







September 19, 2020 Angus's Corner

From our Scottish correspondent

and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Edinburgh A mixed bag of Highlanders Not really sure there’s much sense to this session. The notion of ‘Highland’ is even tenuous at best for some of today’s drams. For example I’m sure a number of Scot’s would refute Loch Lomond’s position as ‘Highland’. Not that these old regional demarcations really matter anymore I would say, beyond a basic usefulness of purely geographical categorisation. Although, I will always hold dear the rather powerful and unashamedly romantic notion of ‘Highland’ malt whisky. In the evocative sense with the imagery and memory it conjures, but also in my own personal flavour category that I define as full-bodied, textural, oily, mineral and rather waxy style whiskies. A style which is pretty scarce these days. Anyway, more often than not we take the A9 north when heading to the highlands, so let’s stop at Blair Athol first of all… Blair Athol 13 yo 2005/2019 (57.3%, Lady Of The Glen, cask #3657A, PX Octave, 65 bottles)

Colour: orangey gold. Nose: rather shy to begin, some notes of bracken, ferns and canvass. Wee touches of graphite oil and spicy orange cocktail bitters too. But generally it feels a little closed, let’s proceed with water… With water: still rather quiet, some sultana, cooking apples mid bake, a little golden syrup and wee earthiness. Mouth: PX indeed, with lots of cupboard spices, clove studded orange peel, varnished hardwoods, pine resin, pencil shavings and oily toolbox rags - verging on hessian. Some bitter herbs too. It’s a very modern style but clean and well executed. With water: at its best now I would say, a very juicy spiciness, richer notes of freshly baked bread chunks dipped in olive oil, spice mix like Dukkah, salted almonds and various glazed pastries. A wee tension between sweet and salty which works well. Finish: medium, still prickling with spices, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and paprika. A little treacle and some bitter blood orange. Comments: Everything was kind of quietly tiptoeing along until the diluted palate really took off. I would say skip straight to the pipette for this one…

SGP: 561 - 84 points. Blair Athol 21 yo ‘Batch 5’ (51.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

Colour: gold. Nose: another one that feels rather slow and shy, only here it unfolds very gently towards pollens and runny honey. Heather flowers, tea biscuits, geraniums and potting shed earthiness. All very easy and enjoyable. With water: greener, wet leaves, moss, crisp green apple, gooseberry and a touch of menthol tobacco. Mouth: dried than expected but in a nice way that’s rather nervous and lean, lots of peppery warmth, light spices, ginger biscuits, nutmeg, vanilla sponge and some light herbal teas. With water: a firmer palate now, richer, lots of fresh breads, wee medical touches, fir wood, bitter herbs, grassy olive oil and nettle tea. Finish: good length, nicely bitter, green bitter herbs, bouillon, strong green tea and bitter lemon. Comments: Perhaps a notch too bitter in the finish but this is otherwise a very fine and sippable drop of Blair Athol. Hard to imagine any whisky aficionado being against this kind of profile.

SGP: 461 - 85 points. Blair Athol 20 yo 1995/2016 (51.8%, Douglas McGibbon for The Whisky Vault, cask #11163, sherry butt, 180 bottles)

Douglas McGibbon is a subsidiary of Douglas Laing. At least, it used to be, I have lost track of which Laing owns which thing nowadays. Colour: light amber. Nose: a generous style of sherry that’s laden with caramel, soft toffee chews, milk chocolate and golden syrup. Also things like freshly baked banana bread, pecan pie, toffee apple - this will certainly appeal if you have a sweet tooth (or nostril). Given time some lighter earthier and tobacco tones come through which adds a necessary balance. With water: cocoa nibs, mocha, generally slightly drier but still rather chocolatey. A few pollens and honeycomb now too. Mouth: surprisingly robust and punchy. Smoked chipotle, dark chocolate sauce, mole and paprika. Almost like some kind of smoky Mexican hot sauce in some ways. Also a damp dunnage earthiness, hessian sackcloth and things like miso and soy sauce. Quite a gear shift from the nose. With water: still rather warm and punchy with this smoked chilli vibe. Black coffee, herbal bitters, coal scuttle dust and ink. Some black pepper too. Finish: long, peppery, full of warm chilli, smoked paprika, hessian and espresso. Comments: A whisky of two halves, which in some ways makes it slightly imbalanced, but the overall effect is very fun and both parts are excellent in their own right.

SGP: 572 - 86 points. Blair Athol 22 yo 1995/2018 (57.7%, The First Editions, cask #14656, sherry butt, 234 bottles)

This one is coming from Hunter Laing, so probably a similar or sibling parcel of casks originally. Colour: deep gold. Nose: similar focus on sweetness, but here it’s rather more along the lines of tinned fruits in syrup. Apricots, peaches, nectarines etc. Also yellow plums, lychee and some simple marmalade along with a little stem ginger in syrup. With water: fruity muesli, dried apricots and brown bread with a scraping of Nutella. Mouth: again pretty big on arrival and still some ideas of smoky red chillies and paprika, but it’s a tad more cohesive and balanced her. I also get stewed dark fruits, bitter chocolate, black coffee and some rather strong porter beer. Rye bread and banana chips in trail mix. With water: indeed, spicy, bready, drying, earthy, peppery, nicely bitter and slightly sooty. Really quite a ‘big’ whisky. Finish: long, leathery, lots of game and vegetable broths, herbal infusions, cocktail bitters, black pepper, cocoa and miso. Comments: Gets increasingly complex and quite assertive this one. The extra balance on display gives it the edge in my book, a very classy kind of sherry.

SGP: 562 - 88 points. Over the other side of the country to Loch Lomond and all the weird and crazy stuff they concoct. Loch Lomond 13 yo 2006/2019 (56.8%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary, cask #196, refill bourbon, 266 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: a peated one! Bags of crushed aspirin, wet plaster, a kind of ‘damp’ smokiness, sooty chimneys, steel wool and carbolic acidity - like peaty wash. There’s also lemon juice, hessian and umami. With water: clear and vividly smoky, clean, ashy, briny and citric. Mouth: nicely sooty and smoky, the impression of freshly kilned malt and warm, smoky grist. Natural tar, herbal cough medicines, iodine drops and squid ink with a splash of soy sauce. Unusual there’s no denying, but they it wouldn’t be Loch Lomond… With water: rather fermentary in style now, like some kind of peated sourdough starter drizzled with lemon juice, Gueuze beer, tart acidity and a rather petrolic, gravely minerality. Finish: long, tarry, sharply citric, sooty, peaty and still rather focussed on the raw ingredients. Comments: Very good and pretty left-field peated whisky. Some parts remain a little too unlikely for my tastes but it’s probably quite a fun session dram with pals.

SGP: 467 - 83 points. Inchmoan 12 yo 2007/2019 (54.9%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary, cask #96, refill hogshead, 289 bottles)

Another peaty make from the world’s wackiest still room… Colour: pale straw. Nose: a gentler smoke but also richer and more directly farmyard in style. Peppery, sooty, chalky, lightly medical with an olive oil like fatness about it. With water: sandalwood, camphor, sheep wool and aniseed. Probably a little straighter and more classical once diluted. Mouth: oily peat, smoked peppered mackerel, smoked oatmeal, game meats and herbal toothpaste - also rather unusual to say the least. Some kind of peated limoncello mixed with pumpkinseed oil and marzipan! With water: that kind of carbolic acidity again, coal tar soap, lanolin, miso, liquid smoke, antiseptic and preserved lemons. Finish: long and on medicines, wood embers, salted liquorice and hessian. Comments: I like this one a little more than the Loch Lomond, but it still has something ‘unusual’ about it.

SGP: 466 - 84 points. Inchfad 14 yo 2005/2019 (57.2%, C Dully Selection, cask #408, bourbon hogshead, 142 bottles)

142 bottles officially for the Swiss Army I hear, so about two bottles each ;) Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s a similar ballpark of things like damp canvass, slightly greasy smoke, coal tar soap, aspirin, mineral oil and sheep wool. Although, weirdly enough as Inchfad is supposed to be one of the fully peated makes, the overall peat level feels a tad shier. With water: softer, spicier, more peppery notes, watercress, charcoal, Barbour grease, wintergreen and vapour rubs. Mouth: metal polish, olive oil, white pepper, leathery smoke and some kind of brine and tar combo. With water: sootier, leafier with these slightly mulchy, earthy notes, then salted liquorice, dry roast peanuts and ink. Finish: medium and rather ashy, along with some chalky medicinal aspects like crushed aspirin and salty porridge. Comments: This is all very fine, but I feel these Loch Lomond peated makes are a little too obscure and challenging, maybe you could call them ‘intellectual’. I think their more opulent and fruity distillates like Inchmurrin are generally more easy to get on with.

SGP: 465 - 84 points. Inchfad 14 yo 2005/2019 (57.1%, C Dully Selection, casks #408, 411, 412, bourbon hogsheads, 142 bottles)

I assume these must be parcels of stock from these casks rather than whole hogsheads to reach this low outturn of bottles? Unless the casks themselves were rather leaky? As with most of the world’s great mysteries: the answer lies in Switzerland! Colour: bright straw. Nose: a little fresher and more ‘bucolic’ with these notes of bailed hay, meadow flowers, grass and a rather fragrant and leafy bonfire smokiness. Also the usual notes of chalk, canvass and coal dust (a theme is emerging with these peated LL makes I feel). There’s a light dressing of salinity over the whole thing that feels very fresh. With water: again these funny notes of carbon paper, ink, printer toner, vase water and cooking oils, but globally still a little more farmy and ‘full’. Mouth: something about this wee ménage à trois has worked here I think, there’s a nice richness, a more emphatic olive oil vibe and a wee thread of salty honey running throughout keeping balance. Still rather salty with notes of umami paste and black olives in brine. With water: cooking oils, camphor, cod liver oil, paraffin - very mechanical and even slightly industrial in style. Also some lemony touches emerging as well as bandages and gauze. Finish: long and with a funny notes of coffee porter and things like smoky bacon, pickled onion crisps and brine. Comments: It’s rather like if Monty Python had owned a distillery… This one is still a bit off the beaten track, but it’s a slightly classier and wittier journey than the others.

SGP: 475 - 86 points. These Loch Lomond peaters are a little tiring I have to say. I have some good feelings about this final wee trio though… Secret Highland 31 yo 1987/2019 (49.6%, Whisky Nerds, cask #27, hogshead, 167 bottles)

There seems to be an ever growing number of these ‘nameless’ malts emerging these days, it’s a shame that many are very good and yet too ‘brand insecure’ to reveal their origins. Although, of course there can be other reasons too… Colour: deep gold. Nose: beautiful! A dense and thick aroma of tinned fruit syrups: apricot, peach and guava. Also dried fruits and mixed fruit teas with these wee threads of tannin. Quince, orange oils, melon, nectarine and wee notes of precious hardwoods and their resins. Mouth: a little more drying and focussed than the nose, more on tannic fruit teas, wood extracts, dried mint, old shilling ales, miso and malt extract. Rather beery and rich in fact with some nice spicy rye bread notes. Finish: good length, earthy, spicy, richly bready, more teas such as Darjeeling and Earl Grey and some mead. Comments: The nose was easily 90 material but I think the palate wasn’t quite as impressive. Quality is still very high though, a nourishing and extremely satisfying dram. Couldn’t tell you anything about the distillery though.

