Malt Maniacs #3  -  July 1, 2002

Oh boy... Last week we achieved 'critial malt mass'
during the DrAmsterdam 2002 Maltathon. Davin from
Canada, Roman from Israel, Serge from France and
Klaus from Germany joined me in Amsterdam for three
days of heavy dramming. Five malt maniacs in a room!
This was the very first time that this many maniacs
were gathered in one place at the same time. Wow!
Klaus wrote a full report about our adventures in
Amsterdam (and in 'the woods') and you can find
some of my own perspectives in log entry #118.

Malt Maniacs #3

For the Macallan JOLT in June some other malt maniacs joined in on the fun. The DrAmsterdam crew alone managed to sample a dozen different Macs, including the recently introduced 'Traveller's Editions'. Our conclusion was: try to get your hands on old batches of the 12yo 43% instead; cheaper and much better.

Then there's Michael Wade's huge report on his Feis Ile 2002 adventure. The Islay Whisky Festival in May was the perfect excuse for some serious 'sampling' in Scotland. The final E-pistle with a 'travel' theme was submitted by Serge. After his trip to the Islay Whisky Festival he was confronted with one of the hazards of international travel: thievery.

While other maniacs were off galivanting through the whisky world our whisky pilgrim Krishna stayed at home to write his 'Whisky or IMFL?' E-pistle. It's a shocking story about the exotic stuff people are prepared to drink to get drunk in some exotic countries.

Actually, this entire third issue of Malt Maniacs is sort of a 'Traveller's Edition', I guess. First of all, Serge wrote a wonderful 'Dolce Aqua Vita' E-pistle about his whisky hunting in Italy - Milan, Bologna, Florence and Sienna.

Let's see, what else? American maniac Louis and Australian maniac Craig wrote a few words about independent bottlings. As Louis points out in his 'Private Pleasures' E-pistle, private bottlings can sometimes be more expensive than the 'official' distillery bottlings. In Holland they very often are. Of course, this goes against my Dutch pennypinching nature. I'm always looking for the maximum 'bang for my buck'. But as Craig explains in his 'Ode to Independent Bottlers' we have plenty of reasons to be thankful to independent bottlers.

The weather was another topic Louis wanted to discuss.
Usually, we tend to reserve this subject matter for small talk but when it comes to the enjoyment of our daily drams it turns out to be quite significant. Roman Parparov's 'Clouds of Smoke' E-pistle deals with the pleasures of pipe smoking and some of the best tobacco & single malt combinations. Meanwhile, Matti Jaatininen focuses on more malty matters in his first E-pistle. Check it out if you want to know about stuff like 'love at first dram' and the whisky that tastes like motor oil.

Last, but certainly not least we have the in-depth interview with Raymond Armstrong; savior and new owner of the Bladnoch distillery. With only two other active Lowland distilleries remaining we felt Raymond's initiative deserved all the attention we could give it.
And that's it as far as MM#4 is concerned.  Slainte!

Sweet drams,

Johannes van den Heuvel

E-pistle #03/01 - An interview with Raymond 'Bladnoch' Armstrong
by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland

The number of active Lowland distilleries has dropped at an alarming rate over the last decades. For a while, it seemed like Bladnoch would share the fate of Saint Magdalene and Ladyburn, forever lost to Lowland lovers around the world. Fortunately, Irishman Raymond Armstrong came to the rescue. We thought we'd ask him a few questions about his adventures in the whisky industry.
The interview is published on a seperate page; CLICK HERE to read it.
 

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E-pistle #03/02 - Aqua Dolce Vita
by Serge Valentin , France

Italy isn't very far from my place. Colmar, Basel, Luzern, the Gotthard tunnel, Como... And you arrive in Lombardy. A four hours drive, to swap our Renish humanistic Alsace for Milan's Italian madness. Pasta, scooters, the wonders of the Renaissance, Ferrari, Ducati, Chianti and... Scotch whiskies. Uh-oh! Scotch whiskies? You mean Grappa! No sir. I was really talking about Scotch whisky.
Being a malt aficionado, I guess you've already heard of Sestante, Corsini, Donato, Moon Import... All those companies are (or were) genuinely Italian, and their Ardbegs, Port Ellens, Laphroaigs, Lagavulins and other heavy-hitters are amongst the most sought after malts in the world. Plus, everybody knows The Macallan 7 yrs, "exclusiva per il mercato Italiano". Having read this, you'll easily understand why my "spring whisky-hunting trip", this year, took me to the realm of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Dante... and Samaroli.

First stage of the journey: Milan

A place called "Bar Metro", Piazza de Angeli.
Well, nothing special at first sight. Far from the elegant streets, far from the duomo, but still very difficult to park there. Seems to be a regular bar... but wait, look at the shop-window... Have you ever seen a Macallan 1899, an Ardlussa, a Parkmore or a Ben Wyvis 1901 in a shop-window? Or even an Ardbeg Sestante 1973? My heart begins to beat quite strongly - and my wallet as well. I push the door... What a funny place! Sweets, pastry, wine, and whisky everywhere. I begin to browse the shelves. It's just incredible. Nothing but old whiskies. Very old whiskies. And there's a guy behind the counter. A very polite and very humble middle-aged man, who's name is Giorgio d'Ambrosio. I begin to talk to him:
" Are those bottles for sale?     - Ma, some are... you want to see whisky?
- I'd love to! But I can see many bottles around...   - This is nothing. Come with me... "

Man, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Giorgio d'Ambrosio's cellar, jump at it! Bottles everywhere. Thousands of bottles. I start to gaze at the shelves, and I dare to say to Mr. d'Ambrosio: " have you got some Port Ellens? "This must have been the stupidest question Giorgio had ever heard. He points a finger: " yes, look there!" I can see some shelves...
"Where are they on the shelves, exactly? - Everywhere! The whole shelves is Port Ellen!" Can you imagine that? Rare Malts, Cadenhead's, Samaroli, G&M, Hart Bros, Signatory, Lombards, Murray McDavid, Islay Dream, Moon, Silver Seal etc. Just to mention the " recent ones ". Wow! They're all there, and they are for sale! I consider the Velier's Islay Dream 1980-1997. There's a price tag on it: 134 Euros. Well, that's a lot of money, but I'm ready to pay that amount for a " not so common " PE.
" -I'd like to buy that one... - O.K., I'll leave it for 80 Euros for you... "
- Hey, why that? - Because you're so friendly... "

Gosh! As you may guess, this leads me to an even more intense state of  MaltMania. But what to buy? There're so many interesting bottles! You know, the kind of bottles you can see on the Internet, while browsing McTear's site, or some collector's sites - but you never see them in real life. In one word: dream bottles. Suddenly, I think about Murray McDavid's Lochside 1981. It was so good when I tasted it with Mark Reynier, last month ! Mark hadn't any left for sale, but Giorgio had one. I bought it, of course.
" You like Lochside? Try also this one... "
That's how I bought the Spirit of Scotland 1981-1996 as well.
" Any nice Ardbeg I should buy, Mr. d'Ambrosio? I already have the 30 yrs Very Old
- The 30 yrs is not very good. Too old, too much wood. (aaargh, just bought my bottle in Basel!) You try this... "
All right, now, I'm the proud owner of an Ardbeg Sestante 21 yrs 1974-1995 as well!  Dear reader, I won't explain why I bought also a Glenlossie Sestante 20 yrs (yes, the shield label), or the Mortlach G&M 21 yrs (yes, the old one, with the funny piper on the label), or the Strathisla-Glenlivet G&M 15 yrs (yes, the old white label stating 26 2/3 FL. OZS), or the Macallan-Glenlivet Murray, McDavid (I put the comma on purpose) 1974-1995... That would be too long. But let me tell you the following:

As I had my camera in my pocket, I asked Mr. d'Ambrosio if I could take some pictures of his collection. He said : " No problem, but how many pictures have you left in your camera?  - Well, four or five. That'll be enough...
- No, don't take pictures here. Better come with me... "
He opened a thick iron door, and put the light on...
"Oh putain!"

Yes, that's what I said at this very moment. I know this is awful, but I couldn't refrain from saying it. If you don't read French... well, don't count on me. Anyway, this second cellar was full of even more stunning bottles. Thousands of bottles. That was Mr. d'Ambrosio's own private collection. I didn't ask whether some bottles were for sale. First, because I felt that asking would have been a sacrilege, and secondly, because I didn't see any bottle worth less than, let's say 1,000 Euros!  But what should I say about those bottles? Well, hundreds (I guess) of Macallans, hundreds of bottles from distilleries that are no longer active since... 1900, hundreds of Springbanks, Ardbegs, Laphroaigs... Suddenly, I tried to be smart. " Have you got some... Black Bowmore? " I couldn't think about any other collector's bottle. My brain was so confused ! He answered : " I have sixty bottles... Every edition...
- And the Springbank Millennium?
- I have four series. I just bought a 50 yrs in America to complete the fourth set. "

I don't know why I tried to be even smarter, at this point. I said : " hey, have you got one of the 120 bottles of Glenfarclas 25 yrs Jim Clark? ", while thinking: " perhaps he hasn't got any. I've got one bottle, so, if he hasn't got one, I sort of win! " Stupid, uh? (I know what you think, Craig and Klaus). Anyway, he answered : " Wait, I'll show you something ". And he came back with a Bowmore Jim Clark... Limited edition... Bottle Nr. 1 of... 1!  As you can guess, Giorgio d'Ambrosio showed me many other fantastic bottles. Hand cut crystal decanters, signed bottles (Jim McEwan, George Urquart etc.), a Port Ellen from the 19th Century... Now, you may ask: " did you have a dram with the man? " Yes sir, and it was one of the best drams I ever had. It was a Glen Avon 1953, and it was amazing, I can tell you!

Well, I feel I should conclude now. So, please, if you ever happen to go to Milan (O.K. Roman?), go to Barmetro, and ask for Giorgio d'Ambrosio. That will make your day!

Second stage: Bologna

Bologna is a very, very nice old city. The food is excellent...
And there are two very famous whisky shops (well, that's what one would call " going straight to the point ").

The Antica Trattoria da Sandro al Navile, via San Donato, is very far from the city center, and quite difficult to find. It's a restaurant, but there's a wine and spirit shop next to it. I arrived there at 10 a.m., but the shop was closed. I asked for Sandro, and he came quite quickly from the restaurant. Hum, I felt that I was disturbing him. He opened the door, and we entered a small shop overloaded with thousands of bottles. Wine, rum, whiskies... More than 3,500 bottles of whisky are sleeping there, plus a 1954 Moto Guzzi Falcone 500. Such a superb motorbike surrounded by thousands of marvelous malts... That could have been a vision of paradise. But Mr. " Sandro " seems to be in a real hurry. He's glancing at his watches every 30 seconds, while spouting a long speech about the quantities of different Macallans, different Yquems, different Dom Perignons, Different Petrus, different this, different that... I tried my all-famous " Have you got some Port Ellen? " He answered : " Yes ". I asked " Would you sell some? " He answered " Yes ". But he started to look at his watches more and more intensely. The message was as clear as fresh (Highland) water : " Please go away, I've no time for you ". That's what I did. Hey, more money left for the next shop!

