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Hi, you're in the Archives, September 2007 - Part 1 |
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September
14, 2007 |
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TASTING
– TEN AUCHENTOSHANS
We often had problems with young Auchentoshans,
which we feel are/were either too
caramelised (the OB’s) or too
‘simply’ fruity and porridgy
/ yoghurty (the uncaramelised IB’s)
for us. Let’s see if we’ll
change our mind... |
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Auchentoshan
12 yo (40%, OB, square flat bottle,
early 1980’s)
We already had the 43% version and
didn’t like it too much (68).
Colour: gold. Nose: a rather mineral
and even smoky and ashy start, which
is unexpected. Gets then more buttery
and fruity (tinned pineapples). Hints
of lychees and mint and then cereals
and caramel. More menthol arising
with time. Much nicer than other batches
of these old Auchentoshans. Mouth:
quite bold, very malty despite triple
distillation, cereally, slightly toasted
and much less fruity than on the nose.
Gets very dry, which is odd I think.
Quite cardboardy. Finish: pretty long
but too dry and malty, reminding me
of some strong beers. Not my taste
but it’s still a little better
than other old versions I think. 71
points. |
| Auchentoshan
9 yo 1992/2001 (46%, Signatory, UCF,
cask #6229, 331 bottles)
Colour: very pale
white wine. Nose: very typical of
a young Auchentoshan. Milk, porridge,
yoghurt and tinned fruits (oranges,
pineapples). Mouth: grainy and fruity,
on pears, apples and plums. Kirsch?
Tastes more and more like fruit eau-de-vie,
or newborn armagnac (what they call
‘blanche’ over there).
Hints of almond milk. Finish: quite
long, still very fruity, with notes
of distillation, quite some pepper
and a little porridge. I guess one
could drink this like vodka (now that
we’re mentioning that, the finish
is like a Zubrovska’s). 71
points. |
 |
| Auchentoshan
8 yo 1992/2001 (46%, Signatory, UCF,
cask #7726, 348 bottles)
Colour: very pale
white wine. Nose: similar at first
nosing but develops towards much more
citrus notes. More expressive but
sharper. Hints of seltzer, aspirin.
Maybe a little more oak but there’s
little of it anyway. Mouth: almost
the same as cask #6229, maybe just
a tad bolder and cleaner. Finish:
all on pear spirit this time, with
hints of oak and white pepper. A tad
better. 73 points. |
| Auchentoshan
10 yo 1992/2002 (46%, Signatory UCF,
cask #6251, 318 bottles)
Colour: very pale white wine.
Nose: a little softer, smoother and
better balanced than the 8yo’s,
thanks to further ageing I imagine.
Hints of ashes again, pear spirit,
apple juice, sweetened yoghurt. Not
much character but the cleanliness
is pleasant. Mouth: just the same
again, very little differences this
time. Maybe faint hints of curry and
a little more vanilla. Finish: same
as the second 8yo. Pear spirit, oak
and white pepper. 73 points. |
| Auchentoshan
1991/2007 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd,
Cask #481)
Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re
still in the same vein but it seems
that further ageing worked its magic
here. More vanilla, more fruits (less
pears and apples but more strawberries
and rhubarb as well as ripe kiwis
and tinned lychees). The same whiffs
of menthol as in the old official
10yo. Now, we’re still closer
to new fruit or wine spirit than to
well aged malt we think. Probably
from a fairly inactive cask. Mouth:
again, it’s similar to the previous
ones, including the 8yo’s, just
a bit rounder and softer again. The
porridgy notes have partly vanished,
there’s a little more vanilla,
hints of grenadine, orange cake and
grass... Quite pleasant actually.
Finish: a little longer, rounded,
orangey, with a little candy sugar.
It got better while doubling its age
when compared with the 8yo’s:
75 points. Now you
can calculate how much time it would
need to fetch 90 (c’mon Serge,
maturation is anything but linear!)
Quite far from the stellar 1983/2004
by the same bottler (90!) |
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Auchentoshan
25 yo 1981/2006 (55.7%, Murray McDavid
Mission Gold, enhanced in mourvèdre
casks, 350 bottles)
Mourvèdre is a spicy yet rather
austere grape variety from the south
of the Rhône valley, it’s
the main (sometimes the sole) ingredient
of red Bandol. Colour: gold. Nose:
it’s the wine that talks first
but in this case, I guess it’s
good news, as it seems to me that
Auchentoshan really needs good cask
support. We do have these ashy and
flinty notes again in the background
but other that that it’s all
on blackcurrants (including the buds
and even the leaves) and cherry stalks,
just before the spirit unexpectedly
fires back (orange squash and pear
spirit). An amusing version. |
| Mouth:
yes it’s funny, the malt tries
to tell you something (pears) but
the wine is soon to overwhelm the
whole, albeit in a pleasant way, as
we have the same blackcurrant / cherry
/ orange combo happening (including
the respective jams), with maybe just
a faint rubber and notes of tawny
Port. Finish: frankly ‘jammy’
now, reminding me of what we call
‘confiture de vieux garçon’
(a jam made out of various fruits
and fruit spirits plus cloves, Chinese
anise and just any other spices you
feel like adding). A good example
of a finishing that probably improved
the original liquid quite a lot. 80
points. |
Auchentoshan
31 yo 1966/1997 (45.1%, OB, cask #509,
hogshead) 
This one should tell us a different
story. Colour: gold. Nose: quite amazingly,
the pearish notes are still there
but sort of coated with a very elegant
oakiness (certainly not of the varnishy
/ antique shop / newly sawn plank
type). We’ve got even more menthol
now, orange liqueur, a lot of vanilla
not unlike in a bourbon, thuja box,
fir honey and milk chocolate. All
that noses younger than 31yo. Goes
on with a little coconut and church
incense as well as white pepper and
touches of nutmeg. Very lively and
complex. Mouth: really excellent!
Superb attack, rather unusual in fact,
with lots of resin sweets, mint, chocolate,
roasted nuts, nougat... Gets even
more honeyed after a while, with a
permanent oaky underline of the highest
grade. Gets quieter after the rather
wham-bam attack, more candied and
classically jammy (orange marmalade).
Very classy. |
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| Finish:
maybe not as long as expected, reminding
me of the greatest arracks, on notes
of dates and a little apricot jam
together with ‘true’ vanilla,
with a resinous aftertaste. Complex
and excellent, high-grade wood. 90
points. (thanks, Ho-cheng). |
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Auchentoshan
29 yo 1973/2002 (55.8%, OB, Sherry,
cask #793) 
Colour: amber. Nose: this one is even
punchier but not pungent in any way,
starting on ultra-clean sherry, all
on sultanas, figs, old rum and overripe
bananas. Another whisky that one could
mistake for rum. Goes on with quite
some coffee, milk chocolate, orange
blossom water getting then much more
resinous, not unlike the 1966. Quite
superb I must say, even if no distillery
character manages to shine through
as far as we can tell. Mouth: there’s
the same resinous notes at the attack,
it’s almost as if you drank
fir liqueur. The sherry is more discreet
now and it’s the wood that does
all the talking. Quite some tannins,
grape skin and pips... Gets a little
drying I must say. Notes of strawberry
and fig jam, hints of aniseed. Not
as great as on the nose. |
| Finish:
long but still quite woody and drying.
It seems that the spirit did nothing
but extract cask components, including
the former content. Brilliant whisky
on the nose but quite unbalanced on
the palate in my opinion. 79
points (for the nose). |
| Auchentoshan
17 yo 1987 (61.5%, OB, cask #1659,
552 bottles, sherry butt)
Colour: paler amber. Nose: the first
impression is ‘more wine, less
oak’. Rancio, various sweet
wines (Rivesaltes, white Port), cherry
stalks but also quite some rubber
and notes of sulphur. Too much wine
for my tastes anyway, it’s strange
that it didn’t mingle with the
spirit a little better over 17 years.
Or is this a finishing? Reracking?
With water: oh, that released a lot
of sulphur and heavy notes of cooked
wine as well as cooking herbs (bay
leaves, lovage, juniper berries).
And oyster sauce? Mouth (neat): quite
better, slightly salty, nutty, sherried
and honeyed, but it’s too hot,
let’s try it with water. Right,
it got fruitier, quite jammy, slightly
salty but not really interesting.
Finish: long, saltier, more cereally,
with a lot of wood. 77 points. |
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Auchentoshan
16 yo 1988 (58.9%, OB, cask #4445,
barrel)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: extremely
shy after the sherried versions. A
little butter, a little oak, a little
apple juice and basta. Maybe hints
of fresh hazelnuts. Let’s give
it a little more time... Yes, that
works, there’s a delicate smokiness
arising, cold ashes, flint stones,
‘hot hay in the fields in august’,
this rather heavy minty note again,
kumquats, smoked tea... Quite superb
I must say, but don’t forget
to give this one time. With water:
it gets grassier, on green tea. Interesting
notes of lettuce. Mouth (neat): punchy
but drinkable, with a lot of mint
again but, alas, also some rather
aggressive tannins. With water: too
bad, it got simpler, without any of
the great notes we found on the nose.
The finish is medium long, much more
on apples, pears and fruit eau-de-vie,
just like some of the much younger
versions we tried at the beginning
of this session. And maybe notes of
fresh mushrooms. But what a nose!
82 points. |
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September
13, 2007 |
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| TASTING
– EIGHT MILTONDUFFS (and why
not?) |
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Miltonduff 12 yo (43%, OB, 1990’s)
We’ve tried this one several
times in the past but never gotten
around to writing notes… Colour:
pale straw. Nose: all grains, fresh
apples and pears, porridge, malt and
dandelions. Typical middle-of-the
road single malt, rather flawless
but not really interesting, getting
quite cardboardy after a moment. Mouth:
very sweet, grainy, sugary…
Quite some body but the profile is
a little unbalanced. Too grainy I’d
say. Grenadine syrup. Finish: medium
long, maltier, a little toasted, cereally…
In short, very average. 73
points. |
| Milton-Duff
12 yo (43%, OB, Spirit Genova, early
1980's)
Miltonduff – or Milton-Duff
–, just like Glen Grant, used
to be a very big name in Italy in
the 1970’s and 1980’s
I believe. Colour: straw. Nose: much
more interesting! Big fruits (the
usual apples and pears but also notes
of passion fruits and certainly lychees)
followed by quite some incense, old
roses, orange blossom water, muscat
wine… Extremely demonstrative!
