 |
|
Hi, you're in the Archives, October 2009 - Part 2 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
October
31, 2009 |
|
 |
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW
by Nick Morgan
RICHARD HAWLEY
Shepherd’s
Bush Empire, London, October 8th
2009
Richard
Hawley
apparently thinks that his
new album, Truelove’s Gutter,
is probably the best he’s
made, albeit one not likely to garner
great commercial success, with less
catchy tunes than his previous two
offerings, and no obvious single
material. UK chart performance to
date would tend to suggest he’s
right. |
| Truelove’s
Gutter entered the top twenty album
chart on release but has subsequently
slumped in position. But as Hawley
has learned through a long and not
always easy career, chart success
is not everything, and the satisfaction
he takes from the new work is very
evident from the live performances
he has been delivering around the
UK to promote its release. Not only
is this the best live performance
we’ve seen from Hawley, it’s
also the most uncompromising. It started
with Hawley, back to the audience,
silhouetted in a spot light, as he
teased the opening sounds and notes
from his guitar for ‘As the
dawn breaks’ (his playing, like
his song writing, is all about creating
layers and textures) before turning
in the first of an evening’s
worth of almost perfect vocals. What
followed were all eight songs from
Truelove’s Gutter, six from
Cole’s Corner, Lady’s
Bridge, and 2001’s Late Night
Final. A surprise mid-encore performance
came from Lisa
Marie Presley, a current collaborator
of Hawley’s, who sang ‘Weary’,
their joint composition, with him. |
 |
Read
the reviews of Hawley’s new
album, and the tour dates for that
matter, and it’s hard to get
past the label ‘crooner’
which has attached itself so firmly
to his vocal style. And though it’s
a fair enough term to use, it has
the effect of pulling a veil over
his huge accomplishments as a composer,
and his very twenty-first century
style of guitar playing. This is
displayed to the full throughout
his new album, and this gig. Hawley’s
guitar work benefits from the complimentary
presence of Shez Sheridan, who jointly
weaves delicate, albeit largely
subdued, patterns of increasing
complexity tonight, ending with
a climactic version of ‘Ocean’
which saw Hawley break loose in
spectacular style. Not that he hadn’t
already displayed some considerable
fret board flourishes, notably with
astonishing solos on ‘Hotel
Room’ and the new ‘Remorse
code’. It’s not only
Sheridan that’s helping, it’s
a consummate band performance, which
includes wandering troubadour David
Coulter on various guitars and
of course musical saw (an instrument
first played to Hawley by his grandfather)
on ‘As the dawn breaks’
and ‘Don’t you cry’. |
The
reception from the audience was
remarkable, rapt, almost reverential
(so I feel even more angry, Serge,
about the loud-mouthed arseholes
who tried to ruin the Astoria gig
that you came over for last year)
and at times you could almost hear
a pin drop. After ‘Tonight’
there’s a huge round of applause,
and then after a pause another spontaneous
ovation that took even Hawley by
surprise: “Steady on, we’re
not in America you know’,
he chided the crowd, and when that
didn’t dampen their enthusiasm
‘Look, it’ll just go
the band’s head, they’re
not used to this’. Note the
language: Hawley is far less talkative
than normal, with a very low score
on the fookometer. His main digressions
are a pre-emptive strike against
the cloying romanticism of ‘For
your lover, give some time’,
and a reminiscence about his grandfather’s
saw playing. |
David
Coulter on musical saw |
| Maybe
it’s the presence of Ms Presley
that subdues his normal foul-mouthed
garrulousness, or maybe he’s
just decided to focus on the music.
But either way, it’s not a disappointment,
such is the triumph of the latter. |
 |
Listening
to Truelove’s Gutter makes
you wonder if Hawley can manage
to pull off another album in a similar
style; surely he’s mined this
rather nostalgic vein to exhaustion?
Listening to a live performance
like this however gives you no doubts
whatsoever that there is more to
come. And you won’t be surprised
if I commend Mr Hawley to you as
a very suitable companion for a
late night glass of Scotland’s
midnight wine, with no reservation
whatsoever. – Nick Morgan
(photographs by Kate)
Listen:
Richard
Hawley on MySpace |
| TASTING
FOUR RECENT JURA + TWO |
 |
|
Isle
of Jura 18 yo 1990/2009 (52.4%, Duncan
Taylor, rare Auld, cask #6401, 312
bottles) 
Colour: white wine. Nose: very nice!
Starts very flinty and slightly smoky
(one of these ex-Islay casks that
they sometimes reuse at Jura?), getting
then very pleasantly ‘green’
on apple peelings, garden bonfire,
walnut burs and high-end porridge.
Very nice grassy and mineral profile
without any esthery notes. A little
more vanilla after a while. With water:
smoked apple peeling? Gets a little
grainier and maltier. Muesli. Mouth
(neat): rather creamy, fruitier (pears),
youthful. Ripe gooseberries and just
a little white pepper. Very clean
and fresh middle-aged Jura without
any ‘stylistic device’.
With water: gets slightly phenolic
(the cask again?) but other than that
we’re still on naked fruity
and grainy notes, but all this is
perfectly balanced. Finish: medium
long, back on apple peelings. Comments:
proof that Jura’s distillate
can stand on its two feet without
the addition of any make-up (read
odd wine treatment). SGP:532
- 85 points. |
Jura
15 yo 'Paps - Mountain of Gold' (46%,
OB, Pinot Noir Finish, 1366 bottles)
Colour: apricot/copper.
Nose: quite some rubber and struck
matches at first nosing, plus notes
of hard-boiled eggs. Gets really vegetal
after a moment, with notes of vegetables
(asparagus, French beans) and blackcurrant
leaves. Very little fruitiness, which
is unexpected. The sulphury notes
never totally disappear. Mouth: strange
combo! Sour cream with green apples
and toffee, lassi, strong tea, lemon
squash and cherry stem tea. Fanta.
Finish: medium long, a little nicer
now. Orangeade and strawberry drops.
Comments: bizarre concept, bizarre
‘whisky’. I don’t
like these kinds of premixes too much.
SGP:361 - 73 points. |
| Jura
15 yo 'Paps - Mountain of the Sound'
(46%, OB, Cabernet Sauvignon Finish,
1366 bottles)
Colour: apricot/copper. Nose: similar
to the Pinot Noir but even drier.
Whiffs of wet cardboard, ink (newspaper
of the day) and ham. Apple peelings.
Rather weird in my opinion. Old walnut
liqueur, hints of Madeira. Mouth:
a little better integrated than the
Pinot Noir but the flavours aren’t
less bizarre. Grated ginger on fresh
strawberries? Wasabi on liquorice
allsorts? (I’m sorry!) Finish:
rather long, getting greener and bitterer.
Over-infused rosehip tea? Comments:
we’re still in the fourth dimension
of Scotch. How many litres of red
wine are there in this? Now, it’s
pretty drinkable ‘malt whisky’
but the problem is that there are
so many excellent ‘natural’
ones, including some very nice authentic
Juras… SGP:452 - 74
points. |
Jura
15 yo 'Paps - The Sacred Moutain'
(46%, OB, Barolo Finish, 1366 bottles)
Whilst the two other ones bear the
names of grape varieties, this one
bears the name of a wine region. Colour:
apricot/copper. Nose: rather nicer
than the two other ones, fuller, rounder
and fruitier. A little strange because
nebbiolo can be quite austere, more
austere than pinot noir in any case.
Sweet spices, hawthorns, apple peelings,
whiffs of shoe polish. The nicest
nose so far (right, the 1990 was much
nicer). Mouth: fairly good attack,
much spicier than the others. Quite
some pepper. ‘Acceptable vinosity’.
Blackcurrant jam and green tea. Enough
said. Finish: the longest and the
spiciest. Quite some pepper again.
Comments: this one works in my opinion.
Well, more or less. Well, not at 115
€ a bottle. SGP:551 –
78 points. |
 |
BONUS:
TASTING TWO PEATY JURA |
Jura
'Superstition' (43%, OB, +/- 2009)
Last time I seriously tried the Superstition
it was in 2003 and I didn’t
quite like it (WF76). Let’s
see if newer batches are more to my
liking. Colour: full gold. Nose: starts
on a combination of tar, wood smoke,
brown ale and mashed potatoes, the
whole being rather pleasant I must
say. There are nice notes of ripe
apricots and peaches and also these
hints of linseed oil and even olive
oil that are sometimes to be found
in Jura. The smokiness remains big,
even after fifteen minutes. Some porridge
too, even tiny hints of baby puke.
Very nice nose nevertheless. Mouth:
easier, rounder, mildly peaty and
a tad sugary/caramelly. Liquorice
allsorts and cane sugar, walnuts,
cough drops, cornflakes and gingerbread.
