Jim Beam Lineage 15 Batch 1, WB: 189718

Jim Beam Lineage

Glasses: Unity Sensis Plus, Blenders Glass. Mood: full of expectations. Series: Strange new worlds. Oh my! What a wooden box, classy but not overdone. Modest, simple, yet noble. The bottle with screw cap in a wooden frame, somehow Japanese - banzai. Jim Beam - I know it from Whisky-Cola, supermarket, what cruelty awaits me, what am I doing to myself - Smile! So the only way to discover the terrible future is to live it. - Pike. Nose after 1h, shall we? Engage, make it so, take her out, Execute, Get It Done, Just Do IT, Hit It - Punch It! Candy shop, candyfloss, already clumping. Crème Brule. Werther's Real Cream Candy. Lots of vanilla and a hint of Patex on the street. Warm rice pudding with muscovado sugar and cinnamon. Gingerbread aromas in the ether, in the infinite expanses. Exploration can exact a heavy toll. Not here. Dough and freshly baked bread, brown sugar caramelising again. Baked apples with vanilla sour cream. Freshly poured Fritzcola. Brewed black tea. After 3 hours: cellar mustiness. Old books, umami. Mushroom mince pan with cream and truffle. With water 1 tsp changes the nose to pistachio ice cream, other nut ice creams whipped very creamy, fresh waffles. Reconciling my divergent cultures of origin is complex. The journey is challenging. Mouth: Oily, waxy, coating the mouth, sticking everything together, but without Patex. The mouth is in a permanent smacking loop. Demerara raw cane sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg - MUS-KAT-NUT! Peanut butter, gingerbread, gastric bread with espresso. Panna Cotta. Cream sweets, dates and figs. Marzipan potatoes dipped in lots of cocoa. Water is unnecessary: the whiskey becomes oaky, tannins are more prominent, nutmeg grated (again!), tequila. Finish: Eeeeeternal long, nice Kentucky Hugh. The warmth moves in slow motion down the oesophagus, while hustle and bustle and everyday life come to a halt - strike again. Cinnamon spiciness and some white pepper slap after the nice embrace. Water lifts the slow motion. The Hugh disappears. The whiskey becomes astringent. Even in space, growth - sometimes, remarkable growth - is possible." -Pike

92 / 100

 

Balblair 2006, WB: 227004

Balblair 2022

This one has been matured in an Amontillado Sherry cask since 2006 and was bottled for The Whisky Shop. Uncle Google says: Amontillado is a unique wine produced from the complete fermentation of palomino grape must. The fruit of the fusion of two different types of ageing processes (both biological and oxidative), Amontillado is resultingly an extraordinarily complex and interesting sherry. - Don't expect perfection at first. Colour: Old amber in hue. Glasses: Luxbe (Snifter like), Blenders Glass. Mood: Everything will be fine. Series: Studio Ghibli. Nose after 3h: ripe apricots, candied fruits, all kinds: Pineapple, coconut, ginger. Dark fruits, dried fruits, apples, sultanas, dates. Crème brûlée? Who knows? Lübeck Marzipan Manufaktor, industrious hands knead the sugared almond mixture into shape. Jammy. Christmas spices? No, Orient, dough, spices from Persia, Persian pastry. Mouth: marzipan, walnuts, trail mix. Some grains of salt don't find their way. Oolong tea with lots of dark candy. Oily. Persian pastries, date paste. Turn Your Face Toward the Sun, and the Shadows Fall Behind You. Finish: forest floor, dusty porcini mushrooms, freshly brewed coffee. Sticky sweet figs. A little Kentucky Hugh. "Trees and people used to be good friends." - My 
Neighbor Totoro.

Golden liquid bliss,
Whisky warms the soul within,
Sip, savor, repeat.

