Q - What is your background in the whisky industry?

I came to whisky from the wine business. 
My great ambition when I left college was to become a winemaker. 
I discovered wine in college in Ohio and I was studying literature but with no interest in becoming a teacher.
Winemaking became my plan.  After working in the wine trade on the east coast and spending time working in Burgundy and the Napa Valley, I stumbled into whisky, actually.  I was offered a job doing marketing for Johnnie Walker in the early 1990s. I took the job because the company, Schiefflein & Somerset, also distributed wines, and I figured I'd get myself moved onto one of the wine brands as quickly as I could.  I never drank much Scotch whisky at this point.  But once I discovered the stuff, once I went to Scotland and began spending time in distilleries and with blenders, I was hooked.  And I never looked back!

Q - Was there any particular event that led you to found Compass Box Whisky?

The "eureka" moment was on a beach on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. (Which is why I've named one of my whiskies "Eleuthera"!).  This was in 1999. By that time my wife Amy and I were living in London, where Johnnie Walker had moved me, and I had the good fortune to be involved in lots of projects in Scotland at distilleries, creating new whiskies, and in developing education programs.  I was learning a lot. And one of the things I was learning was that we have the capability in Scotland to create whiskies that are much more tailored to the drinking preferences of people today.  And that whisky blending, done carefully and with outstandingly high quality component whiskies, was a practical way to achieve this.  A lot of Scotch whiskies are proud that their style hasn't changed over the years (which actually isn't true in most cases).  But the point is that I felt most whisky marketers weren't really clued into the evolving tastes of drinkers today in the same way that wineries and craft breweries are (just think about all the great super-hoppy style beers that have come along in the last 10 years from small American craft brewers).

I was developing some pretty specific whisky preferences of my own, some of which I only discovered after tasting samples of things in Scotland that weren't marketed.  Like good Scotch grain whiskies.  I remember going on and on one evening in Scotland at a Johnnie Walker dinner about why the industry wasn't bottling and promoting good grain whisky (in any significant way).  I had fallen in love with the sweet, rich style of grains aged in first fill bourbon barrels and I thought we should do something along these lines.  At this point in my career I had lots of questions...why weren't we doing more with enhancing the richness and mouthfeel of whiskies?  Why were we chill filtering all this good stuff out?  Why were we colouring some of our best whiskies?  Why were we afraid of vatted malts? Why weren't we using more first fill wood?

These were the kinds of questions I was asking at the time.  And I finally decided, on the beach on Eleuthera that day, that I would simply start my own little boutique whisky blending company and address all these things!  And make really incredible whiskies, through the age-old craft of blending, that suited my tastes and my desire to try to evolve things a bit in the Scotch whisky business.  My dream to become a winemaker had turned into a desire to become a whiskymaker!  And a year after that trip to Eleuthera, I started Compass Box, the first boutique whisky blending company in Scotland in anyone's memory!

Q - Do you have any advice for someone who might be similarly inclined?

Go for it. I spent several months, before starting Compass Box, travelling Scotland and meeting with whomever in the industry would meet with me.  And I asked everyone the same question:  "How come no one has started up their own specialist/boutique blending company in the last 75 years?"  And no one--I mean no one (and I met with some pretty senior and veteran whisky people)--had a good answer for why not.  So I couldn't see any reason not to.  I just did it.  And I've always said that I hope to see more people doing it.  I love seeing all these small distilleries starting up in private hands.  We need more small companies in this industry to help it evolve.  Big companies, which dominate this industry, bring many advantages. (For example, they tend to be good brand stewards.)  However, when it comes to innovation and risk taking big companies tend not to excel.  We need more smaller, adventurous companies in Scotch whisky to show the world what's possible.  Consumers in a focus group can't tell you what they want, because they don't know what's possible.  The founder of Sony once said that.

Q - And is there a career path available to someone who would like to have a career in the whisky industry?

There is no specific career path.  There is no degree or certificate program that I'm aware of to become a whisky blender.  (And remember, that's what we all are, even if you're bottling single malts.  Once you start working with more than one cask, and you're trying to create or maintain a specific style of whisky batch after batch, you're a whisky blender!) People who want to get into the whisky industry just need to get as close to it as possible.  Take a job that will get you close, and if you persevere, you'll
get closer and closer and opportunities will present themselves.  It's like that Paulo Coelho book teaches you, (The Alchemist), (and I paraphrase), once you really decide what you want in life, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.

Q - Do you have any particular favorite malt whiskies that you prefer to use in blending?

I love working with Clynelish, Glen Elgin and Cambus. They are wonderful blending whiskies.  What I mean by that is that they can alternately provide you with wonderful individual characters that can lead, or they can play valuable supporting roles.  I'll give you an example of what I mean by a supporting role:  in my vatted malt "Eleuthera," Clynelish plays an invaluable role.  Caol Ila is the lead whisky in "Eleuthera," but Clynelish supports in two ways:  I use some quite old rejuvenated casks to provide the soft, rich foundation of the whisky, but you'll find that rejuvenated casks sometimes denude the core distillery character, so I also use some well matured refill casks of Clynelish to give the whisky more guts and "middle."  If I didn't tell you, you'd never guess that Clynelish was in "Eleuthera," but I could show you some old prototypes where I didn't use Clynelish, but instead used malts with similar weight and style, and it's just not the same! And Cambus is simply a remarkable grain whisky that I use as much as I can in "Asyla."  And of course the most utterly spectacular casks of Cambus go into "Hedonism," my vatted grain whisky.

Q - Several Malt Maniacs have noticed that some of the malt whiskies typically used only in blending don't seem to offer very much when bottled as a single malt. Do you feel that there is potential from just about every distillery, or are some clearly better than others?

Yes, some are clearly better than others, as I've illustrated above.

Q - One cause of mediocre whisky is aging in a poor quality cask.
Do you see an overall trend towards better cask selection?

Man, I wish I saw more progress in the use of wood in the Scotch whisky industry!  Don't get me wrong--there is progress on the understanding and use of wood in Scotch whisky.  I had the privilege of working with some of the people at Diageo who are leaders in the industry in this regard.  But I wish we saw more of this understanding playing out in the whiskies on the shelves.  In my opinion, there is simply too much whisky aging in worn out casks that have been re-used too many times.  I don't get excited about whiskies from a third or fourth fill cask. I believe this whole issue relates to my comments above regarding how the whisky industry has not really evolved whisky style as much as the wine and beer industries have evolved their styles.  Too many people are satisfied with the kinds of whisky that come out of mediocre or too-many-times-used wood, and people just come to assume that that's what Scotch whisky is like.  It doesn't have to be!

Some traditionalists say that some of my whiskies remind them of California or Australian Chardonnay. (Really!)  And that's because of my wood regime. Roughly 90% of the casks I buy, for all of my whiskies, are in first-fill American oak.  That's for three main reasons:  1) because I love the sweet vanilla-like flavours that this kind of wood imparts; 2) I love the exotic fruity esters that develop between some malt whiskies (like Glen Elgin) and first fill American oak; and 3) because whiskies mature faster in newer casks, and I get the softness and maturity I want at younger ages than most people would expect.  That's why when I tell someone that I frequently use 10 year-old, "perfectly mature" whiskies, I really mean it.  My 10 year-old whiskies are a much more mature and interesting than many of the 12 year-old+ whiskies that other companies might bottle from overused refill casks.

