 |
|
Hi, you're in the Archives, May 2009 - Part 1 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
May
13, 2009 |
|
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
JIM WHITE
The Union Chapel,
London April 30th 2009 |
 |
Talking
of valued recommendations, one of
the nicest things about music is sharing;
same goes for malt whisky, I suppose.
But as is the case with whisky, sometimes
it’s hard to call: you have
to pick the right whisky for the right
person. The bohemian experimentalist
will explore and try, and enjoy, anything;
often just the experience of something
novel or different is enough. |
| Others
are more conservative. And as there’s
some degree of personal exposure in
doing this – getting it right
can strengthen a relationship, getting
it wrong quite the reverse - one has
to tread carefully. But when you do
get it right, it’s delightful.
Hence my delight that our fellow fish
and chipsters at the packed Union
Chapel for Jim
White (it’s Big
Bobby and Little Claire) have smiles
all over their faces only minutes
into the gig, and are no less beaming
when we wave them goodnight a couple
of hours later. |
| I’m
not surprised, since this show, part
of a short European tour, scored very
highly on the Jimometer. |
|
“It’s
sort of quiet in here. That’s
how it was last night in Norway, ‘till
I told them how happy I was to be
in Sweden”. Relaxed and very
much at ease, White was accompanied
by Patrick
Hargon, who jived and joked and
made his customised Telecaster positively
sing in the rafters of this old church,
and Lisa Hargon Smith (yes, they are
related) on bass.Mr White is about
to make another album, so this is
his last appearance in the UK for
a little while, and a useful opportunity
to try out material on a friendly
(that’s an understatement, I
should say ‘adoring’)
crowd. |
|
“I don’t want to keep
on doing the same old stuff, I could
have been Phil Collins to do that”.
And there are some previously untold
stories too. Of the new songs ‘Where
would I be’, with some clever
looped harmonica, led the Photographer
to write in my little black book –
‘now this should be a No 1’.
‘The way of love’ was
written as a memory of a chance meeting
and the most innocent of kisses with
a prostitute on a beach in Florida,
where White, then a fundamentalist
Christian, once worked as a sun-tan
lotion salesman (could it be anything
other than a Jim White song?). ‘Hick
hop’ sort of speaks for itself,
and ‘The trials of Job’
was, given the title of the song,
a surprisingly up-tempo piece, almost
in a Jonathan Richman rock and roll
style. Altogether some encouraging
stuff that bodes well for the next
record. |
 |
|
White began the set with a version
of ‘Fireworks factory’,
originally recorded with Johnny
Dowd and Hellwood and, from his
back catalogue ‘A perfect day
to chase tornados’, which he
introduced with a new story, albeit
set on the same beach as the customary
anecdote. This latest tale, of an
abortive rescue attempt, was a metaphor
for life’s relentless quest
for the unattainable, or something
like that. He played ‘The wound
that never heals’, possibly
his most disturbing song, about a
sexually-abused woman turned serial
killer and the very pretty ‘Still
waters’ and ‘Static on
the radio’. Add the more light-hearted
‘If Jesus drove a motor home’
(“We like playing this song
but people keep telling us they don’t
like it”), and from his last
album, ‘Turquoise house’,
which gave Hargon a chance to run
through a small manual of classic
Country and Western riffs. White ended
the show with a solo performance of
‘Bluebird’, the lovely
song written for his daughter. A perfect
way to finish. - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| TASTING
– THREE FRUITFUL AUCHENTOSHAN |
Auchentoshan
16 yo 1991/2007 (46%, Hart Bros)
Colour: white wine. Nose: young and
a little spirity at first nosing,
with also a lot of fresh orange juice.
Quite some wood smoke and crème
brûlée coning through
after that, the whole getting rather
gentler. Hints of marzipan, lavender
crème and earl grey tea. A
very clean Auchentoshan, maybe a tad
more candied and vanilled than some
other very fruity versions. Gets a
tad yeastier after fifteen minutes.
Mouth: fresh, youthful, extremely
fruity as Auchentoshan can be. All
on apple juice, bubblegum, strawberries
and just a little lemon. Orange drops.
Finish: medium long, still on oranges
and other fruits, with just hints
of oak (faint dustiness). Comments:
another one that should be very pleasant
on ice later in summer (that’
soon!) SGP:531 – 80
points. |
Auchentoshan
19 yo (46%, Duthies, +/- 2009)
The famous ‘Duthies’ brand
name has just been revived by Cadenhead.
Duthies is notably famous for providing
Mr. Samaroli with some his best bottlings.
Colour: straw. Nose: this one bursts
with vanilla of various kinds (crème,
custard, ‘natural’ pods),
developing on all things pastry-like
(caramel, praline, cappuccino, apple
pie) and with only hints of lemon
and grapefruit and maybe a little
anise and dill. Once again, a very
clean and fresh whisky, very easy
yet appealing. A little more complex
than the 1991. Mouth: a very pleasant
combination of the spirits’s
usual zestiness with some clean, sweet
oak and quite a lot of soft/sweet
spices. Indian korma sauce? Notes
of pineapples. Very good. Finish:
medium long, on tangerines and soft
chillies. Comments: an undemanding
but extremely pleasant dram, well
balanced. SGP:530 –
84 points. |
| Auchentoshan
24 yo 1984/2008 (55.4%, Signatory,
bourbon, cask #264, 159 bottles)
Cask #263 was good (WF 82) and cask
#265 for Austria was even better (WF
90). Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s
straight oak that talks first this
time, with whiffs of fresh sawdust
, pencil shavings and vanilla. Hints
of chalk and bread crumbs. With water:
really resembles the Duthies now,
minus the aniseed and dill. A little
less oak. Mouth (neat): a slight sourness
(cider apples) and quite some oak
again but the rest is expectedly clean
and fruity. Oranges, apple juice,
grapefruit. Green tea. With water:
once again, we’re very close
to the Duthies once water has been
added. Crisp and zesty. Finish: medium
long, well balanced between oak/vanilla
and citrus fruits. Comments: what
we expect from Auchentoshan. Very
clean, bottled just before the oak
would start to dominate the rather
light and fruitful spirit. SGP:531
- 84 points. |
| |
|
May
12, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– ANOTHER THREE EXCELLENT
LOCHSIDE |
Lochside
17 yo 1991/2008 ‘Eso Child’
(46%, The Nectar, Daily Dram, 252
bottles) 
A late period Lochside, the wonderful
distillery having been closed in 1992
and demolished around 2004. Look at
the picture below, wasn’t it
very ‘Neuschwanstein’?
And the malt always quite princely?
Colour: pale gold. Nose: as clean,
crisp and fruity as Lochside could
get, with something a little ‘Lowlands’
as often (Bladnoch, Auchentoshan)
plus that extra ‘old Highlands’
kick that’s so trilling. It’s
not a big nose actually but we’re
getting tangerines, passion fruits,
rhubarb, yellow flowers and fresh
mint, all encapsulated in a light,
refined oakiness (cedar wood). Hints
of dried flowers (pot-pourri). A very
elegant dram on the nose, kind of
aerial but not really light. Mouth:
assertive and very, very fruity, with
a lot of orange juice and even papayas
as well as notes of fresh bananas,
the oak growing then bigger (cinnamon).
The big fruitiness evolves more towards
kiwis after a moment, with unusual
vegetal notes (sorrel, rocket salad).
Finish: medium long, more on strawberry
drops now. And quite some kiwi! Comments:
not as much a fruitbomb as earlier
vintages but it’s still very
fruity whisky with quite a body. We’ll
always miss the very ‘unusual’
Lochside. SGP:641 - 87 points.
|
Lochside
23 yo 1981/2005 (55.4%, Blackadder,
Raw Cask, bourbon hoghsead, 238 bottles)
There’s been many 1981s and
some by Berry Bros, Cadenhead, Murray
McDavid or the SMWS have been truly
magnificent. Colour: gold. Nose: more
oak and dryness, the whole being much
less expressive than the 1991. Maybe
the alcohol does block it. Hints of
green bananas and something definitely
Irish in style. With water: bang bang!
