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Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2007 - Part 1 |
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October
14, 2007 |
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Ardmore 1987/2001 (40%, G&M Licensed
bottling) 
Aficionados keep complaining about
the fact that there’s no official
Ardmore in the market as of today.
Thank god we have the independents.
Colour: gold. Nose: light but fresh,
rather clean, maybe a bit cardboardy
at first sniffs but the rather subtle
peatiness and the notes of chamomile
tea, verbena, white peaches and watermelons
do the trick here. Also quite milky
and marginally mashy. Whiffs of black
pepper. Not out of this world but
pleasant. |
| Mouth:
sure it’s not really powerful
at 40% but it doesn’t lack oomph
and body. Slightly resinous but very
smoky, candied (crystallised oranges),
getting then rather peppery and ‘nutmeggy’,
picking up steam with time. Smoked
tea, hints of gooseberries and whitecurrants...
And more and more pepper. With such
a ‘thickness’, we can
imagine how big a whisky this one
could have been, had it been bottled
at 46%+. Finish: pretty long, all
on ‘smoked and peppered dried
oranges’ orr something like
that. Very good ‘semi-official’
bottling by G&M. 85 points. |
Ardmore
1990/2007 LMDW-1 (59.1%, La Maison
du Whisky, cask #30103)
Colour: gold. Nose: as subtly austere
as a malt can get I think. Starts
all on wet stones, gunflints, cold
smoke, ashes and develops more on
smoked ham, grilled meat, tar and
coal. I’m sure water will make
it more talkative... Oh yes, now we’re
really on Islay, with a huge ‘brutality’
(well), notes of cow stable, wet grain,
wet hay, sheep, even horse dung...
And our beloved wet dog, of course.
Faint hints of soda water and ginger
tonic. Mouth (neat): very obvious
similarities with the G&M, but
of course this is much bolder, with
more of everything. A lot of lemon
zests, peat and pepper, which reminds
me of the wildest Taliskers. Gets
peatier with time but we have also
zesty notes of fresh fruits (kiwis?).
With water: not much development except
quite some gentian spirit and liquorice
stick. It got earthier and ‘rootier’,
in fact. Finish: long, slightly salty,
with a lot of lemon now and a peaty
back burn. We want more Ardmore! 88
points. |
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October
12, 2007 |
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CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
MARTIN CARTHY
AND DAVE
SWARBRICK |
Edward and his mother
Jane Seymour |
The Half Moon, Putney, London, September
30th 2007
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| “Swarb
and I don’t really do fun”
said Martin
Carthy, as he acknowledged
the reception to the opening song
of the night (as I recall) ‘Death
and the lady’, a maudlin tale
of a woman’s unfortunate meeting
with Death on the road (whilst she
walked out “one morn in May”).
Needless to say despite all her entreaties
and best efforts she was unable to
escape his icy grasp. If you have
the 1971 reprint of the Penguin Book
of English Folk Songs, edited by Ralph
Vaughan Williams and A A Lloyd, you’ll
find this tune on page 31. On page
32 is the equally harrowing ‘The
death of Queen Jane’, based
on the true history of Queen Jane
Seymour, wife of Henry VIII, who died
shortly after giving birth to her
son Edward (who at the age of 9 became
King, but himself died only six years
later). The song recounts her agonising
confinement, and her pleas for a Tudor
caesarean section – “do
open my right side and find my baby”.It’s
the second song of the night, but
the first on Martin Carthy and Dave
Swarbrick's 2006 album,
Straws in the Wind, which features
nine songs from the Penguin collection,
along with a number of tunes old and
new. |
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It is very, very, good, and probably
one of the reasons why they were voted
‘Best Folk Duo’ by the
BBC earlier this year. The other reason
for such an accolade is the sort of
performance they turned in tonight,
almost perfect, in a room as silent
as a Meeting House on a solemn Sunday
night. Actually it’s the back
room of the Half Moon – which
post smoking ban has had something
of a face lift. You need sunglasses
to go into the urinals these days. |
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| Not
that there isn’t any fun –
Carthy
has a dry understated humour, and
Swarbrick,
survivor of a double lung transplant
in 2004, is at his impish best; literally
a fiddler calling the tunes. “I
got this tune from the Customs Officer
at Unst” said Swarbrick, as
he introduced ‘The Brides March
from Unst’. “What did
he get from you?” asked a wag
in the audience. “I was hoping
you wouldn’t ask that. Anyway,
he was a very nice Customs man, but
I still missed the whole gig. Those
were the days…” His playing
is sensitive and restrained (it’s
nice to hear him when he’s not
competing at full volume with Richard
Thompson), a perfect foil to Carthy’s
voice – no better than on ‘The
treadmill song’ (‘The
Gaol Song’ in the Penguin collection)
which opened the second set and perfect
captured the dull and hopeless monotony
of a repetitive prison life. |
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Carthy’s
voice is wonderfully expressive, without
a hint of exaggeration or contrivance,
and his percussive guitar playing
almost hypnotic. His open string tuning
gives a sort of drone effect to most
of the songs (enhanced by Swarbrick’s
fiddle) and his simple but very concise
finger-style picks out melodies with
precision. |
| “When
I'm playing a traditional song”
he said in an interview, “I
love to keep it absolutely bog-simple
- simple as possible and just drive
the narrative on as hard as I can”.
Quite right too. And the narrative
in many of these old songs is timeless
and compelling. Take Sir Patrick Spens,
for example, the fateful tale of the
attempt to bring Margaret, the Maid
of Norway, to Scotland in 1290, and
Spen’s battle with the ocean
in the face of a deadly storm. Played
to Nic
Jones’ famous arrangement
it’s a driving story of mariners
in peril, as gripping as any George
Clooney film. |
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Martin
Carthy - Dave Swarbrick and friend
(from Whiskyfun crew) |
And
the sea provides some of the finest
song of the evening, and of the album.
There’s ‘The Ship in Distress’,
a tale of attempted cannibalism at
sea, ‘Bold Benjamin’,
recounting a disastrous expedition
to Spain, ‘The whalecatchers’
, which graphically captures the conditions
endured at sea by the Whale fleets
in Greenland - “our finger tips
were frozen off, and likewise our
toe-nails’ - and ‘The
Royal Oak’, a stirring tale
of a lone English ship surrounded
by ten hostile vessels (“Pull
down your colours you English dogs,
or else your precious life you’ll
lose”) and winning the subsequent
encounter against all odds. And that
Serge, is where I’ll leave this
most excellent evening, with that
thought of a hapless and outnumbered
group of English warriors (“true
Englishmen all-oh”), fighting
their way to a bold and bloody Victory
against the auld enemy, and against
all the odds. Let’s see shall
we ….