91 / 100

Glendronach 21 2022, WB: 218967

Glendronach 21

Mood: veeeery disappointed. Glasses: I don't know, all kinds. Series: The Madalorian. Colour: amber. Why, the great Glendronach 21. Makes the pulse beat faster, awe and humility come over me. So this one is supposed to be about 27 years old, if the numbers are right. I like those odds. Gone are the days when I bought this for about 90€. Tried this one with many glasses and over a longer period of time, double-blind, blind, non-blind. I am a whisky aficionado, glasses and time are part of my religion. Glasses, mood, water, an empty bank account, a free nose and lots of time. This is the way. Nose 3-5h: Toffee, milk chocolate, cream pudding. Chocolate mousse with white chocolate. Forest floor with rum sultanas, very sweetened black tea, Dunnage Warehouse, wet clothes, Martini dry. Mouth: White and red pepper blast their way through the palate. Cinnamon and gin make a bad mix. Cherry juice added unmotivated. A dusty olive. That's not saying much. What does it taste like now? Double-brewed black tea. Too thin coffee. Bad espresso from the wannabe-original-Italian-pizzeria around the corner. Vodka, spicy. Water? Doesn't belong here. Finish: Kirsch, Black Forest cherry, sage, thyme, nutmeg, doppelkorn, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and other dusty spices. Oh no, what happened to this drink? It tastes like a poorly matured 16 year old scotch made from thirdfill sherry butts. Where is the depth, where are the dates and dark fruits? Where is the everlasting finish? Style GD according to C. M.: rich, sweet creamy - only reminiscent. Does this have something to do with the lack of non-chill-filtered? Diplomatic answer: no idea. Maybe I'm not worthy of this GD anymore. However, I have tasted enough other very awesome GDs that this one breaks my heart.

I have spoken. - Kuiil, Ugnaught.

85 / 100

Ballechin 2004, WB: 229138

Ballechin 2004

Mood: Curious. Series: Jack Ryan, Colour: dark amber, Glasses: Luxbe, Blhas. The oldest ballechin I've ever had that even exists in 2023, who knows. Reason to break the fast early. Sometimes you have to break a few rules just to get the job done. Nose after 1-2h: Sweaty horses, being fed, malt and oats mixed with fruits and fermented apples, Chardonnay on top. Riots, blockades and unrest. Garbage not picked up. France? Hamburg? Middle East! Tyres and furniture on fire. Smoke bombs maybe fireworks. Street fights dirt, sweet fruit, rot. Between all the plastic, a sausage grills along. It's better to be on the inside, maybe be able to change something, than be on the outside and not be able to change anything. Mouth: Spiciness, black pepper. Oily. Must and calvados. Some Federweisser. With water the drink loses intensity and sharpness, but also depth and becomes watery. No gain. Finish: Acidic, rotten fruit, burning - like the barricades, they stay late into the night. On both sides injured, hospital, disinfectant, troughs, plasters and all sorts of medical smells. Somewhere a tyre is still burning. The country will not rest. We have to examine every angle, consider every possibility. Especially the one that's staring us right in our face. - Greer.

82 / 100

Macallan 2000 - 2022 GM, WB: 223324

Glass: Blhas. Series: The Last Kingdom. Mood: War weary. Color: Cola, Black East Frisian Tea.