Ripe grapefruits, ripe grapefruits
and ripe grapefruits, plus crushed
coriander. Oh, by the way, maybe you
could help: I’ve planted some
coriander in the garden but some annoying
snails keep eating it. Any ideas how
I could get rid of them without using
any chemicals? (No, I won’t
catch them and eat them!) Mouth (neat):
now, this is a fruitbomb! Bunches
of fresh fruits such as passion fruits,
oranges, mangos, pears… Quite
some pepper from the wood as well,
the whole getting very hot so let’s
add water again. With water: fantastic
fruitiness! More bananas, guavas…
Finish: medium long, clean and just
as fruity. Comments: I’m curious
about the kind of yeast they were
using at Lochside at the time. Wine
yeast? What a big fruitiness! SGP:730
– 90 points. |
| Lochside
21 yo 1981/2002 (60.7%, Cadenhead's,
Authentic Collection, Sherry Hogshead,
306 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: once again,
this one is a little shy, it’s
probably the high alcohol. Whiffs
of newly sawn oak and tealeaves. With
water: less exuberantly fruity than
the Blackadder but more complex, with
some grapefruit for sure but also
hints of lovage, parsley, fresh almonds,
apple peeling… Smells more and
more of lovage and maybe of coriander
again. Quite superb! Mouth (neat):
almost the same as the Blackadder
when neat as far as the flavours are
concerned but truly burning. We need
water. With water: we have a rounder
version of the Blackadder now. More
oak influence and less freshness but
it’s still excellent. Maybe
between the Daily Dram and the Blackadder
in style. No lovage on the palate,
alas. Finish: rather long, on grapefruits
and oak (white pepper, ginger). A
little mint in the aftertaste. Comments:
very good again. SGP:650 -
87 points. |
 |
Lochside
Distillery in 2000 (picture Nick/Wikipedia).
The Springbank of
the East (not architecturally that
is). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| |
|
| |
| (with
reference to Jack Handy) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: Pat
Metheny
Title: Zero
Tolerance for Silence, Part One
(1994 - Right, this is not just
for any ears, but this record was
a milestone, the Octomore or Supernova
of music - heavymetallers may go
back to school!)
Please buy Pat Metheny's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
11, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO HAZELBURN (Springbank) |
|
Hazelburn 7 yo 2001/2008 (49.4%, Cadenhead,
Bond Reserve, 4 small casks, 316 bottles)
Small casks should mean heavy oakiness,
but let’s see… Colour:
straw. Nose: good news, no excessive
oakiness, rather a pretty young and
very natural, clean spirit, all on…
muesli and vanilla crème. Hints
of yogurt and mocha and then quite
some freshly cut apple and, yes, fresh
oak (not completely dried). Whiffs
of ginger. Farmyard, hay and wet earth/grass
in the background. Rather delicate
actually, kind of a civilized brute.
Mouth: unusual, very unusual. Starts
on quite some cardboard (pleasant
here) and ginger tonic (pleasant here),
going on with some orange squash (pleasant
here) and powdered ginger (pleasant
here), and getting then more and more
gin-like (pleasant here). In short,
a profile that doesn’t sound
too good in my book but which, quite
inexplicably, I sort of enjoy. Finish:
long but gets maybe a tad too bitter
now (orange skin). Comments: I rather
like this one, for it lets the spirit
talk a bit, even though the wood’s
work is very obvious. SGP:361
- 81 points. |
Hazelburn
11 yo (56.7%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
#126.1, 207 bottles, 2009)
From a first fill sherry butt. Do
you think it’s a good idea to
have dropped the vintages within the
new SMWS line? I don’t. Now,
this is the first Hazelburn by the
SMWS ever, so it’s ‘important’
– but only 207 bottles in an
11yo butt? Where are the others? Colour:
dark mahogany. Nose: heavy-heavy Pedro
Ximenez or even pure cream sherry,
extremely spectacular. A 50-kgs fruitcake
and litres of various fruit liqueurs
and syrups (blackcurrants, strawberries,
pineapples, raspberries, prunes, sultanas,
bananas), toffee and quite some tar/smoke,
but none of the other aromas that
we sometimes find in heavily sherried
whiskies (no leather, no gunpowder,
no coffee, little meat and little
spices). In other words, a simple
but extremely spectacular sherry monster.
I doubt the spirit itself has much
to tell us here… Maybe on the
palate? Mouth: rich, thick and coating
but certainly not vulgar nor lumpish,
and rather drier than on the nose.
Frankly, it tastes like if there was
at least 20% pure sherry in here,
but it works and beautifully so. Tons
and tons of orange marmalade, tamarind,
prunes and crème de cassis
and then extremely big notes of cloves,
maybe the biggest I ever had in a
whisky. What a monster. Finish: extremely
long, with more straight oak now,
and always these huge notes of cloves.
Comments: blimey, I even forgot to
add water. A spectacular whisky but
if you don’t particularly enjoy
heavy sherry, you may pass…
SGP:751 - 89 points. |
| MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
A friend who's just back from Ethiopia
brought me a wonderful CD, I believe
from a certain 'Nebyu Tesfaye'
but I couldn't find any information
on the www. So I'll simply share
it with you, if you ever recognise
the music,
please drop me a mail! |
 |
| |
|
May
10, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– FOUR RECENT 26yo PORT ELLEN |
 |
| Port
Ellen 26 yo 1983/2009 (46%, Douglas
of Drumlanrig, cask #5033, 440 bottles)
A wonderful label that makes me think
of a Soviet officer’s cap –
personal pathos I guess! Colour: straw.
Nose: a crisp, clean lemony Port Ellen,
medium peated at first nosing, evolving
towards notes of fresh oysters and
butter, then fresh almonds, grass
and a little nutmeg, getting just
a tad paraffiny and papery (wet newspaper).
Whiffs of ginger tonic, gin fizz…
Little wood influence it seems, a
rather gentle and soft Port Ellen.
No sherry that I can smell. After
fifteen minutes: more burnt caramel.
Mouth: good, compact, lemony and peaty
at the attack, drops a bit in the
middle (a little cardboard), takes
off again towards the end (lemon marmalade
and ginger) and ends up on something
such as lemon-flavoured marzipan.
Something slightly dusty/chalky. Finish:
rather long and quite lemony, with
some salt. Comments: a Port Ellen
of good quality, no more, no less.
Not a big one. SGP:446 - 85
points. |
| Port
Ellen 26 yo 1982/2008 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, refill butt, 731 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: a rounder one,
with much more vanilla and praline
at first nosing, but it gets then
pretty similar to the 1983, with these
rather sharp lemony notes and a few
coastal notes (seashells). Grass,
fresh almonds, cut apples… Also
kumquats/quinces. And no gin fizz.
Maybe a tad butyric. Once again, rather
a gentle version of Port Ellen –
so far! Mouth: more unusual than on
the nose, kind of honeyed and resinous,
reminding me of oriental pastries
(baklavas, orange blossom water).
Certainly unexpected and much to my
liking. Goes on with lemon marmalade,
crystallised ginger, bitter oranges
and even something like chutney (mango?),
which makes it even richer, yet clean
and perfectly balanced. Very, very
good palate! Finish: long, with a
little more pepper and even hints
of aniseed. Comments: the nose wasn’t
really outta this world but the palate
was rather fantastic, round yet very
nervous, very Port Ellen. Port Ellen
with honey! SGP:547 - 89 points. |
| Port
Ellen 26 yo 1982/2008 (51.2%, Signatory
for LMdW, Collector's Edition No.
2, hogshead, cask #1135, 318 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: this one is straighter
and sharper, with almost no vanilla
this time and rather a crisp minerality
besides a little lemon (less than
in the DLs) and the coastal notes
(clams, tarry rope). Also fresh almonds
and walnuts plus a lot of grass. Whiffs
of fresh ink (brand new book). A little
austere but don’t we like austere
Port Ellens? Mouth: indeed, it’s
a sharp, ultra-zesty, very crystalline
PE and a beautiful one, starting on
litres of lime juice and taking off
on notes of pu-erh tea, cardamom and
cumin, pepper and then other citrus
fruits (mostly grapefruits.) There’s
also more and more lemon, and that
very special peatiness that’s
often to be found in Port Ellen (rather
of the tarry/earthy kind.) Jolly good.
Finish: Comments: totally clean, flawless
Port Ellen, more lemony than usual,
with also something that reminded
me of our crispiest Alsatian Rieslings.
Now, we liked the Collector’s
Edition No.1 even better, that one
was a truly majestic Port Ellen! (WF
94). SGP:357 - 90 points. |
| Port
Ellen 26 yo 1982/2009 (56.2%, Douglas
Laing OMC for The Nectar, refill hogshead,
193 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: we’re extremely
close to the other OMC at first nosing,
both whiskies being actually almost
identical despite different wood treatments
(but it seems that the casks weren’t
very active anyway). Maybe a little
more citrusy notes (orange zests,
lemon) and maybe a slightly bigger
‘coastalness’. More sour
fruits too (cider apples, also a little
baker’s yeast), the whole getting
frankly zestier after ten or fifteen
minutes. Great. With water: oh, this
one does not swim too well! Gets a
little cardboardy… Mouth: once
again, we’re close to the other
OMC in style but this one is the biggest
of them all. Very powerful but creamy,
rather rich considering it’s
a non-sherry PE, luscious, flavourful…
We have a lot of marmalade, pepper
spice-mix (that includes paprika and
caraway), dried ginger, straight peat,
lemon-sprinkled smoked salmon (not
kidding) and, well, lemon again. With
water: works better than on the nose
but it does not add much to the whisky.