- Nick Morgan (Concert photographs
by Kate except one. Err, two). |
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All right, all right Nick, that was
subtle but pernicious! I know it’ll
be rugby time on Saturday and that
Johnnie Wilkinson and his ordinary
ratings will face our Chabals and
Chabalettes. Not too sure about the
outcome indeed, I’ve heard it’ll
all come down to whether the French
will commit enough fouls to allow
good auld Johnnie to use his magic
feet or not. So, it could be Trafalgar
or it could be... err, wait, what
was that famous French victory over
her/his Majesty's Navy again? You
say it dates back to the time of the
Normans? Blimey, I don’t think
we have any Normans among Les Bleus...
Gasp.... But indeed, let’s see....
S. |
| TASTING
– THREE OFFICIAL BALBLAIRS |
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Balblair 1989 (43%, OB, 2006)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this one
is very expressive at first nosing,
all on flowers, fruits and slightly
yeasty/mashy notes. Wild flowers,
dandelions, butter pears, apple juice,
gooseberries, vanilla-flavoured yoghurt,
hints of tangerines and just touches
of oak... Very ‘natural’
in these days when many whiskies get
sort of flavoured (let’s not
start...) Fresh and eminently ‘likable’.
Mouth: light but not weak, fresh but
maybe a little less clean than on
the nose... Comes back into the line
a little more as far as the palate
is concerned but it’s still
excellent malt whisky. Faint kirschy
notes but good body, with a pleasant
spiciness arising after a moment (white
pepper and cinnamon). Finish: rather
long, all on pears and soft spices.
Again, very good ‘natural’
whisky, with a true taste of the Highlands
(if that makes any sense). 85
points (more for the nose). |
| Balblair
1979 (46%, OB, 15 casks, 2006)
We’ve heard that this one is
now almost sold out. Yes we’re
late... Colour: straw. Nose: close
to the 1989, just oakier and grassier,
maybe a little wilder and farmier
as well. Hay, sawdust (nothing wrong
here),... Also more bananas like in
some older uber-fruity versions of
Balblair. And more vanilla, but that’s
the oak I guess. Maybe a little less
directly likeable on the nose as the
1989. Mouth: now it’s this one
that I like best. Fruitier (hints
of mangos, guavas), much stronger,
maybe more marked by the wood (gets
very peppery) but also sort of franker.
‘Good stuff’ as a friend
and connoisseur would say, despite
its relative roughness (the whisky’s,
not my friend’s). Finish: very
long, quite hot in fact, still a bit
raw but again, so natural. I hope
the industry will always make this
kind of whisky. 86
points. |
| Balblair
1985 (55.4%, OB, 2007)
I’ve heard this new cask strength
version is about to be launched in
November. Colour: gold. Nose: just
a synthesis of both the 1979 and the
1989, with even more oomph of course
and a more extravagant fruitiness
as well. Perfect blend of oak and
fruits, with also quite some white
chocolate. Superb freshness. Top-class,
no doubt. Mouth: as punchy, wild,
fruity and spicy as malt whisky can
get. Green bananas, apples, curry,
nutmeg, pepper and (discreet) vanilla.
Finish: long, compact, assertive,
quite oaky but the spirit stands it.
Well, Balblair is said to be a gentle
malt but this is really bold and wild.
Extremely good, loyal and honest I
think. And more-ish... Balblair remains
a favourite. 88 points. |
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October
11, 2007 |
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TASTING
– TWO UNUSUALLY PEATED MALTS
Glen Scotia 1999/2006 (45%, OB,
Bourbon, cask #518, 330 bottles,
Heavily Peated)
The whisky Fair already bottled
one of these unusually peated Glen
Scotias distilled in 1999 and we
were quite impressed (87). |
| Colour:
white wine. Nose: starts unlike any
other peated malt known to me, really
on soot, ashes, walnut husk and apple
peelings, getting then more yoghurty
and porridgy. Also notes of tinned
pineapples, grapefruit Jell-O, mint,
wet hay... Gets also a little chemical
(cheap orange soda) but also smokier
with time. Big notes of violets and
lavender. Still rather young malt,
maybe slightly dirty and lacking definition
and precision I’d say, but if
you like violets, this is for you.
Mouth: this is very strange. Very,
very strange. These chemical notes
strike right at first sip, with also
something cardboardy and, well, dirty.
Paraffin, cod oil (my!), unsugared
yoghurt... Paper? I think this is
almost flawed malt. Hard. Finish:
quite long, at that... Okay, the nose
wasn’t so bad but the palate
is really a problem, and I think it’s
not only a matter of personal tastes
this time. Too bad. 68 points
(for the nose). |
| Ballechin
#2 Madeira Matured (46%, OB)
The first Ballechin was matured in
Burgundy casks, which worked quite
well I think. This time it’s
Madeira and I think Madeira works
much better than plain red wine. Let’s
see... Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s
well a Ballechin, with the trademark
farminess that spans from whiffs of
horse dung (nothing wrong!) to wet
hay through wet dog and ‘clean’
manure. The peat isn’t assaulting
at all, it already melted into the
whole. The wine is quite present but
it’s not oddly fruity or anything
like that, it’s almost like
if it had given additional smokiness.
Herbal tea and various dried flowers.
Maybe more compact and more straightforward
than Ballechin #1, a little less extravagant.
Mouth: a little sweeter and rounder
now, but the farminess is all there.
Peaty but not really smoky, almondy,
quite vegetal (rocket salad, olive
oil), also on green tea and liquorice
sticks, oatcakes, porridge... Quite
some pepper as well, paprika, bitter
caramel... The wine lets the spirit
speak a little more than in the #1,
which makes the whole probably more
austere but also more ‘natural’.
Finish: rather long, still very farmy
and grassy, with a kind of bitterness
that I like (walnut skins and so on).
In short, this one lost a bit of the
#1’s extravagance and sexiness
but gained class and ‘Scottish
wildness’ (I’m not saying
wild Scotland isn’t sexy! Oh
well...) Up from 85 to 86
points as far as I’m
concerned. |
| MUSIC
–
Recommended listening: (second degree
required) fabulous early synth work
in 1968 (ah, the Moog, the Moog!)
by Dick
Hyman: Topless
dancers of Corfu.m3. Better than
Space Invaders... Please buy Dick
Hyman’s music. (via the
excellent Claytoncounts) |
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October
10, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– FOUR GLENUGIES |
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| Glenugie
1967/1997 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail
Connoisseur's Choice)
Colour: gold. Nose: extremely ‘different’
from what we’re used to from
Highland Park to Bladnoch! At first,
this Glenugie really smells like mint
tea and hot sultanas and then it switches
more to sparkling orangeade and honey,
just before it gets more cardboardy,
dry and slightly gingery. It’s
amazing how quick this one changed
profiles – not really for the
better. But what an attack on the
nose! Mouth: the attack is on sultanas
again, this time with minty tones,
notes of liquorice root, honey again…
Something slightly bitterish (caramel?),
cardboardy and drying. It slightly
falls apart again after a few seconds,
just like on the nose, but it’s
still excellent whisky. Finish: pretty
long, maltier, with quite a saltiness.