Wetting: Blended Scotch Whisky Meadowside Blend MBl WB218929 and Wee Mongrel 19-year old LBDS WB222603. Fear Is Within All Of Us. As Is Strength. Very afraid to try this one, afraid to be really disappointed. Courage Is Finding The Will To Overcome Your Fear, Nothing More. Nose after 5h: I underestimated the wetting actors immeasurably, turn out to be true Aethelings. This skirmish has turned into a major war zone and has eaten up a lot of time. A King Must Be A King On His Own Terms. Very elegantly sneaky, the nose develops cola-sinalco, sparkling, caolabraus tablets of ahoy brewed out. Dates and rum raisins overlook the battle from the sidelines. The fight, however, is very un-Danish, very distinguished. The flavors caress the nostrils, finest chocolate mousse. Some orange, cream candy. I hold the sword - pardon - the glass with both hands, trying to sink the nose even deeper, to become one with this smell. A warm carpet of pure bliss. Each perception a bud bursting open, each aroma molecule a firework of dopamines. A hint of tobacco in the air or the last wisps of smoke from the last battle. My Journey Continues, My Path Leads North to Blood Fields. Mushroom pan with cream, allspice, black pepper and 3cl maple syrup. Quinces are cooking in, want to be jam. Cotton candy, Turkish candy store. Heavily ripened peach, burst dried figs with sweetness oozing thickly from them. Herbs such as rosemary and sage perfume ahead. Mouth after timeless hours: Effervescent tingle, allspice heat, cola plant, Coca-Cola, boiled down syrup of 1-2 plums and 2 apples. Danes attack again, One path looks like another. Peppery spiciness, powerful and sweet. A place in Valhalla is safe. Finish - end of battle: burning, lovage, astringent. Espresso, strong coffee, dark chocolate. A bit cardamom does not know where to go. This whisky can caress sweetly or strike mercilessly unexpectedly with fierce flavors. "The future is fate, it won't change. Destiny is all." - Uhtred

Glenfarclas 1991 S22, WB: 222588

Glass: Blhas, Spiegelau Snifter. Series: Invincible, Mood: Avnosatdoonawday. Color: black tea, very black.Wetting the palate: tried various scenarios, bourbon e.g. this WB225512, sherry matured scotch e.g. this WB219589 and old woody grain WB218656. How to start, can't you just enjoy a malt like this? That's the tricky part of the job, balancing what you wanna do, with what you need to do. Nose, caught after about 4h - 7h: Snifter: confectionary shop, next to it a market - stall with Arabic dips, dates, candied ginger, coconut and other dried fruits. Dough. Milk chocolate and a bag of trail mix. Blhas: pencil shavings, sawdust. Dried porcini mushrooms. Wild boars feasting truffle mushrooms dressed with balsamic and soy dressing, plus fermenting dark fruit on forest floor. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, and I'm the only one of us who can't fly. Apple juice, tobacco lit from about 10m away. Woooooonderful. Someone Thinks They're Too Clever For Us. They All Think That At First. Dunnage Warehouse, old books in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. Startled wild horses gallop across the moss. Saddle leather, sweat, black tea Ceylon. Mouth after 4½ h: varies according to pre-wetting. Sometimes milk
chocolate, sometimes bittersweet. Often smooth. Oh, I'm In So Much Trouble. Creamy sweets, espresso macchiato at its best. Pepper. Amazing, now and then bright juices like apple. Fnish: warming, Kentucky Hugh or just hot soy broth depending on the weather. Incessant. Friends Tell Friends The Truth. Exactly - somehow knowing, beginning to understand. Only what. Oily, mouth coating. "Hit Me And Let Me Prove You Wrong." - Mark. 