Maybe a little more salt. Finish:
long, clean, zesty, perfectly balanced.
Comments: this one was probably the
most ‘Port Ellen’ of all
four, but water is not obligatory
– for once! SGP:447
- 91 points. |
| Quite
interestingly, I found all four PEs
to be much nicer on the palate than
on the nose, which is exactly the
opposite of what usually happens with
fairly old whiskies. What’s
sure is that the stock that’s
still in wood can rest peacefully
until 2030 or even later, it’s
not the rather wordless wood that’ll
start to dominate the spirit anytime
soon. But we’re not in a hurry,
are we? |
 |
STEPHANE
THE MAD MALT MIXOLOGIST
proposes his malt
cocktails for the
Springtime
TODAY:
"Sunny
Speyside afternoon" |
Pour into a tumbler, with ice:
- 6 cl Linkwood F&F or a young
version from an independent (Signatory,
Jean Boyer...) preferably "bourbon
matured" or with little influence
of sherry
- 2 cl pineapple liqueur
- 1 cl banana liqueur
- 1 dash passion fruit syrup
- Finish with pink grapefruit juice
Decorate with exotic fruits.
Variants: Linkwood is a malt that
usually blends very well, especially
with tropical fruits.
You may substitute it by another young
and rounded Speyside whisky of your
choice, and appreciate the changings
in the resulting taste. |
 |
| MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
An extraordinary Cuban sounding
lamento by the great Angolan singer
José Adelino Barceló
de Carvalho aka Bonga!
Title: Makongo
From:
Angola 74 (1974)
Please buy Bonga's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
9, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW
by
Nick Morgan
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY
Royal Festival Hall, London
April 20th 2009
I
really have tried hard with Bonnie
Prince Billy, aka Will
Oldham. If you don’t know,
he’s from the home of Bourbon,
Louisville, Kentucky; also the birthplace
of Mohammed Ali who had a street
named after him (reminding me of
a very funny story about the Pendennis
Club, which I’ll leave
‘till later) and indeed, of
the famous Louisville Slugger. |
 |
|
It’s not that Billy lacks advocates.
Almost every thinking-person’s
newspaper or magazine deifies him
on a regular basis, and Dave rarely
misses an opportunity to sing his
praises – as he did, in typically
engaging Dave style, here.
But we all know how subjective our
appreciation of music is and, no matter
how intriguing the press and valued
or trusted the recommendations, I’ve
never quite connected with Mr Prince’s
music. Don’t misunderstand,
his songs are wonderful in their structure,
the lyrics aching, searching, deeply
personal, yet hugely accessible. But
there’s just something missing.
Recessive production and too much
wistful melancholia, I just don’t
know what. As we sat at the table
next to Bonnie, band, entourage and
crumpled pile of papers in Wagamama,
chomping noodles, tofu and snow-peas,
I was tempted to ask him what it might
be, but he was so engaged in his grub
and thoughts that it seemed rude. |
| As
it happens I didn’t need to,
because this truly splendid performance
(so good that I put my notebook away,
sat back and allowed the blessed music
to roll over me, just like waves on
the white sands of an isolated Hedridean
beach) provided the answer. Josh Abrams
on bass, Emmett Kelly on guitar and
vocals, Cheyenne Mize on guitar, violin
and harmonies and the other great
Jim White driving the band along on
drums, with Billy’s own eclectic
grungy guitar, gave his fine songs
a compelling edge. Gave them the punch
that they often seem to lack on record.
Alt. country, punk country, indie
folk country rock punk, maybe a touch
of acid-house? I have no idea what
you call it, but it was a thing of
beauty. I’ve noticed a few comments
on forums that the hard-assed country
style killed some of the songs, but
for me, combined with Mr Prince’s
vocals (and the joyful harmonies)
it brought them vividly to life. And
you do know how good a performance
is when a song ends, only to be greeted
by that wonderful moment of awed silence
from the audience. That was what followed
‘I see a darkness’. |
Bonnie Prince
Billy,
dancing Appalachian
style |
There’s
a thin line to be walked between art
and artfulness and I’ve never
been sure which side Mr Bonnie is
on, but in this performance, his demeanour
(bib and braces donned après
noodles), absurdist comments, occasional
Appalachian-style dancing, indeed
the whole package, seemed entirely
natural and fully engaged with the
music. Of course BPB has a new album
out, Beware, and he played about half-a-dozen
songs from it. But there were almost
another
twenty songs drawn from his extensive
back catalogue of work and all played
with the same overwhelming intensity,
not a dud amongst them. And I wasn’t
going to forget support act Susanna,
an impressive three-piece from Norway
fronted by the wonderfully-voiced
Susanna Wallumrod, with Helge Sten
on a very other-worldly guitar, who
provided the perfect amuse-bouche
for Mr Billy. |
| Maybe
we’re just lucky, but this one
rocketed into ‘Gig of the year’
contention, usually a small space
which is already getting very crowded.
And my advice: well of course buy
Bonnie Prince Billy’s albums,
since it’s how he makes a living,
but don’t take them at face
value and please go and see him perform
live. It’s a wonderful visceral
experience, which for what it’s
worth nearly had me in tears. -
Nick Morgan (concert photographs by
Kate) |
 |
TASTING
TWO CRAIGELLACHIE
I know, comparing two whiskies with
very different ‘pedigrees’
doesn’t make much sense, but
at least the colours and the ABVs
are the same (!!!)… |
Craigellachie
9 yo 1999/2009 (46%, Douglas of Drumlanrig,
cask #5043, 389 bottles)
This is one of Douglas Laing’s
‘second’ labels and comes
from a sherry butt, obviously not
first fill according to its light
colour. Colour: pale straw. Nose:
raw, spirity, grassy and very porridgy,
with little fruitiness. Big notes
of grains, barley and warm bread and
finally a little rubber. I wouldn’t
say this is the most pleasant nose
I ever encountered… Mouth: very
sweet at this point, all on barley
sugar and apple pie, but the rest
is a little rough and quite indefinite.
Malt. A little liquorice, a little
vanilla and a little white pepper.
Finish: rather long but still ‘simply
malty’. Comments: not bad and
certainly not flawed but very average
and not very interesting, I think
this is the kind of whisky that should
maybe not be bottled as a single cask.
Very little sherry influence. SGP:231
- 72 points. |
| Craigellachie-Glenlivet
25 yo 1962 (46%, Moncreiffe for Meregalli)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: a very big
old bottle effect here, and a pleasant
one, combining soot, metal polish,
wax, motor oil and this mouldiness
that’s sometimes very pleasant
(old wine cellar, mushrooms, old books…)
Also a little ink and wet chalk, and
even some diesel oil. Probably not
much coming from the original spirit
but the whole is much appealing (to
die-hard whisky lovers). Mouth: sweet
and waxy, typically ‘OBE’ed’
once again. Marzipan, pine resin (cough
sweets), mint drops, salmiak, cumin…
And all that jazz. Very good and rather
bold (good mouth feel). Finish: quite
long, more on fresh walnuts and apple
peel. Good grassiness, more cough
sweets in the aftertaste (menthol).
Comments: one of these oldies that
converge after a lot of years in glass,
getting beautifully dry, as is the
case with many old Cadenhead’s.
Good stuff. SGP:262 - 89 points.
|
| |
|
May
8, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO NEW 39yo LONGMORNS
I like 19, 29 or 39yo whiskies,
they look kind of more ‘honest’,
as if the bottler didn’t wait
for them to become 20, 30 or 40
just to pull ‘free’
extra money from the market. |
| Longmorn
39 yo 1970/2009 (51.7%, Alambic Classique,
cask #9401, 139 bottles)
Matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry
cask, so probably quite thick! Colour:
amber. Nose: classical old Longmorn,
starting on a much elegant combination
of opulent fruitiness, polished old
wood and gunflints. Magnificent, as
almost always. Dried longans and figs,
ripe blood oranges, apricot pie, strawberry
liqueur, beeswax, habanos and old
rum (old Longmorns often smell like
old Caribbean rums – partly),
hints of horse stable, whiffs of kummel
liqueur, various honeys… Really
classical, an ode to long maturation
vs. all these rushed BS youngsters
that start to pollute our shelves
these days. With water: the fruitiness
disappears a bit and is replaced with
leathery and meaty notes. Again, very
classical. Mouth (neat): right, the
sherry’s a little heavy and
thickish indeed, but the whole isn’t
overly sweet or even sugary, it’s
rather a little dry (grape skin).
