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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2005 - Part 1 |
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CONCERT
REVIEWS by Nick Morgan
VELVET VIPERS,
Yale Hotel, Vancouver, 27th
September 2005
NORTH MISSISSIPPI
ALLSTARS, Commodore Ballroom,
Vancouver, 28th September 2005
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| On
the face of it Vancouver’s
Yale Hotel, originally a bunkhouse
for railroad workers, and then a
hostel for transient loggers and
prospectors heading north (and no
doubt also for many, struck by ill-fortune
and unrealised dreams, heading south),
seemed like a good end point for
our British Columbian adventure.
It is, after all, the self declared
home of rhythm and blues in Western
Canada, and I have to observe, a
venue of such quality - even the
one drunk, dressed unseasonably
in shorts and Hawaiian shirt, managed
not to bump into folks as he careered
around the place like a pinball
on speed - that one rarely comes
across in London (more of which
later). |
 |
| Pity
‘though about our timing,
a quiet Tuesday night in late September.
A few days earlier and we might
have caught Alvin Youngblood Hart,
a few days later and we would have
seen Serge’s beloved Brian
Auger’s Oblivion Express (a
sort of Brora of the jazz world,
or so it seems). As it was we had
to make the best (after a very good
dinner – of which also more
later) of local band the Velvet
Vipers. |
Jack Velker |
Led
by Vancouver veteran Jack Velker,
keyboard player extraordinaire and
available for hire to play at your
corporate dinner parties, or even
in your own kitchen or dining room,
the Vipers performed several sets
of largely uninspiring blues and
R&B standards. ‘St James’
Infirmary’, ‘Ain’t
she sweet’ (!), ‘Caledonia’
were mixed together with Dylan (‘All
along the watchtower’) and
Boz Scaggs (‘Somebody loan
me a dime’) with whom Velker
has frequently worked. |
To
be frank Jack carried the band -
good vocals, great work on the Yale’s
resident Hammond organ and a confident
charisma that made up for his rather
soulless four piece. I’m not
going into details, and I promised
not to be cruel about saxophonist
Dominic Conway, for whom the phrase
‘having a bit of a bad night’
was probably originally intended.
Let’s just say that I broke
the reviewer’s golden first
rule, put down my notebook in despair,
and danced the night away. So the
Vipers were good for something.
And that might have been it, blurry
memories and sore calves, had it
not been for the fact that we literally
bumped into two thirds of the North
Mississippi Allstars
over dinner. They (very nice young
men who certainly knew their way
round a tub of oysters) it transpired
were playing in town on Wednesday.
So we changed our plans and the
next night found ourselves (after
another very good dinner) in the
plush interior of the city’s
famous Commodore Ballroom. Another
fantastic venue that puts the likes
of London’s Shepherd’s
Bush Empire or Astoria (and their
owners) to shame. Back here it’s
more often than not push and shove,
beer and swill, crumbling Edwardian
grandeur, Ajax encrusted lines of
coke in the filthy toilets –
you get the picture. But the Commodore,
an art-deco temple to popular entertainment
built in 1929, and recently subject
to a $3.5 million refurbishment
by its current owners (it’s
tied up with the House of Blues
organisation I think), is stunning
interior design, comfortable bars,
waitress service, relaxed seating,
and an out of this world sprung
wooden dance floor. Oh yes –
and pretty dammed good acoustics
too. And the tickets were about
half the price of what the Whiskyfun
expense account would normally have
to bear. London are you listening
? |
Luther and Cody Dickinson
|
The
North Mississippi Allstars are guitarist
Luther Dickinson, drummer (well
mostly drummer) Cody Dickinson,
and bassist Chris Chew. The two
D boys are both sons of Jim Dickinson
of Memphis’ Ardent Studios.
Chris Chew, it should be observed,
is so huge that he makes a Fender
Precision Bass look like a child’s
toy. The band famously emerged on
the blues scene in 2000 with their
quite breathtaking album Shake Hands
with Shorty. Since them, ‘though
their live work has been much admired
their recordings have been somewhat
patchy (avoid, for example, Polaris)
until the release of the brand new
Electric Blue Watermelon, so new
that it’s not available in
Europe yet, though I do have the
Photographer’s autographed
copy for safekeeping. |
The
format of their work is simple,
though quite mesmerising. At its
core are hypnotic rhythms (perhaps
‘grooves’ might be a
better word) drawn from the roots
of the Delta Blues tradition, and
great vocal interplays between Dickenson
(Luther) and Chew. The NMAS cite
the recently deceased R L Burnside
as a particular influence; now although
he’s probably better known
for his collaborations with the
likes of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
(“We ARE the Blues Explosion”),
and particularly by Whiskyfun readers
for the recently re-released A Ass
Pocket of Whiskey, you need to go
back to his first recordings (R
L Burnside’s Original Recordings)
from 1968 to see where these young
boys really take their inspiration
from. A moaning repetitive drone,
often built around a single chord,
some slide guitar, scant lyrics,
real blues. And on Watermelon some
interesting flashes of rap (or is
it hip-hop?) too.
So the NMAS sensibly focussed on
songs from their first and last
albums for the two and a half hours
or so that they played for us –
which given that they didn’t
come on stage ‘till 11.00pm
was quite possibly an hour too long
(especially as we’d already
endured two incredibly loud sets
from locals Slammin Jack and She
Stole my Beer, who curiously counted
five drummers and not too much imagination
between them) You see their other
trick is that they take these old
tunes, like Burnside’s ‘Po
black Maddie’, Mississippi
Fred McDowell’s ‘Shake
‘em on down’ or Charley
Paton’s ‘Mississippi
bo weevil blues’ and use them
as jumping off points for long,
incredibly well structured (but
sometimes just a tad lengthy) improvisations.
|
| The
musicianship of the three is quite
outstanding, with Chew often patiently
waiting for the two brothers’
excursions to finally find their
way back to the tune. Luther D’s
slide guitar is simply on another
level from most other players, his
brother’s drumming ranging
from powerhouse bass-pedal rocking
to gentle snare drum rhythms (the
introduction to ‘Mean ‘ol
wind died down’). And they
showed their knowledge of their
rock forebears with witty references
to the likes of Carlos Santana,
the Allman Brothers, Hendrix and
Led Zeppelin. To be honest the only
problem was that they were enjoying
themselves so much that they simply
didn’t know when to stop.
|
Chris Chew |
But
to have an opportunity to enjoy
such virtuoso and good humoured
self-indulgence is a rare thing
these days (especially in a London
where gigs normally end on the dot
of 11.00pm), so it’s churlish
to complain.
