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| Hello, that is one among our (virtually) each day tastings. Santé! |
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July 5, 2021
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Summer time Duets
Secret Single Malts from 2007 and rarest bonuses |
| Simply two of them after which perhaps some uncommon bonuses certainly, relying on our temper… |
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Secret Highland 13 yo 2007/2020 (52.7%, Les Grands Alambics, hogshead, 141 bottles) 
And one other beautiful unique label. These secret highlands are sometimes Clynelish and typically Glenmorangie, each being fairly shut certainly. I imply, geographically. Color: white wine. Nostril: tense and tight, gritty and gristy, with good grass, lemon peel and melon pores and skin on high of some leaven bread. It’s possible you’ll add a contact of pastis and crème de menthe, simply the equal of 1 pinhead of every. With water: linseed oil, beeswax and a wheelbarrow of contemporary barley, plus this bitter contact that is at all times so nice in lots of younger expressions of this make. Though 13 is just not that younger certainly, how time flies! Mouth (neat): waxy from the beginning, tight and but with an oily mouthfeel and quite plenty of grass and fruit peel as soon as once more. Barley, lemon and tangerines. That the distillery would begin with a C wouldn’t shock me in any respect right here. With water: sure, completely impeccable, with a sooty, earthy and peppery aspect that is not with out reminding me of Previous Clynelish. End: lengthy, even waxier, at all times with this beautiful lemon + grass combo. Flints, dough and paraffin within the aftertaste. Feedback: I am not effectively acquainted with the 2007s however I discover this deeper than the 2010 or 2011s, that are extra widespread. Oh effectively that is good malt whisky; certainly these stills are grand (and so is the receiver, ha.) High malt for me.
SGP:562 – 90 factors. |
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Secret Islay 14 yo 2007/2021 (51.7%, M. Wigman, Monbazillac cask, 355 bottles) 
Monbazillac is a type of candy wines they make within the south-west of France, right here across the metropolis of Bergerac. The very best ones will remind you of Sauternes as they share roughly the identical grape varietals and the identical strategies of manufacturing. The costs are extraordinarily cheap, in my humble opinion. Miles Davis on the label could be very cool, I simply hope this wee whisky is just not stuffed with errors (When you do a mistake, repeat it and everybody will imagine you probably did it on function – Miles.) Color: full gold. Nostril: it completely jogs my memory of Jean Donnay’s Islays that he typically used to complete in candy wines corresponding to Sauternes, Cadillac, Monbazillac, Cérons et al. That was beneath his Celtique Connexion label, and that was a very long time in the past. Simply think about you’d deep-smoke a mixture of ripe apricots, muscat, mirabelles and maybe elderberries and guavas. Enjoyable stuff. With water: it is humorous that similar to in some outdated vintages of those wines, fairly some menthol and lime blossom would come out. Mouth (neat): a type of extraordinarily unlikely combos that do truly work, in my view. The wine is loud however it’s extra its citrusy aspect that bursts out, so we’re fairly wonderful. With water: and there, menthol and lime tee, a wee mushroomy aspect, apricot kernel oil (that is unusual and watch the prussic acid!)… End: quite lengthy, nonetheless very expressive and fairly effectively balanced. Feedback: a really cool combo. Questioning about what Miles would have mentioned, perhaps ‘repeat these errors, son!’ ;-).
SGP:656 – 87 factors. |
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So we mentioned some bonus and certainly, talking of secret malts and odd finishings, we have one thing very particular, extraordinarily uncommon, and doubtless even ‘unlawful’ (however who cares?)
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Coilltean 14 yo ‘Acacia Aroma’ (46%, RW Duthie for Enoteca Creminati Brescia, cask #1, 1989)
Some loopy experiment performed by Sig. Samaroli fairly some years in the past, bottled for the Enoteca Creminati, which is positioned in Samaroli’s hometown, Brescia. So in 1986, some 12 yo malt whisky was chosen in Scotland and additional matured in 4 totally different 100l casks made out of 4 totally different woods: acacia, ash, cherry and mulberry. After all many are dreaming of utilizing such ‘deviant’ woods nowadays however with Scotch, that is verboten, until you are prepared to surrender any such appellations. Color: espresso with reddish hues. Nostril: I am undecided I might recognise acacia wooden, whereas acacia honey, which I do know effectively, is way, and I imply a lot lighter than this heavy and heady resinous concoction. How would I describe this? Say a mix with chestnut honey, chocolate, espresso, turpentine and pine resin. Kind of. With water: oh, teak and sauna oils, hoisin sauce, umeshu… That is all beautiful and certainly, quite a bit of Asian. I imply, maybe not the sauna oils. Mouth (neat): very attention-grabbing. Huge raisins upfront, then a pine-y growth that might go from resin certainly, to cough drugs and a few juicy purple peaches. In fact, I might have mentioned outdated armagnac, hand on coronary heart. With water: what I do not fairly know is that if this child was already some sort of sherry monster earlier than it was transferred to acacia wooden. Likely. Extra wild armagnac, maybe Ténarèze. End: lengthy, and within the personal phrases of Rowan Atkinson, ‘very good’. Feedback: beloved it, actually. It is typically even a bit of mizunara-y, I am questioning if this could possibly be replicated in a means in some liberal whisky nations – however all nations have turn out to be whisky nations, have they not? You are proper, maybe not North-Korea. But?
