cigar, raisins and prunes,
all that to the power of three. Say
four. No need to tell you more. Mouth:
thick, rich, mega-sherried and hence
a tad too winey at this stage –
at least for my tastes – but
truly spectacular. Wine sauce, ripe
blackcurrants, ripe red grapes, raisins,
rancio... it’s not the ‘antique’
kind of sherry at all, that is. Great
mintiness. Finish: long, with loads
of tannins (both from the wood and,
we guess, from the wine) but surprisingly,
this is pleasant. Comments: the wording
‘sherry monster’ could
have been invented for this one. SGP:651
– 91 points. |
| Glenfarclas
50 yo 1956/2006 (50%, OB 'for friends',
Edition 2, cask #1779, 96 bottles)
Bottled for Hans Wuersching. Colour:
gold. Nose: more discrete but maybe
more elegant than the huge 1961 at
first nosing, starting and developing
rather marvellously on all kinds of
herbal and resinous aromas. Pine wood,
moss, eucalyptus, cedar wood, crystallised
lemons (rare in old Glenfarclas),
mint... Then dried pears, citrons,
quince, kumquats... This is absolutely
superb! Mouth: excellent, truly excellent.
Very resinous (luv’ that), very
minty and very camphory. All kinds
of cough sweets and syrups reunited
or something like that, pine sweets
as well. Plus crystallised oranges
and lemons and spices (a little pepper,
cinnamon from the wood and dried cardamom.)
Finish: long, half-resinous, half-oaky.
Comments: and impressive old Glenfarclas
that matured particularly well. And
the resins! SGP:572 –
92 points. |
| Glenfarclas
34 yo 1959/1994 (50.2%, Signatory,
sherry, cask #3238-40, 280 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: this is a classic
sherry monster but with rather less
oomph than the 1961. Chocolate, tapioca
(and flour), nutmeg, prunes and cinnamon,
with hints of strawberry jam. Very
nice, actually. Hints of balsamic
vinegar. Mouth: starts maybe a tad
dirty/dusty but gets better after
a few seconds. Big winey notes (pinot
noir – strange) but keeps improving
after that, getting more classically
sherried (prunes, chocolate, coffee,
blackcurrants), with a little mint
again. Actually, it gets really superb,
provided you give it a little time.
Mint and chocolate. Finish: long,
perfect now (a bit late, eh?) Tea,
mint and chocolate. Perfect oakiness.
Comments: phew, one shouldn’t
rush this one! SGP:461 –
89 points. |
| Glenfarclas
1960/2008 (43.8%, OB, Family Cask,
second batch, cask #1773, 157 bottles)
The first cask of the 1960 (#1767)
was wonderful but it’s now sold
out so here’s already a second
edition. Sorry, we haven’t got
all details yet. Colour: gold –
amber. Nose: amazingly fresh! Starts
on oranges (in all states) and camphor,
then earthy and leafy notes (moss,
mushrooms, pine needles), milk chocolate...
Develops more on toffee and coffee
(espresso), notes of fresh putty,
fresh mint... And signs off (so to
speak) with unexpected lemony notes.
Amazing freshness at almost 50 years
of age! Oh, and old walnuts, parsley,
chives... Mouth: very different from
what we’d expected. A little
drying, ‘grapey’, tannic...
Gets better with time but it never
departs from this winey aspect. Six
months old cabernet in new oak? |
 |
| Finish:
long but slightly sour and very oaky.
Hints of Turkish delights and rose
jelly. Comments: extremely more-ish
on the nose but the palate is unexpectedly
winey and dry/sour. Bizarre... Maybe
my sample was defectuous? No doubt
we’ll have the opportunity to
try this one once more, as it’s
‘our’ vintage. Let’s
give it only preliminary scores:
SGP:571 – 83 points.
(picture: 1st edition)
|
 |
And
also Glenfarclas
1968/2000 (52.1%, OB, ceramic, cask
#683, 204 bottles)
From the Timmermans sessions. Nose:
a lot of blackcurrant, sherry, old
Burgundy. One of the most vinous,
in a good way. Also tarry (new tyre),
and a lot of prunes. Mouth: blackcurrant
jelly, kirsch and rancio. Gets fruitier
(strawberry liqueur). Big and hyper-concentrated,
a sherry liqueur. Extreme! SGP:651
– 90 points. |
 |
| Speaking
of Glenfarclas, we do like this recent
ad by our friend
Ronald Zwartepoorte (whiskypassion.nl)
for Glenfarclas in Holland very much.
The ever engaging George Grant sure
has a lot of charisma as well as an
obvious sense of humour to match his
beautiful whiskies. Congrats! |
MUSIC
– Recommended listening.