Keeps hesitating between a sugary
maltiness and a straight smokiness
but the whole is good. Finish: rather
long, maybe a tad thick and slightly
cloying (too much caramel?) but globally
very pleasant. Comments: maybe a tad
too ‘dual’ but much better
(and bigger) than I remembered. SGP:534
- 81 points. |
| Jura
'Prophecy' (46%, OB, 'profoundly peated',
2009)
A ‘limited annual release –
year 1’, which may mean that
there will be more in the foreseeable
future. Colour: gold. Nose: I don’t
know what ‘profoundly’
means but rather less peaty than the
Superstition it is – at first
nosing that is. We’re rather
more on sour cream, porridge, old
walnuts, leaves, shoe polish and ink,
with a lot of coal smoke after that,
diesel oil, tarry rope… Very
unusual whisky. Whiffs of antiseptic,
bandages, tarmac… Much drier
than the Superstition, getting smokier
by the minute, now smokier than the
Superstition in any case. Mouth: very
good attack, very peaty, not unlike
all the great young single casks that
were issued a few years ago. Some
fruits (white peaches, apples) and
a very enjoyable greenness (green
apples, rhubarb), then quite some
pepper and a little mustard. Gets
grassier and grassier, very nicely
so. Notes of lime and grapefruit playing
with your tongue. The middle is a
little thinner. Finish: a tad narrow
but long, on something such as ‘peated
green apples and limes’. Comments:
very unusual and very good peated
Jura, with a dry ‘fino’
character. Highly drinkable –
we want more of these batches even
if being into peat seems to become
less fashionable these days among
whisky freaks. Swing of the pendulum?
SGP:357 - 86 points. |
| |
|
October
30, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO EXTREMITIES OF BRUICHLADDICH |
Bruichladdich
3 yo ‘X4 + 3’ (63.5%,
OB, 2009) 
Aged in a 50/50 mix of new oak and
bourbon barrels. This has been distilled
four times and it’s now officially
whisky (I guess). Colour: white wine.
Nose: very powerful, spirity (of course),
lightly flowery and fruity. Some vanilla
too, but it’s hard to get much
out of such a powerhouse. Quick, water.
With water: hey hey, this is nice!
Marshmallows, dried coconut, vanilla
and soft liquorice. We aren’t
very far from some grain whiskies,
only much older ones. No heady notes
of bubblegum or strawberry sweets.
Mouth (neat): creamy, very sweet and
vanilled, recalls the Taiwanese Kavalan
that I had a few days ago. Pear drops,
pineapple drops and apple liqueur.
Very strong! With water: kilos of
nougat and litres of fruit liqueurs,
some coconut again, Werther’s
Originals, café latte and a
lot of sweet vanilla. Finish: rather
long, ultra-clean, sweet, rounded
and vanilled. Comments: again, it’s
not unlike some grain whiskies but
without their frequent dullness. The
new oak doesn’t overwhelm the
whole with its usual uber-gingered
and mega-vanilled profile, which is
great news. Kind of a fruit and vanilla
liqueur, mucho recommended if you
have sweet tooth. SGP:730
- 83 points. |
Octomore
5 yo ‘Edition 02.1’ (62.5%,
OB, 2009) 
New world record: 140ppm! Colour:
white wine. Nose: plain peat smoke,
full peak smoke and only peat smoke
– and wet dogs (did I ever tell
you how sorry I was, dogs?) And a
mix of cigar ashes and apple peelings.
With water: it seems that it’s
cleaner than the 01.1 from last year,
also rounder and kind of softer, with
a smokiness that’s a tad more…
round. Soot, ashes, hay, tar, liquorice,
then a little mint, Vicks, camphor…
Just like last year’s version,
it reminds me a bit of the older Ardbegs
that were distilled in the 1960s.
Great nose. Mouth (neat): quite biting
but the mouth feel is very pleasant,
all on ashes and marzipan. Strong
coffee. With water: very excellent
I must say. Hugely smoky of course,
liquoricy, sweet, very phenolic, ashy,
caramelly (fudge), extremely well
balanced. Does smoked salmiak liquorice
exist? Finish: very, very long, ashy
and tarry as well as fudgy, less brutal
than expected (feared?) Comments:
I know that the Octomore concept looks
like a gimmick to some aficionados
but I sincerely think that the end
results are of very high quality,
provided you aren’t against
a little peat in you whisky ;-). One
point above the 01.1 as far as I’m
concerned, which makes this youngster
break the 90-barrier. Of course, if
you hate peat, it’ll be more
like 50 ;-). SGP:349 –
90 points.
PS: there will be a 02.2
'Orpheus' later in November, no doubt
it'll be even more infernal. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
WF favourite Azeri princess
Aziza
Mustafà Zadeh
does her beautiful version of Lover
man (on her CD 'Jazziza'). You
should really buy Aziza Mustafà
Zadeh's music! |
 |
| |
|
October
29, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW 1981 LOCHSIDE |
Lochside
28 yo 1981/2009 (56%, Blackadder,
Raw Cask, Cask #617, 202 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: as fresh, clean
and fruity as these Lochsides can
be, although I wouldn’t say
this one is as much a fruitbomb as
some other versions. It’s still
a tad mashy despite its 28 years of
age but the rest is superb, with quite
some tangerines, apples, hints of
Muscat grapes and quite some vanilla.
It might need water to unfold more
than that. With water: ah yes, that
worked. Litres of lemon and lime juice,
grapefruit and something a little
metallic that adds an extra-dimension.
‘Aluminium pan’. Quite
some menthol too. Mouth (neat): very
punchy and much fruitier than on the
nose. Grapefruit juice at cask strength,
now typically Lochside. Passion fruits,
lemon... With water: more of the same
plus a little grass, chlorophyll gum,
spearmint… Finish: long but
more on grass and chlorophyll and
less on lemon and other citrus fruits.
Comments: an excellent, rather grassy
Lochside, not as magnificent as the
1965s or 1966s of course but well
worth trying. Old skool malt whisky
at its best. SGP:561 - 88
points. |
| Lochside
1981/2009 (56.1%, Gordon & MacPhail
for LMdW, refill sherry hogshead,
cask #803, 199 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: this one is a
little rawer, maybe a tad farmier
which isn’t very ‘Lochside’
but the whole is superb, with notes
of Riesling, tangerines again, grapefruits,
liquorice, beeswax and cane sugar.
Delicate spiciness (gingerbread, nutmeg).
With water: even more menthol than
in the Blackadder, and once again
something farmy. Clean cow stable
and apple peelings, then hints of
wet papers. Mouth (neat): lemon and
grapefruit galore once again but with
an added grassiness. White tequila?
White rhum agricole? The whole is
very explosive. With water: gains
complexity, with more herbs and spices.
Just a little cardboard and ‘green’
oak. Finish: long, lemony and a little
mentholated. Some pepper and liquorice
in the aftertaste. Comments: I do
not know how many of these 1981 Lochsides
are still to be bottled but I would
take this opportunity to stock up
a bit, before it’s too late,
coz no modern malt whisky tastes like
them. SGP:661 - 89 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
jazz drumming at its best with Jack
DeJohnette's Fantastic
(that was on his 1976 LP 'Untitled'
- yup, that's the title). John Abercrombie
is on guitars, Alex Foster on sax.
Please buy Jack DeJohnette's lmusic. |
 |
| |
|
October
28, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW INDIE GLENLIVET |
| Glenlivet
14 yo 1995/2009 (46%, Signatory, UCF,
1st fill sherry butt, cask #144355,
787 bottles)
There are sometimes some true gems
within this fairly priced series by
Signatory Vintage. Colour: dark gold.
Nose: very interesting start on successive
aspects of sherry maturing, that is
to say toffee first, then gunpowder,
then meat (beef jerky, Grisons meat),
then big notes of peonies (even a
tad heady), then roasted chestnuts,
then leather and espresso coffee,
then Seville oranges, then were back
on gunpowder and flints (and a little
chalk)… All that is very pleasantly
dry. Keeps developing on mint and
a little rubber (or cassis buds) and
then roses and even a little incense
and Port wine. Restless! Mouth: good
attack, sweeter, fruitier and maybe
also a little simpler than on the
nose. Some orange liqueur, prunes,
liqueur-filled chocolate, strawberry
jam, sweet liquorice, then a little
mint again just like on the nose and
just hints of violet sweets. Very
good. Finish: long, fruity, rather
nervous, maltier as well. Comments:
not the kind of smooth sherried Glenlivet!
A very good bottling at a fair price,
recommended. SGP:541 - 87
points. |
| Glenlivet
1982/2009 (52.2%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, cask #4340)
Colour: amber. Nose: more a classic
than the 1995, with more fruits and
more ‘roundness’ (blackcurrants,
raspberry spirit, praline) at first
nosing. Gets then superbly spicy,
with a little curry mix, bitter oranges,
a lot of cherry liqueur (guignolet,
Cherry Heering), prunes and various
herbal teas. Mildly chocolaty. More
oak after a while. With water: more
dry oak, more menthol and more beefiness,
and much less fruits and sweetness.