I tell people I'm a "maniac about wood."  Louis, you're a maniac about malt.  Well, you can't be a maniac about malt unless somebody somewhere is being a maniac about wood.  I'm on your side.  The side of the drinker.  And I've got lots of ideas and experiments with wood that we're conducting now and will continue to conduct over time.  I'd like to see the industry pay even more attention to wood, and to fill into more first-fill wood.  (Keep in mind that by "first-fill" wood I mean casks that are being filled for the first
time in Scotland and which would have been previously used just once elsewhere, like America for bourbon
whiskey.)

Q - Which malts do you enjoy drinking, without worrying about blending potential?

When I'm drinking singles, it's not so much the distillery that is the big deal to me; rather, I look for beautiful bottlings of perfectly mature, complex, balanced whiskies.  I just finished an stunning bottle of 13 year-old Balmenach from a bourbon cask bottled by Jamie Walker of Adelphi--an example of absolute perfection in maturation.

Q - Are there any new Compass Box Whisky products in the pipeline?

Yes, there are always new Compass Box products in the pipeline!  We've just released two new vatted malts: "Juveniles" and "Monster."  Both were commissions. "Juveniles" was something I created at the request of Tim Johnston of the famous Juveniles wine bar in Paris.  We created a lovely rich, malty, slightly fruity whisky that is excellent as a before-dinner dram or after dinner with cheese.  I love this style of whisky, and Tim was happy for me to make it in enough quantity to release it across all our European markets.  If you're interested in the details of the component whiskies, just check our website.

"Monster" was commissioned by Jonathan Goldstein of Park Avenue Liquor Shop in New York.  Jonathan came to me early in the year and asked me to blend up a vatted malt for him: something really smoky and bottled at cask strength.  We created several prototypes and I really adore the one he chose.  It's got Caol Ila and some gorgeous old Ardmore in it.  You be the judge, but everyone seems to love it.  We were literally mobbed all night at the New York Whisky Fest last month pouring samples of the stuff for people.  It's available only through Jonathan, except for 48 bottles he graciously allowed to be sold into the UK market!

And of course our seasonal whisky infusion "Orangerie" was released just last week!  Sadly, only for Europe at the moment, as the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been sitting on our label approval submission for six months.  Apparently they don't know what the hell to call it (you can't call it whisky because it's infused with other flavors.)  This really gripes me, as it will miss the holiday selling season in the US this year, but we'll get it in eventually!

Q - I remember that you mentioned the need to do a better job informing the general public about what better whisky has to offer. Especially to those who might think nothing about spending $100 for a bottle of wine when dining out. Do you know of anything happening in that direction.

Come visit us in our London office!  I've just started what I call a Scotch whisky masterclass which we conduct in our office in London.  We do it mostly for trade people, by appointment, but we will do it for anyone for a nominal charge to cover the whisky and materials.  It's fun, it's comprehensive, and it uses all sorts of great cask samples we have. Also, we now extend an official invitation to whisky lovers around the world to visit us by appointment in our funky little office in London, (underneath a hairdresser's!) for whisky tasting.

All people have to do is send me an email (john.glaser@compassboxwhisky.com) to set up an appointment for whisky tasting or to just come by and say hello and see what we do and how we do it.  We can also point London visitors in the right direction for the best whisky stores, whisky bars, restaurants and food stores in London. In fact, one of London's best cheese shops is just across the street from us (La Fromagerie) and we can go over there and sit down for whisky and cheese pairings, too!  Come visit!

John Glaser / Louis Perlman
 
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

E-pistle #08/12 - November in Amsterdam 
by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canadia

(Davin's report about his Amsterdam adventures in November 2003 is so huge it's published on this seperate page.)
 

Day One – Setting the Tone

We can't not go directly to Cadenhead's.  No, we have a tasting there tomorrow, it's not noon yet and I've been in town for maybe 10 minutes but Johannes has to take me there immediately we meet.  Yes, we stop at Gall & Gall along the way, but clearly Cadenhead's is the destination, and I soon see why for we are greeted by friendly people amidst a tantalizing array of whiskies and immediately we're deep in conversation.

Andries offers first a Cadenhead's cask strength Indian Corn Whisky in honour of his Canadian guest.  "Have you heard of Bush Pilot's?" he asks, "It's from the same distillery."  So as I set out on the perfect malt weekend, and after nearly 24 hours of travelling, I am immediately distracted by something from home.  Did I travel all this time for Canadian whisky?  I think not.  I check the clock on the wall.  Is it lunchtime yet?  Yes, my companion nods with a smile - just.  He's not used to drinking so early either, but here in Cadenhead's Amsterdam shop, it's easy to forget time and place for everywhere new whiskies tempt.  So, jet lag be damned, I take my Canadian cheerfully and gently nose it.  Wow! -  Wow!  A huge vanilla bourbon nose.  Sweet and spicy.  This is amazing stuff.  Andries' smile spreads as he watches.  Obviously he's set us up.  He's seen this reaction before.  The palate too is huge.  Sweet, syrupy spice.  Taste this one Jim Murray and there'll be no more VO for you!

We've just dropped by to say hello.  Tomorrow Cadenhead's have planned a tasting for us, but the shop is just 5 minutes walk from Central Station where I met up with Johannes, and he just couldn't wait.  Cadenhead's wasn't here when last I was in Amsterdam and I think Johannes is just a little proud of his city's malt progress.

I note the cask of No. 3 Bond and tell Andries I just learned in June that it's a vatted malt.  "There are two of them," he says, pointing to another cask, "one Campbeltown and one Islay."  Mark Davidson at the Edinburgh Cadenhead's shop told us when the level in the cask gets low they re-fill it with whatever's ready in Warehouse number 3, be it Springbank or not.  "How do you actually do that?" I ask of Andries so he takes me to the back room, where cases of unlabeled bottles are stacked.  This is the Islay, he says pointing, and this the Campbeltown.  So Bond No. 3 whisky, it turns out, has been aged in casks in Springbank's number 3 bonded warehouse, then bottled, then shipped to Amsterdam where it sits in bottles until levels in the display cask are getting low, whereupon it is re-casked to wait for one-off, by-the-bottle sales.  Kind of gives new meaning to bottling your own whisky straight from the cask.  It's fun though, and despite the early hour we just have to try the Bond No. 3 Islay.  A fresh, but muddy, youthful dram it turns out to be.  A young Lagavulin perhaps is Johannes' guess.  So walking straight off a plane and into a tasting session is doable, I learn, and since it's only six in the morning back home, so is early morning dramming.  Not that these are my first early morning drams, but generally I wait for a more "civilized" hour to begin tasting.  Still, the pleasures are acute so we agree, tomorrow, our perfect day in Amsterdam, must begin with skalks.

