Whisky and other wonderful things

NMWL Trondheim had a visit from Jon Bertelsen on Sunday, and we made our way through eight malts. Needless to say, my notes for the first four or five are rather more extensive than for the last few, so I’ll just include the reasonably sensible ones…

Glen Scotia 45% OB
Distilled 31 May 1999, bottled 24 April 2007, cask no. 78.

Nose: Apples and pears, malt, hint of lemon, more obvious lemon but less of everything else with water, I’d drink it without.

Palate: My first impression is of pepper. Also it’s very heavy on the grain, chewy maltiness. Bitterness and wood (not the rubbery notes of old casks but the dry smell/taste of weathered planking).

Comments: Quite nice as a “light” whisky, but the bitterness detracts.

Score: 5 out of 10

Arran 10 years old OB 46%
(L26 09 07 3 14:15 BB)

Nose: Closed, barely opens with water. It might just be my nose, though…

Palate: Wood, sweet, dare I say sherry? No raisiny notes, though, just the sherry-sweetness.

Comments: I was pleasantly surprise and noted the batch number because I wonder if there might be differences. A good, though not terribly exciting, dram.

Score: 6 out of 10

Springbank Vintage 2000 OB, bottled for Jon Bertelsen, 58.5%

Nose: Some smoke, though cigar rather than peat.

Palate: More peaty smoke, ashes, coldness

Comments: Quite definitely the best whisky from (spirit distilled at) Springbank I’ve ever had. I tried it very quickly at OFW and decided to buy a bottle just because I actually liked it, but a “proper” taste has left me changing “like” to “love”.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Bladnoch 15 years old OB, sherry matured, 55%

Nose: Sherry, malt, vaguely floral/grassy

Palate: A lot of sherry, a little wood, some malt.

Comments: In this company this is just boring, too much sherry, not enough whisky. Not bad, at all, just too one-dimensional. I must try it again in a different setting, though.

Score: 5 out of 10

Longrow CV 46% (batch 08/330)

Nose: metallic, vague peat, liquorice

Palate: coldness, ashes, rock, peat smoke

Comment: With water, that familiar Springbank bitterness appears and it becomes undrinkable. Note to self: Do not add water.

Score: 7 out of 10 (without water)

And then we had Bruichladdich 2001 for Jon Bertelsen, Bruichladdich Waves and Longrow 10 years old CS, which were all fine, but nothing to write home about.

Tasted as a mystery malt (NMWL Trondheim Mystery Malt #3 – Sample B).

Nose: Malt more than anything. Something floral. Congeners. Quite pleasant. A faint hint of smoke once I’ve added water.

Palate: Smooth and rough (if that’s possible). A lot of malt, a very little smoke. Green grass (or sileage) and red clover. Some off-notes that I can persuade myself to ignore.

Comments: Could possibly be a (lightly) peated Lowlander. Probably not cask strength, but more than 40% - perhaps 46%? Ex-bourbon is my guess, as the cask seems to have done so little, and probably not very old, possibly just gone 10 years. Not the bees knees, but an ok dram.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Colour: dark amber with a green-gray sheen

Nose: Toffee, tokaji, salt, rubber, yeasty cakes

Palate: Strange! Rubber, sharp, hazel nuts.

Score: 2 out of 10

Nose: Not a lot, and what little there is I have a hard time finding words for. Mealy apples, perhaps, and salt.

Palate: Rubber, bitter, pecan nuts.

Score: 2 out of 10

Nose: Toffee, fruit – peach and pineapple – salt.

Palate: Rough, some rubber, salt, unpleasant congeners on the finish.

Score: 2.5 out of 10