SGP: 651 - 88 points. Secret Highland 36 yo 1983/2019 (46.9%, The Good Spirits & Soundwave, cask #7753, hogshead, 80 bottles)

Love the label for this one! We do seem to be living through a golden age for imaginative indy labels - especially those from Asia. Colour: gold. Nose: a beehive! Soft acacia honey, brown bread, gentle waxiness, some rich cereal tones, canvas, lanolin, miso… extremely elegant and enticing with a nice green fruitiness about it. Mouth: hey hey! Beautiful old school! This really does feel ‘highland’ in the best sense to me, all this dusty waxiness, slightly industrial mineral oil profile, metal polish, bouillon stock, gentle ointments and old school medicines, dried herbs and very gentle touches of dry peat smoke. Wonderfully resinous, rich, textural and nicely waxy. Finish: good length, focussed on beeswax polish, metal polish, light sootiness, citrus jam and ointments. Comments: Rather simple but beautifully structured and I loved the inversion where the palate was even better than the nose, which is rare at this age. I’ve heard whispers that these casks could be Clynelish but I wouldn’t be too sure if I’m honest.

SGP: 562 - 90 points. September 17, 2020 A wee basket of natural Longmorn Angus was having some Longmorns the other Saturday and I found his notes pretty intriguing. That’s as good as any other excuse for having a few at Whiskyfun headquarters as well… Longmorn 17 yo 2002/2020 (56.2%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange, cask #800638, bourbon barrel, 229 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: this is fully Longmorn au naturel, so rather all on orchard fruits, with a wee greasy chalkiness in the background. Granny smith, green pears, gooseberries, greengages, perhaps a little lemon and a spoonful of porridge. With water: grist and simply barley. Mouth (neat): thick, oily, almost creamy and very fruity, with a full sack of wine gums, jelly babies, fruit loops, muesli, all that covered with a sweeter kind of vegetal oil and a little olive oil. With water: doesn’t change a lot, except that it would get a little more citrusy, with fewer candy-like flavours. Finish: medium, fruity, with a good barley-y structure. Comments: it is not, perhaps, very ‘idiosyncratic’ (why do I keep using this stupid word?) but I think it just delivers.

Colour: white wine. Nose: this is fully Longmorn au naturel, so rather all on orchard fruits, with a wee greasy chalkiness in the background. Granny smith, green pears, gooseberries, greengages, perhaps a little lemon and a spoonful of porridge. With water: grist and simply barley. Mouth (neat): thick, oily, almost creamy and very fruity, with a full sack of wine gums, jelly babies, fruit loops, muesli, all that covered with a sweeter kind of vegetal oil and a little olive oil. With water: doesn’t change a lot, except that it would get a little more citrusy, with fewer candy-like flavours. Finish: medium, fruity, with a good barley-y structure. Comments: it is not, perhaps, very ‘idiosyncratic’ (why do I keep using this stupid word?) but I think it just delivers. SGP:651 - 86 points.

Longmorn 21 yo 1994/2016 (51.5%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, cask #11334, 265 bottles) Colour: light gold. Nose: rather similar but with some menthol, aniseed, and even eucalyptus, as well as touches of hand cream, scented soap (rose petals) and dry cider. With water: wax and green apples, and no mentholy notes anymore. Mouth (neat): much simpler, grassier, on apple peel and green plums. With water: similar, no further development. Finish: medium, rather simple. Apple juice. Comments: not too mindboggling but still fine. Another one that’s not very ‘idiosyncratic’.

SGP:451 - 80 points. In general, I believe proper sherry does much good to these batches. Or older age, naturally, let’s opt for the latter… Longmorn 36 yo 1975/2011 (50.6%, The Perfect Dram, bourbon hogshead, 163 bottles)

A wee glory that I had kept for future enjoyment and I say now’s the time, Charlie. Colour: gold. Nose: another galaxy, full of pink grapefruits, mangos, mead, apricots, petit manseng and bergamots. Superb and luminous. With water: clay, chalk, chlorophyl, cut grass, fruit peel, earl grey. Luminous and superb. Mouth (neat): how perfect indeed, this is a perfect age that needs no flavouring and no make-up. Nectarines, mint leaves, ripe peaches, bits of bananas, acacia honey, honeysuckle and just a touch of cinchona and pepper. It is 36, after all. With water: game, set and match. Beeswax joining the dance, which just always works in my book. Finish: medium, on that famous ‘honeyed fruit salad’ that’s typical of these old unsherried Longmorns. Comments: these batches have always been flying pretty high but sadly, the breed seems to be extinct.

A wee glory that I had kept for future enjoyment and I say now’s the time, Charlie. Colour: gold. Nose: another galaxy, full of pink grapefruits, mangos, mead, apricots, petit manseng and bergamots. Superb and luminous. With water: clay, chalk, chlorophyl, cut grass, fruit peel, earl grey. Luminous and superb. Mouth (neat): how perfect indeed, this is a perfect age that needs no flavouring and no make-up. Nectarines, mint leaves, ripe peaches, bits of bananas, acacia honey, honeysuckle and just a touch of cinchona and pepper. It is 36, after all. With water: game, set and match. Beeswax joining the dance, which just always works in my book. Finish: medium, on that famous ‘honeyed fruit salad’ that’s typical of these old unsherried Longmorns. Comments: these batches have always been flying pretty high but sadly, the breed seems to be extinct. SGP:651 - 91 points. Longmorn 1975/2015 (46.7%, Malts of Scotland, Warehouse Diamond, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 15065, 196 bottles)

Another one that we had kept for harsher times, no need to tell you that there’s certain hope here… Colour: gold. Nose: I cannot not think of an old high-class wine from Jurançon, such as and early vintage of Dagueneau’s Jardins de Babylone. Deeply sorry if that doesn’t ring any bell but in fact, it is the same idea as that petit manseng grape that we had found in the Perfect Dram. So, apricots and peaches, touch of muscat, hint of roses, drop of litchi juice, mountain honey, sultanas, beeswax… It is rather extraordinary, would you mind calling the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade before it’s too late? With water: chalk! Mouth (neat): brilliant and cakier, more on butterscotch and roasted raisins than the PD. Tokaji Eszencia. With water (not that water’s needed): fresher fruits, peaches, bananas, whatnot. Absolutely perfect. I was about to forget to mention quinces. Finish: long and amazingly fresh, complex, fruity and honeyed. Touches of resins and balms in the aftertaste – after all this one is 40. And perhaps even some ‘botrytis’. Comments: holy featherless crow! These malts are often split into periods, like say at Bowmore, or Laphroaig, or yeah, Picasso. 1965-1975 would be the rose period at Longmorn, one of the most prestigious, while earlier, 1950-early 1960 vintages were rather ‘blue’. Yeah I agree, not all analogies work.

Another one that we had kept for harsher times, no need to tell you that there’s certain hope here… Colour: gold. Nose: I cannot not think of an old high-class wine from Jurançon, such as and early vintage of Dagueneau’s Jardins de Babylone. Deeply sorry if that doesn’t ring any bell but in fact, it is the same idea as that petit manseng grape that we had found in the Perfect Dram. So, apricots and peaches, touch of muscat, hint of roses, drop of litchi juice, mountain honey, sultanas, beeswax… It is rather extraordinary, would you mind calling the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade before it’s too late? With water: chalk! Mouth (neat): brilliant and cakier, more on butterscotch and roasted raisins than the PD. Tokaji Eszencia. With water (not that water’s needed): fresher fruits, peaches, bananas, whatnot. Absolutely perfect. I was about to forget to mention quinces. Finish: long and amazingly fresh, complex, fruity and honeyed. Touches of resins and balms in the aftertaste – after all this one is 40. And perhaps even some ‘botrytis’. Comments: holy featherless crow! These malts are often split into periods, like say at Bowmore, or Laphroaig, or yeah, Picasso. 1965-1975 would be the rose period at Longmorn, one of the most prestigious, while earlier, 1950-early 1960 vintages were rather ‘blue’. Yeah I agree, not all analogies work. SGP:651 - 92 points. (Thank you Max!) Check the index of all Longmorn we've tasted so far September 16, 2020 Total opposites, a wee bag of Ord Superb distillate at Ord, not to forget the old Saladin box that made so much high-quality peated malt in the 1960s for many an old glory. Brora and Talisker, anyone? And of course for Glenordie/Glen Ord/Ord. Ord 10 yo 2008/2018 (57.7%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, 534 bottles)

From two hogsheads. We’re expecting this to be extremely pure and yet a little fat, let’s see… Fully distillate-driven in any case. Colour: white wine. Nose: oh yes, oils and greases, beeswax, lemongrass, wild asparagus, beetroots, a tiny touch of dill… With water: much more branche-y, grassy, rooty, we’re even bordering gentian spirit. Mouth (neat): pure, big, rather thick, with notes of fruity hops, nectarines, a drop of sesame oil, all-flower honey, touches of wine gums, leaves and buds making it drier and leafier… At times it reminds me of white wine brandy (blanche d’armagnac). With water: a little candy sugar, crystallised angelica and pears… Finish : a little more indistinct, as if the sucrosity took over a wee bit. Pear liqueur. Comments: the palate is a little sugary, but the dram is extremely fine.

SGP:651 - 81 points. Ord 10 yo 2008/2018 (58.3%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 264 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: extremely similar, just a tad less fruity, and perhaps a notch earthier and leafier. Peach leaves. With water: no, both whiskies are almost identical. Mouth (neat): really rich and fat, with notes of cappuccino beyond the pear jam and honeyed brandy-like flavours that we had already found in the Small Batch. With water: this thickish sweetness yet again. Demerara syrup, agave juice, fruit jellies… Finish: rather long and really sweet. Comments: some of the sweetest whiskies I’ve tried this year. The core remains pretty superb, it’s just a bit ‘buried’.

SGP: 751 - 81 points. Let’s try again with another year… Ord 13 yo 2006/2019 (53.3%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, 588 bottles)

A vatting of one bourbon HHD and one Madeira HHD (that casks was a 2-year finishing in Madeira). Sounds funny but let’s remain cautious, Madeira may work extremely well from time to time. Colour: white wine. Nose: walnuts, curry, sweet mustard and cigar smoke? That’s Madeira in my book. Old cellar, old barrels and saltpetre as well. With water: menthol cigarettes. Mouth (neat): nice combo, creating something a little more mentholy than usual. Sweet mustard and honey sauce? Or what we call sauce “à la diable”? With water: I can see how the Madeira cask kind of balanced the huge sweetness of this make, but it remains a very sweet, pretty syrupy malt whisky. Finish: rather long, with wee earthy and rooty touches, this time from the Madeira indeed (I suppose). Green peppercorn in the aftertaste. Comments: I would keep the same score.

A vatting of one bourbon HHD and one Madeira HHD (that casks was a 2-year finishing in Madeira). Sounds funny but let’s remain cautious, Madeira may work extremely well from time to time. Colour: white wine. Nose: walnuts, curry, sweet mustard and cigar smoke? That’s Madeira in my book. Old cellar, old barrels and saltpetre as well. With water: menthol cigarettes. Mouth (neat): nice combo, creating something a little more mentholy than usual. Sweet mustard and honey sauce? Or what we call sauce “à la diable”? With water: I can see how the Madeira cask kind of balanced the huge sweetness of this make, but it remains a very sweet, pretty syrupy malt whisky. Finish: rather long, with wee earthy and rooty touches, this time from the Madeira indeed (I suppose). Green peppercorn in the aftertaste. Comments: I would keep the same score. SGP:661 - 81 points Let’s leave Campbeltown and fly to… Taiwan, with three very young little octaves that we’ll have upon ascending strengths (we all need order, you understand)… Most probably an integral change of style... Glen Ord 2015/2020 (60.9%, Or Sileis, Joey Taiwan, refill PX octave, cask #287B, 73 bottles)

Refill, that’s good news. Colour: gold. Nose: totally modern style but as often, that works, with some sweet oak everywhere and a moderate amount of raisins from the PX. Other than that, a lot of butterscotch, ‘of course’. With water: touches of menthol and pine resins, plus wee whiffs of iron, old coins, copper pot… Mouth (neat): classic modern STR-style rich and coating malt, well made and reminiscent of café latte and indeed, butterscotch. With water: passion fruits and bananas joining in, for the even better. Modern recipe for modern young malt whisky, done with taste and smartness. Even if you’re not too fond of the concept, you cannot not agree that this is excellent whisky. Finish: long, sweeter, yet balanced and with good earth and sweet spices. Comments: fast whisky as in fast food? Perhaps, but this is so much better than a Big Mac, IMHO. Even dietarily. Kudos.