97 / 100

Glenfarclas 1990 S22 WB: 222589

Glenfarclas 1990

The moon rises, night is settling over life, into the glass viscously flows the precious oil even darker, spreads into your heart and thoughts. In the background Amy Winehouse whispers 'Blaaack, Black,
black. This is what I live for, that is what I’m looking for, this is what I give the shirt off my back for, I'm addicted to this dark mysterious potion. To get excited about it ---is a loosing game. Should I go to Rehab But I say nooo, no, no...The ritual must begin, let go of all thoughts. Inhale, exhale, the price! Okey - that's seppuku, doing it later. As Amy performs in top form, the GF1990 S22 calms down in the glass, watching humbly and knowingly. Preparing my palate with the GF1991 S22, an incredibly elegant malt, but the GF1990 is a completely different world, speaking of my astral journey is about to begin. How quickly 3 hours can pass, but I can't think of any terms for this. From a rating beyond 96, my olfactory cortex refuses to connect with the honourable cognitive lobes.  Neocortex, amygdala, striatum in top form, but the cerebral cortex is awash with Wittgensteinian neurotransmitters, which I can't talk about, shall I keep quiet. There's enough dopamine - if it weren't for seppuku, which brings tears to my eyes and makes my D-level drop. The nose: a haiku, incomprehensible yet beautiful, mysterious and captivating. Today I could die - I will, later. What's keeping me in this world, anyway? Amy did everything right. Wait! A drop of this heavenly drink holds me, says: Stay! Mouth: When Bodhisattvas declare enlightenment - a koan. The finish is sweet poison, eternally long, every millisecond a universe passes, the Almighty touches your heart - all will be well. The closer you get to the magic mark of 100, everything dissolves into blurriness, Heisenberg sends his regards, Schrödinger drinks with his cat. Causality no longer exists; I name dried porcini mushrooms, dark fruit, but these are just letters - don't come close to reflecting what I feel. I write toffee and tobacco in the nose, dark chocolate in the mouth and espresso in the finish. But I couldn't have found more irrelevant words. How do you describe a symphony in A minor and D major at the same time, piano and forte, largo and presto? Filigree strings despite timpani and trumpets, melancholy oboe accompanied by sad clarinets, double basses massive, violin gossamer and a timidly plucked guitar and harp complete the picture. Every day different, every day a new page. Now and then a soprano belts out an aria. Amy is quiet now. The glass is empty. Somewhere in the house, Einaudi Una Mattina. Life, sometimes sad, goes on after all. "I don't ever wanna drink again I just, ooh, I just need a friend." - Amy Winehouse

97 ( - 98)/ 100

Malternative: Cognac Daniel Boujou 1984/2022 C. Dully Selection 52,8 % Batch 2

Cuvée from the vintages 1974 to 1984. This Cognac was produced from the grapes of the Grand Champagne growing region. The region belongs to the highest of the 6 quality levels and the grapes

Cognac Daniel Boujou 1984/2022

enjoy the reputation of having a particularly long storage life. Music: Mathieu Lamboley - Le secret, Series: Lupin.
Colour: dark crimson - You underestimated me. You didn't look at me. You saw me, but you didn't really look. D'accord, rather cola brown. Glasses: Cognac snifter and blhas. Nez: During and after 3h, very friendly greeting - le gentleman. Completely unexpected a coup, syrup from light fruits, very sweet smell, fairground tour past various sweet stands. Balsam made from figs, how do I know that? A good journalist never reveals her sources. Mon Dieu a mine with all kinds of mineral extraction. Chalk cliffs NON ? SI ! OH ? Tamari soy sauce, the famous rancio and the thickest balsamico there is. The truth can always be found in libraries. Yes, library, old books, but a bunch of philosophy students have been sitting and working for hours. A cigar - unusually worn under the armpit, yet fresh forest meadow, wafting smells of cellar mustiness, forest floor, maple syrup.
In the swirl: cosiness, hygge, open fire and comfort, a little truffle in the background.
Bouche: After 5h: sorrel, black tea, some sage. A tannin company with a pipe discusses the meaning of life. Sparkling conversation. The worst feeling in the world is giving all the love you have and knowing it will never be returned.
Sortir: Les Cigarettes low tar Gauloises Blondes Gold, just a petite puff. Very mineral - calcium, magnesium, iron tablets. End of a shisha night? Do you believe me? What a pity that I am not an honest man!
"La pendule égrenait le chapelet infini des secondes." - Maurice Leblanc, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman cambrioleur.