Thank you Vancouver. Great gigs,
great venues, and such nice people,
even the pretty ladies dancing with
hula-hoops, apparently something
of a fashion in these parts. Whiskyfun
readers, please buy Shake Hands
with Shorty, and Electric Blue Watermelon
– if you can find them in
the stores that is (yes, you can
have the best product in the world
but never overcome poor distribution).
And if you want to explore their
Mississippi Delta roots then take
a look at R L Burnside, or even
the new album by T Model Ford (who
we saw struggling against the sterile
Barbicanites earlier in the year),
Pee-wee Get my Gun. Why, you can
even book Jack Velker for your next
posh dinner party. It’s worth
the price of a bottle of your favourite.
- Nick
Morgan (all photos by Kate The Photographer) |
Many
thanks, Nick. So, no Brian Auger
review from Vancouver this time
but I've heard he will do a gig
in Vladivostok in November, so,
maybe, I thought you could, you
know, like... Anyway, there's
quite a lot of mp3's by Jack Velker
and the Velvet Vipers on their
agent's page (I could hear
the sax on Deep
River Blues.mp3 and now I
can see what you mean, as I used
to sort of blow a Selmer Mark
VII in my (very) young days).
A few very nice mp3's on the NMAS
website too. An excellent
power trio indeed, these all stars! |
| TASTING
- TWO OLD GLENBURGIES |
Glenburgie
1969/2005 (44.2%, Duncan Taylor)
Colour: dark straw. Nose: wowie,
extremely fresh, flowery and fruity
at more than 35 years old. Lots
of notes of nectar and yellow flowers
(buttercup, dandelion), fresh butter…
As for the fruits, it’s a
whole basket of white fruits such
as gooseberries, small bananas,
plantain, apples, yellow plums.
Also quite some quince jelly, light
honey, pineapple liqueur. Something
of an old Balvenie, undoubtedly.
Whiffs of sawdust (oak) and cider
apples… Incredibly fresh and
lively even if it’s not monstrously
complex. I love it. Mouth: wow again!
Sweet, nervous, very fruity, with
lots of pineapple juice, icing sugar
and candy sugar. Really youthful,
with some nice notes of kiwi, strawberries
and even a little passion fruit.
It gets then a little cardboardy,
in a nice way, and also rather spicy
and gingery. Hints of aniseed and
dill. The finish is medium long,
fruity and slightly peppery (white
pepper). An excellent surprise,
this old Glenburgie! 91
points. |
 |
Glenburgie
39 yo 1963/2002 (58%, Signatory
Straight from the Cask, c. #4750)
Colour: gold. Nose: ah, this one
is very different. Bold notes of
linseed oil, wax polish, turpentine
and waxed paper, with also lots
of olive and argan oil. Gets quite
meaty (ham, smoked Islay beef?),
peaty, smoky and farmy, with some
notes of horse stable. Cold fireplace,
flint stone, diesel oil… Very
unusual, I guess they were still
using peat at Glenburgie in 1963.
Just superb! Mouth: a fantastic
attack, powerful, bold and very
creamy, with lots of wax, smoke,
malt, pine honey and, again, olives.
What a great profile! Some notes
of old rancio (old Banyuls or Maury),
walnuts, clove, Chinese anise…
Funny hints of raki (Turkish anise
liqueur), dried longans, wine sauce…
Less delicate and playful than the
new Duncan Taylor but more complex
and with more oomph. And a very
long and very satisfying finish,
on old sweet wine. Another truly
excellent very old Glenburgie! 92
points (and thanks, Pierre). |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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| (With
thanks to Olivier Humbrecht) |
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| TASTING
- TWO KNOCKANDOS |
| Knockando
1973/1985 (43%, OB)
Colour: gold. Nose; very grainy,
very vegetal, very spirity. Notes
of rancid butter and stale white
wine but not much else, I’m
afraid. Perhaps aspirin and Schweppes?
Today’s Knockandos are no
stars but they are much better than
this one… But wait, after
ten minutes it gets a little better.
Very grainy, sure, but also quite
nicely mashy. Not too, too bad,
after all. Mouth: quite powerful,
again extremely grainy, with lots
of caramel, notes of cork (maybe
it is corked?) vodka with herbs
(Zubrovska) and cheap gin. Gets
a little bitter, with some dried
herbs, rubber… Very, very
hard to enjoy, I must say. 65
points. |
 |
 |
Knockando
1980/2005 (48.3%, Duncan Taylor)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: quite
fresh, extremely herbal and buttery.
Lots of grainy notes, beer, cider,
dry white wine again but in a much
nicer way. Develops on sour apples,
breadcrumb, mashed potatoes, and
then on lots of herbs: dill, parsley,
cooked salsify (picture). Curious
whiffs of sea air, oysters…
Getting then sourer and sourer.
Very dry (notes of dry sherry),
no pure pleasure but very interesting.
|
| Mouth:
bold and very spirity, grainy, nutty
and herbal again. A little salty
but also quite bitter and, again,
extremely dry. Lots of tea, anis
liquor (ouzo), herb liquors (Chartreuse),
pear spirit. Some bold rubbery notes,
at that, burnt milk… Again,
it’s interesting to taste
an old Knockando at cask strength
but… well, let’s say
the pleasure is perhaps a little
more ‘encyclopedic’
than ‘organoleptic’.