Refill, that’s good news. Colour: gold. Nose: totally modern style but as often, that works, with some sweet oak everywhere and a moderate amount of raisins from the PX. Other than that, a lot of butterscotch, ‘of course’. With water: touches of menthol and pine resins, plus wee whiffs of iron, old coins, copper pot… Mouth (neat): classic modern STR-style rich and coating malt, well made and reminiscent of café latte and indeed, butterscotch. With water: passion fruits and bananas joining in, for the even better. Modern recipe for modern young malt whisky, done with taste and smartness. Even if you’re not too fond of the concept, you cannot not agree that this is excellent whisky. Finish: long, sweeter, yet balanced and with good earth and sweet spices. Comments: fast whisky as in fast food? Perhaps, but this is so much better than a Big Mac, IMHO. Even dietarily. Kudos. SGP:651 - 88 points. Glen Ord 2015/2020 ‘Archer’ (60.9%, Or Sileis, Joey Taiwan, refill oloroso octave, cask #287C, 51 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: drier, as it should be given that this is oloroso, more on walnuts, cigars, earths, soy sauce, lovage, balsamico, coffee liqueur, touch of wood smoke, chocolate… We’re actually in similar styles as those bloodtubs that Bruichladdich had done around ten years ago. What, you say that’s fifteen years? How time flows… With water: and water works a treat, at that. Fresh herbs, meadows after the rain… Mouth (neat): reeks of smartness. All on coffee this time, which I just adore. Muscovado sugar too, Seville oranges, tiny bits of cloves and caraway, a drop of molasse, a hint of strawberry jam (really), perhaps pear jam… With water: orange marmalade and a little pink pepper. Finish: long, drier, earthier, which is just what’s needed. Comments: what’s troubling at this extremely young age is the complexity that they achieved. I kind of hate it that I like this rather a lot, really. A Pressure Cooker Award for sure.

Colour: deep gold. Nose: drier, as it should be given that this is oloroso, more on walnuts, cigars, earths, soy sauce, lovage, balsamico, coffee liqueur, touch of wood smoke, chocolate… We’re actually in similar styles as those bloodtubs that Bruichladdich had done around ten years ago. What, you say that’s fifteen years? How time flows… With water: and water works a treat, at that. Fresh herbs, meadows after the rain… Mouth (neat): reeks of smartness. All on coffee this time, which I just adore. Muscovado sugar too, Seville oranges, tiny bits of cloves and caraway, a drop of molasse, a hint of strawberry jam (really), perhaps pear jam… With water: orange marmalade and a little pink pepper. Finish: long, drier, earthier, which is just what’s needed. Comments: what’s troubling at this extremely young age is the complexity that they achieved. I kind of hate it that I like this rather a lot, really. A Pressure Cooker Award for sure. SGP:561 - 89 points. Glen Ord 2015/2020 ‘Ninja’ (61.5%, Or Sileis, Joey Taiwan, refill oloroso octave, cask #287A, 71 bottles)

Do they really have ninjas in Taiwan? Seriously, what I always found funny was that our friends in Asia would use their own imagery on their Scotch whisky labels, rather than stags, thistle, tartan, claymores and funny birds with long beaks, as we usually do in Europe. Not sure I would ever use bretzels, sauerkraut, baguettes, berets or storks myself, but there, isn’t it all very charming (as long as they’re not trying to make us believe that any putrid imported rotgut is Yamazaki or Karuizawa)? So, this little ninja… Colour: gold. Nose: completely different, much softer, cleaner, without any big bold sherryness, rather sunflower oil, brioche, shortbread, nougat, vanilla… Hold on, oloroso, really? With water: vanilla paste impregnated with mango and maracuja. More or less. Mouth (neat): oh very good, on a blend of pepper liqueur, coffee, turmeric, walnuts, citrons and lemongrass. This one too oozes of smartness, I’m afraid. And perhaps of Kavalan, if I may. Sweet Dr Swan! With water: sweet oak spices, patchouli, lemon, a little ginger… Finish: long, perhaps a tad drying now. The oak feels a little more, but that’s nothing. Comments: as long as you don’t ask me if Glen Ord is recognizable, I’m happy. So, please don’t.

Do they really have ninjas in Taiwan? Seriously, what I always found funny was that our friends in Asia would use their own imagery on their Scotch whisky labels, rather than stags, thistle, tartan, claymores and funny birds with long beaks, as we usually do in Europe. Not sure I would ever use bretzels, sauerkraut, baguettes, berets or storks myself, but there, isn’t it all very charming (as long as they’re not trying to make us believe that any putrid imported rotgut is Yamazaki or Karuizawa)? So, this little ninja… Colour: gold. Nose: completely different, much softer, cleaner, without any big bold sherryness, rather sunflower oil, brioche, shortbread, nougat, vanilla… Hold on, oloroso, really? With water: vanilla paste impregnated with mango and maracuja. More or less. Mouth (neat): oh very good, on a blend of pepper liqueur, coffee, turmeric, walnuts, citrons and lemongrass. This one too oozes of smartness, I’m afraid. And perhaps of Kavalan, if I may. Sweet Dr Swan! With water: sweet oak spices, patchouli, lemon, a little ginger… Finish: long, perhaps a tad drying now. The oak feels a little more, but that’s nothing. Comments: as long as you don’t ask me if Glen Ord is recognizable, I’m happy. So, please don’t. SGP:661 - 88 points. Check the index of all Ord we've tasted so far September 15, 2020 Simply a bag of grains Sure this is a little pre-annoying, but you never know, a very good cask could make some grain proper, err, bourbon. Please don’t shoot!…

Kirin Fuji (46%, OB, Japan, single grain, +/-2019) This rather new little baby is made at Fuji Gotemba Distillery. We had tried quite a few grains by Kirin last year, Fuji Gotemba’s ‘Single Grain Distiller’s Select’ at 52% vol. and Kirin 25 yo ‘Single Grain Small Batch’ having been my favourites (WF 84 and 88 respectively). Mind you, they had defeated quite some malts by Fuji/Kirin. Colour: gold. Nose: it is grain with some Japanness, that is to say this kind of herbal, slightly incense-y style that’s not often to be found in Scotland. Warm bread, orange blossom water, brioche, roasted pecans and cashews, quite a lot of marzipan, wee touches of menthol (embrocations)… Above everything, no excessive:

- varnish

- vanilla

- coconut.

And so we’re happy…

Mouth: a different story, as this is very sweet, on coconut balls, wine gums, liquorice allsorts, candyfloss and just a handful of thin mints. IT’s not unpleasant at all, quite the opposite, but not exactly up my alley because of all this sweetness sitting on a rather thin base. After all, this is gran whisky. Now the wood was first class, which rather saves it. Finish: very short and very sweet. Sawdust in the end. Comments: a cruel dilemma. Some sides are pretty lovely (the nose, the quality of the wood) but the body is a little frustrating to this malt aficionado. Still worth a solid score in my book.

SGP:631 - 80 points. Let’s have fun… Girvan 9 yo 2009/2019 (61.4%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, Pinot Noir finish, 294 bottles)

What? Wie bitte? Colour: apricot. Nose: cassis and geranium leaves, cactus, fern, fir needles, no sweetness. A very curious baby… With water: pretty fine, rather on rosehip tea or eglantine, I would say. Mouth (neat): not a bad concoction, we’re pretty much in oak-aged grappa territories here. Blood oranges and raspberries, plus leaves. Not bad at all, in fact, I’m positively surprised (please don’t tell any of my whisky friends, okay?) With water: yes, this rather worked, even if we’re losing some brightness now, and are getting a little too leafy again. Cassis leaves, very pinot noir. Finish: medium, tea-ish, with touches of cherry stem tea, if not proper Burgundian cherries. Comments: so, absolutely not the utter disaster I was expecting. I mean, Girvan, nine years, and pinot noir. Come What? Wie bitte? Colour: apricot. Nose: cassis and geranium leaves, cactus, fern, fir needles, no sweetness. A very curious baby… With water: pretty fine, rather on rosehip tea or eglantine, I would say. Mouth (neat): not a bad concoction, we’re pretty much in oak-aged grappa territories here. Blood oranges and raspberries, plus leaves. Not bad at all, in fact, I’m positively surprised (please don’t tell any of my whisky friends, okay?) With water: yes, this rather worked, even if we’re losing some brightness now, and are getting a little too leafy again. Cassis leaves, very pinot noir. Finish: medium, tea-ish, with touches of cherry stem tea, if not proper Burgundian cherries. Comments: so, absolutely not the utter disaster I was expecting. I mean, Girvan, nine years, and pinot noir. Come on! SGP:641 - 80 points. While we’re having young Girvan from strange casks… Girvan 13 yo 2006/2020 (58%, Asta Morris, peated cask, cask #AM048, 126 bottles)

Looks like this is ex-Ardmore (I would have thought Ailsa Bay)… Colour: straw. Nose: a smoky blend of some sort, perhaps old White Horse? Ashes, gravel, rye bread, coal, varnish… Not too sure at this point. With water: fine, some sunflower oil, roasted sesame oil, nougat and turon, halva… All that I rather like. Mouth (neat): surely funnier on the palate, with a feeling of deep-charred coconuts and smoked pineapples, then popcorn and muscovado sugar. With water: a little more fragile given the thinness of the spirit, but it looks like the peater prevented the rather slim grain from tumbling over. Finish: a little short, on barbecued marshmallows. Yep I’ve been a boy scout too. Comments: let’s not change scores, that these ‘scores’ are only for the record anyway.

SGP:742 - 80 points. Another funny one… Cameronbridge 21 yo 1997/2019 (54.7%, James Eadie, US exclusive, refill hogshead, cask #75794)

We’ve had a sister cask last year and thought it was a little raw. Now what’s so funny about this one, you may wonder? The fact that they manage to sell grain whisky to America, I believe that’s like selling fridges to the Eskimos; now you’re right, with global warming, they’ll soon need them too (S., what a stoopid intro that was!) Colour: straw. Nose: starts a little cologne-y, gets then more floral and on gooseberries and coconut, with a little vanilla and orange liqueur (triple-sec). Certainly not as raw as the sister cask as I remember it. With water: soft, with earthy touches, green bananas and agave leaves. Mouth (neat): creamy and rich, and indeed, pretty bourbony. Sugar syrup, vanilla, coconut, touch of lavender, biscuit…With water: same, more or less. A tad sugary, with notes of Starbucks’ café latte in the back, as often. Finish: short to medium, sweet. Comments: quite good if a little boring, just pretty far from all the excellent malts they’re having at J.E. I suppose I’ll never really be a grain guy.

