Meikle Toir One Slam – Chinquapin (Ch), Original (O), Sherry (S), Turbo (T); WB: 239126, 239124, 239125, 239127

Ingvar Ronde writes: Fermentations are long, up to 160 hours, and there have been trials with a 500

hour fermentation! A smaller proportion of the spirit produced is heavily peated with 80ppm phenol specification in the barley.
The website https://meikletoir.com states: In 2018, we began producing peated spirit - a much rarer style for the Speyside region - for several weeks each year. We only produce around 100,000 litres of new-make annually to create our premium small-batch releases. [...] Using premium mainland peat for an oaky, sweet smoke style; a process of extended fermentation, exacting distillation and expert maturation elevates the spirit to its pinnacle. After years of patient slumber, the spirit within each cask must meet the rigorous standards of Billy Walker and his team in order to reach the bottle. [...] Made with mainland peat from St. Fergus, the flavour contribution is sweeter than that anticipated of coastal peat. [...] The bottles look good, but: A suit doesn't make a man. It's what's inside the suit that counts. Therefore only a sample.
Nose 30min:
 O: Dates wrapped in bacon, Black Forest cake, barley sugar, dried apples, cider, sweet stall at the Christmas market, right next to the herb stall, wholemeal bread. Peat? Doesn't ball around, at least.
Ch: vanilla ice cream, left standing. Very restrained, shy and unpeaty.
Sh: Rice pudding with cherries. Crème brûlée, restrained smoke, yeast dumplings with icing sugar and red fruit jelly.
T: Muff, moss, sweat, sour milk, leather and tobacco. Ribwort cough syrup. Musty, Mordor smell. Tipped red wine, blood orange.
Mouth:
O: Sugar water, round, sage, some umami, encourages smacking, pleasant bitterness.
Ch: Citrus notes, sticky sweet, lemongrass, a bit out of round, smoke and sweetness and duel.
S: Sweet apple juice with herbal sweets, eucalyptic, oily, mouthcoating.
T: Malty, vitamin malt, nice peat. Coconut, ricola, herbal tea.

Finish:
O: Coffee, cocoa powder, little peat.
Ch: Spicy, smoky, maritime, vanilla, dry finish.
Sh: Sweet, strong coffee, herbaceous.
T: Longer than expected, warming, herbal note, ribwort, coconut.
Turbo quick comparison...
Octomore 13.2: The Octomore is overall more balanced and exciting, despite/because of the higher peat and alcohol content.
Ardbeg Smoke Trails: The Smoketrails remains boring, sorry.
'Sometimes the things we seek in life are right in front of us the whole time.' - Winston Scott

O: 87/100 Ch: 87/100 Sh: 88/100 T: 88/100

Glenrothes 28 SV 1995 - 2023, WB: 237379

Ruby Red, Loki. Nose 2h: Elegance and style, noble like a ruby, rum sultanas, dates, maple syrup. In the background chestnut honey, speaking of: Chestnuts at the Christmas market, light alcoholic freshness, eucalyptic. Some leather and horse sweat, but very shy. Many aromas, but subtle, nothing must, everything can. Timeless, time runs differently here. Sweet shop with fruit sweets, but also Turkish honey, nougat, and a hint of fudge. After 4 h Holi feast with cocoa powder and icing sugar, gentian, and cognac where the time ends.

Mouth: Cappuccino with lots of brown candy, too much espresso in it. What is it then, flat white? Sticky sweet, more coffees, some cocoa powder, mocha, milky to darky chocolate, all Variants from different multiverses. Slightly tingling, some allspice and spicy.

Finish: espresso, maple syrup degrees C, dark chocolate, some European oak. Tarragon, sage, thyme, nutmeg, and slight cinnamon spiciness. At the end of the two-minute finish allspice and black pepper.

Door to other dimensions opened a tiny crack, peering in, confused, not realising that our world is actually the best world. Lips remain paralysed. Still so much not understood, still so much to anticipate, conceptualise, participate, emancipate, meditate, reflect, associate, receptive, simulate, imagine, contemplate, clamour - resign, what do I know.

A very balanced, elegant, fine malt. Complexity and harmony in perfection.

94/100

Ballechin 19 2023 Manzanilla Sherry Casks, WB: 237370

In comparison to WB123517 Ballechin 14 2018 Mazanilla.

Woohoo, Ballechin 19, eldest. The 14 blows me away after been halfway through the bottle, has concentrated into a syrupy mass, the peat gives the Scotch a brilliant complexity. And now I'm hoping for - more? A stranger is just a friend you ain't met yet. What have I got to lose - money? What have you got to lose that you ain't already lost?

Nose 2h: In direct comparison to the B14: more warmth, cellar mustiness, not so fresh. Peat doesn't slaughter you. Very distinguished, sweet-umami spice cloud, cinnamon, Christmas spices, balsamic, grade A maple syrup, fir honey. After 3h dried porcini mushrooms.

Mouth 2.30h: B14 is a burner, bangs in. The V just made me more... me. Eternally long finish of the B14. Bad idea to compare both A-train vs Shockwave. Checking B19: date syrup with chili flakes, some dark chocolate, oily, brown sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg, 

Finish: oak on the finish. While B14 remains hot, B19 goes in the tannic direction. Astringent. Long but restrained compared to B14. Bay leaf. Espresso.

B14 is young and tumultuous. Ballechin 19 is more settled and knows things.

Expecting a happy ending, were we? Well, I'm sorry. It ain't that kind of massage parlor. - Billy Butcher.

93/100