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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2005 - Part 2 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- THREE RATHER TERRIBLE GLEN ALBYNS
FOR HALLOWEEN |
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Glen
Albyn 15 yo 1980/1996 (43%, Signatory,
cask #2950-51) Colour:
white wine. Nose: extremely grassy,
vegetal at first nosing. All sorts
of freshly cut leaves and plants.
Gets a little milky and peppery
but not much else, I’m afraid.
Ah, yes, a little tea… Mouth:
a very bitter attack, on lemon peel
and grain, quite painful I must
say. Some pepper, nutmeg and litres
of over-infused tea. Well…
55 points. |
Glen
Albyn 20 yo 1969/1989 (55%, Signatory,
cask #484-484) 
Colour: gold. Nose: again, extremely
vegetal and grassy. Really hard
to enjoy at first nosing! Less milky
and more coffeeish and woodier.
Good news, it gets then quite better,
with some rather nice notes of vanilla,
caramel crème and bitter
chocolate. Mouth: punchy, powerful,
almost pungent. Extremely dry, with
lots of pepper, lemon seeds, herbal
teas and other dried herbs…
Ouch, it’s really hard to
enjoy. Notes of varnish… It
gets more and more bitter…
That’s enough! Phew…
60 points.
Glen
Albyn 25 yo 1979/2005 (56%, Duncan
Taylor Rarest of the Rare, cask
#3958, 238 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: strange
attack, with some bold Cologne notes
and lots of paint, wet plaster and
rotten oranges. Totally bizarre,
in fact. Some bold notes of feints…
Also some fresh parsley… Bizarre-bizarre
indeed… Mouth: ouch, it’s
extremely hard to drink. Alka-Seltzer,
stale ginger ale and all sorts of
other repulsive notes. Honestly,
I feel it’s really flawed
and close to a disaster. Now, Duncan
Taylor have issued a constant strain
of great old whiskies up to today,
so it’s almost a relief to
see that they can also fail sometimes.
And after all, an old Glen Albyn
is rare whisky indeed. The fact
that this one is one of ‘the
rarest’ might be good news,
that is… Hey, nobody’s
perfect – and it’s Glen
Albyn. 50 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - UK's Jim
Santana doing the GI
Blues.mp3. I always found these
'look alikes' very moving, and this
one is also very good. Please support
him by going to his shows, I think
he deserves it. |
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| TASTING
- TWO RECENT BENROMACHS |
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Benromach
22 yo (45%, OB, 22 months Port pipes
finish, bottled 2005, 3500 bottles)
Colour: straw with reddish hues.
Nose: very fruity at first nosing
and quite winey but nothing excessive.
Lots of cooked apples and strawberry
jam, with some hints of gewürztraminer,
old roses and ripe bananas. Develops
on some notes of ginger tonic, Schweppes,
gooseberries… Very fresh and
rather delicate… Hints of
white chocolate (yes, that isn’t
genuine chocolate) and flowers from
the fields. Nicely balanced and
quite vibrant. Mouth: much more
winey this time, with some very
sweet notes of cooked fruits, blackcurrant
jelly, strawberry liqueur…
It’s quite hot, at that. Very
malty as well, with some American
‘cooked’ coffee, burnt
caramel… Gets quite woody
and a slightly drying and bitter
towards the finish. Well, the nose
was most enjoyable and the mouth
is okay, although too winey for
my tastes. But that’s a matter
of.. er… taste! 83
points.
Benromach
1980/2004 ‘Cask Strength’
(58.6%, OB)
Colour: sweet white wine (often
darker than dry white wine). Nose:
much dryer at first nosing but there
are some enjoyable notes of white
fruits (apples, ripe pears) that
are soon to emerge, together with
lots of fragrant notes of very ripe
kiwi, incense. It’s also the
first time, I think, that I can
get some Coca-Cola in a malt (no
politics!) Again, it’s rather
fresh, even if perhaps a little
sour. Mouth: bold and powerful,
very sweet and oaky attack. Some
fruits and some tannins plus quite
some pepper and a little bitter
chocolate and cider… Add to
that some bold malty notes and you
get it: it’s a fairly ‘natural’
malt that keeps to the middle but
that’s pretty flawless. 83
points as well. |
| TASTING
- TWO YOUNG ROSEBANKS |
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Rosebank
10 yo 1991 (43%, Lord of Scotland,
Nextstar brands)
Colour: white wine. Nose: rather
closed and spirity at first nosing,
developing then on some rather simple
mashy and grainy notes. Mashed potatoes,
yoghurt, cereals… Notes of
simple dry white wine and grapefruit,
freshly cut apples, hints of baby
vomit (not the vomit of a 150kg
biker after three nights at the
Oktoberfest). Very simple but rather
flawless, I’d say. Mouth:
very sweet, grainy and slightly
citrusy. Not much happening in there
but it’s quite enjoyable.
White fruits (apples and pears),
vanilla cream, white currants…
And not much else. A rather flawless
antithesis of a complex old malt,
and the finish is a little short,
on sugared porridge… In short,
not bad at all but maybe a bit boring.
78 points. |
Rosebank
11 yo 1989/2001 (43%, The Ultimate,
Cask #789)
Colour: straw. Nose: again, this
one isn’t too expressive at
first nosing, but gets then very
nicely lemony and flintstony, not
unlike some Rieslings. Notes of
wet chalk, cold ashes, rubbed lemon
peel. Some fresh apples, cider,
and something distantly fragrant
and flowery (Nina Ricci’s
L’Air du Temps). Discreet
but very elegant, without the usual
yeasty/mashy notes that are so common
in many young malts that aged in
refill casks. Mouth, very sweet
and even sugary this time, much
less elegant than the nose suggested.
Yes, it tastes like a heavily sugared
lemon juice, or perhaps these Italian
lemon liqueurs (Limoncello). Hints
of icing sugar and maybe a tiny
bit of salt but that’s all.
Again, not much happening on the
palate but the nose was superb.
80 points. |
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| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Lots of nice influences
(like Jean-Jacques 'Strangler' Burnel's
roaring bass) in Sweden's Mando
Diao and maybe that's
why I quite like their short piece
Chiga.mp3.
Do you like them too? Then please
buy their music! (photo: Gustav) |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Jill
Scott does Another
day.mp3 with 4 Hero. So much
better than the average silly R'n'B
one can hear all day long on most
radios. Please buy Jill Scott's
music! |
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Mouth:
very sweet and lacking a little
body, alas, with a rather thin mouth
feel. Classically fruity/woody,
with a dash of white pepper and
some apple pie and light caramel.
Furthermore, the finish isn’t
too long but quite drying and tannic.
Yet, it’s a nice, harmless
malt, maybe a little feminine (Serge,
will you stop with your stupid comments
for now?) The nose was beautiful,
and even if the mouth doesn’t
quite deliver, it’s still
worth 84 points
in my books.
Dailuaine
1994/2005 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail
for La Maison du Whisky, cask #9788,
382 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts much
yeastier, on cooked yoghurt and
muesli, getting then very nicely
fruity. Fresh pineapple, mirabelle
plums, cooked peaches, gooseberries…
A little sharper and less ‘vanilled’
but there’s also these very
nice flowery notes (dandelions and
all that). A very similar profile
in fact, a tad more nervous and
a little less balanced but I like
it just the same. Mouth: ah, yes,
this quite punchier even if, again,
not extremely bold. Maybe a little
too sugarish too, with quite some
candy sugar, fruit candies, over-sugared
herbal tea, marshmallows…
But it’s got quite some oomph,
going on with some crystallised
fruits, oranges, vanilla crème.