We’ve had a sister cask last year and thought it was a little raw. Now what’s so funny about this one, you may wonder? The fact that they manage to sell grain whisky to America, I believe that’s like selling fridges to the Eskimos; now you’re right, with global warming, they’ll soon need them too (S., what a stoopid intro that was!) Colour: straw. Nose: starts a little cologne-y, gets then more floral and on gooseberries and coconut, with a little vanilla and orange liqueur (triple-sec). Certainly not as raw as the sister cask as I remember it. With water: soft, with earthy touches, green bananas and agave leaves. Mouth (neat): creamy and rich, and indeed, pretty bourbony. Sugar syrup, vanilla, coconut, touch of lavender, biscuit…With water: same, more or less. A tad sugary, with notes of Starbucks’ café latte in the back, as often. Finish: short to medium, sweet. Comments: quite good if a little boring, just pretty far from all the excellent malts they’re having at J.E. I suppose I’ll never really be a grain guy. SGP:630 - 78 points. What was that again? Ah yes, Cameronbridge… Cameronbridge 29 yo 1989/2019 (57.8%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, 432 bottles)

From two bourbon hogsheads. Don’t deluxe old blends sell these days? Colour: gold. Nose: soft cakes, mirabelle jam, coconut, shortbread, preserved greengages, touches of ripe bananas. All right then. With water: syrup. Keep away from kids! Mouth (neat): frankly, it’s good juice, it’s fruity, technically sound, it goes down extremely well, it’s got the right amount of liqueurness, a lot of melon syrup, in short it’s absolutely flawless. With water: flawless indeed, but a notch empty. Grains, however great, rather belong to blends in my book, but as a grain, it’s pretty perfect. Finish: short and sweet. Indeed. Comments: indeed.

From two bourbon hogsheads. Don’t deluxe old blends sell these days? Colour: gold. Nose: soft cakes, mirabelle jam, coconut, shortbread, preserved greengages, touches of ripe bananas. All right then. With water: syrup. Keep away from kids! Mouth (neat): frankly, it’s good juice, it’s fruity, technically sound, it goes down extremely well, it’s got the right amount of liqueurness, a lot of melon syrup, in short it’s absolutely flawless. With water: flawless indeed, but a notch empty. Grains, however great, rather belong to blends in my book, but as a grain, it’s pretty perfect. Finish: short and sweet. Indeed. Comments: indeed. SGP:730 - 80 points. Cameronbridge 30 yo 1989/2019 (57.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 222 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: same whisky. With water: same. Mouth (neat): almost the same whisky. Perhaps an earthy touch and a little more coffee? With water: same. Finish: same. Perhaps a wee tad more sour, as in sourer fruits. Comments: good production standards. Grain whiskies are like the buns in a hamburger, you’d happily taste the meat alone, but you’d never have just the buns ‘like that’, would you? I know, but I’m trying my best, remember I’m in the midst of a grain session…

Colour: gold. Nose: same whisky. With water: same. Mouth (neat): almost the same whisky. Perhaps an earthy touch and a little more coffee? With water: same. Finish: same. Perhaps a wee tad more sour, as in sourer fruits. Comments: good production standards. Grain whiskies are like the buns in a hamburger, you’d happily taste the meat alone, but you’d never have just the buns ‘like that’, would you? I know, but I’m trying my best, remember I’m in the midst of a grain session… SGP:730 - 80 points. Older, perhaps?... Cameronbridge 38 yo 1982/2020 (48.6%, Liquid Treasures for eSpirits, bourbon barrel, cask #8287, 140 bottles)

1982, that’s Kim Wilde, no? These labels are always very beautiful by the way (nothing to do with Kim Wilde)… Colour: straw. Nose: it’s a little straighter, a little more on vegetables and vegetal oils, sunflower, all-grain oil, pine nuts, with touches of pils beer and hints of bananas. Mouth: grain needs almost forty years, this is more proof. Lovely tropical fruit salad and syrups, apricots, honey, touch of mint and camphor, notes of raisins, and even a tiny cognac-like flavour. Different league. Finish: medium, sweeter, going towards honest Latino rum. Comments: I liked this one rather a lot, it gained complexity over the years.

1982, that’s Kim Wilde, no? These labels are always very beautiful by the way (nothing to do with Kim Wilde)… Colour: straw. Nose: it’s a little straighter, a little more on vegetables and vegetal oils, sunflower, all-grain oil, pine nuts, with touches of pils beer and hints of bananas. Mouth: grain needs almost forty years, this is more proof. Lovely tropical fruit salad and syrups, apricots, honey, touch of mint and camphor, notes of raisins, and even a tiny cognac-like flavour. Different league. Finish: medium, sweeter, going towards honest Latino rum. Comments: I liked this one rather a lot, it gained complexity over the years. SGP:730 - 85 points. Good, let’s have two even older Invergordons to see if we could reach the 90-mark, and then call this a session. Invergordon 45 yo 1974/2019 (45%, The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. for Hot Malt Taiwan, bourbon barrel, cask #30, 228 bottles)

At 45 years of age, grain whisky may start to talk… Colour: gold. Nose: exactly, it’s when wee mentholy, camphory, and herbal notes starts to appear that these whiskies, unless beautifully sherried, which is not the case here, start to show class and distinction. I’m finding superb notes of fresh peaches, for example, and ‘moderate’ mangos. Some artisan nougat too, a little parfait amour, curaçao… Mouth: very good, on many herbs. Melissa, borage, dill, orange blossom, high-end green tea, proper earl grey too, white wine from the south-west of France (Jurançon, Irouléguy, just been there, they’re making great progress…) Finish: still a bit short, but with some touches of mocha that are working extremely well. Orange. I’m finding almond croissants in the aftertaste, but that’s probably a little ‘pushed’. Comments: impressive old grain whisky, with a flabbergasting freshness.

At 45 years of age, grain whisky may start to talk… Colour: gold. Nose: exactly, it’s when wee mentholy, camphory, and herbal notes starts to appear that these whiskies, unless beautifully sherried, which is not the case here, start to show class and distinction. I’m finding superb notes of fresh peaches, for example, and ‘moderate’ mangos. Some artisan nougat too, a little parfait amour, curaçao… Mouth: very good, on many herbs. Melissa, borage, dill, orange blossom, high-end green tea, proper earl grey too, white wine from the south-west of France (Jurançon, Irouléguy, just been there, they’re making great progress…) Finish: still a bit short, but with some touches of mocha that are working extremely well. Orange. I’m finding almond croissants in the aftertaste, but that’s probably a little ‘pushed’. Comments: impressive old grain whisky, with a flabbergasting freshness. SGP:651 - 89 points. Last try… Invergordon 44 yo 1973/2017 (51.1%, Sansibar for Whiskyklubben Slainte, 275 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: it’s a little more sugary again, rather less ‘mature’ (at 44!) but that may be the higher strength. Garden peat, almonds, cigarettes, vetiver… Not too sure. With water: some mineral touches, quite uncommon in grains, Vicks VapoRub (more common in old wood)… Mouth (neat): there’s a little wood smoke at first, cigarettes indeed (say untipped Craven A but I’ve lost all my references since I’ve stopped smoking, a good twelve years ago), or there, these sweetened slim brown cigarettes, the name escapes me. Chestnut purée for sure. With water: it doesn’t really like water, gets a little disjointed. Finish: medium, earthier. Crushed almonds. Comments: it’s very hard to get the water right as the whisky’s rather fragile. Very fine old grain nonetheless, but not 90-material at all in my book.

SGP:551 - 86 points. Okay, a last go at Cameronbridge, for glory… Cameronbridge 33 yo 1984/2017 (55.8%, Wilson & Morgan, Barrel Selection, cask #19281, 230 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: the barrel’s been pretty active here, we’ve got a lot of cakes and jams, praline, plums, rums, slivovitz, zwetschke, fudge, shortbread… Very fine, but it just wouldn’t go very deep this far. With water: Maker’s Mark. Mouth (neat): praline and pastries, with a rather rogue kind of oak where ginger and turmeric are starting to appear. We’re close to bourbon this time again, this is rather Pappy-like, I would say. It’s tremendous that it would be this Pappy-like, believe me, and the Pappy people are good people, very good people, they are best friends of mine. Whoops, please excuse me… With water: vanilla galore, coconut, coffee liqueur, heather honey, rye, shortbread. Finish: short to medium, clean, with rather more butter cream and custard. Comments: firm and soft at the same time, and really very ‘bourbon’. Quality’s high, it’s clearly an upper-echelon pretty old grain whisky. Maybe just not extremely necessary.

SGP:651 - 84 points. Cheers, stay tuned. (Thank you Chris at Sushi+Soul, Lucero and other friends) Check the index of all grain whiskies we've tasted so far September 14, 2020 A small purse of Highland Park

and Secret Orkneys I think I have a very smart question for you (yeah right), what would you prefer, some disclosed Highland Park that bears the name of a dresser from IKEA’s and neither an age nor a vintage statement, or some ‘Secret Orkney that cannot be named even under torture’ that comes complete with all data? I agree, not an easy question, although I believe I’m guessing what you’re thinking just now… Highland Park ‘Triskelion’ (45.1%, OB, 2019)

A triskelion? But isn’t that an ancient Greek (and then Celtic) symbol rather than anything Viking? Neither an age nor a vintage statement here, but we know that ‘First-fill sherry seasoned Spanish oak butts, first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks and first-fill bourbon barrels and hogsheads were combined and a small number of refill casks added to provide a degree of softness’. Very reassuring isn’t it. Frankly, this obsession with selling points around wood (almost) all over Scotland is going nowhere. Not even at £170 a skittle. Colour: gold. Nose: oak, sawdust, a Saturday morning at IKEA indeed, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, curry powder, moss… I find this simply a little unpleasant. A little tobacco, burnt wood and fruit peel coming in after a good minute, perhaps sour cherries, but that’s a little late. I hope the palate will be more to my liking… Water brings out menthol, as often with very wooded whiskies. Mouth: it sure is, this is pretty smoky, leathery, curry-like again and full of tobacco, with good marmalade and honey-glazed nuts. A leathery bitterness in the background, that’s the casks. Anyway, I prefer the palate for sure. Finish: long, a little bitter, too spicy for me, mainly on green walnuts and bitter almonds. Comments: water really helps it but who’s going to add water to a whisky that’s already been reduced to 45% vol.?

A triskelion? But isn’t that an ancient Greek (and then Celtic) symbol rather than anything Viking? Neither an age nor a vintage statement here, but we know that ‘First-fill sherry seasoned Spanish oak butts, first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks and first-fill bourbon barrels and hogsheads were combined and a small number of refill casks added to provide a degree of softness’. Very reassuring isn’t it. Frankly, this obsession with selling points around wood (almost) all over Scotland is going nowhere. Not even at £170 a skittle. Colour: gold. Nose: oak, sawdust, a Saturday morning at IKEA indeed, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, curry powder, moss… I find this simply a little unpleasant. A little tobacco, burnt wood and fruit peel coming in after a good minute, perhaps sour cherries, but that’s a little late. I hope the palate will be more to my liking… Water brings out menthol, as often with very wooded whiskies. Mouth: it sure is, this is pretty smoky, leathery, curry-like again and full of tobacco, with good marmalade and honey-glazed nuts. A leathery bitterness in the background, that’s the casks. Anyway, I prefer the palate for sure. Finish: long, a little bitter, too spicy for me, mainly on green walnuts and bitter almonds. Comments: water really helps it but who’s going to add water to a whisky that’s already been reduced to 45% vol.? SGP:372 - 79 points. I always feel the need to go back to the regular 12… Oh let’s do that. No, not the 10, that would be unfair to the Triskelion. Highland Park 12 yo ‘Viking Honour’ (40%, OB, +/-2019)

More Viking paraphernalia… Could we at least have Lagertha? Colour: gold. Nose: not my preferred style of HP either, but this is fresher, fruitier, more lively, even if the core is kind of similar. Bitter oranges, marmalade, ginger, ale, whiffs of pumpernickel bread, oak spices, a little leather and tobacco… Indeed I like this nose better. Mouth: no questions, this is more refreshing despite the ‘seasoning’ that’s a little too apparent to me. Pepper, oak spices, black tea, grass smoke… Nice earthy honey beyond these bitterish spices. Finish: medium, spicy, with an obvious tannicity. Comments: they seem to have used active seasoned wood too here, but the spices and the leather were better controlled in my opinion. But indeed I much prefer the brighter, distillate-driven HPs. Because what a distillate it is indeed!

