WHISKY: Bowmore 14 Year (2011), Decadent Drams

NOTES: Coastal and clean with an aroma that drifted from beach grass to fresh linens drying on a line. Hints of florals and ripening fruits, mostly mountain guava and plums, provided a fresh sweetness. Medium-bodied on the palate with plenty of wood and pepper, the flavor profile started with salt, wood, and minerals, like collecting sea shells and driftwood on the beach. Mellow fruits sat further in, mango and guava perhaps, though not completely ripe and sweet. Plenty of herbal character stood out and lingered at the end, basil-like quite often. The finish was medium-length and rather peppery with a mellow creaminess, dried fruits, and a kiss of salt.

SCORE: 6 (79)

IMAGE: Coastal Laundry Lines

THOUGHTS: This was a perfect dram to start the night with— something mellow, simple, and clean. This had elements of the tropical fruits and maritime salinity that I love from an ex-bourbon Bowmore, and one of the most exciting parts of the trip was realizing just how much of this whisky is not out there with independent bottlers. Bowmore seems content to focus their house style heavily on sherry maturations, but I find that obscures the delightful tropical fruits and slightly floral elements that the malt can bring to the table. This had some of those elements, though it was a bit peppery and showed a good bit of youthful spirit.

WHISKY: Saint Magdalene-Linlithgow 26 Year (1982), Single Malts of Scotland Cask 1622

NOTES: The aroma was musty and grassy with a freshly mowed lawn, dandelions, and garden weeds— the smell of a garden pile of cuttings, clippings, and debris in the hot sun. Snake fruit and exotic stone fruits came to mind with a bit of fresh fig, green grape, and petrol canisters. Medium-bodied on the palate, initially spicy and spirited, very lively, creamy, and rich with figs, creme patisserie, and Basque cheesecake. The mouthfeel grew oilier over time and the flavors were never that sweet with mustier chemical notions of petrol and cleaning solvents at the pineapple cannery slowly appearing. Fruity and industrial toward the end with book bindings and old paperbacks. The finish was long with paper, snake fruit, and guava— like old newspapers used to package fresh fruit at the market.

SCORE: 8-9 (90)

IMAGE: Rare Book Stall in the Fruit Market

THOUGHTS: Exotic and tasty, it is rare that I have an opportunity to taste Saint-Magdalene. I worried slightly about the high abv, whether this might be a bit too raw and spirited, but hoped it would be good (and nothing like the other Saint Magdalene from SMoS I once reviewed).  Thankfully, while the whisky was spicy and spirited at first, it was never overwhelming. Perhaps a benefit to tasting the whisky from a bar bottle that was already open and had some time to settle, or lose a bit more alcohol content. The flavors were crisp and well-defined, unusual and musty in the way of many malts of the era. Overall, a delightful splurge— this was the wife’s favorite dram of the evening. If only Saint Magdalene were a bit easier to come by.

WHISKY: Littlemill 20 Year (1990), Creative Whisky Company Cask 713

NOTES: Malty, grainy, and creamy with digestif crackers (Bel Vita maybe), granola bars (crumbly Nature’s Valley for sure), and the creamy center of an Oreo cookie. More vanilla and French vanilla appeared later on with full fat cream and creamed corn soup. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, the flavors were very bourbon adjacent with plenty of corn, cream, caramel, vanilla cookies, and peppery woodsy spice. The finish was long and creamy with a gentle pepper and spirit— tropical fruits nodded hello for a fleeting and frustrating goodbye at the very end.

SCORE: 5 (75)

IMAGE: Little Mill, Kentucky

THOUGHTS: I should have read the notes on the back of the bottle before ordering this— the wife wanted something fruity and oily that fit her idea of a “bath scotch,” the sort of dram you just want to soak with in the tub. I thought maybe Longmorn, Littlemill, Glenburgie… some of the options that she has enjoyed in the past. The bartender did not have much in the way of Glenburgie or Longmorn (or I simply asked for it in a confusing manner), but did have this Littlemill handy. I really should have read the back of the bottle because the tasting notes it gave were spot on…. And not at all what she wanted.  Overall, this cut a bit too close to the profile of a standard issue single grain or bourbon with none of the fruits I expected it to have. Overall, drinkable, but not one I want to have again.

WHISKY: Banff 36 Year (1976), Cadenhead’s

NOTES: The aroma started off sweet and musty with a mellow nutty edge from slightly rancid pecans. Orange peel and candied pecans provided sweeter thoughts while more musty garage and dirty shop rags loitered in the background. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, the flavor profile was earthy, dirty, and creamy with old lawnmowers, petrol cans, dirty shop rags, and worn leather garden gloves matched against creamy Camembert cheese. Orange and fruity popsicles melting in the summer sun offered slightly artificial fruits with a tinge of plastic to the secret Camembert snacks in the garage. Hints of woody pecan shell, eucalyptus, and menthol arrived near the end. The finish was very long with kiwi fruits and musty garage.

SCORE: 9 (93)

IMAGE: Invite Only Garage Cheese Tasting

THOUGHTS: I knew we needed something else to end the evening on after the Littlemill, so my eyes ran through labels— this one was partially obscured and I thought maybe it was a Burnside. The bartender grabbed it so I could take a look and pick between the mystery bottle and an older Millburn— once I saw this was a Banff, I was ready to commit. While I have had few Saint Magdalene, I have had even fewer Banff, and none of them even close to this age. It proved a good choice, it was my wife’s second favorite of the evening and my favorite.  It was musty and dirty, complex and constantly evolving, everything I wanted from a special occasion dram.