A little salty and peppery, at that.
Not complex but rather shippable.
The finish is quite longer than
the Hart Bros’ but a little
sugary and indefinite again. Anyway,
a nice, uncomplicated young Dailuaine.
I like it a little more than the
Hart Bros as it’s a little
bolder. 85 points. |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
JOHN HIATT
AND THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS,
Shepherds Bush Empire, London,
Sunday 23rd October, 2005. |
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What a bizarre audience for the
Bush. Well heeled middle aged West
Londoners, out of their comfort
zone out-of-towners, marketing consultant
types, IT specialists and legal
eagles, groping 50 plus couples
(ugh!), the big ex rugby playing
bastard (a financial director I
suspect) and his moll who stood
unmoving in front of me all night,
and loads of late teens and early
twenties with their Mums and Dads.
Why there was even one sad 40 year
old with his mum too (he was drinking
Coke, she was on the vodka). Why
were they here? At one point from
their frequent upward glances I
thought it was to admire Frank Matcham’s
sumptuous Edwardian decoration,
gilded scallop shells, voluptuous
cherubs and all. Then I realised
they were just casting wistful glances
at the congested 5/9s in the upper
balconies. Could they be refugees
from the late afternoon bicentennial
celebrations of Our Greatest Victory
in Trafalgar Square? Well no. Roughly
speaking the young folks were there
to see the brilliant North
Mississippi Allstars,
and the old ones to see the sublime
(yes Serge – you can see where
this one is going) John
Hiatt. Luckily we were
there to see them both.
John Hiatt is possibly best described
as one of the great should have
beens of American rock music. |
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He’s
just released his sixteenth (roughly
calculated) album, Master of Disaster,
recorded in Memphis at the Ardent
Studios, produced by veteran Jim
Dickinson, and featuring two thirds
of the NMA, brothers Luther and
Cody Dickinson, and bass player
and Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
regular David Hood. Not that, from
their reaction, many of the oldsters
have heard it – they’re
here for the old stuff. A great
shame really, as Master of Disaster
builds on Hiatt’s 2003 release
this Gruff Exterior (recorded with
his then band the Goners, with Sonny
Landreth on slide guitar). |
|
A collection of wonderfully self-assured,
mature and grumpy songs (“Well
I do my best thinking sitting on
my ass, sittin’ here waiting
for things to pass”) with
a few moments of intense reflection
Gruff Exterior, thanks to a strong
recommendation from Mike, was my
first real introduction to Hiatt.
Master of Disaster builds on that,
and with the added energy of the
NMA (for which see below) it should
(but probably won’t) put Hiatt
firmly on the same stage as many
of today’s younger and much
feted song writers. For if you don’t
know anything about this man then
you should remember one thing, he
is a song smith of remarkable talent,
and as such makes one mindful of
his one time collaborator, producer
and Whiskyfun favourite Nick Lowe,
or even Ry Cooder (currently leading
candidate for Whiskyfun’s
Album of the Year) with whom he
played in the early 80s, and then
along with Lowe and drummer extraordinaire
Jim Keltner formed the doomed ‘supergroup’
Little Village. |
| |
But
the night kicks off with half an
hour for the young folks, a blistering
romp by the NMA, of ‘Mean
ol’ wind’, ‘Po’
black Maddie’, ‘Shake
‘em down’, ‘Moonshine’,
and ‘Mississippi Boll Weevil’,
picking the outstanding tracks from
their first album Shake Hands with
Shorty, and their most recent, Electric
Blue Watermelon, mixing their own
creative talents with those of their
Mississippi muses Fred McDowell,
Charley Patton and R L Burnside.
Oh yes, and they finished with their
great crowd-pleaser ‘Psychedelic
sex machine’ during which
Cody Dickinson does roughly for
the Sunnyland washboard what Jimi
Hendrix did for the Fender Stratocaster.
It’s almost worth the admission. |
Chris
Chew and John Hiatt
|
 |
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Precisely
on schedule John Hiatt takes the
stage at 9.00pm, supported by all
three of the NMA (so that includes
that giant among bass guitarists
Chris Chew). Kicking off with his
new album’s title track ‘Master
of Disaster’ he proceeds to
give us two hours of greatest hits
(“phew” say the old
folks, “songs we can shake
our arthritis bands to”) mixed
with almost all of the new CD. He’s
a strange looking guy – somewhere
between a slightly diminutive Nick
Cave and actor Hugo Weaving (you
know the one, the self-replicating
agent in The Matrix and one of the
chaps with funny ears in Lord of
the Rings). But he has that rare
thing amongst rock performers, charisma,
presence? Well I’m not sure
what you’d call it, but he
just fills the stage, and then the
whole of the Bush. |
| In
fact by the time he’s blown
the audience away with a simply
sensational and soulful version
of ‘Ain’t never going
back’ (from Master), song
number three, both the Photographer
and I (at this point she’s
in heaven, perched atop the mixing
desk kit with the best view in the
place) agree this could be Whiskyfun’s
Gig of the Year. Hiatt plays his
way through a sequence of sumptuous
acoustic guitars and a little bit
of keyboard before finally taking
up his electric (“you know”,
he drawls, “this Telecaster
is a fountain of youth”).
His singing is remarkable for a
53 year old – at one point
he explains that he used to sing
soprano in the church choir, and
he demonstrates that his falsetto
is still up to scratch. |
Energised
by the NMA boys he bounces around
the stage like a 25 year old (and
when, without any disrespect intended,
Chris Chew starts to bounce I start
to fear for the stage of this venerable
rock institution) – he’s
relaxed, happy, and clearly relishing
the grooves of his band, in particular
Luther Cody who excels on slide
guitar.Songs?
The Photographer made a partial
list. ‘Ready for this thing
called love’, ‘I’ll
find you again’, ‘Cry
love’, ‘Thunderbird’
(another new song, inspired by a
1960’s TV performance of Death
of a Salesman) ‘Real fine
love’, ‘Is anybody there’,
‘Back on the corner’,
Tennessee plates’, ‘Love’s
not where we thought we left it’,
‘Memphis in the meantime’,
‘Have a little faith in me’,
‘Slow turning’ and ‘Lipstick
sunset’. Requited love, unrequited
love, cars, domestic dysfunctionality,
bars, booze, children, god, triumph
and failure – roughly speaking
the whole of the human tapestry
captured in witty and pithy lyrics,
and musically brought up to date
by a band par excellence. |
 |
 |
Something
strange happened. “Ok folks,
let’s go to Memphis’
said Hiatt. At a stroke a third
of the audience left – could
his hold over them be so strong?
Then I looked at my watch –
10.30 and the out-of-towners were
heading for the last bus. We stayed
to the death, the big bastard departed
with his moll for a late night of
back wrenching love-making (well,
in his case about five minutes I
expect), and as Hiatt left the stage
at the curfew of 11.00pm with “hope
to see you in the summer of 06”
we vowed to the nice folks to our
left that we’d see them then. |
|
Just a fantastic night. If you get
the chance go and see him, if not,
then as Serge would say, please
buy his records. Oh yes, and please
don’t forget those wonderful
young boys, the North Mississippi
Allstars. - Nick Morgan (concert
photos by Kate) |
| Thanks
Nick, I must say I like John Hiatt
better than Paris Hilton (yes,
ouch!). And the big bastard, doesn't
he haunt just any concert on this
planet? We had ladies with large
hats (see your Queen), then afro
haircuts, and now we have ex-rugby
players and financial directors.