Also hints of white chocolate, ‘a
pack of marshmallows that you just
opened’, strawberry flavoured
lollipops... Quite sugary in fact,
quite unusual and spectacular. Keep
the children away! Mouth: not in the
same league, alas, for we just have
these bubblegummy notes remaining,
tinned lychees, ‘cheap’
Turkish delights… Gains a little
steam with time but the whole resembles
more a fruit liqueur than malt whisky.
Finish: better again, rather long,
maltier, a little nutty, but nowhere
near the very interesting nose. 78
points. |
| Milton-Duff
Glenlivet 5 yo (40%, OB, Italy, 1970's)
Bottled by George Ballantine &
son (Rings a bell)… Colour:
straw. Nose: much less extravagantly
fruity, much more on grains and porridge,
but also with a little smoke, ashes,
toasted bread… Nice freshness
I must say but little happening here.
Maybe faint hints of ham? Mouth: good
news, it’s much, much better
on the palate. Much less shy although
maybe a little more sugary than fruity,
but with nice notes of orange sweets,
tinned pineapples, simple ‘hotel’
honey (unidentified provenance and
flowers but does not run – welcome
to the modern world), a little praline,
peanut butter… |
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| More
and more oomph actually, it’s
not the same whisky as on the nose
at all. Also big malty notes. Finish:
unexpectedly long, sugary, malty,
honeyed and ‘good’. 79
points (for the palate, obviously). |
Milton-Duff
13 yo (43%, OB, Salengo Import, Screw
cap, Ballantine bottle shape, late
70's) 
Colour: gold. Nose: oh this is nice!
Much nicer, in any case. Loads of
overripe apples, vanilla pods and
rhubarb pie, with a little oak in
the background and quite some spearmint,
green tea (uninfused), shoe polish…
A different dimension. Also dried
mint leaves and chamomile. Excellent
freshness like in the 5yo, except
that there isn’t only that freshness.
Slight smokiness (coal). Mouth: amazingly
creamy, almost thick body. Really
powerful. Starts on mint liqueur and
quite some salt, as well as cooked
apricots (without too much sugar)
and apple pie. Almost like well-made
pastries. Croissants? (excuse my Frenchness).
Gets rounder and sort of appeased
with time, still quite toasted that
is. Amazingly full bodied, in any
case. Finish: extremely long, more
liquoricy and salty. A rather stunning
beast at just 43%, and no signs of
OBE whatsoever. 88 points. |
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| Miltonduff
15 yo (46%, OB, Special Distillery
Bottling, +/-1998)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one
starts very grainy, very malty and
slightly dusty, with just hints of
lilies. Then we have more and more
old wood plus a little mint. Something
bizarrely watery and a little soap
(err, soapy water). Hints of liquorice.
Not too great I’m afraid. Mouth:
a rather meaty, beefy attack with
quite some old wood again and then
a very shy middle. Quite some caramel,
that is. Gets even woodier with time.
Finish: medium long, curiously prickly,
tannic, woody, drying… Not ugly
but quite disappointing, this one.
Alcoholised tea? 73 points. |
| Miltonduff
38 yo 1966/2004 (41.3%, DT Peerless,
cask #1011, 178 bottles)
This one was probably distilled roughly
at the same time as the official 13yo.
Colour: pale gold. Nose: not a ‘fruity
debauchery’ this time, rather
a delicate mix of flowers from the
fields (our usual dandelions and buttercups
but also a little lily of the valley)
with white peaches and bananas, all
that spiced up with a little wood
smoke and, just like in the 13 yo,
notes of spearmint and shoe polish,
all that making for a rather perfect
balance. Gets suddenly bolder, with
quite some orange squash and a rather
beautiful oakiness (whiffs of farmyard
as well). Great nose, very appealing
and sort of crystalline. Mouth: not
as woody as I had feared but not really
bold either, rather delicate again,
polished, all on very ripe fruits
and jams such as plums, melons and
very sweet oranges. Notes of pollen
and light honey. Not too much character
I’d say but it’s very,
very pleasant. Finish: not very long
but enjoyably soft and ‘softly
fruity’, like a mixture of banana
and apricot juices. And no specific
woodiness that I can get. Very good
and highly sippable. 88 points.
(and thanks, Hans) |
| Miltonduff
1966/1990 (61.4%, Antica Casa Marchesi
Spinola, 75cl)
A 1966 again. Colour: mahogany. Nose:
but what a great sherry! Demonstrative
is too weak a word; this is an explosion
of sherry. Typical assortment of raisins,
cooked fruits (strawberries, blackcurrants,
blackberries) and flowers (peonies
or some orchids) but it’s really
too powerful, water is needed. With
water: a fantastic vinosity! Winey
notes can be a problem in whisky but
it’s all pleasure here. Old
high-end Sauterne (I had old Raymond-Lafons
that smelled almost exactly like this
Miltonduff), overripe apricots, quinces,
dried pears, dried longans…
Add to that a little tar and a little
ginger for good measure as well as
hints of chives and parsley (and soy
sauce) and you get a fab ‘sherried’
nose. Mouth (neat): extremely thick,
rich and concentrated but absolutely
not cloying or too fat. Just too powerful
to be enjoyed when undiluted…
So, with water: all in keeping with
the nose! All fruits of the creation
(most crystallised or dried), all
soft spices and all herbs, a beautiful
oakiness, a totally perfect balance
and a finish alike. Totally exciting
and eminently drinkable. 94
points. (and thanks,
Johan) |
| Miltonduff
1994/2006 (55.8%, Norse Cask, 329
bottles)
The only recently distilled expression
of Miltonduff we’ll have today,
should be interesting. Colour: pale
gold. Nose: well, there are resemblances
indeed even if this one is much ‘younger’.
We have the same notes of flowers
from the fields (dandelions and gang)
plus a little honey and pollen, plus
‘rounded’ fruits such
as bananas (not big, bold, ‘obvious’
ones) and tinned pineapples. Whiffs
of wood smoke as well, coal, ashes…
Not complex at all but balance is
already achieved. Mouth: all fruits
and light honey. Finish: same. Perfect
all-round, sweet and fruity whisky
that’s flawless but won’t
really make you scratch your head.
Typical 80 points
malt I think. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
Yeah, we’re in 1968 today and
Françoise
Hardy sings her popular
Comment
te dire adieu.mp3 (lyrics by Serge
Gainsbourg). No, Jimmy Sommerville
didn't compose that one. Please buy
Fançoise’s music, she’s
still recording wonderful songs. (photo:
FH and a friend). |
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September
12, 2007 |
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TASTING
– FIVE IRISH |
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Craoi na Móna (40%, Berry Bros
& Rudd, 2007)
Craoi na Móna means "heart
of peat" in Gaelic, so this is
peaty, probably from Cooley’s.
By chance we have both the official
Connemara NAS and the 12yo on our
desk, so we’ll have the opportunity
to compare them. Colour: white wine
(paler than the officials). Nose:
similar to the official 12 and certainly
less ‘simple’ (albeit
pleasantly simple) than the NAS; less
focus our comparison on the 12yo from
now on. Actually, the BBR is a tad
less bold, but just as fruity and
smoky as the 12. Apple skin, paraffin,
birch smoke, almond milk... Less on
cider apples than the 12. Gentler
and rounder in fact. Mouth: again,
this one is softer and gentler than
the 12 but the general profile is
more or less the same. Light peat,
quite some salt, oyster juice, apple
juice, hints of liquorice... We’re
not quite used to 40% ABV anymore
so the body is a bit thin perhaps.
Finish: rather short but ‘cleanly
peaty’ and still quite salty.
I’d put this one just between
the official NAS (75) and 12 (79),
so let’s say 77 points.
A good, gentle introduction to peat. |
Power’s
Gold (43%, OB, John Power & Sons
for Martini & Rossi, France, 75cl,
bottled 1970’s) 
Colour: straw. Nose: wow, truckloads
of fresh walnuts, apple peelings and
wax at first nosing. Quite beautiful
even if not really bold. Much less
cereally and caramelly than other
old versions we could try. Rather
clean but not especially ‘Irish’
(but my sense of Irishness may be
twisted). Hints of peat, wet clay,
green cigars like they make in Indonesia,
green tea... An excellent surprise
I must say. Mouth: alright, it’s
not as suprisingly good as on the
nose but still very pleasant, waxy
and nicely ‘green’ (nut
skins). And then we have the expected
fruitiness (hints of dried pears,
oranges). Gets more bitter with time,
burnt bread, liquorice sticks... Finish:
not too long but always in the same
direction. Hints of strawberry liqueur.
A good ol’whiskey, certainky
not toothless. 83 points (and
thanks, Jean). |
Cooley
10 yo (59.8%, Cadenhead, 222 bottles,
bottled 2003) 
Colour: straw. Nose: raw peat, coffee,
bitter almonds and alcohol. With water:
it got all on raw wool, wet dog, lots
of apple peelings and even more bitter
almonds. Quite simple but perfect
‘raw’ profile. Mouth (neat):
peaty and very lemony (lime), ultra-grassy,
with also loads of fresh hazelnuts,
almonds and walnuts. Very good I must
say but the high alcohol makes it
a little too sugarish when neat. With
water: now it got excellent, just
excellent. Perfect balance between
peat, resins and grassiness. Finish:
maybe not extraordinarily long but
still perfectly balanced, with a slight
saltiness. This will hold a candle
to many youngish Islayers. 86
points. |
| Cooley
12 yo (59.7%, Cadenhead, 234 bottles,
bottled 2004)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: a little
less raw, more complex, fruitier and
more expressive (liquorice). Better
wood as well I think. With water:
well, this got quite fantastic I must
say. Still a little simple but marvellously
waxy and a little resinous / medicinal
as well. Great notes of high-grade
Chinese green tea (if I write ‘rolling
clouds’ you’ll say I’m
showing off, won’t you?) Mouth
(neat): better balanced than the 10yo,
earthier but even hotter despite similar
ABV’s. Excellent mint and camphor,
though, as well as fresh nuts again.