Back to Bologna's center. Well, not exactly the center, but not far from it. The place is called " Kik Bar - The Whisky House ". It's not on Route 66, where you get your " kicks ", but via San Donato. O.K., that's not funny. Anyway, the place is quite chic. As every liquor shop in Italy, they also sell other goods. Pastry, pasta, olive oil, cookies etc. Some elegant Italian men and women are standing at the counter, drinking coffee (ristretto!) or red wine. I ask for the owner... The man comes right away. I ask " Parlez-vous Franais? Do you speak English? " The man  smiles embarrassedly. Well, I should learn Italian ! (What ? I'd better improve my English?) Anyway, " whisky " is an international word. So, I say " whisky ". The man's smile's getting wider, and he goes directly to the cellar. I understand that I should follow him... And that was a good idea. What a nice, clean place! Hundreds of bottles, all standing in shiny glass cases. The range is less impressive than Giorgio's or Sandro's, no really old bottles, but still very interesting. Now, guess was my first question? Yes, I asked : " Port Ellen? " (this is the expurgated version). The man showed me different bottlings, especially some from his own brand, The Whisky House , imported through the " Taverna degli Artisti ", which is famous among the PE collectors. I bought an 11 yrs 1983-1994, and a 17 yrs 1980-1997. Then, I asked several other questions, using our very poor, but understandable common vocabulary : "Lochside? Brora?, Springbank? Ardbeg?, Etc."

This ended with a reasonable number of bottles to carry out, the only OB being Royal Brackla 8 years, which I bought because it was very cheap (18 Euros or so). The man kindly gave me a very nice " The Whisky House " bar-mirror for free, and I decided to hit the road again, in the direction of Firenze (Florence).

Third stage: Florence

No need to say that Florence is one of the most beautiful cities of the world. And you'll understand that I preferred to spend some time visiting the Galleria degli Offizzi, the Batistero, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, The Palazzo Medici etc., rather than doing some whisky archeology in some old dusty shop. Botticelli's Birth of Venus rather than an Ardbeg Samaroli?  Donatello's David rather than Laphroaig? Of course, I'm not that maniac!

But having said that, I found some time to visit an Italian supermarket, and a little wine shop as well. Nothing really special in the " Essalunga " supermarket, except the famous Macallan 7 yrs (for 14,50 Euros only) and an intriguing Bowmore 8 yrs for 18 Euros. Please, if you've got any piece of information about this Bowmore 8 yrs, please drop me an email. Is it another labeling for Bowmore Legend?
A good place to shop in Florence is the Zanobini Wine and Liquor shop. They display only approx. 50 different malts, but they are quite cheap. I couldn't leave this charming and friendly little place without buying several bottles. Mortlach G&M (Meregali) 15 yrs, Caol Ila Wilson & Morgan 10 yrs 1991, Macallan Dun Eideann 10 yrs 1990, and a Springbank 15 yrs (old version - not the new one to come) for less than 40 Euros... Not bad, is it? But I regret that I didn't buy the only bottle left of The Macallan 15 yrs 1984 for 45 Euros... My wife said "You'll find another one! " I'm not so sure.

Fourth (and final) stage: Sienna

What a marvelous city as well! Much smaller than Florence, but still it's eternal rival. No car - the city is mainly reserved for pedestrians - magnificent ocreish buildings, fabulous duomo... Well, that's Italy. And I felt that I would not buy any malt on this very Sunday. After all, I had already bought quite a few bottles during our Italian journey. And, to be honest, it's quite enjoyable to walk in the streets without carrying two heavy bags full of bottles. But well, I must be a natural-born whisky hunter! Guess what? While I was wandering in the little streets, I noticed a street called " via del Paradiso ". Charming name, isn't it? So, I decided to go up the via del Paradiso... until I saw a little wine shop, the " Enoteca San Domenico ". I entered the shop, just to browse the shelves. Chianti Classico, Brunello, Barolo (hmmm, Angelo Gaja), Asti Spumante, Barbera, grappas, lemon liquors, olive oils, dried ceps, multicolored pastas, macaroons, sweets...

... Suddenly, I noticed a very little shelf, carrying five or six bottles of whisky. Lagavulin, blabla, Laphroaig, blabla, Cragganmore, blabla... and... no, it's not possible!... A bottle of Port Ellen Cooper's Choice Cask Strength 1983-1999! A divine discovery, indeed. So, never forget this new and genuine MaltManiac's maxim: "Small place, big whisky." ;-)

Now, back to our hotel in Florence (Pensione Bencista in Fiesole - very good address). A lot of work to load all the bottles plus the luggage aboard my car... The, driving north... Milan again, Como, the Swiss border... O.K., the customs didn't ask for anything... ouf, as we say in France... the Gottardo, surprise meeting with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, two famous jazz players, at a Swiss filling-station... nice chat with them... then Luzern, Basel, Colmar.

Back on Earth...

Serge Valentin
 

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E-pistle #03/03 - Feis Ile 2002, May 25th - June 1st, 2002
by Michael Wade, USA

The Isle of Islay is a malt lover's paradise. Whether you are a newcomer to the world of single malt Scotch whisky, or a seasoned veteran, you will probably have seen a bottle of Islay single malt on the shelves of your local haunt- and at one point or another scratched your head in amazement or confusion.  Situated off the west coast of Scotland, Islay has seven working distilleries; and produce whiskies which are often as challenging to pronounce as they are to the palate. From the lightly peated Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich, to the hefty Caol Ila and Bowmore, then south to the infamous Kildalton distilleries- who produce some of the most heavily peated whisky available- Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, you will no doubt find a whisky that suits your palate among them.  Many find the smoky, medicinal flavors of the more assertive malts to be unappealing and shun them.  Others enjoy the flavor so enthusiastically the whiskies achieve a cult status and are virtually worshipped.  Either way, there is something special about the island and it's whiskies- and it is no doubt deserving of the title "The Queen of the Hebrides".

I was fortunate enough to make my way to Islay for Feis Ile 2002 - the festival of whisky and music.  There, every year the distilleries open up their doors and bottles for all to experience and celebrate the fierce independence and rugged beauty of the island, its people and its whisky.

May 24th, 2002 - Campbeltown, Mull of Kintyre, Argyll

After a long day of exploring the town for lost distilleries, visiting Springbank, foafing Eaglesome and a trek out to Davaar Island in the miserable weather, I settled down to dinner at the Ardshiel.  The appetizer was smoked salmon, the main course was local scallops and desert was a brandy basket.  "While in Rome do as the Romans do" they say- so the theme of the night was Campbeltown malts, although it was a short night, having to get up early next morning for the ferry.  I sat down and resigned myself to taste the two previous Longrow official bottlings head to head and have a serious go at the Glen Scotia.

Longrow 10yo 1990 'Sherry' (46%, no neck label)
Color: Light gold. Nose: Smoke, burnt chocolate with a slight prickle, sherry comes through in the tail. Smoky but not medicinal.
Palate: Sherry smoke, chocolate, ferny, exceptionally smoky character melds with the sherry.
Finish: Long and smoky. Comments: Not too heavily sherried, the smoke and wood mingle well. Score: 90

Longrow 10yo  1990 'Bourbon' (46%, no neck label)
Color: Pale gold. Nose: Smoky marshmallow, burnt caramel, overdone smores.  Vanilla and caramel sit in front of the smoky backdrop.
Palate: Vanilla sweetness, smoke, marshmallow and brown sugar.  Slightly spicy.
Finish:  Sweet, smoky and long. Comments: Well done, but I prefer the "Sherrywood". Score: 87

Glen Scotia 12yo (43%, OB, predecessor of the current 14yo release)
Color: Light gold. Nose: Spirity,  nutty and dry.  Pine and earthy notes.
Palate: A bit of prickle, heather and nuts, with a bit of vanilla.
Finish: Slightly bitter. Comments: Not the best Campbeltown has to offer. Score: 77

May 25th, 2002 - Campbeltown to Kennacraig to Port Ellen

Embarkation was after an early breakfast of oatcakes, fruit and cheese overlooking Campbeltown Loch.  I DO wish it were whisky!  Driving through the miserable rain, we arrived at Kennacraig ferry and were off!  The 2 hour journey rolled by, and before I knew it images of the Kildalton distillery warehouses loomed before me on the shore, appearing like apparitions from the heavens.  It dawned on me - I was finally on Islay!  Of course with my luck, the gentleman in front of me on the ferry had his car die on him, blocking my way out.  After a few minutes they managed to get him going with a good push, only for him to stall out again right in front of me (nearly causing my first accident on Islay in less than a minute on shore!).

From Port Ellen it was a race up to Ardbeg to snatch my Feis Ile and Committee bottlings.  Who do I bump into at the gift shop but our own Malt Maniac Serge Valentin!  Little did I know, it was one of many chance meetings I would have with him on Islay.  Off to Claggan Farmhouse in Bridgend to drop off our things and straight to Lagavulin for a tour and private tasting. Lagavulin is one of 3 Kildalton malts, founded in 1837 and situated on the south coast of Islay between Ardbeg and Laphroaig.  As you come out of Port Ellen, it is a quick few miles on the road, past Laphroaig.  Blink and you will miss Lagavulin from the road, which hides behind plain whitewashed walls and a discreet car park.   Lagavulin is a mixture of old and new - embracing many traditional facets such as dunnage maturation for the single malt product and wooden washbacks in addition to adopting some modern elements such as computerization.

The highlight of the tour itself was being able to taste the wash straight from the washback.  It was like nothing else I've ever tasted - like a warm, peaty beer.  Excellent stuff, but no time to stand around and stare - I've a tasting to attend, hosted by Donald Renwick, the manager. After being ushered through the hallowed halls of the distillery, we came to rest in a quaint and rustic room tastefully decorated with plenty of natural light - the perfect setting for a wee tasting.
(All sampled malts were WIP's - Works In Progress; not bottled yet.)