I hope somebody will invent see-through
spectacles one day - or lethal
popcorn you'd just throw at the
buggers. But I digress... I could
find four very nice songs by John
Hiatt (about whom, I must admit,
I didn't know a lot up to today):
Thing
called love.mp3 from Bring
the Family - yes with Jim Keltner
on drums (1987)
Listen
to old voices.mp3 from Stolen
Moments (1990)
Pirate
radio.mp3 from Little Head
(1997)
Thunderbird.mp3
from the new album Master of Disaster
(2005) |
| |
| TASTING
- TWO REALLY EXCELLENT PULTENEYS |
| Pulteney
26 yo 1977/2004 (58.3%, Duncan Taylor
Peerless, cask #3078)
Colour: gold. Nose: very malty,
caramelly and rather smoky at first
nosing, quick to switch to some
very nice herbal and farmy notes.
There must have been quite some
peat … Wait, now it’s
developing on some bold notes of
flowers and nectar, mead, honey,
apricot pie, hot cake, cooked butter…
Unexpectedly complex. Some rubber,
pollen, beeswax… Whiffs of
sea air… and always these
peaty notes that sort of underline
the whole development so delicately.
More elegant than punchy, despite
the high level of alcohol. A great
surprise. Mouth: now it’s
punchy, powerful and very bold,
with lots of tannins right from
the start. Nice ones, that is. Creamy
mouth feel, extremely fruity (all
sorts of jams), pineapple liqueur,
bananas flambéed, rum. Goes
on with quite some other tropical
fruits (ripe mangos) and sort of
a rubbery feeling. Slightly burnt
cake topped with icing sugar. Complex
again, broad and compact at the
same time (the opposite of disjointed
if you see what I mean – excuse
my poor English). And always these
perfect peaty notes! And what a
long finish, doing the peacock’s
tail! A perfect Pulteney, with lots
of oomph. 91 points. |
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Old
Pulteney 15 yo 1982 ‘Millenium’
(60.5%, OB, sherry)
Colour: amber/orange. Nose: the
attack is much rougher but even
smokier, with quite some rubber,
burnt cake, hints of rancio. It
gets then similarly flowery and
fruity, on nectar, cooked apricots,
apple pie. Whiffs of bandages and
camphor, and also something of an
old Armagnac. Perhaps some smoked
ham. Less thrilling than the Peerless
but most certainly a very nice malt,
much farmier and rubberier than
expected. Mouth: rather spirity,
powerful, almost invading. Some
sherry of course but also quite
some rubber and ‘burnt’
notes, bitter oranges and grappa.
Rather tannic and getting slightly
aggressive and burning after a while.
Let’s see if it can swim…
After a few drops of water (btw
the nose gets much more fragrant,
on Parma violets, with also lots
of tea, especially pu-erh, which
is good news) the malt really improves,
getting rounder and much fruitier.
All excessive rubbery notes have
vanished, amazing! Some ripe melon,
peaches, ganache (chocolate mixed
with fruits), late harvest Alsatian
Tokay… Wow, this Pulteney
isn’t a swimmer, it’s
Mark Spitz! The finish is very long,
creamy, on all sorts of fruit liqueurs
and jams. Brilliant whisky, but
it needs water. 90 points. |
| TASTING
- THREE EXCELLENT YOUNG INDIE ARDBEGS |
 |
Ardbeg
1996/2005 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail
CC for La Maison du Whisky, cask
#914)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: sharp,
fresh and superbly clean, very tary
and maritime at first nosing, but
also quite fruity, with lots of
pear, fresh strawberries and kiwi.
Not a fruit bomb but it’s
still fruitier than the usual Ardbegs.
Liquorice hints, fermenting hay,
old seaweed… Quite some limestone
at that. Much more complex than
expected, not too bold and surprisingly
elegant. Very nice! Mouth: smooth
and sweet attack, with some growing
notes of liquorice stick, gentian
eau de vie, apple skin, lavender
crème… Gets quite lemony
and salty at the same time (tequila?)
with lots of peat but not of the
overwhelming kind. Again, sort of
discreet but very far from lacking
body. Very, very nice indeed, with
a rather long finish on lemon and
grapefruit juice. I like much better
than the official ‘Very Young’
(which is a bit younger, in fact).
89 points.
Ardbeg
10 yo 1992/2002 (56.7%, Signatory
Straight from the Cask, cask #424,
478 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: much hotter
and rougher, with some bold notes
of hot caramel, cake, and horse
stable. Lots of porridge too, mashed
potatoes, grass… Nice but
much more classical and less elegant,
one for hardcore peat freaks, probably.
Mouth: very sweet but quite bold
and powerful, with lots of citrusy
notes, icing sugar, citric acid
and quite some salt. Very funny!
Not complex at all but really playful
on your tongue. Some grapefruit,
lemon drops, gin fizz… Also
some green apples… Not unlike
some dry chenin wine. The finish
is long and again, extremely lemony
and salty. Funny indeed! 87
points.
Ardbeg
1993/2003 (57.6%, Spirit of Scotland,
cask #1084)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: a very
curious attack, quite sour and extremely
buttery at first nosing. Stale cider,
old apples… Notes of wet dog,
raw wool, oxidised white wine. Very,
very organic and wild! Goes on with
some caramel sauce, Chinese plum
sauce, and finally lots of iodine,
sea air and medicinal hints, bandages,
camphor, eucalyptus. Rough but complex,
I like it very much. Mouth: unexpectedly
creamy, dense and powerful at the
same time, maybe the most “Ardbegian”
of the three. Peat, lots of farmy
notes, bitter apples, smoked ham,
liquorice, sweet pepper, getting
then very citrusy and salty almost
like the Signatory (but not quite).
A very nice development towards
smoked tea and lemon marmalade,
crystallised ginger… And a
very, very long finish on peat and
lemon. An excellent young Ardbeg,
with lots of life! 90 points. |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Yes, the Jam's Paul
Weller's rather funky,
hard-hitting and soulful Blink
and you'll miss it.mp3, from
his 2005 album 'As is now'. Excellent,
don't you think? Please buy Paul
Weller's music! |
| JUST
A NICE PICTURE -
Seen on Springbank's
website. A holy light shines softly
in the darkness of the malting room...
Hail holy light! Amen. |
 |
 |
TASTING
- THREE ISLE OF JURAS
Isle
of Jura 10 yo (40%, OB, late 1980’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: very clean,
fresh, grainy and flowery. Some
soft vanilla crème, milk
rice, fresh butter… Gets
then nicely fruity, on golden
delicious apples, plums, ripe
melon… Gets a little mashy,
with also some hints of smoke.
Totally inoffensive but enjoyable,
extremely pure. Don’t let
your children nos this one, they
might then drink it behind your
back. Mouth: again, very fresh
and fruity. Not weak in any way
at 40%. Cereals, apple juice,
peaches… Gets a little sugarish,
alas, not unlike some ‘artificial’
liqueurs such as Parfait Amour
or cheap curacaos. Too bad because
it really started well. And the
finish is shorter than a Britney
Spears marriage. Really too bad.