With water: Ardbeg, go out of this
body! Finish: longer than the 10yo’s,
perfect. 88 points. |
| Cooley
14 yo (58.7%, Cadenhead, 222 bottles,
bottled 2006)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: even better
when nosed neat. More fragrant (bold
notes of roses), honey, orange marmalade,
lots of vanilla. And the big peat
underneath the whole. With water:
a little more marked by the oak than
the 12 but roughly in the same vein.
More vanilla that makes it smell rounder.
But beautiful... Mouth (neat): very
close to the 12 when neat, but with
extra-complexity. Is that salted liquorice?
‘The good side of aspirin’,
cinchona... With water: just excellent,
with more wood, more spices (is that
curry?) Finish: this one is very long,
with quite some added peppery notes.
Very active cask it seems, good idea
not to have waited any longer to bottle
it. Well, it seems that the peated
Cooleys get really superb with age
– some of them, in any case
(we’ve had a 13yo by the same
bottler that wasn’t even near
these three wonders). Worth hunting
down anyway methinks. 90 points. |
| BY
THE WAY, we just stumbled
upon this rather funny new blend named
Feckin
Irish Whiskey. Well,
isn’t this a good way of appealing
to the yoof? They say it’s ‘a
whisky for the rogue in all of us’,
but also that it’s a ‘smooth
blend’. Holy fudge, darlin'!
(via liquor
snob) |
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| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
Let’s listen to More
than this.mp3 today, but not Roxy
Music’s version, rather
Charlie
Hunter’s (featuring
Norah Jones – that was in 2001
on Hunter’s CD ‘Songs
from the Analog Playground’).
Yes I know this is very easy music
but please buy Charlie Hunter’s
music... |
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September
11, 2007 |
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| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
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MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
Rock,
Onic & Bob, who
claim to be the 'baddest banjolele
band in Brighton' do The
sun goes down.mp3. Excellent,
please buy their music. Well,
actually, they give it for free...
|
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| TASTING
– FIVE PRETTY OLD MACALLANS |
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|
Macallan-Glenlivet 17yo 1962/1979
(80°proof, Cadenhead's for Samaroli,
360 bottles)
This one is famous for having been
a totally unsherried version. Colour:
white wine. Nose: really fresh, fruity
and flowery, with no sherry indeed.
Very unusual (at the time, that is).
Quite some wood smoke, but it’s
also very mashy, grainy, porridgy...
Very nice hints of fresh mint leaves,
though, as well as grape juice. Hints
of cod oil, ginger tonic, soda water...
Well, this one isn’t really
exciting I’d say; although there
are also very nice notes of earl grey
tea, various herbal teas... Mouth:
sweetish-weakish attack, with the
mint upfront, something slightly camphory,
then lavender sweets, a little tar...
Gets dryer and even cardboardy after
a moment, and not much middle. Fades
away even when you still have it in
your mouth. Finish: short, still a
little cardboardy, but with that pleasant
mintiness and also a faint oiliness.
A vanishing unsherried Macallan, interesting
but rather unsatisfying. Now, the
nose was very nice in its own way.
79 points. |
| Macallan-Glenlivet
15yo (80°proof, G&M Licensed,
Gold Label, mid 1970’s)
Colour: amber. Nose: immediately
smoky again (wood smoke) and toasted,
with notes of roasted nuts and fresh
putty. Quite resinous indeed. Gets
even smokier with time, with also
quite some toasted bread. Very faint
soapiness in the background. Gets
more winey after a moment, with notes
of strawberry jam and blackcurrant
syrup. Very nice nose, ancient style.
Mouth: much, much more body than in
the 1962. Very smoky, toasty and resinous
again, with classic sherry in the
background, that takes the lead only
after quite some time. Sultanas and
Corinth raisons, armagnac (a lot),
prunes, milk chocolate... And prune-filled
chocolate like they make in Austria
(I like that a lot!) Excellent body.
Finish: rather long, sherried and
toasted, very classic. This one has
still lots to tell us. Excellent,
90 points. |
| Macallan
1958 (80°proof, OB, Campbell,
Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, early
1970’s)
This one is a 15yo according to the
presentation box. Nose: ah, now its
the antiques shop version. It starts
all on beeswax, furniture and leather
polish, linseed oil, leather... Really
beautiful. ‘Grandma’s
cupboard’, old schooner’s
deck, roasted nuts, toasted brioche...
A superb dryness before we get more
fruits such as dried dates and figs,
dried bananas... Also quite some coffee
and toffee. High-end fruitcake. Perfect
old Macallan. Mouth: starts a bit
like the 15yo but gets then thicker,
creamier, more sherried. In short,
bold. Loads of Smyrna raisins, fruitcake,
prunes, blackcurrant jelly, quince,
raspberry liqueur, orange liqueur,
a little mint, a little camphor and
a little eucalyptus (nutshell: cough
syrup). Perfect. Long finish, warming,
coating, almost hot after all these
years. A radiant old Macallan. 93
points. (and thanks,
Luc) |
| Macallan
1954 (80°proof, OB, Campbell,
Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, late
1960’s)
Colour: dark gold (paler than the
1958). Nose: probably less sherry
than in the 1958, but even more elegance.
More straightforward, more mineral,
ashy, beautifully metallic, flinty...
Also more on mint / eucalyptus, old
turpentine, linseed oil... It’s
only after a few minutes that more
definite notes of sherry come through,
sultanas, rum, gooseberries... Superb
notes of leather polish as well. Again,
extremely elegant. Mouth: totally
fantastic. Stunning balance and stunning
complexity, fresh fruits, sherry,
oak and malt. Thrilling mouth feel.
Let me give you just a sample of all
you get in this one: sultanas, tangerines,
wax, fir honey, very old pu-erh tea,
Russian tobacco, mint drops, old rancio,
smoke... right, right, the rest will
be censored by WF’s integrated
anti-maltoporn brigade. One of these
bottles that helped to build the Macallan’s
legend I think, and further proof
that not only old whiskies that are
dark in colour are fabulous. 96
points. (and heartfelt
thanks, Bert V.) |
| Macallan
29yo 1965/1994 (49%, Signatory, cask
#1058, 256 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: this is rather
interesting, it smells just like if
you had vatted the 1958 with the 1954
(no I won’t try that, I’m
not that crazy). A little bit of bother
worlds, the sherriness with raisins,
blackcurrants and fruitcake, and the
minerality with ashes, flints and
metal polish. Funny notes of peanut
butter, high-end empty red wine barrique.
Something quite farmy, animal... (wet
hay, hare). Totally beautiful again
even if a little less ‘idiosyncratic’.
Mouth: quite some extra-zing thanks
to the extra-3%. Superb smoke, Corinth
raisins, prunes, armagnac, resin,
funny hints of sage and thyme, chestnut
honey, strawberry and blackberry jam...
Juts a tad tannic, which can happen
with single casks but rarely with
large vatting such as the officials
that we just had. The drawback of
artisan work I guess. But otherwise
it’s superb whisky, typically
Macallan. Finish: quite long, mostly
on sherry and fruit liqueur, with
just a little rum. Totally excellent
Macallan by Signatory Vintage. 93
points. (and thanks,
Alexandre) |
| |
|
September
10, 2007 |
|
|
| MUSIC
– Highly recommended
viewing: this fantastic brand
new clip by Bob Dylan.
He’s got a message for you,
don’t miss it. Seriously, it’s
really great Web marketing by Columbia
records, kudos to them. LOL ! |
 |
 |
TASTING
– TWO PORT ELLENS
Port Ellen 23 yo 1983/2006 (51.8%,
Douglas of Drumlanrig)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: very typical
but even more crystal-clean yet
slightly buttery. Green apples,
peat smoke, sea water and lemon
juice. Goes on with newly cut grass,
green tea, lime juice, wet hay,
moss... Really sharp and raw but
very pleasantly so. Whiffs of fresh
mint, fennel – or is it dill?
|
| Mouth:
sweeter but quite explosive, all on
apple skin, salt and big bold peat,
with quite some pepper but not too
much and a sweeter ‘citrusness’
(or is it ‘citrusity’?)
Tangerine sweets, ‘Mexican lemon
and tequila sweets’ –
with the worm (note that I spat it
out when I tried this), over-infused
green tea, more pepper... Excellent
and very direct, even if not monstrously
complex. And no flaws. Finish: long
but maybe a tad sugary now, which
tastes a bit odd here. Too bad, it
could have made it to more than just
89 points in my books.
But it’s a great example of
a very ‘natural’ Port
Ellen. |
| Port
Ellen 24 yo 1982/2006 (60.4%, Bladnoch
Forum, cask #2461, 644 bottles)
It was about time I tried this one!
Colour: gold. Nose: smoother and rounder
than the 1983, even at 60+%. More
vanilla and more lactic notes, and
maybe less peat. Hints of liquorice
sticks, roots, wet earth, apple peelings...
With water: something slightly chemical
arises, not exactly sulphur, rather
something like new plastics (brand
new Renault ;-)) Also whiffs of asparagus
cooking water, cabbage... Cheese?
I wouldn’t say it’s flawed,
at all, just quite ‘different’
from what we’re used to. Maybe
one shouldn’t add water to this
one but you can’t down a 60%
whisky just like that, can you? Things
settle down after a while, though,
the whole getting more porridgy. ‘Peated
mashed potatoes’. Mouth (neat):
much, much closer to the 1983 now,
only bigger, hotter and a little more
peppery. Very similar profiles but
water is really needed here. With
water: it changes, on orange tonic,
Schweppes, aspirin, something a bit
chalky and quite some salt. Definitely
mineral, with the wood’s spiciness
slowly arising (mostly white and black
pepper). Finish: long, definitely
on peat and pepper, with something
interestingly Taliskerish. A different
Port Ellen, maybe not one to buy if
you never had any before but a very
interesting variant. 87 points. |
| |
September
9, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– SIX FREAKING NEW FINISHED
BENRIACHS |
 |
This is strange. I mean, imagine you
had bought a ‘silent’,
virtually unknown distillery. Then
you’ve revived the sleeping
giant, put its name amongst the blue
chips (some guys now collect Benriach
just like they collected Ardbeg),
and showed to an amazed world how
great your whiskies are... And then
you decide to launch wide flights
of quickly enhanced wineskies. Port,
Moscatel, Tokaji, Oloroso, Rum, whatever...