Port Ellen  22yo 1979 (52.5%, WIP)
Color: Full gold. Nose: Smoke, peat, sandy driftwood and seaweed.  A monster.
Palate: Intense Islay burn, smoky bbq and mustard, white hot peat fires.
Finish: Like a mouth singed by hot soup. Comments:  Yow! This one is for the peat lovers. Score: 90

Lagavulin 12yo 1990 Cask Strength (55.7%, WIP)
Color: Pale yellow. Nose: Peat smoke, pungent, iodine and tar.
Palate: Brash- in your face peat and liquid smoke- creosote and it has a very oily mouthfeel.
Finish: Hot and long. Comments: An upcoming bottling. Not overly complex, but good for an Islay fix any time. Initial Score: 87

Lagavulin 25yo 1977 (57.2%, WIP)
Color: Amber gold. Nose: Caramel and smoke, vanilla, honey and cream.
Palate: Sugary smoke, sweet oak and some cinnamon spices.
Finish: Smooth and long. Comments:  A more mature Lagavulin, laid back, subdued but not conquered. Initial Score: 90

Talisker 20yo 1982 (62%, WIP)
Color: Red gold. Nose: Honey, sherry, caramel, licorice and spices.
Palate: So oily as to be syrupy, sherry, cough syrup and mint.
Finish: Warming. Comments: A Talisker with no hint of peat, pepper or smoke.  Amazing. Initial Score: 92

Wow!  That last Talisker was amazing, although it had no house character whatsoever.
It looks like there are some promising things coming from UDV in the near future and I will be in line waiting!  Socks having been knocked completely off, I stumbled my way back to Claggan Farmhouse in Bridgend, my accommodation for the next week, stopping in first at the various festivities Lagavulin lined up outside the distillery. A small barbeque, games and music really provided a wonderful accent to the malts and tour.

After unpacking at Claggan, I headed off to do some shopping at the Co-op in Bowmore.  Of course a visit to the whisky shops and Lochside Inn bar were in order.  Not much time here either, because upon my return I was delighted to find Dave had arranged a vertical tasting of all the Springbank Limited Edition bottlings….
Hoo-hah let's get this started!

Springbank 25yo LE (46%, OB)
Color: Deep golden brown. Nose: Springbank all the way- that classic sherry Springer nose of coconut, chocolate, spices, burnt coffee and slight brine, with nuts and salt. Palate: Oily mouthfeel, rich, deep chocolate covered cherries, syrupy sweetness, like thick sweet cream over burnt chocolate sprinkled with coconut shaving. Finish:  Deep and warming.
Comments: My favorite of the entire run.  A classic Springbank not to be missed. Score: 95

Springbank 30yo LE (46%, OB)
Color: Golden brown. Nose: Like the 25 but starting to mellow down and develop more fruity characteristics.
The chocolate and coconut have subsided somewhat and calmed down in favor of slightly phenol tones and some sherry.  More fruity and spicy notes emerge.  This is a big whisky. Palate:  The distillery character is augmented by more spicy, oaky and fruity notes, and the sherry will not take a back seat either.  The integration of sherry, slight smoke, fruit and classic Springer profile make this a wonderfully complex and huge whisky. Finish: Long. Score: 92

Springbank 35yo LE (46%, OB)
Color: Golden. Nose: Another Springbank stunner.  Maturity has added greater complexity and depth.  Not content with settling down, we get coconut, brine and chocolate- some nuttiness in there, as well as some cinnamon and cloves.  Perhaps even a hint of citrus rind. Palate: Confirmation- spicyness, oily in the mouth, chocolate marshmallow and fruit- like those orange chocolates you smash on the table.  Slight bitterness in the end. Finish: Long. Comments: Another great one - held up well for it's age. Score: 90

Springbank 40yo LE (40.1%, OB)
Color: Gold coins. Nose: Buttermilk, cream, coconut, brine and passionfruit.
Palate: Flat, dry mouthfeel, heathery and overly woody.
Coconut cream milk struggles to come through. Collapsed with only a drop of water.
Finish:  The dying breath of a weak, bitter old man. Comments: For the Springbank zealot, a "subtle" "restrained" version. For me personally, way too strung out and past its prime. Score: 84

Springbank 45yo LE (40.1%, OB)
Color: Gold. Nose: A return to the norm.  This is not ready to die down yet.
Springbank all the way again, with passionfruit, kiwi, moving to creamy milk chocolate.  Sea salt and coconut with raisins.
Palate:  Intensely oily in the mouth, creamy and resinous.  Left a coating in my mouth that lasted for hours.  Sugary cream, salted almonds and chocolate covered nuts.  These flavors were somewhat subdued by the wood, but held in restraint, like seeing yourself in the steamy bathroom mirror after a shower. Finish: Delicate
Comments: Although I prefer the younger ones, this one is excellent as well.
Somewhat of a departure from the norm. Score: 89

Springbank 50yo LE (40.5%, OB)
Color: White wine. Nose: Restrained smokiness and salt, the Springbank character is there but truly held in restraint.
Like driftwood, chiseled away by years of tide.  Smoke, chocolate and coconut are in the distant rear with subtle tones of milk and cream.  The mouthfeel is creamy yet mellow with age. Palate: A confirmation again with a slight sweetness and fruit struggling to come to the fore. Finish: So delicate and short
Comments:  Faded glory.  Not strung out, but a proud old man.  I can barely find words to describe the effect- like an old book handed down from generation to generation- once it is opened it springs to life once again.  Like tasting a dream.  Excellent for the sake of the experience, and a great whisky to boot. Score: 88

May 26th, 2002 - Bruichladdich

The drive from Bridgend to Bruichladdich follows scenic coastal roads hugging Loch Indaal.  After spending some time on the beach before the distillery woke up for it's big day, I made my way in.  Bruichladdich  was built in 1847, and what set it apart from it's counterparts on Islay is that it was built for the specific purpose of a distillery as opposed to a converted farmstead or smugglers squatting ground.  Walking into the distillery courtyard- you can see that although there is a haunting beauty here it was certainly designed for function.  Everything is centrally located from the courtyard, from the malt hatches all the way to the main office.  It's obvious this place has been well cared for recently, sporting fresh whitewash and some TLC work on the buildings.  This is a stark contrast to only 2 years ago, when the distillery sat behind a chained rusty gate, in decay.
I was given a tour by Simon Coughlin.

To say Bruichladdich is traditional would be an understatement.
To quote Jim McEwan: "Bruichladdich will not have computers- EVER". Everything here is done by hand.  There are no automatic valves or computers. The mill, the mash tun, the boilers- much of the plant is original, from around 1887. The new owners struggled to repair and refurbish what they could- what they could not was faithfully reproduced- and it shows.  If you are interested in seeing whisky how it used to be- how it was meant to be- come to Bruichladdich.  If you ever bump into Richard Joynson from Loch Fyne Whiskies ask him for his rendition of the tour- you won't regret it! After visiting the shop to pick up my special bottles (Several Valinch bottlings plus the new Country Life offer), I made my way to the filling store to fill my Feis Ile Valinch.  After filling, bottling and labeling, I spotted the cask filling machine had a leak… So of course I took a wee drappie of the clearic… It was undoubtedly Port Charlotte distillation and was simply amazing.  I tell you now- Port Charlotte is drinkable and wonderful from the still. It is even better at 1yo in a sherry cask, but more on this later. Now it was on to the Masterclass with Jim. After a rousing training and exciting performance by Islay's prodigal son, Jim McEwan, we were ready to taste some whiskies.

Bruichladdich 15yo (46%, OB, current release)
Color: Golden honey. Nose: Creamy, melon, slight citrus, some sherry and vanilla in the end.
Palate: Vanilla, slightly briny, zesty oak, citrus comes through and there is definitely a subtle maritime influence.
Finish: Long but gentle. Comments:  The best of the 3 current releases, not as brash as the 10 or as sweet as the 20. Score: 90

Bruichladdich 32yo 1970/2002 (45.8%, OB, First fill bourbon cask)
Color:  Deep, dark gold. Nose: Stunning. Caramel, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, cream.
A whiff of mint and a hint of the sea.  There are delicate orange and pear notes in the end.
Palate: Amazing, oily mouthfeel.  Coconut, vnilla and caramel drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Burnt caramel.
Sweet and malty, the flavors mingle well together, showing a bit of wood zest and a hint of smoke.
Ever so slightly the citrus comes through. Finish:  Deep, long and warm.
Comments:  This is one of the best whiskies I have ever tasted in my life.
Will be marketed as the "1970 Vintage" from October, 2002. Score: 95

Bruichladdich 18yo 1986 (52.5%, WIP, Fresh sherry cask)
Color: Red amber. Nose: Sherry sulphur, cherry, lemon zest, melon and ozone.
Palate: Sherry sweetness moving to orange and raisins. Nutty and herbal notes emerge after time and then end with some oaky tones.
Finish: Somewhat dry but long. Comments: A wonderful cask sample of a fresh sherry 'Laddie. Initial Score: 89

One of the best parts of the class was a presentation for a gentleman who had worked at the distillery since time out of memory and had actually distilled the 32yo tasted above.  His family was in attendance, sitting behind me, and beaming with pride.  The presentation was given to Robin Laing's "Coast of Heaven"- I was not the only one with a tear in my eye.  It was both exciting and moving to be at Bruichladdich.  I could spend pages mentioning the other wonders, such as the Pipe Band marching through town, for the first time in years; the dancing, the hospitality, the wonderful food and best yet- the people.  But as many of those people did, I threw down my notebook, tossed aside my pen and camera and got lost in the magic of it all.
If you visit, I am sure the same will happen to you.

Monday May 27th 2002 - Caol Ila/Port Ellen Maltings

Caol Ila is tucked away in a cove near Port Askaig, on the north of the island.
Most of the current distillery dates to 1972, when the old buildings were knocked down and a new plant built.  Production resumed in 1974.  Although Caol Ila is set in some of the most beautiful and rugged terrain on Islay, it's buildings are highly modern and functional.  All that remains of the original are warehouses.  The distillery embraces its parent company's ideals- respecting the old but embracing the new (having adopted computerization but using dunnage warehousing for it's single malt and pine for the washbacks).  Of course the highlight of Caol Ila is the still house; which has large glass windows that overlook the Sound of Islay.  These windows can be removed for the replacement of still house equipment.  I once shared a dram at the Port Askaig Hotel bar with a man who claimed to work for SMD (who went on to become UDV) as a smith - he claims to have been onsite during the installation of the stills in 1974 - he described cranes removing the very large windows and then moving the stills in. Later, I verified this method through photographs. Incidentally, he doesn't drink malts, only Whyte & Mackay with plenty of water.

After the tour it was on to the warehouse for a coopering demonstration and a tasting of the new malts lineup. A limited amount of coopering is done onsite, with the major work being done on the mainland by company coopers.
It was a nice display, albeit simple.  I was eager to get to the malts.