80 points. |
| Due
to a server breakdown (too
much whisky?) this website has been
down for a few hours but now it's
alive and kicking again. Thanks
for all your messages! |
| |
| TASTING
- TWO NEW BRUICHLADDICHS |
 |
Bruichladdich
14 yo 1991/2005 WMDII ‘Yellow
Submarine’ (46%, OB)
Another funny ‘take any opportunity
to make the people talk about your
brand’ adventure by the Laddie
gang. No problemo (on the contrary)
when it's funny indeed, like this
time. Yes, this time it was a lost
pocket submarine that was found
by a fisherman - nothing to do with
The Beatles. Colour: white wine,
with orange hues. Nose: fresh, clean,
spirity and fruity. Lots of notes
of strawberries (I'm not kidding
- strawberry fields forever?) melon,
yellow peaches, apple juice. A little
perfumy as well (rosewater), developing
on fresh pineapples and pears. Very
little wood influence if any, as
close to the spirit as possible.
Flawless, though, simple but perfectly
balanced. Certainly not a WMD! Mouth:
very coherent, extremely fruity,
almost like some fruit jellies mixed
with soft liquorice. Yes, liquorice
allsorts. A bit of caramel and orange
marmalade, apple compote, boxed
pineapple. Add to that a few spicy
notes (Sgt. Pepper?) and quite some
notes of pear eau de vie…
Not complex but balanced and enjoyable.
Curiously, maybe a little Lowlandish.
86 points.
Bruichladdich
11 yo 1994/2005 ‘Full Strength
Second Edition’ (56.5%, OB)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: this one
is much woodier, with quite some
vanilla, light caramel, milk chocolate.
Rather grainy but getting nicely
maritime, with some sea air. Switches
then to full fruity mode, on apple
juice, pineapple again. Notes of
gin, getting slightly sourish. Again,
a nice one, even if it’s definitely
not as fresh as the WMDII. Mouth:
quite powerful and a little spirity,
soon to get half fruity and half
caramelly, with also a lot of liquorice.
Notes of cake, long infused tea,
roots… Perhaps some cooked
French beans or peas. The finish
is rather long, mainly on liquorice.
Uncomplicated and enjoyable. 84
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: she's from Sweden and
she does a nice folk-pop tune called
San
Francisco.mp3 (not that one)
with a most fashionable 'jungle'
drumming a la Duke Ellington Orchestra:
it's Annika Norlin aka Hello
Saferide. Please buy
her music. (photo Michael K
Jansson) |
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 |
TASTING
- TWO 23 yo BRORAS
Brora
23 yo 1981/2004 (48.6%, Dun Bheagan,
cask 1513, 336 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: very fresh,
grainy and fruity/flowery at the
same time at first nosing. Big
notes of very ripe apricots, plum
jam, nectar, light honey, golden
delicious apples… Quite
some maritime notes do come through
then, together with some notes
of petrol, flint stone, wet stone,
paraffin… It keeps developing,
with some calvados, natural apple
juice, fresh mirabelle plums.
Extremely enjoyable, even if there
isn’t much peat in it. Ah,
and also some notes of gin…
|
Mouth:
oh, very unusual, extremely waxy
(waxier than Clynelish) with lots
of oily flavours too. Lots of salted
butter caramel, vanilla fudge, getting
also very minty and chocolaty (After
Eights?) Some dried oranges, lavender
crème, vanilla flavoured
tea… No coastal notes this
time, and very little smoke but
a great creaminess and lots of oomph,
with a long finish on fruit jams
and white pepper. Extremely enjoyable
if not totally ‘Brora’.
90 points.
Brora 23 yo
1981/2005 (61%, Duncan Taylor, cask
#1425, 542 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: starts on some
rather big sherry notes, sulphur,
rubber, toffee. Lots of fino sherry
(although I don’t know if
it was a fino cask), wax polish,
old walnuts, burnt cake at first
nosing, just before quite a bunch
of fruity smells shine through:
quince, apples, ripe plums. Gets
also nicely flowery, with again
some pollen, nectar, yellow flowers
from the fields (dandelions). No
maritime notes this time, I guess
they are deeply buried under the
sherry. Perhaps just some whiffs
of smoke. As nice as the Dun Bheagan,
even if completely different. Mouth:
again a beautiful sherry that mixes
with smoke this time. Quite some
salt right from the start, coffee
fudge, burnt cake, strong coffee,
Tia Maria, old dark rum… The
whole is still quite nervous, thanks
to some nice fruity notes (mainly
cider apples, bitter oranges and
quince jelly). Well, the sherry
dominates the malt here but it’s
such a nice sherry that we won’t
complain. In short, a prototypical
fino malt, not for anti-sherry people
but totally flawless, with a very
long, dry finish on liquorice. A
tie again: 90 points. |
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MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I've found a band named
Dad Five doing
Think
of me.mp3 (thanks to the
lubed grunion) and I really
liked it. But I couldn't find any
info on that band, except a photograph
of their 1996 CD 'in Orbit'... So,
if you have clues, please tell me
- thanks. |
| TASTING
- TWO 'ANNIVERSARY' GLEN GRANTS |
| Glen
Grant 1956/2005 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail for 50th anniversary La
Maison du Whisky, cask #2786, 108
bottles)
Colour: full amber. Nose: wow, very
fresh and delicate, complex and
balanced right at first nosing,
without the tiniest sign of over
aging. Starts on a great mix of
hot praline, caramel crème
and roasted peanuts, vanilla fudge
and forest honey and goes on with
lots of dried fruits such as sultanas,
figs, dates or apricots. Also quite
some pollen and bananas flambéed.
Whiffs of burning candles, with
a distant smokiness… Then
there are some superb and delicate
notes of eucalyptus and camphor,
with also quite some clove. No bold
woody/drying notes at all, which
is most astonishing after 50 years
in a cask (okay, 49). |
 |
Mouth:
a perfect attack, with lots of vivacity,
on smoked ham, wax and dried bitter
oranges. Lots of tannins but rather
of the silky kind. Gets then very
resinous and a tad salty, with some
propolis, pine candies, cinnamon…
Also lots of nutmeg, bitter chocolate
and a little mint. Not as fabulous
as the nose but still high-class.
