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Dwelling
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| Hello, that is one in every of our (nearly) every day tastings. Santé! |
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Could 16, 2024
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An additional number of high-level grain solely
We wrote an pointless and much too prolonged introduction yesterday, so we’ll keep away from that as we speak. Particularly since we’re beginning with some Invergordon de la muerte… Properly, we hope so.
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Invergordon 50 yo 1973/2023 (49.8%, Alambic Classique, Uncommon Outdated, Ex-Cuba rum barrel, cask #23026, 128 bottles) 
Goodness, 50-year-old grain. The ending in Cuban rum is intriguing, on condition that we regularly discover comfortable rum notes in outdated grains, even when there was no contact. Color: pale gold. Nostril: nicely, I do detect comfortable rum, however I am unable to let you know if: 1. It comes from the outdated grain, 2. It is from the Cuban rum cask, 3. It is a results of each. Who is aware of. There’s clearly some sugar cane juice, a really, very slight benzine word, a number of spruce hints, then it turns into more and more dry on the nostril, nearly earthy. Beautiful construction for a grain, however let’s not neglect it is an Invergordon. Mouth: Invergordon, in my view, is the Scottish grain whisky that is closest to a malt. Maybe they use a superb proportion of malted barley. Orange liqueur, fir bud liqueur, caraway, once more a slight petroly contact, rutabaga (sure, actually), a touch of cane syrup… Nevertheless it stays usually dry. End: medium size, extra on orange liqueur and a little bit of ginger. We could point out Apérol Spritz? Too late, we did. Additionally, a tiny little bit of tar. Feedback: its fifty years go well with it completely, a real uebergrain. Because of the Cubans?
SGP:652 – 88 factors. |
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We could attempt a younger one for distinction?
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Invergordon 17 yo 2007/2024 (61.4%, Fadandel.dk, refill bourbon barrel, cask #300864, 136 bottles) 
Simply checking the insurance coverage coverage for WF Towers… All good, let’s proceed. Color: white wine. Nostril: certainly, acetone, ammonia, nail polish, Granny Smith apples, and inexperienced pears, plus ripe banana and vanilla. We cannot take too many probabilities, nevertheless it appears fairly promising, even with out water. With water: huge viscimetry, it is getting nearly opaque. Anyway, this nostril confirms the impression of a quasi-malt that we nearly all the time get with Invergordon. Café au lait, cigarillos, chocolate, crème brûlée, and a contact of greens. White asparagus, maybe, let’s hurry, we’re nearing the top of the season. Mouth (neat): very creamy, nearly syrupy. 50% cane syrup and 50% good outdated family-made limoncello. With water: we’re transferring in direction of bourbon but in addition malted rye. It is fairly enjoyable. Rustic bread unfold with molasses and dulce de leche. End: lengthy, fairly dry, and malty! Ovaltine within the aftertaste. Feedback: actually top-tier for a younger grain whisky.
SGP:661 – 87 factors. |
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One other Invergordon, please…
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Invergordon 36 yo 1987/2024 (65.5%, Frank McHardy’s Signature Reserve, 223 bottles)
Do you know that Frank McHardy started his whisky profession at Invergordon Distillery? However that is no cause to ship us this little whisky that would launch a SpaceX rocket with out the slightest threat of failure (although an explosion, actually). No, however critically, is this sort of ABV even authorized? We’re jesting, however has anybody truly checked that? Color: pale gold. Nostril: not a lot, and that is regular. Coconut and vanillin. With water: it turns into very mild, white chocolate, popcorn, and buttercream. Mouth (neat): espresso, orange liqueur, varnish. I repeat, espresso, orange liqueur, varnish. With water: ah, there we go, a mixture of orange liqueur and mannequin glue (keep in mind that once we confer with non-edible supplies when describing a palate, it means ‘evokes mannequin glue,’ not that ‘it tastes like mannequin glue’), puncture restore glue, and barley syrup, with only a little bit of wooden pepper. Even with lots of water, just like the equal of Lake Geneva, it stays full of life and even prickly. Loopy stuff. End: lengthy, varnished, and bourbon-like. A slight acidic wooden word on the finish. Feedback: actually a rollercoaster. Truthfully, it is good of the bottlers to consider we’re able to doing such discount ourselves inside a couple of minutes, however in actuality, it stays fairly hit-or-miss. Superb outdated grain anyway, it is only a bit deadly.
SGP:572 – 86 factors. |
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We’re transferring on to Strathclyde. I haven’t got a lot to say about Strathclyde.