What does that mean? Call me a biased
traditionalist, call me an infuriating
French ostrich, call me a retrograde
wrongly zipped anorak or call me a
know-nothing, but I just don’t
get it. Many tried to convince me
and I’ve heard many half-truths
(and even insults), but I still don’t
like wine in my whisky (and god knows
that I love good wine). And as for
the ‘wood excuse’, I’m
sorry but many winemakers use the
same kind of wood and sometimes the
same barrel makers. Why would the
whiskies taste so different then,
if it was just for the wood? Yeah,
yeah, different interplays... Anyway,
let’s go for the New Big Lottery... |
Benriach
29 yo 1978/2007 (52.2%, OB, Lightly
peated, Moscatel finish, cask #4413,
216 bottles) 
Colour: deep amber with orangey hints.
Nose: sweet wine and peat. Barrel.
Farmyard. ‘Rich and luscious’
in a certain way but certainly winey.
I don’t like this profile but
it’s certainly well made. I
wrote ‘technological’.
Little distillery character. Mouth:
ultra-sweet and uber-fruity. No thanks.
Finish: long but in the same vein.
Cloying. Maybe I’m excessive
(apologies to the distillery, we absolutely
adore their ‘natural’
products) but this just isn’t
Scotch whisky I think. 65
points. |
| Benriach
29 yo 1978/2007 (52.5%, OB, Lightly
peated, Tokay finish, cask #4416,
264 bottles)
Colour: gold – apricot. Nose:
less winey, more on apricots, butter,
quinces and vanilla. Faint soapiness.
Notes of wine barrels again. A little
ginger and quite some oak. Little
distillery character. Mouth: much
better than the Moscatel but still
very winey. Pineapples and peat. Extremely
fruity. Nice premix. Finish: very
long, getting even sweeter. The strongest
pina colada ever? 78 points. |
| Benriach
31 yo 1975/2007 (53.7%, OB, Lightly
peated, Port finish, cask #4451, 708
bottles)
Colour: gold with salmony hues. Nose:
typical Port nose. Strawberries and
raspberries. Big-big grenadine. More
peat than in the two previous ones
but little distillery character. A
cocktail. Mouth: interesting! Not
whisky at all – not to mention
malt whisky – but sort of enjoyable.
Kind of a premix of raspberry liqueur
with grenadine syrup plus a dash of
pepper. Long finish, invading, coating,
almost thick. Of course I haven’t
the slightest right to decide on what’s
whisky and what isn’t, but this
just isn’t in my modest books.
But it’s good high-voltage wine
premix. 75 points. |
| Benriach
21 yo 1985/2007 (54.5%, OB, Richly
peated, Oloroso finish, cask #3766,
666 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: ah, this is more
to our likings. Big peat, vanilla,
sultanas and yellow peaches. Simple
but compact and rather satisfying.
Very little sherry character and no
vinosity. Pleasant cleanliness. Mouth:
thick, creamy, fruity and very peaty.
Tinned pineapples, blood oranges.
This works, definitely. Finish: long,
with an even better balance. All on
pepper and orange marmalade. 87
points. |
| Benriach
22 yo 1984/2007 (54.2%, OB, Richly
peated, Port finish, cask #4049, 288
bottles)
Colour: salmony. Nose: again, this
is much nicer than the 1975 we think.
Much more straightforward. It’s
as if the heavier peat had sort of
dissolved the wine here. Good pepper,
good smoke. The winey notes come out
only after a good five minutes (empty
barrel, wet wood). Pleasant meaty
notes (smoked ham, smoked beef). Mouth:
oh well, we’re ‘somewhere
else’ again. Strawberry-flavoured
tea, pepper, blackcurrant juice and
pomegranates. Lychees. Finish: long
again, like heavily peppered fortified
sangria. Not bad at all I must say.
Worth a try. 82 points. |
| Benriach
30 yo 1976/2007 (55.5%, OB, Richly
peated, Port finish, cask #4469, 798
bottles)
Colour: orangey – reddish. Nose:
kind of a mix of both Port finished
Benriachs we just tried. Obvious vinosity
but it’s not unbearable. Once
again, peat works as an anti-wine
of some sort. Seville oranges, Fanta,
pepper, Campari. ‘Pleasant’.
Mouth: very close to the 1984, just
a tad softer and rounder despite the
slightly higher ABV. Ripe kiwis. Fructose,
icing sugar, bubblegum. Finish: long
but very sugary and uber-fruity again.
Liquorice allsorts, jell-o, crystallised
pineapples. One of the sweetest old
whiskies I could try as far as I remember.
Sincerely, I think this is excessive,
but once again, just my opinion.,
no gospel and no bible of course.
77 points. |
| MUSIC
– JAZZ - Highly recommended
listening: I'm sorry, I haven't got
any good mp3 of hers at hand but you
should really go and throw an ear
at pianist Joanne
Brackeen's website. She's
always been a favourite of mine and
she'll always be. An utterly brilliant
and creative lady of jazz - please,
please, please but at least one of
her CD's (for instance the recent
Popsicle Illusion). |
 |
| |
September
8, 2007 |
|
|
| Rugby
- To our Argentinian readers, ¡felicitations! |
| |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
ZAPPATISTAS
Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London,
22nd August 2007 |
| This
was done on an impulse – or
maybe it was the result of an as yet
undiagnosed pizza addiction that’s
slowly gnawing its way through my
bones. Either way it’s the Pizza
Express Jazz Club in Soho. We’re
shoe-horned in next to a couple of
tables who are getting along like
a coach party on its way to Morecambe.
On one there’s Kevin and his
son Know-it-all-Nigel (aged 10), on
the other Brian and Belinda. Nigel,
who sensibly skips the Pizza and goes
straight for the Triple Chocolate
Glory (“mmm, I like it very
much, Daddy”), is a guitar nut
and probably headed for the school
of rock. |
 |
| He
loudly informs his weary-looking father
of a few salient rock facts –
“Did you know Daddy, that Jimmy
Page recorded the solo on ‘Stairway
to Heaven’ using a 1958 Fender
Telecaster that was a gift from his
Yardbirds band mate, Jeff Beck, and
a Supro amp? I like it very much”.
Then he turns on Brian – “Do
you play the guitar too?” “No”
says Brian, “Actually it’s
my 30th birthday and Belinda’s
brought me here for a special treat
(Birthday? Pizza? Just what sort of
treat is this, Serge?). But I did
try and play a long long time ago,
but you know I could just never get
the thing in tune. Bad ear I suppose”.
“Oh” says Know-it-all,
“But you don’t need to
use your ears. I’ve got a Peterson
VSS2 StroboStomp Pedal Tuner that
Granny bought me for over one hundred
pounds and it does it all for you.
I like it very much. Don’t you
have one?” And so it goes. By
the time they leave, they’re
swapping addresses and promising Christmas
cards and Nigel, somehow, has avoided
getting plates full of Pizza emptied
on his head. |
Max Factor ad |
| We’re
here to see a very superior sort of
tribute band – it’s jazz
giant, legend, and virtuoso John
Etheridge, of mid seventies
Soft Machine (he’s here later
in the week with his Soft Machine
Legacy too) and Stéphane Grappelli
fame, and his Zappatistas,
featuring Annie
Whitehead on trombone,
Steve
Lodder on keyboards,
Simon Bates on saxophone, a wonderful
trumpeter (not the regular guy) who’s
name I confess I didn’t manage
to get into the little black book.
The band was put together by Etheridge
(who’s about to tour the world
with the Placido Domingo of the classical
guitar, John Williams) and Lodder
as a one-off in 1998, but since then
they’ve played occasionally
and recorded one album, the wittily
titled ‘Live in Leeds’.
I have to remark that I’m not
a great Zappa fan (sorry Serge, it
must be like saying that I don’t
like motorbikes much, which I’m
afraid I don’t) – I mean
I can see the technical brilliance
of his music, the accomplishment of
his guitar playing (as a friend said
earlier today – “he was
a fantastic player, I mean he just
sounded as if he could go on and on
and on, which he often did”)
and the sly edge wittiness of his
lyrics but I just couldn’t get
engaged. If you must know that’s
also exactly how I feel about the
Marx Brothers – I got the astonishing
timing, the uber-surreal jokes, the
wisecracks, but it didn’t really
make me laugh. But Know-it-all has
got his mouth stuffed with ice cream
(silence at last!), I’m pizza
replete, so I’m in a good enough
humour for anything. |
| As
are the band, hustled and bustled
through the songs by musical director
Lodder who sits at his keyboards like
a Sergeant Major, barking orders and
gesticulating at the band as he orchestrates
their way through the songs. We may
all be having fun, but it’s
serous stuff, as Paul and Bruce in
the front row (down from Walsall for
a night in the big city – hello
boys) found out when they navigated
their way through the profusion of
music stands and half-inched some
sheet music (they tried to read it
upside down at first – typical
Brummies). And although various members
of the band choose to sit out some
of the other solos at the bar (leaving
a gesticulating Lodder angrily staring
into the crowd searching for them
when it’s their turn to play)
everyone turns in some pretty impressive
playing – not least of course
Etheridge, who uses Zappa's complex
arrangements as a vehicle for some
extravagant soloing. He’s good. |
 |
| “Daddy,
I think he’s rather good, but
I’m not sure that he’s
using his pinky enough in his fingering.