More Viking paraphernalia… Could we at least have Lagertha? Colour: gold. Nose: not my preferred style of HP either, but this is fresher, fruitier, more lively, even if the core is kind of similar. Bitter oranges, marmalade, ginger, ale, whiffs of pumpernickel bread, oak spices, a little leather and tobacco… Indeed I like this nose better. Mouth: no questions, this is more refreshing despite the ‘seasoning’ that’s a little too apparent to me. Pepper, oak spices, black tea, grass smoke… Nice earthy honey beyond these bitterish spices. Finish: medium, spicy, with an obvious tannicity. Comments: they seem to have used active seasoned wood too here, but the spices and the leather were better controlled in my opinion. But indeed I much prefer the brighter, distillate-driven HPs. Because what a distillate it is indeed! SGP:461 - 83 points.

Highland Park 15 yo 2003/2018 (50.7%, Duncan Taylor, Octave, cask # 5019914) All in all and big oak for big oak, we might as well try one of these small Octaves that became Duncan Taylor’s main speciality. Colour: pale gold. Nose: indeed the oak feels, but it’s a little matter, without those sour/bitter notes that often come with quickish sherry seasoning. A little camphor, bananas, eucalyptus, whiffs of seawater, grass smoke, almond milk… With water: a walk in the woods etcetera. Mouth (neat): pretty fine, with notes of coconut and mangos from the active oak, a little iodine, seaweed, a grassy smokiness, some lime juice… I find this perfectly all right, while the distillate’s rather more in the front, quite bizarrely given this configuration. With water: creamier, really good, smoky and coastal, with only a touch of coconut, plus papayas and bananas. Well conducted. Finish: medium, clean fruity, balanced. Oranges, honey and mint, that just always works. Comments: very good, uncomplicated, very satisfying.

SGP:551 - 86 points. And now, some of those beautiful secret Orkneyans that many IBs have or have got…. Weren’t Blackadder the pioneers, with their Old Man of Hoy? Sadly we haven't got any in the boxes currently. Secret Orkney 18 yo 2000/2019 (53.1%, Le Gus’t, hogshead, 356 bottles)

This baby comes with some lovely puffins on the label. Well, I guess they’re puffins, are they not? Colour: pale gold. Nose: it is a very dry, very mineral one, full of clay, limestone, saltpetre, soot and bread dough, also floor-cloth and vase water. All that is much nicer than it sounds mind you. Crushed aspirin, linseed oil... With water: grist, dough, porridge, ink, plaster… Mouth (neat): exactly what we were expecting, a grassy smoke, some chalk, sucking fabric, bitter almonds, green lemons… It’s really sharp and tense. With water: water pulls fruits, namely lime and lemon, as well as more medicinal notes, around ointments and Vick’s best. Tiny herbs too, coriander leaves, Thai basil, borage… Finish: long, rather salty, mineral, very ‘HP’. Indeed, what a distillate. Comments: I refrained from finding Provence herbs, since these charming bottlers are located in Manosque, in the heart of, well, Provence. Please note that neither have I mentioned pastis. Top notch HP, right up my alley.

SGP:462 - 90 points. Unnamed Orkney 12 yo 2006/2019 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-chillfiltered Collection, hogshead, cask #DRU 17/A6211+12)

What does this cask # mean? A code for the aliens? Another Macintosh that started to behave erratically? (indeed Macs aren’t what they used to be these days…) Colour: white wine. Nose: simple, not easy, on chalk, apple juice, flour, porridge, polenta, husk, fresh laundry and ink. Mega-austere, but I find that charming. Mouth: how very good! Fantastic chalk, green pepper, lime zests, salt, muesli, gentian and mezcal 50/50 (who’s ever going to bottle that?) Top notch. Finish: very long, a wee tad bitter (well, it’s on bitters, Angostura and stuff). Smoky and green aftertaste (eggplant?) Comments: find such a drop at cask strength and you’re ready to fight your fiercest enemies. Possibly a BFYB drop, we’ll see.

What does this cask # mean? A code for the aliens? Another Macintosh that started to behave erratically? (indeed Macs aren’t what they used to be these days…) Colour: white wine. Nose: simple, not easy, on chalk, apple juice, flour, porridge, polenta, husk, fresh laundry and ink. Mega-austere, but I find that charming. Mouth: how very good! Fantastic chalk, green pepper, lime zests, salt, muesli, gentian and mezcal 50/50 (who’s ever going to bottle that?) Top notch. Finish: very long, a wee tad bitter (well, it’s on bitters, Angostura and stuff). Smoky and green aftertaste (eggplant?) Comments: find such a drop at cask strength and you’re ready to fight your fiercest enemies. Possibly a BFYB drop, we’ll see. SGP:362 - 89 points. From The Isle of Orkney 19 yo 2000/2020 (55%, The WhiskyFind for HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #7, 332 bottles)

Another 2000 vintage. High hopes. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s a slightly oilier and fatter 2000, a little more on rapeseed oil perhaps, sunflower seeds, otherwise asparagus, beach sand, porridge, grist, wholegrain bread, fumes (say a Porsche for once – and why not?), new plastics (cheap stuff from Wish’s that you should never have bought), cactus and fern… This one too is very austere, and I just love it. Despite that poisonous stuff from Wish’s. With water: mega-austere! Concrete, ink, soot, ashes, linseed oil, fresh paint, carbolineum… Mouth (neat): almost the same as the Le Gus’t – no surprise here. Superb grasses, seaweed smoke, various stones and sands, chalk, green tea… With water: citrus, cactus and angelica on top of all these grasses and minerals. Finish: long, without the tiniest iota of sweetness. Perhaps touches of caraway and orange blossom water. Comments: the 90-card is in order with these distillates, as long as no silly woodwitchery has been done on the drop.

Another 2000 vintage. High hopes. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s a slightly oilier and fatter 2000, a little more on rapeseed oil perhaps, sunflower seeds, otherwise asparagus, beach sand, porridge, grist, wholegrain bread, fumes (say a Porsche for once – and why not?), new plastics (cheap stuff from Wish’s that you should never have bought), cactus and fern… This one too is very austere, and I just love it. Despite that poisonous stuff from Wish’s. With water: mega-austere! Concrete, ink, soot, ashes, linseed oil, fresh paint, carbolineum… Mouth (neat): almost the same as the Le Gus’t – no surprise here. Superb grasses, seaweed smoke, various stones and sands, chalk, green tea… With water: citrus, cactus and angelica on top of all these grasses and minerals. Finish: long, without the tiniest iota of sweetness. Perhaps touches of caraway and orange blossom water. Comments: the 90-card is in order with these distillates, as long as no silly woodwitchery has been done on the drop. SGP:362 - 90 points. (Thank you Tony et al.) Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted so far September 12, 2020 Angus's Corner

From our Scottish correspondent

and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Edinburgh Mixed doubles Not that I’ll be having double measures mind you. Just a return to an assortment of pairings. Bit of a mixed bag today but let’s kick off with Glenburgie. Glenburgie 1978/1990 (58.7%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #71.3)

The SMWS was issuing quite a selection of rocket fuel, raw distillate young malts such as this one in the 80s and early 90s. At the time I suspect it was a case of innocence, accident and financial juggling that led to such selections. Although, in retrospect it’s a pretty unique library of bottlings that captures in very raw form a transitionary era of distillate and production in Scotland. Anyway… Colour: straw. Nose: crushed grass, trampled nettles, wool and chalk dusters. There’s some brighter notes of malt extract and juicy cereals too. Natural, simple and honest malt whisky - just a tad rough and ready. With water: drier, breadier, seedier and more yeasty, lemony and with some flinty minerality. Mouth: even at full strength this is surprisingly approachable. Lots of petrolic oiliness, sheep wool oils, mineral oil and pumpkin seed oil - oily in other words. But there’s lemon barley water too, some notes of quinine and more punchy grassy notes. On one hand its austere, but there’s enough natural sweetness to keep things in check. With water: a few notches waxier now, sandalwood, new leather chamois, a drop of cough medicine, some dried herbs, Bakelite, playdough. Funny stuff! Finish: good length, some fruity muesli with a drizzle of condensed milk and a few bitter herbs. Comments: In many ways this is the inversion of a lot of contemporary single malts, in that it is rather soulful and charismatic but technically slightly wobbly in some places. A fun and highly instructive wee whisky, if not totally thrilling.

SGP: 462 - 84 points. Glenburgie 21 yo 1998/2019 (55.4%, The Whisky Exchange ‘Single Casks’, cask #900888, hogshead, 254 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: impressions of cactus flesh mixed with brown bread and golden syrup at first nosing. Not a million miles from the SMWS in terms of these green and grassy note, only here there’s an added layer of elegance and lightness that time has clearly bestowed. Develops a really pleasing ‘jellied’ fruitiness with pineapple syrup and white jelly bean sweeties. Some honeysuckle too. With water: leaner, greener and more pronounced on cereals, pollens, canvass and a few crumbs of a Custard Cream biscuit. Mouth: elegantly honeyed on arrival and holding this impression of jellied fruits and fruit cordials rather nicely. Nettle tea, lychee, a little rosewater and matcha. With water: nicely creamy, a little vanilla custard, some more of these gentle pollen notes and various meadow flowers. Finish: medium and on fresh cereals, scone mix, dough, lime pith, putty and some hints of sweetened sunflower oil. Comments: What’s cool is that in terms of core DNA, there’s a lot of similarity to the SMWS - cereals, greenery, nettles, this tension between sweet and dry - but here time has brought complexity and a fruitier accent. A very easy and pleasurable wee Glenburgie.

SGP: 651 - 87 points. Onwards to Teaninich. I feel like this is another name on the up amongst whisky folk, probably due to its greater prevalence amongst indy bottlers but also no doubt due to the fact that the distillate tends to shine rather charismatically these days - arguably more than in recent interim decades. Teaninich 11 yo ‘Batch 2’ (47.9%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 1987 bottles)

Colour: pale white wine. Nose: my mind is starting to automatically think of Teaninich as a kind of ‘diet Clynelish’. You have all these scattered chalky and medical notes, dry cereals, sheep wool oils, wee touches of wax, white flowers, coal scuttle, little coastal flashes. It’s all very personality-forwards and fun. What’s obvious as well is that this is from pretty plain wood, so there is nowhere for this distillate to hide. Mouth: focused on raw ingredients again. Nettles, bouillon stocks, canvass, more sheep wool, ink, barley sugars, sunflower oil, hand cream. You really feel like you are drinking a rather humble barley eau de vie. Finish: medium, on things like newspaper ink, petrichor, a few ointments and white mushroom. A wee thread of sweetness holds balance. Comments: This style to me feels very close to what I imagine ‘Highland’ whisky to taste like in the loosest of senses. Probably not for everyone, but I find this sort of bottling extremely charming because it’s very natural and you really feel like it has a personality.