Caol Ila 12yo (43%, OB, new release)
Color: Light gold. Nose: A hint of rubber, kick of smoke, barbeque and smoke.  There are some sweet, malty notes at the back.
Palate: Brash and youthful, not as smoky as the nose, herbal and floral notes and barbeque smoke at the end.
Finish: Short and bitter. Comments:  Reminds me of the Flora & Fauna 15, but with rubber - is it from sherry influence? Score: 82

Caol Ila NAS Cask Strength (55%, OB, new release)
Color: Light gold. Nose: Smoke, peat bonfires, pungent monster with no apologies.  Burnt driftwood, wild fires by the ocean. Palate: This is a monster- tougher than most Caol Ila's.  Peat, smoke, barbeque, mustard and alcohol burn. What an Islay malt should be.
Finish:  A kick in the teeth. Comments: My pick of the three. Score: 87

Caol Ila 18yo (43%, OB, new release)
Color: Deep gold. Nose: The smoke has died down in favor of herbal and fruity notes- pear, apple, raisins, heather and melon.  The smoke is in the background, subdued. Palate: Wet grass, zesty herbs, slight smoke, apple.  Mustard finally comes through and to finish some wood zest. Finish: Zesty and long. Comments:  Not a typical Caol Ila by any means, but has merit on it's own. Score: 84

After some wrangling to get out of my parking spot (with the help of some clever Germans we figured a way around someone who had boxed me in) it was off to the Port Ellen Maltings for a tour. After the tour, which brought us through all aspects of malting - from selecting barley to the malting itself (in giant drums), to the delivery to the distillers themselves, we were treated to venison smoked burgers and a malt tasting, with a "chance" to win a bitof the new Port Ellen 1979 OB… Of course I "won" a stiff dram.  I had already had some of this (see previous notes) from my own bottle bought in Edinburgh, but who was I to refuse?

Another great aspect of the Maltings tour was being able to taste the barley in different stages of production - and at different peating levels.  In addition, all Islay malts were presented later for nosing, with the aged product, the clearic and the source water.  The difference among the Islay distilleries in terms of water quality is amazing!  In addition I found certain clearic to be very palatable as opposed to other new make spirit which was just frightening.  I won't name any names, but let it be known there is a difference in the clear spirit that runs from the stills - a staggering difference.  I tasted some wonderful, exciting spirit that was drinkable now as opposed to some real stinkwater.

After the tour, it was back to Claggan for more Freestyle Marathon Dramming…

Old Pulteney 26yo 1974 (46%, Highland Selection)
Color: Light gold. Nose: Sea air, ozone, slight peat, cream and heather.
Palate: Vanilla sweetness and brine, wood zest and a hint of peat.  A little flat.
Finish: Astringent and dry. Comments: A bit flat and spirity for my liking. Score: 78

Ardbeg 25yo 'Lord of the Isles' (46%, OB)
Color: Pale gold. Nose: Classic Ardbeg oily reek, sherry, peat smoke, citrus and creosote.
Palate: Oily mouthfeel, smoky barbeque sauce, mustard. Lemon, peat and smoke.  Sooty and greasy.
Finish: Long and mouth coating. Comments: Yummy. Score: 90

Ardbeg 10yo 1991 (60.3%, Cadenhead's Bond Reserve)
Color: White wine. Nose: Gym socks, burnt pretzels, pepper and smoke.
Palate:  Tar, spicy notes with liquid smoke and citrus, salted nuts.
Finish: Long and hot. Score: 92

Caol Ila 7yo (60.2%, SMWS 53.52)
Color: Faded gold. Nose: Herbal zest, barbeque and mustard, vinegar and burnt logs.
Palate: Smoke, seaweed and peat in waves… Herbal tones hit in the end.
Finish: Long and fiery. Score: 87

Bunnahabhain 31yo 1967 'Rare & Old' (40%, Gordon & MacPhail)
Color: Honey. Nose: Hard, salty caramel, salt water and sulphur.
Palate: Ginger, ozone, lemon zest. Finish: Zesty and medium length. Score: 89

Tuesday, May 28th, 2002 - Laphroaig

This morning we headed over to Laphroaig for the supertour with Iain Henderson - a true gentleman and a lover of all things Islay.  This was my first chance to see a working distillery with maltings - it was a rare treat.  We were treated like royalty as we were escorted through the sacred halls of the distillery, like acolytes following the head druid in a glorious ceremony.  In the end, Iain stayed on to sign my "rent" dram, and show me around the back rooms of the distillery, to Bessie's office and the corporate entertainment area, then to the café for a wonderful light lunch. The distillery was founded in 1815 on farmland used by illicit distillers - but the current buildings date from much sooner.  There is an air here of dignity and respect- something that shows through in all the employees- that they are part of something so much larger…After a long day touring the Kildalton countryside and seascapes, and visiting the obligatory Kildalton Cross and Chapel it was home to have some Laphroaig, of course!

Laphroaig 13yo 1984 (59.8%, Cadenhead's)
Color: Straw gold. Nose: Wet, salty rope, seaweed and driftwood- astringent and tar.
Palate: Pepper, hard pretzels, HOT! Burnt peat, heather and licorice. Finish: Endless.
Comments: One of the longest finishes ever, at about a good solid 20 minutes. Could be tasted an hour later. Score: 88

Laphroaig 10yo 'Cask Strength' (57.3%, OB)
Color: Deep gold. Nose: Smoke, peat, barbeque smoke, burnt oak, smoke and pepper.
Palate: Peat monster, iodine medicinal notes, smoky and ferny. Finish: Signature Laphroaig long, medicinal finish.
Comments: They kicked it up a notch or two with this one. Score: 89

Laphroaig 15yo 'Red' (45%, OB, Old bottling; bottled early 1990's)
Color: Deep gold. Nose: caramel, smoke, seaweed and peat.
Palate: Leafy and herbal, smoky, burnt seaweed, iodine but no "Laphroaig attack".
Very complex and restrained. Finish: Warm and long. Score: 92

Bunnahabhain 1968 'Family Silver' (40%, OB)
Color: Rich gold. Nose: Vanilla, slight peat, sherry and some sea air.
Palate: Spicy cloves and cinnamon, ginger and lemon, melon. Finish: Woody. Score: 90

Isle of Jura 21yo (40%, OB)
Color: Golden brown. Nose: Treacle, caramel, coffee and chocolate.
Palate: Underdelivery, cloyingly sweet, a bit flat but has a rich mouthfeel.
Finish: Warm. Comments: The best Jura in the standard lineup, but still not worthy of regular patronage. Score: 81

Wednesday, May 29th, 2002 - Bruichladdich Mega Private Cask Tasting with Jim McEwan

Today was the big day we had all been waiting for - our private cask tasting with Jim to try and select the next bottling of the "Arbeggeddon".  Although today was supposed to be Bowmore's big day, it had to be sacrificed for the greater good.  It was time for us to go feast at the altar of the Malt Gods - The Bruichladdich Warehouse. We arrived at the onsite warehouse and went right to town. Jim was a madman, dashing from cask to cask, extracting the bung and pulling samples with the Valinch.  For fun, we started off with refill sherry casks from 1989.  After tasting samples from about 20 casks or so, I liked cask #3199 best which had notes of chocolate, banana, caramel and melon.  A good start to a good tasting.  Then it was on to 1987 1st fill sherry casks.  Of these, I favored #1360 and 1361 which had notes of blackberry, chocolate, caramel and cantaloupe. All the while we were tasting, Jim was going on in his usual way, telling stories, giving advice and being very hospitable.

Later, it was in the van and over to Port Charlotte to taste some older stuff.
We opened some vatted casks from 1984 - bourbon and sherry cask #00/925 was excellent - showing notes of vanilla, caramel, grape pulp and citrus.  Simply amazing.  In Port Charlotte I was able to get a sample from my 1 year old cask of Port Charlotte in fresh sherry.  It is remarkable for a 1yo and highly drinkable.  In fact, Jim offered to buy my cask back (I think he was serious!).  Finally, we tasted another 15 casks selected at Jim's whims.

Needless to say I was tasting and not nosing, and becoming fuzzier by the minute.
I swear, somewhere in the haze, I tasted some whisky which was so amazing time stopped and I was one with the moment, just me and the whisky - the earthen floors, 200 year old walls and whisky made by hand, the old fashioned way.  I truly was on the coast of heaven.   We tasted about 40-50 casks and found many, many gems hiding out in the sacred archives of Bruichladdich.  Keep your eye open in the future - there is bound to be some amazing stuff rolled out of these buildings. After the tasting, I practically needed to be rolled home to Claggan. There I took a bike ride up to Port Askaig and back, savoring the early summer air and the late evenings.
Tonight, only one tipple could satisfy my urges - Bruichladdich.

Bruichladdich 32yo 1967 (48%, Signatory Vintage)
Color: Deep amber. Nose: Sherry, slight iodine, chocolate, slight peat but no smoke.
Palate: Burnt chocolate and caramel, over-ripe oranges, melon and sherry.
Finish: Short & sweet. Score: 89

Bruichladdich 10yo (46%, current release)
Color: yellow gold. Nose: A bit of the fire of youth, sour apple, pear, sea spray and mint.
Palate: Malty and sweet, but not afraid of it's young age- brash but subtle.  A spoiled brat.
Finish: Sweet. Score: 86

Bruichladdich 20yo (46%, current release)
Color: Full on gold. Nose: Sea spray with fruit, lemon, melon, orange and a slight tang of caramel sweetness.
Palate: Very complex, sweet bourbon, vanilla, with a tang of citrus and the smoothness of melon.  Well integrated.
Finish: Zesty and long. Score: 87

Thursday, May 30th, 2002 - Ardbeg

It was another early morning; if by chance you hear of the "enthusiasts" who lined up in Ardbeg's car park at 8 am, well you wouldn't be surprised to know it was me and a few other brave souls.  After a poke around the scenic grounds, nestled on the southeast coast of Islay, up the road from Laphroaig and Lagavulin, I had a glance around the disused maltings building on the other side of the car park.  It was like walking in an ancient burial ground; quiet, empty floors, old kilns ripped of their essence and silent pagodas all now inhabited not by men but by ghosts, and straining against the onslaught of the years.  Quietly, I offered a silent toast to those who walked before me in this place, all of whom made Ardbeg what it is today.

After a morning dram of Ardbeg 17yo among the barrels in the courtyard, we were greeted by Jackie Thomson and welcomed into the visitor center.  After poking around for a bit in the shop, the first group of maniacs (let's be honest here) were ushered into the filling store for a most solemn ritual we had all been waiting for - personal cask filling.  When Ardbeg had announced that we were going to be able to personally roll, fill, label and seal a cask of new make Ardbeg, my group made the pact to not miss it for anything.  Standing in line, I was told my cask number (1427 - bourbon barrel) and given a miniature of Ardbeg 17yo as a token.  When my time came, I used the paint roller to stencil the cask, wrote my name and a personal message on the cask, then donned the gloves and rolled it to the filling hose.  The filling machine is automated, and after a brief instruction, I pulled the lever and in less than 30 seconds it was full.  I was given the bung and a mallet and sealed the cask and rolled it to the side.  It was all over in a few minutes, but I won't forget it - and neither will you one day when you spot a single cask bottling from my proud barrel!