77 points. |
| Isle
of Jura 1990/2005 (45%, OB)
Colour: straw. Nose: quite powerful,
very, very yeasty/mashy with also
some very bold notes of old walnuts
and beer. It really smells like
a washback. Develops on some notes
of coffee, porridge, muesli and
sour cream. I like that! Gets quite
smoky, with also some notes of old
books, newspapers (paper and fresh
ink). Mouth: quite nervous but getting,
again, quite sugarish. Very mashy,
on porridge, cereals, beer, perhaps
a little smoke, herbal tea…
But these sugary notes are a little
boring, I’m sorry. Medium
long finish, on kind of a heavily
sugared porridge. Well, the nose
was very nice but the palate doesn’t
really deliver, I think. 78
points. |
| Isle
of Jura 13 yo 1989/2002 (46%, Murray
McDavid, bourbon cask, MM 1564)
Colour: white wine. Nose: kind of
a mix of the two OB’s, half
yeasty/mashy and half fruity at
first nosing. Develops on some very
bold notes of beer again, mixed
with apple juice and creals. Tell
me about a breakfast! It’s
rather clean, that is, getting also
a little farmy (wet hay). Notes
of pineapple juice. Another one
I like. Mouth: ah, yes, this is
much better. Bolder, more nervous,
again very grainy and mashy (beer
again) and also quite nicely fruity
(mostly apple juice, pineapple).
Hints of pepper, probably from the
wood. Rather long finish, on gin
and muesli. A nice one! 82
points. |
 |
| |
| CRAZY
WHISKY ADS - AFRAID OF BURGLARS? |
 |
Left,
Dewar's 1935: 'Something
good 'ere, any'ow? - All visitors
appreciate Dewar's 'White Label'
Right, Glenlivet
1987: 'The Glenlivet - Just
Slightly Out Of Reach'
Well,
hadn't Dewar tried to be funny before
the war, Glenlivet probably wouldn't
have needed to hire some bodyguards
fifty years later! |
| TASTING
- OLD AND RECENT LINKWOODS |
 |
Linkwood
12 yo (43%, OB, John McEwan &
Co, UK, 1970’s)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: wow, it’s
beautifully fresh, with lots of
toasted cereals, fresh white fruits
and flowers from the fields at first
nosing. Quite complex! Develops
on lots of fruity notes (apples
and pears, watermelon, bananas,
white currants, yellow peaches),
with also whiffs of smoke and some
distant notes of wax, furniture
polish, fresh mint leaves…
Also kind of a metallic smell (and
also passion fruits and fresh pineapples,
roses) that keep it most lively.
Just superb! Mouth: oh, this is
funny, the funny metallic flavours
are here right from the start –
the old bottle effect, for sure.
Quite grainy, with some burnt notes,
lots of liquorice, unsugared tea,
fudge… No fruits this time
but quite some waxy notes again,
and even some rubber. The finish
isn’t too long but enjoyable,
on lavender honey and orange juice…
A stupendous nose and a very nice
mouth, like in many old bottles.
Anyway, 88 points
for this old Linkwood.
Linkwood
16 yo 1987/2004 (43%, Signatory,
Decanter)
Colour: white wine. Nose: well,
this one has the death’s seat
after the magnificent old OB, but
it does sort of stand ‘the
heat’. Much grainier, mashier,
on porridge and milk, getting nicely
herbal (fresh herbs, freshly mown
lawn) before it switches to more
or less the same fruity notes as
the OB (white fruits). Not utterly
interesting but flawless and enjoyable.
Mouth: very sweet, very grainy and
cereally, with some vanilla fudge,
rice cake with caramel and quite
some herbs (violets sweets?) Nothing
really special but again, no flaws.
The finish is rather long and quite
close to the spirit. Very little
wood influence in this one. 82
points.
Linkwood
1980/2005 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: ah, this
is something very different! Starts
on olive oil and fresh butter, switching
to bottled orange juice (Fanta and
the likes) and then on roses jelly,
Turkish delights and cider. The
orange juice notes get heavier and
heavier, and they finally sort of
overwhelm the malt, together with
some honey (like in some Oriental
pastries). Very nice, I must say…
Mouth: very unusual again! Quite
some rubber right from the start,
with some bold and enjoyable notes
of crystallised oranges and eucalyptus
candies, Lots of candies in fact,
pineapple, grapefruit, pear…
Some burnt caramel and lots of spices
(quite some ginger and a little
Chinese anise). Notes of lavender
ice cream (no lament here), and
again a slightly metallic taste.
The finish is long, on crystallised
pineapple and pollen… A very
nice one, very ‘different’.
Most interesting and enjoyable:
88 points.
Linkwood
15 yo (57%, G&M licensed bottling,
late 1980’s)
Colour: amber – orange. Nose:
a perfect balance right from the
start, with lots of dried fruits,
orange juice and all sorts of fresh
fruits as well. Alas, it gets also
a little too caramelly and woody,
lacking complexity. Mouth: bold,
very peppery and quite tannic, getting
even cardboardy. Some nice fruity
notes, though: dried oranges, quince,
and also some bitter chocolate.
Very nice and drinkable, in fact,
lacking just a little extra-complexity.
84 points. |
| |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Stereolab
again. I know this doesn't sound
too serious but frankly, I like the
English-French band's sense of second
degree and 'humour'. Try for instance
the bouncy and very, very easy (but
nicely made) Mass
riff.mp3 (from their 2003 EP
Instant O the Universe) and you'll
see what I mean. And please buy
their music. |
 |
 |
MUSIC
– It's Sunday,
we go classical: American soprano
Beverly Sills does Una
voce poco fa.mp3 (from Rossini's
The Barber of Seville, London Symphony
Orchestra, James Levine, EMI, 1975).
Please buy Beverly Sills' recordings!
Btw, she's also famous for her quotes,
such as 'You don't always get
what you ask for, but you never
get what you don't ask for... unless
it's contagious!' or 'A
primary function of art and thought
is to liberate the individual from
the tyranny of his culture in the
environmental sense and to permit
him to stand beyond it in an autonomy
of perception and judgment'. Well,
we won't argue... |
| |
| TASTING
- ANOTHER TWO OLD HIGHLAND PARKS |
| Highland
Park 1968/2003 (40.1%, Duncan Taylor
for Becking, cask #9535, 106 bottles)
Colour: gold – amber. Nose:
fresh and elegant, with a very nice
wood and lots of yellow flowers
from the field (dandelion, buttercup,
daisies, camomile…) Light
honey, whiffs of sea air, Werther’s
Originals, quince jelly… A
superb balance at that and lots
of delicacy. |
 |
Mouth:
very elegant again but maybe slightly
thin – just slightly –
and perhaps a little too woody.
A nice mix of tea and oak in fact,
with quite some tannins, nutmeg
and cinnamon and not much fruity
notes. The finish is rather short.
This one went over the hill, obviously,
but it’s still very enjoyable
and the nose was beautiful.
86 points.
Highland
Park 37 yo 1967/2004 (50.6%, Duncan
Taylor for John Scott, sherry cask
#3131, 227 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite powerful!
A most enjoyable mix of coastal
notes with flower nectar and smoke.
It develops on pine, with hints
of varnish (but the bottle was just
opened so that may vanish with breathing).
Also some white pepper, balsamic
vinegar, perhaps even some whiffs
of wasabi. Complex indeed, with
very little sherry influence left,
getting perhaps a little too dusty.