The too rare Monty
Stark and his Stark Reality
have always been favourites of mine
so let's remember this fabulous
band with the wonderful Shooting
Star.mp3 (recorded in 1970,
it's on their anthology 'Now').
Please, please buy Monty Stark's
music... |
 |
| |
May
18, 2008 |
|
|
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan |
NICK
CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS |
| The
Hammersmith Apollo, London, May 7th
2008 |
| What
is it about punctuality, Serge? We
learned, without too much difficulty,
that Mr Cave and his Bad Seeds would
take the stage around 8.45pm. We ate
a wonderful supper in the evening
sunlight (yes, that
vegetarian place again, but in
case you’re wondering, it’s
vegetarian food for meat eaters, not
your miserable “I’ve got
another cold”, Guardian-reading,
sandal-wearing, social-working, lentil-eating,
fun-hating veggies). |
| And
we were comfortably in our seats in
time to catch the end of crooner Barry
Adamson, perfectly positioned
for the start. But why was the place
half empty? Why did the witless continue
to wander in, aimlessly looking for
their seats, clutching the inevitable
two or three plastic pint glasses
of plastic pints of lager, until almost
9.15? Is this the i-Pod generation?
The morons who don’t seem to
understand that, in the same way that
an album is an album, created to be
heard from start to finish, a set
is a set, crafted and executed in
the same way? Who don’t seem
to care if they disturb the concentration
of others as they wander about from
row to row, wrong seat to wrong seat?
And who insist on going back for more
and more ‘beer’, interspersed
with more and more trips to the pisser,
for the whole night? It can get you
down, Serge – particularly when
for all its violence, volume and histrionics,
this eventually brilliant set deserved
all the attention one could give it. |
| If
Nick
Cave was a waiter, leaning
at the door of his restaurant in his
dark jacket, flared purple-striped
trousers, with his absurdly black
mane (“I’ll dye it ‘till
I die” he recently told an interviewer),
and the sort of moustache you only
see in photofit pictures of child
molesters, then I’m sure you
wouldn’t go in. Even more so
if you saw the kitchen staff –
led by Warren Ellis, whose beard makes
him look like a cross between one
of Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs
and a ZZ Top cast off. He’s
surrounded by a junkshop of three
of his miniature guitars – more
properly Fender Mandocasters, violins
in cases and pedals galore. |
 |
| Drummer
Jim
Sclavunos has shaved his off,
but don’t let the smooth face
and the pink drum kit fool you –
he’s as mean with his sticks
as ever. Melodious Mick
Harvey is relegated to drums and
keyboards for much of the evening,
only occasionally picking up his guitar.
Martyn Casey is menacing and motionless
on bass. Conway
Savage crouches over his keyboards
and looks frankly as though he just
been let out of somewhere serious.
Thomas Wydler, white-shirted at his
drums with his brushes and delicate
sweeps seems out of place. This is
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds post the
Grinderman
project, touring their new album Dig
Lazarus Dig!!! It’s a stripped-back
collection of songs, with all the
roughness of Grinderman (even more
live, as it turns out) and devoid
of the painfully tender romanticism
that can inform Cave’s works
(‘though he does play ‘Into
my arms’ as one of the final
encores of the night) and ‘though
the lyrics are wonderfully dark, humorous
and brilliantly constructed, they
contain none of the lyricism of the
Boatman’s Call, or for that
matter, Abattoir Blues and the Lyre
of Orpheus. |
 |
Contemporary
Mandocaster (not an original Fender
from the 1960's) |
| Cave
plays guitar (although he doesn’t
change chords too often) , occasionally
hits the keys of his organ to some
effect (when it’s working) and
most of all stalks the front of the
stage, jumping, karate kicking and
dancing (as I have said before) like
Scott Walker’s ‘singer
with a Spanish bum”. Leaning
forward over the audience, he casts
a manic shadow on the sidewalls of
the theatre, sometimes menacingly
like a madman, occasionally and bizarrely
like comedian Max Wall (it must be
that hair). And after the first three
songs – ‘Night of the
Lotus Eaters’, ‘Dig Lazarus
dig!!!’ and oldie ‘Tupelo’,
he’s prepared to lean forward
and start chatting with the fans at
the front. “Better start the
song Nick” interrupts Harvey,
as they break into ‘Today’s
lesson’ – featuring a
charming cast of characters including
“Mr Sandman the inseminator”,
whose lascivious behaviour allows
Cave to shower the audience with parodic
pelvic thrusts, which even, unless
I’m much mistaken, bring a slight
flush to the cheeks of the Photographer.