Not that water killed it, it just
changed it mucho. Mouth (neat): rich,
creamy, now drier than on the nose
when neat (just the opposite of what
happened with the 1995). The oak is
big, with obvious tannins and loads
of cinnamon. Bitter chocolate galore!
With water: this is really funny,
now it got much fruitier and much
more coherent with the ‘naked’
nose. Oranges, marzipan, dried figs
and bergamot. Very good. Finish: long,
just a tad flintier, with also a little
cough syrup and stewed fruits. Pine
resin sweets. Comments: a beautiful
Glenlivet, multifaceted and very entertaining
(who said for once?) Highly recommended,
especially if you like to play with
a little water ;-). SGP:551
- 90 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
some (creative) bluegrass for a
change, with Martha's Vineyard's
Nina
Violet doing The
dog tomorrow. Please buy Nina
Violet's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
27, 2009 |
|
|
| CONCERT
REVIEW
by Nick Morgan
MOTT THE HOOPLE
Hammersmith Apollo,
London, October 1st 2009
They
said it would never happen, but
in a year of the most unlikely rock
reunions, many prompted I’m
sure, by the devastating impact
the credit crunch and the fall in
share prices has had on many a rock-star’s
personal fortune, it has. |
 |
| Mott
the Hoople, whose star
as the improbable doyens of glam-rock
(as we liked to call it in the UK)
shone brightly, albeit briefly, in
the early 1970s, leaving behind them
some simply timeless recordings, are
back. Originally for one night only,
they have a week at the Hammersmith
Apollo, and on tonight’s opener,
fathers have brought sons, mothers
have brought daughters, proud grandparents
have brought grandchildren, and I’ve
brought the Photographer, to witness
a moment of rock and roll history.
Half of the Welsh Marches seem to
be here, pugnacious prop-forwards
over-spilling from the confines of
their seats, to celebrate the return
of Ross
on Wye’s most famous sons.
They’ve been rehearsing down
there for weeks, playing one warm-up
gig in Monmouth prior to tonight.
And although frontman Ian
Hunter has rarely stopped performing
and recording since he departed the
band in 1974, even he seemed a little
overawed by the moment when the original
members of the band (minus an unwell
drummer Dale Griffin, replaced for
the main set by Pretenders sticksman
Martin Chambers) took to the stage
to a tumultuous welcome. |
 |
I’m
not sure that I’m allowed to
say how old Hunter is but I can confide
that although they’ve dramatically
changed colour, he still has the trademark
curls sweeping down over his face,
and the ever-present sunglasses. His
nasal voice, sometimes close to a
very poor anglicised version of Bob
Dylan, hasn’t changed a bit.
Guitarist Mick
Ralphs (you may recall that he
went on to form Bad Company with Paul
Rodgers and Simon Kirk) is chunking
out riffs on his Les Paul, whilst
bassist Pete Watts is displaying a
selection of no doubt ‘original’
seventies vintage clothing, including
a very natty pair of white slip-on
shoes “from Marks and Spencer
in Ross”. |
| There’s
an unconvincing and rather uncoordinated
air to things as the band play through
songs like ‘Sweet Jane’,
‘One of the boys’; and
sadly ‘Born in 1958’ is
probably the low point of the set.
But after that things picked up magically,
with even the hopelessly self-pitying
and clichéd ‘Ballad of
Mott’ sounding good; the band
just clicked into place as they rolled
away the years with Hunter in particular
showing he’d lost none of his
rock and roll moves. |
|
Ian
Hunter and Pete Watts |
| The
end of the main set and encore (when
Griffin joined on drums alongside
Chambers) was reserved for a triumphant
rendition of those great songs ‘Honaloochie
boogie’, ‘All the young
dudes’, ‘Roll away the
stone’, and ‘All the way
from Memphis’. A potent chorus
was provided by a powerful backing
vocal group (“Sha la la la,
push push”) comprising original
singer Stan Tippens and various members
of Hunter’s family. The crowd
went predictably wild (well, as wild
as age permitted) and queues formed
in the foyer to buy the exclusive
recording that was being made of the
show. In the end, after a few sticky
moments, it was all quite uplifting.
But I was left with one irksome question
in my mind, a long unsolved puzzle
from the past uncomfortably reawakened.
“Where”, I had to ask
myself, “where is Honaloochie,
and could it be anywhere near Puff
the Magic Dragon’s Honalee?”.
- Nick Morgan (photographs by Kate) |
|
TASTING
THREE, OR RATHER TWO OLD KARUIZAWA |
 |
|
| Karuizawa
1972/2008 (65%, The Number One Drinks
Company, Sherry cask #7290, 528 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: sure it’s
extremely punchy at such high strength
but quite unexpectedly, the high alcohol
does not block it and lets some rather
beautiful notes of figs, dates and
ripe bananas go through. Quite some
heather honey too, old Sauternes,
apricot and mirabelle jams, pinewood
smoke… Fantastic. With water:
a little more oak, nutmeg, ginger
and cinnamon but all that goes marvellously
well with the ripe fruitiness. Even
more dried figs, roasted macadamia
nuts, mapple syrup and orange blossom
water. Extremely elegant. Mouth (neat):
ouch! This is extremely hot, of course
but sort of drinkable provided you
take only half drops. Once again,
figs and dates do dominate the whole,
as well as raisins and vanilla. The
sherry is rather discreet. Quick,
water: exceptional development on
all dried fruits and all honeys. Balance
is perfect. Enough said. Finish: very
long, with a faint smokiness, loads
of very soft spices and hundreds of
dried fruits. Okay, dozens. Comments:
extremely high quality, perfect balance
and not the tiniest flaw. It’s
got something of some of the best
old Springbanks. SGP:652 -
93 points. |
| Karuizawa
1967/2009 (58.4%, OB for La Maison
du Whisky, cask #6426, 229 bottles)
and Karuizawa
1967/2009 (58.4%, OB for The Whisky
Exchange 10th anniversary, cask #6426)
A cask that’s been shared between
these two famous high-end whisky retailers
that are Paris’ LMdW and London’s
TWE. Colour: dark amber. Nose: this
oldie is much more ‘tertiary’
than the 1972 when neat, much more
on old leather, precious wood, dry
sherry, pipe tobacco, Cuban cigars
(in truth, a whole humidor), cedar
wood, cough syrup, plum jam, very
old Armagnac, a little tar, even whiffs
of engine oil… What an amazing
complexity! With water: it’s
got everything an old sherried wonder
can have. Spectacular whiffs of aniseed
and dill, a little more beefy notes,
absolutely no sulphur whatsoever.
Enough said. Mouth (neat): unexpectedly
nervous, with a big but beautiful
oakiness (typical notes of pine resin
than one can find in very, very old
whiskies), a lot of walnut liqueur,
bitter chocolate, cherry stem tea,
chewing tobacco, heavy liquorice,
prunes, green tea from the oak, blackcurrant
leaves tea… With water: I’m
speechless. One of these very old
pu-erh teas (yes, I know pu-erh is
Chinese, not Japanese). Finish: very
long, superbly dry (coffee) and spicy
(cloves) as well as beautifully raisiny.
Some menthol. Comments: once again,
this baby reminds me of some old Springbanks.
Say of the best sherried ‘Local
Barleys’, if that rings a bell
to you. A Japanese masterpiece but
the 1972 was close! SGP:473
- 95 points. |
| |
|
October
26, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THREE ASIAN MALTS (from West to
East) |
| Amrut
'Two Continents' (46%, OB, matured
in India then Europe, 786 bottles,
2009)
A strange gimmick but why not? It’s
true that the angels are very greedy
under hot climates such as Bangalore’s
so it may be a good idea to slow down
things after a few years. Colour:
gold. Nose: wow! Earlier Amruts were
great but this one starts even nicer
on the nose, with a superb flintiness
and some smoke on top of the very
pleasant maltiness. Also quite some
yellow flowers and a little honey,
cooked butter, mashed potatoes, a
little caramel… The smokiness
never vanishes. Top notch. Mouth:
sweeter and fruitier, pretty much
like a fresh fruit salad with a little
ginger and just touches of coriander.
Also something mildly resinous (cough
sweets), some liquorice, vanilla,
then more spices (cardamom first,
then cloves and white pepper) and
finally hints of plum spirit. Very
good. Finish: rather long, lively,
with the fruitiness still there alongside
the oak’s spiciness (black pepper).
Comments: simply flawless, and classy
at that. Amrut isn’t quite a
surprise anymore but this is excellent
for sure. SGP:541 - 86 points.
|
| Kavalan
'Solist' (58.8%, OB, Taiwan, bourbon,
cask #B070604026, 196 bottles, 2009)
Kavalan is a new distillery in Taiwan.