Rather long, drying, resinous finish.
In short, a wonderful old whisky,
maybe just a tad too dry on the
palate but let’s remember
it’s almost 50 years old!
93 points.
Glen
Grant 25 yo 1976/2001 (43%, Signatory
for 25th anniversary Dieter Kirsch
Import, butt #2888, 610 bottles)
Colour: full amber. Nose: curiously
hotter at first nosing, and also
more winey, with quite some oloroso.
Develops on chocolate and cider,
with, again, a little smoke. Quite
some fresh fruits, mostly freshly
cut apples and finally some praline
and rum. Certainly less complex
than the 1956 but still very nice.
Mouth: bolder than the G&M,
creamier and quite coating, with
lots of oloroso notes but also some
very nice fresh fruits to balance
the whole. Ripe oranges, toffee,
dark rum, chocolate… It gets
bolder and bolder, with hints of
balsam, strong coffee and Grand
Marnier. The finish is long, on
salt and caramel. This is a truly
excellent heavily sherried Glen
Grant, certainly less complex than
the G&M but bolder and sweeter
on the palate. Very, very good if
you like sherry. 89 points. |
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| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - PLAYING WITH SCOTLAND'S
HISTORY |
 |
Left,
Talisman Scotch Whisky
2005: 'An adventurous spirit'
with a picture of a rather gorgeous
'knight'
Right: the truth (with
apologies to our Scottish friends) |
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MUSIC
– Jazz - Recommended
listening: French soprano sax player
Michel
Doneda and his compadre
Daunik
Lazro do a very entertaining
and playful little jazz tango called
Fla
flue.mp3. Just superb - please
buy Doneda/lazro's music... |
| TASTING
- TWO NEW ROSEBANKS |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: Coco
Mbassi, from Cameroon,
sings a beautiful Ascensor
da Bica.mp3. It's just a sample
but the conclusion is clear as spring
water: we must buy Coco Mbassi's
CD's! |
 |
 |
Rosebank
1990/2005 (46%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, casks #1518-1519-1520)
Colour: white wine. Nose: grainy
attack, with some big notes of burning
matchstick, sulphur, cardboard,
chalk… Develops on lemon juice,
dry white wine, ginger ale…
Almost no sweetness. Gets quite
herbal, grassy, notes of green apples,
getting slightly sour (Indian lassee,
un-sugared yoghurt, empty wine cask…)
As good as you could expect. |
Mouth:
powerful, fruity attack, with lots
of lemon, grapefruit, dry white
wine (sauvignon). Gets quite peppery,
a little drying, with quite some
tannins that make your tongue stick
to the palate. The finish is rather
long and a little green, on lemon
peels. A rather good, typical Rosebank
with quite some oomph but a little
lack of purity. 82 points.
Rosebank
16 yo 1989/2005 (46%, Murray McDavid
Mission V, 678 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very similar
to the Berry Bros, maybe just a
little cleaner with fewer sourish
notes, but other than that it’s
almost the same whisky! Notes of
herbal liquor (green Chartreuse).
Mouth: again, very close to the
Berry Bros, just a little fruitier
(more apples) and perhaps, again,
cleaner. Long finish, a little burning,
with some interesting notes of chilli
pepper. A good Rosebank that keeps
a bit to the middle, perhaps, but
that’s really enjoyable, no
doubt. 83 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- THREE BUNNAHABHAINS BY SIGNATORY |
| |
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Bunnahabhain
26 yo 1978/2005 (54.6%, Signatory
Cask Strength, sherry butt #2539,
468 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose, very elegant
and balanced, with lots of sherry
but with also lots of vivacity.
Some rubber and some burnt caramel,
the whole being balanced by some
very nice flowery notes and quite
some lavander. Very, very nice.
Mouth: creamy but nervous, not tired
in any way. Lots of dried fruits
and orange marmalade, candy sugar
and icing sugar, fructose. Also
some very enjoyable flower jelly
(rose, hay), camomile tea…
Long finish. A top cask, no doubt,
I liked it very much. 90
points.
Bunnahabhain
27 yo 1978/2005 (54.9%, Signatory
Cask Strenth, refill butt #2541,
483 bottles).
Colour: very pale, white wine. Nose:
much more discreet and quite suplphury.
Hints of peat coming through, with
some nice buttery notes and quite
some marzipan. Mouth: sweet, on
nougat, dried fruits and apple juice.
Getting maybe a little bitter. Not
an outstanding Bunny but it’s
flawless and rather enjoyable. 84
points.
Bunnahabhain
20 yo 1979/1999 (57.7%, Signatory,
sherry, cask #9676, 420 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: a very nice
sherry, it appears, of the elegant
and even ‘aerial’ kind.
Xmas cake and candy sugar mixed
with sea air, and perhaps a little
perfume. Very elegant, definitely
not an overwhelming sherry. Perhaps
just a tad too soapy. Mouth: stronger
and bolder than expected, with quite
some rubbery notes that are nicely
counterbalanced by lots of icing
sugar and fructose. Develops on
the usual notes of raisins and old
rum. Really nice, with even a pinch
of salt. The finish is on caramel,
burnt caramel and cake but, curiously,
a little short and slightly bitter.
Anyway, this Bunny is most attractive,
a good example of a very present,
yet nicely balanced sherry. 90
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I should really dislike
mashups, it's like if somebody would
mix whisky and wine, imagine! ;-)
Now, sometimes it's funny and even
good, as Frenchman DJZebra's
Ooh
la grange in the sky.mp3 should
testify. Yes, it's a vatting of
ZZ Top, Goldfrapp and Norman Greenbaum.