A lot of orange liqueur, then cinnamon
and nutmeg as often with these old
casks. Probably a little less polished
than on the nose. With water: in the
same vein, the wood being maybe a
tad drying here but the fruitiness
is big enough to stand it. Notes of
old rum, just like on the nose. Very
good. Finish: long, more citrusy now.
A tannicity in the aftertaste. Comments:
very, very good. Fabulous nose and
a palate that’s maybe just a
tad less… well, fabulous. SGP:651
– 90 points. |
| Longmorn
39 yo 1969/2009 (58.9%, Gordon &
MacPhail for The Mash Tun and KasK,
Tokyo, 460 bottles)
From a refill sherry butt. I always
liked G&M's old Book of Kells
design, I find it reassuringly out
of fashion. And what a whoppingly
high strength at 39 years old, was
this one matured in Arizona? Colour:
pale amber. Nose: powerful but extremely
aromatic and luscious, with what seems
to be an incredible complexity. Great
whiffs of gunpowder (no straight sulphur)
and tarmac floating on the surface
of what appears to be an ocean of
various fruits. But at almost 60%
vol., water is needed… So with
water: blimey, will you please call
the anti-maltoporn brigade and quick?
Superlatively superlative, as almost
only old Springbanks and Longmorns
can be. Kilned passion fruits? Mouth
(neat): extremely thick and fantastically
rich and concentrated, this is more
(high-end) jam than whisky! Amazing
fruitiness, sublime spiciness and
something that reminds me of a very
old Yquem or Sélection de Grains
Nobles. What a beauty! With water:
did you call the anti-maltoporn brigade?
We’re close to perfection here.
Finish: long and sublime, stunningly
elegant and refined despite the richness.
Comments: kudos to our Japanese friends
for having selected this total beauty.
Dekaeshita! SGP:652 - 95 points.
(and many thanks, Hideo!) |
 |
And
also Chieftain’s
Choice Single Highland 28 yo 1964
(50%, Scottish Independent Distillers,
Taiwan, +/-1992)
A Longmorn from the early Chieftain’s
Choice range for Asia, that I found
in Portugal. Don’t ask! Nose:
very vegetal, on fern, linseed oil
and turpentine, very old style and
kind of Clynelishian, which is always
good news in my view. Gets then a
little fruitier but there are also
funny hints of turnips (Baldrick!),
mint and more and more camphor. Mouth:
a fruity attack, firm, on citrus,
getting then even more lemony. Very
zesty. Also a little wax, pepper and
mushroomy notes. A big dram old style,
with little sherry if any. Brilliant
Longmorn once again! SGP:463
– 92 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: Andy
McKee (and his strange
guitars)
Title: Art
Of Motion
Please buy Andy McKee's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
7, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO NEW 1965 TOMATINS
These old Tomatins can be brilliantly
fruity and youthful or plain dead,
depending on the casks. Jack Wieber
had a fantastic 1965 in the Cross
Hill series, and so did Duncan Taylor.
Besides, together with (indie) Glenfarclas,
Tomatin seems to be the last Scottish
malt whisky of which many old casks
can still be found for reasonable
prices (loud applauses!) |
| Tomatin
43 yo 1965/2009 'Oat Mint' (47.1%,
The Nectar, Daily Dram, 210 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: starts fresh
and clean, on a typical blend of very
fruity notes such as not too ripe
bananas and papayas with a very subtle
spicy woodiness (cedar wood with a
little menthol). Develops more on
slightly resinous notes, wax polish,
pollen and earl grey tea, the menthol
growing rather bigger in the background.
Not a wham-bam fruitbomb, rather complex,
but as always with these oldies, it’s
on the palate that the truth will
lie. Mouth: what’s rather striking
is this one’s nervousness and
freshness, even if the fruitiness
is soon to be replaced with a wide
assortment of spices from the oak.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, even soft chilli,
white pepper… Then we’re
back on mangos and mint, with even
faint notes of strawberries and pear
drops, as if the fruits wouldn’t
let the rather beautiful oak do all
the talking. Finish: rather long,
with the kind of oakiness that’s
very typical of these whiskies (banana
skin) and a tiny wee bit of smokiness.
Comments: a very good version where
neither the fruits, nor the oak managed
to dominate each other. SGP:551
- 90 points. |
| Tomatin
43 yo 1965/2009 (48.2%, Whisky-Doris)
Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re
obviously very close to the Oat Mint
here, with maybe more roundness and
‘fatness’, and more honey
and ripe melon as well. In short,
a little less mint and a little more
ripe fruits, the global quality being
similar on the nose. Mouth: once again,
this one is bigger and richer than
the Oat Mint, starting straight on
pear and strawberry drops, with quite
some mango and passion fruits as well
(but not ala ‘68 Bowmore, if
you see what I mean). Then we have
all the spices, nutmeg first, then
star anise and mint, and finally quite
some pepper. Peppered strawberries?
Please bring champagne! Finish: long
and, just like the Oat Mint, half
fruity, half spicy/oaky. Comments:
another very good 1965 Tomatin, most
certainly in the same league as the
Oat Mint. This one is more assertive
and expressive, but perhaps a tad
less complex. Same rating. SGP:651
– 90 points. |
 |
And
also Tomatin
36 yo 1965/2001 (49.7%, Douglas Laing
OMC, 216 bottles)
Nose: we’re maybe a little closer
to an old Glenfiddich here, as it’s
rather more cereally, the fruitiness
being a little more subdued than normal.
Hints of bananas. The whole is a tad
shy and reminds me of some fruit that
didn’t fully mature, ‘though
the whole is still very nice. Mouth:
more fruits this time, orange drops,
and a little salt, which was unexpected.
Reminds me of a tequila/lime/salt
combo, with a nice oakiness to complement
the whole. Comments: maybe not one
of the best in my book, but it’s
still of high quality. SGP:451
– 86 points. |
 |
BONUS
TASTING – TWICE THE SAME ARDBEG,
HtoH
(probably the stupidest tasting
session ever!) |
The
official claim is that both bottlings
of the Supernova came from the same
batch, but other malt freaks noticed
that the bottling codes were dissimilar
(L08 for the ‘Committee’
and L09 for the general release),
which means that the general release
may have spent at least a few more
weeks in one or several vatting tanks.
Would that change anything to the
whisky? Probably not but let’s
see… Besides, whilst it was
believed (wrongly it seems) that the
first version came from a very small
‘boutique/experimental/secret’
run of uber-peated Ardbeg, a recent
press release by the owners claimed
this (quote): “For the creation
of Ardbeg Supernova, we analysed and
tasted a wide range of different Ardbeg
whiskies of varying ages.” Perplexed?
Anyway, woooof! First I tried the
Ardbeg
'Supernova' (58.9%, OB, advanced Committee
release, 2008) while
reading my old
tasting notes and decided that
I wouldn’t change one word to
them (S., you lazy B.!) Then I tried
the Ardbeg
‘Supernova’ (58.9%, OB,
general release, 2009)
and found, indeed some very tiny differences
on the nose and on the palate, whether
when neat or diluted, but the problem
is that these tiny wee differences
kept changing – first the CR
was a tad more lemony, then it was
the GR, then the GR was a tad smokier,
and then it was the CR… The
kind of things that happen anytime
you try the same whisky from two different
bottles. So, the colours being the
same, I decided that only a large
panel of tasters tasting both whiskies
in a double-blind session could maybe
settle this very existential question.
As far as I’m concerned, I’d
say that these two (excellent) whiskies
are most probably the same indeed.
SGP: 269- 89 points. |
| 05/20/09
Update:
blimey! Some crazy Ardbeggophiles
have been questionning my comments
and said that both whiskies were clearly
different. That's why I checked the
first trade sample I got for what
was meant to be the 'committee release'
and it appears that it was drawn in
January 09, whilst the actual committee
release was bottled in 2008. Which
means that when I first tried Supernova
while thinking it was the committee
version, it was most possibly the
'regular' version already, the existence
of which nobody was even aware of.
Oooh, this is getting too complicated,
let's move on if you please. |
 |
| GREAT
NEWS! No need to add
a few drops of the expensive Supernova
behind your ears or on your chest
anymore, as Alsatian born and friend
of Beyoncé Thierry
Mugler just launched
A*Men Pure Malt cologne!
Blurb from their US webshop: "An
innovation in perfumery, Pure Malt
honors the tradition of Scotland’s
peaty Whiskies with its smoky and
sensual woody accents. The result
is a surprising fragrance of elegance
and sophistication in which several
malts collide, exciting the senses
and revealing a truly noble and refined
masculinity." And now let's
quote the box: "Discover
the fusion between A*Men and the world
of spirits thanks to a patented method
inspired by traditional techniques
used to produce the finest Whiskies.