Notes of spring water. Mouth: very
nice attack, very creamy, bold and
punchy. Lots of fruit jams (apricot),
apple pie, tea, but again, lots
of wood as well. It gets rather
dry and quite tannic again, but
nothing unbearable in fact. White
pepper. The finish is long but now
a little too tannic, drying and
bitter. But what a nose! 87
points |
| QUICK
TASTING - TWO NEW OFFICIAL ABERFELDIES |
 |
Aberfeldy
12 yo (40%, OB, circa 2005)
In a new, bulky bottle. The nose
is very fresh, quite grainy in a
very nice way and rather fragrant.
An elegant dram, especially on the
palate that’s very sweet but
not sugarish. Probably better than
the older versions, even if no winner.
A good malt that should appeal to
blend drinkers. 80 points.
Aberfeldy
21 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
The style is more or less the same
but with more roundness. It’s
still very fresh, with some rather
beautiful oaky notes and lots of
salty caramel. Quite some liquorice
too, with a most enjoyable dry (but
not drying) finish. Not too complex
but nicely balanced. A very good
Sunday malt for… er…
blend drinkers! (I know, a stupid
comment) 85 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Better than both Prince
and Jamiroquai? Here is UK's Jamie
Lidell doing When
I come back around.mp3. Please
buy his music if you like acid jazz
/ funk / electronica / soul / whatever. |
 |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| TASTING
- OLD AND NEW OFFICIAL BLADNOCHS |
 |
Bladnoch
13 yo (40%, OB, 2005)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: very fresh
and clean, quite flowery and very
fruity. Tangerines, grapefruit juice,
freshly cut apples. Also quite grainy
and a little yeasty, boiling milk.
A simple but enjoyable nose, exactly
what you’d expect from a young
Lowlander. Mouth: very lemony attack,
not weak in any way. Also quite
grainy, yeasty, and even a little
prickly, but not much else in there
after that, I’m afraid. Gets
slightly bitter, with a medium long
finish on lemon peels. Not bad but
really simple. 78 points.
Bladnoch
8 yo (40%, OB, 1980’s)
Colour: straw. Nose: a little bolder
and certainly more complex than
the new one. Much more tropical
fruits (mostly passion fruit), dried
oranges and some superb notes of
cider, sea air… Also more
citrusy. Hints of diesel oil and
coffee. A great nose, definitely.
Very classy! Mouth: wow, again the
attack is much bolder, even a little
creamy. Very citrusy again but much
more complex, with some lemon, grapefruit,
green apples… Very nice! Citronella
as well, maybe a little oak to spice
up the whole. Lemon marmalade, tea,
white pepper… The finish is
long, on lemon peels again. Excellent,
very typically Bladnoch, I’d
say. 85 points.
Bladnoch
10 yo (43%, Flora & Fauna, circa
2000)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite similar
to the old 8 yo but perhaps a little
less complex and more powerful.
Maybe that’s only the slightly
higher ABV. Gets extremely lemony
and caramelly at the same time,
smelling like a lemon pie that just
came out of the oven. Gets slightly
sourish (notes of ginger ale, stale
cider). A very nice nose in any
case. Mouth: this time it’s
really bolder, creamier, with a
similar profile as the 8yo’s
but everything is sort of amplified.
The finish is even longer as well,
perhaps a little more on pepper
but with always these bold lemony
notes. Excellent again, the nose
was a bit less complex but the palate
is bolder. Okay, same rating: 85
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - Somebody wrote that
their songs are 'the recording of
our decadent, materialistic society's
final moments, before our engines
fail and we crash into a churning
sea of revolution (or, at least,
recession).' Hmm... Is that the
reason why Black
Box Recorder did this
very nice Bowie cover, the famous
Rock
n roll suicide.mp3? Anyway,
please buy their music if you like
it. |
 |
| TASTING
- SIX YOUNG INDIE CAOL ILAS |
 |
Caol
Ila 11 yo 1993/2004 ‘Maverick’
(46%, Murray McDavid, bourbon/chenin)
Chenin is a grape variety that’s
mostly used in the Loire valley,
where it gives notably the best
sweet wines but also some sharp,
dry ones. Colour: white wine. Nose:
rather powerful, very fruity, smoky
and mineral. Whiffs of wet chalk
and dill, matchstick, cold ashes…
Some very nice fruity notes too,
like not too ripe kiwi, grapefruit,
getting quite lemony… Some
notes of flour, mashed celeries…
Very, very nicely sharp (chenin
being quite sharp as well usually).
I like it. Mouth: rather creamy
but also quite aerial, on lemon
juice, peat, smoked salmon and liquorice.
It is sort of vinous but in a very
nice way. Notes of un-sugared espresso
coffee, roots, pu-erh tea…
Long finish, perfectly balanced,
on liquorice and roots (gentian
eau de vie). Excellent, and no weird
tastes or smells from the wine.
Good news! 88 points
(I had it a bit lower last time
but maybe it improved after one
year in its bottle – sort
of an extra ‘marrying time’?
Note to self: don't be silly, Serge!)
Caol
Ila 1994/2004 (59.3%, Whisky Doris,
Germany)
Colour: very pale white wine. Nose:
extremely clean, lemony, smoky and
mineral, sharp like a blade. Notes
of green apples, calcarious stones,
lemon peel. Very, very pure. Hints
of grain, porridge, green bananas,
perhaps a little aniseed and dill,
fennel, cold ashes, incense…
Very enjoyable. Also some funny
whiffs of smoked meat, balsamic
vinegar, wine sauce. How beautiful!
Mouth: strong, powerful and very
rubbery like some new make. Very
rough in fact, with some metallic
tastes and some notes of cooked
sour apples, liquorice roots, burnt
caramel. It gets then curiously
acidic, with some notes of lemon
fizz, pink grapefruit… Aluminium,
salt… The finish is long but
a little too bitter. In short a
superb, sharp nose and a rather
rough but enjoyable palate (if you’re
into roughness). 85 points.
Caol
Ila 1990/2005 (43%, McKillop’s
Choice)
Nose:
fresh like a baby’s mouth
and delicately maritime. Whiffs
of sea air and salt (sort of ‘stony’,
flintstones), salted butter caramel?
Very delicate and perfectly balanced.
Funny notes of lettuce. Mouth: elegant,
rounded and smooth. A perfect peat
smokiness and again quite some caramel,
salted butter, freshly baked cake.
A very, very nice indie Caol Ila,
not too complex as often but perfectly
balanced. 87 points. |
 |
 |
Caol
Ila 1981/1996 (40%, Gordon &
MacPhail CC, old map label)
Colour: gold. Nose: light, grainy,
grassy, with some notes of fresh
butter. A simple one. Mouth: a bit
of peat, sea air, light caramel.
Too bad it’s a little too
weak and too grainy. The finish
is quite woody and dry, with some
notes of ale. 79 points. |
Caol
Ila 1981/1996 (63.4%, Gordon &
MacPhail Cask Strength, casks #2081
/2086)
Nose: a bit fresher and cleaner,
yet spirity and yeasty. Apple juice,
hay, rabbit cage. Again a simple
one – nothing special. Mouth:
sugary and bitter at the same time.
Over infused herbal tea, burnt bread…
It doesn’t get any better
with water. 71 points.
Caol
Ila 12 yo (60.2%, James MacArthur,
early 1990’s)
Nose: fresh but spirity and very
grassy and yeasty. Stale beer, Guiness,
rotting apples, varnish. This one
isn’t enjoyable and too rough,
if you ask me. Mouth: spirity and
even pungent. Almost undrinkable
– let’s add some water…
It gets a bit better – just
a bit. Still very grassy and bitter.