SGP: 462 - 86 points. Teaninich 20 yo 1999/2019 (55.7%, Archives ‘The Fishes of Samoa’, cask #307938, hogshead 248 bottles)

Are they not running out of fish yet at Whiskybase? Will we finally soon see ‘The Kebabs of Glasgow’? Or how about ‘The Hazard Jackets of Diageo’? Colour: straw. Nose: creamy natural sweetness with a little vanilla custard mixed with pineapple jelly, gentle ointments, sun lotion and toasted sunflower seeds. Straightforward, direct and pretty easy and classical in style. There’s a lovely freshness about it that I really enjoy. With water: drier, chalkier, notes of vase water, linens, sourdough and mash water. This interesting dusty and medical combination. Mouth: drier than the nose suggests and a little more powerful with notes of chalky medicines, heather ales, hessian, putty, mineral oil, camphor and dried herbs. A nicely petrolic texture and hints of vapour rubs and balms. Some notes of acrylic and playdough too - things are getting quite interesting now. With water: a really fun mix of mechanical oils, sunflower oil, yellow fruits, sweetened children’s medicines and camphor. Finish: good length, nippy medical notes, putty, olive oil, herbal bitters, white pepper and things like cloves, plasticine and crushed aspirin. Comments: This one started deceptively classical and swiftly morphed into another beast entirely. Charismatic and just the right side of weird, one to pour for friends blind and have fun with.

SGP: 562 - 87 points. Let’s stick around this neck of the alphabet… Tullibardine 14 yo 2006/2020 (55.3%, Lady Of The Glen, cask #36, rum finish)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: the rum whispers on the nose initially, manifesting more as a nicely gloopy mix of mechanical fluids, barley sweetness and pineapple syrup. Juicy, fat and giving the impression of weight and texture. Quite impressive and enjoyable so far. With water: much drier, leaner, more cereal, more medical and chalkier. Some slight briny touches which probably come from the rum. Mouth: the rum steps forwards here but overall the integration is good. Lots of lovely brown bready notes, brown sugars, ginger beer with dark rum, muesli, bicycle inner tube and camphor. The distillate itself feels rather weighty and textural, but perhaps the rum has magnified that. Some baked bananas and coconut oil. With water: again this nice tension between rum and whisky which actually works pretty well. More coconut, some dried exotic fruit chunks, mint and soda bread. Finish: good length, lightly drying, medical, mentholated, quietly saline and still with a glimmer of coconut and pineapple. Comments: A finish that has worked quite well I think, what’s good is that the quality of the original Tullibardine still comes through loud and clear. You can kind of see the join where the rum has been patched on, but it fits well I think.

SGP: 652 - 83 points. Tullibardine 25 yo 1993/2018 (43.2%, Cadenhead Single Cask, bourbon hogshead, 228 bottles)

Colour: pale straw. Nose: beautifully rich and fragrant with many warm breads, pastries, sunflower oil, cereals studded with dried fruits, crushed Brazil nuts, pumpkin seed oil and touches of hessian, chamois leather and sheep wool. Beautifully charismatic and natural distillate, the kind of aroma that feels as much compiled by time as by wood and raw ingredients. Wee lactic touches of vanilla cream and a little sandalwood too. Mouth: an assertive spiciness of rye bread and cupboard spices. Nutmeg, cinnamon bark, baking soda, Cheng Pi dried orange peel and then some rather punchy herbal bitters. Indeed, there’s a nice thread of bitterness running throughout that feels tense but never becomes too much. Some darjeeling and green teas, white pepper and waxed canvass. Finish: long, more herbal bitters, strong green tea, olive oil, miso, hessian, brown bread, spices and cocktail bitters. Comments: Blind I don’t think you’d ever peg it as Tullibardine, it’s almost ‘New World’ in style with all these punchy spices and breads. A really fascinating and extremely charismatic example that offers riches for those willing to seek it out.

SGP: 462 - 88 points. While we are ’T’ing, how about some Tobermory… Tobermory 23 yo 1995/2018 (54.2%, The Single Cask, cask #1201, 161 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: firm and malty and slightly tense at first. Then some quite classical ‘Tobermory’ things like sourdough starter and chalky notes begin to emerge. Snapped twigs, a sense of a rather brittle mineral quality and things like oily rag and boot polish. Pretty good I think, it certainly has something to say. With water: opens really well, much sootier, greasier, oilier and globally ‘fatter’. Water seems to unlock a sense of viscosity and texture. Mouth: quite gentle on arrival, linseed oil, chamois leather, green tea with milk, lemon barley water, mixed seeds, mineral oil. Getting a little more mechanical with time. Some herbal teas now, along with things like lemon peel and few dried herbs. With water: cooking oils, mashed potatoes, plain malt, oily rags, steel wool, cornflour, baking soda. Undeniably charismatic, but perhaps getting a tad austere and off the beaten path. Finish: medium and quite dry with some pretty salty notes, water crackers, mechanical oils, turmeric, newspaper ink. Comments: Tobermory from these vintages remains a very hard to pin down creature. This is fascinating, often enjoyable whisky but it feels a little unsure of itself and meanders at times.

SGP: 362 - 82 points. Tobermory 24 yo 1995/2019 (54%, The Single Cask, cask #329, 247 bottles)

Colour: bright straw. Nose: richer, breadier and a tad more cohesive. Still quite focused on things like cooking oils, ink, seeds and trail mix but there’s a lovely sense of richness and thickness about it. With water: sandalwood, cornflour, bouillon stock, unmalted barley, dried herbs and salted butter. Mouth: indeed, this is more punchy, more peppery and with nice wee touches of soot, asparagus, white mushrooms and olive oil. With water: again this nice oiliness of texture and quite a saline/umami vibe going on. Vegetable broth with soy sauce, miso, tarragon and more inky notes. Finish: good length and quite focussed on fresh breads, linens, starches, umami broths, dried herbs and wee yeasty touches. Comments: There’s a very obvious shared DNA going on here, but I feel this one was noticeably more cohesive and assertive in character. I suspect the casks themselves have a pretty big role to play here.

SGP: 462 - 86 points. It’s funny how all those ’Ts’ possessed a very similar SGP profile. Is there an argument to be made for a new set of whisky ‘regions’ to be based around an alphabetical definition? You know, like Ardbeg and Auchentoshan for example? (Perhaps not Angus) But that’s enough of this region of the alphabet. Longmorn 17 yo 2002/2020 (56.2%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange, cask #800638, bourbon barrel, 229 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: a lighter Longmorn, all on grasses and cereals and lemon peel at first. Breezey and sunshine-y with things like bailed hay, sunflower oil and a little hessian. Also some green banana and a little drying earthiness. With water: makes it grassier and a notch more austere with this chalkiness and touches of cornflour. Mouth: there’s some gentle barley sweetness upon arrival but generally the profile adheres to that set by the nose. That is grasses, crisp cereals, lighter cooking oils and things like barley water and pink lemonade. Some slightly sweeter and richer notes come through such as limoncello and fruit-studded muesli. With water: pot pourri, light olive oil, hints of canvass and hessian. Also things like bitter lemon and some grapefruit pith. Finish: slightly on the short side and rather peppery, herbal bitters and a slightly sharp cereal tone. Comments: All perfectly fine, but I feel there are better Longmorns from these vintages. This one feels ever so slightly hollow.

SGP: 451 - 82 points. Longmorn 15 yo 2005/2020 (63.1%, North Star, oloroso sherry butt, 596 bottles)

Colour: reddish mahogany. Nose: hot n’ spicy sherry! Lots of paprika, maraschino juices, cocktail bitters, a few pencil shavings, black coffee and rose cordial. For lovers of this rather punchy, modern sherry style this should be rather heavenly, although I find it ever so slightly on the heavy side. Some salted caramel fudge and suggestions of burnt toffee apple. With water: lots of hessian, dry earthiness, roasted hazelnuts, more strong coffee notes and a few cola cubes. Mouth: rather aggressive on the alcohol side obviously, but you also have these pretty grippy and assertive tannins. Lots of bitter chocolate nibs, strong black tea, five spice, cloves and graphite oil. Powerful stuff! Some salted treacle too. With water: the texture becomes quite satisfyingly rich and luxurious, this chocolate sauce vibe ensues while the tannins calm down slightly and take on a creamy edge. Also rather a lot of stuff like Marmite and date molasses. Gets very sticky and showing quite a few bitter herbal extracts. Finish: long, rather meaty, some gamey hints that allude to mature pinot noir, soy sauce, raspberry jam and mint choc chip. Comments: Plenty fun to be had here as long as you have your pipette handy. As with so many of these modern sherried beasts, this is a very entertaining whisky, but I’d struggle to ‘entertain’ more than a dram at a time (get your coat Angus!) Anyway, I feel like you yourself will have a pretty clear idea whether you’ll kill your grandma to get a bottle of this or leave it on the shelf.

SGP: 471 - 85 points. Mortlach 12 yo 2008/2020 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange, cask #800109, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 177 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: an immediate dive into posh custard made with sweet wine, lemon barley water, elderflower cordial and various meadow flowers and blossoms. One to drink while the summer is on its way out I’d say. More of these lovely notes of wet ferns, dandelions and mossy tree bark. Freshness is the word here. With water: grasses, pollens, nectars, freshly malted barley, greengages and a wee twist of lemon peel. Lovely! Mouth: custard again but in biscuit form here as Custard Creams. Also white stout beer, yellow plums, ripe cantaloup melon, baked green apples and some lightly hopped IPA (think Deuchars on cask). With water: vanilla cream soda, light hessian, some barley sugars, watercress and white pepper. A sip of mint tea too perhaps. Finish: medium and with more beery notes, a firm maltiness, more peppery warmth and still this pervasive custardy creaminess. Comments: I’d take this over the Longmorn any day I have to say. An extremely satisfying Mortlach from a cask that has really paired well with and amplified the more textural aspects of the distillate.

SGP: 651 - 87 points. Mortlach 1936 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, 1980s)

Not sure what there is left to say about these bottlings. Perhaps only that they deserve both legend and infamy. On one hand we left only to imagine what they might have been like bottled at higher strengths, on the other: we could have never had them at all. In the end, for me, they represent liquid history and very specific kind of poetic, old style beauty in Scotch Whisky. They are always a thrill and pleasure to try, even when they disappoint on a technical level. Colour: amber. Nose: the epitome of what is lauded about these 1980s long aged G&M malts: coconut, medicines, precious wood oils and the faintest, most threadbare of peats. Then, of course, beyond all that: exotic fruits. Presented here in dried out, crystalised, tea-ish form. Heather flowers, manuka honey, wormwood and the most ancient and beautiful of herbal liqueurs, what I imagine 19th century yellow Chartreuse should smell like. Mouth: about as assertive and ‘big’ as this series at 40% could get. Massively thick fruit oils, mango tea, guava jam, lime oils, all manner of dried out wildflowers, umami paste and many herbal bitters, extracts and infusions. This peat is still there, threading its way between everything in a wispy and almost ethereal manner. The mouthfeel is still oily and superbly textural. Rancio and the deliciously walnutty sherry grow ever more dominant over time. Finish: medium - possibly a tad short. But still immensely riddled with precious herbs, hardwood resins, exotic teas and a thrillingly complex array of old school medicines. Comments: Not the best of the Mortlachs from this era by G&M, but it’s still a stunning and haunting lost style of whisky and - despite the hurdles of low ABV and filtration - it still has much to say. And it says it beautifully.