Do you think I should tell him?”
says Know-it-all, before Daddy eventually
whisks him away as he yells “Daddy,
I thought Mr Zappa used a Baby Snakes
SG with a 23rd fret and phase switches
and an onboard preamp, played through
his Pignose amplifier. Why isn’t
Mr Etheridge? And look at his pedal
configuration, that surely can’t
be right, he hasn’t got a Electro
Wagnerian Emancipator or a Electro-
Harmonix Big Muff….” |
| Well,
for all that nonsense we enjoyed ‘Peaches
en regalia’, ‘The grand
Wazoo’, ‘Let’s make
the water turn black’, ‘Eat
that question’ (Etheridge was
very hot here on a blues solo –
“why play 3 notes when you can
play 125?” said the Photographer),
‘Big Swifty’, ‘Zoot
allures‘, ‘King Kong’,
‘Harry you’re a beast’,
‘Oh no’, ‘Lumpy
gravy’ and ‘I am slime’.
And some remarkable solo work from
the brass section, and from quite
excellent bassist Rob
Statham. And after a chat with
Paul and Bruce from Walsall we left
happily into an unusually wet August
night for home, with the sound of
Serge’s favourite Mr Zappa,
and some excellent musicians, ringing
very pleasantly in our ears. -
Nick Morgan (gig photographs by Kate) |
FZ
and his SG: "Why play 125 notes
when you can play 500?" |
| Muchas
gracias Nick. As we already discussed,
the fact that musicians of such calibre
(notably Etheridge and Lodder) built
up a Zappa tribute band says a lot
about what luminaries think of Zappa’s
music. Even Boulez goes on playing
Zappa! Even Zapatero! On second thought,
maybe not Zapatero... But this is
probably the
best ‘Zappa’ website
today. As for the young Know-it-all,
wasn’t he kind of a little Muffin
man.mp3? (play it loud!)... ‘He
hung around till you found that he
didn’t know nuthin!’
FZ forever! - S. |
| TASTING
– THREE SMALL BATCH BLENDED
MALTS |
 |
|
It’s
definitely a trend. After John Glaser’s
or John, Mark and Robbo's blended
malts, or even La Maison du Whisky’s
assembling of two malts from different
distilleries (not to mention several
other examples), here are other small
batch ‘creations’. Maybe
not very appealing to hardcore malt
fans (if it ain’t single it
ain’t cool, baby) but we can’t
see why true drinkers wouldn’t
follow the path... Especially when
the 4-letter magic word appears on
the label (starts with a P, Sherlock...) |
| Tasty
Creation n°7 Peat & Fruit
(43%, Jean Boyer, vatted,
2006)
Colour: white wine. Nose: it doesn’t
smell like single malt indeed! There
must be some Caol Ila in this, or
maybe Laphroaig, plus what should
be a young Speysider. Maybe 20/80
or 30/70. The peatiness provides a
pleasant bed for several fruits such
as pears, gooseberries or fresh almonds.
Vanilla creme. It’s also a little
milky/mashy. Probably very young but
not unpleasant at all, even if it
noses like no other whisky we could
try (obviously, Serge!) Mouth: very
sweet and very fruity attack, the
peat really being there as a spice.
Tined pineapples, tangerines, papayas...
Hints of oak, peat, a little porridge...
Eminently, err, pleasant. Finish:
medium long, clean, just as fruity
and leaving your mouth as clean as
a baby’s. This one does what
it says on the label. Excellent value
but again, for ‘drinkers’.
79 points. |
| Tasty
Creation n°8 Sherry & Peat
(43%, Jean Boyer, vatted,
2006)
Colour: straw. Nose: much more peat
here, a bigger smokiness, it seems
that the proportions are much more
towards Islay. Notes of almonds, bitter
oranges, vanilla fudge, whiffs of
fresh putty, a little mint... And
then these milky/mashy notes again,
signs of young age (or of inactive
casks in some cases). This one is
a little less clean than n°7 but
displays more oomph. Oh, and also
very nice notes of sugarcane and aniseed.
Mouth: again, more oomph and more
peat (and more salt) than in n°7.
Peat and oranges, cloves, almonds,
oysters and lemons... Pepper, even
hints of horseradish. Gets bigger
and bigger and peatier and peatier.
Very good! Finish: rather long, with
hints of sherry indeed now and lots
of smoke, with also a little honey.
Excellent creation (or am I just a
hopeless peatophile?). 85
points. |
| Peat
2 Peat 10 yo (54.7%, Taste Still,
vatted, 2007)
Probably a vatting of two famous Islayers.
Colour: white wine. Nose: punchier
of course, starting right on wet wool,
porridge and chalk. Great notes of
pineapples in the background. Gets
a little more maritime with time (fresh
kelp) but also very ‘a visit
at a distillery on Islay’. Very
pleasant again. Mouth: raw yet not
unbalanced, punchy and very peaty
and lemony. Typical medicinal notes
(camphor, eucalyptus, iodine). Also
quite some liquorice sticks and gentian
roots. Big earthiness. Not much else
but I guess complexity wasn’t
the game here. I guess the bottler
wanted a true peat monster –
well, he succeeded. Finish: very long,
saltier now, with a lot of smoke,
peat and strong liquorice. Another
one for hopeless peatophiles, very
well made. 84 points. |
| |
September
7, 2007 |
|
|
|
MALT
MANIACS NEWSFLASH
Via
Luc Timmermans (Belgium) |
|
Left,
the Black Bowmore final edition,
right the new
Black Bowmore (paparazzi shoot). |
| Rumour
had spread like wildfire since
a few weeks and now it's confirmed,
they did it! After the first
three editions of Black
Bowmore, 1964/1993
(50%, OB, first edition, 2000
bottles, WF rating 96), 1964/1994
(50%, OB, second edition, 2000
bottles, WF rating 91) and 1964/1995
(49%, OB, final edition, 1912
bottles, WF rating 91), which
quickly became iconic to all
collectors, Bowmore is about
to launch a series of three
‘colour’ releases
(Black, White and Red). Here
are the details of the new Black
(to be despatched on October
the 8th): 42 yo, 1964/2007 (40.5%,
OB, from 5 oloroso sherry casks,
827 bottles – although
the same sources also mention
804 bottles). Should retail
at £2,000. We hope to
be able to publish tasting notes
soon... and that it's closer
to the first edition rather
than to the second or third,
that are still cheaper on the
collectors' market. |
|
| TASTING
– FIVE UNUSUAL GLENFARCLAS |
 |
| Glenfarclas-Glenlivet
8 yo (70° proof, OB, Grant Bonding,
late 1960’s)
Colour: full gold. Nose: punchy but
very dry, malty, toasted and…
err, dry at very first sniffs but
really keeps improving after that
difficult start. Lots of chocolate
of all kinds and quite some honey.
Also a little talc, paper… And
quite some olive oil after a while.
Not a big whisky on the nose but an
unusual profile. Mouth: way more expressive!
Big and somewhat oily, candied, really
toasted (toasted croissants), very
enjoyably malty, roasted, smoky…
It’s not very complex but simplicity
can be great. Finish: unexpectedly
long considering a 40% whisky, still
very ‘grilled’ and maybe
just a tad bitterish now. Truly excellent.
88 points. |
| Glenfarclas-Glenlivet
12 yo (43%, OB, Grant Bonding, Pinerolo,
circa 1970)
Certainly bottled before 1972, as
1972 was the year when Grant Bonding
co. was closed, dixit Mr Glenfarclas
himself (‘Luc Timmermans’
in civilian life). Colour: bright
amber. Nose: much, much more demonstrative
than the 8yo, almost extravagant,
displaying an immense range of various
honeys and pastries at first nosing
and then developing on the same chocolaty
notes as in the 8 yo plus a perfect
composition of hints of camphor, Spanish
ham (Iberico or something like that),
old gewürztraminer from a good
winemaker’s (Alsatian, obviously),
dried mushrooms, pipe smoke and even
peat smoke. Just a little OBE to make
all that even better combined (very
slight, very pleasant mouldiness).
Perfection made whisky. Mouth: absolutely
fantastic, partly similar to the 8yo
(with a little more of everything)
and partly more sherried, just like
on the nose. Extraordinary flavours
of very old sweet wine, camphor, eucalyptus
sweets… And hat a body! An old
Glenfarclas at full steam. Finish:
long, still bold, almost restless
on your tongue… And surprisingly
salty! A truly fabulous surprise distilled
in Banffshire, more than 50 years
ago and perfectly matured, both in
wood and in glass. I’d have
loved to be into whisky when this
came out. 93 points
(and thanks Luc). |
| Glenfarclas
8 yo ‘105’ (60M, OB, mid-1980’s,
75cl)
The first version of the popular ‘105’
I believe, when it was still a disclosed
8yo. Current versions are more around
10 years of age we’ve heard.
Colour: full gold. Nose: there’s
certainly less sherry than in the
current versions at first nosing and
it’s maybe a tad gentler, although
that may come from OBE. But then it’s
a winey tide, with all the strawberries,
blackcurrants and peonies on earth.
Actually, it smells like red wine
at 60%, should that exist. Add to
that just a little honey and whiffs
of coal smoke. Rather spectacular
but the palate will be the determining
factor… Mouth: big, fat, thick,
oily feel at the attack, with less
wine and more honey, dried herbs (is
that thyme?)… and then a true
maelstrom of other herbs, fruits and
teas. But where do those come from?
At random, I get tangerines, kumquats,
rose jelly, cardamom, coriander, apple
compote… Quite amazing. And
it doesn’t even need any water
– well, I don’t. Also
quite some spices, mostly of the peppery
and mustardy kinds. Really lots happening
here. Finish: ‘as long as a
day without whisky’, going on
and on, on the same kinds of flavours.
Too bad the nose was a little less
fabulous than the palate, otherwise
this GF would have fetched more than
just 90 points (I
have the current ones at 88, which
is still a lot considering its ‘positioning’).
But let’s ask two indie bottlers
what they think… |
| Glenfarclas-Glenlivet
21 yo (46%, Cadenhead, sherry wood
matured, mid-1980’s)
This one was bottled at a time when
it wasn’t yet completely forbidden
to use the distillery’s name
on a label. Colour: gold – amber.
Nose: something of the old 8yo, very
punchy, smoky, toasted, malty and
chocolaty. It was probably distilled
around the same years. Also that interesting
oiliness (olive but also motor oil)
and faint whiffs of peat smoke. Slight
waxiness as well. Same level of quality,
same profile, it seems that the further
13 years of maturing didn’t
change much to this one. Great whisky
on the nose. Mouth: excellent attack,
fruity, honeyed, slightly resinous…
But it gets then maybe a tad too oaky.
