Field Brief: February Weekends and Tastings Part I
Whisky Details: Fettercairn 30 Year (1933), Signatory Vintage Cask 2042
Nose: Grassy and citrusy with orange rinds, grass shoots, and springtime green vibes; earthier elements were slow to join, but fallen logs, moss, and mushrooms gradually appeared; the aroma resolved toward loam and orchard fruits.
Palate: Medium-bodied with orchard fruits and crushed apples giving a sweet pop, mineral and graphite appeared on the mid-palate with more pepper lingering at the end; freshly mowed grass, more earth over time; funkier elements were shy, but gathered around piles of mowed grass and woody decomposition.
Finish: Medium to long with sweet orchard fruits tailing off to earthy minerals.
Score: 7 (83)
Mental Image: Out of Season Apple Picking
Narrative & Notes: Gentle and conventional, this was not the big funky Fettercairn I expected. Yes, some unusual and interesting earthy, mineral, and grassy notes appeared toward the end, but the flavors were otherwise straightforward with orchard fruits and bright grassy sugars. I prefer my Fettercairn with a bit more old-fashioned herbal and fermented grass or fruit qualities, but this was friendly enough with well-balanced flavors and an excellent alcohol integration considering the fairly high abv.
Whisky Details: Ben Nevis 27 Year (1996), Whisky Sponge Edition No. 58b
Nose: Dirty, creamy, funky— this was no ’96 fruit bomb, but one of those dirtier and slightly sulfurous casks; very autumnal with fallen leaves and charred wood, slightly sour rotten wood, charred rice, boiled peanuts.
Palate: Medium-bodied, crisp and ashy with charred wood and rubber tires, nori and rice crackers, boiled peanuts, mugwort and medicinal herbs that slowly looped around to autumn’s fallen leaves, especially the musty decay at the bottom of a pile of leaves.
Finish: Slightly drying and acrid, roasty and dirty with apples covered in dusty.
Score: 5-6 (77)
Mental Image: Rubbermaid Bins and Autumn Leaves
Narrative & Notes: This was a funky beast and I could never quite decide if I loved or hated it. I love autumn profiles and the earthier qualities of these not-at-all-fruity 1996 Ben Nevis, but the creaminess and acrid elements clashed unpleasantly. Rice cracker and nori notes appeared from some of the sulfurous wreckage, though the finish straightened things out with a more conventional orchard fruit and earth finale that felt right at home from Benromach or an old Brora. I let my score split the difference here— I would not seek this out, but I probably would not turn down another pour. I suspect my wife, and anyone else who sometimes loves a dirty sulfurous whisky, might find more to enjoy here.
Whisky Details: Tormore 22 Year (1995), Duncan Taylor Cask 8220202
Nose: Soft and tropical with loads of fruits, guava and lychee in a plastic bag straight from the market, slightly creamy at times with pineapple Dole Whip, clean citrus.
Palate: Medium-bodied, loads of tropical fruits with lychee, guava, and pineapple Dole Whip all coming around again; peppery and woody in the back, more herbal tea toward the end; with time, creamier and fruitier, dried mango and papaya slices.
Finish: Medium-length with dry grass and fruit skins.
Score: 7-8 (87)
Mental Image: Touristy Rural Tropical General Store
Narrative & Notes: This was incredibly fruity and one of the most dynamic Tormore I have encountered— it reminded me a lot of the very first one I ever reviewed, which inspired a haphazard search for more. I have come to appreciate Tormore as typically more oriented toward orchard fruits and autumn, and often with an austere quality— a delightful whisky for relaxing with, and one that does well with age, but not a terribly tropical affair. This just fired me up again to keep an eye out for tropical Tormore— clearly it happens and there was no mistaking the plastic bag full of fruits you might buy in a market to take home.
Whisky Details: Glen Keith 28 Year (1993), Gordon and MacPhail Cask 97142
Nose: Apples and bananas— puréed to make baby food, slightly lactic at times, more apple pie and pear custard came alive with time, hints of slivered almonds and buttery pastry crust.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, very fruity with plenty of apple, bananas, and strawberry blended together, restrained and a touch peppery toward the end with saw dust and wood varnish, more caramel and digestif biscuits with time.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with pepper, digestif biscuits, and apple skins.
Score: 7 (82)
Mental Image: Baby Food Buffet
Narrative & Notes: Lovely stuff— no deep thoughts here; my notes are not too far off what Gordon & MacPhail included on the label, though I did not get the tropical elements they highlighted. That is no surprise though, I have found that living in the tropics leads to a very different sensibility as to whether something is particularly tropical or not. I am sure that our fruits and florals have slightly different profiles than those that someone in the UK might encounter in a local market or store. Overall, this was a lovely Glen Keith with a good structure and evolution on the palate— the notes gradually shifted in perceptible ways that did not require a lot of concentration to sort of pick up on. I have no doubt this would be a great bottle to relax with… if the Tormore above were not available!