Aftertaste on salted liquorice. In
short, excellent whisky but you have
to be a fast taster! 86 points.
|
| Glenugie
20 yo 1968 (43%, Sestante, bird label)
Colour: full gold. Nose: more classic,
more honeyed, very slightly smoky,
waxy… Rather bold notes of shoe
polish, aluminium (grandma’s
pan), butter. Add to that hints of
seaweed (wrack), oranges just like
in the 1967… And it keeps developing!
Now we’re more on leather, cigarette
tobacco (just like when you open a
new pack of M……os), old
books, ink, tar… And then mint,
eucalyptus, even passion fruits. Hugely
complex, getting just a tad tired
after deep and long nosing. Mouth:
again, more classic than the G&M
and certainly bolder. Starts on huge
notes of crystallised oranges and
quite some salt right away, quite
some dried ginger, plum jam, Turkish
delights, orange liqueur… Quite
some pepper as well and rather fine
tannins. Finish: long and even saltier.
Excellent but the palate is a little
disappointing when compared to the
rather fantastic nose. Still 88
points in my books. |
Glenugie
1967/1989 (43%, Sestante, bird label)
Exactly the same label except that
the vintage is added in gold 'on'
the birds – there’s also
been versions at cask strength that
we loved. Colour: gold. Roughly the
same but the fruitiness is more obvious
(passion fruits, oranges) and then
it gets a little wilder (even more
tobacco and leather than in the 20
yo). There’s also a little game,
soy sauce, parsley… Plus everything
we already had in the 20 yo. Imagine
this one’s complexity! Mouth:
thick, oily mouth feel. Definitely
better than the 20 yo right at the
attack. More assertive, candied, spicy…
The oak is nicer here and more present.
Truckloads of bitter oranges, Campari
(do you know a cocktail called negroni?
It’s excellent), orange marmalade,
notes of cardamom, vanilla pod, star
anise, cloves… Extremely rich
and assertive at just 43% (43%, really!?)
Finish: long, orangey, spicy, getting
maybe just a tad drying now, as often
with whiskies that display such a
great oaky spiciness on the palate.
Great ‘stuff’, 92
points. I had the version
at 59.5% at 95, imagine… (and
thanks, Bert). |
Glenugie
24 yo 1981/2006 (61.8%, Blackadder,
cask #5515, 562 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: this one bears
scarcely any resemblance with the
Sestantes, but maybe that’s
the high alcohol. Very cardboardy,
milky, sort of dusty… Bold notes
of baker’s yeast. Quick, water…
Right, it got certainly fruitier (apples
and pears) but also more pleasantly
yeasty/farmy, with notes of wet hay,
curds, ‘good’ beer, hops…
Also ginger beer. Mouth (neat –
yes we’ve certainly got a nerve!):
very hot of course but bearable and,
I must say, much more pleasant than
on the nose when undiluted. Very oily
mouth feel of course, and then quite
some pepper and nutmeg, butter pears,
vanilla crème… With water:
it got a little fresher but not really
outta this world. A little ‘average’,
porridgy, fruity etc. Rather long
finish, maltier and a little saltier
(closer to the Sestantes at this stage
but maybe it’s a little too
late). Excellent finish actually.
80 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
One, two three four five six... Here
are the
Ikettes,
former backing group for the Ike &
Tina Turner Revue, and their Camel
walk.mp3. Seven, eight nine ten
eleven... Ooh, aah! Please buy the
Ikettes' music! |
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October
09, 2007 |
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TASTING
– TWO BRUICHLADDICHS
Bruichladdich 18 yo (46%, OB, 2007)
This one was matured in bourbon
wood and then ‘ACEd’
in Willy Opitz red pinot casks –
and trockenbeerenauslese at that
(not ‘trochen’ my friends).
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| Opitz
is an Austrian winemaker, more famous
for his sweet whites (desert wines)
than for his reds but just as at all
best winemakers, ‘everything’
should be above standard in his range.
Now, I don’t quite know what’s
‘red’ pinot... If it’s
pinot noir, it’s the first time
I come across trockenbeerenauslese
(very late harvest) made using red
grapes. Anyway, we’re here for
he whisky, aren’t we? Colour:
gold (no pinkish-salmony hues). Nose:
pure fresh Bruichladdich, starting
all on white peaches and cider apples
plus a pleasant oakiness (discreet
tannins). I’d say its not unlike
a baby 1970 or 1973 in style. Notes
of lemons, watermelons and quite some
newly cut grass. Gets slightly milky
with time but also quite orangey,
sort of sprizy. Did this really see
pinot noir? Or was it refill pinot
noir? Anyway, this is very clean and
fresh, also reminding me of the first
10yo OB by the new current owners.
Nice stuff on the nose. Mouth: very
sweet, starting with more winey notes
now I think. Oranges and grenadine,
strawberry sweets (good stuff from
Haribo’s), marzipan, resins...
Ginger tonic... And a faint soapiness.
Finish: rather long, fruity, with
hints of fruit eau-de-vie (raspberry,
pear). Well, the nose was a little
cleaner than the mouth. Pretty good,
inoffensive Bruichladdich, much more
marked by the wine on the palate than
on the nose, where it was almost absent.
I think I liked the XVII a little
better. 81 points. |
Bruichladdich
12 yo 1994/2006 (55.1%, OB, Bourbon
Casks, 355 bottles, Taiwan exclusive)
This one pulled mixed feelings from
our Taiwanese maniacal friend Ho-cheng.
Colour: gold. Nose: much more austere,
spirity, rough and mashy, with quite
some oak (not too far from freshly
sawn plank), seltzer, lemon skin and
grass. Not a disaster so far but this
is very young. With water: it got
weirder, sort of ‘chemical’,
with whiffs of new plastic and wet
cardboard. Bizarre... Mouth (neat):
bizarrely fruity and rubbery at the
same time. Something must have gone
wrong here. With water: now it got
better, still raw but the fruitiness
(peaches and pears) got the upper
hand now. Finish: really better now,
with a nice spiciness arising (quite
some ginger in fact), but it’s
still a bit bitterish. Okay, not the
best Bruichladdich ever in my opinion...
74 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
We’re more and more into
Andrew
Bird’s works and
think he’s truly brilliant.
Today let’s have him and Nora
O'Connor doing Bob Dylan’s
Oh,
sister.mp3 if you please. And
then buy these people’s beautiful
music. |
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October
08, 2007 |
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TASTING
– THREE NEW GLENKINCHIES |
Glenkinchie 12 yo (43%, OB, 2007)
This new 12 replaces the 10, maybe
for the better. Let’s see...