I rushed back for my tour with Stuart Thomson, distillery manager.  Ardbeg has definitely seen some hard times, but it is very evident that Glenmorangie have put their all into it now- ensuring us that it will remain and endure for quite some time.  The physical plant of the distillery is in good shape- and well cared for.  Much of the plant is old and some is newer- the mill is a Boby and dates from 1921, the washbacks are split between newer pine and older larch and the mash tun dates from 1961.  This goes to show you the eclectic attitude of Ardbeg and its owners- if it works, leave it alone.  Tradition is very much the norm here, and use of modern technology is restricted to areas which will not adversely affect the character of the product (warehouse, shop, filling store…).  After our wonderful tour, I resigned to the Old Kiln Café for a superb lunch of tomato and cheese toasties, Scotch broth and Clootie Dumpling w/ ice cream.  Who do I bump into there? None other than Jim Murray!  After chatting with him, giving me tips and pointers on various malty topics, he tells me he would never miss out on Ardbeg's big festival day, for he truly believes that it is the greatest spirit on Earth.  I take this comment very seriously, and weigh it for a moment- all the while taking in my surroundings; breathing in the fresh coastal air, feeling the warmth in my stomach from the dram of Ardbeg 1975 straight out of a fino sherry cask- served to me in the warehouse by Stuart Thomson.  Greatest spirit on Earth?  I could not agree more.  I shared what was left of my fino Ardbeg with Jim.  He seemed genuinely pleased with my offering.  Isn't that what it's all about?

Later on, it was time for the special Ardbeg dinner hosted by Martine Nouet and Stuart Thomson.
After such a day, I could hardly imagine how it could get any better.

Appetizer: Tuna, lettuce and lemon served on a buttered oatcake.  Spanish olives.
Whisky: Ardbeg 10yo (46%, OB). Comments: I found the combination of flavors here to be delicious.
The oatcake assembly, however delicious, was too overpowered by the muscle of the peat and smoke, but the olives mingled well.

First Course: Sweet potato veloute with a cloud of lime, perfumed cream and Islay scallops marinated in Glenmorangie served with an Ardbeg grist roll. Whisky: Glenmorangie 10yo (43%, OB). Comments: I found the vanilla and caramel sweetness of the Glenmorangie worked well with the sweetness of the potato and contrasted well with the peaty bread.

Second Course: Islay Kildalton Beef Casserole with whisky sauce.
Served with glazed sesame carrots and a mushroom & oatcake flan.
Whisky: Ardbeg 17yo (40%, OB).  Comments: Sadly, this combination did not work for me.  The strong beef flavors overpowered the lighter citrus notes of the whisky; all I could taste was alcohol burn.  I believe either a more robust or a sweeter dram would have worked better here.  The food itself, however, was excellent on its own merits.

Main Desert: Citrus fruit salad with malt tea jelly & Mary's marmalade and Mary's shortbread
Whisky: Ardbeg 25yo 'Lord of the Isles' (46%, OB). Comments: This combination was brilliant.  The strong, rich and flavorful Lord of the Isles is the perfect after dinner dram, and it's intense flavors were further heightened when taken after my palate had been refreshed by the light citrus salad and and shortbread.  A wonderful contrast.

Final Desert: Coffee, cardamom & whisky chocolate cream
Whisky: Blind. Comments: To my palate, this combination was the best of all time.  The chocolate cream was intensely rich and melded with the spirit well.  It was signature Ardbeg, sherried and old.  It was definitely over 50%.  Overall, a spectacular evening, and three cheers for the people at Ardbeg and Martine for making it happen.
Stuart announced before we left the mystery dram was a 1976 Ardbeg from an oloroso cask at 53.1%.

Friday, May 31st, 2002 - Bunnahabhain

The long, winding road up to the distillery makes for a breathtaking drive, especially on the hill overlook the distillery itself as you descend into the cove that harbors it; but nothing can prepare you for what awaits you here.  Here, more than anywhere else I have been on the island, here is where you can find a classic example of "Island Time".  From distillery manager John MacLellan to the greeters in the office, I was given my fare share of face time and treated like a valued friend; all within the context of a relaxing, slowly paced visit.

Bunnahabhain was built around 1881 - there was a major expansion in 1963 but not much has changed.  This distillery has a very functional appearance, looking more like a plant than a tourist destination.  I was more apt to ask for a hard hat than a dram of their very fine 12 year old malt.  Aside from the industrial appearance (although I must admit it is situated in the most scenic of locations- on the Sound of Islay overlooking the Paps of Jura) there is a charm about this distillery.  The distillery workers were hard at work in the guest room hand labeling the special Feis Ile bottling of 1966 when I arrived, and the pride and care they took in that simple task was clearly evident.  The men held these bottles in hand as if it were their own newborn child, fresh from the womb.  I was impressed.

I admit, Bunnahabhain has sometimes been perceived as an underdog in the whisky circles I frequent.  That's not to say I don't like it - far from that actually, I have had quite a few excellent bottlings from this distillery; but sadly, it is too often overlooked.   The only way to put it to words is that I was very pleasantly surprised; not only by the wonderful treatment I received from Manager John MacLellan and the rest of the distillery workers, but by the quality that was evident in the process and the product.  At my post tour dram, I looked at my Bunnahabhain 12 in a new light…

Some other items of note were the odd, onion shaped stills, the self-catering flats (in the distillery grounds available for rental), and lastly, only a five minute walk around the corner the wreck of the Wyre Majestic easily spotted from shore.  After our dram, we were invited to a wee seminar on grain whisky and blending.  On my way out of the filling store, I spotted a sherry butt labeled "Bunnahabhain 1966".  The bung hole was bung free so I took a whiff- an amazing interplay of sherry sweetness and malty tones with a bit of peat.  I was hooked.  I immediately picked up a bottle of the festival special. Results of the dram and grain tasting are below.  The 1966 will be opened at Ardbeggedon this January along with my Douglas Laing Platinum Ardbeg and Brora, watch this space.

Bunnahabhain 12yo (40%, OB)
Color: Amber. Nose: Sea spray, mild smoke, fruit, melon and citrus.
Palate: Somewhat light and dry, a bit of orange and mint.  There is a hint of caramel in the finish.  Very refreshing.
Finish: A whisper of peat and fruit. Comments: Wonderful.  Much better than I remember it, but it doesn't get much better than sampling it at the source, does it? Score: 86

Invergordon 10yo (61%, OB, single grain whisky, ex refill casks)
Color: Pale white wine. Nose: Vanilla, bakers cocoa, harsh alcohol.
Palate: One dimensional, harsh, varnish like. Finish: Bitter and astringent.
Comments: Use to remove paint. Score: N/A

North British 7yo (62%, single grain whisky, ex bourbon casks)
Color: Nearly clear, hint of yellow. Nose: Caramel, vanilla, banana, bubble gum.
Palate: After the burn subsides, it's a bit pleasant but not complex- vanilla and banana with some bubble gum in there.  A bit harsh still. Finish: Dry and bitter. Comments: Almost drinkable. Score: N/A

Strathclyde 5yo (61%, OB, ex refill casks)
Color: Nearly clear, hint of yellow. Nose: Varnish, wood spirits, carpenters shop.
Palate: Absolutely revolting- like paint remover. Comments: Blech!  Score: N/A

After this tasting of mostly pathetic young grain whiskies, I needed to wash my mouth out with something better- so it was off to Claggan to drink until the Manager's Ball started…

Springbank 34yo 1967 (40.9%, Hart Brothers)
Color: Golden brown. Nose: Cookies, raw cookie dough, vanilla, ozone and coconut.
Palate: Vanilla sweetness, that Springbank coconut and chocolate comes through but the wood has risen to get in the way.
Finish: A bit zesty due to the wood. Comments: A bit past it's prime. Score: 85

Aberlour 12yo 'Sherry Matured' (40%, Duty free)
Color: Red gold. Nose: Minty, spicy, toffee, a bit of sherry sulphur and butter.
Palate: Spices like cloves and cinnamon, dark chocolate and orange/citrus, mint and toffee and sherry in the backpalate.
Finish: Long and warming. Score: 87

Ardmore 23yo 1977 (58.7%, Signatory Vintage)
Color: Golden yellow. Nose: Smoky, leafy and herbal.  Some floral ester notes comes through on top of the curtain of mild smoke. Palate: Sweet and smoky, oily in the mouth and after a drop of water the herbs and spices come out to play.  Intense and complex. Finish: Long and smoky. Comments: Ok this is the third Ardmore I have ever had, and they were all quite nice! Score: 84

No more time to dram, it was off to the Manager's Ball and auction; where a good time was had by all at the expense of soon-to-be-retired Iain Henderson of Laphroaig, who was the subject of a constant ribbing all night.  There was a charity auction of cask ends, plenty of Bunnahabhain and Black Bottle and not to mention the music.  A good time was had by all, and it was off to bed for me, after about 7 or 8 drams I didn't have time or motivation to record notes for….
It was up early to pack and catch the ferry home…

Saturday June 1st, 2002 - Port Ellen to Kennacraig

I awoke to a beautiful sunshine coming in my window.
What better time than to enjoy a morning skalk or 3, starting with Ardbeg - the breakfast of champions!

Ardbeg 33yo 1967 (49%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask)
Color: Deep gold. Nose: Bonfires of peat, iodine, burning lemon rinds, oil and seaweed
Palate: Oily in the mouth, liquid smoke, peat, citrus and dried lemon. Finish: Salty, long. Score: 90.

Bruichladdich 1986 'Malcolm Greenwood Book Special' (53.5%, Oloroso casks)
Color: Red amber. Nose: Melon, sulphur, chocolate, cherry and a whiff of smoke. Superb.
Palate: Sherry, chocolate and a hint of smoke (no peat).  A bit of mint and toffee.
Finish: Sweet and lingering. Comments: Outstanding - but very limited. Score: 89.

Glenrothes 1989 (43%, OB)
Color: Deep gold. Nose: Fruit and vanilla, honey like and herbal.
Palate: Orange, vanilla, very fruity and oily in the mouth. Finish: Long and the fruit endures. Score: 86

I arrived at Port Ellen ferry early, with enough time to wander, contemplate and realize how enraptured I was with this wild, desolate, yet beautiful place.  I toasted to Islay- and to my week spent here- all the people, distilleries and experiences- I was honored to be a part of it- even if only briefly.  I quaffed the Ardbeg 10yo in my flask, as the ferry pulled in to the terminal.  A half hour later, I watched the warehouses of Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg shrink slowly into the mists; the same mists I had seen them rise from not a week before- my heart sunk a little lower in my chest, my head bobbed low and I felt as if I had aged a thousand years in one single moment. Now I know what it's like to have "Islayitis".

But I could not look back forever, for there were more adventures waiting, more lands unexplored, and better yet, more bottles to be opened!  Tune in next time for my malty adventures on the Isle of Skye…

Michael Wade
 

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E-pistle #03/04 - The Islay Festival - Miss & Mess
by Serge Valentin, France

Well, this will be probably the shortest E-pistle you'll ever read...