A*Men Pure Malt is aged in oak casks
to reveal a fragrance imbued with
elegance, intensifying a lingering
note that is subtly peaty and exceptionally
noble. Do not drink." |
 |
| Love
the last, short sentence, the only
one that does not sound like a genuine
PR piece by some Scottish distillers!
(But hey, Pure Malt? Shouldn't it
be Blended Malt?) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: Fela
Kuti and Africa 70
Title: No
Agreement (Fantabulous –
if not ecstatic, WF refund!)
From:
No Agreement, 1977
Please buy Fela Kuti's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
6, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– THREE RECENT OLD CAOL ILA
OR MAYBE FOUR |
 |
|
Caol Ila 1979/2008 (56%, Jack Wieber
Old Train Line, Bourbon Cask, 261
bolles)
Colour: gold. Nose: very spirity,
aggressive, wit whiffs of cologne
and a lot of oak/plank behind that.
Not much else, this one probably needs
water. With water: indeed! It really
opens up, getting rather superbly
smoky, farmy and coastal. Osyters,
fresh almonds, wet stones, wet hay,
garden bonfire, ‘wet grass smoke’…
Classical. More and more fresh almonds
and seashells (clams spring to mind
– so to speak). Also patchouli
and eucalyptus… Oh, and linseed
oil and even turpentine… A very
long development, don’t rush
this one! Mouth (neat): much, much
more to my liking than on the nose
when neat, starting unusually medicinal
for a Caol Ila. Big notes of cough
medicine, something antiseptic, a
lot of iodine/salt, then ‘just
like when we licked rocks when we
were kids’ (to each his own).
Gets then peatier and a tad aggressive
again, time to add water. With water:
perfect. Liquorice, salt and vanilla,
and myriads of tiny nutty/coastal
notes that we won’t list here,
do not worry. Finish: very long, dry,
coastal and a tad resinous now. Leaves
you mouth as clean as a baby’s.
Comments: truly excellent but really
needs water. SGP:257 - 90
points. |
| Caol
Ila 1982 (61.9%, Queen of The Moorland,
Committee Bottling, Edition XXVI,
60 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: very close to
the 1979, quite pungent and austere,
very grassy. Water is probably more
than needed here. With water: once
again, water did wonders! This is
an extremely clean, sharp, zingy,
almondy, nutty, mineral, ashy and
lemony Coal Ila, with this extra-roundness
that works so well (macchiato), and
with just hints of cedar wood and
maybe even sandalwood coming through
after quite some time. Not to be rushed!
Mouth (neat): a powerful yet rather
easy attack, very sweet thanks to
the high ABV, with quite some lemon
zest, orange marmalade and even that
fruity prickliness that one can sometimes
find in cask strength whiskies (green
apples, kiwis.) But it’s getting
hot… With water: this is very
funny, it got very, very fruity now,
which was certainly unexpected. Notes
of cranberry juice, grapefruit, more
green apples… And these notes
of smoked tea in the background. Finish:
very long, nervous, almondy, lemony
and salty. Comments: memorable, but
only 60 bts! Where are the others?
SGP:257 - 91 points.
(and thanks, young Angus ;-)) |
| Caol
Ila 26 yo 1982/2009 (62.8%, The Whisky
Cask)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite curiously,
this one is rather more ‘noseable’
than the others when neat, and most
certainly less spirity. Grass, fresh
almonds and green tea. With water:
now it’s got absolutely nothing
to do with the others anymore, as
if it came from another distillery.
First it’s rather peatier, and
then it’s much more vegetal,
almost yeasty/sour and also much more
lemony. In short, a wilder version
of Caol Ila, with less oak/ageing.
Smells much younger than 26 actually.
Mouth (neat): we’re close to
the other 1982 but it’s VERY
hot and powerful, so I’m sorry
but we won’t take any more chances.
With water: exactly the same feeling.
It’s pretty good but it tastes
like if it was 12yo. Plus, there’s
something too metallic and oddly grassy.
Nails? Finish: long, all on lemon
juice and ‘osyter juice’.
Fresh almonds once again. And quite
a lot of straight peat. Comments:
it’s certainly not as bad as
it sounds in my notes, just surprisingly
‘young’ by comparison
with the others and maybe not quite
mature. But good it is! SGP:266
- 80 points. |
| And
also Port
Askaig 25 yo (45.8%, Specialty Drinks,
2009)
As the excellent bottlers wrote, ‘in
a world of change and innovation,
there is still a place for the tried
and tested approach.’ No doubt
about that! In any case, just like
the official Talisker 10yo, this new
Port Askaig is bottled at Imperial
80 proof, that is to say 45.8% vol.
As for the malt inside, well, both
the name and the view of the Paps
of Jura suggest… Your guess!
Colour: pale gold. Nose: a clean and
fruity start, with whiffs of liquorice
allsorts, dill and celery flight around,
then a little cinchona/bitter tonic,
the whole getting then more focused
on everything from ‘there’,
that is to say wood ashes, wet sand
(the beach, really), motor oil (and
paraffin), a little gentian and other
rooty notes. Finally a little fresh
marzipan (not cheapo confectionary),
infused green tealeaves, and maybe
white cherries and overripe apples.
More and more coastal on ‘subsequent
nosing’. Mouth: rather round
and even kind of mellow, reminding
me of old versions of Caol Ila in
a certain way (pre-1974). Some liquorice,
notes of salty oysters, the lemon
that goes well along, then quite some
nutmeg and a little cinnamon from
the oak, plain wood (chewed pencil),
maybe a little tapioca (faint dustiness)
and finally hints of cherries just
like we had on the nose (not too ripe
bigaroons). Medium peatiness. Finish:
medium to long, with a nice clean
‘smoky/dusty bitterness’,
apple peel, and more spices in the
aftertaste (pepper and cardamom).
Comments: not a peat monster, rather
a gentleman of an Islayer, in the
league where most flawless 25yo Islayers
lie. SGP:365 - 90 points. |
 |
And
also, speaking of pre-1974 Caol Ila…
Caol
Ila 19 yo 1966/1985 (58.3%, Sestante,
240 bottles)
A rare and legendary bottling. Nose:
powerful and quite aggressive, kind
of rustic and very authentic, whatever
that means. Kind of candied, peppery,
peaty, with a lot of melon jam. Very
unusual. With water: more ash and
smoke, more classical. Mouth: round
and powerful, full, peppery. Loads
of peat and orange liqueur, extremely
rich. Smoked tea. With water: it got
fabulously round and balanced. Kumquats,
pepper and smoke. It’s maybe
not the most complex CI ever but it’s
very, very ‘full’. Very,
very superb! SGP:556 –
93 points. (and thanks,
Luc T.) |
| PS:
A press release
just announced that there will be
a single cask/cask strength Caol Ila
1996 'Feis Isle Special' this year,
as well as a Lagavulin 1995. £69.99
each. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: John
Cale the Hobo Sapiens
Title: For
A Ride
From:
Black Acetate (2005)
Please buy John Cale's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
5, 2009 |
|
|
| CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
SHARON
SHANNON AND HER BIG BAND WITH CAMILLE
O'SULLIVAN AND SHANE MACGOWAN
The Forum, Kentish Town,
London,
April 18th 2009
As
I think you know I was a big fan
of Del Shannon back in the old days,
largely because the copy of ‘Little
town flirt’ that a neighbour
gave us was for many years about
the only record we had in the house
– even before we had a Dansette
record player. But you could actually
play it with a pin if you spun it
on the top of your finger and listened
very closely. Though ‘Flirt’
charted in the UK at number 4, what
was of more interest was the remarkably
(even at the time) culturally insensitive
B side, ‘The Wamboo’.
With lyrics like this: |
Del Shannon
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well
way down deep in the Belgian Congo
- hey the Congo
Well there's a dance they call the
wamboo - hey the Wamboo
And as they dance they sing this song,
wam-boo wam-boo way, wamboo,
With voodoo drums beating all night
long, wam-boo wam-boo way, wamboo
Wam-boo wam-boo way, wam-boo wam-boo
way
Wam-boo wam-boo way-o! |
| Who
really needs peace, love and understanding?
