Så jeg tenkte ikke mer på det.

I dag morges hadde teen min en rar ettersmak. Jeg lurte vagt på om melka kunne ha vært sur.

Og tenkte ikke mer på det.

På jobb spiste jeg en banan. Den smakte skikkelig bittert.

Eh?

Google er vår venn. Via diverse diskusjonsforum fant jeg dette avsnittet på wikipedia, om pinkekjerner:

Risks of eating pine nuts

A small minority of pine nuts can cause taste disturbances, developing 1–3 days after consumption and lasting for days or weeks. A bitter, metallic taste is described. Though very unpleasant, there are no lasting effects. This phenomenon was first described in a scientific paper in 2001. Some publications have made reference to this phenomenon as “pine mouth”. This is a relatively new phenomenon and appears to be most common in nuts coming from China. It has been theorized that the nut trees are absorbing something and passing it on to the nuts, or the nuts themselves are being treated with something before packaging. It is also possible that the nuts have spoiled and are rancid, however the foul flavor is metallic and not rancid. Also, it has been hypothesized that this bitter side effect is caused by an allergy that some people may have to pine nuts, but this does not explain the recent appearance of this syndrome. Metallic taste disturbance known as metallogeusia, are reported 1–3 days after ingestion, being worse on day 2 and lasting for up to 2 weeks. Cases were self-limited and resolve without treatment.

På mandag var jeg på et arrangement med jobben hvor vi blandt annet fikk en “nøtteblanding” med pinjekjerner, som jeg forsynte meg godt av siden jeg syntes det smakte storveis.

Der har vi vel forklaringen.

To av kollegene mine spiste også en del, en av dem har samme symptomer, den andre ikke. Jeg har spist pinjekjerner mange ganger før, uten noen merkbar effekt, så så enkelt som en allergisk reaksjon er det neppe.

Opp til to uker? Ja, det kan jo bli en effektiv slankekur. Mat er nemlig ikke fristende. Alt smaker bittert, som om det var dynket i bitrex (løvetannekstrakt). Og verst av alt er at bittersmaken henger i bak i munnen lenge etter at siste bit er svelget. Vann går under tvil, kaffe går heldigvis greit, sannsynligvis fordi det er bittert i seg selv.

Jeg vurderer å leve på øl en uke. Det burde vel gå bra?

Kommer jeg noensinne til å tørre å spise pinjekjerner igjen? Se det, du, det lurer jeg på.

Palate: Warmly spicy. Slight bitterness. Heathery honey.

Finish: Longish, with heather and honey and a slight bitterness.

Comments: When I found that honey, my mind went: “Oh, yes!” Still, on the whole it’s “just” a good dram, not all that exceptional.

Score: 7 out of 10

Nose: Apples, a hint of rubber (which is odd, as I’d normally associate that with ex-sherry casks).

Palate: I know it’s supposed to be unpeated, but I’m getting strong log fire vibes. Not smoke, precisely, just heat and fire and even ashes. Perfectly balanced sweetness. Vanilla. Bitter vanilla on the finish, which works well with the preceding sweetness.

Comments: Ok, my nose is giving in, but I REALLY like this. Really. It pushes all my buttons in perfect harmony. Or something. And you know what? It’s at the perfect strength. I probably should add a splash of water, just to release any “hidden” esters and such, but I’ll save that for a less cold-and-sneezly evening. For just plain enjoyable drinking, though, 46.3 – odd number, that – just does it.

Score: Uhm. I think I might have to go for a 9 out of 10.

Well, I did say I really like it.

Glen Albyn 1975, 26 yo, 54.8%

Nose: Chemical, pine needle detergent, resin, new wood.

Palate: Resin, malt, sweetness.

Comments: Very leggy. Tastes better than it smells, but overall a great whisky. Nice and smooth on the palate but with a (pleasant) “sting”.

Score: 8 out of 10 

Linkwood 1975, 26 yo, 56.1%

Nose: A little unpleasant just at first, needs to breathe. A bit sharp. Malt and something berry and floral.

Palate: Black currants and black currant bush on the finish. Malt and vanilla.