Coffee next, we seek coffee.  My stomach, empty but for liquids, cries for another and soon we are in a tiny little bar-cum-coffee shop drinking double somethings and slowly waking up.  Coffee can be instructive for the whisky drinker.  Or perhaps drinking whisky can be instructive to the palate in general.  Whatever, I've been discovering the rich, dark, nutty, almost burned European coffees for some time now and savouring their flavours, have learned quite a bit about whisky.  I've often read tasting notes where people find coffee in a malt, but I had never been able to detect these myself.  Then, only days before setting off on this journey, I had poured water into my French-roast-filthy coffee mug at work, and taking a sip unconsciously nosed the mug and exclaimed "Whisky!"   There it was, not the sweet, insipid, darkened water of Starbucks, but the almost Islay-like whack in the head of extra, extra, bodum-brewed French roast.  I've detected that many a time in bourbon barreled malts and described it as "burned grain."  Now I know, it's coffee.  But coffee, I've discovered is a little bit like whisky.  Exactly what does it mean to say you detect notes of coffee?  When I told you my coffee mug smelled like whisky did you imagine Ardbeg, Aberlour or Ardmore?  (note:  tie this in later to David's notes in his book)

Coffee down, we head back to Johannes' flat.  I'm in town in run-up to the Malt Maniacs Awards, picking up my malt samples and practicing – let's say calibrating our palates – on Johannes' collection.  There are quite a few holes in The Matrix, and we decide to use the occasion to fill some of them.  After the flavourful introduction at Cadenhead's, we want to start fairly high on the food chain, so Johannes pours drams of Balvenie 15yo (50.4%, OB) distilled on January 2, 1985 and bottled one month shy of 18 years later on December 2, 2002.  It kind of reminds me of some hockey fathers here in Canada who pretend their son is younger than he really is so he can play an extra season in the junior leagues.  Of course Daddy expects Sunshine to cream the younger players, but forgets all the other kids have dads just like him.  I'm not sure what advantage Balvenie gets from calling an 18 year old malt fifteen, except to maintain a standard slot in the product line-up.  No complaints here though.  When you buy older whiskies, you're buying time and that ain't always cheap so if the distillery wants to throw in three years for free, all I can say is "Thank you."   This 15yo has wood, honey, and dry grain on a mildly floral nose.  There's a bit of nose tingle as often found in higher proof whiskies, and with more nosing, just a hint of musty wood.  The palate is dominated by honey and it quickly becomes hot and spicy.  Beeswax, buckwheat, grain, hints of wood and mild vanilla round it out.  An excellent start, the Balvenie 15yo scores 83 points.

Next up, Auchroisk 11yo 1989/2001 (43%, Chieftain's, Port Finish, Casks 90191 and 90192, Distilled 9/1989, Bottled 6/2001).  Not quite a match for the Balvenie, the Auchroisk nonetheless has a fresh, sweet, fruity nose with tobacco box, spices and hints of peat smoke that increase in power over time.  The development of the smoke in the nose is really quite enjoyable.  There's a bit of tingle in there as well.  On the palate the Auchroisk is sweet, spicy and hot.  It's got a feeling like it's about to become bitter but it never does.  The palate doesn't live up to the promise of the nose, but it's a nice malt overall and I score it at 78 points.

There has been a lot of controversy lately about the switch of Cardhu from a single to a pure (vatted) malt without changing the packaging.  After months of enormous pressure from industry and aficionado alike, Cardhu owners, Diageo, have finally agreed to change the look entirely to avoid confusion between the new pure malt and the former single version.  The new vatted malt will be decked out in green while the old single malt in the red (and formerly cream) packaging will become a collectors' item despite it's relatively low score on the Matrix and with other malt mad.  Glen Grant recently released a 10yo 'pure malt' as well.  We're not sure if this too is a vatted malt to replace the 10yo single, or just a label variant.  The Cardhu controversy certainly speaks to the sly substitution prospect, but we remember that other distilleries have also released 'pure malts' that actually were singles.  Glenfiddich for years had an NAS single malt under the name Glenfiddich Pure Malt.  This, in fact, is the single that started it all, and only recently did the Glenfiddich 12yo Single Malt replace it.   Reports on Malts-L from Ulf Buxrud and others tell us that Balblair, Benriach, Blair Athol, Dalmore, Glenallachie, Glen Elgin, Glen Flagler, Glengoyne, Glen Grant, Glen Scotia, Glenturret, Knockando, Loch Lomond, Longmorn, and Tullibardine have all released single malts called 'pure' on the label.  I have a little miniature cream-labeled Cardhu from years ago which is marked 'single', while Serge has a photo of the same Cardhu bottling marked pure.  Justifiably, we are confused about what this Glen Grant might be so we decide to do a head to head to figure it out for ourselves.

Glen Grant 10yo single malt (40% OB) from the late 1990's versus Glen Grant 10yo pure malt (40% OB) from 2003.
On first nosing there is no detectable difference.  Both have a grainy, spirity, malty smell.  Soon, though, the single develops a richer, more powerful malt smell while the pure malt becomes nicely citric, still with lots of grain and malt.  It smells fresh and grassy with little hints of lemon cream cookies.  On the palate the single is sweet but a bit watery then it develops a nice cereal maltiness with some burnt grain (or should I say coffee?).  The pure malt is sweet as well, but it is spicier and a bit bitter.  Wood emerges in the middle as does a pleasant grassiness.  In the finish they once again differ, the single malt being sweet and malty while the pure malt becomes a bit spirity.  They are similar enough to be versions of the same malt and they score about the same, the single at 72 points, the pure malt at 70 points.  Whether the pure malt is vatted or not we still can't tell, but while we're in the lower scoring range we decide to move on to some more holes in the Matrix.

The Imperial 18yo 1982 (43% Chieftains' Choice) has a sour, malty and mildly spirity nose.  Wood and malt mix with just a hint of smoke.  On the palate it's sweet, hot and spicy with bitter wood tannins.  Despite being a bit watery, it's very hot in the mouth, but sweet in the back of the throat.  Overall, nothing to write home about.  I score it at 71 points.

Next we move on to Convalmore 16yo 1981/1997 (43% Ultimate) from a distillery I have not tried before. 
At first there is not much nose at all, then spicy spirit creeps in followed by a bit of nose tickle. 
Ether and paste emerge with some malt in the background.  The palate is sweet, hot and spirity. 
Very hot indeed, with a slight bitterness.  Another bottle I would not recommend; it scores 68 points.

One more for the Matrix we decide, then on to more rewarding drams.  Johannes brings out a Balmenach 11yo 1990/2001 (43% Chieftains' Choice, Sept 1990/Dec 2001 Hogsheads 5414-5417).  My first instinct when seeing vattings of consecutive casks is to wonder how much effort was put in to selecting the casks.  It seems doubtful to me that three in a row would be good enough to vat together, but whatever.  The Balmenach has a mild floral and malty nose.  Malt, spice and a slight peatiness reside under a spirity nose tingle.  The nose doesn't last long, but in the glass it develops some nice fruitiness, both citric and a peach/pear combination.  The palate is sweet, then a bitter tannin takes over.  Nice spices emerge with all kinds of hints of xmas cake.  It's a little better than the other two scoring a whopping 74 points.