Doesn’t its name sound a bit
like… Glenfiddich? ;-) Yet,
I like the fact that they call a single
cask a ‘solist’. Curious
about future big bands or philarmonics.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: much less
expressive than the Amrut but that
may come from the high abv. Malt,
vanilla, grass and mashed potatoes
again as well as a little varnish.
Whiffs of new oak (sawdust). With
water: more coconut and more eucalyptus.
They sure used some high-quality wood.
Not excessively vanilled. Mouth (neat):
very creamy and oily mouth feel, with
typical notes of pear drops and tinned
pineapples that are often to be found
in youngish malts. Also a little coconut
liqueur, vanilla custard and orange
syrup. With water: more sweet ginger,
vanilla and just a little bubblegum,
getting even sweeter after that. Muscat
grapes? Finish: long, youthful, very
fruity. Haribo confectionary. Comments:
right, here’s another new non-Scottish
malt distillery that do things well.
Granted, this is very young spirit
but the oak is of high quality. Curious
to taste this one with ten more years.
SGP:730 – 83 points.
(and thank you, Ho-cheng). |
| Hanyu
20 yo (57.5%, Ichiro's Malt, Japan,
2009)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: big and
extremely varnishy! Hot cellulose,
nail polish remover, marzipan, thuya
wood, new leather and overripe apples.
Extremely extreme, so to speak. Let’s
see what happens with water. With
water: the varnishy notes transform
into a big meatiness. Game, ham, then
huge notes of sage and even more thuya
wood. Soy sauce. What kind of casks
did they use for this one? Mouth (neat):
sweet yet firm attack, with loads
of spices from the cask and a pleasant
fruitiness in the background (green
apples, kiwis). A lot of ginger, weiss
beer, marzipan… The oakiness
is huge, you have to like that to
enjoy this baby. With water: now it
got quite superb, much more drinkable
(at +/-45%), beautifully herbal and
leathery, smokier. Maybe I’m
dreaming but I do get notes of lapsang
soochong tea. Finish: long, smoky/herbal,
with a return on leather and cardamom.
Comments: again, this one is rather
extreme but it’ll keep you entertained
for a long time – provided you
have water at hand. Id does have something
of some old bourbons. SGP:372
- 87 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
let's have a standard today, with
a subtle version of The
good life by the excellent pianist
Junior
Mance (from his album
That Lovin' Feelin'). Please buy
Junior Mance's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
23, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
MICHAEL MARRA
The Cellar Upstairs,
Exmouth Arms, Euston, London,
September 26th 2009 |
 |
| We’ve
come out to see Michael
Marra, which means yet
another trip back in time into folk-club
land. We’re just to the rear
of Euston Station, well fed in one
of Drummond Steet’s better eateries,
and heading for the florid Exmouth
Arms in Starcross Street, home to
the Cellar
Upstairs folk club. The pub is
something of a curiosity; the flowers
that swathe the outside walls, gently
brushing the heads of the banished
smokers (Michael Marra among them)
are hiding a distinctly post-war structure.
|
| Yet
inside, you are met by a curious assembly
of half-timbered ceilings, hanging
olde-world pub paraphernalia and I
think at least four huge gaming machines,
plus the obligatory larger-than-life
TV that’s playing football matches
that no-one is ever going to want
to watch. There are about half a dozen
blokes, locals not short of an opinion
or two on most things, scattered around
the bar. Upstairs the function room
(“recently refurbished to a
high standard …suitable for
all occasions from a darts evening
to a wedding celebration”) is
packed. We’re charged a derisory
six quids each entrance, and find
a couple of chairs uncomfortably close
to the front, where the committee
and resident singers are holding court.
There’s no stage. Marra’s
ironing board is there supporting
his battered keyboard, which along
with a couple of microphones is plugged
into a sound system with an antediluvian
amplifier and mixing desk, that has
the techie know-it-alls on the committee
scratching their heads and slyly twisting
a few knobs when no one’s looking.
|
| The
floor singing is frankly pretty desultory,
and not a little tuneless, with nowhere
to run for cover where the bodhran
comes out. The song that most excites
the crowd is a jolly tale of a poacher
pulling a fast one on a gamekeeper,
a flimsy allegory for the timeless
struggle of the common man over authority,
albeit a little misplaced in twenty-first
century Euston Town. How many of these
people, I wonder, have ever met a
gamekeeper? The best song of the bunch
comes from two performers from a rival
club, greeted with the sort of hospitality
normally reserved for death-ray wielding
six-headed monsters from outer space:
theirs is a modern murder ballad recounting
the recent string of serial killings
(prostitute murders) in Ipswich. Do
you wonder why we don’t go to
more folk clubs? |
| I’m
sure there’s little to be said
about the gravel-voiced Michael Marra
that you don’t already know,
beyond the fact that my admiration
for anyone who can work the often
stultifying folk-club circuit and
still perform so well knows no bounds.
One of Scotland’s greatest living
troubadours performed two perfect
cameo sets of “songs from Dundee
and its surrounding planet”,
featuring a cast of the most unlikely
characters. Dr John visited Blairgowrie,
Bob Dylan went to Edinburgh, and General
U S Grant famously visited Dundee.
Marra’s amorous cat Pius purred
like as chainsaw shortly before being
neutered, and in ‘He said, she
said’, two misfits “hunted
for each other in a spirit of ruthless
melancholy” in the personal
column of the Dundee Courier. His
songs are painfully and closely observed,
Dundee a microcosm of the outside
world, flaws conceits and frailties
cruelly exposed, no stones unturned.
|
 |
| “Dinnae
tell him” shouted one of Marra’s
Aunts at a wedding reception when
he enquired about someone called Maggie
Shaw, “Dinnae tell him, he’ll
only write a song aboot it”.
Which he did. But in and about this
almost abrasive honesty is a warm
sense of surreal, and a celebration
of the human spirit, warts and all,
probably best summed up in the wonderfully
unlikely ‘Frida Khalo’s
visit to the Taybridge Bar’. |
| If
you love Scotland then you should
also adore Marra’s wry take
on a city’s, and nation’s,
foibles. And if you can’t, understandably,
face the thought of a trip to a ghastly
folk club to see him, then at least
you could go out and buy a couple
of his albums. - Nick Morgan (photographs
by Kate) |
| TASTING
FOUR OLD BEN NEVIS (another retro-verticale) |
 |
| Ben
Nevis 16yo 1965/1981 (46%, Cadenhead's
Dumpy, Black Label, 75cl)
Colour:
gold. Nose: very wacky, starting on
wet papers, ink, cardboard, flour,
motor oil and stale beer. The funny
thing is that it’s not unpleasant
at all, just very different from any
other whisky. Goes on with touches
of hawthorn tea, old roses, very old
Bourgogne (civet, game, hessian) and
plenty of hay and straw. Very, very
unusual, the truth will lie on the
palate as often… Mouth: starts
ultra-dry and very phenolic, starting
on something such as putty, bitter
almonds, smoked mint (eh?) and ink
once again. It is not unpleasant,
just very different once again. Also
cough drops, salmiak, paper, cod oil
(yes)… Bizarre but interesting.
Finish: medium long, very resinous.
Comments: an odd bottling that has
its charms. Old style whisky that
modern wood technology may well have
eradicated for good. Or worse? SGP:371
- 83 points. |
| Ben
Nevis 35 yo 1967/2002 (50.1%, Hart
Bros, Sherry wood)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: once again,
it’s very unusual whisky but
we’re more on precious woods
this time, interior of an old Jag,
cigar humidor, leather polish and
then the same kinds of notes of ink
and wet papers as in the Cadenhead.
Also quite some menthol and tiger
balm, nargile smoke and green tea.
Very ancient! Mouth: superb attack
on all kinds of dried fruits and mint,
with a solid layer of liquorice and
pepper. Maybe just a tad astringent.
Development more on herbs liqueur
(litres of green Chartreuse, Jägermeister
and other strange brews). Hints of
old walnuts and crystallised lemons
and then quite some spices from the
wood. Finish: long, resinous and peppery
but sweeter than the Cadenhead’s.
Comments: another odd bottling but
this one is much straighter and more
drinkable than the 1965. But once
again, these aromas and flavours aren’t
to be found in any newer whiskies,
I’m afraid. A shame in this
case. SGP:562 - 90 points.
|
| Ben
Nevis 1970/1988 (46% Moon Import,
The Sea, cask #2913, 360 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: most amazingly,
this is something very unusual once
again. Starts on a combination of
orange squash and motor oil (not kidding),
shoe polish, grenadine, pomegranates
and something like rhubarb juice.
Goes on with whiffs of wet rocks and
clay/chalk and gets finally very liquoricy
and fruity at the same time. Right,
a huge pack of liquorice allsorts.