SGP:552 – 90 factors. |
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PS that was truly robinia, so pseudo-acacia.
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Coilltean 14 yo ‘Ash Aroma’ (46%, RW Duthie for Enoteca Creminati Brescia, cask #2, 1989)
I do know some eau-de-vie makers are utilizing beech and, certainly ash, which is mild in color and, I imagine, straightforward to cooper. The thought is quite to profit from the right ‘maturing’ results of wooden, with out gathering a lot further flavours, not to mention darkish colors. Having mentioned that I am certain whisky makers would shake their heads on the very thought of utilizing wooden not to flavour their juices (ha). Color: a tiny tad lighter than the acacia. So, nonetheless very darkish. Nostril: ooh, outdated Glenlivet from some correct oloroso butt! Good, with soups, espresso, cigars, pu-ehr, walnut wine, chestnut honey as soon as once more, fir cone smoke, marrow, umami… With water: and porcini! Mouth (neat): a slightly earthier outdated Glenlivet certainly, with a great deal of first-class oloroso sherry. I am going to say no extra. With water: or maybe outdated Glen Grant? G&M, Fifties, Guide of Kells labels? End: lengthy, marvellous, with extra marmalade and richer honeys. Honeydew. Fir honey from the Vosges mountains. Feedback: totally splendid. Unsure about what that ash did to this wee whisky, and I am not even certain anybody would discover that ‘one thing uncommon occurred to it’, however there, it’s a fab old-school sherried Speysider. However Glenlivet, Glen Grant or Longmorn? We could ever know? To be sipped whereas tapping your toes to Edoardo Bennato’s primary hit, 1989’s ‘Viva la Mamma’.
SGP:551 – 92 factors. |
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There have been 4 of them on this little-known sequence, however we’ll solely strive one of many two remaining expression. That may be the cherry…
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Coilltean 14 yo ‘Cherry-Wooden Aroma’ (46%, RW Duthie for Enoteca Creminati Brescia, cask #3, 1989) 
Our mates at Miclo right here in Alsace do end a few of their Welche whisky in cherry casks, however that is not cherry wooden, its oak that had been seasoned with cherry liqueurs and/or eau-de-vie… However this time, it’s effectively cherry wooden, which is hardwood as you understand. To cooper cherry wooden should be a nightmare… So sherry + cherry? Maybe, let’s examine… Color: again to darker, brandy de Jerez-like colors. Nostril: much more presence than within the Acacia, however as a substitute of pine and fir, it could quite gear in direction of tar, maybe even latex, some peonies and hibiscus, hawthorn, very ripe damsons, wooden soke, darker cigars, and… contemporary coriander! That coriander got here sudden. Additionally paprika goulash… Good enjoyable, actually. With water: whole umami this time, plus liquorice. Mouth (neat): my I am getting cherries now… A trick of the thoughts? Morellos, kirsch, maraschino, all that… And even the almondy aspect from the stones, amaretto, marzipan… How humorous and spectacular. With water: will get a wee tad extra resinous. End: lengthy and quite on very outdated cognac this time. Previous cognac from outdated bottles… Feedback: excellent as soon as once more, however maybe my least favorite throughout the bunch. A little bit sweeter than the others. We’ll attempt to unearth the ‘Mulberry Aroma’ and report again, however I am undecided we’ll ever handle since these are so uncommon. What’s certain is that Silvano Samaroli did one thing fantastic with this not possible sequence, again in 1986-1989. However ought to this actually be ‘unlawful’, by the way in which? And what’s much less conventional in spite of everything, utilizing woods that aren’t quercus (which isn’t grown within the nation anyway, Scottish oak being extraordinarily scarce), or seasoning oak with unlikely liquids that had been truly by no means aged in oak, not to mention shipped in bulk to the UK?… Ought to that debate start (once more)?
SGP:651 – 89 factors. |
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(Grazzie mille, caro Diego!)
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