Comments: Needs to breathe in the glass for a while. Nice, but boring. Not a particularly good Linkwood.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Blair Athol 1975, 27 yo, 54.8%

Nose: Spice, toffee, red berries.

Palate: Spice cake.

Comments: Very, very pleasant.

Score: 9 out of 10

Dufftown 1975, 21 yo, 54.8%

Nose: Butterscotch, acetone.

Palate: Malt, acetone, then some christmas cake, with ginger (a bit soapy) and cloves rather than cinnamon.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Caperdonich 16 years old, Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition, distilled 1988, bottled 2008, batch no. CD 16 001, 55.8%

Nose: Heather and heath. With water: Lemon sherbet, candied orange, malt, hay.

Palate: Spice. Dry, warm wood. Orange marmelade. Dark chocolate. Black pepper.

Comments: Really needs water. Very nice indeed, there’s a bit of a contrast between the fruit sherbety nose and the more spicy, “adult” palate, but they are by no means strangers. I like it.

Score: 8 out of 10

Caperdonich  10 years old heavily peated, The Single Malts of Scotland, distilled 04.05.1998, bottled 01.10.2008, cask ref 1277, 58.5%

Nose: Warm peat smoke, hay and malt. Oatmeal, flour, glue. Water brings out lemony notes and something evergreen, spruce possibly. It also lessens the impact of the peat.

Palate: Peat and banana. Malt, dry wood.With water, a little marmelade and a rich, tangy sort of spice.

Comments: A warm, rich and complex nose which could keep me occupied for a while. A dry, woody finish with a hint of evergreens. Very, very nice.

Score: 9 out of 10

Palate: Warm and mellow. Muffled sherry. Shortbread and brown sugar notes. Bitter orange on the finish.

Conclusion: Quite a pleasant Mortlach, not oversherried like I often find them. I’m not quite sure about the bitterness on the finish, though, it’s a little too strong for my taste, and therefore detracts a bit from the overall score.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

It started with a bang. Literally. I know I called the Polgoon Aval “too sparkling” at first, but this is something else entirely. The bottle is corked “champagne style” and the moment I had unwound the wire sufficiently, cork, wire and cap disappeared heavenwards. Maude knows what our upstairs neighbour thought when it hit the ceiling with a loud bang. A good 10 cl decided to leave the bottle and bubble over, prompting a rescue operation on the blanket I happened to have under the bottle. Pouring it was an adventure in itself, and yes, if I stuck my nose in before it had settled down I got that rather unpleasant co2-sting in my nose.

Nose: Green apples. And, eh, green apples. And you have to almost touch the liquid with your nose to get even that. Not a big nose, then.

Palate: Sweet apples. A tad too sweet for me, but not so much as to call it cloying or anything like that.

Conclusion: Rather boring, though. Not much happening on the nose or the palate. Too much like Mozell (a cider-like Norwegian soft drink). I’d like to know the sugar content, if it’s not soft-drink level then I could see the point of this, if it is, well, then I’d rather drink the non-alcoholic version. Still, it’s not not good, to put it that way, I’ll be quite happy to finish the bottle.

Nose: Varnished oak. Spice and chocolate.

Palate: Port. Now there’s a surprise. Woody, but pleasantly so. Spice and dust, like an old spice chest. Dark chocolate.

Conclusion: One of the best wine finishes I’ve tasted. It doesn’t wow me, though, but it’s “eminently quaffable”, just like it says on the label (fact).

Score: 6.5 out of 10

With water the vegetation becomes more apparent, with a sweet, flowery note.

Palate: Pleasantly woody, reminscent of a timberyard. A sweet, baked goods kind of note, vanilla and custard. Somewhat grassy, too. Quite complex, but well-rounded.

Conclusion: One I want to drink again. And again. How nice to get a whisky out of Campbeltown that I can wholeheartedly approve of. Massively impressive for being only five years old. It will be interesting to see if age will improve it or if I will want them to keep bottling it young.

Score: 7 out of 10.

For anyone in the area, this is the place: Økomat Innherred

For the rest of Norway, this place will provide the appropriate link: Økomat Norge

And the rest of you? Well, you know how to google, surely? Do it now!