Now the rewards we promised ourselves, beginning with a pair of Mortlachs.  We begin with Mortlach 1989/2000 (43% Cooper's Choice) sherry cask.  I'm a big Mortlach fan so I savour the ample dram Johannes pours.  The nose begins with big malt, spices and sourdough.  In the other hand I have a Mortlach 21yo (40% Sestante Import) which also impresses.  The nose on the 21yo is spicy with some nose tickle and a very pleasing smell of horse barn.  There's a hint of peat and later on a rich grainy malt develops.  I love the round oily malts found so often in Mortlachs.  In the Cooper's Choice, the sherry is beginning to show through with a rich fruity and very pleasing gunpowder.  This one also has some smoke and is much richer than the 21yo, though richer doesn't always mean better.  Real sherry smells develop in the Cooper's Choice along with some late nose tickle.  The malt also goes through some late development with an overtone of bran coming in later on.  Both very enjoyable noses, but on the palate the Cooper's Choice begins to pull ahead of the 21yo.  The palate of the Cooper's Choice Mortlach is rich and sweet with lots of sherry and wonderful subdued spice.  It's oily or more creamy with a good balance of spice, sherry, malt and barn smells.  It's very viscous in the mouth, moving from creamy back to oily.  Spicy esters appear followed, in the finish, by wood and wood tannins.  Woody but not bitter; I like that.  The 21yo Mortlach is sweet and very spicy.  It burns the tongue.  The sweetness is not overpowering and really is quite pleasant.  The mouthfeel is oily in this Mortlach as well and again a very enjoyable non-bitter wood finishes it off.  Both excellent Mortlachs, the Cooper's Choice scores 87 points and the Sestante 21yo 82 points.

Tough work, this palate calibration business and we have a lot more to go but it's important to have broad and recent experience with a variety of malts to be able to fairly assess the competitors that await us.  We need to cover lots of distilleries and lots of styles.  We are expecting quite a few excellent entries in the 2003 Malt Maniacs Awards competition and don't want to risk losing our frame of reference.  With that in mind we move next to the Midlands for Aberfeldy 12yo (40% OB)  This nose is very different from those we have just experienced.  The dominant first impression is of brown sugar.  It's sweet with some spice and a touch of early nose tickle.  There are bits of wood, malt and mild smoke.  On the palate it is sweet, but with an accompanying acidic sourness.  It's citric, rich and sweet.  I'd not known what to expect so was delighted to find this Aberfeldy scoring 78 points.

The Mortlach HTH was so enjoyable, next we decide to try another HTH, this time with malts from Glenglassaugh.  In one glass we have Glenglassaugh 1973 (43%, Family Silver) and in the other Glenglassaugh 1986/1998 (40% MacPhail's Collection).  The nose of the 1973 is fresh and crisp with both sour and malty notes.  It's that fresh feed malt with essences of grass and hay.  I like grassy notes, but I like them even more when they have matured into hay notes as they have here.  It's a complex nose on the 1973 and very enticing.  Now come licorice, esters and more malt.  There's a bit of nose tickle at the end, but we're tasting from cognac bowls, which sometimes can amplify the spirity characteristics.  (Thanks Serge for pointing this out to me.)  Overall, the 1973, judging from the nose, is more mature and balanced than the 1986/1998 from MacPhail's.  The MacPhail's nose is very enjoyable though.  It's quite rich and creamy with overtones of powdered milk.  It also has that rare but wonderful dustiness I remember from stolen nips of cheap blends in my youth.  There is nose tickle here as well, but it's warm.  Hints of malt and sherry also develop over time.

On the palate the 1973 Glenglassaugh is hot with a lovely sweetness and develops a nice peppery spiciness with some wood tannins way in the back.  The pepper remains in the throat but develops into cinnamon hearts on the tongue.  A pleasant candy sweetness remains among hints of peat smoke.  Hints of pine in the middle give way later on to wood, tobacco and cigar box.  There's lots of development over time with the 1973.  MacPhail's Glenglassaugh is also very enjoyable in the mouth.  The palate is sweet and sherried with spices and some wood.  The maltiness is very pleasant.  Pepper also appears on the tongue along with coconut milk.  An almost Mortlach-like palate with a pleasant, exotic finish.  Good stuff.  The Glenglassaugh 1973 scores 85 points, the Glenglassaugh 1986/1998 by MacPhail's scores 82 points .  Two malts I'd recommend to those who want to expand their appreciation of malt whisky.

After two successful head to heads, we decide to push our luck and move on to another.  This time though the malts are paired only because their names are similar:  Knockdhu and Knockandhu.  There are other similarities too, we find, including the way we finally we come to score them.  Knockdhu 12yo (43% OB) has a very mild nose.  Like the Knockandhu 1986/1998 (43% OB) there simply isn't much nose at all, although both are a bit spirity.  The Knockdhu reveals some ether and lots of nose tickle along with a rarely smelled but much-enjoyed overtone of paper and gluestick.  The Knockandhu on the other hand is a bit minty, with almost  a hint of menthol, some malt, and again some esters.  On the palate the Knockdhu is sweet, limey, hot and spicy with hints of farm animals.  The Knockandhu is sweet and hot with hints of bleach.  It's hot chemically, almost petroleum –laden with hints of peppermint and a minty feel.  The overwhelming impression?  It burns a lot.  Knockdu 12yo (43% OB) 69 points, Knockandhu 1986/1998 (43% OB) 74 points.  Better things to come we hope.

We move back into the quite drinkable range with our next malt, Royal Brackla 16yo 1984/2001 (43% Cooper's Choice).  The nose is fresh and fruity with lots of nose tickle, a little peat smoke and some sour licorice.  Later it becomes more malty with a strange essence of the inside of green tree bark.  Notes of dry hay also emerge.  The palate is sweet then hot with a nice light smokiness and a bit of spice.  Score:  77 points.

The session is wearing on, but we decide our palates are still good for a few more, so we crank it up a notch moving to cask strength.  A Tamdhu-Glenlivet 10yo (58.9% Cadenhead's) starts the cask strength session, and a delightful start it is.  The nose has strong spirit with apples, chlorine, white glue then malt and flowers.  It starts out very rough on the nose then becomes sweet and sugary with tones of rotten fruit, fresh cut lumber and rubber tires all underlayed with a mild sweetness.  Sounds terrible but it's just the opposite.  On the palate it is a very powerful whisky indeed, even for a cask strength.  It is very smooth in the mouth as it's oily at first then a nice sweetness emerges with lots of spice.  It lingers nicely into a long finish that eventually gets a slight woody bitterness.  An excellent malt, the Tamdhu-Glenlivet scores 82 points.

Following that we move back into Gordon and MacPhail's warehouses for a Cragganmore 1976/1993 (53.8% G&M Cask).  It's malty and grainy on the nose with a hint of smoke and nice, warm ethers.  Many other smells mingle in with a delightful nose tingle including cigarette smoke, more malt and a lemony citrusness.  On the palate the Cragganmore is sweet and spicy and smokier than the nose.  The smoke remains as malts and grasses move in and out amidst the sweet alcohol and warm  esters.  A great malt from G&M, it scores 86 points.

With two great cask strengths under our belts we decide to see if three is a charm.
We pour next a Mannochmore 22yo 1974/1997 (60.1% UDRM).  Not quite as good a first impression here.  The nose is full of strong spirit with some mustard, mild smoke and lots of malt.  There's a fair bit of nose tickle with the spirit but it's not a pleasant spirit, but more just raw alcohol.  There is a bit of peat, and even a hint of fish, but overall it's a very mild nose without much substance.  The palate too is a bit one-dimensional and that dimension is towards licorice, something I usually like in a malt.  The palate is very, very sweet, hot and fiery, typical of strong alcohol, but it lacks the refinement 23 years in the cask should bring.  There is spice there, and malt, but most of all it's a sweet licorice, not like a smoke-induced licorice or an Islay licorice.  Not a bad malt, but too much broken up into pieces, overall it scores 77 points.

