Easter and Lent. No fun until Good Friday. 😢😢😢

tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough toughtough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough tough.......

Glentauchers, 2023, 26 years old, 51.5%, Chorlton Whisky, new glasses, WB235528

Had a tough day? Arrived home tired and completely exhausted? Ready for a vacation and longing for... a trip... far away... the South Seas? Here, at least as a sensory experience, the journey becomes reality. A new glass has found its way onto the journey as well, with hardly any information available, supposedly from Bhlas, designed and produced by The Whisky Lodge (store in Lyon, France), terrific.
Nose: Ahhhh, tropical fruits, the Caribbean, a light summer breeze, if only it weren't for this incredibly annoying glass. The opening is very small, hardly suitable for smelling, the stem is much too short to hold the glass, and the opening is so small that it's almost impossible to drink from. The opening is even smaller than that of the Blender's Glass, and unfortunately, no lid is suitable to cover it.

These glasses are hardly suitable for smelling and drinking; it's no fun to drink from them. However, we don't let that bother us and continue to relax. The aromas of nice sweet vanillas help us there. There is some custard, caramel, and fudge, as well as a little sawdust. Actually, many points of the tasting circle apply, but especially the woody, fragrant, fruity, grainy, and grassy sectors.
Mouth: Fresh fruit, tropical, some citrus fruit, porridge, and butter cookies.

Lots of apricots and peaches.
Finish: Warm vanilla pudding and crème brûlée, but so much more. Fruit salad or cocktail with lots of vanilla sauce. Cereals, honey pops, some white chocolate, and traces of grapefruit. The drink is bliss...the glass less so...
90/93/93

The Marketing Malt, 2005, 2025, Decadent Drams, 20 yrs, 57.1 %, WB292400

‘Please enjoy this silly, extreme, and extremely fun concoction.’ Sighing, almost imperceptibly, palm to face, rolling eyes, shaking head... remembering calming techniques from yoga sessions, therapists' advices, boddhidharma hummings...

Nose: After 10 minutes warm maple syrup, baked bananas, a few mint leaves indecisive whether to enter. No chance. Dates and raisins, other dark fruits, mainly dried or during the cooking process. Milk chocolate, maybe figs? Hmmm, not yet, just heraldically announced. Let's wait a little longer... After an hour, old sofa, old furniture, grandad's chamber from the 60s, never moved out, no change of scenery. However, unbelievably changing: cake, maybe Christmassish. Cherry, chocolate muffins, dark honey combs, honey bread, gingerbread, Germans call it Magenbrot.

Mouth: The first sip after 15 minutes reveals surprisingly cough drops. Minty mentholic malt moments meander momentarily, mindfully mildly the mouth. After an hour or so, dark chocolate and espresso skid on a women's 3000m ice skating forward synchronously back and forth, wobbling and swaying, overtaking and crossing each other one after the other on the right and left, swapping the lead. A slight sharpness appears, with no gold in sight for either espresso or chocolate. Fried orange peel dominates the field, with orange juice and a hint of caraway underscoring the picture. Could be perceived as unpleasantly “silly”. Unfortunately, the mood takes a turn for the worse, with sulphurous notes appearing in the mouth and the taste becoming soapy and unpleasant. Of course, we don't let this spoil our mood. However, ratings are in free fall, poor B grades...

Finish: Very nice long finish, some herbal notes from the cough sweets are still noticeable, mouth becomes drier, tannins and black tea linger, oily consistency. Arrogant and presumptuous, somehow annoying, Decadent Drams…

91/86/89

Elijah Craig, 18 yrs, 45 %, Bourbon, WB261148

This one was like the Holy Grail for me to obtain, but a small window of opportunity opened: a drop in price, and I seized it.

On the nose, there's an unusual burst of bold and distinct umami notes, reminiscent of fried roast or barbecued food. Smoked salmon, grilled vegetables, bananas and pineapple. Now more roasted things... almonds, other nuts, peanut butter and marzipan. Mushrooms and a sweaty sensation linger in the nose.

Mouth: Unfortunately, the low ABV and the processing of this beverage result in a lack of depth and character. The aromas remain subtle: restrained sweetness, oak, tannins, cinnamon and nutmeg. The nutty notes are there, but behind a curtain.

Finish: It's a little hot, but there's no Kentucky hague. Oaky bitterness and tannins linger. The holy grail... just a cup... "Do not touch the Grail without belief!" — Stewart Stafford.

90/88/87

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, 54.5 %, Bourbon, WB285863

On the nose, there is a very creamy sensation with bursts of vanilla volcanoes, vanilla here and there, and all kinds of sweet cakes involving vanilla. There are also hints of cotton candy and glue, but not too much. It is an aromatic experience that most people would describe as smooth. However, smooth is not really a member of the tasting circle. We must try to describe this sensation using a more meaningful term. How about this: the sensation is like cleaning your nose with a silky napkin?

Mouth: A similar sensation to the silky one on the nose. There are more herbs, as well as cinnamon and nutmeg. However, the characteristic we are determined to identify is probably a lack of character. With more patience, the flavour of apples moves shyly forward.

Finish: There are traces of oak, a hint of pepper and a sense of disappointment when compared to previous expressions. This one seems designed to do no harm, but it remains a little boring in the process. Adding a few drops of water causes the aromas to vanish almost completely. On the palate, the tasting circle remains empty and the finish is watery.

89/87/86

Blanton's Straight From The Barrel, #4 Charred American White Oak Barrel, 64.8 %, #24, Warehouse H - Rick No. 44 - 129.6 Proof, Bourbon, WB195915

Nose: Endless sweets, mainly fruity, with a few cream candies mixed in, increasing the dimensionality, but master control is definitely on the fruity caramel side of the force. The caramel candies are in the pan, however, and continue to caramelise. However, however, however, the aroma changes every second, every minute, every hour. Now refreshing herbal notes appear, like a multidimensional world, a shift from worlds to a herbaceous, spicy world. The world of furniture polish degrees of freedom and adhesive change rates do not yet appear through hidden wormholes. In the space-time continuum, powdered sugar paradise apples appear, reminiscent of another world in the multiverse, where matter and antimatter combine to form aromatic sugar bursts, fascinating.

Mouth: Very sweet and yet many spices, mainly of an oriental nature.

Cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness combine to form pimento-like filaments. Wafting through these gives the mouthfeel cayenne pepper-like vibrations. The flavours modulate and oscillate from sweetness, spice, to herbs and spiciness and back again.

Finish: Oily texture, a trace of all flavours remains like a trail in the snow, ionised particles as remnants of a violent flash of flavour through the dimensions. The addition of H2O molecules changes the composition of the stars to more woody auras with protuberances of bitter almonds.

90/90/89