I promised a due report on the Islay Festival, and here it is.
Together with my wife Frederique and friends Margaret and Olivier, we had a wonderful time on Islay. We met beautiful people; fellow Malt Maniac Michael Wade and fiancée, writers MJ and Martine Nouet, Mark Reynier (again), Jim McEwan, Gordon Wright, Isabel and Simon Coughlin, Iain Henderson, and many others. We had excellent food - hmmm, that 40yo lobster at the Bruichladdich party! We tasted fabulous malts; PEs, Bruichladdichs from the casks and some fabulous-as-always Rangen de Thann from Olivier's. I bought approximately twenty great bottles, including the Ardbeg 1976 'limited bottling for the festival', some Committee bottling, some Laddie's valinches etc. Not to mention a Laphroaig 30yo with a kind personal word from Iain Henderson on the label.

OK, enough name-dropping.
Sadly, I did put all my bottles in a suitcase, because I wanted to keep my hands free for buying some other bottles at Heathrow. The flights from Glasgow to Heathrow (British Airways) and from Heathrow to Basel (Switzerland) went well, except that my suitcase never reached Basel. I gave twenty calls to Swiss Air, sent many letters and emails - Nada, niente, nichts, nothing. These people are just useless. And they just do nothing to help you. Why? Just because it's much cheaper to pay you 400 bucks than to try hard to find your luggage. It's a steal. I know 3 people who happened to 'lose' their baggage while transiting through Heathrow this year. All did contain some bottles of whisky!

Heathrow is just a mess, f... them!
And the people at Swiss Air are the least effective ones one could find on Earth.
No wonder they went bankrupt. So, never, ever put expensive bottles in a suitcase when transiting through f... Heathrow. I've been stupid to do that myself. Anyway, I think you understand now why I'm not in the mood for writing a long E-pistle. Sorry about that.
But you could always read Michael's excellent E-pistle about the festival! Mine could not have been better.
And please, if you ever find a bottle of Laphroaig 30yo with a word for Serge on the label, send me an e-mail.
I'll be glad to swap it for a regular Laph' 30. Thanks.

Serge
 

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E-pistle #03/05 - Maltmadness in Amsterdam
by Klaus Everding, Germany

A. Preamble
B. Macallan JOLT
C. Overproof Extravaganza
D. Working for the Matrix
E. Time to say goodbye
 

A.  Preamble

Can the presence of five malt maniacs rip the fabric of the single malt continuum apart?
The 20th of June. Johannes had spoken out invitations and we came from all over the world. A very exclusive circle of course: Davin de Kergommeaux from Canada, Roman Parparov from Israel, Serge Valentin and his wife from France and Michael Fornalczyk and I from Germany. Was it the single malt elysium which was waiting for us? No, - just Johannes' flat in the rather desolate suburbs of Amsterdam. As always Michael and I muled a load of single malts from Hamburg to Johannes (worth 400 Euros). It seems that Johannes' hunger for new bottles has grown even larger because he received and equally large amount from Serge.
 

B.  Day 1: Macallan JOLT

Roman was already there when Michael and I arrived after 4.5 h in the car from Hamburg. Davin had to work or at least to listen at a conference at Den Haag and Serge was on the road from Alsace to the Netherlands.
What about a welcome-malt? Well the Aberlour NAS 'Antique' (43%, OB) seemed to be the right one. I tried the malt in a special nosing glass from Riedel (not the Riedel malt glass, more about glassware in a later report) which is designed to give a very large moistened surface. Pooh! That was a mistake. Sour smell (vomit), malt, vegetables, dry sherry, honey. In Johannes' cognac bowls (0.66 l) and in standard nosing glasses the Antique behaved more vivid, sweeter and more fruity. At least the taste was OK from my glass. Burnt candies, mint and spices, coffee. But it ended with an unpleasant lasting bitterness. 75 points was my rating.

Serge and Davin were still missing and this meant it was time for another malt. I had brought a bottle of Glen Moray NAS (40%, OB, 'mellowed in Chardonnay barrels') with me. Easy to drink and at 20 Euros a good bang for bucks. I was curious what the others would think about it. Medium pleased was the answer. Not bad for a malt in budget region. Meanwhile the Chinese food Johannes had ordered in foresight arrived. It is always good to have a good foundation when you have to face a lot of malts on one evening. And the list of Macallans was really quite impressive. Then Serge and two friends of Johannes (Maaike and Alexander, who were the hosts of Serge's bed&breakfast lodging) dropped in. Only the hard working Davin was missing. While we were all feasting on the Chinese food he appeared. Now we could solve the riddle about the pronunciation of his name. While Serge and I believed that he would keep to his French ancestors Johannes was of the opinion that he had assimilated the anglo/american langue.
Well Johannes was right, it is Davin like 'cabin'.

21.30 PM - the table laid out with more than a dozen of different Macallans. Time to start with the JOLT. One last word before I get to the malts. JOLT is the abbreviation of 'Joint On-Line Tasting'. But with five maniacs (Johannes, Davin, Roman, Serge, Klaus) assembled together in one place we were so busy with chatting, nosing and tasting that we kind of forgot to keep our e-mail exchange with the non-Amsterdam maniacs going.

The JOLT was organized as a series of H2H-tastings. For the ratings, consult the table later in this report. And please don't scold me because the tasting notes are so sparse. First of all, I didn't want to bore you with endless repetitions of the Macallan house style, and second of all…well,  there were so many malts to finish this evening...

Macallan 7yo (40%, OB, International) vs Macallan 10yo (40%, OB)

The Mac 7 is usually only available in Italy. This one here had somehow found its way into a duty free shop. It was a disappointment. Fruity and light with some sherry in the nose but also chemistry with artificial esters. The taste: sweet, fruity and some bitterness in the finish - not very macallanish. Those of the maniacs who had already tried the Mac 7yo earlier from another bottle agreed that their earlier experience was more pleasant. The Mac 10 gave an impression of the typical house style. Fruity sweetness, with raisins, sherry, toffee and a touch of  wood in nose and taste. Nothing to get crazy upon. I have better memories on earlier tasted Mac10s.

Macallan 12yo (40%, OB) vs Macallan 12yo (43%,OB)

Our fellow maniac Craig Daniels from Australia had sent alarming emails with the observation that the new 40% Macallan bottling has lost considerably in quality compared to the old 43%. Time to check this statement. When first poured into the glass the 40% unfolded a very strong aroma but with unpleasant edges. Waiting several minutes smoothed the edges but there was still something which should not have been there. The 43% Mac 12yo behaved like I know him - the typical aroma, no need to describe it again.

The differences in the nose could best be detected in Johannes' big cognac bowls. In the taste the differences between the two bottles were only marginal. Fruits, sherry, raisins, toffee, chocolate and wood in both. All maniacs present rated the 40% bottle at least 2 points lower than the 43%. This might confirm Craig's warning. But there is also another possible explanation. The 40% bottle was fresh opened whereas the 43% had some air for several weeks. I never experienced the necessity for breaking in with Macallans but maybe that has changed. 

Macallan 15yo 1984 (43%, OB) vs Macallan 18yo 1982 (43%, OB)

Now we come to the above standard Macs.
15yo: Nose - much sherry and fruits, beeswax and wood polish, some smoke - very close to the c/s Macallans. The 18yo: Sherry, wood, smoke, charcoal, wet earth. Both are very nice. Just put your nose over the glass and dream of fruit markets and dark woods. The taste of these Macallans offers more nuances than the 12yo. Strong and earthy sherry taste illuminated by toffee and a tingling flash of mint and citrus fruits for the Macallan 15yo. Pronounced woody notes, gentleman-like discretion not to boast with the bouquet and a fine balance are the aspects of the18yo additional to the Macallan house style. For me the winner is the 15yo malt. It is a little more agile and so it catches the winning point but just by a whisker.

Macallan 'Twenties' (40%, OB) vs Macallan 'Thirties' (40%, OB)

Serge had supplied the complete Macallan Travellers Series. Wow! Great! And thanks a lot. All maniacs were rather curious. It is said that Macallan tried to imitate the taste and style of Macs from earlier decades with these special bottlings. The bottles contain 0.5 litre and look very nice. The price is reasonable too, - 35 Euros here in Germany.
Nose: Twenties: very agile, sweet and fruity. Thirties: more cautious, organic sherry. After some time in glass the two malts get a more and more similar nose.
Taste: Twenties: starts a little bit limp, sweet fruitiness, then sherry. Thirties: Sherry and bitter chocolate, not very complex. I can't say that I was very much impressed by these malts. Let's see what the other two decades will bring.

Macallan 'Forties' (40%, OB) vs Macallan 'Fifties' (40%, OB)

My tasting notes become even more sparse. Nothing about the nose of Fourties. I guess this means that there were no surprising impressions like gunpowder, blood and steel aroma (remember this malt should resemble the world war 2 decade).  But the taste is really special. Lots of peat and some fruity sweetness. Have they composed it of a medium Islay and a below average Macallan? I don't like it. In the fifties, the house style must have improved. A big c/s like sherry nose in the Travel Fifties and also an above average amount of sherry in the taste.

Summary on the Travel Series: I think we all had expected amazing discoveries and were slightly disappointed. "What have you expected? They can't have chosen excellent malts", said Serge and pointed at the bottle's price. He is right. And so I will pronounce my harsh judgement: A clever Macallan marketing trick supported by Michael Jackson ratings which are definitely too high. If you like Macallan 10yo/12yo or older then keep drinking these malts, provided you are able to tame your curiosity. The Travel bottlings will not reach that standard.

Macallan 10yo '100 Proof' (57%, OB) vs Macallan 10yo Cask Strength (58,8%, OB)

It was already late at night when we came to the real heavy-weights. Two cask strength Macallan OBs. The Macallan 10yo 100 Proof  was a bottle  which Johannes had organized for me at my second visit at Amsterdam and I had been disciplined enough not to consume it all by myself in the month that lay behind. Now it served as a benchmark for the new Macallan c/s.
100 proof: An overwhelming punch of sherry, beeswax, furniture polish and wood. The nose drifts slowly into direction Macallan 12yo when you add water. The new c/s had an equally interesting nose, but woody sherry was not so pronounced. This gives fruits, raisins and toffee a chance to pop up.
The taste was equivalent to the nose. Very interesting and multi-layered. Sherry, Toffee, Wood, late fruits, - delicious. I go for the 100 proof as the winner because that heavy wood and sherry aroma is really unique. But  the new c/s is also really delicious. Go and get it.  With less than 50 Euros for the 1 litre bottle it will be very hard to find an equivalent malt in that region.