We can see the end in sight now, and decide to finish with another head to head, hoping to end on a high note.  Johannes has two Braes of Glenlivet cask strength whiskies on his top shelf so we pour Braes of Glenlivet 12yo 1898/2001 (61.2% Cadenhead's, bourbon hogshead) and Braes of Glenlivet 17yo 1979/1997 (58.1% Signatory, Sherry butt number 6082).  The Cadenhead's immediately shows American oak on the nose.  It's sweet with vanilla and has nose tickle like crazy.  It has a woody sweetness and the sweetness of strong alcohol.  There's lots of mature wood as well along with cigar box.  Grain, malt smoke and sweat socks round out the nose on the Cadenhead's.  On the palate the Cadenhead's Braes is very sweet, very hot and very spicy.  Behind this it is nice and malty with a bit of astringency.  The Signatory Braes, from the sherry cask has sherry fight up front on the nose.  But there are other treasures in there as well including mushrooms, wood, spice and lots of nose tickle.  Nosing it gives a warm feeling in the lungs.  On the palate it's very sweet with hints of smoke and lots of sherry.  It's spicy and burning hot with rolling tones of sweet licorice.  The Signatory Braes of Glenlivet scores 84 points, the Cadenhead's 87 points, proving that age is not the only factor in making a great whisky.
 

Day Two – Perfection Achieved

Skalks would greet the perfect day in Amsterdam, maybe five of them. 
Not big ones, but good ones like a Linlithgow 18yo.  The first thing you'd note would be how acute your sense of taste is first thing in the morning.  The Linlithgow's nose, soft, grassy, dusty, even a tiny bit spirity would transport you to a warm spring meadow.  Then the mild, dry-grain smell wafts in with dry malt and creamy lemon.  It's warm and pleasant and as you drift luxuriantly into wakenness a mild, peaty smoke would remind you there's a palate waiting.  There's no sweetness on the palate, in fact there is little flavour, if any, on the tip of the tongue, but further into your mouth there are the rich natural flavours of other pleasures:  Leather, tobacco, and wood.  It's hot on the tongue, and spicy with a bit of drying astringency.  The smoke is a subtle, but ever-noticeable presence.  Though there is no sweetness on the tip, along the sides your tongue it feels like it should be sweet.
The Linlithgow 18yo 1982/2001 (43%, SigV) scores 75 points.
Not a stratospheric malt, but a solid start to the day.

Much chatting would ensue, for you'd be in a room surrounded by malts, so many malts it's impossible to imagine tasting all of them.  You'd search for another middle-shelfer.  It's early still and the senses are acute.  No need to assault them with a monster yet.  Roving eyes land almost randomly on an Arran and you decide to get the most out of this malt with your heightened senses.  The nose is very citric but at the same time malty.  The malt begins to dominate along with grassy smells and a bit of nose tickle.  On the tongue there's a mild sweetness.  It's hot and malty, but you get your morning cereal as well, for there is a delightfully creamy pablum lingering in the background.  There are lemony tastes and a grassiness, then just a hint of wakening bitterness followed by some warmth.  It's not a top malt, but the pleasure of awakening your palate with liquid cereal is untold and you'll remember this Arran all day as it reminds you why you find whisky so pleasurable. Arran NAS Non-Chillfiltered (46%, OB), on an objective malt madness scale scores 71 points, but at 9 in the morning, the pleasure much exceeds that.

Your palate now alive, you reach for the middle shelf for skalk number 3. 
Glenrothes this time.  They're great malts, Glenrothes, made even better by the time you spent with Ronnie Cox and Marion Ferguson touring the distillery and talking whisky over lunch.  This one is a good example and you begin to anticipate the day ahead.  You're visiting Johannes' and he has many plans to make your visit memorable.  The Glenrothes nose is very fruity – rich red fruits derived, no doubt, from the sherry cask.  The sherry is clear, and there's lots of nose tickle.  A warm sweet allspice joins those whisky spices.  The palate is much anticipated.  It's nicely sherried – sweet, syrupy with an interesting mouth feel, first slippery then dry.  There is real brown sugar and an assortment of rich xmas spices.  Lots of spices then a touch of bitterness.  Fruity esters float in and out and way in the background lies some licorice.  Now things are starting to cook!
Glenrothes 1987/2000 (43%, OB), an A malt, but for the passing bitterness, scores 79 points.

You're starting to think of breakfast, but opt instead for one more dram, or maybe two.  A good OB catches your eye and you pour a dram of Glen Moray 12yo.  Should you head into town for breakfast you wonder, or wander over to the local market?  The Glen Moray has a malty, sherried nose with a bit of spirit and nose tingle.  It's spicy and smells a bit like fresh water.  The stomach juices are beginning to flow now as you start to sip and taste the warm sweet palate.  The mouth feels so smooth.  Smooth, now that's a blends word, one you rarely hear used to describe malts, but Glen Moray, at least this one, is smooth.  It's rich and spicy, maybe even a little creamy.  You'll wander to the market, you've decided, for a coffee and something substantial.  Down go the last few tasty drops.
Glen Moray 12yo 'Elgin Classic' (40%, OB) - a great morning dram, it comes in at 78 points.

So far no real A malts this morning, but starting the day like this is not just a treat, it's an omen of what lies ahead.  Although it's still early, much has been planned, but you'll pace yourself in order to enjoy it all.  So off to grab breakfast, but then if four were so enjoyable, maybe just quickly a fifth and final skalk before setting off.  Johannes picks a Glen Scotia 12yo.  Wow!  The nose is powerful!  Is this really a lowlander?  Oh, that's what it is:  cask strength.  Now this one will wake you up and set you up at the same time.  Again, a lovely meadowesque nose, dry with fresh cut flower stems.  It reminds me of when I was a boy and we used to peel the bark off sucker branches cut from Manitoba maples.  A really fresh but slightly bitter woody smell.  Afterwards our hands would smell like green wood for hours.  The nose is spicy, no doubt, and spirity with a fair bit of nose tickle.  There are citric – lemony essences, but other than the spirit, all the smells become quite restrained.  On the palate the Glen Scotia is sweet and astringent.  It's spicy and has a nice warmth with a bit of pleasant wood.  Smoked eels await us so we must dash off, but the Glen Scotia has brought our skalking to a resounding crescendo.  Glen Scotia Full Proof (54%, OB): 74 points - well-earned points.

But now breakfast really does beckon.  The market is almost African but Johannes carefully steers you to a delicatessen where you down a smoked eel sandwich.  Wandering through fruit and vegetable stalls rich scents caress your nostrils.  Ahh, the day has only just begun.  Off soon to Cadenhead's for a Battle of the Bottles. Proprietor, Andries Visser greets you effusively and takes you back to his dramming den, decorated as it is with distillery paraphernalia to set the dramming mood.  Nascent Malt Maniac Alexander van der Veer has brought a few bottles and later Kate Wright will arrive from Springbank.  Kate's in town for a tasting at a competing whisky shop, but has taken the afternoon to visit Cadenhead's and talk shop. 