SGP: 463 - 92 points. Big thanks to Dirk. September 11, 2020 A trio of Bladnoch Let’s be honest, I never quite understood Bladnoch. I remember some beautiful ueber-clean citrusy expressions, a few wobbly ones too, then some very engaging and passionate owners after Diageo had sold on the distillery, and then, since around five years, some incomprehensible square bottles finished in the most unlikely wine casks and priced at slightly ridiculous levels. I’m sorry, but as they say at progressive book clubs, what the f***? By the way, is Bladnoch still Scotland’s southernmost distillery? Bladnoch 17 yo ‘Californian Red Wine Finish’ (46.7%, OB, +/-2018)

As some nasty people would say, the good news is that it is a ‘Limited Release’. Seriously, which mad soul would let some empty Californian red wine barriques being shipped to Scotland to be used as finishing vessels (even worse, they were quite possibly French oak)? Imagine the carbon costs while there are same-ish barriques all over Europe! But you never know, this could be good… Colour: gold. Nose: sour, gingery, milky, yoghurty and just unpleasant. Readymade polenta and porridge, yeast, touch of feints... Mouth: relatively nicer but frankly unbalanced and sour. Too much ginger and too much nutmeg, too much stale ale too. There’s even a misplaced wee saltiness, and quite some peat smoke that’s just as misplaced. I’m dead sure this was better before they dumped the juice into red wine (whether Californian or not, that’s purely anecdotal). Finish: medium, rather on sweet and sour breads this time, which I find a little better. Ginger in the aftertaste, not a good sign, in general. Comments: Bladnoch could be lovely in the old days, and even stand up to Rosebank (if not to St Magdalene). I find this sad, I hope they’ll be back one day.

SGP:542 - 65 points. Thank god we’ve got our dear indies… But first, for a quick recovery… Bladnoch (70°proof, OB, Co.Import Torino, 75.7cl, 1970s)

An old bottle I’ve got in WF’s private bar. We already tried this expression, but when there’s a pressing need, we ought to act swiftly… Colour: gold. Nose: pine nuts, moss, citrons, lemon grass, almond oil, castor oil, spearmint, old magazines, manzanilla… Phew, I was about to start to wonder if my nose and palate hadn’t failed me. Mouth: oh yes, herbal teas, lemons and citrons, moss, rucola, marrow, sesame oil, salt… have I mentioned lemon already? Finish: pretty long after fifty years in glass and at barely 40% vol., with more mosses, pepper, lemons, ink, paraffin, good cardboard. Comments: phew, that was tight! I was about to throw in the towel. I won’t change my old score but I could have gone one point higher. It’s true that what used to be a little uncommon became extremely rare as far as whisky’s concerned. Oh hell…

An old bottle I’ve got in WF’s private bar. We already tried this expression, but when there’s a pressing need, we ought to act swiftly… Colour: gold. Nose: pine nuts, moss, citrons, lemon grass, almond oil, castor oil, spearmint, old magazines, manzanilla… Phew, I was about to start to wonder if my nose and palate hadn’t failed me. Mouth: oh yes, herbal teas, lemons and citrons, moss, rucola, marrow, sesame oil, salt… have I mentioned lemon already? Finish: pretty long after fifty years in glass and at barely 40% vol., with more mosses, pepper, lemons, ink, paraffin, good cardboard. Comments: phew, that was tight! I was about to throw in the towel. I won’t change my old score but I could have gone one point higher. It’s true that what used to be a little uncommon became extremely rare as far as whisky’s concerned. Oh hell… SGP:462 - 90 points. Okay, this has become a quartet then. Even better… Bladnoch 25 yo 1991/2017 (54.3%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, Statement No.29, hogshead, cask #8274, 172 bottles)

Which kind of statement will this be?... Colour: deep gold. Nose: all right, this is not quite a well-chiselled, all-pure citrusy Bladnoch, and to tell you the truth, we’re a little closer to the wacky newish OB here, with some sour porridge-y smells and quite some stale pepper. Bark and nutshells may improve it a wee bit, but only water could really save it, in my opinion. With water: sour wines, cheeses and Democrat gym socks. I know what I’m trying to say. Indeed those would be much worse. Mouth (neat): oloroso on acid at first, with the bitterest walnuts (GMO I’m sure) and some mustardy and cardboardy development that we’ve hardly ever seen before. There’s a little soap too, but there are also very positive signals sent from the background. Let’s watch them closer… With water: frankly, I don’t know. Chewing your cigar? Quaffing two bottles of walnut wine? Sipping walnut stain? This is seriously bitter, my friend. Finish: long, bitter, ridden with all walnuts ever produced in Scotland. Salty aftertaste. Comments: some kind of statement indeed, I’m wondering if Baldrick wasn’t at the helm here. But there’s something very spectacular – and of course, cunning – to this little baby. Crazy stuff.

Which kind of statement will this be?... Colour: deep gold. Nose: all right, this is not quite a well-chiselled, all-pure citrusy Bladnoch, and to tell you the truth, we’re a little closer to the wacky newish OB here, with some sour porridge-y smells and quite some stale pepper. Bark and nutshells may improve it a wee bit, but only water could really save it, in my opinion. With water: sour wines, cheeses and Democrat gym socks. I know what I’m trying to say. Indeed those would be much worse. Mouth (neat): oloroso on acid at first, with the bitterest walnuts (GMO I’m sure) and some mustardy and cardboardy development that we’ve hardly ever seen before. There’s a little soap too, but there are also very positive signals sent from the background. Let’s watch them closer… With water: frankly, I don’t know. Chewing your cigar? Quaffing two bottles of walnut wine? Sipping walnut stain? This is seriously bitter, my friend. Finish: long, bitter, ridden with all walnuts ever produced in Scotland. Salty aftertaste. Comments: some kind of statement indeed, I’m wondering if Baldrick wasn’t at the helm here. But there’s something very spectacular – and of course, cunning – to this little baby. Crazy stuff. SGP:272 - 80 points. Shall we ever meet civilisation?... Bladnoch 28 yo 1990/2019 ‘Exotic Fruit Granola’ (56.9%, Wemyss Malts for HNWS Taiwan, bourbon barrel, 100 bottles)

A bourbon barrel, right, we should be safer now… As for Granola, not too sure, but Wemyss have had an excellent Bladnoch 1990/2016 ‘Apple Syllabub’, so there is serious hope… Oh, and they’re all really crazy in Taiwan, just saying. Colour: gold. Nose: probably the most Bladnochian of them all, even more so than the old NAS OB. Passion fruit sherbet, mirabelle ice cream (try that before you die), various cakes, Danishes, touches of overripe bananas (but we’re nowhere near any rum), custard, orange cakes… This is truly beautiful, pretty delicate, yet assertive. It’s a whole pastry shop. With water: tenser and more citrusy, that’s a normal, and much expected unfolding. Mouth (neat): big stuff at 28 years of age, cake-y and rather on mirabelle eau-de-vie (believe me, I distil some almost every year) as well as some mint, eucalyptus, grasses and hay. It’s actually almost too powerful given the profile, so… With water: this is where the oak comes out, with a medicinal side (pine syrup) and quite some liquorice. A little drying but all most pleasant. Mouthwash. Finish: long, on ‘a tea in the Sahara’. Tea and mint, a little dry. Bitter liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: only the finish is slightly subpar in my humble book, all the rest was of very great distinction.

A bourbon barrel, right, we should be safer now… As for Granola, not too sure, but Wemyss have had an excellent Bladnoch 1990/2016 ‘Apple Syllabub’, so there is serious hope… Oh, and they’re all really crazy in Taiwan, just saying. Colour: gold. Nose: probably the most Bladnochian of them all, even more so than the old NAS OB. Passion fruit sherbet, mirabelle ice cream (try that before you die), various cakes, Danishes, touches of overripe bananas (but we’re nowhere near any rum), custard, orange cakes… This is truly beautiful, pretty delicate, yet assertive. It’s a whole pastry shop. With water: tenser and more citrusy, that’s a normal, and much expected unfolding. Mouth (neat): big stuff at 28 years of age, cake-y and rather on mirabelle eau-de-vie (believe me, I distil some almost every year) as well as some mint, eucalyptus, grasses and hay. It’s actually almost too powerful given the profile, so… With water: this is where the oak comes out, with a medicinal side (pine syrup) and quite some liquorice. A little drying but all most pleasant. Mouthwash. Finish: long, on ‘a tea in the Sahara’. Tea and mint, a little dry. Bitter liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: only the finish is slightly subpar in my humble book, all the rest was of very great distinction. SGP:561 - 89 points. (Thank you Tony) Check the index of all Bladnoch we've tasted so far September 9, 2020 A wheelbarrow of nine American whiskies For, say the fifteen first years of little Whiskyfun, we used to post a lot about music too, with tips, mp3s and the world-famous Concert Reviews by Nick and Kate. But the worst part of this lousy website finally took over, that is to say whisky and other aged spirits. Sad turn of events, really, but we just couldn’t have kept up. Now in a way, History catches up with us since guess what just turned up? That’s right, Bob Dylan’s own whiskies! What’s more, one of them was aged in barrels made out of oak that was cut in the mountains just near WF Towers in France, in the Vosges! Incredible… Heaven’s Door ‘Straight Rye Whiskey’ (43%, OB, USA, 2020)

It’s not fully aged in Vosges oak, just finished for six months in those casks after seven years in regular America barrels. It’s to be noted that oak from the Vosges are also used in wine making. I’ve seen this baby at 46% vol. on the Web but this is well a 43% vol. version. Naturally, it’s sourced whisky from MGP’s and I’m wondering if Bob Dylan was fully involved (the answer, my friend…), but it seems that they plan to open a Distillery in Nashville. With all that in mind, let’s proceed… Oh and no, we won’t quote songs, but we won’t deny that Heaven’s Door is a lovely name. Colour: gold. Nose: this nose is lovely too, rather gentle, really full of rye, touches of violets, turmeric, some funny hints of tequila, then dill and fennel seeds, heather honey, warm caramel, cinnamon roll, and more earthy agave/tequila. What I really like here is that it’s earthier than other ryes, which I sometimes find too ‘round’ and lacking responsiveness, if you see what I mean. Mouth: starts dry, on sawdust and many spices, including white pepper and cinnamon indeed. It is very bready too, and would rather go towards caraway, cloves and nutmeg, then ground coffee and raw cocoa. The rye is very obvious, I’m also finding notes of buckwheat (not distilled buckwheat) and some wood ashes. It’s really dry, not a style that I dislike. Finish: rather long, spicy, earthy and grassy, with only a little marmalade and lavender sweets in the aftertaste. And a little salt too. Comments: it’s not often that spirits endorsed (or more) by high-celebrities are really good, but this dry American really is in my book. It’s as dry as Mr Bob.

It’s not fully aged in Vosges oak, just finished for six months in those casks after seven years in regular America barrels. It’s to be noted that oak from the Vosges are also used in wine making. I’ve seen this baby at 46% vol. on the Web but this is well a 43% vol. version. Naturally, it’s sourced whisky from MGP’s and I’m wondering if Bob Dylan was fully involved (the answer, my friend…), but it seems that they plan to open a Distillery in Nashville. With all that in mind, let’s proceed… Oh and no, we won’t quote songs, but we won’t deny that Heaven’s Door is a lovely name. Colour: gold. Nose: this nose is lovely too, rather gentle, really full of rye, touches of violets, turmeric, some funny hints of tequila, then dill and fennel seeds, heather honey, warm caramel, cinnamon roll, and more earthy agave/tequila. What I really like here is that it’s earthier than other ryes, which I sometimes find too ‘round’ and lacking responsiveness, if you see what I mean. Mouth: starts dry, on sawdust and many spices, including white pepper and cinnamon indeed. It is very bready too, and would rather go towards caraway, cloves and nutmeg, then ground coffee and raw cocoa. The rye is very obvious, I’m also finding notes of buckwheat (not distilled buckwheat) and some wood ashes. It’s really dry, not a style that I dislike. Finish: rather long, spicy, earthy and grassy, with only a little marmalade and lavender sweets in the aftertaste. And a little salt too. Comments: it’s not often that spirits endorsed (or more) by high-celebrities are really good, but this dry American really is in my book. It’s as dry as Mr Bob. SGP:362 - 86 points.