Also a lot of ‘resinous’
honey (honeydew) and old wax polish.
What a strange, but charming old whisky!
Mouth: nah, this doesn’t work
as beautifully as on the nose, its
inherent wackiness make it a bit hard
to enjoy this time. Notes of dirty
honey (whatever that means), Campari,
stale Guinness and English brown sauce
(or sweetened gravy). Wait, even sweet
onions! Finish: rather long, on the
same kind of honeyed and resinous
notes as on the nose but also something
metallic and papery. And some coffee
and raisins, from the sherry I guess.
Comments: once again, a very unusual
old whisky. It’s a thrill to
taste these kinds of old whiskies
but frankly, sipping a full bottle
may well take decades. SGP:541
- 81 points. |
| Ben
Nevis 34 yo 1975/2009 (63.0%, The
Prestonfield for LMdW, bourbon barrel,
cask #7439, 146 bottles)
A whopping strength at 35 years of
age! Were the angels on strike? Colour:
full gold. Nose: after the very unusual
oldies, this one is much straighter
but also more austere, with distinct
flinty and even mustardy notes beside
notes of green apples and gooseberries.
But it’s very strong so let’s
not take chances with our nostrils…
With water: really unfolds, getting
very complex. Some parts remind me
of an old grain whisky (hints of coconut
and bubblegum) but the rest is a subtle
combination of sultanas, honey, pipe
tobacco, dried figs and various soft
spices. Maybe a little curcuma. Mouth
(neat): it’s one of these high
strength whiskies where you can tell
that it’s ‘probably’
great, but just cannot down more than
one drop because of its power. I do
get notes of coconut and vanilla though,
which remind me of an old grain whisky
once again. With water: ah yes! It
does display some of the ‘wacky’
notes that the older bottlings had
(herbal and resinous liqueurs –
make that old fir liqueur) but also
Corinth raisins, ripe plums, aniseed
and god knows what else. Maybe limoncello.
Finish: long, kind of more compact
and ‘focused’ on lemon
zests and maraschino. Very high class.
Comments: with the ocean of modern
whiskies that are made these days
(you know, in-your-face peat and/or
vanilla and spices), this kind of
old wonder is truly refreshing. Highly
recommended. SGP:551 - 93
points. |
| And
also Ben
Nevis 36 yo 1971/2007 (50%, Douglas
Laing OMC, 212 bottles)
Nose on bananas flambéed, plantains,
wax and thuja wood. Gets drier over
time. Mouth: sweet, with hints of
strawberries as often in Ben Nevis.
Bubblegum and bananas. A tad cloying
I think. SGP:631 - 78 points. |
| And
also Ben
Nevis 26 yo 1968/1994 (54.6%, OB,
213 bottles)
Nose: all on honey, caramel, nougat
and cake. Gets then smoky and nervous,
a tad spirity. Water brings out notes
of fern. Mouth: powerful, almost brutal.
Nice notes of mangos. With water:
more elegant, hints of tinned pineapples.
Pepper. Long finish, more tannic.
A lot of ginger. SGP:631 –
85 points. |
| |
|
October
22, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW ARDBEG |
| Ardbeg
'Corryvreckan' (57.1%, OB, general
release, 2009)
Time to try this baby, I’m almost
two months late… Please note
that I absolutely adored the committee
release of the Corryvreckan (WF92).
Colour: white wine (paler than the
committee). Nose: it is not the same
whisky as the earlier version, but
rather beautiful it is. Big smoke
and tar, then whiffs of wet wool and
fresh walnuts, hints of struck matches
and wee notes of cow stable as well
as dried seaweed. Not the most complex
Ardbeg ever but it’s beautifully
austere and the smoke is big. With
water: the kind of development that
I enjoy a lot in fairly young Ardbegs,
both mineral and even metallic and
organic. Wet clay, oysters and the
same kind of notes of green olives
as in the committee release. Mouth
(neat): oily mouth feel, the whole
starting on a combination of lemon
and peaty smokiness, closer to the
committee release at this point. Grassy
herbal tea. With water: oh this is
funny, there are notes that we usually
only get in older Ardbegs, such as
some camphor and old style cough syrup.
Gets sweeter after that, with notes
of ripe apples and barley sugar. Finish:
long, very ‘Ardbeg’, rather
sweet and a little less smoky at this
stage. Comments: a slightly milder
and rounder version of Corryvreckan,
but it’s still high-class Ardbeg.
SGP:358 - 90 points. |
| Ar2
(58.8%, Specialty Drinks, Elements
of Islay, 2009, 50cl)
Last year’s Ar1 was excellent
(WF89) and here’s a new version,
possibly a bigger molecule according
to its name ;-). Colour: straw. Nose:
very different from the Corryvreckan,
starting with a little less smoke
but more fruits (or rather orange
zests and lemon essence). The smoke
gets much bigger after a few seconds,
and we’re getting much closer
to the OB in style. It’s even
getting very difficult to spot major
differences after five minutes, both
being very similar. With water: it’s
very different from the OB now, with
more chocolate, soot, touches of wet
dogs (sorry dogs) and ‘wet’
smoke (campfire under the rain). A
little wilder than the OB. Mouth (neat):
more nervous, more lemony and more
salty than the OB at the attack, more
‘brutal’ in a certain
way. Lime, marzipan, green tea and
a huge smokiness. The lemon plays
with both your tongue and your lips.
With water: classic and classy. ‘Smoked
lemon’, almonds, kippers. Finish:
very long. Comments: definitely wilder
than the OB. Actually, I like the
Ar2 a little better than the Ar1,
it’s probably even closer to
the distillery’s markers. Well
done – but can we have it in
magnums? SGP:368 - 90 points.
|
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
part
of a funky mini-gig by that
artiste on French TV Canal+,
recorded October 14. Please buy
that artiste's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
21, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
TWO MACKMYRA |
| Mackmyra
'Special 02'' (50.6%, OB, Sweden)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very fresh
and fruity at first nosing, reminding
me of a young Speysider in a certain
way. It’s still a bit esthery
(pineapple drops, gooseberries, grenadine)
but all that is pleasant, very ‘Scottish’
if I may say so. Much less unusual
woody/spicy notes than in earlier
bottlings by Mackmyra. Goes on with
notes of vanilla and just faint whiffs
of ginger. With water: more sweet
oak. Mouth (neat): very sweet and
very ‘young Speysider’
again, with a more distinct oakiness
that translates into quite some ginger
and apple peelings. Pear sweets. Good
quality distillate for sure. With
water: not big changes, nice combination
of sweet spicy oak and fresh white
fruits. Finish: medium long, a tad
spicier, with a little white pepper.
Comments: very nice self-restraint
regarding the use of hyper-active
oak. The result is of high quality
and the spirit very promising. SGP:531
– 83 points. |
| Mackmyra
'Special 03' (48.2%, OB, Sweden)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this one
is a tad grassier then the Special
02, more mineral as well. Whiffs of
tarmac and shoe polish, then green
apples and a little linseed oil. Very
nice profile, elegant and pure. With
water: more hay, pu-erh tea and lemongrass.
More austere than its sibling, more
elegant too. More sweet oak coming
through after a while. Big vanilla
after fifteen minutes. Mouth (neat):
we’re closer to the Special
02 in style, only with more spicy
oak and a very faint dustiness. Various
spices, first ginger, then dried cardamom
and unusual notes of rosemary and
sage. Strawberries and pears in the
background. With water: more green
tea, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.
The oak gets louder. Finish: long,
peppery and now quite lemony. Faint
smokiness. Comments: once again, there’s
quite some oak but it’s all
under control and the spirit withstands
it. Good. SGP:442 –
84 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
some good old love-boatish funk
funk funk wih Dennis
Coffey's Funk
connection (that was on his
1977 LP 'Back home'). Please buy
Dennis Coffey's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
20, 2009 |
|
|
| TASTING
THREE VERY DIFFERENT GLENGLASSAUGH |
Glenglassaugh
'The Spirit Drink that blushes to
speak its name' (50%, OB, newmake,
6 months Californian wine maturing)
It’s hard not to think of flavoured
vodka when having such an unusual
dram in front of us… Colour:
pale rosé wine. Nose: excuse
me but ‘ouch’. It smells
more or less like a ‘not too
clean’ raspberry eau-de-vie.
What’s more, the combination
of the wine and the new make make
the whole much farmier than straight
new make. Notes of cured ham, redcurrant
jelly and cow stable. Highly unusual
indeed! Mouth: well, we’re even
more on eau-de-vie. Say a 50/50 mix
of raspberry eau-de-vie and Zubrovska
(buffalo grass vodka). It’s
not bad, but is it for malt drinkers?
Maybe not… Finish: rather long,
with a lot of raspberry in the aftertaste.