Colour: pale gold. Nose: not a big
whisky it seems. Rather grassy and
grainy, the whole being sustained
by a discreet but present oakiness.
Picks up steam with time, with delicate
notes of fresh walnuts and almonds
and whiffs of wild flowers (mostly
yellow ones such as dandelions and
buttercups). Also a little ‘breakfast’
honey and whiffs of freshly squeezed
oranges as well as a little porridge.
A breakfast malt? Very faint smokiness.
Mouth: simply sweet and fruity (apple
compote) with again a good oakiness
giving it some backbone. I wouldn’t
say this one is very ‘busy’
but balance is there. Finish: medium
long, with a bigger grassiness now.
Not bad at all, probably a little
better than the 10 actually, but I
think this lacks character. Well,
I guess some people don’t seek
character in their whisky. 79
points. |
| Glenkinchie
1992/2007 ‘Distillers Edition’
(43%, OB)
Finished in amontillado casks. I think
the previous version in the older
livery was already a 1992. Colour:
pale gold – not any darker than
the 12. Nose: obviously warmer and
fruitier, the whole having got much
more orangey (Fanta?) and spicy than
the 12. Hints of nutmeg and soft paprika,
eglantine tea, fresh butter, ripe
kiwi... Not my kind of whisky but
I can’t say this isn’t
nicely crafted. Quite some zing and
freshness, not a cloying and lumpish
kind of finished malt. Mouth: well,
the time spent in these amontillado
casks certainly gave this one more
character (most of all new oak, walnuts
and nutmeg) but even if this is anything
but vinous, the treatment gave it
kind of a slight clumsiness I think.
Not too bad but not any better than
the new regular 12 I think. But just
like the 12, it’s still above
average in my books. 79 points. |
| Glenkinchie
20 yo 1986/2007 (58.7%, OB, 5124 bottles)
Not too sure whether this was bottled
at 58.7% or 58.4% actually, sources
diverge on this. Colour: gold. Nose:
ah, now we’re talking! Granted,
it’s still a bit restrained
and shy at first nosing but hen there’s
a sudden fruity burst, with a whole
basket of peaches, kiwis, bananas,
oranges and butter pears. And loads
of fresh muscat grapes and Corinth
raisins. The oakiness gets then more
vivid, with various spices, white
pepper, cinnamon... Very classy stuff,
I’m wondering how they got these
superb muscatty notes. It can’t
be muscat casks as we get the grape
itself, not the wine. An excellent
surprise so far... Mouth: rather creamy,
powerful but not really hot, starting
all on crystallised, dried and fresh
fruits. At random, we get golden delicious
apples, bananas, gooseberries, pomegranates,
cranberry juice... That fruitiness
gets even bolder with time, to the
point where the whole gets almost
bubblegummy. Very lively, very enjoyable.
Finish: long, still quite nervous
and very fruity, with added hints
of lemon drops and icing sugar. It
would be hard to guess this comes
from the same distillery that produced
the rather okayish 12 and DE, to be
honest. If you’re looking for
a very playful fruity whisky, this
is for you. Oops, I even forgot to
try it with water! 88 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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|
 MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
even
more blues, with the stunning Mr.
Stanley
Jordan himslef doing
Still
got the blues.mp3 'with light
strings'. Indeed, indeed... Please
buy his music. (but how can
someone be that good?) |
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October
07, 2007 |
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Knockando 1966/1978 (43%, OB, Dateo
Import, Italy)
Colour: straw. Nose: a very grassy,
very ‘green’ and quite
waxy character at first nosing. All
on lemon juice and candle wax, with
also hints of soot, green tea, walnut
skin and ginger tonic. Certainly not
smooth and rounded, unlike the gentle
whiskies from Knockando’s we’re
used to these days. Keyword: grass.
Mouth: rather creamy, oily mouth feel,
starting on a big waxiness, fresh
walnuts and acacia honey. Very nice!
Goes on with the same kind of grassy,
almost cactussy (!) notes, malt, crystallised
oranges and lemons, with a rather
long but slightly cardboardy finish.
Good body, in any case. One of the
best Knockandos I ever had –
but I didn’t try many. 85
points. |
| Knockando
21 yo 1986 ‘Master Reserve’
(43%, OB, 2007)
Colour: gold. Nose: rounder and maltier,
but the grass is still there in the
background. Lots of bitter oranges
and a rather bold farminess (wet hay).
More nervous and ‘attacking’
than expected but of course it’s
no Lagavulin. Notes of vanilla and
café latte, getting a little
more winey with time (hints of sherry).
Faint dustiness. Barley. Mouth: much
rounder than the 1966 now, much more
sherried and orangey, but the body
is lighter. Especially the middle
is a bit weakish (fruit liqueurs)
but it takes off again towards the
finish that’s medium long but
pleasantly candied, with also quite
some cinnamon. Probably not for the
average malt freak but we’ve
seen many bottlings for malt freaks
that weren’t as good as this
rather humble Knockando. Now, it’s
funny to see that the old 12yo displayed
a much heavier body. 80 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
pure swing and pure energy with Ella
Fitzgerald doing Lemon
drops.mp3 in London in 1974...
Even if she didn't quite have her
'Berlin' voice anymore. Please buy
the diva’s music. |
 |
| |
|
October
06, 2007 |
|
|
 |
Ben
Wyvis 31 yo 1968/2000 (50.6%, Signatory,
cask #687, 151 bottles)
I’m sorry but we’ll have
only one whisky today, as I had only
one ‘expression’ of Ben
Wyvis on my shelves, thanks to our
friend Patrick ‘The Genevan’.
We only had a Ben Wyvis once before
and we quite liked it. By the way,
we’re not used to add bits of
distillery history on WF (Johannes
does it on maltmadness much better
than we could) but let’s just
say that this Ben Wyvis distillery
was only active from 1965 to 1977.
Royal Mile Whiskies tells us that
the stills were bought by Springbank
and reinstalled at Glengyle/Kilkerran.
|
| Colour:
starts quite fresh and slightly rummy/oaky,
with also quite some warm butter and
vanilla cake. Develops more on apple
juice and newly cut grass, with hints
of violets and aniseed as well as
a little lilac. Faints hints of rotting
oranges. Nothing too special actually
but it’s very far from being
a disaster. Reminds of something like
a Glenturret in case you want to know.
Mouth: sweet, oaky and powerful attack.
The fruitiness is rather huge (pear
and pineapple sweets) but so is the
oak and the bitterish green tannins.
Quite some pepper as well, nutmeg,
vanilla... Quite rawish I must say.
Gets grassier with time but also even
more tannic. Also tapioca, grape pips
and skin, strong green tea... Well...