Please buy DJZebra's music. |
 |
 |
Balblair
16 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
Colour: gold. Nose: a beautiful
attack, extremely fruity with also
lots of vanilla. Peppered cooked
apples, boxed pineapples, caramel,
dried ginger… Not massive
nor bold but with quite some presence.
Hints of tropical fruits, ripe bananas,
passion fruits. Whiffs of nutmeg,
old papers. Rather fresh and very
enjoyable. Another good example
of Bablair’s recent rise?
Mouth: very sweet, with lots of
caramel and white pepper at first
sip. Apple compote, pear juice,
almonds milk… Pineapple or
pear candies. Not extremely complex
but nicely balanced. Gets curiously
quite ‘papery’ and a
little drying, with a long but,
again, rather dying finish (wood,
cardboard - and a little salt).
Definitely a good one, in any case.
85 points. |
| Balblair
1973/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail
Centenary Reserve)
Colour: amber. Nose: much, much
bolder and powerful than expected.
Lots of dried oranges and Grand
Marnier, getting rather waxy. Develops
on some nice notes of pine resin,
‘good’ turpentine (a
little empyreumatic), light caramel
and milk chocolate. Quite some praline
too. Rather fresh and clean, most
enjoyable. Mouth: again, excellent!
Beautiful notes of salted caramel
and toffee, dried oranges, plum
pie. Quite full-bodied, with also
a salty feeling. The finish is astonishingly
long, perhaps just a little too
drying. Very classical, very nice,
lots of pleasure. Highly recommended.
87 points. |
 |
 |
Balblair
26 yo 1979/2005 (46%, OB)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: more discreet
at first nosing, although sharper
and cleaner. Lots of light toffee
and chocolate at first nosing, growing
then fruitier but it’s less
exuberant than the 16yo. Lots of
vanilla sticks, though, and some
freshly cut apples, white peaches…
Whiffs of white pepper. Very nicely
balanced, it ‘noses’
much younger than 26. Mouth: lots
of body, lots of vanilla, lots of
tannins. Quite drying right from
the start, somewhat like a very
young oaky wine. Did they use new
oak? Some notes of coffee, white
pepper, strong tea. Hints of fructose,
with also kind of a metallic feeling
(aluminium) and again some salty
notes. The finish is medium long
but very woody and tannic. A curious
austere version of Balblair, very
different from all other recent
OB’s. 80 points. |
| Balblair
12 yo 1992/2005 (61%, OB for France,
peaty single cask #3026)
Yes, a peated Balblair! First time
I come across one of these…
Colour: pale straw. Nose: oh, this
is very unusual. Bold notes of wood
alcohol, strong fruit eau de vie
(none in particular, just tutti
frutti), developing on raw, farmy
peat. Notes of wet dog, rotting
hay, pisco… gets extremely
toffeeish, on cappuccino, overcooked
coffee, burnt wood. Also some cider…
Not disgusting at all but rather
strange, if you ask me. Sort of
‘dirty’. |
 |
| Mouth:
ah, I like it better this time.
Powerful, very peaty and quite balanced,
it’s much cleaner than expected.
Lots of pepper, tea, dried herbs,
and of course peat, again of the
farmy genre (no tar, no hospital,
no sea). Some notes of (good) old
rum and also tequila. No significant
development with water. Quite a
beat in fact, not too complex but
a pleasure to drink. Too bad the
nose was a little hum-hum in my
books. As for the ‘felt’
peat level, I’d say it’s
somewhat like Talisker 10 yo (not
the profile, that is). 80
points. |
 |
MUSIC
– Jazz - Recommended
listening: the John
La Barbera Big Band
does a very good and punchy Message
from Art.mp3 with brother Joe
on drums (it's him who composed
this one). It's from the excellent
and 'not-too-conventional'
CD 'On the wild side' (nothing to
do with the Velvet.) Please buy
the La Barbera family's music! |
| TASTING
- FIVE NEW BOWMORES |
 |
Bowmore
12 yo ‘Enigma’ (40%,
OB, 2005)
Colour: gold. Nose: a fresh mix
of sea air and caramel at first
nosing, with quite some salted butter,
herbal tea and rubber (new tyre).
Notes of very ripe oranges, Cointreau.
Perhaps a little sulphury but nothing
too shocking. More and more ‘burnt’
notes (burnt wood, burnt bread).
Notes of yoghurt. Still not a winner
but a good three steps above the
regular 12yo, I think – even
if there’s still this lavender
in the background. Notes of old
books, of iron… Mouth: a very
punchy attack at 40%, but a rather
bitter one, alas. Quite some burnt
caramel, liquorice, candy sugar.
Notes of lavender crème (the
power of mind again?) Some peat
but not too much. Notes of orange
marmalade… The finish is long
and quite enjoyable, I must say
(notes of gentian eau de vie, which
I cherish) In short, this one really
is better than the last batch of
the regular 12 yo I could taste,
even if it’s in no way a stunner.
“Good progress”, I’d
say. 82 points.
Bowmore
16 yo 1989/2005 (51.8%, OB)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: much,
much cleaner than the Enigma. Not
very boldly aromatic but extremely
fresh, with an interesting mix of
fresh butter, flowers from the fields
and tropical fruits. Quite some
pink grapefruit, litchee syrup,
pear juice… Quite some iodine
at that, sea air, seaweed…
But the peat is surprisingly subdued.
Hints of vanilla, lactones…
Very nice, I didn’t have such
a “clean” and elegant
(rather) young Bowmore OB since
ages. Mouth: oh, now it’s
very, very perfumy, with lots of
Turkish delights, rosewater, gewürztraminer,
rose jelly, Cologne water, incense…
I’m sorry but I do not like
this kind of profile, so typical
of some fairly recent Bowmores.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m
not saying it’s flawed, just
one of these ultra-perfumy Bowmores.
Long finish, getting a little bitter
and very, very peppery. Okay, 80
points for the very, very
nice nose.