It’s a well-constructed set,
mixing the new album’s material
artfully with older songs. There’s
‘Moonland’, and ‘Jesus
of the moon’ (one of the more
restrained songs) from Dig!! interspersed
with ‘The ship song’ and
‘I let love in’. And while
‘Red right hand’ provides
the first blasting crescendos of the
night it’s surpassed in sheer
mad exuberance by ‘We call upon
the author’ in which Cave launches
a literary-reference filled assault
on the modern world “Mass poverty,
third world debt, infectious diseases,
global inequality and deepening socio-economic
division (It does in your brain!)”
– before returning to the refrain
“Prolix, prolix, nothing that
a pair of scissors can’t fix”.
And all of this while Ellis, normally
happy with his back to the audience
but tonight displaying almost rock-star
behaviour, is rolling on the floor
on his back making the most tremendous
feedback- fuelled din. Fantastic! |
| The
first encore begins with a grungy
‘Get ready for love’ (“This
is destined for disaster, as all the
great songs are“ says Cave),
after which they give ‘The lyre
of Orpheus’ a heavy dose of
the Sham 69 treatment. During ‘Hard
on for love’ (which with a typical
incongruity features the real Lazarus
and the Book of Leviticus), the stage
monitors fail and as the band wait
for the fault to be fixed, some of
the crowd at the front quickly break
into a slow hand clap. This is quickly
diffused by Cave who, to applause,
stands on the edge of the stage and
shares his four-lettered Anglo Saxon
views on the ungratefulness of London
audiences with the ****s. Quite right
too. Speakers fixed, the stage is
bathed in blood, gore, as much fucking
fucking bad language as you can fucking
imagine, and yet more screeching and
feedback for ‘Stagger Lee’,
built of course around Casey’s
imperturbable bass line and Sclavunos’
power drumming. Then it’s another
break (more cigarettes at the stage
door?) before ‘Into my arms’,
and Cave’s take on Johnny Cash’s
‘Wanted man’. |
 |
It’s
exhilarating, thrilling, tinged
with danger, probably something
your mother wouldn’t approve
of, and all those other critical
things which go to make up a great
gig. And while the music is stripped
back, there’s no lack of talent
on display, from all of the band.
It’s clever and accomplished
and fiercely executed. Another Bad
Seeds triumph from Mr Cave. -
Nick Morgan (concert photograph
by Kate)
Listen:
Nick
Cave's MySpace page
Conway
Savage's MySpace page (excellent!
-S.) |
 |
TASTING
-
TWO
GLENLOCHY |
| Glenlochy
1977/1994 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail’s
Connoisseurs Choice, old map label)
Colour: gold. Nose: certainly bigger
than expected, with very pleasant
notes of roasted caramel and a big
maltiness, together with quite some
smoke. Burning toast? Smoked tea?
There’s also a little soap but
nothing excessive. Gets drier. Interesting.
|
| Mouth:
dry, caramelly and malty just like
on the nose. Burnt cake and crystallised
oranges – very good. A little
honey as well. Finish: rather long,
nicely caramelised. Honey-coated roasted
nuts. Comments: quite some personality
and a lot of pleasure. And how malty!
SGP:354 – 86 points. |
| Glenlochy
27 yo 1980/2007 (54.8%, Duncan Taylor
Rarest of the Rare, cask #2454, 278
bottles) Colour:
straw. Nose: very powerful, very grassy,
waxy, paraffiny, austere... And different
from the 1977. Unsual notes of lemongrass,
then fresh walnuts and gentian. Maybe
a little soap again but that’s
okay - quite some resemblance with
the G&M in fact, despite the big
differences (is that understandable?)
The smoke comes out only after a few
minutes, the whole becoming rather
wild. A lot of character. Mouth: nervous
and soft at the same time at the attack,
getting then very malty again, with
a slight bitterness (hops). Bitter
salad (what we call mesclun). Lentils?
‘Old style bitterness’.
Plantain. Finish: long, grasy and
malty, with even more hops and beer.
Comments: wild and stylish at the
same time - and characterful. SGP:262
– 88 points. |
| |
May
16, 2008 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– FOUR BRAND NEW INDIE LAPHROAIGS |
| Laphroaig
11 yo 1996 (53.6%, Jack Wieber, Auld
Distillers, 215 bottles, 2008)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: not as powerful
as expected (feared?) but ultra-clean,
‘zingy’, peaty of course,
farmy, maritime and mineral, with
added notes of fresh lemon juice and
fresh butter. Very, err, ‘idiosyncratic’
but less rounded than most OB’s.