Comments: of course I have nothing
against experimentation but just like
the helicopter-bicycle, not sure the
future is bright for such gimmicky
combos. Better buy a good white eau-de-vie,
it’ll be cheaper. Now maybe
this ought to be drunk chilled? And
funny it is. SGP:830 - 55
points. |
| Glenglassaugh
25 yo 1984/2009 (54.7%, Malts of Scotland,
cask #186, 213 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: a rather heavy
oakiness strikes first here, with
a lot of newly sawn wood, hot sawdust
and quite some varnish. Notes of raisins,
chocolate, toffee and green tea are
having a hard time coming through
the wood. With water: really improves,
the oak is tamed and a very organic
maltiness comes through. Quite some
leather polish, Cuban cigars, Indian
spice mix, liquorice, balsamic vinegar,
even a little soy sauce. Toffee. I
like this nose a lot, water worked
wonders. Mouth (neat): a very heavy
cask influence, with some big red
fruits that remind me of the ‘blush
‘glassaugh’ that we just
had. Huge concentration and quite
some tannins too. Pepper. Once again,
this baby’s not easy when undiluted.
With water: once again, it’s
almost a miracle! Excellent combination
of raisins, roasted chestnuts, coffee
and bitter chocolate. Finish: long,
all on a spicy sherry. Cloves and
cinnamon. Comments: an excellent dram
but they should deliver it with a
bottle of Evian ;-). SGP:452
- 88 points. |
| Glenglassaugh
40 yo (44.6%, OB, decanter, 2009)
Colour: deep amber. Nose: very fragrant,
starting on precious wood, raisins
and hints of camphor, all that working
in sync. Pretty perfect! Goes on with
hints of metal polish and damp earth
and then many cooked and dried tropical
fruits (not fresh). Papayas, pineapples,
longans… Gets finally much more
leathery and ‘tertiary’,
with hints of beef jerky and parsley,
even a bit of garlic. Pine resin.
A very, very complex old Glenglassaugh!
Beautiful. Mouth: a very rich oakiness
at first sipping, but an elegant one.
A lot of bitter chocolate, various
fruit jellies and jams (strawberries
first), some vanilla, various herbal
teas (rosehip, chamomile, lime tree
blossom), and a wide combination of
spices including cloves, cardamom,
black pepper, carvi and cinnamon (lots).
Develops on loads of dark chocolate
and coffee beans plus notes of cough
syrup. Very ‘torrefied’.
Finish: long, spicy, quite tannic
but not excessively so. Quite some
oranges in the aftertaste. Comments:
a 40yo that’s still rather nervous
and ‘vibrant’. Excellent
and, above all, not too oaky. I like
it better than the 30yo – am
I normal? SGP:561 - 92 points.
|
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
Virginia's excellent Tim
Barry sings Tacoma
(from his 2008 CD 'Manchester').
Please buy Tim Barry's music. |
 |
| |
|
October
19, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
PERE UBU
The ICA, London, September
25th 2009 |
'The genuine Père
Ubu'
by Alfred Jarry |
| Merdre!
It’s Carry on Pataphysics –
again. Pere
Ubu have just released
Long Live Pere Ubu, the CD of David
Thomas’s adaptation of Alfred
Jarry’s Ubu Roi, Bring me the
Head of Ubu Roi, which eagle-eyed
readers will recall being premiered
at London’s Queen Elizabeth
Hall last year. It was one of the
most entertaining nights of 2008.
Thomas and his band are on the road
to promote the disc. Vocalist Sarah
Jane Morris should be with them,
but is indisposed, her physical presence
as Mere Ubu being taken by a rather
unflattering assembly of cardboard
boxes on the left of the stage. Her
part is sung and spoken by Mr Thomas
(“I knew it was a fucking mistake
…” he confides in the
audience at the end of the show).
Projected on the rear of the stage
are the animations produced for the
film by the Brothers Quay. |
| Also
on stage, “providing gagarin
atmospheres and more” is digital
sculptor Gagarin
(aka Dids); actually he’s mostly
responsible for the constant background
of flushing toilets, overworked digestive
systems, belches and farts, lots of
farts (“Where are the farts?
Turn up the fucking farts. My people
need to hear the farts”). |
|
We’re close up to the stage
in the small theatre (I imagine it’s
called a performance space) at the
hopelessly hip ICA,
in the basement of the Eastern section
of Carlton House Terrace, facing onto
the Mall. Outside it’s all very
Regency and John Nash. Inside it’s
back to the new Universities of the
1970s, coffee bar cool and heavy-framed
late 1990s advertising-agency spectacles.In
the performance space there’s
a very mixed bunch. Some of the earnest
young folk have found their way in,
but there’s also a jolly crowd
of unreformed Stranglers teeshirt-wearing
and beer gut- bearing baldies. It
can’t be more than two-thirds
full, and we’re dangerously
approximate to the stage, and to Mr
Thomas. But that gives a far superior
view of what’s actually going
on than we got at Queen Elizabeth
Hall. |
| Make
no mistake: it’s still chaos
up there, but a far more organised
chaos than one might have imagined.
As David Thomas explained, “there
is not one moment in its entirety,
and various facets, that is not carefully
crafted”. But of course that
disciplined approach absolutely contradicts
what Pere Ubu stand for: “You
hire Pere Ubu” according to
Thomas, “because you want to
be scared out of your professional
wits. Because you want to experience
something that no one else can deliver,
the thrill of the truly dangerous
moment and its power to reveal”.
And the tensions this provokes are
played out very evidently on the stage. |
 |
| Thomas
is quite splendid as the misanthrope
Pere Ubu, and quite accomplished as
his wife Mere Ubu too, although occasionally
he gets his voices, from southern
preacher through a range of Disney
characters, a tad confused. |
| He’s
shrink-wrapped into his raincoat,
and apparently drinking heavily from
a flask – or is it Ubu that’s
drinking? He often breaks out of character
as he shuffles through his script
sheets (“where are the words?
I’ve spent two fucking years
writing this and now I can’t
find the words’) and frequently
leaves the stage to refill the flask
with something (the Pere Ubu rider
demands a bottle of Remy Martin for
every show). On one journey he pauses
to ask cross-dressing drummer Steve
Mehlman, “How am I doing Steve?”.
“You’re drunk” comes
the resigned reply. Well maybe, but
it didn’t diminish Thomas’s
performance one bit. His singing was
hugely powerful, all the songs benefiting
from the less theatrical setting.
Because although it’s easy to
lose sight of it in the mayhem, the
music is really full throttle Pere
Ubu rock and roll. In addition to
their playing (Robert Wheeler’s
theramin was mesmerising) the band
also gamely played out parts of the
play: Mehlman plays Captain Ordura,
who, betrayed by Ubu when he seizes
Poland, returns to defeat the usurper
with the help of the Czar of Russia.
Bassist Michele Temple turned in a
very lively Polish Army, a messenger
who receives one of the best lines
of the show (but only at Thomas’s
third attempt), and Prince Buggerlas,
who is restored to the throne following
Ubu’s defeat. I did explain
the plot didn’t I? |
 |
| It
doesn’t really matter. As Thomas
said just before the end of the show,
having spent about ten minutes on
the floor (post defeat in battle,
Ubu is sleeping in a remote cave where
he is eventually reunited with Mere
Ubu), “nothing that happens
up here matters at all”. But
that doesn’t mean it’s
not worth listening to it, nor to
the music on the CD, nor to Thomas’s
play itself which can be downloaded
as Podcast.
Better still, if you can, seek out
an unforgettable live performance.
It will be. – Nick Morgan
(photographs by Kate) |
 |
TASTING
TWO NEW GLEN GARIOCH
Glen Garioch’s range has got
a lifting and frankly, we cannot
not applaud. There’s been
so many stunning ‘Glen Geeries’
in a distant past, everybody knows
what the old distillery is made
of. Let’s see… |
| Glen
Garioch '1797 Founder's Reserve' (48%,
OB, 2009)
This is the brand new no-age-statement
version. Colour: gold. Nose: rather
big at first nosing (is 48% a new
trend?) and very sweet and fruity,
with bursting notes of malted barley,
apples and gooseberries as well as
hints of bubblegum. This is obviously
rather young. It’s also faintly
varnishy and maybe just a little bit
soapy (Cadum – don’t ask)
but nothing really embarrassing. Other
than that, we get notes of pears and
a mild ‘new-style’ oakiness
(cake and vanilla, just a little ginger).
Some honey. The faint soapiness disappears
after four or five minutes. Pleasant
nose, much nicer that any of the young
official ones that were bottled in
the 1990s or early 2000s. Mouth: once
again, it’s big and sweet malt
whisky, with a lot of vanilla and
ginger on top of apple compote and
juice. Quite some pepper too, notes
of café latte, Werther’s
and quite some green tea-like oak.