Let’s stop the pain right
now. No interest whatsoever, just
spirit. 69 points. |
| |
| DO
YOU KNOW WOOGLE? Take
some simple tasting notes, like
for instance these imaginary ones:
Ardbeg
30 years official
bottling sherry finishing.
Nose: powerful, apples, pears,
daisies, dog, perfect balance.Mouth:
spirity, pungent, fruity, fudge,
lots of body. Long and spicy finish.
84 points.
Now, check what
it gives using only pictures here.
Funny, isn't it! It's Woogle.that
made it. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - African rythms plus
Western arrangements, that often
fails and sounds too 'easy' but
with Issa
Bagayogo, from Mali,
it works pretty well. Listen to
Sissi.mp3
and you'll probably see what I mean.
And please buy African music... |
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
ALABAMA 3,
The Astoria, London, October
11th 2005 |
| What
better place to start a congested
autumn season of Whiskyfun concert
reviews than the crumbling majesty
of Charing Cross Road’s Astoria
theatre? Did you know that the Astoria
began its life as a pickle factory,
owned by Crosse & Blackwell,
now famous as manufacturers of that
most English of tracklements, Branston
Pickle (which, I’m assured
by those who know, Keith Richards
always takes with him on tour with
the Stones)? |
 |
Why,
even Charles Booth visited the place
when conducting his famous survey
into life and labour in London in
the late nineteenth century. In
1927 it reopened as a cinema and
went through a variety of guises
before ending up as one of London’s
leading gay nitespots and a regular
venue for leading bands, under the
management of the Mean Fiddler Group.
Apparently it’s listed for
demolition when a new tube station
is built at Tottenham Court Road
– all I can say is that if
the new station isn’t built
soon the whole place will simply
fall down.
And talking of falling down, what
better band to start with than Whiskyfun’s
favourites the Alabama
3, who remarkably have
been on the road on a punishing
schedule promoting their new album
Outlaw since we last saw them in
Glasgow in May. I have to say that
from start to finish what we got
was a show that can only be described
as slick (not a word one would normally
associate with a band of self-styled
Brixton anarchists) and very different
from the one we’d seen in
May, or their most recent Glasgow
gig the week before this (as my
Argyll correspondent assures me).
|
 |
Following
a short set from the feisty (Zoe)
Devlin Love and harmonica player
and part-time A3 member Nick Reynolds
(he’s the son of Bruce, you
know, the Great Train Robber) we
were treated, after a rapid stage
set up, to a troupe of burlesque
dancers strutting and, err…,
showing their stuff. I hope the
poor social worker who got so offended
by flesh at the last Astoria gig
wasn’t here for this –
as it was only going to get worse.
The band then mostly assembled for
their Mobyesque Robert Johnson sample
‘Me and the devil’ (from
their ‘rare’ album Zero
Tolerance), during which front man
for the night D Wayne Love gave
us a short insight into the walk
he’d taken along the Thames
that morning, complete with vultures
and all, apparently a sign that
the devil is really coming for you.
|
With
an apparently incapacitated Larry
Love last to take the stage, and
remaining seated all night, the
band kicked off with ‘Too
sick to pray’ as Larry was
ministered too by an increasingly
unclothed vamp (Samantha Love, unless
I’m mistaken). Now I’m
not surprised if Larry’s manic
style of joint-breaking limbo dancing
has caught up with him, though it
certainly didn’t stop him
from using his hands and arms for
all they were worth to whip the
audience into a frenzy. But with
Larry a little to the rear D Wayne
stepped to the front, and led, if
not with his chin, then certainly
with his mouth. “That was
a blues classic from Jimmy Johnstone
folks. Now did you know just what
Jimmy’s role was in the great
victory of the Lisbon Lions in ….”
He also told us later that “Jock
Stein said change must come from
the barrel of a gun”, which
somehow I could just about believe.
Anyway they shot through a bevy
of classics as if they were throwing
out the family silver (‘Don’t
go to Goa’, ‘U don’t
dance 2 tekno’, ‘Woke
up this morning’ and ‘Mansion
on the hill’) before Outlaw
tracks ‘Up above my head’
(by this time wee Devlin was back
on stage belting out vocals like
a, well…, pickle factory worker),
‘Honey in the rock’
and ‘Have you seen Bruce Richard
Reynolds’, with the ex Train
Robber making his customary London
appearance for his narration at
the end (“the Whiyld Bunch”).
And although I’m not claiming
that this is a complete set list,
I’m sure they didn’t
play ‘How can I protect you’,
typically perverse as it’s
not only a catchy tune, but also
their latest single. |
| The
main set was brought to an end with
sensational versions of ‘Bullet
proof’ and the anthemic crowd
pleaser ‘Hypo full of love’.
It was about this time that the
girls got back on the stage too.
For the short encore Samantha tastefully
unclothed herself of a Native American
Indian’s outfit during ‘I’m
Johnny Cash’ and predictable
mayhem ensued with ‘Mao Tse
Tung said’. |
 |
|
Not as long as the past few gigs
we’ve seen, but very well
balanced in terms of songs, strong
efforts from everyone in the band
(the wraith like Spirit, guitarist
Rock Freebase and percussionist
Sir Real Love seemed to stand out)
and from our usual Astoria position,
a nicely judged sound level (could
they have turned it down this time?).
What more could one ask. Oh yes
– and if you’re asking
what all the fuss is about then
why not ask Santa (yes, it’s
that time of year already) for a
copy of the just released live DVD
Hear The Train A' Comin, recorded
here at the gig we saw last December.
If you’re lucky enough to
get it, this is what you should
do on Christmas Day evening. |
 |
At
bedtime, call up to your partner
with some plausible excuse like,
“sorry darling, I just want
to watch another re-run of the Queen’s
speech on TV’, then shut the
doors, wedge them closed with any
available upholstery and soundproof
them with a handy mattress. Load
the DVD, but before you press play
ensure all volume controls are turned
up to full (including the sub-woofer),
and you might want to make a few
pin holes in some of the speakers
just to get that real Astoria feel.
Then pour a glass of your favourite,
charge your plate with seasonal
pickles, and let the fun begin.
- Nick Morgan (photos by Kate) |
| Thanks
a bunch, Nick! It seems it was fun,
I really have to go and see these
guys in concert one day! Dave sent
us an excellent link the other day
- I don't know if it'll last forever
but here's a very nice Dylanesque
jam with a certain trombone player
from The Guardian named 'Pascal
Wyse' (I still fail to understand
some of the UK press' habits but
remember I'm French): Alabama
3 and Pascal Wyse.mp3. Otherwise,
we have a very special Woke
up mix.mp3. |
| |
| TASTING
- FOUR MILTONDUFFS |
 |
Mosstowie
29 yo 1975/2005 (48.4%, Duncan Taylor
Rarest of the Rare, cask #5809)
Mosstowie was distilled from 1964
to 1981 at Miltonduff, using Lomond
stills. Colour: light gold. Nose:
again a very clean and natural malt,
quite powerful and very nicely fruity
and flowery. A most enjoyable mix
of nectar and yellow flowers (always
the same wild flowers, dandelions,
buttercups…) with apple juice,
tangerines, gooseberries, white
peaches… Nice notes of both
fresh butter and cooked butter (slightly
smoky), keeps developing on dry
white wine (Riesling, sauvignon).