Heaven’s Door ‘Tennessee Bourbon’ (42%, OB, USA, straight bourbon, 2020) High-maize content and this one too was bottled at a lower strength (seen at 45% on the Web). This ‘could’ be George Dickel juice, but that’s pure speculation, I’m no bourbon sleuth at all. Oh and couldn’t you blend Dickel with smaller parts from younger and smaller distilleries from Tennessee? Why would ‘sourcers’ always only buy readymade juice? By the way, there’s a black crow on the bottle but I doubt dear Joni Mitchel ever gave a hand here. Colour: gold. Nose: I’m finding some rye too but the whole is much rounder, gentler and easier than the rye, with less character, and certainly more vanilla and maple syrup. No big coconut though, so that’s sorted. Rather a lot of custard, biscuit and growing notes of pineapple jam and perhaps pear jelly. Mouth: I find it relatively firm, not that rounder than the rye, and rather dry and earthy again, which seems to be the desired style. Olive crackers, a little burnt caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon cookies, spicier honey (chestnut?) and some lavender and violet sweets, that’s the rye I suppose. Still a little less characterful than the rye, but it’s not as much a smooth and lazy baby as some other – and no less rock and roll - offerings from Tennessee. Finish: medium, with good creaminess and some maple syrup. Touch of aniseed in the aftertaste. Comments: I find this very good, it’s just that I’m having a soft spot for the rye. Not just because they’ve cut the trees near my house (all right, 30km away)…

SGP:551 - 84 points. I remember Bob Dylan had bought a house in Nethybridge, near Aviemore in the late 2000s, so should we also expect some Balmenach one day? But since we’ve mentioned George Dickel… Eenie meenie… What? George Dickel ‘Tabasco Barrel Finish’ (35%, OB, USA, +/-2019)

Wha-a-a-t indeed? Long story short, this is Dickel finished in Tabasco (so flavoured, Doritos-style) and bottled at a lower strength, possibly because it was pretty offensive at 40% or more. My guess… Colour: gold. Nose: pretty horrible. Some sour harissa, too light, green pepper… What’s the point here? I love Tabasco and am kind of fond of George Dickel, but this is just a good example of two fine juices killing each other if you ask me. Possibly the most pointless alcoholic drink ever, even before Haig Club. Mouth: Fireball anytime! This is terrible, too sugary and too full of chillies at the same time, and just undrinkable. Wrecks your palate – well it wrecked mine – and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t even try to pour this over Hawaiian pizza. That’s right, the one with pineapples that hipsters in Alabama adore. Finish: couldn’t tell you, I’ve rinsed my mouth with marc de gewurztraminer at still strength. Comments: a ‘whisky’ as stupid as a voice assistant while it won’t even give you yesterday’s weather or play ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. Or indeed ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ by Bob D. I’m not even sure I’ll ever manage to get my glass clean, better just toss it in a very remote (because of the smell) dumpster. I suppose this was another late-night idea straight from a dinner at the Rotary-Club.

Wha-a-a-t indeed? Long story short, this is Dickel finished in Tabasco (so flavoured, Doritos-style) and bottled at a lower strength, possibly because it was pretty offensive at 40% or more. My guess… Colour: gold. Nose: pretty horrible. Some sour harissa, too light, green pepper… What’s the point here? I love Tabasco and am kind of fond of George Dickel, but this is just a good example of two fine juices killing each other if you ask me. Possibly the most pointless alcoholic drink ever, even before Haig Club. Mouth: Fireball anytime! This is terrible, too sugary and too full of chillies at the same time, and just undrinkable. Wrecks your palate – well it wrecked mine – and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t even try to pour this over Hawaiian pizza. That’s right, the one with pineapples that hipsters in Alabama adore. Finish: couldn’t tell you, I’ve rinsed my mouth with marc de gewurztraminer at still strength. Comments: a ‘whisky’ as stupid as a voice assistant while it won’t even give you yesterday’s weather or play ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. Or indeed ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ by Bob D. I’m not even sure I’ll ever manage to get my glass clean, better just toss it in a very remote (because of the smell) dumpster. I suppose this was another late-night idea straight from a dinner at the Rotary-Club. SGP:690 - 1 points. And now if you would excuse me, I’ll need a good thirty minutes to try to recover my palate… Nose is fine though… Wait, perhaps this? Elijah Craig ‘Barrel Proof B518’ (66.7%, OB, USA, Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 2018)

Some corn-fuelled bourbon by Heaven Hill, not too expensive and much lauded by Bourbon enthusiasts and the American press alike. But watch the strength… Colour: rich gold. Nose: warm sawdust, cologne and molasses, but that’s normal at this murderous strength. So… With water: the best use of water, as they say. Nice fruits, mangos, apples, bananas, and a huge vanilla-and-maple syrup combo. So a little rudimentary perhaps, but that’s not a problem in this context. No one’s expecting Clynelish 1972 anyway. Mouth (neat): very sweet and very ethanoly. Big oak too, sugar, coconut balls… Not the style that malt drinkers prefer, but water should help… With water: classic high-class fruity bourbon, quality’s high, while it tends to get very spicy and that’s all the oak. Finish: dry and bitterish and peppery finish. A little rustic I would say. Comments: very very good, naturally, but I tend to prefer complex whiskies. Or more ‘idiosyncratic’ ones, such as Mr Dylan’s rye. Even if bourbon exegetes may cry wolf now, since the latter’s sourced, which, to some friends, is the equivalent to adding pineapple onto your pizza.

Some corn-fuelled bourbon by Heaven Hill, not too expensive and much lauded by Bourbon enthusiasts and the American press alike. But watch the strength… Colour: rich gold. Nose: warm sawdust, cologne and molasses, but that’s normal at this murderous strength. So… With water: the best use of water, as they say. Nice fruits, mangos, apples, bananas, and a huge vanilla-and-maple syrup combo. So a little rudimentary perhaps, but that’s not a problem in this context. No one’s expecting Clynelish 1972 anyway. Mouth (neat): very sweet and very ethanoly. Big oak too, sugar, coconut balls… Not the style that malt drinkers prefer, but water should help… With water: classic high-class fruity bourbon, quality’s high, while it tends to get very spicy and that’s all the oak. Finish: dry and bitterish and peppery finish. A little rustic I would say. Comments: very very good, naturally, but I tend to prefer complex whiskies. Or more ‘idiosyncratic’ ones, such as Mr Dylan’s rye. Even if bourbon exegetes may cry wolf now, since the latter’s sourced, which, to some friends, is the equivalent to adding pineapple onto your pizza. SGP:551 - 84 points. More Heaven Hill, by indies this time…

Heaven Hill 10 yo 2009/2019 (50.2%, Liquid Treasures, bourbon barrel, 161 bottles) Isn’t it reassuring to learn that a Heaven Hill would stem from a bourbon barrel? Fine work on the label, very appropriate. Colour: gold. Nose: immediately superior, fresher, fruitier, more complex, less buried in vanilla and corn syrup, with plums, apples, papayas, touch of liquorice, hawthorn, oranges… With water: quite superb, floral, with lovely teas, Assam, touches of peaches, hints of beedis, orange cake… It’s this fruity/herbal freshness that’s really awesome. Mouth (neat): excellent, maltier (I know that’s bizarre), with even touches of smoke (even more bizarre) and some minerals (more bizarre yet). With water: indeed. Apricot jam, butterscotch, tinned peaches, custard, moderate pepper, a little peppermint, well-behaved vanilla (vanilla is the Kim K. of whisky)… I’m really fond of this little indie HH. Finish: rather long, bodied as a malt, complex, a tad sweeter. Fruit peel in the aftertaste, that’s tops too. Very well selected Mr Liquid and Mrs Treasures! Comments: another case of some indie bottlers trashing the officials, if you ask me. All these 2009s are very good, some, as this one, are excellent. IMHO, as we used to say before Karen took over the Internet.

SGP:651 - 88 points. Let’s gear towards boutique whiskies… Garrison Brothers 3 yo 2015/2019 (47%, OB for Peter Siegenthaler, USA, Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, cask #9057, 63 bottles)

Hopes are high, the pedigree is immaculate here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: Aristotle said it already, bread will save the world. This is very bready, in a wonderful manner. One of the greatest pleasures in life is to have breakfast in the Germanic Alpes (Schweiz, Austria, Germany) in front of some snowy mountains, with dozens of different breads, some farm butter and a good bottle of champagne. Sometimes some Sekts will do. That’s exactly the impression I have while nosing this little Texan whisky of pretty high quality. Mouth: absolutely a-do-ra-ble, with rare honeys, stouts of good origins, and of course all those breads, chiefly pumpernickel. Gingerbread, Stolle, sucking a sweet cigar, having some ginger cookies. Finish: long, full of sweet oak spices but never ‘oaky’, going on with dried figs and more special honeys. Manuka, purple heather… And black olives in the aftertaste! That’s amazing. Comments: sure it’s a baby, but in this case, age doesn’t matter. Let’s not generalise, please. BTW and speaking of Texas, I’ve just listened to an early gig by ZZ Top (circa 1971). They never got better.

Hopes are high, the pedigree is immaculate here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: Aristotle said it already, bread will save the world. This is very bready, in a wonderful manner. One of the greatest pleasures in life is to have breakfast in the Germanic Alpes (Schweiz, Austria, Germany) in front of some snowy mountains, with dozens of different breads, some farm butter and a good bottle of champagne. Sometimes some Sekts will do. That’s exactly the impression I have while nosing this little Texan whisky of pretty high quality. Mouth: absolutely a-do-ra-ble, with rare honeys, stouts of good origins, and of course all those breads, chiefly pumpernickel. Gingerbread, Stolle, sucking a sweet cigar, having some ginger cookies. Finish: long, full of sweet oak spices but never ‘oaky’, going on with dried figs and more special honeys. Manuka, purple heather… And black olives in the aftertaste! That’s amazing. Comments: sure it’s a baby, but in this case, age doesn’t matter. Let’s not generalise, please. BTW and speaking of Texas, I’ve just listened to an early gig by ZZ Top (circa 1971). They never got better. SGP:651 - 89 points. How could we resist… Garrison Brothers 6 yo 2014/2020 (60.1%, OB for Peter Siegenthaler, USA, Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, cask #7117, 81 bottles)

I’m very pleased to learn, from the most distinguished Swiss importer, that at 60.1% vol., ‘der Bourbon ist in Fassstärke.’ Haben wir nicht bemerkt. Colour: very dark red amber. Nose: high-alcohol blocking, Much less happening, only molasses, praline, caramel and pear cake. With water: we join the sister, drop by drop, but this showcases the limits of ‘home reducing’, we never quite manage to get to that perfect breadiness. Remember, ‘buy at high strength, you can always add the water yourself’ really is a BS proposition that negates the complex dynamics of water/alcohol interactions. There, I said it. Oh and this Garrison is very good. Mouth (neat): fudge and cognac galore, but we’re ten times more ‘jammed’ than with the perfect sister cask at 47%. That’s the limits of high-strength, really. With water: I think we got it right this time, this is really good, but cask #9057 still reigns supreme. Good menthol though. Finish: long, very very good but tad more on everyday routes. Comments: how-the-hell would I have guessed, in all honesty, that I should have had the strongest sibling first? But don’t get me wrong, this is very good too.

SGP:651 – 85 points. Why not an old bottle as this session’s signature? We don’t do old bottles of bourbon very often, do we? Wild Turkey 8 yo (101 US proof, OB, +/-1960)

101 US proof are 50.5% vol., US proof are for whisky lovers that are bad at math; UK proof is a whole different story… Colour: amber. Nose: I wouldn’t say you’ve got that old ‘OBE’ kind of thing with bourbon; they either kept very well or are flat dead, but I’m not sure they really ‘evolve’ in glass as much as Scotch whiskies do. This has some cake, touches