You're barely seated when the first dram appears and it's a cracker. 
Johannes throws down the gauntlet with a Linlithgow 1982/2000 (61.6% Scott's Selection) he particularly likes.  Your second Linlithgow of the day.  Several years earlier Johannes had introduced you to Linlithgow so it's a fitting start to the perfect day in Amsterdam and a fitting challenge to team Cadenhead's.  Up for the challenge, Andries goes to his shelves and is back in a minute with his first volley, Littlemill 14yo 1989/2003 (61.9% Cad Auth Coll, 1989/July 2003 Bourbon Hogshead).  The Linlithgow starts off big with a smoky, malty nose.  It's crisp and fresh and a bit grainy.  Wood notes emerge in the nose followed by sweet vanilla.  It smells a bit oily, getting smokier over time.  On the palate it's sweet and peaty.  Soon you're remembering mother's sweet and spicy Christmas cake.  The Linlithgow is sweet, yes, but also drying.  Mild smoke lingers on the finish.  It's good, and scores and easy 85 points. 

Can Andries' Littlemill meet the challenge?  Both malts are cask strength at 61+% abv.  They're different malts though as the first nosing of the Littlemill foretells with bread dough and creamy lemon crackers.  You can almost imagine the soft lemon cream.  Fruit esters follow before the nose reveals toffee and molasses.  The Littlemill is hot and spicy on the palate.  There is a mild sweetness then another kind of cracker, this time rye crisps.  Milder vanilla notes lead into a nice warm woody finish.  A worthy challenger alright, but not quite the equal of the Linlithgow.  Final score for the Littlemill is 83 points .  First round to Johannes.

Emboldened by the Littlemill's good showing, Andries reaches next for a Bladnoch 14yo 1989/2003 (53.6% Cad Auth Coll, 1989/July 2003 bourbon barrel).  The abv is a bit lower than the Littlemill; maybe that lower abv is why Andries chose the Bladnoch second, but it too is a terrific malt right from the very unusual get-go.  The first notes on the nose are sweet yoghurt before malty, nutty, barn smells take over.  The nose then gets creamy with smells of dry grain and sweet spirit.  There's lots going on in there to make you wonder if it was matured in a dairy barn.  Already it has out-performed the Littlemill.  On the palate this Bladnoch is a different malt again with several dimensions.  There is malt, grain and grain dust to start with, before it gets sweet but drying.  There is an estery sweetness followed by a flash of unpleasant soapy perfume before it becomes nutty with a bitterness like walnut skins.  It's warm, sweet and milky with water, the perfume lingers in the diluted dram.  It's a full-bodied "dairy malt" and scores a well-earned 86 points making it the best of the day.  Hmmm… time for Johannes to rise to the challenge.

And he does with Macallan 10yo Cask Strength (58.8% OB).  On first nosing you know it's a big fruity Macallan.  The prunes hit first then spirit, tobacco and loads of sherry.  Hints of malt begin to emerge through a very powerful, in your face, sherry.  Over time the nose develops toffee smells.  On the palate this cask strength Macallan is sweet and  oily.  Sherry sulphur notes emerge then the strangest contrast:  weeds.  The balance improves significantly with water as more sweetness and less sherry results.  You like it, Johannes loves it giving 88 points to your 81 points.

Can Andries meet the challenge?  He tries his best with a Macallan 12yo 1989/2001 (60.2% Cad Auth Coll., bottled Oct 2001, sherry butt).  On the nose it's very similar to the cask strength OB.  There's lots of sherry but it's a bit maltier and a little dusty.  It's woodier than the OB, but it's nice wood and you savour it.  Rich spices round out the nose.  On the palate the Cadenhead's Macallan is sweet, fruity, very, very hot and spicy.  It's a bit drying with nicely balanced fruit then becomes creamy, developing some vanilla.  It starts out sweet and just gets sweeter.  You award 84 points, giving this round to Andries.  Johannes disagrees; giving 87 points to the 88 he gave the OB.  Hmmm, split decision goes to the house and round two goes to Andries.

Not to be outdone, Alexandre enters the battle with two bottles of his own. 
It has become clear this is a genuine taste-off and not an attempt by Cadenhead's to get us drunk and sell us a few bottles!  In a move befitting a Columbo, Alexander leads with an Aberlour 11yo 1989/2001 (43% Aberdeen Distillers, Oct 1989/Sept 2001, oak hogshead).  It's a good first  Aberlour, not the greatest, but quite solid.  On the nose there is ether, malt, bananas, then more malt and juicy fruits.  The malt begins to dominate and the nose develops nicely into a dry roasted grain.  The palate begins a bit weak with a sort of sugar water feel and flavour.  This one could have been better bottled at a higher abv.  There are nice spices, toasty grain and fruity notes in there, but over all the palate seems a bit too sweet.  A good try Alexander, but no knock-outs.  You give the Aberlour 79 points and move on.

But Alexander has a trick up his naughty little sleeve, for next he presents you with a Highland Park 12yo 1989/2001 (43% Aberdeen Distillers) March 1989/Sept 2001, oak butt.  Ahh, this is more like it.  The nose is smoky with overtones of sherry sulphur.  You love it instantly.  Slowly some fruitiness wafts in followed by a whack of sweet toffee then more fruity sherry notes.  The palate starts off with some sweet, sherry notes followed right away by a wonderful, sweet, spiciness in the back of the throat.  More sherry and fruit follow, on top of an overall sweetness.  It's round and full and just feels great in your mouth.
You award a well-earned 84 points. 

Well Alexander has got Andries attention now and Andries rises to the challenge, searching his shelves for a bottle of Highland Park 13yo 1989/2002 (56.4% Cad Auth Coll) 1989/June 2002.  Things are getting tense.  On the nose there's smoke and seaweed along with lots of barn smells.  It's rich and complex.  The palate begins sweet then introduces some cherries.  It's a peaty malt and very spicy.  You recall the smoke of the 18yo OB, for the smoke here is quite subdued, but ever-present.  There are very earthy qualities riding never-ending waves of sweetness. Nice try Andries, nice try.  You award 83 points and Alexander smiles.  Victory, yes, but a very worthy opponent, and round three goes to Alexandre.

Three rounds and three winners, this calls for a celebratory toast, and how better to end than with a Bunnahabhain 24yo 1979/2003 (45.7% Cad Auth Coll, 1979 bottled July 2003, bourbon hogshead).  While Kate gives lessons on how to pronounce Bunnahabhain, Andries pours ample drams and the Bunny's nose is sweet and rich, round and full-bodied.  You can feel it fill your nostrils with peat and mild licorice.  The nose is mild but rich and malty.  You turn to the palate and it's a beauty too.  It starts off sweet on the tip of the tongue then there is a flash of skunk.  It's spicy, grassy and malty with licorice notes.  The spice is warm and full in your throat becoming hot until it burns then farmy flavours develop followed by some flowery notes.  Andries has save the best for last, the Bunnahabhain scores top honours with 88 points and you prepare to declare him the winner then leave, grateful for an afternoon of such sport.

But wait, Johannes is not done yet.  Suddenly a slyly hidden Port Ellen 22yo 1978/2000 (60.5% UDRM, Bottle #2204) appears on the table in Johannes' typical deus ex machina style.  You're caught unawares, bushwhacked, sucker punched, by the ever so smoky, licorice-filled, coastal nose.  On the palate it's very sweet and peaty with loads of licorice.  Note books fall to the wayside, but you award 94 points, as Johannes does his little victory dance.  Everyone leaves a winner as you head off back to Johannes' pad where many more marvels await you.

