Trade day [am] saw a flight of nine single malt vintages. But first up is a Cognac from the ‘Blogger’s breakfast’. Huge compliments to Billy for the idea and invite.
Frapin 22yo 1993/2017 TWE Single cask 43.2% WF87
- N: Smell that ‘boiled up Bois’ accompanied by Marsala wine, cough sweets and essential fruit oils.
- T: Floury cough sweets. A whisky-like mouthfeel with cherry liqueur and euthymol toothpaste. Dry and deliciously light yet never lacking presence.
- F: Toothpaste fresh with a quiet yet firm sour milky=fungal. Great length and complex finish on malty fruits, Nice biscuits and wax capacitors. A decent finishing mouthfeel with a slightly numbing power that belies its modest 43.2% strength. Fruity slightly malty bitters conclude.
- C: Massive malternative and one of the finer Cognac’s I’ve had. Around £120 [rrp].
Scores 88 points
Glenrothes 1997/2017 20yo TWA/TWE [360 bts] 51.3% WB90.33[14]
- N: Ideal sherry influence that displays complexity with subtlety.
- T: Waxy butterscotch and sweet biscuits lead the charge, followed up by further delights. Much head nodding.
- F: Minstrels and distinctly, [a few] Cadbury’s buttons.
- C: Scrumptious.
Scores 89 points
Ben Nevis 1996/2017 20yo SMoS cask #1528 [466 bts] 53.1% WB88.60[7]
- N: Dreamy creamy sherry and sweet coconut hessian. Pancake wraps with water. Works superbly at strength.
- T: A sherry cask that allows the spirit to talk.
- F: [no notes]
- C: A treat for the Nevis faithful.
Scores 88 points
Bowmore 1994/2017 22yo SMoS cask #100587 [224 bts] 52.8% WB91.50[2]
- N: Smokey buttery lettuce.
- T: Super full bodied, the widest of the weekend.
- F: Salty/prickly initially but water & time will knock that off.
- C: Delicious.
Scores 88 points
Glenrothes 1990/2017 26yo SMoS cask #35481 [151 bts] 44.5% WB0
- N: No sherry monster here.
- T: This bourbon Rothes has plenty of those raisins I often associate with its sherry casks, so that distillery character must also be from the distillate rather than sole reliance on casks – right?
- F: Perfectly pianissimo.
- C: Worth trying bourbon-cask Dalmore too, for an understanding of what’s spirit and what’s cask.
Scores 88 points
Littlemill 1990/2017 27yo Ob. Private Cellar Edition [btl #264/500] 51.3% WB0
- N: Refill distillate-led style with notes on light honeyed fruity putty. Irish-esque, slightly peppery.
- T/F: Consistent and slow growing complex ending. Creamy citrus & heathery dry.
- C: Super.
Scores 90 points
(Bushmills) Irish 1989/2017 27yo TWA & TWE 46.8% Blog
- N: Billy [rightly] describes this as fruit juice, archetypal-y Irish in style – i.e. fruity. And for me that includes putty too. Also a little added leather.
- T: Fruity putty. Soft ginger with water.
- F: Smooth sour cream,…
- C: Even more delicious than yesterday [blog].
Scores 89 points
Bunnahabhain 1980/2017 36yo Ob. Canasta cask finish [1200 bts] 49.5% WB89.50[2]
A rare old official vintage.
- N: Sherry, soot, and pickled onions for starters.
- T: Big sherry arrival. Quickly becomes all-sherry and with more soot.
- F: Winey.
- C: Unless you like old sherry I’d pass. For the price you’d be better off with a Glenalba, or for calibre that 1997 Glenrothes.
Scores 85 points
Longmorn 1967/2015 GM Distillery label 43% WB85.33[3] WF89
- C: Deliciously mature winey, smokey & sherried whisky.
Scores 89 points
Glen Grant 1949/2014 GM casks #2200 & 3185 40% WB91[2] OMoH11/10
- C: Love it, proper old. The headline is ‘Heart of Glass’ – that is to say it’s fragile & liable to cracking but presently holding form brilliantly.
Scores 90 points
Part two of the final day sees old age-statement Scotch. [Coming soon]
Those are not the right references for the Glen Grant. It was bottled 2014. 😛
http://theoldmanofhuy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/30092017-whisky-show-2017-day-1-part-1.html
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Thanks ‘old man’, sorted!
I see you have taken up an eleven point scale now ;]
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