Notes of vanilla fudge, freshly
cut herbs, sour apples… A
very nice, ‘natural’
Mosstowie. Ah, and also whiffs of
dill, fennel, aniseed… Very
nice indeed. Mouth: oh, yes, this
is very special. Some bold notes
of pineapple flambéed with
rum, apple juice, ripe kiwi…
Also some pink grapefruit, bananas,
Williams pear and a funny metallic
taste that plays with the sides
of your tongue. Lots of vivacity
in there! More and more fresh pineapple,
gets then a little spicy –
just a little. The finish is very
long, on pineapple candies (yes,
again). That’s uncomplicated
pleasure in a bottle, just perfectly
sippable, not unlike some old Clynelishes
many of us like so much (except
in Amsterdram, maybe). Best of the
good ;-). 90 points.
Miltonduff
21 yo 1963 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old brown label)
Colour:
light amber. Nose: a very nice balance.
Lots of very ripe apricots and oranges
with a pinch of pepper. Hints of
eucalyptus and, perhaps, camphor.
Goes on with the usual caramelly
notes, old books, antiques shop,
cinnamon… Very classical and
very nice. Mouth: lots of orange
juice and light caramel, old sweet
wine, vanilla and basta. That isn’t
much – although the whole
is quite enjoyable. Not the usual
punch and complexity of these ‘old
brown (or banner) labels’,
I’m afraid. 80 points.
Miltonduff
1963 (40%, G&M Connoisseur’s
Choice, old map label, early 1990’s)
Colour:
pale amber. Nose: very similar to
the older version, with a little
more resin, wax… Probably
due to the longer ageing (this one
is approx 30yo). Mouth: really better
this time. Bolder, creamier, with
lots of dried kumquats and apricot
juice. Very nicely gingery, spicy,
peppery… A long, bold finish
on orange marmalade, fortified wine
and liquorice. Excellent! 87
points.
Miltonduff
12 yo 1989/2001 (65.28%, Single
Barrel Collection, cask #30322,
289 bottles)
Colour:
deep gold. Nose: ouch! Really pungent,
with some heavy peppery notes, lots
of sulphur, Alka-Seltzer, fish…
Hints of American coffee. Very difficult
at that strength! With a little
water we get whiffs of peat smoke
but other than that, no significant
improvement. Mouth: ah, now it’s
drinkable but of course extremely
strong (neat). Rather close to a
new make (pear eau de vie etc.)
but there is some cask influence
indeed. Some salty notes (which
I often get in very strong whiskies,
so it might well not be salt ;-))
Keeps developing on dried oranges,
Cointreau… Not bad but hard
to enjoy. With water: it gets much,
much sweeter, with more liquorice
but that’s all. No added complexity.
79 points. |
 |
SHOPPING
- It's fellow Malt
Maniac Davin
de Kergommeaux who advises us
to try this Johnnie Walker Red Label
+ Cola. The fearless Davin wrote:
"I had bought this can
of JWR Cola in Vanuatu (where I
also tasted real kava made with
the spit of virgin boys). I admit
the cola was kind of tasty and much
smokier than JWR alone. The kava?
well, you have to experience it
to appreciate the coke." |
| TASTING
- TWO RECENT OLD NEW CLYNELISHES
AND AN OLD YOUNG OLD ONE
(Oh
well, I guess you see what I mean...) |
 |
Clynelish
1971/2005 (45.7%, M&H Cask Selection,
refill hogshead, 228 b.)
Colour: straw. Nose: quite punchy,
even a little aggressive. I does
not start on the usual waxy/fruity
notes but rather on Swiss cheese
(fresh gruyere) and herbal/grassy
notes (fern, lettuce). Some bold
notes of mashed potatoes, soy sauce,
Maggi, gravy... Develops on cider,
English bitter beer (not the bitter
one), wine sauce, cooked fresh cream.
Some notes of apple juice but other
than that, very little fruit (perhaps
some coconut juice). A profile that’s
very unusual for a 1971 Clynelish
but I like it a lot. Mouth: quite
sharp! Rather salty, herbal, peppery…
Again, very ‘different’.
Notes of strong coffee (ristretto),
dried parsley, Japanese green tea
(the one they use to spice up dishes),
sweet pepper, burnt caramel…
A little austere, I must say. Gets
quite woody and tannic, drying but
not too much. Long, slightly bitter
finish, on strong tea and liquorice
roots. A different early ‘new’
Clynelish, worth trying, definitely.
88 points.
Clynelish
1972/2000 (57.3%, Celtic Legends,
cask #14265)
Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, it’s
one of these typically clean and
fragrant 1972 Clynelishes. Great
freshness, starting on whiffs of
sea air, beeswax and lots of flowery
notes. Nectar, pollen, hints of
hay, tropical fruits (but not too
much). Beautifully honeyed. Another
classic, it appears. Mouth: yes,
very typical again: lots of beeswax
and tropical fruits, crystallised
quince, orange marmalade, mirabelle
plums… Excellent! Some paraffin
as usual… A great profile,
most enjoyable just like that despite
the rather high abv. The finish
is very long, on all sorts of dried
fruits and a dash of cinnamon powder.
It gets nicely salty with a few
drops of water. In short, another
truly excellent 1971-1972 Clynelish,
very classy stuff, immensely quaffable.
92 points.
Clynelish
12 yo (43%, OB for Di Chiano, light
vatting, short golden cap, early
1970’s)
Colour: white wine. Nose: wow, extremely
clean, pure and fresh, sharp like
a blade. A beautiful peat –
much peatier than other batches
of the 12 yo ‘white label’
I had before – and lots of
white pepper, bitter almonds and
mastic. Some sweet peppers as well,
getting very maritime with some
very nice whiffs of sea air. It’s
not utterly complex but magnificently
compact and, again, very ‘clean’.
Mouth: very punchy attack, very
clean again, astonishingly peaty
and peppery. Some very nice grainy
notes, together with something yeasty
(mashed potatoes). A great balance
and very little wood influence,
which is good news considering this
profile. The finish is long and,
again, very clean. Really excellent
(although not monstrously complex).
90 points. |
|
SHOPPING
- The people over
at Gift
to drink seem to think Scotch
whisky is a sovereign remedy,
even if it might not be 'enough',
as they are selling this attractive
'get well gift' that includes
'a 5cl Bells Whiskey, Alka-Seltzer,
a tub of paracetamol and what
everyone needs at winter - Lemsip.
Guaranteed to make anyone feeling
under the weather 'perk up'.'
Price: £8.99. They are also
selling some Old Putney (sic)
12 year old single malt. |
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MUSIC
– Highly recommended
listening: my god they are good!
Three accoustic accordions and that's
it, but a wonderful music that will
make you fly higher than a full
bottle of whisky would... Try Janusz
Wojtarowicz's Motion
Trio, from Poland,
doing Little
story.mp3 and then you'll buy
their music or attend their concerts!
(photo Izabella Pajonk-Degardo) |
| TASTING
- TWO AGED GLENFIDDICHS |
Glenfiddich
32 yo 1972 ‘Vintage Reserve’
(47.1%, OB, cask #16036, 219 bottles,
bottled 2005)
Funny that several recent single
cask Balvenies and Glenfiddichs
were bottled at 47.1% and have yielded
219 bottles (like the recent Balvenie
1971). Colour: light gold. Nose:
very elegant attack, with a very
nice oakiness. Develops on dried
oranges, light honey, ripe melon…
Goes on with various herbal teas,
white pepper and cooked apples,
and a little cinnamon and perhaps
nutmeg. Not too bold but perfectly
balanced. |
 |
Mouth:
again, very nice attack, sweet and
smooth, with notes of ripe oranges,
light toffee and sweet liquorice,
counterbalanced by hints of icing
sugar and tropical fruits (passion
fruits, guavas). The finish isn’t
too long, but longer than a Britney
Spears marriage, with a smooth oakiness
and quite some malty notes. A very
good one if not a stunner. 88
points.