Ratings for Macallans tasted during the JOLT:
(SV= Serge Valentin, RP= Roman Parparov, DK= Davin de Kergommeaux, KE= Klaus Everding, JH= Johannes van den Heuvel)

07yo (40.0%) SV=59, RP=68, DK=70, KE=70, JH=65 (new, international bottle)
10yo (40.0%) SV=75, RP=76, DK=75, KE=85, JH=74 (new, international bottle)
12yo (40.0%) SV=82, RP=80, DK=78, KE=86, JH=80 (new, 0.7 litre)
12yo (43.0%) SV=84, RP=82, DK=82, KE=88, JH=86 (old, litre)
15yo (43.0%) SV=88, RP=87, DK=86, KE=92, JH=89 (1984)
18yo (43.0%) SV=88, RP=85, DK=87, KE=91, JH=89 (1982)
TE 20's (40%) SV=75 , RP=75 , DK=74 , KE=82, JH=74 (new, 50cl bottle)
TE 30's (40%) SV=77 , RP=82 , DK=78 , KE=85, JH=82 (new, 50cl bottle)
TE 40's (40%) SV=73 , RP=73 , DK=75 , KE=73, JH=72 (new, 50cl bottle)
TE 50's (40%) SV=78 , RP=77 , DK=77 , KE=78, JH=77 (new, 50cl bottle)
10yo (57.0%) SV=89, RP=xx, DK=xx, KE=92, JH=89 (100 Proof)
10yo (58.8%) SV=87, RP=xx, DK=xx, KE=92, JH=88 (Cask Strength)

Good night. With the overproof Macallans as a last kick off for our livers, one of the maniacs (I guess it was Serge) came to the conclusion that maybe we should stop here. Wise choice. But that left these independent bottlings unexplored:

- Macallan 1991/2001 'Speymalt' (40%, G&M)
- Macallan 1990/1999 (50%, 'John Millroy Millennium Selection')
- Macallan 1990/2000 'Dun Eideann' (46%, Dun Eideann)
- Macallan 1974/1994 (55.8%, SMWS)
- Macallan 1990/1999 (43%, SigVin)

Very sad, but it was well past 2:00 AM.
Everybody had surely had more than enough of his share of single malts. Serious rating was impossible. I admire Davin who had to go to work very early the next day (remark: he made it brilliantly while we others all snored). I didn't notice it, but my friend Michael said that he observed him dropping considerable amounts off the content of his whisky glass into a bottle for a special Macallan vatted malt. I fear I could not have withstood temptation with the delicious Macallans, even if I had to work the next day.

Serge headed back to the centre of Amsterdam together with Maaike and Alexander.  Roman was already fast asleep on the old mattress in the kitchen, having missed the c/s Macallans. He had slept only a few hours during the last days, so this is pardonable. Davin prepared for visiting Morpheus' arms as soon as possible. So there were only Johannes, Michael and I on the balcony. Enjoying one last malt and a cigar.

(Click HERE for the full MacJOLT transcript.)
 

C.  Day 2: Overproof Extravaganza

Spending Day 2 in Amsterdam. Slept medium nice on Johannes' couch. No headaches thanks to the Chinese food yesterday.  England against Brazil WC football match on TV. Result: England is out. This is my fourth visit at Amsterdam and I still have to get used to that Johannes has no coffee at home. So I had to wait until we went downtown.

12:00PM - phone call with Serge. We will meet with him in the city, Rembrandts place. There is a nice café where we can have breakfast with an interesting overview on the streets. We, that means Johannes, Roman, Michael and I took the subway. We arrived relatively early and that meant we had time to purchase cigars, a good buy when you are in Amsterdam. Up the stairs to the café and waiting for Serge and his wife Frédérique. He came and it goes on as last evening: chatting, eating, smoking - only the malts are missing. But it was really too early for it. By the way, none of us showed traces of last eves tasting. 

13:30PM came near. It was a national duty for Michael and me to watch the world championship game Germany against the USA in some Amsterdam bar. We had discussed everything with Johannes. While Michael and I watched TV, the others would behave like the citizens every government wants - they went shopping. 
15:30PM: Germany had won 1:0 in an boring game. We had learnt that the Dutch are not too fond of the Germans and that their beer is of barely average quality. The others returned with bags full of plunder. Guess where they had been? Gall&Gall, one of Johannes favourite whisky stores. By now I got really worried about Johannes. Although he had received a years load of new malts last evening he couldn't resist purchasing new ones. Davin came from his conference and now we were all together again, sitting in a street café at Rembrandts place with the sun shining.

The Woods...

I think Johannes had cancelled most of his invitations for his famous midsummer festival because there was a large chance of rain. But the maniacs felt bold with the sun shining on their heads. Why not celebrate the overproof extravaganza at that mysterious place known as 'the woods'? Heading back to Johannes flat and filling the cars with malts and soft drinks. The woods are approximately 70 kilometres away from Amsterdam and one of the few places in the Netherlands which will not drown when the dams crash because it is almost 50 meters above sea level. The location is really nice. A small house and then a place with a shed where we sat enjoying the malts. Later we moved into the shed because it became too cold. The sleeping place lay on a clearing 50 metres into the woods. Here we erected our tents.

Short remark about the camp: 1. Johannes had just bought a new tent. He may be a true malt master but his knowledge to build up tents is very limited. He needed more than 30 minutes for that simple task. 2. I couldn't get the air mattress I had borrowed from my girl friend into any of the tents. Wow! 140 cm width, - that's really large. Did she want to sleep next to me in spirit? Now I had to decide either to sleep under the open sky or on plain ground in a tent.

Two other guests were joining us. No 1 a nice young lady named Esmeralda, the other one Eric dressed in an RTL overall who just came from a marathon TV-taping session. But now enough babble about the surrounding circumstances. I know what you really want to know about: SINGLE MALTS. We had a lot of them, but I must apologize. I didn't write down any notes. The tasting conditions were not exemplary with only one glass cleaned by a plash of water after each malt. And worst of all, usually I can drink malt in cask strength quite well but this evening every sip was burning in my stomach like a lump of phosphorus. 

These are some of the malts we had transported from Johannes' flat to the woods:

Aberfeldy 1978/1996 (59.3%, Scott's Selection, 70cl)
Aberlour A'bunadh No batch # (59.6%, OB, 70cl, Serge's bottle)
Aberlour A'bunadh Batch #6 (59.6%, OB, 70cl)
Aberlour A'bunadh Batch #7 (59.6%, OB, 70cl)
Ardbeg 24yo 1975/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, 70cl, 713 bottles)
Benromach 19yo 1978/1998 (63.8%, UD Rare Malts Selection, 70cl)
Laphroaig 15yo 1985/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, 70cl, 318 bottles)
Macallan 1974/1994 (55.8%, SMSW, 70cl, Serge's bottle)
Mannochmore 22yo 1974/1997 (60.1%, UD Rare Malts Selection, 70cl)
Port Ellen 22yo 1978/2000 (60.5%, UD Rare Malts Selection, 70cl)
Royal Brackla 20yo 1978/1998 (59.8%, UD Rare Malts Selection, 70cl)
Saint Magdalene 19yo 1979/1998 (63.8%, UD Rare Malts Selection, 70cl)

There were also two bottles which did not fit into the scope:

McCormick Platte Valley 100% Straight Corn Whiskey (40%, OB, 75cl)
And: A special present from Serge; Marc de Gewurztraminer 2001.
It's also known as 'Chateau XXX' - Serge doesn't want me to speak out this name because he fears that it might displease our American friends). It was a traditional Alsacian spirit, distilled by himself and some friends in his garden in Alsace by using a rented copper pot still (capacity: 200 litres raw material). Made out of late harvest (vendanges tardives) gewurztraminer raisins, after they had been pressed to make some wine. Never aged in oak casks, but in glass, to remain white. 50 bottles produced.

We strengthened ourselves with Chinese food again and then we were ready for the malts.
Three different batches of Aberlour A'bunadh. First bottle, no batch number. It had been more than 70% empty for a long time. This might have harmed the malt. The perfect balance so typical for the A'bunadh was gone. Batch 6 was the real McCoy. Smooth, round and perfect. Sherry together with sweet cream. Like a marble statue. I think I have raised my score for this malt again by one or two points but I must still confess that I still can't find a grip on this A'bunadh. Every time I try to catch it I loose my grip on the shiny surface. This is also the reason why I rated the batch 7 a little bit higher. This malt might have small flaws but this enables me to establish communication with it.

The next heavyweight was the Port Ellen 22yo 1978/2000 (60.5%, UDRM).
This is truly  a magnificent malt. But in my eyes it doesn't justify the price which begins to skyrocket into astronomical regions. I leave the description of this jewel to someone who has tasted it under better circumstances.

The Ardbeg 24yo 1975/2000 (50%, OMC) is another bottle which provokes nice memories. When we opened the bottle and poured a dram into our glasses Serge said "Oh boys, - this is exactly how it smells in the distilleries rooms." He had been at the Islay festival a month before and of course visited Ardbeg. But how does Ardbeg smell? Grain, leather, yeast? Damned, I have almost forgotten it. The same is true for the taste. Vague impression of an Islay rowdy who has settled down. Still able to deal out a peaty punch but now with finesse.

Meanwhile it had grown rather cold. And although the whisky warmed us we moved into the shed. I tried Serge's 'grappa'. A mistake because I didn't really like it. Sorry, I am no wine man. But the worst of all, it ruined my dram of St. Magdalene UDRM. Although I cleaned my glass two times with water the aroma of the Marc de Gewurztraminer was still there. Very sad but since Serge supplied me with a full bottle of this malt I could stand it.

The evening went on and it was time to go for Serge and his wife. Their children were waiting for them in France. A good excuse for a short break. Here some words of thanks for the women of whisky drinking men are appropriate. These flowers are so brave. The whole evening they have to endure the whisky babble, their men smell like a burned down building when they had some Islays and comes the time the man finally leaves he is at least in a state of slight drunkenness. A big thanks to these ladies.

Before it was time to say goodbye Johannes surprised everybody with a wonderful gift. Two large cognac bowls for each maniac. I think his idea was that this should become the malt maniacs reference glassware. In addition everybody received an empty black book for writing down tasting notes.

It was long past midnight when Johannes proposed a short stroll to a nearby ancient grave hill. I lay stress on the words "short stroll" and "nearby" because what came next was not exactly to my credit. Johannes wore a kind of helmet with lights on, Serge's marc and the really strange McCormick Platte Valley were our provisions. Then he guided us on stable paths to a place which looked like a field. He pointed towards the field with his lamp and said: "There lie the graves". I live in the northern part of Germany and I know something about ancient graves. This was neither a megalithic grave nor a real ancient grave hill (my famous cat Integra is buried under one of them), - just bullshit.

What came next was a horror to me. Back to Johannes' place by a 'shortcut' through the wilderness and the woods. I am not very sportive. In fact I have a considerable belly (pregnant with a sixpack of beer some say) and that means I am not too good on foot. We struggled through thorny bushes, meadows with knee-high grass and mud sucking on our shoes. Johannes seemed to enjoy it while I was in a terrible mood gasping for air. Only Esmeralda, one of Johannes' Dutch guests, seemed to understand my displeasure with feminine intuition. Hours later for me, but in fact only about 30 minutes later we arrived at Johannes' place again.

