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

Ben Nevis 15 DL14689, WB: 194004

Narcos, pretty high, Blenders Glass, straw yellow.
Muy bien, a Ben Nevis, good stuff? ¿Plata o pomo? Ben Nevis has an incomparable distinctive character that allows to mature complexly in both sherry and bourbon casks. Los Gringos do their job well. ¡Listo! ¡Vámanos! Nose 2h: crumble cake, butter in the pan - gradually turning brown. Tart herbs - mountain and Mediterranean. Cellar soil, earth, forest soil. Many kinds of mushrooms and wild boar. A touch of testosterone saturated armpit with lots of sweat. Mouth: Mineral, slate Riesling – ‘Steillage’. Claro, sweet and zesty. Coarse pepper, chilli and a few grains of salt. Hágale. Lies are necessary when the truth is too difficult to believe. Finish: barbecue charcoal, peat - no smoke, but the dirt hits like a Sicario! Salt, herbs and mulberries. Unripe almonds and a hijo de p*ta bitter almond, muchachos. With a tsp of agua, the nose becomes candyfloss, popcorn. In the Mouth sugar water, honeydew melon, cantaloupe. Herbal brew lingers in the sweet finish.
‘Sometimes bad guys do good things.’

89/100

 

Ballechin 18 Batch 001 2023, WB: 231983

Tengoku daimakyo. Annoyed. Straw-yellow. Glasses: AmberGlass G410, G501, Blenders Glass.
Yet another old ballechin, 18 - Nose 20-40min: - why carefree youth, Spanish coast, beautiful life, beautiful food Jamón ibérico with honeydew melon, sweet shop with lots of herbal sweets. The more you understand someone the more you become to appreciate them. But not this one...Not so light-hearted, anymore, hospital smells drift in, worry and medical warnings. Ominous laphroaigish. Mountain herbs and a hint of mint. Grog with citrus zest. Nothing comes out of the G410, money ’s gone af. Mouth: Phew, maneater. Peatmonster ’s coming. Salt and pepper. Unpleasant peatiness for me. Octomore and Laphroaig cross-bred. A monstrous peat. There is nothing ‘smooth’ here. Rages wildly. Finish: ginger, chilli, slightly astringent, oaky, blunt teeth, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon. Scouring milk. Water tickles out a little more sweetness. Even if you can't find the answer right away, keep trying. That's what makes life worth living.'

84/100

Secret Speyside 2005 SV 17 DRU17 A106 #27, WB: 230466

Glasses: Schott-Zwiesel, Blenders Glass, Colour: cola. Mood: terrified. Series: October Faction. Secret again, what is this secrecy all about? Some ‘spirit’ ubered another one, which it shouldn’t have done?

Supposed to be a Macallan. Instantly Whisky Defcon 1: Sulphur Monster or Maybe-Friend? Colour creates synaesthetic tasting. Drool and Catcalls. Nose after 2-4h: Boiled down dark fruit with oregano and a bay leaf. Monsters cook unusual jam from dates and raspberries. Pfft, was obvious, becomes rhubarb compote, in the background a plot of plums and cinnamon, grape must, maple syrup and soy sauce. Furthermore, tomato mozzarella with basil and lots of balsamic with sticky sweet overripe honeydew melon fight for supremacy. Very umamish battle. Blood Magic.
Mouth: All coffees, strong ristretto to French Press with slow roasted beans Mexico Olmo. Darkest chocolate in the darkest alley, tannins stab you BACK. Finish: Astringent and heavily caramelised sweetness, oily and mouth coating, very long finish. Very intense soy-balsamic blend, hints of sage and marjoram linger. Water? No-can-do's-ville.
Turned out to be a very tasty sherry monster! Warlockish indeed.

93 / 100

 

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