Glenfiddich
30 yo (40%, OB, 2004/2005 bottling)
Colour: gold/bronze. Nose: a little
spirity at first nosing, developing
then on amber beer, herbal teas,
fruit jam and quite some spices
(nutmeg). Enjoyable but also quite
sour, with some notes of oxidized
apple juice. Some notes of gin and
ginger ale. It gets nicer after
a few minutes, with some tropical
fruits (guavas). Notes of Chinese
rice spirit (Mei kwei lu). Rather
nice, even if it lacks a little
more definition. Mouth: nice attack,
on fruits and spices, fresh oranges,
hay jelly, ripe fresh figs…
A nice sweetness. Develops on grains,
fruit jams, herbal tea, with a rather
short, but enjoyable finish on dried
fruits. Glenfiddich brought some
unreduced 30 yo to WhiskyLive Paris
(at 53%, roughly), and it was striking
to taste this puppy at cask strength.
It was so much bolder and, frankly,
better! I hope we’ll see a
45 or 46% version on the market
one day! Anyway, 86 points
for the current 40% version. |
| |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
| MUSIC
– Recommended
listening - another cool new folky
band, Samuel Beam's Iron
and wine, does Naked
as we came.mp3. After Devendra
Banhart, the return of the bearded
ones (as Dave Broom would call them)
is confirmed! Please buy Iron and
wine's music if you like it. |
 |
| TASTING
- TWO STUNNINGLY STUNNING STUNNERS
BY HP |
 |
Highland
Park 30 yo 1955/1985 (53.2%, OB
for Intertrade, 216 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: wow, it’s
superb at first nosing! Lots of
nectar, bunches of flowers from
the fields, acacia honey, pollen…
and also lots of coastal notes (sea
air, sea water, oysters). What a
fantastic balance! So complex and
compact at the same time. Whiffs
of peat mixed with very ripe plums,
coffee cream, cappuccino, crystallised
apricots… Just superb! It
then gets smokier and smokier. If
the palate matches the nose, this
one should be an stunner. Let’s
see… |
Mouth:
yes, yes, yes! What a great attack!
So clean, so pure, so ‘natural’!
Creamy, spicy, smoky and perfectly
fruity (there’s no point in
listing all the fruits but I noticed
longans), peppered apple pie, pear
juice, high-end cider… This
old Highland Park has everything,
going any further would be maltporn,
I’m afraid. 96 points
(thanks, Luc)
Highland Park
40 yo 1958 (44%, OB, 665 bottles)
Colour: deep amber – bronze.
Nose: fantastic attack on espresso
coffee and dried herbs, with also
lots of leathery notes (horse saddle).
Strong pipe tobacco (Balkan sobranie),
walnut liquor, cigar box…
Very, very ‘male’, whatever
that means. Keeps on developing,
on soy sauce and fresh fruits such
as granny smith apples – and
also dried oranges and pineapples.
Whiffs of smoke. Really a stunner,
with no weakness due to age. Mouth:
extremely sweet and smooth, with
a creamy mouth feel. A perfect balance,
with a bit of icing sugar at first,
followed by bunches of dried fruits
(Smyrna raisins, bananas, figs)
and toasted nuts (pecan, almonds,
peanuts). Cake, Virginia tobacco…
Some eucalyptus candies, mint drops…
Notes of old claret, cinnamon and
a bit of clove, getting spicier
and spicier. Rose jam, Turkish delight…
Hugely complex and fabulously balanced,
with a rather long, smoky and dry
finish – and also a little
spearmint to give it a little extra-freshness.
Exactly the kind of malt I’d
like to sip in a club, with a great
cigar. Too bad I never go to clubs
and I don’t smoke cigars anymore!
95 points. (thanks,
Olivier) |
MUSIC
– Classical
- Recommended listening: It's Sunday,
the sun shines all over the vineyards...
Time for some 'Music', don't you
think? Like French diva Natalie
Dessay singing L'air
des clochettes.mp3 (from Léo
Delibes' Lakmé, Choeur &
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse,
Michel Plasson, EMI). And please
buy Natalie Dessay's CD's! (and
go to the opera).
By the way, I will
post some great classical music
on Sundays from now on - but week
days will be blues, jazz and rock
only! I also expect to be able to
upload some excellent pieces by
our maniacal tenor Mark Adams (hey,
Marco!) |
 |
| NEW
MONITOR - The Malt
Maniacs' Malt Monitor (aka the monster
;-)) has just been updated. We now
have more than 12,000 ratings for
4,400 different bottlings (it's
here
- beware the 2.8 Megabytes). There's
also a lighter, PDF version that's
probably much handier (here)... |
| |
 |
TASTING
- TWO OLD BLENDS
Ambassador
25 yo (43%, OB, Taylor & Ferguson,
blend, mid-1970’s)
Colour: gold. Nose: very waxy
and extremely fragrant, perfumy
(Chanel N°5). Develops very
harmoniously on light honey, camomile,
pollen… Also lots of organics,
wet hay. Really complex. Mouth:
sweet and slightly smoky start,
alas lacking a little more body
and oomph. |
|
Some notes of burnt cake but not
much else, with a rather short
finish. The nose was extraordinary
and the mouth quite disappointing,
but the whole experience quite
a thrill. Put this into a small
crystal bottle and you have an
excellent perfume for the next
Valentine’s day! 82
points.
Old Mull
(40%, OB, John Hopkins, blend,
1960’s)
Colour: pink gold. Nose: superbly
waxy at first nosing, but also
very musty, with some bold mushroomy
notes. Also some coastal notes,
with some sea air mixed with caramel,
cappuccino, mocha. A very nice
blend, although the old bottle
effect may be too heavy here.
Mouth: dry and a little too bitter,
and also very caramelly (too seasoned?).
Some notes of herbal tea and candy
sugar, but not much else. The
finish is rather short, yet quite
bitter. Undoubtedly a very, very
good old blend, that might just
have got a little too tired after
a good thirty-five years in its
bottle. 77 points. |
 |
MUSIC
– Recommended
listening: well not really recommended,
actually, but maybe MS
Demeanor (and Stevie
Moore) doing Whose
fantasy is this anyways.mp3
will make you laugh a little...
And please buy their 'music' if
you laughed. |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews |
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Ardbeg
1993/2003 (57.6%, Spirit of Scotland,
cask #1084)
Clynelish
12 yo (43%,
OB for Di Chiano, light vatting, short golden
cap, early 1970’s)
Clynelish
1972/2000 (57.3%, Celtic Legends, cask
#14265)
Mosstowie
29 yo 1975/2005 (48.4%, Duncan Taylor
Rarest of the Rare, cask #5809)
Highland
Park 30 yo 1955/1985 (53.2%,
OB for Intertrade, 216 bottles)
Highland
Park 40 yo 1958 (44%, OB, 665 bottles)
Old
Pulteney 15 yo 1982 ‘Millenium’
(60.5%, OB, sherry)
Pulteney
26 yo 1977/2004 (58.3%, Duncan Taylor
Peerless, cask #3078)
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