Lots of oomph, that is – who
said minis don’t keep well?
Gets also faintly rubbery and quite
spicy (pepper and cloves – the
wood). Finish; very long, not too
drying actually… Nice balance
despite the rather heavy tannins.
Excellent, for sure, especially on
the nose. 88 points. |
 |
Glenfarclas
1965/2005 (48.5%, Scott’s Selection)
We think we’ve heard that this
one led to court actions, as the distillery’s
name was used on the label, which
is extremely unusual these days with
Glenfarclas and certainly streng verboten.
But we could be very wrong (please
no lawsuits, we have no budget for
that!) Colour: oh, this is completely
different this time! Starts mostly
on various herbs (I get thyme again
as well as coriander indeed but it
is soon to become very fruity, much
fresher than the OB’s and that
the Cadenhead’s in a certain
way. Lots of dried tangerines. Ham.
More peat smoke as well, it could
be that this one is from an old peated
batch actually. And again a little
olive oil and motor oil! Just as great…
|
|
Mouth: a bit less ‘Glenfarclas’
(no sherry it seems, or only refill)
but still very, very good. Ample,
punchy, fruitier again (overripe apples,
quinces), rather salty, liquoricy,
peppery… The oak is well here
but it never gets the whisky to be
drying or too tannic. Slightly mustardy
as well – but no peat this time
I’m afraid. Quite hot I must
say, at 40 years of age. Finish: long,
maybe a little tannic and drying now,
getting sort of herbal and tea-ish
like most whiskies of its age. In
short, a very ‘different’
but truly excellent Glenfarclas, certainly
not a conveyor of bad publicity for
the brand, quite the opposite. 90
points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
Pura
Fé from Philadelphia.
The song is called You
still take.mp3. Please buy Pura
Fé's music (but what a voice!)
|
 |
| |
September
6, 2007 |
|
|
| TASTING
– THREE OLD BENRIACHS |
| Benriach
34 yo 1972/2007 (49.7%, OB, Classic
Speyside, Japan Only, cask #3580,
198 bottles)
A brand new bottling, the appellation
‘Classic Speyside’ being
used for unpeated versions, as opposed
to ‘richly peated’ and
‘lightly peated’ (more
about these ones in the coming days).
Colour: gold. Nose: this one starts
with an amazing freshness, all on
ripe yellow plums and hints of eucalyptus
and camphor. Quite fantastic I must
say, uber-clean yet very complex,
as it starts its development on notes
of pinot gris, a faint smokiness (not
peat, rather noble rot), kiwis, flowers
from the fields, fresh apricots and
apple liqueur (high-end manzana verde).
Then we get a rather magnificent oak
(newly made oak furniture), hints
of heather honey, butter pears...
A stunning Speysider, extremely elegant.
|
 |
| Mouth:
well, there’s more wood and
more tannins now, for sure. Not to
the point where we could say that
it went over the hill but still, the
attack is a bit drying. But then it’s
the expected cortege of apricots,
very ripe melons, plums, pears...
Too bad it gets even more drying with
time (nutmeg, flour, tapioca). A lot
of paprika as well. Finish: medium
long, quite tannic and spicy, with
the apricot in the background. Well,
the nose was worth 93-94, but the
rather woody palate pulled the whole
down to, say 89 points
in my opinion. But hardcore ‘nosers’
will adore this one. |
 |
Benriach
34 yo 1968/2003 (50.4%, High Spirits,
Scottish Colourists, cask #2590, 410
bottles, 75cl)
Colour: gold. Nose: quite superb again,
punchier and quite rougher than the
OB but in no way rough (it’s
just that the OB was so elegant).
More kiwis and even passion fruits
and the same kind of oakiness. Green
tea and apple skin, greengage, wet
hay. Hints of mustard. Superb again
but maybe not quite as magnificent
as the 1972. Mouth: ha-ha, this one
makes up for what it lost on the nose
now. A fantastic fruitiness (tangerines,
passion fruits, kiwis), soft curry
and spices from the wood, oranges,
orange liqueur... Sure it gets slightly
drying after a while but less so than
the 1972. Finish: long, bold, fruity
and woody (okay, quite woody now)
but it’s totally excellent whisky
anyway. Do we get a little peat as
well in the aftertaste? No less than
91 points. |
| Benriach
30 yo 1976/2007 (52%, OB for The Nectar,
Belgium, cask #8080, 166 bottles,
hogshead)
Colour: gold. Nose: the profile is
roughly the same as the High Spirit’'
except that this one is a little less
fruity, a little oakier and, above
all, quite peatier (no peat monster
though, it’s delicate, almost
discreet peat, not too easy to notice).
I don’t know if it’s the
mixture of peat and ‘classical
Benriach’ character but it really
develops towards vegetal notes such
as moss, fern, wild mushrooms, wet
pine needles (‘a walk in the
forest under the rain’). |
 |
| Goes
on with notes of cider apples, very
fresh walnuts, Château-Chalon
wine (or the very, very best finos).
Maybe it’s a tad less demonstrative
than the 1972 on the nose –
and less ‘easy’ - but
it’s of the same noble stock,
no doubt. Mouth: okay, Benriach is
best at around 30 years of age it
seems but not later. Indeed, this
one is perfect, there’s quite
some wood of course but balance is
still achieved here, which is quite
amazing as the fruitiness, again,
is less ‘obvious’ than
in both other versions we just had.
The first notes I get are high-grade
green tea, quince, citron and lemon
marmalade, then lots of spices but
not of the ‘drying’ kind
(beautiful cloves here) and then notes
of very ripe gooseberries. Also hints
of cinchona, chlorophyll, peppermint...
The finish is very long, beautifully
peppery, a little candied, with also
notes of dried bitter oranges and
a little liquorice. State of the art,
bottled just at the right age I think.
One of this autumn’s best new
bottlings I think (together with the
new Lagavulin 21yo and maybe a few
others, we’ll see...), eminently
drinkable at that. 92 points. |
 |
SHOPPING
- A Spanish company called Hispanoamerican
brokers sells these 'Natural
Aromas To Make Liquors And Wines'.
Their prose is very enlightening:
'Our company mainly involves the
business of natural aromas, extracts
or essences to make liquors and wines.
We can supply aroma sirhach (wot?),
cabernet and merlot, enocyanine (powder
and liquid) to help make wines. Moreover,
we can supply too, all products to
make liquors like a brandies, whiskeys,
vermouths, sangria, sherry, raisin,
rum, vodka, and others... |
The
best aroma or essence is reserve oak
essence. It is used to make old every
liquor and you can guarantee to make
always the same liquor with more years
without to have the liquor in a oak
barrels. We have been dealing in fine
extracts since 1995 with very good
reputation and achievements. Our company
has built up professional staff and
established it's own laboratory where
we can help you technically.'
Only problem: the minimum order is
'25 liters.' |
MUSIC
– JAZZ - Recommended
listening: a great guitar and a
great organ always remind me of
the (great) Wes Montgomery and Jimmy
Smith... And Sheryl
Bailey with bandmate
Gary Versace are no exception. Let's
listent to a clip of their Death
toll.mp3 (not Death march)...
And then buy their music. |
 |
| |
September
5, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– FOUR AULTMORES |
| Aultmore
1973/1988 (46%, Moon 'The Sea', cask
#4973, 348 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather restrained,
starting on whiffs of hay and warm
butter and developing (so to speak)
on notes of beer (hops), porridge
and asparagus soup. Something animal
in the background (faint whiffs of
horse sweat, hare). Not unpleasant
at all but kind of dirty I’d
say. Old walnuts, old clothes. Mouth:
the attack is quite grainy and cereally
but other than that it’s a little
indefinite, grassy with hints of peat,
herbal, vegetal (cabbage?) and slightly
liquoricy. Not as bad as it sounds,
it’s just that it’s hard
to get specific flavours from this
one. Slight pepper. Finish: medium
long, grainy and grassy with salty
touches. Really, this is good whisky
but there much better bottlings by
Moon Import. 78 points. |
| Aultmore
15 yo 1989 (55.8%, Norse Cask, 230
bottles, bourbon)
Colour: straw. Nose: starts vanilled,
bourbonny, quite spicy (ginger and
curry). Quite some oak in this one
it seems and not much distillery character
– although I’m well incapable
of recognising Aultmore’s character.
Develops rather beautifully, that
is, with strong notes of strawberry
sweets (Tagada), hints of marshmallows,
quite some olive oil and a little
grilled tea (ho-chicha). Gets grassier
with time. I like it. Mouth: good
punch but probably less character
except these bold grassy notes (and
the olive oil again). The rather heavy
oakiness brings its cortege of spices
including cloves, nutmeg, pepper,
paprika and this curry-like flavour
that we already had on the nose. And
ginger. Finish: quite long, still
quite grassy, with a little apple
juice and vanilla. Oak at work but
it’s all very pleasant albeit
not exactly ‘definite’.
81 points. |
| Aultmore-Glenlivet
1989/2003 (57.5%, Cadenhead, 228 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: this one is much
more austere, almost silent except
for the alcohol. A little grass, a
little apple skin, hints of wet cardboard...
And then heavy notes of empty white
wine barrel? Gets closer to the Norse
cask after that, with the same notes
of marshmallows. Gets more and more
rieslingesque. Kiwis, lemons, wet
stones... Not really sexy but keeps
improving with time. Mouth: exactly
the same whisky as the Norse Cask,
just a tad sweeter and more powerful
(the extra 2% make quite a difference
here). Finish: longer but grassier.
81 points. |
| Aultmore
16 yo 1990/2007 (58.8%, The Single
Malts of Scotland, cask #2536, 158
bottles)
Colour: dark gold. Nose: almost exactly
the same notes again (very grassy)
except that it’s coated with
sherry here. Whiffs of a freshly emptied
wine barrel’s inside, quite
some praline, ‘hare’s
belly’, hints of cardboard...