Finish: long but ‘green’,
tannic and woody. The signature/aftertaste
is a little better, though, very liquoricy.
Okay, I guess Ben Wyvis’ disappearance
isn’t really worth shedding
a tear... But still, let’s give
this one 80 points
(ten of them being purely symbolic).
No doubt Glengyle’s whisky will
be much better! |
| |
|
October
05, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO NEW MALTS FROM THE ISLE
OF SKYE
Secret
Stills 01-02 1986/2007 (45%, Gordon
& MacPhail, casks #1361-1363,
1860 bottles)
From the Isle of Skye. We all remember
the ’01-01’, a wonderful
1955/2005 that we rated 92 points.
Colour: gold. Nose: the sea, nothing
but the sea plus a little sherry.
Kelp (both fresh and dried), seashells,
iodine, wood smoke (‘a bonfire
on the beach’), peat smoke...
|
| Add
to that notes of Seville oranges,
smoked tea (lapsang souchong), hints
of white chocolate, hints of resin
and camphor, smoked ham and sausages,
bacon, whiffs of ‘clean’
wet dog, wild mushrooms... Truly fantastico,
world-class malt, extremely well balanced
and truly complex and complete. Mouth:
a rich, candied and smoky attack,
starting all on ‘smoked toffee’,
bitter oranges and white pepper, maybe
a little sweeter and less complex
than expected after the fabulous nose,
but still excellent. Gets a little
more resinous and dry after a while,
with also more sherry it seems. Big
mint after that, mint-flavoured liquorice,
tar and liquorice sweets... Picks
up steam, especially the finish is
long, thicker, on pepper, liquorice
and cough sweets. Excellent, really.
A slightly more complex palate would
have propelled this one even higher
than 90 points in
my books. |
| Talisker
30 yo (50.7%, OB, 2007, 2958 bottles)
Last year’s edition was truly
excellent, very fresh and very clean
(91), here’s the brand new edition.
Colour: straw. Nose: very different
from the G&M, certainly peatier,
purer, even cleaner, more ‘riesling’.
Fab sharpness considering its age.
It’s also much waxier, more
on purely fresh seaweed, coal smoke,
apple peelings, fresh walnuts, almond
milk... Also hints of shoe polish,
wet stones, lemon zest. Gets more
mineral with time and smokier as well.
I remember having written than the
2006 version remembered me of Didier
Dagueneau’s ultra-sharp Pouillys.
Well, this is the Silex! I love this,
no need to say. Mouth: starts a little
fruitier but mostly on lemons, oranges
and citrons together with these waxy
and slightly resinous notes again.
The expected pepper is well here,
as well as green tea, small bitter
apples... Gets grassier and a little
drier, with also notes of fresh hazelnuts,
hints of olive oil... And then frankly
medicinal, with quite some camphor,
salt, peaty smokiness... Full bodied,
almost pungent (well, not quite),
getting very, very salty after a moment.
It grows bigger and bigger, as if
you just wakened a giant. Finish:
very long, very salty, not too peppery,
with bunches of crystallised citrus
fruits just like at the attack. Well,
I think I like this one even better
than the 2006 version, which was maybe
just a tad shier than the 2007. 92
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
Frankly, I don’t quite know
what to think of French actress Julie
Delpy’s singing...
It happens that I sort of like it.
Try for instance the catchy Lalala.mp3
(with Nouvelle Vague), very ‘the
2000’s that sound like the 1980’s
sounding like the 1960’s’.
Oh well, please buy Julie Delpy’s
music. |
 |
| |
|
October
04, 2007 |
|
|
 |
MALT
MANIACS NEWSFLASH
UPDATE
ON THE MALT MANIACS AWARDS
2007
|
The
doors of the MM Awards have
been closed for this year a
few days ago and many competitors
have joined. As usual, only
a few didn’t fulfil their
commitments and didn’t
ship their athletes on time.
No big deal, we’ve got
plenty of worthy candidates.
The ‘blind’ samples
have already been filled and
shipped to the 12 members of
this year’s jury (from
Taiwan to Canada via India and
Italy), mostly thanks to Olivier’s
super-crew, led by the incredible
and hilarious Olaf.
Here’s a list of all the
teams that are onboard this
year: |
|
Aberlour, Adelphi, The Balvenie,
BenRiach, Benromach, Berry
Bros & Rudd, Blackadder,
Brora, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain,
Bushmills, Cadenhead’s,
Caol Ila, Cardhu, Celtic Whisky
Co, Chieftain’s, Clynelish,
Compass Box, Cooley, Cragganmore,
Dalwhinnie, Douglas Laing,
Dun Bheagan, Duncan Taylor,
Edradour, Glencadam, Glendullan,
Glenfarclas, Glengoyne, The
Glenlivet, Glen Ord, Gordon
& MacPhail, Highland Distillers,
Highland Park, Jean Boyer,
Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Lombard
Brands, Longmorn, Macallan,
La Maison du Whisky, Milroy’s,
Montgomerie’s, The Nectar,
Nikka, Old Pulteney, One Drinks
Company, Scapa, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society, Signatory
Vintage, The Single Malts
of Scotland, Suntory, Talisker,
Tomintoul, Tullibardine, Whisky-Doris,
The Whisky Fair, The Whisky
Society, Wilson & Morgan.
Results on Dec 1. |
 |
|
 |
TASTING
– TWO HIGH FLYING PORT ELLENS
Port
Ellen 25 yo 1982/2007 (55.7%, Signatory
for La Maison du Whisky, Collectors’
Edition, cask #1203, 255 bottles)
I must confess that the words ‘Collectors’
Edition’ sound rather like
‘Stay Away’ to my ears,
as the only people entitled to decide
on what’s collectable are...
the collectors, and certainly not
the bottlers. But ‘Port Ellen’
also sounds like ‘Try Me a.s.a.p.’
so let’s not turn our nose
up too ridiculously. |
| Colour:
straw. Nose: ah, this is obviously
one of these crystal clean, riesling-sharp
Port Ellens that we like so much.
I often mention green tea but here
there’s really litres of green
tea as well as matchsticks (‘good’
phosphorus if I may say so), fresh
bitter almonds, apple peelings, ashes,
whiffs of hot tarmac (but less than
in other PE’s)... Goes on with
a rather discreet oakiness (notes
of cappuccino, a little vanilla) and
hints of aniseed, dill – or
is it fennel? Wet clothes. And finally
our beloved gentian spirit (are you
reading this this time, Juergen?)
Exactly the PE profile we prefer (except
for some rare stunning sherry monsters
like the old 12yo by James MacArthur).