The train ride back is a blur as you chat and chatter.  The Port Ellen will not die on your tongue so you must eat again not just for nourishment, but to clean your palate.  For a perfect day in Amsterdam you might imagine a numbered steak at the Port van Cleve, but no, it's Chinese, ordered in, and bland Chinese at that, to save your palate for the evening's drams.  Then, palate cleansed, stomach satiated and liver primed with B-vitamins you begin the work session of the day.  Not the best malts, but a whole collection Johannes has assembled to fill out some holes in the Matrix.  With eager anticipation you sit down to the first.

Johannes likes to do flights according to themes, and tonight he has chosen to take you to the Isle of Mull to visit the whisky of Tobermory Distillery.  You start off with Tobermory NAS (40% OB).  The nose is sweet like cotton candy but not a lot of other flavour.  This is pretty typical of an immature whisky as are the spirity notes that follow.  In fact there's lots of spirit and not a whole lot else.  The palate too is immature.  It's hot, sweet, acrid, bitter, chemical-like, astringent, and grassy.  The first sip starts with spice and heat then sugary sweetness, but it quickly becomes unpleasant.  The best you can give this one is 60 points.

Next comes Tobermory 10yo (40% OB).  It's a little better, but honestly, you're surprised it hasn't grown much with the extra time in cask.  The nose is richer, but it's still quite spirity.  Later on some malt and grass develop but they are followed by more of those chemical esters you found in the nas version.  It's a one-dimensional nose without much of any interest.  Like the nas, the palate of the 10yo starts sweet then gets hot.  There's a malty, watery feel to it.  Some wood tannins begin to show along with mild smoke, bitterness and a woody astringency.  Some mild floral perfume emerges later on.  Not much has happened in those ten years in cask you think as you score it at 63 points.

Some time back, Tobermory began to experiment with more peated malt and the resulting whisky was called Ledaig to avoid confusion.  Obediently you have been pronouncing it "Laycheck" for you've heard that's the correct Gaelic pronounciation.  Another day, you'll meet the owners who will delight in disabusing you of that notion, but for this evening, laycheck it will be. 
Ledaig NAS 2000 Edition Unsherried (42% OB) leads off with another disappointing nose.  It's sour and spirity with a bit of smoke, some green malt, and the butyric ripeness of baby vomit.  On the palate it's sweet, hot, bitter, creamy, and burning.  The bitterness is not nice.  After time, a toffee sweetness intrudes.  It's better than its unpeated cousins, but at 68 points it's not one to linger over.

Your second laycheck comes from a bottle labelled Ledaig Nas 2000 Edition Sherry Finish (42% OB).  Smoke and sherry, mmm… The nose is nice and smoky, with lots of cigar box-type, tertiary smells.  The palate is nicer with sherried peat smoke and pepper, but a cloying sweetness spoils it and it only just manages a meagre 72 points.

There's method in Johannes' madness you begin to note when you first nose the next malt, a Ledaig 7yo Peated (43% OB).  This is starting to get into good drinking territory.  As the label predicts the peat is obvious on the nose and it's a nice, spicy, sherry-sweet smoke.  Lots of nose tingle with this one with more notes of sherry then tobacco and finally it settles on a smoky, dry malt.  On the palate this Ledaig is sweet and very spicy.  Smokiness pervades all and is complemented by rich pipe tobacco notes.  In your mouth it feels a bit astringent.  Complex smoky spice and Xmas cake spices tickle the tongue.  Still, it's a bit too sweet.  At 75 points things are starting to improve.

The last of the Ledaigs is now brought to the table:  Ledaig 20yo (43%, OB) to be specific.  The nose begins with mild spirit and smoke, and then becomes antiseptic-like, with esters and warmth, nice body, smoked kippers, and sweet fruit.  Ahh, you're starting to get some complexity.  The palate is sweet and spicy but there is almost no finish.  Smoke soon enters the picture along with sharp spices like nutmeg or cloves.  Tobacco, cigar box and wood round it out.  At 77 points it's the best Ledaig/Tobermory of the evening and the last as well, for great rewards still attend.

It's been a perfect day.  Skalks to start, a well-fought battle of the bottles and some serious progress made in filling out the Matrix.  You've just finished six malts which have primed your palate for an extraordinary ending and Johannes has prepared well.  Two drams await and for these, Johannes has gone to one of your favourite distilleries, Glenfarclas. 

The Glenfarclas Family Reserve Edition #4 1983 (46% OB) 9 March 1983 / 26 Feb 2001 sherry cask leads off the dynamic duo.  The nose begins with wood and sherry.  It's a spicy little number with nose tingle and warm esters.  A mild smokiness intertwines with fruity esters and the inevitable hints of sulphur that so often accompany just the right sherry notes.  This Glenfarclas has sherry like an old Macallan along with ether & esters.  The palate is a killer with lots of sherry and sherry sulphur (nice).  It's spicy and hot with some delicate notes of soap and perfume.  The woodiness of age along with a mild bitterness (nice)  emerge in the middle and finish.  It's quite a complex, malty finish with fruit, a long lingering burn, and some hints of wine.  Overall a very entertaining whisky which bounces all over the place with lots of blocks of flavour.  89 points.

And finally, Glenfarclas 15yo (46% OB).  There is wood, both oak and pine on the nose.  Next comes sherry.  This is a beautiful nose, but quite different from the Glenfarclas you just tried.  It's a bit mild, woody, and muddy, with nice sweet spices, sultana raisins, nose tingle, fruit and a hint of tobacco.  As it develops it gets spicier and the wood returns.  It's a nice, spicy, woody nose with more hints of soap.  The palate delivers just as much.  It's sweet, very hot and spicy.  A flash of bandages races across the palate then fruit, then heat, then cereal then raisins.  There's lots of smoke character, but the fruitiness dominates with maltiness developing later on.  It becomes a bit drying on the finish but overall it is better balanced than the Family Reserve.  You end in a tie, for this Glenfarclas also earn 89 points.  The perfect end to your perfect day in Amsterdam.

A few goodnights and a few glasses of water later you crawl into your little bed.
Your perfect day has been surreal, an almost out of body experience.
You pinch yourself to see if you're dreaming, then promptly, you fall asleep.
 

Day Three – Can This Be Real?

In your dreams you're in a darkened room.  Glasses sit on a table along with whisky bottles and jugs of water.
Two men chat animatedly as one pours whisky in two glasses.  "Glen Albyn," he says, "You've not tried it have you?"
"No," the other replies, reading the label:  Glen Albyn 22yo 1977/1999 (43% Signatory, 12-8-77 / 7-12-99, cask 1952).  The nose is sweet and grassy, citric and dusty.  Silence falls as the men concentrate on the pre-gustative aromas.  "Mild nose tingle," one finally says.  "Yes and warm esters too" replies the other as they fall back to appreciating notes of wood, licorice, grass, dry grass, malt, and more fleeting licorice.  Finally, with a "Slainte!" one raises his glass to his lips and begins to savour the tiniest of sips.  The whisky is spicy on his tongue but it's also, bitter, astringent and drying with too much wood.  It's been nearly 22 years in the cask, perhaps too long for so delicate a spirit.  At last, sweetness creeps onto his tongue.  " 75 points", he says, "probably 80 points if they'd bottled it five years sooner."