Time to have some nice malts again. Discussion about the world, politics and economy. Exactly the right stuff when you have reached a certain state of drunkenness ;-). Speaking of this state leads me to another interesting observation. Roman tells each and everybody about his Russian lore on the matter of alcohol consumption. Well single malts are not vodka. Some time during our chat Roman went outside the shed and the typical sounds of a defective pump could be heard. Honi soit qui mal y pense.   

Maybe 30 minutes later it was really time for the bed. The birds were already making heavy noise.
I decided to sleep under the open sky. The chance that it might rain was rather low.
 

D.  Day 3: Working for The Matrix

Waking up in the woods. Spiders everywhere on the ground. Thank God that I have no arachnophobia. And again thanks that the boars living in the woods didn't visit us. We felt all dirty because of the lack of a refreshing shower and our mud crusted shoes and trousers. A huge mug of hot coffee would also be welcome - but again no chance.

We were now five persons with only one car. A lot of luggage had to be put into the boot. Splitting the group would not have been a good idea. So the five maniacs squeezed into the car which lay on the road like a battle tank. What to do next? The city of Amsterdam of course. Unwashed bodies and dirty clothes were no obstacles for a visit at a café and some single malt purchases at Ton Overmars. Now it is time for the truth about Johannes. He was unable to pull a parking ticket from the automats skirting the streets of Amsterdam. How could this be - the ingenious interface designer for websites was unable to operate his own native machines. But salvation was near. Michael and I can read the instructions written in the strange German dialect named Dutch and got the ticket from the parking meter.

Ton Overmars is a nice little liquorist but he had no malts that challenged me. At home in Hamburg I can select from a range of over 700 malts, here there were only 100-200. Very interesting was the fact that the new Springbank limited rare bottling 2002 15yo 46% had just arrived at Amsterdam. The shop clerk was full of praise and he used almost the same words as the guys in Hamburg where the malt arrived one month earlier. This underpins the remark that Serge made when I asked him about this special bottling. He said: "I suspect it is just the new 15yo and they sell it under the name "limited rare bottling" to catch the attention of collectors."

Back at Johannes' place we all took a shower and had a shave.
Ahh, human beings again but still infected by the horrible maltmadness virus.
So what comes next. SINGLE MALTS.

Serge had taken most of the independent bottlers Macallan home but Michael's Macallan 9yo 1990/1999 (43%, Signatory Vintage, sherry cask, natural colour) was still there. Nose: fresh, green apples, raisins, sherry. Taste: toffee, mint, sweet, fruits, not the house style, a transparent mediteranian lightness in the bouquet instead of the dark woods, finish very short. Everybody rated the SigVin Macallan somewhere in the region between 7yo and the 10yo Macallan, with the exception of Michael. Johannes exclaimed: "How strange, this malt doesn't really taste like a Macallan. In a blind test I would have difficulties to identify it." I think this is not strange and Johannes who has far more experience than I will surely know it. Independent bottling are often very different from the official bottlings. And now to the minority votum of Michael. It documents an interesting observation I have made. When you buy a malt and you think that it is an interesting discovery, you often give it a very high rating. Others drink it with a certain ignorance and sometimes vote considerably lower. The effect is increased when the bottle on the rating table is either rather expensive or very difficult to get.

The chapter Macallan was now closed. "Let's work for the matrix", Johannes proposed.  "Wow!" Some SciFi-fans might now think, "the maniacs decided to go into cyberspace together." Sorry, we are not ready for that experience yet. None of us has a data jacket implanted in the head. Working for the matrix means tasting malts which have not been tried by enough maniacs yet to appear in the big malt rating table known as the matrix.

Dailuaine 16yo (43%, Flora & Fauna)
Bronze coloured malt from a standard whisky bottle
Nose: Sherry, vanilla, honey, flowers - a little bit perfumy, interesting
Taste : A touch of spice and bergamotte, dry - then bitter - oops nothing
I don't know why I have rated it with 77 points. Must have been the interesting nose.
The taste deserves the attribute "not worth a second visit".

Benrinnes 15yo (43%, Flora & Fauna)
A full amber coloured malt again from a standard whisky bottle. Before we could enjoy the whisky, Johannes had to carry out some surgery with the cork which had been broken and stuck half in the bottleneck.
Nose: Very much sherry, stone fruits, wood, honey. Not transparent but also not as dark as the older Macallans.
Taste: Full and mild sherry taste, sweet, fruity with a touch of honey. The first sip behaved very strange, there was a sudden crash of the mild taste and the malt became extremely dry and later bitter. With the next sips this transition appeared very gentle and organic with the dryness at the very end of the taste experience. My rating 84 points.

North Port - Brechin 1981/1998 (40% G&M Connoisseurs Choice)
A golden malt from a distillery closed in 1983. Can't say that I am too sad about it.
Nose: Herbs (Liebstöckl, the main component of Maggi spice), heather and malt
Taste: fresh, sweet, cinnamon, sustained bitterness.  
I gave 68 points. Too much! Davin, Roman, Johannes and Michael screamed. But I stand to this rating. The malt is simply uninteresting, not disgusting.

Balblair NAS 'The Elements' (40%, OB)
Johannes had mentioned that malt earlier in an email as a budget region malt worth a try. I was curious.
Nose: Malt, wet leaves, honey, chewing gum, artificial aroma esters, sour (vomit). From the huge cognac bowls: stinging and very alcoholic. Summary: not very pleasant.
Taste: sweet and fruity (pears), gentle. This sounds quite good but I find the remark "not too hot" in my notes.
I rated the malt with 63 points. Again protest from the other maniacs who gave a higher rating. Explanation: The nose really repelled me. Therefore the rating had to be lower than the North Port which simply bored me.

Bladnoch 1987/1999 (40%, G&M Connoisseurs Choice)
Johannes had just published an interview with Raymond Armstrong on maltmaniacs and so I proposed that we should have at least one Bladnoch in the matrix. The colour is pale golden.
Nose: Light, toasted bred, spring flowers, early fruits (raspberries)
Taste: Light, clean, some caramel but not creamy, herbs from the alps, very reserved.
A gentle 70 points for the Bladnoch. Johannes said he had more pleasant memories of it. Maybe something happened to the malt in the bottle.

Linkwood 12yo 1989/2002 (43%, Coopers Choice)
Nose: Pungent, fruits and fresh wood
Taste: Toffee sweetness, bergamotte, coffee. The composition seems to be more complex because I find the words "can't describe it better" in my notes. First sign of an overload of new malts.
Score: 78 points.

Glenfarclas 21yo (43%, OB)
An amber coloured malt from a nice bulky bottle. One of the few older malts with a reasonable price tag.
Nose: Wet leaves and earth, malty, sour, fermented, a touch of smoke. Although not really unpleasant I welcome the development to a sweeter bias with some time.
Taste: A lot of caramel, fruits, mint, burnt toffees, chocolate, bitter and woody in the finish. 
Score 84 points. The taste is a lot better than the nose. Certainly worth to investigate again.

Bunnahabhain 12yo 1989/2001 Sherry Finish (43%, Chieftains Choice)
We tried this malt but I had the greatest difficulties to learn anything from Bunny. It was OK. That is the only thing I can say. Don't know how the rating of 72 points got into the matrix.

This closes the official program of the evening. But Davin and I were in a bold mood and Johannes encouraged us. So, we tried the Loch Dhu 10yo (40%, OB), the famous black whisky. Sirupy black liquid in the glass with the smell of several overfull ashtrays and some blueberry juice. Although I like smoky whiskies this was far to much. The taste was horrible. First sip, brrr - how disgusting. Then gulping down the liquor as quick as possible to finish the job. Cleaning the glass was the most interesting part of the Loch Dhu experiment. First dash of water into the clean glass and here we have a miracle: it takes the colour of a heavy sherried malt. Second flush - we still have a golden liquid.

Having survived the Loch Dhu I was beginning to feel invincible.
Johannes had recently purchased the new bottling of the Edradour 10yo (43%, OB). The maniacs had smelled at the cork and the open bottle. Vomit at it's best and cow stable. I could not believe that a single malt could smell so terrible and so I poured myself a dram. Argh, an even more terrible odeur creeping out of the glass. Should I give up my attempt? Never! I squeezed my nostrils tight and gulped the liquor down. Brrr, - why had Johannes not given back the bottle after he opened it? There must have gone something terribly wrong during the bottling process. 

Bedtime finally. But how could I sleep with such a horrible taste on the tongue.
We detected an almost empty bottle of Lagavulin 14yo 1984/1999 (46%, Murray McDavid). Good occasion to finish it. Fantastic Lagavulin. I would say this is the summer modification of that wonderful malt. Not so much peat but a whiff of sea breaze instead. Together with a nice cigar the perfect finale for the DrAmsterdam marathon.
 

E. Time to say goodbye

The next morning we were in a bit of hurry. Johannes had to visit a wedding in Antwerp. Davin had one day of recreation in Amsterdam until he met his family for a sightseeing trip in London. Roman, I forgot to mention it, left us last night to visit a friend. Will we meet again? Sure, I say. Even if the fun and joy were not reason enough there also exists a legal obligation. I received one of Davin's Maison du Whisky glasses - just for research purposes. I will have to give it back.

Michael and I chose the Northern road back to Hamburg. There was no café open in the city at ten o'clock. Either the Dutch are very religious or they are notorious late risers. So we had to visit a McDonalds some 20 kilometres away from Amsterdam. Michael won a salad in a crazy quiz. Nice present for his lady waiting at home ;-). I tried to buy some liquorice at a gas station but they didn't have the real good stuff. The advantage of the northern road is that  you drive over a several kilometres long dam which shuts the IJsselmeer (a former part of the North Sea) from the real North Sea. The Dutch can be really clever. Already in 1932 they created the dam which is counted among the worlds most famous engineering monuments.

Michael and I arrived safe and sound in Hamburg, full of memories of a fantastic whisky event.

Thank you, Johannes, for these wonderful days.

Klaus Everding
 

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E-pistle #03/06 - Private Pleasures
by Louis Perlman, USA

Browse thru any comprehensive single malt scotch inventory list, and you'll see names like Cadenhead, Signatory, and the like appended to many of the entries. Sometimes, there will be abbreviations only, i.e Cad. and Sig. More perplexing, these bottlings will be much more expensive than the standard offerings for the same age, or conversely, younger bottles for the same price. This is exactly what happened to me for my first year and a half in this hobby. It was then that I discovered the wonderful world of private bottlings.

Why should anybody but the distillery be bottling its whisky anyway? Well, there a couple of reasons. It may come as a big surprise to many SMS lovers, but most of the malt whisky distilled in Scotland goes for blending. Many distilleries don't even market their whisky as a single, or may do so only on a limited basis. Caol Ila is an excellent example of the latter. Another reason is that of quality control. It is very important that the bottle of Macallan or Highland Park that you taste at a bar or at a friend's house tastes exactly like the one you go out and purchase the next day. So perfectly good, or even excellent, casks that just fall outside of the distillery's standards can be sold to private bottlers. And finally, there is the remaining stock of distilleries that have been closed down in the last two d