Exactly a good indie Laphroaig. With
water: a little more smoke, peated
malt, wet straw and wet hay. Hints
of cow stable. Mouth (neat): punchy,
sweet and peaty, salty, liquoricy
and peppery, with a lemony tang. Very
classic but maybe a tad sweeter than
expected. With water: more of the
same, maybe a tad more on the peaty/peppery
side. Finish: quite long, classic,
peat, pepper, lemon juice and apple
compote. Little maritime or medicinal
notes here. Comments: good but not
out of this world. SGP:247
- 85 points. |
| Laphroaig
14 yo 1993 (51.1%, Douglas of Drumlanrig,
2008)
Colour: straw. Nose: this one is much
smokier than the JWW, ashier, even
more mineral and also more austere.
Metal polish and wet stones, motor
oil. Smells a bit like a Ducati after
a good run at full speed (provided
the electrics didn’t melt down
after ten kilometres.) Luv’
it. With water: oh, that almost killed
it! What happened? Only a few notes
of fresh almonds and wet sand remain...
What a bad swimmer on the nose! Mouth
(neat): extremely punchy but drinkable,
with a true peat blast – as
they say. Peat, lemon and pepper.
Not complex but water should help
again. With water: very classic Laphroaig.
Quite some salt now but it didn’t
get any more complex. Finish: long,
peaty, peppery, ashy. Comments: more
austere than the JWW, which may make
it more interesting. SGP:148
- 87 points. |
| Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (56.6%, Dewar Rattray,
bourbon, cask #2245, 291 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: pretty much the
same as the Douglas, only a tad woodier
and even smokier. Big, big smoke!
With water: it got wilder, sort of
dirtier (pleasantly so) and farmier.
Also more paraffin. Mouth (neat):
as big as the Douglas but a little
more complex. More spices (well, of
the peppery kind, at least). Other
than that you know the song... With
water: yes, it’s even better.
Finish: long and salty. Comments:
classic ‘wild’ and ‘straight’
Laphroaig. SGP: 138 - 89 points. |
 |
| Laphroaig
1990/2008 (55.6%, Berry Bros, cask
#2248)
Colour: white wine. Nose: same as
the Dewar Rattray, only even smokier!
Smoke galore! With water: again, water
didn’t work too well here but
it’s still alive. Fresh almonds
again. Mouth (neat): a little rounder
than the Rattray, and maybe a tad
closer to the OB’s (well, the
10 CS) but other than that it’s
a peat blast. Not quite like eating
an ashtray but... Also liquorice roots
and gentian spirit. Very good. With
water: even more punch, even when
watered down to roughly 45%. Close
to the DR (pedigrees are similar anyway).
Finish: long, a tad saltier than the
DR. Comments: ‘liquid smoke’.
Extreme but very likeable. SGP:128
- 90 points. |
 |
And
also Laphroaig
15 yo 1968 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice)
Notes of old walnuts and bitter
oranges on the nose, as well as
cake, but little peat if any. A
whispering old Laphroaig. The palate
is quite rounded, a tad more powerful,
on crystallised oranges and soft
spices. Figs. Little peat again,
hints of Szechuan pepper. Very good
but not for peat freaks. SGP:323
– 87 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening.
The very excellent Patti
Witten does Goin'
back to Moline.mp3 (from her 2004
CD Sycamore Tryst). Please... |
 |
| |
May
15, 2008 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE
YOUNG CLYNELISHES |
| Clynelish
13 yo (46%, The Whisky Companion,
sherry, +/- 2007)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: starts very
aromatic, almost exuberantly, on furniture
polish, wood smoke and orangeade.
Very clean, but things tumble a bit
after that, with notes of cooked wine,
mash, beer... Gets also quite flinty
and almost resinous. Pine-scented
candles? Maybe it’s the sherry
that doesn’t mix too well with
the spirit here (something buttery).
Now, it’s still very nice whisky
(as long as Clynelishe’s character
manages to shine through, I’m
happy.) Mouth: sweet yet nervous,
starting right on fruit liqueurs (strawberry)
and pineapple, orange cake, getting
then a little more herbal, waxy, grassy,
candied, liquoricy and salty. It’s
a bit rough but pleasantly complex
at the same time, maybe a tad too
‘sherried’ which seems
to give it a sweetness that’s
maybe slightly offbeat here. Finish:
rather long, sort of sweet and bitter.
Comments: slightly unusual for Clynelish,
thanks to the sherry (well, that’s
my theory) but then again, it’s
a good Clynelish. SGP:452
– 84 points. |
| Clynelish
13 yo 1992/2006 (57.2%, Cadenhead,
294 bottles)
From a bourbon hogshead. Colour: straw.