Wonderful, in the leading pack just
like the best recent OB’s. With
water (out of pure curiosity): as
often, it got farmier, more on wet
animals, ‘clean’ manure,
cleaned horse stable... Top notch
Port Ellen, no doubt – except
if the palate is disappointing. Let’s
see... Mouth (neat): no, it’s
an absolutely brilliant attack, very
bold, very punchy but full of elegance,
all on peat and butter pears (very
different from regular pearish flavours
one can get in youngish whiskies)
plus a little salt that plays with
your lips right from the start. Goes
on with marzipan, cough syrup, a little
icing sugar that makes it even more
lively, that gentian spirit, these
liquorice sticks... Wow! With water
(but it does not obligatorily need
water): tamed and more civilised now
but the balance between peat/smokiness
and sweetness is totally perfect.
Finish: very long, amazingly balanced
and compact, all on peat, marzipan
and apple peelings. Totally wonderful,
an enormous Port Ellen that’s
not only for Port Ellen fans. Congrats
to Signatory and to ‘La Maison’.
And I’m afraid this IS collectable.
94 points. |
| Port
Ellen 21 yo 1983/2004 (62.7%, Blackadder
Raw Cask, sherry butt #2734, 563 bottles)
There’s a misprint somewhere
as this one was distilled in November
’83 and bottled in August ’04,
so either it’s only 20 years
old, or some date is wrong. No big
deal, as long as it’s good.
Colour: pale amber. Nose: hey, this
is very nice too! More marked by the
cask, obviously (I get quite some
caramel, vanilla, roasted nuts, maple
syrup) but Port Ellen’s character
easily shines through. Maybe peatier
and wilder than the new Signatory
and also a little less clean. But
let’s not take chances with
our nose and add quite some water
now. Oh yes, that worked but differently
when compared with the Signatory.
It got much more on lapsang souchong
tea, toasted brioche, figs and huge
notes of cloves. The peat got sort
of pushed away, which is quite amusing
here. Whiffs of good quality arrack
– yes. Mouth (neat): again a
great attack, on dry sherry and big
bold peat. Faint hints of sulphur/rubber
this time but nothing embarrassing.
Superb resin and quite some salt again,
but water is needed. With water: excellent,
a rather perfect assortment of candied
fruits and pastries on one side and
resinous and smoky ‘elements’
on the other side. Not that they don’t
mingle well, quite the contrary in
fact. Very good. Finish: long, more
candied and almost honeyed now, with
quite some eraly grey tea in the background.
Funnily, the second part of the finish
is rather grassy and earthy/leafy.
Good, long development in this one,
even if it hasn’t got the 1982’s
almost supernatural high class. 92
points (and thanks, Konstantin). |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
are you in parliamentary mood today?
So let’s have the good George
Clinton’s much
pillaged Atomic
dog.mp3 (extended version of course)
and then buy his music (please turn
your bass button to 11). |
 |
| |
|
October
03, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– THE THREE NEW FINISHED GLEMNORANGIES
|
| Glenmorangie
Lasanta (46%, OB, sherry finish, 2007)
Colour: gold. Nose: ultra-smooth,
creamy, caramelly and certainly not
winey. Notes of coffee, milk chocolate,
hot brioche, faint smokiness, faint
hints of mint, hot praline, slight
beefiness... Simple pleasures, certainly
well crafted. Quite ‘round’,
with nothing sticking out but again,
it’s perfect in its own style.
I think it’s nicer than the
previous version anyway. Mouth: very
thick, very creamy, fat and oily,
sweet but not cloying at all, all
on honey, caramel, brioche, crystallised
fruits and candy sugar. The huge sweetness
is maybe a bit too much but other
than that, balanced is achieved. I
wouldn’t call this a lab whisky
but again, it’s perfectly well
crafted. Not sure it’s Single
Malt Scotch Whisky but after all,
who cares? (Why not be cynic and blasé
too from time to time?) We had the
previous Glenmo ‘sherry’
at only 72 points but we’re
ready to go as far as 79 points
here. |
| Glenmorangie
Quinta Ruban (46%, OB, Port finish,
2007)
Colour: salmony (aaargh). Nose: again,
not as winey as feared. Sure there
are quite some blackcurrants, peonies
and raspberries but this winesky is
well made. Not my cup of malt at all
but well made. Okay, let’s not
spend too much time on this one...
Mouth: immensely sugary, fruity and
winey. And fat. And frankly too much.
Raspberry syrup. Finish: long but
really too much for my tastes. Another
premix? Not my profile at all. From
72 points for the older version to...
72 points for this
new one, even if it’s more,
err, ‘concentrated’ –
to say the least. |
| Glenmorangie
Nectar d’Or (46%, OB, Sauternes
finish, 2007)
Exit Madeira and Burgundy, here’s
a Sauternes finish. It’s not
impossible that new owners LVMH provide
the distillery with their own empty
Sauternes casks (yes, it’s Sauternes
with an s at the end. Sauterne is
a pale copy made in America, or a
frequent misspelling done by some
of our Scottish friends. Well, I do
it myself sometimes, but not on labels,
eh!) Colour: gold (what else?) Nose:
but this smells exactly like Sauternes
at first nosing! Amazing... I mean,
the spirit is almost absent here,
it’s the wine that does all
the talking, and as Sauternes isn’t
‘a winey wine’ (come on,
Serge!), the result is rather pleasant.
A lot of fructose, ripe apricots,
icing sugar, hints of kiwis, tangerines...
How funny. Gets a little more ‘whisky’
after a while, that is, with hints
of oak, a faint maltiness and... And?
Hugely demonstrative in any case.
Mouth: ho-ho, this works better I
think. More multidimensional than
the sherry (and certainly than the
Port), with a better oakiness, spices
and grass at the attack, and then
a huge sweetness that’s better
controlled I think. Pepper, baklavas,
apricot jam and green tea. Works very
well, and there’s even bits
of the original distillate that shine
through (imagine something delicately
smoky and vanilled whispering in the
background). Finish: long and thick,
on the same big flavours, with also
hints of resin. Again, a very well
crafted malt from the New World of
Whisky. Certainly not a grand cru
(how would we know anyway with this
heavy treatment?) but the end result
is truly palatable methinks, albeit
a bit panzerish (I think you made
your point here, Serge). 86
points (just two points below
the rather excellent old 21yo Sauternes
finish). |
| AND
YET A LITTLE SHOPPING
- Our friends at Lombard's
sell a magnificent set of Jewels of
Scotland Hand Made Miniatures. They
say it much better than I would: 'These
stunning miniatures are hand crafted
in traditional and modern design by
master glassmakers... |
 |
| Decorative
and sculptured glass is created by
the ancient skills of lampwork and
freeblown – painstaking precision
using only sharpness of eye ensures
no miniature is identical. Its creator
individually signs each miniature,
which is presented in a dark blue
suede gift box with a certificate
of authenticity. Each miniature holds
a 25 Year Old Single Malt from the
Springbank distillery - bottled under
the sole responsibility of Lombard
Scotch Whisky. This famous Campbeltown
malt is noted for its rich malty aroma
and salty tang – characteristics
which always betray its geographical
position on the coast of the Mull
of Kintyre. 10 miniatures to a set
- highly desirable for all collectors.'