89 / 100

FR 

Cuvée des millésimes 1974 à 1984. Ce cognac a été élaboré à partir de raisins provenant de la région

Cognac Daniel Boujou 1984/2022

Grand Champagne. Cette région fait partie du plus haut des 6 niveaux de qualité et les raisins ont la réputation de pouvoir être conservés particulièrement longtemps. Musique : Mathieu Lamboley - Le secret, Série : Lupin.
Couleur : rouge carmin foncé - You underestimated me. Vous ne m'avez pas regardé. You saw me, but you didn't really look. D'accord, plutôt brun cola. Verres : verre à cognac et blhas. Nez : Pendant et après 3h, accueil très sympathique - le gentleman. Coup totalement inattendu, sirop de fruits clairs, odeur très sucrée, tour de kermesse en passant devant divers stands de confiserie. Baume de figues, comment je le sais ? Un bon journaliste ne révèle jamais ses sources. Mon Dieu une mine avec toutes sortes d'extraction de minéraux. Roches de craie NON ? SI ! OH ? La sauce soja tamari, le fameux rancio et le vinaigre balsamique le plus épais qui soit. The truth can always be found in libraries. Oui, bibliothèque, vieux livres, mais une bande d'étudiants en philosophie* sont déjà assis et travaillent pendant des heures. Un cigare - porté de manière inhabituelle sous l'aisselle, mais tout de même une fraîche prairie forestière, des odeurs flottantes de moisi de cave, de sol forestier, de sirop d'érable.
Dans le verre : confort, hygge, feu de cheminée et sécurité, un peu de truffe en arrière-plan.
Bouche : Après 5h : oseille, thé noir, un peu de sauge. Une société tannique avec une pipe discute du sens de la vie. Une conversation pétillante. Le pire sentiment au monde est de donner tout l'amour que l'on a et de savoir qu'il ne nous sera jamais rendu.
Sortir : Les Cigarettes low tar Gauloises Blondes Gold, juste une petite bouffée. Très minéral - comprimés de calcium, magnésium, fer. Fin d'une nuit de chicha ? Vous y croyez ? Quel dommage que je ne sois pas un homme honnête !
"La pendule égrenait le chapelet infini des secondes". - Maurice Leblanc, Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur.

89 / 100

 

Orchard House The Signature Range CB, WB: 203347

Glass: Blhas, Authentis Spiegelau, Mood: expectant, Colour: finest sunshine yellow, Series: The Bad Batch.

Orchard House

Oi, is the series an indication of the taste? There are several batches of this that taste different in nuances. Let's blow something up, yeah!
Nose: Wow wow, immediately after pouring basket full of tropical fruits, mango, papaya, the whole melon family, kiwi, some fir, acacia honey. Fire from birch bark - some 10 m away. 30 min: Vanilla and other bright flowers support the mission. I like you. You don't fit in here either. Some Turkish delight, I was hoping for the whole squad, but you'll do. Honeydew melon takes the lead, a star fruit doesn't know where to go.
Mouth after 40 min: cinnamon and ginger heat, sharbat. Curry and other Asian spices, but only hesitantly.
Finish: surprisingly long sweet finish, some white pepper lingers on the palate. A little tannin still wriggles in the throat and disappears. Some oil films out. Wax covers the teeth but dries up. Grassy. Let's leave the glasses a little longer. Good soldiers follow orders.
Nose after 1h: Hay, a walk through the Lüneburg Heath, just before the big bloom. Heidschnucken have passed by... - and two e-bikers, a bit sweaty.
Mouth: A tropical fruit salad with a little sunflower oil, some grated coconut, grated with white violet and whole milk tonka chocolate. In the dressing, elderflower syrup and some citrus fruits. Change takes getting used to. You'll see. Just give it time.

Finish: Oaky, ginger lingers. It's okay to break the rules sometimes. A shoe polisher from Istanbul works diligently in the mouth.
With water - what for? The war is over. Depends on when you read this. There's always war somewhere. We try 1 tsp: Oi, nose gets extremely faint but stays fresh, meadow after a light shower. Many flowers in spring compete for the favour of bees. Other insects get some too. In the mouth, oak dominates, something about roasted in a sesame coat. Some vanilla pudding with chilli mixed in. Vegan coconut cream topping. The finish shortens, cinnamon nutmeg ginger clove spiciness, just a reminiscence.
"You of all people know it's all about the price." - Fennec Shand