Mirthful's Comestibles

Nose: Lemon, grass, shortbread, malt. Water brings out pine trees and wood sorrel.

Palate: Lemon, oaky dryness, malt and buttery cake. Too much water uncovers a vaguely vomity note.

Comments: I am rarely much taken with Jura, but this is a nice exception. The taste is slightly better without water, the nose is definitely improved when water is added, which would leave me in a fine quandry if I had a whole bottle rather than just a small sample. As it is, it’s not a major issue.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Speed dramming at Tomintoul, we had half an hour on four drams, of which I made hasty notes on two.

Tomintoul 21 years old

Nose: Green apples, pear drops.

Palate: Spice, sweetness (honey?).

Comment: Beautiful nose!

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Old Ballantruan

Nose: Sweetness and peat, warm smoke, fruit in the background.

Palate: Colder smoke, plums.

Score: 6 out of 10

A bit disappointing this. I mean, I know Cadenheads have some really cracking drams in their stock, so getting something that’s just ok is not going to wow me…

Tasted blind, that is I wrote the notes before I was told what was in the glass.

Balmenach 22 years, dist. 1989, bot. June 2011, bourbon hogshead, 51.4%

Nose: With no water, mostly alchohol. With water added, meaty and orange.

Palate: Slate, spice, malt.

Comment: There is something distinct on nose and palate that I couldn’t put a name to before the glass was empty, so I wanted more simply to try to pin it down.

Score: 5 out of 10

Speyside 15 years, dist. 1994, bot. 2009, bourbon hogshead, 64.6%

Nose: Vegetation, pine, resin, suddenly sherry.

Palate: Resin.

Score: 7 out of 10 (well, I like resiny whiskies)

Hazelburn 12 years, Batch 3, all sherry, 46%

Nose: With water, fruit and smoke.

Palate: Clear peat on finish.

Score: 6 out of 10

(Note: No, I have no idea where the smoke/peat comes from, but it’s there.)

Ben Nevis 14 years, Rum cask, 58.1%

Nose: Rubber.

Palate: Rubber, salt, pepper, liquorice.

Score: 3 out of 10

Vatted malt for shop, 58.2%

Nose: Peat, dried fruits.

Palate: Peat, cold fireplace.

The entertainment value was better than the whisky. Actually, that’s not entirely true, the whisky was mostly quite good, however, the laughs were plentiful.

More plentiful than my notes, that’s for sure. I guess I was too busy laughing.

Mark’s choices:

Macallan 12 years old OB  40% (sherry cask)

Ok, but boring. Actually a lot more rubbery than I remember. I didn’t finish the dram.

Highland Park 18 years old OB 43%

Nice.

Talisker 10 years old OB 45.8%

Very nice.

Ardbeg 10 years old OB 46%

Cold smoke and rock – slate.

Bruce’s choices:

Glen Moray 10 years old Chardonnay cask OB 40% (the new one)

Much better than the old wine finishes.

Stronachie 18 years old 40% (Benrinnes)

Not convinced. Didn’t finish the dram.

Benromach 2001 OB 59.9%

Cheese on the nose, apple pie on the palate. Nice.

Port Charlotte An Turas Mor OB 46%

Can’t seem to agree with this one. Didn’t finish the dram.

Benriach Birnie Moss OB

Well, the glass is suddenly empty. Moreish.

We’re going to Dufftown! Tomorrow! Weeeeeeeee!

In the meantime, here are notes from the last NMWL Trondheim meeting, where we had four Old Malt Cask bottlings.

St. Magdalene 1982, 26 years old, refill butt, 50%

Nose: Gingerbread for a few seconds, then it disappears. Barley and citrus.

Palate: Barley, orange peel - including the white stuff.

Comment: Nice, but… Meh. Boring.

Score: 5 out of 10

Royal Lochnagar 1984, 23 years old, refill hogshead, 50%

Nose: Citrus, nail varnish remover.

Palate: Orange, orange peel, pine.

Comment: Slightly more interesting.

Score: 6 out of 10

Braeval 1998, 10 years old, sherry butt, Cigar Malt subseries, 50%

Nose: Toffee, apples, rose-water, strawberries.

Palate: A hint of rubber. Toffee and sweetness.

Score: 7 out of 10

Caol Ila 1979, 30 years old, refill butt, 50%

Nose: Smoke with a sour note (not unpleasantly so).

Palate: Smoked oranges, lots of fruit.

Comment: Not hugely interesting, but a pleasant smokiness after the rather bland ones we had so far, and bonus points for the fruit on the palate.

Score: 7 out of 10

On the whole I was a bit underwhelmed, as you can see. And also a bit disappointed. OMC is usually pretty good, so I was hoping for at least one stunner, but alas, it was not to be.

Ah, well. Meeting with the Friends of the Whisky Museum tomorrow evening will cheer me up, I bet.

Nose: Fruit, dried peaches, liquorice, Christmassy spices.

Palate: Sherry, oak, burnt.

Comment: A little too much cask influence on the palate for my taste. I think I’d prefer a somewhat younger version.

Score: 6 out of 10

Nose: Smoked meat, smoked fruit, salt.

Palate: Salt, smoked meat! Bitterness.

Score: 4 out of 10

Nose: Fruit, vanilla.

Palate: Bitter oak, dried fruits, vanilla.

Comments: A disappointment. Last time I had this I was pleasantly surprised, this time the opposite.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

Nose: Peach, vanilla, oak. After some time in the glass: Oscar Syltes pærebrus – pear soda

Palate: Vanilla, peach, cream, cardamom.

Comments: Pay attention to the batch number on the Nadurra, we had another batch which had a completely different profile.

Score: 6 out of 10

Nose: Malt, vegetation (pine?). After a little time in the glass; a sour note, like vomit. Not pleasant. After an hour or so it is much reduced, but still noticeable.

Palate: Malty, oily and slightly bitter.

Comments: Not much to complain about, but not much to excite, either. Clean, straightforward, but rather boring.

Score: 4 out of 10