Well, I'd say as long as they
don't put their excellent Clynelishes
into these things, I'm fine. |
| MUSIC
– JAZZ - Recommended listening:
in the true Bill Evans spirit,
Dick
Hindman plays Lost
in a dream.mp3 with Paul Warburton
and Colin Bailey. That was on their
excellent CD ‘Secret Garden’.
Please buy these gentlemen’s
music (via talikinbass) |
 |
| |
|
October
02, 2007 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
CASSANDRA WILSON
The Jazz Café,
Camden Town, London, September 25th
2007 |
 |
Who
is it, Serge, who decides how much
things are worth? Is there some external
arbiter of value who can, willy nilly,
put a price on any given item or commodity?
Or is it simply, and crudely, determined
by some estimate of “what the
market will bear”, or cruder
still, “whatever someone’s
prepared to pay”? |
| And
if it is this latter, basely commercial,
calculation, then how do you know
how deep “someone’s”
purse is? Or could it be that price
isn’t determined by value at
all, and rather that value is determined
by price? Well, as ever I’m
afraid, too many questions and not
enough answers. Well, not quite. Because
whoever determined (and for that matter,
however) the entry price for Cassandra
Wilson’s four nights
at Camden Town’s Jazz Café,
they clearly got it badly wrong. Knowing
the extent of our Whiskyfun budget
means that there was no baulking at
a £50 per head ticket for me
– here’s someone I’ve
wanted to see for a very long time,
and the chance of a performance in
such an intimate atmosphere (she normally
hangs out at places like the Southbank
Centre – great sound but sadly
lacking in atmosphere) was too much
to resist. |
| Sadly
it looked like only forty or fifty
people thought the same – upstairs
is half empty and downstairs the floor
is dotted by a sparse collection of
woodentops,
largely of the male variety. Quite
how she fared on her other three nights
I know not, but on a suddenly autumnal
Tuesday evening this was a sorry and
shameful turnout for such an accomplished
artiste. Maybe (because I’m
told that in the two weeks since I’ve
been away the British economy has
crumbled, trust in our financial institutions
has been undermined, and consumer
confidence is at an all time low)
people are simply choosing to stay
at home counting their bawbees by
candlelight. |
 |
| And
you might have thought that many a
performer might have chosen to turn
in a less than optimal performance
for such a tawdry crowd. But I’m
glad to say this was not the case,
and I observe that even the woodentops
did their best to encourage both Ms
Wilson and her highly gifted band,
led by guitarist Marvin
Sewell, who has played with her
for over ten years, and uber laid-back
pianist Jason
Moran. At the heart of Ms Wilson’s
performance is of course her deeply
expressive voice with its very broad
range of notes – it has to be
said that when she moves into a really
low register the sound system has
difficulty in keeping track with her.
But what is most compelling is the
languid blues groove that her bands
have for many years provided as the
backdrop to her singing. It’s
a sound that has been progressively
developed since her 1993 album Blue
Light ‘Til Dawn – when
Brandon Ross provided the blues guitar
sound that has also become a signature
of her work – something that
Sewell has picked up and developed
in his own style. Ms Wilson also relies
heavily (both on disc and in live
performance) on other people’s
compositions – so tonight we
get songs as diverse as Robert Johnson’s
‘Hellhound on my trail’,
Elmore Jame’s ‘Dust my
broom’, Duke Ellington’s
‘Caravan’ and U2’s
‘Love is blindness’ –
all of which are given the very distinctive
Wilson treatment, so it’s always
a bit of a guessing game during the
introductions to know what’s
coming next. |
 |
| I
observe that reviewers have in the
past chided her for this over-reliance
on the work of others, as her own
writing skills are by no means poor.
However I struggled to spot an original
composition in the set which began
with ‘St James’ Infirmary’
and ended with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s
‘Waters of March’. This
latter song was from Belly of the
Sun, the fourth of a series of epic
albums that began with Blue Light,
since when critics have also found
her overall recorded works less satisfactory,
somewhat mainstream, and perhaps altogether
too predictable, including the most
recent, 2006’s Thunderbird.
That may be – but tonight’s
performance, even in the absence of
a decent audience is very, very good.
In addition to her mesmerising voice,
the multi-layered rhythmical feel
- result of the work of New Orleans
drummer Herlin Riley (who even manages
to use the underside of the overhead
walkway as an additional instrument)
and percussionist Lekan Babalola -
takes songs like ‘Dust my broom’
into deeply uncharted and intriguing
territory. And of course it plays
strongly to the African heritage of
Ms Wilson’s birthplace of Mississippi
and many of the composers she chooses
to feature. |
|
Value for money? Well, who can really
tell? But certainly neither I nor
the Photographer felt undersold. And
if £50 is what it costs to go
and see Ms Wilson and a band of such
quality (did I remember to mention
the wonderfully sensitive string bass
player Reginald Veal?) then I for
one would certainly go again. -
Nick Morgan (concert photograph by
Kate) |
| Many
thanks, Nick. Well, yes, value for
money... Hot topic these days generally
speaking. It is a bit sad indeed that
so little Londoners would go see Ms
Wilson for the new price of a bottle
of malt. I remember well the time
when Cassandra Wilson became hot over
here, I think it was more with her
CD New Moon Daughter. The other very,
very talented jazzwoman with a similar
‘darkness of tone’ who
‘exploded’ at the time
was Patricia Barber. Ah, Patricia
Barber! But let’s listen to
Cassandra Wilson now, with her rendition
of the very standard standard Body
and Soul.mp3 (Live in Munich).
S. |
| TASTING
– TWO GLENFIDDICHS |
 |
Glenfiddich NAS ‘Straight Malt’
(43%, OB, 1960’s)
Possibly the first Glenfiddich ever
bottled (widely) as single malt in
the famous triangular bottle. Colour:
white wine (it is to be noted that
people were looking for ‘light’,
that is to say pale whiskies at the
time). Nose: exceptionally great!
Fantastic notes of fresh walnuts and
almonds, ‘good’ soot,
argan and olive oils, even linseed
oil, new blue jeans (I’m sure
you see what I mean)... And a great
smokiness , at that. And something
of our beloved riesling. Also whiffs
of old roses... High-class old Glenfiddich
– and I’m sure that bottle
ageing did wonders on this one. |
| Mouth:
a poem. Cider apples, propolis sweets,
cough sweets, resins... And then the
fresh walnuts are back, a little cardamom,
soft curry... And what a body! It’s
almost nervous after more than 40
years in its bottle. Great old whisky.