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Strathclyde 29 yo 1994/2024 (62.2%, Frank McHardy’s Signature Reserve, 166 bottles) 
One other tried homicide, tsk tsk. Color: white wine. Nostril: lower flowers, dried flowers, recent hay, and above all, 62.2% alcohol. Notes of stearin. With water: very mild, candy, like a bag of marshmallows (the household measurement, not the EasyJet measurement). With water: extra wax. It is nice. Mouth (neat): candy, sugary, targeted on candies and alcohol. You are taking all of the fruit liqueurs yow will discover on the Spanish and Italian borders (rings a bell?), combine all of them collectively and there you go. With water: extra advanced, leaning in direction of mild however high quality rums. We’re nearly again in Cuba. In spite of everything, whether or not you distil cereals or cane molasses in stills so tall you’ll be able to’t see the highest even on a transparent day, it would not make an enormous distinction, does it? End: medium size, pretty sweetness, fairly elegant. Banana, coconut, a little bit of sawdust. Feedback: a really good grain whisky, as soon as extra. We must also attempt it over crushed ice whereas listening to Ray Barretto, that ought to work nicely.
SGP:551 – 84 factors. |
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Strathclyde 50 yo 1974/2024 (44.3%, Alambic Classique, Uncommon Outdated, refill sherry cask, cask #24022, 53 bottles) 
It is true, whenever you see such small outturns, you assume that in the event that they went to the difficulty of bottling the cask, it should have been as a result of they had been believing it was definitely worth the effort, exactly. Color: gold. Nostril: oh sure, natural teas, camphor, mosses and ferns, yellow Chartreuse from the Spanish period, outdated amaro, verbena… However all of that is elegant! What a cask! Mouth: no want to write down a novel, that is magical outdated grain. Actually, it has little of a grain about it, it navigates between an outdated malt from Lochside and a Nineteen Sixties Bowmore. I am severe. It makes you surprise if a trainee, again in 1974, did not make a giant stencil error on the filling station after indulging in an excessive amount of of a stylish substance of the time. Tennent’s, for instance. End: unbelievable. It additionally reminds one in every of outdated Balblair, Clynelish, Coleburn… Solely the aftertaste is a bit beneath par. Feedback: no, however critically, what was this cask, precisely?
SGP:651 – 91 factors. |
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Maybe some blended grain to complete. Sure, they dared.
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Extra Than One Grain Distillery 36 yo 1987/2024 (ABV in ready, Frank McHardy’s Signature Reserve, blended grain, 260 bottles)
I’ve all the time thought grain was used to dilute malt, however I did not know you can additionally dilute grain with grain. That is considerably convoluted, is it not? Color: pale gold. Nostril: it’s totally mild. Vanilla cake, coconut balls, chamomile. With water: a touch of hay wine. Have you ever ever tasted hay wine? Mouth (neat): it is rather more attention-grabbing than the nostril suggests. Plenty of citrus, citron, oranges, pink grapefruit… As nearly all the time with grains, it lacks texture on the palate, however there is no frustration right here. With water: mild notes of coconut, vanilla, rooibos, oriental pastries… End: fairly quick and considerably within the type of Havana Membership. Feedback: malt lovers typically battle with the lighter, typically even diaphanous constructions of grain whiskies. That is just a little bit the case right here, however aromatically, it is extraordinarily pretty. A really pretty mild mix, then.
SGP:640 – 84 factors.
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Blended Grain 50 yo 1972/2023 (50.8%, Decadent drinks, Notable Age Statements, refill bourbon barrel)
Color: gold. Nostril: one other one which’s fairly ungrainy. We’re someplace between a fruity Scottish malt like Tomatin or Balblair and an excellent bourbon. We’re speaking orange cake, meadow honey, geranium, orange blossom water… With water: caraway, oriental bread, makrouts, juniper… what a pleasant nostril. There’s even a really mild trace of autumn leaves smoke, in autumn (critically). Mouth (neat): glorious. There is a little bit of richness, presumably from the wooden, which provides the feel that we had been lacking just a little in different superb grains we have tried nowadays. You solely realise how necessary texture is when it is absent. You could possibly say the identical about many issues in life: love, friendship, cash, well being (nobody wants these low-cost feedback, S., please cease them.) With water: very stunning, and it stays a grain whisky. Small hints of turmeric and saffron. End: fairly lengthy, fairly advanced. Plenty of assorted natural teas, and a barely peppery aftertaste, then onto ardour fruits and mangoes. The end is great! Feedback: the form of grain that rekindles your fondness for grain whiskies. We have had a number of of these nowadays, however you will word that we nonetheless want age statements from 35 to 50 years, or much more. In my humble opinion, age is much more essential with grains than with malts.
SGP:651 – 90 factors. |
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See you in a number of days for extra grains. One other model new 50 yo Invergordon simply in, we’ll have it then.
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