A little too hot at almost 59%, that
is, let’s add water... Oh, this
is funny, water almost killed the
sherry, the malt getting much closer
to the 1989’s we just had. Hay
and candy sugar, hints of ham and
game, white wine (not sherry, eh!),
green tea... Mouth (neat): unexpectedly
smooth despite the high alcohol and
pleasantly fruity (first sultanas
and dates, then kumquats and Seville
oranges) but let’s try it with
water as etiquette demands. Good news,
water didn’t kill the sherry
this time but it toned it down indeed.
Sultanas, apricot pie, a little balsamico,
pepper-flavoured chocolate (they have
great ones in Spain), plum jam...
Rather perfect balance. Finish: rather
long, compact, candied, with ‘strong
notes of strong honey’ remaining
on your palate (chestnut). A pretty
excellent Aultmore that reminds me
of some Linkwoods but I couldn’t
tell you why. 86 points. |
 |
|
<
SHOPPING (it's a
weird world) - Forget about Gleneagles,
Glenlivet or Highland Springs, this
is the ultimate water for whisky
freaks! Rolling on the floor here...
(via K!) |
| |
|
MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
today is soul blues day with Mr. Sonny
Rhodes, the disciple
of the blues, playing Shoe
on the other foot.mp3. Please
buy the music of the man with the
turban... |
|
| |
September
4, 2007 |
|
|
 |
TASTING
– THREE LAGAVULINS |
| Lagavulin
12yo (43%, OB, for Cinoco, Belgium,
rotation 1979)
People sometimes ask me how we get
to know when an old whisky was bottled.
In this case it’s quite easy,
as Belgian bottlings used to have
the year of bottling printed on a
back label. In other cases, somebody’s
got a full case (lucky b...) and ‘rotation
years’ used to be on those cases,
especially cases for Italy. Colour:
amber. Nose: oh, this is fab, another
proof that bottle ageing goes so well
with peat. The first thing we get
is a blend of Havana cigar smoke and
quince jam as well as a little cedar
wood and faint whiffs of church incense,
plus old leather polish and smoked
roasted almonds. Quite entrancing
I must say (let’s try to keep
cool). The fantastic smokiness stays
always there, unchanged, but all the
rest keeps evolving, getting meatier
at a certain point (game), then quite
resinous (putty), then more leathery,
then on very old herb liqueurs, then
on coffee toffee... And finally on
high-end (obviously) shoe polish.
Absolutely amazing. And what a fabulous
smokiness. A total absence of fruitiness
(except for the quince jam), which
further reinforces its compactness
on the nose. Exceptional whisky. Mouth:
‘wow!’ Maybe not as powerful
as we’d have wished but superbly
dry and most amazingly winey at the
same time, almost like a great amontillado
or a vin jaune. Goes on with herbs
(a little thyme, a little rosemary,
a little bay leaf), walnuts, bitter
oranges, mastic, pistachio oil, chlorophyll...
It’s also a little ashy and
certainly as smoky as it gets. Probably
a little less complex as on the nose
but truly beautiful. Finish: medium
long but quite salty, toasted, still
very dry, with an aftertaste on cough
syrup and toasted brioche. A classic
masterpiece, only the very slightly
weakish palate prevents this one from
reaching the 95 mark. So it’s
going to be 94 points. |
| Lagavulin
21 yo 1985/2007 (56.5%, OB, 6,642
bottles)
The 16yo has long been to Lagavulin
what the 911 was to Porsche but we’re
more than happy to see more variants
coming out, especially since those
are more Turbos than Boxters in our
opinion... Okay, enough crappy analogies,
let’s try this brand new 21yo,
due for later this autumn (we already
had a taste of a pre-vatting at the
Islay Festival). It’s an important
bottling, as it comes from Spanish
sherry European oak casks only –
not American oak like often with sherry.
Besides, we’ve been told that
there won’t be any other ‘full
sherry’ versions in the future.
Colour: full amber. Nose: what is
striking are the obvious common roots
between the old 12yo and this new
21yo. This one is more ‘direct’
at first nosing, though. Sweeter,
creamier, immediately on peat plus
sherry plus the assembling of both
(if you see what I mean)... Simple?
Indeed, but just for a few seconds,
as it then starts to shoot aromatic
arrows one after the other. Menthol,
hazelnut oil, oxtail, prunes, orange
marmalade, smoked ham, curry, mustard
(hints), walnut liqueur. Slight hints
of phosphorus (although not like a
‘simple’ bunch of matchsticks).
And it goes on, getting wilder now...
Game (just like in the old 12yo),
eucalyptus (I know brands are not
cool but I’d dare to say ‘Vicks’)...
And then strawberry jam, sea water...
Please take your time when you’ll
try this one, the development is ‘very
gradual’ but it’s really
worth it. A fireworks show. Mouth:
here’s the punch that the 12yo
was lacking, but also a slight ‘brutality’
at the attack. A true peaty grip in
fact and an extreme ‘ampleur’.
Quite some pepper, walnuts, crystallised
ginger, strong liquorice, tar, mint
and eucalyptus sweets again (very
bold!), bitter oranges... And a powerful
smokiness. The saltiness grows bolder
as well... No sulphur that I can get...
Wood ashes, herb liqueurs (green Chartreuse
– are you listening, O.?), Havana
tobacco (like when you chew your cigar).
Also hints of ripe gooseberries and
dried longans. And sticky toffee pudding,
of course. Finish: very long, concentrated,
ample, salty and liquoricy –
amusing how this one makes you thirsty.
We also tried it with water, it got
more on mint and eucalyptus (and oranges)
but other than that the general profile
stayed the same. Who said this was
an important bottling? 95
points. |
| Lagavulin
15yo 1978/1993 (64.4%, Cadenhead)
There are very little indie Lagavulins
these days, at least by their names.
Colour: pale straw. Nose: incredibly
‘noseable’ at such high
strength and very, very farmy, although
we also have the very typical Lagavulin
smoke right there (tobacco, coal).
And also this mint, eucalyptus again,
wet hay, ‘clean wet dog’,
antiseptic... The absence of sherry
leaves more room for superb coastal
notes as well, ‘a full plate
of oysters’, metal polish, smoked
tea... And also something slightly
bubblegummy, pineapple sweets... More
austere than its siblings, sharper
and just as smoky. Superb again but
let’s try it with a few drops
of water... No changes, except that
it got just a tad grassier. Really
superb albeit much less sexy than
its bros. Garbo? Mouth (neat): punchy
of course but again, it’s bearable
when neat, even if the fruitiness
and sweetness are really huge now.
Bold notes of apples, pears, pineapples,
bubblegum that sort of overwhelm the
peat and smoke, but that may well
be the high alcohol. Quick, water...
Again, that didn’t change much
to this one, I’d say it got
even fruitier and sweeter, which is
a (minor) flaw here as it gives the
malt ‘tastes of immaturity’.
Gets also a little grassier. Finish:
long but slightly too grassy now,
with also kirschy notes that do not
fit the peatiness too well. Don’t
get me wrong, it’s still great
whisky but I feel the sweetness was
a bit excessive on the palate. And
what a nose! 88 points. |
| MUSIC
– Recommended listening:
we have another blues slinger today,
his name is Jay
Hooks and he's playing
Last
stand.mp3 (not Achilles'). Please
buy his punchy music... |
 |
| |
September
3, 2007 |
|
|
Hi.
It is with emotional scars that we
decided to resume WF's normal activity
today, after having considered that
after all, we're all more or less
Michael Jackson's children or nephews
as far as whisky is concerned, and
that our humble and unlikely little
web site is a very tiny part of his
invaluable legacy that lives on, including,
I hope, the bits about music, particularly
jazz, as well as the very clumsy sense
of humour that some of our distinguished
readers seem to find on these modest
pages.
The Michael Jackson tribute page will
remain on Whiskyfun. Thanks to all
our friends who added some very nice
words. You can still add yours, please
just click on Michael's picture at
the right of WF's homepage. |
CONCERT
REVIEW by Nick Morgan
DAVID 'HONEYBOY" EDWARDS WITH
DAVE PEABODY AND MICHAEL FRANKS |
The
Spitz, Spitalfields Market, London,
August 18th 2007
Well
I know everyone’s going
to say it’s been an awful
summer –they always do,
don’t they? But it’s
been another blisteringly hot
day in London and we’re
crammed like sardines inside a
tiny airless venue, melting.
|
 |
| We’ve
rallied across from the West at speed
in a Sweeneyesque vintage BMW (yes,
I know they drove a Consul GT but
believe me it just feels like we should
be in the
Sweeney) with our hot-rod companions
for the night. We’re upstairs
at the
Spitz, “a bloody holiday
camp for thieves and weirdoes”,
nestled away in the corner of the
remaining late Victorian buildings
of Spitalfields
Market in the East End –
Gilbert and George are just around
the corner in their Huguenot weaver’s
cottage, and it’s Jack the Ripper
heartland – the Ten
Bells is just across the road.
It’s sad that having built up
quite a reputation for alt.music in
almost every genre over the past few
years the Spitz, with its very nice
downstairs bistro (yes Serge, sad
to confess, very good hamburgers)
will be closing shortly – to
be replaced, one imagines, by some
sort of typically bland chain restaurant.
In all likelihood, the music venue
will close. |
 |
David
“Honeyboy” Edwards |
| We’ve
been entertained for an hour or so
by veteran British blues player Dave
Peabody, and for the last few
songs of his set, by 3 Mustaphas 3
founder Ben Mandelson on mandolin.
It’s very superior folk club
stuff – Peabody has been voted
‘British Acoustic Blues Artist
of the Year’ three times and
it’s evident that he really
knows his stuff – both musically
and historically. But the longer he
goes on the more I begin to get nervous.
You see we’re here to see David
“Honeyboy” Edwards.
The blues singer from Mississippi.
He was born in 1915. That makes him,
by my reckoning, 92 years old. And
the longer Peabody plays the more
I worry that we’re being strung
along, waiting all night for a ten
minute less than cameo appearance
from a performer way past his prime.