Anyway, we decided to ‘time
capsule’ the record for posterity,
and it now lies safely entombed under
concrete in a very secret spot in
Oxfordshire. No doubt it will explain
something of the folly of human civilisation
when it’s discovered by some
post-apocalyptic archaeologist. Or
maybe not. |
| All
of this might lead you to think that
I’m struggling to say anything
much about Sharon
Shannon’s (no relation)
performance at the Forum a couple
of weeks ago, which sadly isn’t
far from the truth. It’s not
that I don’t have huge admiration
for this genre-defying performer who,
through a variety of imaginative collaborations,
has managed to bring the accordion,
kicking and screaming, into the twentieth
century. And it’s not that she,
or her accomplished band, didn’t
perform well, although the almost
painful smile that Ms Shannon had
painted on her face suggested at times
that she was playing through a pain
barrier, as if suffering from the
accordionists’ version of repetitive
strain injury. With her group taking
turns to lead (although frankly I
don’t think we’d really
paid our money to hear the roadie
perform his party piece ‘Dancing
in the moonlight’), she conjured
up a relaxed almost ceilidh-like atmosphere
on the stage, which was enjoyed by
the crowded balcony, all pints of
Guinness and up for some Saturday
night craic, and by the noisy but
frankly half- empty downstairs. |
Sharon Shannon |
| But
truth is, after a while the songs
and tunes tended to merge together
into a sort of Gaelic wallpaper, and
if you nodded off half-way through
a song you could wake thinking that
you were trapped in the living hell
of a woollen shop in Oban. |
| So
Ms Shannon’s tactic to break
through the tedium was ‘Special
Guests’. Camille
O’Sullivan burst on the
stage larger than life, wearing the
sort of short skirt that made you
glad you weren’t at the front
of the stage, and tore into her witty
song ‘In these shoes’.
It didn‘t get any better than
this, with a predictable rendition
of ‘The port of Amsterdam’
(hammy enough to fill several baguettes)
that must have had poor old Jacques
Brel spinning in his grave. Her version
of ‘Don’t think twice
it’s alright’, a difficult
enough song to perform at the best
of times, sung from a lyric sheet,
was simply lamentable. |
Shane MacGowan, Camille O’Sullivan,
|
 |
| But
it got worse – and I’ll
be very honest and say now that had
I known that Shane
MacGowan was the big ‘Special
Guest’ I wouldn’t have
bought tickets; I’ve expressed
my view on this subject before. He
had a coterie of fans downstairs who
could have been at a bear-baiting,
cheering as he staggered onto the
stage clutching a pint glass of vodka.
Why people want to watch someone as
ill as MacGowan humiliate themself
in public is beyond me and even if
he does need the money, I question
the judgement of anyone who puts him
on stage. He very clearly didn’t
know what day it was, let alone which
microphone to use, and when he poured
a pint of beer over himself, incapable
of getting the glass to his lips,
we decided to call it a day and bid
our farewell to the not-so-funny Kentish
Town Forum. - Nick Morgan (concert
photographs by Kate) |
 |
TASTING
– THREE ST. GEORGES FROM TWO
COUNTRIES (with dragons,
red crosses and all that!)
To tell you the truth, I’m not
too sure this session makes any sense… |
St.
George Lot 3 (43%, OB, Single Malt
Whiskey, California, USA) 
Colour: pale gold. Nose: right, this
is one of these uber-fruity and youthful
‘foreign’ single malts
that are perfectly made but that do
not ‘nose’ like Scotch
(nor Japanese, nor Irish) at all.
We’re rather very close to a
blend of tutti frutti spirit and beer
distillate (fleur de bière),
but having said that, it’s very
pleasant spirit. Whiffs of brand new
kirsch, tinned litchis, quince jelly
and Muscat wine, then rather big notes
of bubblegum. Little oak influence
that I can get. Another one that should
go well on ice… Mouth: once
again, we’re extremely far from
‘malt whisky’ as we know
it but it’s very pleasant spirit,
fresh, crisp and very fruity, kind
of ‘Chinese’ (mei-kwei-lu,
rice brandy, litchis, even longan
spirit). Seriously, this really reminds
me of the spirits I used to taste
last time I was in China (although
I couldn’t tell you what they
were, I don’t read Chinese).
But granted, this is cleaner and more
elegant! Finish: shortish but just
as clean and muscatty. Comments: not
‘whisky’ (not even rye)
in style but very pleasant! SGP:720
- 78 points. |
St
George Chapter 3 2007/2009 (46%, OB,
The English Whisky Co., cask #475)
18 months old so no whisky yet, from
American bourbon 1st fill. The master
distiller (or is he distillery manager)
is the famous and very engaging Iain
Henderson, ex-Laphroaig and ex-Edradour.
Colour: white wine. Nose: almost new
make! Porridge, vanilla-flavoured
yogurt, strawberry liqueur, then wet
hay, newly cut grass and just hints
of fresh mushrooms (faint earthiness).
It’s nice, but it’s new
make (almost). Mouth: indeed, a very
young, very fruity but also very beerish
and slightly feinty spirit. One can
feel that there’s ‘some
potential’ here, but we’re
still far from ‘whisky’
as we’re used to it. Quite some
apple and pear juice, bitter beer,
hints of cane syrup… Finish:
medium long, smooth, slightly salty.
Comments: no doubt this is good new
make, but it’s not really something
to enjoy. More ‘documentation’
so to speak, except that I’d
have rather issued these ‘documents’
at cask strength as for instance Kilchoman
does/did. See you in five or six years!
SGP:431 - 65 points. |
| St
George Chapter 4 2007/2009 (46%, OB,
The English Whisky Co., peated)
18 months old so no whisky yet. The
malt for this one was peated to 50ppm.
I’ve seen single cask bottlings
but the label for this one does not
display any such indications. Colour:
white wine. Nose: it’s amazing
how peaty whiskies are quicker to
smell ‘mature’, the peat’s
big aromas masking any faint ‘flaws’
that are obviously there in such young
malts. So, this is pretty nice, ashy,
quite bubblegummy (of course), grassy
and slightly citrusy. Whiffs of cough
syrup. Medium smokiness. Mouth: once
again and for the same reasons, this
works better than the unpeated version,
even if there’s something slightly
strange (something like burnt herbs
– oregano?). Liquorice wood,
bitter herbs (Jägermeister),
ginger tonic, even gin… That’s
it, this is rather good gin! Finish:
medium long, with added notes of cinchona.
Comments: tastes like a Negroni (1
part gin, 1 part vermouth, 1 part
Campari). I like a Negroni…
SGP:335 - 70 points. |
| |
|
May
4, 2009 |
|
|
TASTING
– TWO BEAUTIFUL NEW SPINGBANKS
by BERRY BROS |
 |
| Springbank
1993/2009 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd,
cask #195)
Colour: straw. Nose: very nice! Starts
almost as spicy and assertive as more
recent Springbanks can be, with huge
notes of cloves and juniper on top
of bitter oranges and grapefruits,
then a rather big minerality (gunflints,
chalk, clay), faint whiffs of coal
and wood ashes, and finally that pleasantly
dirty farminess that sometimes comes
with the package (dusty farmyard after
a heavy summer rain- whatever!). I
like this nose a lot, even –
or maybe because – it’s
a little understated. Mouth: as often
with the distillery’s recent
outputs, the attack is a tad ‘shaky’
and guess what, I like that! Oranges
and kumquats, ginger tonic and Campari,
warm butter and sour cream, all that
at the same time! More and more bitter
oranges after that, a faint dustiness
(cigar tobacco) and finally something
vegetal, between celeriac and salsify.
Very, very entertaining whisky, kind
of anti-classical if I may say so.
Finish: medium long, still on vegetables
and bitter oranges. Comments: typical
naked (read unfinished) new style
Springbank, a malt like no other.
SGP:362 - 88 points.
|
| Springbank
1992/2009 'Peat-Smoked' (46%, Berry
Bros & Rudd, cask #71)
We found this intriguing bottle in
Limburg. Peat-smoked Springbank? Was
it wash for Longrow that was distilled
under Springbank’s 2.5 regime
– and not just twice? Or simply
Longrow? Something else? We’ll
ask the good people at Berry Bros’
and at Springbank’s if they
can tell us more about this strange
version but in the meantime, let’s
try it if you please… Colour:
white wine. Nose: indeed! This reminds
me of recent Longrows in style but
it’s maybe a tad less fat and
oily, a little less peaty as well,
and rather more medicinal and mineral.
Antiseptic, tincture of iodine, embrocations,
bitter oranges and discreet whiffs
of wild thyme, then more tangerines
and even mangos and passion fruits.
You know what? This reminds me a bit
of the 1973/1974 Longrows… Does
that ring a bell? Mouth: what a superb
attack! Once again, it’s kind
of a slightly lighter Longrow, flinty,
ashy, peaty, mineral, salty (big time)
and citrusy. Very clean at this point,
definitely coastal and, well, beautiful!
Fantastic zestiness. Nutmeg. Finish:
rather long, maybe just a tad waxy
now, with also the same kind of notes
of vegetables as in the ‘regular’
Springbank that we just had. Comments:
this year’s surprise –
so far. Are there many other casks
of this very Longrow-esque Springbank???