Nose: very punchy, starting ‘only’
on vanilla, mint and candle wax. Gets
then waxier and waxier, quite resinous
as well just like the other 13. Hints
of apple peel, fresh walnuts... And
then ultra-big notes of coriander
and fresh parsley mixed with plain
grain. Let’s see what happens
with water: it all settles down a
bit – I said a bit – and
becomes more classic, albeit a little
grassier than usual with Clynelish.
Loads of apple peel plus a little
coal smoke, soot... Also whiffs of
‘farmyard after the rain’.
Mouth (neat): big, big notes of coconuts
reminding me of some grain whiskies.
Also vanillin, plain oak, sugar...
There may have been new staves used
here! Not much Clynelish character
at this stage. With water: more of
the same, even if it got a little
more ‘Highlander’. Much
more salt as well, as well as bitter
oranges. Finish: long, a tad more
of a classic Clynelish. Comments:
very, very good Clynelish but maybe
the oak was a bit too active here.
A matter of taste of course! SGP:542
– 87 points. |
| Clynelish
(57.3%, OB, available only at the
distillery, 2008)
Colour: white wine. Nose: rather similar
to the Cadenhead, but maybe a tad
cleaner and showing more reserve.
Just as waxy but less resinous than
both 13’s at first nosing, but
there’s quite some pine resin
indeed after a good while. Also more
mineral, flinty, almost lemony notes
(lime). Not and easy dram at full
strength, it seems that this one is
rather for aficionados than for ‘simple’
tourists. Keeps developing for a long
time, that is, with whiffs of cardamom,
shoe polish, lemon balm, oysters...
With water: this is interesting, as
it got more ‘precise’
and ‘focused’. Cloves,
ginger, wax and a faint yeastiness.
Mouth (neat): an even huger punch
than with the Cadenhead’s but
also a straighter style. A lot of
sweetness from the alcohol but also
a little salt right at first sips.
Pineapple sweets, vanilla and, indeed,
a little coconut again. Other than
that it’s a little raw so let’s
not wait any longer and add water.
With water: now we’re talking!
More spices, more wax, more salt,
more herbs, more smokiness, more,
err, ‘clams’ (or any almondy/salty
kind of seafood), tea, a little pine
resin just like at first nosing...
It’s still a little wild (at
roughly 45% ABV) but even tourists
should not dislike this ;-). Finish:
long, even saltier and maritime. Comments:
very interesting that the owners composed
such a vatting for this ‘distillery
only’ version. It seems that
they tried to stay as close to the
distillery’s character as possible,
maybe at the expenses of simple ‘drinkability’.
Well, as Clynelish aficionados, we
certainly won’t complain! SGP:353
– 89 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| Very
much inspired by Captain Archibald
Haddock |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening.
Our beloved Abdullah
Ibrahim (aka Dollar Brand)
recorded Desert Flowers, a beautiful
album, when he first came back to
his native South Africa after many
years of exile. He over enthusiastically
- said the purists - used a synth
on The
Praise Song.mp3, but we think
it was beautiful. Please buy Abdullah
Ibrahim's music. |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Glenfarclas
1968/2000 (52.1%,
OB, ceramic, cask #683, 204 bottles)
Glenfarclas
45 yo 1961/2008 (45.4%, OB, Germany,
casks #1, 1319, 1321, 458 bottles)
Glenfarclas
50 yo 1956/2006 (50%, OB 'for friends',
Edition 2, cask #1779, 96 bottles)
Glen
Gordon 50 yo 1939/1989 (43%,
Gordon & MacPhail, 120 bottles)
Glen
Ord 16 yo 'Manager's Dram' (66.2%,
OB, 1991)
Highland
Park 18yo 1976/1994 (59%, Cadenhead's
for Oddbins, cask #4646)
Highland
Park 1977/1988 (50%, Duthie for Samaroli,
Fragments, 'Orkney', 648 bottles)
Highland
Park 26 yo 1972/1998 (55.7%, Signatory
10th Anniversary, cask #1632, 252 bottles)
Highland
Park 33 yo 1974/2007 (44.8%, OB, Ambassador’s
Cask #3, cask #9035, 35cl)
Laphroaig
1990/2008 (55.6%, Berry Bros, cask
#2248)
Macallan
33 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail,
Pinerolo, circa 1975)
Milton
Duff 36 yo 1966/2002 (41.7%, Douglas
Laing Platinum, 184 bottles)
Mortlach
1961/2000 (40.8%, Scott's Selection)
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