Finish: maybe not too long but still
candied, resinous and waxy. I guess
this is what they call ‘a blast
from he past’. 91 points.
(and thanks, Ludo) |
| Glenfiddich
15 yo (58.4%, OB, for Whisky Live
Paris 2007)
This is the 15yo Solera Reserve, only
at cask strength, as you can get it
directly at the distillery. Colour:
deep gold. Nose: maybe there’s
a slight resemblance to the old NAS
just for a short moment but then it’s
all on caramel, roasted nuts, praline
and chocolate. Very dry in fact, but
pleasantly so. And there’s the
same faint smokiness as in the oldie.
Also notes of very, very ripe oranges.
With water: ho-ho, now it smells like
a cow stable – and that’s
nice. Where does this wildness come
from? Mouth (neat): rather hot and
spirity, much marked by the sherry
and even the wood. Less candied than
the regular ‘Solera’ I
think and certainly more winey, with
notes of reduced wine sauce, cherry
liqueur (guignolet) and kirsch. With
water: not much evolution, it got
just more sippable. Finish: long,
still big and still on fruit liqueurs.
The palate is much more ‘civilised’
than the nose but the whole is anything
but a gentle, shy single malt, unlike
some other mundane Glenfiddichs. Talkative
and interesting. 86 points.
|
| |
|
October
01, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– FOUR GLENMORANGIES |
 |
Glenmorangie 10 yo (40%, OB, 1980’s)
Colour: straw. Nose: fresh and unexpectedly
smoky and kind of mineral, very flinty.
Gets then a little grassier and waxier,
with also notes of fresh fruits such
as gooseberries and butter pears.
Grilled beef, bacon... And just a
faint soapiness in the background
together with something slightly metallic
(OBE). Rather complex. Mouth: sweet,
thick, creamy and malty, with a few
salty touches. Rather bold in fact,
much more powerful than expected.
Goes on with toasted bread, coffee,
crème brulée... And
then overripe apples, hints of redcurrants...
Gets also maltier and maltier. It’s
big whisky, a true Highlander no doubt.
Finish: the saltiness grew even bigger
at this stage, and so did the maltiness.
Too bad it got also a little too bubblegummy.
Again, big whisky, even if it’s
not as complex on the palate as on
the nose. 84 points. |
| Glenmorangie
10 yo ‘Original’ (40%,
OB, 2007)
Colour: straw (exactly the same).
Nose: completely different. No smoke,
no ‘minerality’, rather
quite some fruits (gooseberries again,
peaches) and vanilla together with
hints of yoghurt and mash. Vanilla-flavoured
yoghurt? Also hints of apple liqueur
(manzana verde). The whole is simple
and very inoffensive but certainly
fresh. Faint whiffs of cologne in
the background. Mouth: quite fresh
but much more discreet than the old
10, all on fruit juices and liqueurs
as well as vanilla crème and
caramel. Gets more and more caramelly
actually, with the same notes of crème
brulée as in the old one. Gets
then much more bubblegummy, with also
notes of marshmallows or Turkish delights,
slightly disturbing here. Little wood
influence, which may be good news,
still. Weakish middle and finish,
on caramel and fruits. Not bad at
all but it’s certainly not aimed
at maltlovers. A little too sweetish
- fruitish for my tastes. 74
points. |
| Glenmorangie
18 yo (43%, OB, 2007)
Tasted alongside an ‘old’
18yo that was bottled roughly two
or three years ago. Colour: pale gold.
Nose: rather close to the older one
but a little less demonstrative an
fruity and a little more honeyed and
pastry-like, but the general recipe
hasn’t changed much it seems.
Maybe a little more smoke and grassiness...
Other than that it’s all on
wild flowers and fresh walnuts, with
faint hints of sherry (if any), fresh
butter, getting a little wilder when
nosed deeper (hints of farmyard, wet
hay) but still very gentle altogether.
Good balance. Mouth: now it’s
slightly better than the older version,
sweet, not bold, maybe slightly thin
and too caramelly and honeyed but
the whole is rather satisfying (yes,
rather). A little candy sugar. Finish:
not long but rather clean, a little
fruitier and less caramelly now, all
on candy sugar and crystallised fruits
(all kinds). Very civilised, one to
sip in the afternoon I’d say.
Good whisky. 82 points
(unchanged). |
| Glenmorangie
25 yo ‘Quarter Century’
(43%, OB, 2007)
Colour: full gold. Nose: maybe a little
more discreet than the 18 at first
nosing, but also more elegant. Starts
on rather superb notes of quince jelly
(I really love that) and apricot pie
and starts developing on layers of
very ripe fruits (plums, raspberries,
very ripe mellon) and all things from
a beehive (pollen, wax, honey). There’s
also a little smoke, fresh walnuts
just like in the new 18, fresh herbs,
roasted peanuts... And then it’s
back on all sorts of jams, such as
mirabelle or grape. Rather luscious,
creamy, jammy... Yet, it’s not
very bold whisky. Keywords: elegant
jam (well, I guess I wouldn’t
make it to the very enviable position
of the guy who writes these ‘baselines’
at the SMWS...) Mouth: incredibly
creamier, thicker and... better than
the 18. Not too far from pure honey
actually, with also all these fruit
jams again, high-end fruit liqueurs,
nougat and praline, dates filled with
marzipan... The oak is well here in
the background, giving the whole a
very perfect backbone and hints of
spices that prevent the whole from
getting slightly lumpish. And just
like in the old 10yo, there’s
also a little salt that plays with
your tongue and with your lips. The
balance is truly perfect, at that.
If you like creamy, fruity and honeyed
whiskies, this is for you. Provided
you’re ready to hand out almost
400 Euros for a 25yo malt that’s
been reduced to 43%, that is. But
talking about money is a bit cheap
and dirty, isn’t it? Anyway,
90 points for this
very expensive but very good creamy
wonder (and thanks, Martine). |
 |
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Glenfiddich
NAS ‘Straight Malt’ (43%,
OB, 1960’s)
Glenmorangie
25 yo ‘Quarter Century’ (43%,
OB, 2007)
Glenugie
1967/1989 (43%, Sestante, bird label)
Port
Ellen 21 yo 1983/2004 (62.7%, Blackadder
Raw Cask, sherry butt #2734, 563 bottles)
Port
Ellen 25 yo 1982/2007 (55.7%, Signatory
for La Maison du Whisky, Collectors’ Edition,
cask #1203, 255 bottles)
Secret
Stills 01-02 1986/2007 (45%, Gordon
& MacPhail, casks #1361-1363, 1860 bottles)
Talisker
30 yo (50.7%, OB, 2007, 2958 bottles)
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