SGP:256 – 91 points.
May 10 update: it
'may well be Longrow under another
name'. |
 |
WHISKY
ADS - A rather pretty
new French ad for Glenfiddich 18 years
old. 'Nothing big has ever being
made in just one day'. Interesting:
a 'handwritten' batch number on the
label. Like other makers, Glenfiddich
seem to be willing to drop 'consistency'
these days, and maybe pull a few extra-euros
from each bottle by giving it a 'small
batch' feeling..... |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: Joker’s
Daughter
Title: Under
the influence of Jaffa cakes
From:
The Last Laugh, 2009
Please buy Joker’s Daughter's
music. |
 |
| |
|
May
3, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO UNUSUAL
BLENDS |
| The
Michael Jackson Special Blend (43%,
Berry Bros & Rudd, Blend, 1000
bottles, 2009)
This was blended by Whisky Magazine
and Doug McIvor from the great man’s
collection of already opened bottles.
It’s no Scotch as there was
whisky from various countries. An
undetermined ‘proportion of
the proceeds’ were to go to
the Parkinson’s Society. Colour:
full gold. Nose: this is very malty
and grainy at first nosing, obviously
quite young on average. Whiffs of
fruit spirit, baker’s yeast,
dandelions, then fresh mint and a
little caramel, and finally a pleasant
oakiness with a little vanilla, liquorice
and touches of aniseed. It’s
probably not a very ‘defined’
whisky but this nose is rather nicer
than any random vatting’s –
if you already tried to ‘marry’
several old opened bottles of yours,
I’m sure you see what I mean
;-). Mouth: once again, it’s
maybe not very compact but it’s
pleasant to sip, malty, slightly oaky,
with good vanilla notes and a little
liquorice. Hints of kirsch and other
stone fruit spirits. Finish: medium
long, with a little caramel, custard
and quite some black tea. Funny hints
of calavados. Comments: this wasn’t
meant to be a stellar whisky I guess,
rather a tribute to a man who’s
still our leading light and who used
to be one of the true gods of whisky.
SGP:352 – no rating
(or 100/100 for Emjay.). |
| Very
Rare Old Liqueur Scotch Whisky 33
yo 1968/2001 (54.8%, High Spirits,
Italy, Blend, 75cl)
The ‘marriage’ of the
grain and malt whiskies, all distilled
in 1968, was made in 1974 and blend
was then further matured until 2001.
This unusual bottle carries funny
comments such as ‘guaranteed
6 bottles to the imperial gallon’
or ‘please destroy this label
when bottle is empty’ –
proof that our Italians friends were
already aware of the faking problem.
Colour: full amber. Nose: let’s
put this straight, it smells much
more like an excellent old sherried
Glenfarclas than like a blend, even
a prestige deluxe super-premium version.
Rather big sherry, cigars (humidor),
coffee, wax polish, maraschino, cassis
jam, ripe raspberries, strong liquorice,
leather and beef stock. Classical!
Is there really grain whisky in there?
Mouth: creamy, rich, starting straight
on a big, luscious oakiness ala old
Japanese, with myriads of spices and
dried fruits and, indeed, hints of
coconut liqueur that points us a bit
towards some old grain whisky. Then
strawberry liqueur, cinnamon, cloves,
star anise, hints of dried bananas
and maybe a little date spirit (arrak).
The ‘grainy’ part is definitely
much more noticeable on the palate
than on the nose. Finish: long, rich,
almost heavy, extremely aromatic.
Figs! Comments: I don’t know
which proportions of grain whisky
was put into the vatting, and maybe
even the bottlers didn’t know,
but if it was large, it seems that
the malt absorbed the grain in the
cask. Brilliant whisky anyway! SGP:562
- 89 points. |
 |
And
also Islay
Mist 8 yo (43%, OB, D. Johnston &
Co. for Bonfanti, +/-1970)
Laphroaig inside! A very elegant nose
starting on praline, the peat coming
out very gradually. The whole gets
drier and drier. The palate is rounded
and soft at the attack but becomes
much bigger in the back, and very
salty. The finish is even saltier,
to the point where we’re wondering
if they didn’t roll the barrels
in the sea before they could reach
the puffer ;-). Nutshell: a drier
version of Islay Mist, some having
been rounder and jammier. SGP:344
– 86 points. (thank
you, Christophe A.) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening
Artist: The fascinating Lennie
Tristano and his trio
Title: I
can’t get started (1946)
Please buy Lennie Tristano's music. |
 |
| |
|
May
2, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
– FOUR 18yo LAPHROAIG |
 |
| There
are truckloads of new independent
Laphroaigs around these days, and
most range from good to very goodin
my opinion (1991, 1998…) But
let’s see how the new official
18yo stands the course against a few
competitors from ‘private’
teams… |
| Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (46%, Hart Bros)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts rather
yeasty and acidic, on apple peels,
lemon and sauvignon blanc, the peat
kicking in a little later. Faint hints
of antiseptic but not many more medicinal
notes. A very simple and youngish
Laphroaig actually and seriously,
I doubt this is eighteen years old.
I’ve got a stash of 3yo hidden
somewhere and believe me or not, it
smells more mature than this one.
Mouth: an immense saltiness and quite
some ‘earthy peat’ (tell
me about a pleonasm) plus notes of
crystallised lemons and quite some
liquorice wood. Still simple but waaay
more compact and satisfying than on
the nose in my opinion. Finish: long,
balanced, almost perfect now, right
between the peat, the lemon and the
earthiness. Comments: shy nose, good
palate, great finish. Better than
the other way around I guess. SGP:357
- 82 points. |
| Laphroaig
18 yo (48%, OB, 2009)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: smoother
than the HB, much more vanilled (first
fill bourbon casks?) but also fruitier
and rounder, with some pleasant coastal
notes (sea air, iodine.) It’s
also rather more medicinal than the
HB, with hints of tincture of iodine,
bandages and a little camphor. Oh,
and whiffs of gentian. It’s
still a gentle and rather shy Laphroaig
so far, that is, let’s hope
the palate will be bigger. (Note:
opens up just a bit after… one
hour! On more citrons and kumquats.)
Mouth: it IS bigger, starting on all
things earthy (gentian spirit and
liquorice wood – my taste),
with quite a saltiness but less than
in the HB. Lemon sprinkled oysters,
peat, maybe a hint of coriander and
even sorrel, and then a rather big
oakiness – not plankish of course
– that, once again, hints at
some kind of new oak treatment, ‘though
it’s no vanilla bomb at all.
Anyway, it’s good! Faint nuttiness.
Finish: long, even more on liquorice
wood. Lemon. Comments: this is complicated.
I think I liked the nose of the 15yo
that this one is meant to replace
a little better because of its beautiful
fruity notes (if I remember well)
and of its subtleness but this is
bigger and more assertive on the palate
indeed, even if probably a little
less complex and more ‘modern’.
SGP:367 - 87 points. |
| Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (54.4%, Signatory
for Vinothek St.Stephan Vienna, Decanter,
cask #73, 254 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: oh yeah,
this is another world. Much more aromatic
than the others, peatier, wilder,
farmier, more herbal, spicier, more
coastal, earthier, rootier…
In short, much nicer on the nose!
With water: extra bags of eucalyptus
leaves, menthol, chlorophyll and lime-blossom
tea. We won’t complain. Mouth
(neat): once again, it’s got
the extra-kick that the others didn’t
have, and it’s not only the
higher strength. A true peat monster
but not really a brute, rather ‘a
whisky that knows where it wants to
go’ (will you cut the crap one
day, S.?) Peat, salt, ripe apples,
gentian spirit, butter pears, chillies,
marzipan… Excellent! With water:
it transformed into liquorice and
mint liqueur, is that possible? Finish:
long, clean, almost refreshing because
of the notes of menthol… Comments:
oh well, this one reminds us of the
wonderful 1991s by Signatory. All
are all of the highest quality in
our book. SGP:358 –
90 points. (and thanks,
Konstantin) |
| Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (55.4%, Berry Bros
& Rudd, Switzerland, cask #2250)
Colour: straw. Nose: we’re somewhere
between the Signatory and the OB here.
Actually a little closer to the Signatory.
Peat, coastal notes (sea air, sea
water, shells) and notes of torrefaction
as well as a little vanilla, praline
and marzipan. Typical, no less, no
more. With water: it’s totally…
err, funny that this one now smells
like the Signatory when the latter
was neat. Also more notes of fresh
espresso coffee, burnt cake…
Big dram! Mouth (neat): wowie, what
a monster! It’s harsher and
punchier than the Signatory, rawer
and rougher as well, combining straight
peat, something like eglantine eau-de-vie
(don’t ask), marzipan, pears
and salt. It gets closer to the Signatory
once the fire is tamed. With water:
same feeling as with the Signatory,
very high quality. Finish: very long,
very liquoricy. Comments: excellent
on all accounts, and very entertaining
at that. Our Swiss friends may soon
lose their secret banks accounts,
but they’ll have this great
Laphroaig to find consolation. Even
better than cask #2248 in our book!