Bowmore
1993/2005 (56.8%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, cask #500061)
Colour: straw. Nose: wow, this is
much more powerful! Starts on some
extremely bold notes of coffee,
café latte, torrefaction…
Just superb. It then switches to
some nice tary and rubbery notes,
before a whole basket of fresh fruits
explodes in front of your nose.
Lots of lemons, grapefruit, tangerines,
apples, peaches, gooseberries…
Then comes the sea, and the smoke,
with hints of wet animal (cleaned
dog)… A magnificent young
Bowmore with lots of development,
complexity, compactness, balance…
Totally perfect. Mouth: wow! The
nose was great, the palate is fantastic.
Bold, punchy, coating, on some very
strong notes of grapefruit, passion
fruit and kiwi. Lots of fructose
that keep it perfectly balanced,
and sort of ‘lift’ the
whole. Some coffee again, apple
juice… Quite some pepper (perhaps
even chilli) and some funny metallic
tastes that play with your tongue.
Lots happening in your mouth! Notes
of liquorice, seawater, gentian
eau de vie, perhaps a little clove…
And a superb peat! Gets extremely
salty, at that… A very, very
playful young Bowmore, with a long
and very satisfying finish. Very
good news from Bowmore’s (through
Berry Bros) if you ask me, I hope
we’ll see more of this style!
92 points. |
 |
Bowmore
1999/2005 'Young Peaty Islay 3rd
batch' (61.5%, Royal Mile Whiskies,
308 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, this
one isn’t that different from
the Berry Bros. Rougher, simpler,
but there are these very nice coffeeish
notes indeed. A little spirity,
with some notes of pear eau de vie…
Some smoke as well, burnt cake,
grain… Quite close to a new
make but enjoyable, no doubt. Some
very nice farmy notes (hay, cow
stable) coming through. Certainly
a high quality/age ratio. Mouth:
wow, that’s nice! Very young
and close to a fruit eau de vie
but perfectly balanced. Sort of
a peated pear eau de vie, if that
was doable. Very peppery, with even
lots of chilli this time. Pizza
chilli sauce? Very nice fruity notes
(pears, of course). Long and powerful
finish, again funnily very salty.
Did Bowmore start to use Loch Indaal
water since a few years? Anyway,
this baby is very clean and good
for it’s age. I really like
it (and call me old-fashioned, but
God knows I usually don’t
like immature whiskies!) 85
points. |
| Bowmore
34 yo 1970/2005 (56.6%, Signatory
Cask Strength, sherry butt #4689,
287 bottles)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: ha! Very
unusual! Very bold and very ‘organic’
sherry, with lots of horse sweat,
Camembert cheese and maybe gym socks
at first nosing. Something very
‘bacteriological’ must
have happened in that cask, and
it’s most probably flawed
– but I love the results,
don’t ask me why. Perversity?
Should I see a doctor? Anyway, it
keeps developing on some bold notes
of apple vinegar (here we go again)
and finally some smoke, bitter chocolate,
dried oranges raisins and all that
jazz. |
 |
| Mouth:
something very cheesy again but
then it becomes much more ‘classical’,
dried fruits, wine sauce, soy sauce,
crystallized oranges and kumquats…
The tannins are superb and the peat
refined and very delicate. Very
long, toffeeish finish. This one
is probably another love it or hate
it malt from Islay. I really loved
it: 94 points.
And now I have to rush out and see
an annalist… |
 |
MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening: whiskyfun favourite Nellie
McKay does a rappish
Sari.mp3
(from her first album Get away from
me). She still rules supreme and
great news, her new CD 'Pretty little
head' will be in the US stores on
October 18. Please buy Miss McKay's
music! |
| Auchentoshan
1995/2005 (43%, Jean Boyer Best
Cask of Scotland)
Colour: almost white. Nose: quite
spirity, extremely clean, pure and
fresh. Grainy, fruity (fresh apples
and peaches) and a little herbal,
with some notes of lavender, Cologne
water. Nice notes of vanilla, cereals,
fresh almonds and marzipan, light
caramel. Young and simple but very
enjoyable. Mouth: again, very clean
(perhaps a little soapy but this
one has just been reduced, there
might be some saponification still
happening). Quite some lemon juice
and zests, perhaps a little cardboardy.
Gets very herbal and a little bitter.
Pear eau de vie. Medium long finish,
on grapefruit. A good very young
one – certainly not complex
but interesting. 79 points. |
 |
Auchentoshan
18 yo 1978/1997 (58.8%, OB, casks
#2952-2956)
Colour: pure gold. Nose: superb
marzipan, hot cake, salted caramel,
candy sugar and Smyrna raisins.
Hot chocolate, Kalhua liquor. Gets
then more complex, with some meat
sauce, balsamic vinegar, old books…
Really beautiful, very bold and
compact at the same time. More and
more burnt caramel, roasted duck
(and its Peking plum sauce), some
perfumy notes too. Very complex!
Mouth: wow, extremely bold and maybe
a little smoky. Lots of strong honey
(heather, chestnut), varnish, very
strong tea and coffee, Something
rummy and slightly salty, perhaps
a little bitter, with some overcooked
wine sauce. Very long finish, on
orange sauce and balsamic vinegar.
Very nice. 87 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: I remember when their
first LP reached France in 1977
(I think), it blew our minds and
not only because of Alfred Jarry
(there was also Television, Richard
Hell, Talking Heads...) Well, I
haven't heard it since the late
1970's but now that I just found
it on the Web, I must say it really
stands the test of time with its
bizarre sounds. So, here is Pere
Ubu doing Nonalignment
pact.mp3. I think Pere Ubu is
still around, or at least their
leader David Thomas... So please
buy their music! |
 |
| TASTING
- THREE VERY SPECIAL STRATHISLAS
(STRIKE!) |
 |
Strathisla
30 yo (46%, Gordon & MacPhail
for La Maison du Whisky, bottled
2005)
Colour: gold – amber. Nose:
a beautiful start on Chinese plum
sauce (the one they serve with Peking
duck), balsam, scented wax, pinewood,
resin. How special! Some crystallised
kumquats, bitter oranges, Jägermeister
liquor and quite some smoke. A terrific
nose. Notes of smoked ham, caramel
syrup, fresh mastic. Very, very
rich and complex, switching to soy
sauce and Maggi after a while. Mouth:
very creamy and very phenolic, with
some bold notes of resin, raw propolis,
pine liquor, eucalyptus candies,
dried herbs and orange zests. Add
to that a very nice bitterness and
quite some cocoa powder, strong
caramel, thyme and rosemary, lavender
candies. Just superb, not tired
at all but rather tannic and drying,
that is. Nothing excessive, though.