There's a glug, glug, glug as Glen Mohr 12yo (40% G&M) is poured.  "Another new one for you," the younger man offers.  "Yes, and much appreciated."  There's rubber on the nose and sherry too.  Warm spices float on a malty breeze with hints of leather and sweet tobacco in the background.  The palate is sweet and fruity.  Dry fruit that is, but then a bitterness creeps in.  The whisky finishes with a toffee flavour.  "Not bad but not great" he says.  "No," replies the older man, giving it 74 points.

The glasses are washed and dried, the slightly malty rinse water, consumed rather than thrown away.  "What's next?" the visitor questions and the younger man passes a bottle of Clynelish 14yo (46% OB).  "Marty says there's mustard in Clynelish, but I've never tasted it."  "Then try this" replies the host.  The nose is spicy and among those spices there is mustard.  "Power of suggestion?" he wonders.  The nose is rich and strong with a warm fruitiness.  It tickles his nose then gets a lush softness with notes of sherry and mild sweet wood.  After a while he smells toffee and creamy fudge.  On the tongue the Clynelish is sweet but burning hot.  Sweet wood and soft tannins gradually make themselves known.  Then, back again, the feel of hot mustard.  " 83 points" he says as his host smiles approval.

Glen Ord 23yo 1974 (60.8%, UDRM) is next.  They have a rhythm now.  Talk is less, but silent communication continues as they share these privileged tastings.  But the Glen Ord speaks loud with a fresh, malty nose.  Another sniff and they are running through clover then remembering sweet soft candy.  Their noses tingle, then are soothed by warm esters, wood and barn smells.  It's a complex nose with sweet licorice candies, wood and tobacco, hints of candy cane, then more grassy malt.   "Wonderful," one says and the other nods.  The dram starts out slippery with a hint of smoke, brown sugar and thick toffee.  It's very sweet and spicy on the palate.  Something reminiscent of metal flashes across the tongue, then wood develops in the back of the throat.  " 88 points", the older one thinks, "the best so far."

Soon they reach the first crescendo with Highland Park 18yo (43%, OB). 
The nose is sweet, fruity, and flowery, with warm esters.  It stays fruity but also develops sherry notes, barn smells and cereal, silage.  Long after the first nosing it's still warm, rich and fruity but gets more tertiary scents like sweet pipe tobacco and cognac.  The palate is very complex but so well interwoven that single elements have merged into new ones.  Best just to say it's sweet, oily and nutty, with vague reminders of vitamins, then toffee.  "An easy 90 points," says the older.

"Another Highland Park then?" the younger man asks.  He's pleased his guest and wants to continue the trend. 
With a nod, Highland Park 22yo 1977/2000 (43%, Signatory, Dec 5/77,Mar 22/2000) glugs into empty glasses.
Like the previous one, the nose starts out sweet, fruity and floral with warm esters, but then it turns spirity and spicy.  The other one had complex farms smells; this one is a little more primary with its hints of dry malt, grassiness and dry hay.  It's a dry nose, with a growing woodiness.  The palate too, though it recalls the previous malt, is not nearly as complex.  It's very sweet, hot, but fades quickly to wood then cigar box.  It's almost waxy and never does achieve much complexity.  A decent dram, for sure, but without the pleasures of the previous one.  Olivier had warned that independent Highland Parks never quite achieve the OB house style and he was right.  79 points the guest decides.  Decent, but no prize winner.

Now the host searches for a come back malt, perhaps a formal head to head tasting.  Surveying his shelves he spies two Taliskers and pours the first, Talisker 19yo 1980/2000 'Tactical' (50% Douglas Laing).  This is some whisky.  Right off the bat there is nose tickle followed by smoke, lots of spice, dry, mild wood, and soap, then more smoke.  It's the typical medicinal nose of well-aged peat smoke, this time from the Isle of Skye.  The palate is sweet, so sweet then hot with billowing smoky peat.  It verges on a peat monster with medicine and tar which dissolves into licorice.  "90 points, another 90 points."

Now Talisker 20yo 1981 'Sherry' (62%, OB) awaits and the men eagerly turn their attention to its sherried, fruity nose.  Spicy nose tickle arouses their senses.  This Talisker smells very sweet and spicy with lots of toffee.  The nose tickle is just killer great.  The palate too has sherry notes, a rarity for Taliskers which are almost always matured in bourbon casks.  The heat and spice transfer onto the palate as do some really pleasant sulphur notes like egg yolk.  Sweet Xmas cake spices, a slight metallicness, hints of pleasant wood and tobacco box round out a damn near perfect whisky.  " 94 points?" the older man questions.  His host only smiles at the compliment.

Back in the groove, the younger now pours a Port Ellen 19yo 1982/2001 Spring (43% McGib Prov).  He smells the nose and wonders how anyone could ever have closed Port Ellen.  It starts out with a sour nose, the old Islay sourness, then high notes of ether and esters waft in a warm full-bodied nose, laced with spice and mild nose tingle.  The rich and creamy palate is Islay too, with sweetness, earth, mud - great muddy peat smoke.  Mild fruit lingers over a very spicy whisky.  Wonderful stuff, lacking maybe a little complexity.  "Pretty decent," the guest opines, " 87 points.".

And so, lazily, another is poured, this time Port Ellen 1979/2001 Annual Release (56.2%, OB).  If the other was pretty decent stuff, this one is magnificent.  The nose is peaty, smoky, with essences of a horse barn.  It's spicy, nice warm spice with lots of nose tickle.  The first gentle sip is very sweet, very smoky, hot and spicy.  The older man savours it.  It's getting late and the palate needs refreshing.  He takes a sip of water then adds some to the dram.  Licorice and hints of mud are freed by the water and the sweetness grows.  "Port Ellen, why'd they close Port Ellen" he mumbles while awarding 91 points.

The men are mellow now.  A Lagavulin 23yo 1979/2002 'Mission' (46% MMcD) is poured and quietly they sit back in contemplation to enjoy the spicy, smoky nose.  Something artificial, maybe plasticine is coming off that nose as well.  A gentle sip reveals Lagavulin all muddy and sweet.  The older man jots ' 84 points' in his notebook.

Time has flown and time remains for one final dram only. 
The host has recently returned from Italy with a Bowmore 1965 Full Strength (50%, OB) his friend bought in a Pizzeria there.  Legend surrounds this whisky so it is treated with reverence.  The nose is spectacular, all rich, fruity, sandy, and not even slightly like a modern Bowmore.  There's a hint of sourness, lots of nose tickle and sour berries.  It's a, very warm, rich nose with chocolate but no flowers.  There's nothing floral.  It's so much better than recent Bowmores.  There's no perfume on the palate either.  This really is a spectacular malt.  It tastes sweet, powerful and mildly astringent with loads of chocolate and licorice.  The finish is all licorice – lots of it, sour licorice, almost like a liqueur, toffee, more licorice, and burning, burning spice.  
He has ended on a high note, and knows it.  "95 points", the guest exclaims, "a record.".

Davin
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 

Back to MM#8
 

Click HERE for more malt mania!