SGP:268 - 90 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: another bet won, some
Gilbert
Montagné on
Whiskyfun! Yes, but it's The
Fool... (in 1971). Please buy
Gilbert Montagné's music... |
 |
| |
|
May
1, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
DAVID BYRNE
Royal Festival Hall, London,
April 13th 2009 |
 |
You
may consider a David
Byrne gig to be a once-in-a-lifetime
experience: they are certainly always
memorable, always surprising, and
no two are the same. As it happens,
I’m horrified to learn that
my first, Talking
Heads at Camden Palace in 1979,
saw them share the stage with a fledgling
U2. But sorry, Bono fans and completists,
I must have been in the pub at the
time or possibly eating a kebab, because
it was baggy-trousered Orchestral
Manoeuvres in the Dark whining their
way through Enola Gay by the time
we arrived. |
| What
was simply unforgettable was Talking
Heads, whose remaindered import albums
I’d been flogging for a year
or so at Our Price Records in Tottenham
Court Road. Listening to the second
of these for the first time, the Brian
Eno-produced ‘More Songs about
Buildings and Food’, was one
of those genuine life-shaping experiences:
who, after all, can imagine a musical
world without the brooding other-worldly
cover of Al Green’s ‘Take
me to the river’? That started
a lifelong on-off romance for me with
the work of Mr Byrne, and a few more
gigs thrown in for good measure. It
was clearly the same for Brian Eno,
who produced two more albums for the
Heads, and in 1981, a joint effort
with Byrne, My Life in the Bush of
Ghosts, being one of the first to
make extensive use of sampling in
an age of innocence before, as Byrne
observed, the lawyers got involved.
And last year, they reunited for a
new album, Everything that Happens
will Happen Today. And I have to admit
that when I booked for this concert
over six months ago, I thought it
was a going to be a joint performance,
rather than what we got, which was
Byrne and band performing The Songs
of David Byrne and Brian Eno. But
it would be churlish to complain:
this already ranks as a hard-to-beat
gig of the year. |
| Knowing
Byrne’s reputation for bringing
the intellect, sometimes mystifyingly,
into the heart of rock and roll, a
colleague asked “was he being
very clever clever”? To which
the answer would have to be no. This
was Byrne at his most accessible.
All rhythm and funk, soulful vocals
(‘Take me to the river’
never sounded more like Al Green,
which certainly wasn’t the idea
at the start), hips swaying and booty
swinging, and a huge dollop of wit
and playfulness. It’s not often
that a concert begins with the performer
giving his audience tips on how to
take pictures (particularly at the
hallowed Royal Festival Hall), but
this one did and thus set the tone
for the evening, which saw the front
of the hall packed with dancers after
song number six or so. As observed
by Jozzer (who unbeknownst to me was
lurking a few rows behind), it was
as joyous and uplifting a gig as he
could remember – and Jozzer
rarely does joyous or uplifting. |
| Of
course it was very clever, with nothing
left to chance. A huge bare stage
with a white-suited Byrne (sporting
an all-white haircut that would make
Nick Lowe envious) fronting a white-suited
four-piece band, with three white-suited
backing singers. And then there were
the dancers, seemingly unchoreographed
but in truth their every step planned
to the last inch, who cavorted across
the stage, at one point jumping over
the hardly-diminutive Byrne as he
stood playing his guitar, only to
arrive in just the right place to
catch him as he fell backwards, all
the time moving in and out of step
with each other, Byrne, and his singers.
Simply mesmerising and exhilarating
stuff. And of course there was the
music: seven songs from the new album,
with Eno joining to sing on the finale
‘Everything that happens’,
with another thirteen from the past,
none nostalgic, each as fresh as a
daisy, featuring groove-ridden guitar
from Byrne in support of his penetrating
and expressive vocals. Let’s
pick some favourites: ‘One fine
day’, ‘Heaven’,
‘Houses in motion’, ‘Burning
down the house’ (tutus and all)?
Which is best? They’re simply
all so good. It’s hard to say.
Same as it ever was. Same as it ever
was. - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| Listen:
David
Byrne on MySpace - Talking
Heads on MySpace |
 |
TASTING
TWO ALLT-A-BHAINNE
We’ll always remember what
the PR department at some distillers’
(who owned All-A-Bhainne) once replied
to a question we asked about the
distillery quite some years ago:
“Are you sure this distillery
belongs to us?” As always
our PR friends were very good at
dealing with outgoing messages and
terrible at handling incoming ones. |
| Allt-A-Bhainne
11 yo 1997/2008 (46%, Jack Wieber,
Scottish Castles, cask #40816)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this one
starts rather flinty and spirity,
with a profile that reminds us of
many Speysiders (such as young Glendullans).
Rather clean, growing fruitier (apples,
pears, gooseberries), with whiffs
of wet rocks and earth/gravel. Gets
finally a tad dusty/chalky but nothing
‘too much’. An average
very young Speysider of good quality
from a fairly neutral cask (no oxymoron
here I hope). Mouth: hmm… interesting.
Sure there’s a lot of pear spirit
but also Steinhäger (kind of
German gin – haha, try it!)
and various other strange spirits.
Okay, nutshell: this is rather spirity
;-). I wouldn’t say I like it
a lot but entertaining it is. Notes
of ham arriving as well. Finish: rather
long, mid-fruity, mid-meaty, mid-grassy
;-). A bizarre combination I must
say, not too far from a dry martini.
Comments: we’re off the beaten
tracks for sure here, but this Allt-A-Bhainne
has its moments. SGP:441 -
74 points. |
| Allt-A-Bhainne
15 yo 1979/1995 (55.2%, Signatory,
Dumpy Old Label, cask #28320, 620
bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: unusual!
Starts all on fresh butter, genuine
vanilla (pods) and deep whiffs of
chrome polish, getting then spectacularly
‘kippery’, maritime, meaty…
And finally as chalky as the 1997.
A rather wild version, this cask must
have had a strange history before
filling. Interesting! With water:
more of the same. Wet chalk and tons
of it. Yoghurt. Mouth (neat): big
creamy fruity punchy fresh…
fruit spirit! Something that reminds
us of rye. With water: good, clean,
certainly fruitier and better balanced
than the 1997. A very strong fruit
liqueur seasoned with some vanilla,
coriander, a pinch of salt and a dash
of pepper. Finish: long, more on gin
and seriously so. Comments: we like
this one better than the youngster,
but some maniacal friends liked it
even (way) better. A bit too unsexy
I’d say. SGP:531 - 79
points. |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Caol
Ila 1979/2008 (56%,
Jack Wieber Old Train Line, Bourbon Cask, 261
bolles)
Caol
Ila 19 yo 1966/1985 (58.3%, Sestante,
240 bottles)
Caol
Ila 1982 (61.9%, Queen of The Moorland,
Committee Bottling, Edition XXVI, 60 bottles)
Chieftain’s
Choice Single Highland 28 yo 1964 (50%,
Scottish Independent Distillers, Taiwan, +/-1992)
Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (55.4%,
Berry Bros & Rudd, Switzerland, cask #2250)
Laphroaig
18 yo 1990/2008 (54.4%, Signatory for
Vinothek St.Stephan Vienna, Decanter, cask #73,
254 bottles)
Lochside
23 yo 1981/2005 (55.4%,
Blackadder, Raw Cask, bourbon hoghsead, 238
bottles)
Longmorn
39 yo 1970/2009 (51.7%, Alambic Classique,
cask #9401, 139 bottles)
Longmorn
39 yo 1969/2009 (58.9%, Gordon &
MacPhail for The Mash Tun and KasK, Tokyo, 460
bottles)
Port
Askaig 25 yo (45.8%, Specialty Drinks,
2009)
Port
Ellen 26 yo 1982/2008 (51.2%, Signatory
for LMdW, Collector's Edition No. 2, hogshead,
cask #1135, 318 bottles)
Port
Ellen 26 yo 1982/2009 (56.2%, Douglas
Laing OMC for The Nectar, refill hogshead, 193
bottles)
Springbank
1992/2009 'Peat-Smoked' (46%, Berry
Bros & Rudd, cask #71)
Tomatin
43 yo 1965/2009 'Oat Mint' (47.1%,
The Nectar, Daily Dram, 210 bottles)
Tomatin
43 yo 1965/2009 (48.2%, Whisky-Doris)
|
| |
|
|