In short, a stupendous aged Strathisla!
92 points.
Strathisla
39 yo 1965/2004 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail)
Colour: gold. Nose: extraordinary
attack on fresh coconut, pine resin
again, mastic, argan oil, lavender
honey, macaroons… Absolutely
superb! Notes of wax polish, propolis,
getting quite smoky (white wood,
pine). Keeps developing with beautiful
notes of almond milk, walnut liquor
and hints of diesel oil. A fantastic
complexity, one step above the 30
yo – if that’s possible!
Mouth: ah, now it’s closer
to the 30yo. Bold and rich, yet
not lumpy at all, very woody but
beautifully so. Lots of resins and
propolis, pine needles and dried
herbs, bitter oranges, mastic candies
and olive oil. Bitter chocolate,
strong honey, herbal sweets. Turkish
delights, pistachios, walnut skin…
What a beauty! Notes of smoked tea,
nougat, violet candies. An endless
development! Long finish, very nicely
dry again. Extremely good. 93
points.
Craigduff
32 yo 1973/2005 (49.4%, Signatory,
cask #2513, sherry butt, 566 bottles)
Craigduff was a peated experiment
made at Strathisla in the 1970's.
Some say the peatiness came from
the unusually peaty water (brought
by lorries) they used to make it,
others say it was just peated malt,
while some say it was both. Well,
the jury's still out! But let's
taste Craigduff now... Colour: gold.
Nose: very nice at first nosing,
not extraordinarily expressive but
rather complex. Notes of marzipan
and walnuts, quite waxy. No obvious
peat right at the start but it comes
through after one or two minutes
(somewhat in the Ardmore genre)
and grows stronger. Notes of fermenting
hay, cut grass, horse stable, eucalyptus
and camphor (tiger balm). Fir tree
honey, parsley, wax, stone dust…
Various kinds of smoke after a moment,
smoked ham... Complex indeed, very
phenolic and very enjoyable. Mouth:
quite bold and powerful attack,
very grassy, waxy and quite cardboardy.
Pepper, over infused tea, burnt
caramel… A little feinty as
well. Very little sweetness or fruitiness.
Gets more and more resinous and
waxy but always enjoyable, even
if the palate is a little less complex
and interesting than the nose. A
very unusual and uncommon malt that’s
very good as well, for once (ha,
Dunglass!) It does deserve 90
points in my books.
Latest news (October
6): contrarily to what's wirtten
on the labels, Craigduff was distilled
at Glen Keith, not Strathisla, according
to Signatory. |
 |
MUSIC
– Jazz - Highly
recommended listening: he played
with Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry or
Steve Lacy – which says a
lot: rare French drummer Jacques
Thollot delivers one
of his own, very poetic compositions,
La
maison des cellettes.mp3 (from
the album Tenga Nina). Pretty excellent
stuff, if you ask me. Please, please,
buy Jacques Thollot’s music! |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- TWO OFFICIAL BALVENIES
Balvenie
1991 'PortWood' (40%, OB, 2004)
Colour: gold - apricot. Nose:
rather fresh attack, on some bold
notes of very ripe apricots and
light honey, with also lots of
vanilla crème and whiffs
of white pepper. A perfect balance,
very civilized and totally flawless.
Notes of quince jelly, strawberry
pie, whiffs of spring water, getting
then a little spicy (mulled wine
spices, Chinese anise, cloves).
Some very nice oaky tones. Almost
perfect and no winey notes that
I can smell. Maybe good news…
Very ‘Balvenie’. Ah,
and also hints of smoke and hot
caramel… |
 |
| Mouth:
bold and rather creamy at first
sip, with kind of an unusual bitterness
from the wood. Surprisingly ‘dirty’
(nothing wrong) and very malty.
Gets a little herbal, with quite
some infused tealeaves and also
some burnt caramel and liquorice.
Quite peppery at that. Notes of
orange marmalade… The finish
is a little short but slightly too
tannic for my tastes. In short,
a very, very nice nose and a palate
that’s okay – that’s
a well-known song. 84 points. |
 |
Balvenie
1971/2005 ‘Vintage Cask’
(47.1%, OB, cask #8935, 219 bottles)
Colour: pure gold. Nose: fabulous
first nose, with a perfect oakiness
and lots of ripe apricots again.
Superb notes of small ripe oranges
and acacia honey together with some
whiffs of white wood smoke and charred
wood. Develops on whiffs of eucalyptus
leaves, white pepper, perhaps a
little musk, Joy de Patou…
Ah, now there’s a little camphor,
bandages, embrocations… And
it’s not finished, we have
also some cooked strawberries, old
Sauternes wine (it makes me think
of a 1978 Lafaurie I had not so
long ago). This nose is just magnificent!
|
| Mouth:
beautiful attack again, very creamy,
with a superb oak and lots of white
pepper and even nutmeg. Goes on
with some coffee, vanilla, caramel
before it switches to camphor and
eucalyptus again, and also bergamot
tea. Quite minty at that. Notes
of orange marmalade and toasted
bread… The finish is long,
perhaps a tad too tannic and drying
(lots of cinnamon as well) but it’s
still beautiful, with some funny
hints of menthol cigarette. In short,
lots of oak in this beauty but it’s
superb oak so… 91
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: fantastic Brazilian band
Cabruera
does a rather 'spatial' piece called
Forro
esferografico.mp3. Isn't that
kind of grooovy? Please buy Cabruera's
music if you like it! |
 |
| MUSIC
– Very highly
recommended listening: Wazimbo & Orchestra, from
Mocambique, play a peaceful and
nicely repetitive Nwahulwana.mp3.