Not really tannic but not far. Finish:
long, bold, oaky and peppery. Some
apples left. Comments: there may have
been some wood management done. A
whisky that’s maybe a tad ‘technological’
but what’s sure is that it got
rid of the flaws that earlier young
bottlings had in my opinion. In short,
a good one. SGP:441 - 80 points.
|
| Glen
Garioch 1990/2009 (54.6%, OB, batch
#34)
Matured in a combination of bourbon
and sherry casks. Colour: gold. Nose:
bang-bang! Extremely varnishy and
esthery, almost aggressive at cask
strength. Careful nosing reveals added
notes of green apples and an obvious
‘fresh’ oakiness (vanilla
and sawdust) but little sherry so
far. With water: woof! More of everything,
that is to say more oak and more green
apples. Even small bitter apples (or
raw cider). Big maltiness and just
hints of strawberries and bubblegum
in the background. Also a little mint.
Mouth (neat): powerful, creamy, rich
and full of sweet spices such as cardamom,
ginger (lots) and cloves. Heavy sweet
oak but also un-sugared tea, both
green and black. And vanilla…
Gets pretty tannic. With water: same
profile, with an added sweetness.
Pear drops, tinned pineapples. Finish:
long, sweetly oaky and relatively
spicy. White pepper, apples. Maybe
a little sherry, maybe not. Comments:
just like the 1797, it seems that
this one has been ‘engineered’
in some way. No make-up though, it
works. ‘Modern’ but perfectly
palatable. SGP:551 - 83 points.
|
| |
|
October
17, 2009 |
|
|
 |
CONCERT
REVIEW
by Nick
Morgan
ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND
HIS FRIENDS: DIAPHANOUSLY YOURS
Queen Elizabeth Hall,
London, September 4th 2009 |
| It’s
Pestival
time at the Southbank and we’re
celebrating “insects in art,
and the art of being an insect”.
Actually it’s more than that:
“Pestival is a mobile arts festival
examining insect-human interactivity
in bioscience, through paradigms of
contemporary art, cinema, music and
comedy as well as direct scientific
demonstration and educational projects”.
|
| Amidst
a variety of installations, films,
workshops and lectures is Robyn
Hitchcock and an unlikely
assembly of fellow bug lovers. “I've
always liked the look of insects,”
said Hitchcock in a pre-gig interview.
“They are echoed in the design
of helicopters, planes, small cars,
and even sailing boats, so maybe that's
why they--and arachnids like the tarantula--appear
from time to time in my songs.”
And before you tread on that pesky
ant, or wash that hairy old spider
down the bathroom plug-hole, remember
Hitchcock’s prescient observation
from the stage (shortly after he had
revealed, to much astonishment, that
Brian Ferry is an insect – “just
look at his forehead”), “One
of the things we have in common with
insects is that we exist”. |
| Hitchcock
kicked off the evening solo with the
bee-filled ‘Agony of pleasure’
notable for his rhyming of ‘digesting’
with ‘intestine’ , followed
by ‘Dragonfly’, written
especially for the performance, and
performed with Blur guitarist Graham
Coxon, and Jenny Adejayan on cello.
It’s one of those evenings where
people come and go from the stage
all night; just the right side of
shambolic, surprisingly well rehearsed,
with a very forgiving audience. In
addition to Hitchcock’s UK band
(Adejayan, with Paul Noble on bass
and Rob Ellis on drums) there’s
sound sculptor Max
Eastley (who joins for the song
‘Insect Mother) and organist
and trumpeter Terry
Edwards who joins the whole band
for ‘Red Locust frenzy’.
Musical polymath and Dorian Gray look-alike
Green Gartside along with journalist,
blogger and keyboard player Rhodri
Marsden (better known perhaps
as Scritti
Politti), take the stage to perform
three songs: ‘The human fly’,
‘Where fat lies ants follow’
and the Scritti top ten UK hit ‘Wood
beez’. |
 |
|
They’re followed by the Incredible
String Band’s Mike Heron, who
along with his daughter Georgia
Seddon, and the assembled multitude,
sing the ISB’s ‘Cousin
caterpillar’, and ‘A cellular
song’ (a tribute to the amoeba);
the latter from their masterpiece
of 1960s hippy self-indulgence, The
Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.
‘I used to levitate to these
songs back in the 1960s’ said
Hitchcock. He probably still does. |
 |
| The
second half of the gig began with
poet and comedian John
Hegley presenting some largely
insect-themed verse, before performing
another cellular song, ‘Amoeba’
with Hitchcock on guitar. Alessi’s
Ark (it’s a person, not
an ark) sang a hesitant, and not very
creepy-crawly themed ‘Woman’,
before the ensemble returned (in various
combinations) to bash through Hitchcock’s
‘Snail’s lament’
and ‘Madonna of the wasps’,
Coxon’s ‘Dead bees’
(Coxon’s guitar, I should add,
was becoming increasingly animated
at this stage, ) Hitchcock’s
‘Ant woman’ and the marvellous
‘Ole Tarantula’, before
returning to the stage for an unlikely
cover of Wire’s ‘I am
the fly’. “Happy Christmas”
said Hitchcock, true to form, as he
led the band from the stage. |
| It
was a thoroughly entertaining and
suitably eclectic evening, but not
without its serous side. So let me
leave you with this thought, from
Harvard University’s Edward
O Wilson. “If all mankind were
to disappear, the world would regenerate
back to the rich state of equilibrium
that existed 10,000 years ago. If
insects were to vanish, the environment
would collapse into chaos”.
So mind where you put that boot! –
Nick Morgan (concert photographs by
Kate) |
 |
TASTING
TWO GLENMORANGIE |
| Glenmorangie
'Sonnalta' (46%, OB, PX finish, +/-2009)
A version for travel retail. Colour:
apricot. Nose: starts rich, fragrant
and not excessively winey, with loads
of oranges and figs and just touches
of gunpowder. Rather clean, it develops
more on sultanas and roasted nuts
(pecans), with hints of peonies and
a faint sourness from the wine. Also
hints of bananas flambéed and
a wee grassiness in the background
(banana skin). Works pretty well but
the wine’s influence is obvious.
After a few minutes: gets fresher
and even a little coastal but there’s
also a lot of caramel. Mouth: very
heavy now and extremely unusual. A
coffee and raspberry liqueur mix?
It’s not bad at all but doesn’t
quite taste like whisky in my opinion.
Goes on with notes of kiwis and tangerines,
then more coffee again (or rather
coffee liqueur such as Tia Maria or
Kalhua). Really unusual. Finish: long,
roasted and zesty at the same time.
Lemon and coffee flavoured chocolate?
More sultanas. Comments: did I already
tell you this was unusual? More a
cocktail than malt whisky but very
good it is. SGP:731 - 82 points. |
| Glenmorangie
13 yo 1993/2006 (55.9%, Scotch Malt
Whisky Society, #125.4, 319 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: punchy and
as modern as whisky can be, with oak
and vanilla being to the front but
in no way in a vulgar manner. ‘A
delicate oakbomb’, I’d
say. A light and rather complex fruitiness
follows, with notes of ripe gooseberries,
overripe apples and hints of marshmallows
plus a faint smokiness (wood smoke).
Balance is pretty perfect here and
all this is very elegant. With water:
more complexity, with notes of cut
flowers, hay and a little patchouli.
A little briny. Mouth (neat): once
again, the sweet oak plays the first
part but it’s of very high quality.
Some mint, nutmeg, vanilla, ginger,
cardamom, a little honey… Sweet
oak galore, really. With water: more
of the same, the nutmeg coming to
the front together with quite some
cinnamon and a little chocolate. Finish:
medium long, clean, rather fruitier.
It’s funny that there’s
rather less oak in the finish than
in the attack. Comments: very good
stuff despite the obvious, but not
heavy new oak treatment. SGP:551
– 87 points. |
| |
|
October
16, 2009 |
|
|
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
MAGAZINE
|
| The
Royal Festival Hall, London, September
1st 2009 |
 |
| Sometimes
gigs just don’t work out how
you want them to, and to be honest,
you can’t always be sure if
it’s the fault of the band,
the audience, the venue, the sound
engineers or, possibly, you. |
|
So I’m not particularly pointing
the finger of blame if I say that
this gig, or what we saw of it , was
a huge disappointment. It was after
all a Tuesday night after a day of
work and maybe I just don’t
have quite the energy I once had.
Or maybe the very same could be said
of Magazine,
that fearsome post-punk creation of
former Buzzcocks front man Howard
Devoto, who in his heyday managed
to combine a distinct intellect with
a unique rock aesthetic and a big
dose of cadaverous menace, and mix
it into some quite stand-out albums.