I shouldn’t have worried. |
| After
a short break Edwards takes the stage
at about 9.30 and he performs for
almost an hour and a half. He gets
settled in his seat in the centre
of the stage with Peabody to his left
accompanying on guitar, and to his
right on harmonica Michael Franks,
founder of Edwards’ current
record label, Earwig
Records. They provide a subtle
backing – Franks is very accomplished
and plays in what I would call a narrative
style, it’s a slightly laid
back Little Walter. Peabody gently
fills in here and there. Both struggle
to keep up with Edward’s unfathomable
timing – but they’ve done
it before and know what to expect,
or rather what not to expect, which
is a sustained twelve bar structure.
This is real “in the groove”
hypnotic Mississippi bottleneck blues,
with a Chicago twist (particularly
after Edwards changes from acoustic
to electric guitar – which is
also when thankfully someone turns
the air conditioning on). Edwards
is, as they sometimes say, “in
the place” and he changes chord
at will. |
| If
you want to know about Edwards you
can read his autobiography, The World
Don’t Owe Me Nothing, which
comes highly recommended, and there’s
also a
film about him. He took to the
road at the age of 16 beginning a
career as an itinerant musician that
lasted ‘till he settled in Chicago
in the early 1950s. He travelled and
played with the likes of Charley Patton
and Tommy Johnson, Big Joe Williams
(who was his musical mentor) and most
famously Robert Johnson, who courted
(if that’s the right word) his
cousin Willie Mae. "He was a
nice person," said Honeyboy in
an interview with the Daily Telegraph,
“he wasn't a hell raiser, but
he loved whisky and was crazy about
women: that was his downfall."
Edwards, along with, some say, Sonny
Boy Williamson, was at the house-party
where Johnson was (by popular consent)
poisoned having flirted drunkenly
with the jook-joint owner’s
wife. As such he has an indelible
link with the roots, not just of the
blues, but also of modern rock and
roll – but it’s a point
that he’s reticent about. “You
can talk to Honeyboy after the show”,
says Peabody, “and he’ll
be happy to sign autographs, just
don’t ask him about Robert Johnson”. |
| I
couldn’t tell you all the songs
he played – his groaning voice
is quite mesmerising, more like a
chant than singing, but it’s
hard to make out the lyrics to some
of the tunes. I could hear (I think)
‘Sweet home Chicago’,
‘Big fat woman’, ‘Shake
‘em on down’, and ‘Rolling
stone’ (he plays ‘Chicago’
again when he takes up his electric
guitar). But what with the heat and
the lack of space you could just about
think yourself back to a crowded cabin
in the steamy Delta. |
 |
|
Edwards may not have been, or be,
the best blues guitarist in the world
but he carries the real spirit of
the music and the place with him,
and his performance is compelling
– every minute of it. It’s
also dignified and thoroughly understated.
And when he does finally run out of
steam he sits happily for another
thirty minutes or so chatting and
signing autographs on a rapidly diminishing
pile of CDs for a crowd of excited
admirers whose ages range from about
sixteen to well above sixty. What
a treat! - Nick Morgan (concert
photographs by Kate) |
Thank
you Nick and kudos to Kate for the
beautiful photographs. Let’s
listen to Shake
‘em on down.mp3 by Honeyboy
Edwards right away... |
| TASTING
- It is with much surprise, while
we were working on our indexes, that
we found out that we had just written
our 3000th tasting note for Whiskyfun
(not taking into account the whiskies
we’ve commented on for Maltmaniacs,
nor simple scores). It’s not
an achievement we’re particularly
proud of, especially because of the
very sad news of Michael 'The Master'
Jackson's passing, but we’d
like to take this opportunity to thank
all the friends who provide us with
samples, the Malt Maniacs, all the
skilful distillers and bottlers who
make magnificent (and sometimes less
magnificent) whiskies and, of course,
our loyal liver that still seems to
be in fairly good shape, thanks to
all the wonderful drams that we remorselessly
spat out. Some close friends or family
members sometimes ask me when I’ll
get fed up with all this madness.
The answer is ‘not yet!’
so, en route for more usquebaugh!
- S. |
Just in case you don't
know, the liver is this reddish-brownish
thing on top of the rest. Aren't
we viscerally into whisky? |
 |
TASTING
THREE ROMAN
BENRIACHS
+ A PORT |
| Benriach
12 yo 'Arumaticus Fumosus' (46%, OB,
Peated Jamaican Dark Rum Finish, 1740
bottles, 2007)
Laughing out loud! When some ancient
Romans, some Jamaicans and some Scots
get together, there should be something
unusual coming out of it but sincerely,
as with all these crazy finishings,
felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere
causas (sure, Virgil – S.).
Please note that Arumaticus is not
exactly dog Latin, it’s ‘rum’
instead of ‘rom’ on purpose.
Clever, innit! Colourus: whitus winum.
Nosus: it’s really the peatus
that’s on, not the rum, and
it’s rather clean and straightforward
peatus in this casus. Quite some smokus,
ashus... Gets more on mashed potatus
after a while, soaked grainus, faint
whiffs of wet doggus, wet woolus.
It seems that the rum brings more
leafy and earthy notus rather than
candy sugarus and such. Not boldly
complex but quite exquisitus I must
say and very clean. Mouthus: okay,
let’s stop that before we all
get insane. The attack is quite punchy
and very clean again, dry (still no
candiness), very peaty, with the same
rooty – leafy – earthy
tones plus a little oak in the background.
It’s only then that something
that’s more like white than
dark or golden rum comes through...
Or grilled tea? Gets quite bitter
with time, but in a rather pleasant
way, reminding me of these famous
hyper-strong herbal liqueurs such
as Jägermeister. Finish: quite
long, with even more of these bitterish
notes plus quite some smoke again
and kind of a roughness. Certainly
different in style but still very
‘whisky’ – and ‘peat’.
81 points. |
| Benriach
12 yo 'Heredotus Fumosus' (46%, OB,
Peated Pedro Ximinez Finish, 3180
bottles, 2007)
Not sure this Heredotus is the same
as famous king Herodotus... Or does
it have something to do with heritage?
Colour: gold. Nose: sweeter and quite
softer at first nosing, with indeed
a little cane sugar this time (eh?)
and much shier peatiness and smokiness.
Even more mashed potatoes and grain
in this one, the whole getting frankly
porridgy after a moment, with even
whiffs of horse sweat. Soft and wild
at the same time. Mouth: punchier
and peatier than on the nose, slightly
salty, with also quite some liquorice
and earl grey tea (heavily infused).
Hints of stout, violet sweets, blackberry
jelly. Again this bitterness (more
old walnuts here). Finish: long, more
‘peaty and candied’. This
one isn’t too winey, but one
can feel it’s not ‘regular’
whisky and that ‘something’
happened. I liked the rum version’s
cleanliness a little better I must
say. 79 points. |
Another
Roman label we made 'just for fun'
a few years ago when that famous
‘fake Macallans’ issue
occured. |
| Benriach
12 yo 'Importanticus Fumosus' (46%,
OB, Peated Port Finish, 2520 bottles,
2007)
Do you spot ‘port’ in
Importanticus? Colour: pale gold with
salmony hues as often with Port finished
whiskies. Nose: very close to the
‘sherry’ version at first
nosing but gets quickly very different.
A little peatier and funnily minty.
Even farmier, not only horse sweat
but also cow stable. Slightly rancid
butter. Narguileh smoke. Much less
Port influence than in many other
Port finished malts. Mouth: punchy
again, somewhat in between the rum
and the sherry. Certainly cleaner
and more ‘direct’ than
the latter, but the Port is well here
as such (blackcurrants). Nice notes
of bitter oranges. Also a little spicier
(quite some cloves and pepper). Eglantine.
Finish: long, more ‘achieved’
and satisfying than the ‘sherry’
version, somewhat like smoky Port
(strongly fortified of course). This
is pleasant, actually, we’ve
seen many more unbalanced wineskies.
82 points. |
| Benriach
13 yo 1994/2007 (55.5%, OB, Richly
peated, Port finish, cask #26, 324
bottles)
Colour: gold with salmony hues. Nose:
extremely close to the 'Importanticus
Fumosus', just more powerful and maybe
a tad less farmy. Still a bit UFW
(unidentified flying whisky) but certainly
quite pleasant. Mouth: now it’s
all to the power of 2, more peat and
more Port. Wee hints of rubber. More
winey than the IF (do they expect
us to type the full name every time?),
tasting more like peated whisky plus
Port wine. Not bad at all, though.
Finish: long, sweet and peaty, with
a rather peppery – almost mustardy
– aftertaste. Blackcurrant-flavoured
mustard like they make in Dijon, Burgundy?
Oh well, I guess we’d better
get used to these ones... 78
points. |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK are leaving
Saint-Tropez |
Check
the index of all entries:
Whisky
Music
Nick's Concert
Reviews
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Best
malts I had these weeks - 90+
points only - alphabetical:
Auchentoshan
31 yo 1966/1997 (45.1%,
OB, cask #509, hogshead)
Benriach
30 yo 1976/2007 (52%,
OB for The Nectar, Belgium, cask #8080, 151
bottles, hogshead)
Benriach
34 yo 1968/2003 (50.4%, High Spirits,
Scottish Colourists, cask #2590, 410 bottles,
75cl)
Cooley
14 yo (58.7%,
Cadenhead, 222 bottles, bottled 2006)
Glenfarclas
8 yo ‘105’ (60M, OB, mid-1980’s,
75cl)
Glenfarclas-Glenlivet
12 yo (43%, OB, Grant Bonding, Pinerolo,
circa 1970)
Glenfarclas
1965/2005 (48.5%, Scott’s Selection)
Lagavulin
12yo (43%,
OB, for Cinoco, Belgium, rotation 1979)
Lagavulin
21 yo 1985/2007 (56.5%, OB, 6,642 bottles)
Macallan-Glenlivet
15yo (80°proof, G&M Licensed,
Gold Label, mid 1970’s)
Macallan
1958 (80°proof, OB, Campbell, Hope
& King, Rinaldi Italy, early 1970’s)
Macallan
1954 (80°proof, OB, Campbell, Hope
& King, Rinaldi Italy, late 1960’s)
Macallan
29yo 1965/1994 (49%, Signatory, cask
#1058, 256 bottles)
Miltonduff
1966/1990 (61.4%,
Antica Casa Marchesi Spinola, 75cl)
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