Absolutely superb... And what a
voice! Please, please buy Wazimbo's
music... |
 |
| TASTING
- VERY RECENT AND VERY OLD INDIE
LAPHROAIGS |
 |
Laphroaig
13 yo 1992/2005 (59.5%, Signatory
Cask Strength, bourbon, cask #3407,
227 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: very nice peat
and smoke, not complex and less
maritime than expected but sort
of refined and elegant. Not too
much oomph when compared with the
OB’s (especially the 10 yo
C/S) but interestingly ‘different’.
Quite clean, at that. Mouth: ah,
now we’re talking. Very sweet
and very smoky, with some beautiful
notes of lavender and violet candies,
getting very minty, with also lots
of eucalyptus. Long, bold finish,
with notes of mastic, marzipan…
It’s its fantastic palate
that saves this one and makes it
really worth the try. Yummy! 87
points. |
| Laphroaig
1967 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice old brown label, early 1980’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: wow! Lots of
crystallised oranges and lemons,
almond milk and ‘acidic’
fruits (kiwi juice). Very little
peat – at first nosing, at
least. Develops on cider, freshly
cut apples and cigar box and finally
some smoke. Gets then very coastal,
on sea air, oysters… Truly
beautiful and very refined, not
unlike the much younger Signatory
(but much more complex). Mouth:
what a fantastic attack, quite similar
to the great old 10yo’s from
the early 1970’s. Not really
bold but lots of soft peat, tea,
mocha, bitter chocolate, liquorice
roots, lemon marmalade… Rather
long finish, no sign of tiredness
at all. Okay, it’s still a
little simpler than the aforementioned
old OB’s but it’s well
worth a good 91 points
in my books. |
 |
| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - BLONDES DRESSED IN
BLACK |
 |
| Left,
one of the famous (don't we wonder
why?) Black Velvet ads
Right, Ronrico
1981: 'Break tradition - Drink
a Ronrico Rumkin instead'
By
the way, there's a strong demand
for more Black Velvet ads. I won't
pollute these modest pages with
dozens of blondes dressed in black
but get this: I prepared a whole
page packed with Black Velvet
ads spanning from the early 1970's
to 2005. Would you like to see
them? Good, then you just have
to answer a simple question. If
you're lucky, you win!
Question:
'which is Serge's
favourite Scottish distillery?'
|
| TASTING
- TWO PORT ELLENS
Port
Ellen 21 yo 1983/2004 (46%, Jean
Boyer Best Cask, first fill sherry
cask #1346)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: a superb
balance, with lots of sherry and
Port Ellen’s usual peat
and new tyre aromas that do mix
perfectly well here. Notes of
cooked strawberries, all sorts
of dried fruits, raisins and a
big smoky blast – of the
subtle kind, if that’s possible.
A great surprise. |
 |
Mouth:
creamy, oily, smoky and sherried.
Again a perfect balance even if
it’s not overly complex. Quite
fresh and clean, with very little
‘burnt’ notes. Long
finish, with something slightly
metallic and ‘stony’
– in a very nice way. No monster
but a very good sherried Port Ellen,
perfectly balanced and extremely
enjoyable. 90 points.
Port
Ellen 1969 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice old brown label, ca 1985)
colour: dark straw. Nose: extremely
delicate at first nosing, with some
superb notes of marzipan and whiffs
of camphor and apple skins. Very
subtle mix of peat smoke and grapefruit
juice. A little tary as usually
but no brand new tyre this time.
Really excellent, not much oomph
but still a beautiful presence.
Some hay. Gets peatier and peatier
after a few minutes, and also quite
waxy. Hints of diesel oil. Mouth:
very sweet and very peaty attack,
with a great body and a perfect
mouth feel. Some liquorice, bitter
oranges – not fabulously complex
in fact but very compact and satisfying.
Rather long finish with a little
eucalyptus and some marzipan again.
A splendid dram, no doubt.
92 points. |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews |
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Balvenie
1971/2005 ‘Vintage Cask’ (47.1%,
OB, cask #8935, 219 bottles)
Bowmore
1993/2005 (56.8%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, cask #500061)
Bowmore
34 yo 1970/2005 (56.6%, Signatory Cask
Strength, sherry butt #4689, 287 bottles)
Brora
23 yo 1981/2005 (61%,
Duncan Taylor, cask #1425, 542 bottles)
Brora
23 yo 1981/2004 (48.6%, Dun Bheagan,
cask 1513, 336 bottles)
Bunnahabhain
20 yo 1979/1999 (57.7%, Signatory,
sherry, cask #9676, 420 bottles)
Bunnahabhain
26 yo 1978/2005 (54.6%, Signatory Cask
Strength, sherry butt #2539, 468 bottles)
Craigduff
32 yo 1973/2005 (49.4%,
Signatory, cask #2513, sherry butt, 566 bottles)
Glen
Grant 1956/2005 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail for 50th anniversary La Maison du Whisky,
cask #2786, 108 bottles)
Glenburgie
1969/2005 (44.2%,
Duncan Taylor)
Glenburgie
39 yo 1963/2002 (58%, Signatory Straight
from the Cask, c. #4750)
Laphroaig
1967 (40%,
G&M Connoisseur’s Choice old brown
label, early 1980’s)
Port
Ellen 1969 (40%,
G&M Connoisseur’s Choice old brown
label, ca 1985)
Port
Ellen 21 yo 1983/2004 (46%,
Jean Boyer Best Cask, first fill sherry cask
#1346)
Strathisla
30 yo (46%, Gordon & MacPhail for
La Maison du Whisky, bottled 2005)
Strathisla
39 yo 1965/2004 (46%, Gordon &
MacPhail)
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