As far as I’m concerned, not
being a fan, Devoto has been idling
in the wilderness for years, but this
year he’s back. And by his side
is a pretty good reconstruction of
the original band: on drums, John
Doyle, who for a while retreated
from music into an advertising agency;
keyboard player Dave
Formula, who has had a spell with
Visage and in production, and bass
player Barry
Adamson, who amongst many accomplishments
became a Bad Seed post his time with
the original Magazine. Original guitarist
John
McGeoch, who also played with
Siouxsie Sioux and her Banshees, and
with John Lydon’s Public Image
Limited, sadly died in 2004; he’s
replaced by Noko,
key collaborator with Howard Devoto
in his Luxuria
project. And Devoto? Well, like all
of us, he’s put on a few pounds
but more tellingly, the years appear
have robbed him of that sense of threat
and disruptiveness that he always
seemed to exude. He’s more like
a benign uncle than a threatening
interloper, looking distinctly like
actor Donald Pleasance. |
| The
group reformed for a series of gigs
earlier in the year which were met
with considerable acclaim, so this
should have been a good one. But for
some reason, the first half (we didn’t
stay for the second) was an uncomfortable
and listless affair. The band had
chosen to play their 1980 Album, The
Correct Use of Soap, in its entirety;
a strange choice perhaps as at one
time Devoto had almost disowned it
as a commercial sell-out (not that
it succeeded in terms of sales).It’s
a curious collection of songs, including
an unlikely Sly and the Family Stone
cover (‘Thank You (Falettinme
Be Mice Elf Agin)’). Some, like
the closing ‘A song from under
the floorboards’ are pretty
powerful, others seem to belong firmly
to a former age. |
 |
|
Between songs Devoto reads from a
set of instructions, not about using
soap, but rather ‘Enjoying and
Caring for your Record Collection’.
It’s mildly amusing, but a tad
contrived. You could just tell that
the band weren’t too happy,
constantly gesturing at the on-stage
sound-desk, either on their own behalf
or that of their colleagues. The sense
of unease had been present in the
audience from the start, many clearly
unused to the formalities of the Royal
Festival Hall. You could see people
visibly straining to get out of their
seats. ‘Turn up the fucking
guitar’, shouts an interlocutor
from the back of the hall, leading
to a series of echoing pleas. A palpable
sense of discontent filled the hall. |
| So
at the interval we left for cocoa
and A
Book at Bedtime. I read that the
gig picked up a little, with a ‘greatest
hits’ second half, and the almost
obligatory invitation for the audience
to leave their seats and head for
the stage, which like lemmings heading
for the cliff-edge, they apparently
did. Not the best musical night of
the year, and I’m still pondering
as to whose fault it was. -
Nick Morgan |
 |
TASTING
TWO YOUNG LAPHROAIG |
| Laphroaig
10 yo 'Cask Strength' (57.8%, OB,
batch #001- FEB.09)
These new ‘small batch’
editions will replace our beloved
‘10CS’. Hope the quality
won’t be replaced! Colour: pale
gold. Nose: holy smokes! This one
smells just like an ashtray full of
lit Habanos at first nosing. It seems
that it’s rather more extreme
in its smokiness than the earlier
batches, less fruity too. Also a lot
of leather and notes of ‘new
tyres’ that remind me of some
PEs. Not really medicinal, that is,
even if there are whiffs of antiseptic.
Fresh walnuts. Spectacular whisky!
With water: smoke, smoke and smoke,
of all kinds. And cigars, and leather.
Also a little earthy. Mouth (neat):
extremely punchy, fruitier than on
the nose when neat (ripe apples),
very peaty, clean… Once again,
the smokiness is quite extreme, a
little Supernova-esque. With water:
much more on earth and roots, gentian,
a little aniseed, salt, badian…
Finish: very long, distinctly salty.
Quite ashy in the aftertaste. Comments:
rather less fruity and balanced/complex
than earlier ‘regular’
batches but smokier and ashier. Yes,
even more for peat heads. Extreme
but very, very good. SGP:258
- 89 points. |
| Laphroaig
1998/2009 (55.5%, Malts of Scotland,
cask #MOS15, 201 bottles)
Colour: dark gold.
Nose: another one that is quite extreme!
Something like… smoked chocolate?
There’s also quite some liquorice,
straight smoke, strongly infused herbal
tea, bandages, then tropical fruits
such as passion fruits, then tar,
another kind of smoke (bordering on
exhaust fumes), raisins… This
one goes in all directions, it’s
really restless. With water: it’s
the sherry that comes out first (and
sour apples) but it really converges
with the 10CS after that. Bandages,
a little manure, even horse dung,
that sometimes happens with extreme
peat ‘n’ sherry combos.
Mouth (neat): big, starting on more
straight sherry, rather sweet, some
‘coal-like’ liquorice
and something like smoked strawberry
jam (I know, that does not exist).
Once again, the combo is quite extreme,
even if rather sweeter than other
sherried ‘phroaigs. With water:
gets rather more tannic and dry, with
some oak (or pencil shavings) and
much less sherry. Bitter herbal liqueur,
blackcurrant leaves. Finish: long,
more on salted liquorice. Leathery
and tarry. Remainder of the fruitiness
in the aftertaste (oranges). Comments:
a complex yet big young sherried Laphroaig,
really multifaceted. With such a concentration,
you wouldn’t quaff 10cls just
like that but spectacular it is. SGP:457
- 90 points. |
| |
|
October
15, 2009 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
THE NEW BRORA IN SOLO
What, in solo? Not
quite, as I’ll secretly oppose
it to another 30yo, the Brora 30yo
1972/2003 (49.7%, Douglas Laing Platinum,
222 bottles). Remember, tasting new
whiskies alongside both reference
whiskies (popular whiskies that you
know very well) and whiskies from
the same distillery is a way of reducing
a bit the amount of subjectivity in
one’s assessments. Well, at
least it should be. |
| Brora
30 yo 2009 Edition (53.2%, OB, 2,652
bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: there’s
much less sherry than in the 1972
but rather more smoke, wax, vanilla
and herbal notes, which makes me think
of a strongly peated Clynelish if
you see what I mean, with also something
of the ‘old’, pre-Brora
Clynelish. Ooh, this is complicated,
isn’t it! It is not as farmy
as the first 30yos and rather cleaner,
coated with a little more vanilla,
notes of fresh walnuts and some medicinal
notes ala old Laphroaig (embrocations,
gauze). The smokiness fades away a
bit after quite some minutes, leaving
room for more fresh fruits such s
white peaches and gooseberries. With
water: becomes a little grassier as
often. Rather less smoke, rather more
wax, even more ‘Clynelish’.
Wet rocks, whiffs of seaweed. Mouth
(neat): powerful, the first thing
I’m thinking of is some kind
of mildly smoked fruits. Gooseberries
again, apples, a little lemon…
Rather less smoky than on the nose,
and less waxy too, that is to say
a little less ‘Brora’
globally - so far. A lot of liquorice.
With water: superb now, with a perfect
coherence and compactness. A little
mustard coming through, the obvious
waxiness is back, herbal liqueurs,
cough sweets, some marzipan, playful
notes of juicy apples (granny smith?)
and quite some ash. Finish: long,
saltier, more on lemon, almonds and
a little green tea. The wood is perfect.
Comments: there’s much more
peat smoke on the nose than on the
palate. A very interesting Brora halfway
between the early 70s’ austere
majesty and the 80s’ waxy fruitiness.
In a certain way, it reminds me of
the old 20yo 1975 Rare Malts but with
more fruits. Excellent once again!
SGP:465 - 91 points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening:
the great Don
Cherry wandering off
the tracks of jazz with this funky
Universal
Mother (that was on 1976's Hear
& Now). Please buy Don Cherry's
music. |
 |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical: a heavy month!
Ar2
(58.8%, Specialty Drinks, Elements of Islay,
2009, 50cl)
Ardbeg
'Corryvreckan' (57.1%, OB, general
release, 2009)
Ben
Nevis 34 yo 1975/2009 (63.0%,
The Prestonfield for LMdW, bourbon barrel, cask
#7439, 146 bottles)
Ben
Nevis 35 yo 1967/2002 (50.1%, Hart
Bros, Sherry wood)
Brora
30 yo 2009 Edition (53.2%, OB, 2,652
bottles)
Glenglassaugh
40 yo (44.6%, OB, decanter, 2009)
Glenlivet
1982/2009 (52.2%, Berry Bros &
Rudd, cask #4340)
Karuizawa
1967/2009 (58.4%, OB for La Maison
du Whisky, cask #6426, 229 bottles)
Karuizawa
1967/2009 (58.4%, OB for The Whisky
Exchange 10th anniversary, cask #6426)
Karuizawa
1972/2008 (65%, The Number One Drinks
Company, Sherry cask #7290, 528 bottles)
Laphroaig
1998/2009 (55.5%, Malts of Scotland,
cask #MOS15, 201 bottles)
Octomore
5 yo ‘Edition 02.1’ (62.5%,
OB, 2009)
|
| |
|
|
