The Dram That Got Away

As I write this, i'm trying to vaguely remember a phrase that goes something along the lines of 'when all around you is falling apart, try to keep your head intact' or something like that. The reason for this is that Caskstrength Towers is crumbling and in need of some serious repairs.

I'm squeezed into a tiny corner of the house, stuff piled up around me, as builders and decorators renovate the spare bedrooms. Dust, sweat and the aroma of rolling tobacco has permeated everything. My faithful companion, Bobby is constantly on edge, his usual viewing platform of the top stair, covered in filthy dust sheets. Every day, for the last 10 days, the strains of Adele's Someone Like You blast down to me - only it's not Adele, it's a trio of gentlemen with south London accents- (the similarities are truly striking.)

Having builders in your house is like a war of attrition. Your routine is altered - just a little bit at a time, but after 10 days, you realise that you can no longer function in the same way. The house seems to be choking me.

One of my main concerns is that all of my whiskies, (a considerable number of bottles) stored neatly in a spare room are now precariously placed downstairs, in easy kicking distance of a steel toe capped boot or worse. A new walk-in cabinet is being built to house them and i'm waiting for the builder to give me the good news that I can return them upstairs to safety. Only there's a problem with the shelves not being high enough to house the Lagavulin bottles, so they've had to be extended.

Still there is a positive note to this story. On moving a big box of samples I unexpectedly came across something of beauty, that might just go down as one of my favourite whiskies of all time.

Behind the box lay a tiny bottle of Glen Garioch from 1971, bottled by The Whisky Exchange. It must have somehow escaped and rested untouched, unnoticed until now. So as the sound of a Black & Decker power drill and the trio of Adeles soundtrack the morning- it is now (7.30am) I am sat in a dressing gown, nosing glass in hand pouring a little bit of calm. Is this bad? Probably, but after 10 days, my sense of timing might have gone a little bit astray...

Glen Garioch - 1971 - Bottled for The Whisky Exchange - 43.9%

Nose: I've found a corner where the dust hasn't yet settled so can properly do this justice. First up are some wonderful creamy oak notes, diving straight into fresh strawberries and cream, key lime pie, a dash of white pepper, perhaps the merest hint of peat and some desiccated coconut. The balance is staggering - it is light, yet complex, yet slightly smoky.

Palate: Creamy and mouth coating, then into an array of wonderful flavours: More of the strawberries and cream, mango, a wash of 70's peat (not young and abrasive, just smooth and silky) a dusting of icing sugar, vanilla custard, broken gingersnap biscuits - this whisky has it all - and then some. Magnificent.

Finish: Long lingering notes of oak, some lemon zest and a little sweet tobacco and Earl Grey tea round out a superb experience in the mouth.

Overall: As much as I'm probably a little unhinged today, due to my building predicament, this whisky has fixed everything. It is calming, complex, smooth, charming and unbelievably drinkable. If only it could wield a set of tools, I would have fired the builders by now. Here's hoping The Whisky Exchange have some left...

Vintage Trouble

Since our time visiting the superb Highland Park distillery on Orkney, two more expressions from their Orcadian Vintages selection have cropped up. Like the original 1964 and 1968 and then the magnificent 1970, this brace of vintages were matured in differing cask types, with the older 1971 vintage maturing in Spanish oak and the 1976 American oak. The result is two distinctly different whiskies, but each with something to say for themselves.

Joel and I often argue about seminal bands or records and with a remarkable amount of symmetry, these vintages represent two distinctly important events of musical significance.

1971 saw the very first 'proper' Glastonbury Festival launch, with David Bowie headlining. Personally speaking, I kind of wish Michael Eavis left it there, as every experience I have had of this festival has been one of feeling fleeced, cold, pissed off and very wet. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but it's impossible to successfully operate a Corby Trouser Press at an event like this; I should have known from the moment I saw the swathes of tie-dye that it wasn't really for me...

Any how, one significant event which occurred later that year was the release of Led Zeppelin's opus - IV - the one with the symbols on. As it's Friday and i'm super excited about breaking out a brand new guitar i've just purchased, I decided to blast out 'Rock and Roll', whilst reviewing this - perhaps the equivalent of Led Zeppelin IV in the catalogue of other Orcadian Vintages?

Highland Park - Orcadian Vintage - 1971 - 46.9%

Nose: An instant mossy/earthy note hits first, then into some burnt caramel notes, a soft fragrant peat, powder paints, dried strawberries with vanilla cheesecake, toasted pecan nuts and a drying oak, no, actually more leafy. Think about going for a walk this sunday in a wood, strewn with oak leaves and you'll get the picture. Given time, the strawberry and vanillas come to the fore.

Palate: Powerful, with some initial sweetness, then earthy tones, some cigar-like spice, rich caramels and lingering fresh vanilla pod. Not sure why, but the last few whiskies i've reviewed have really given this fresh vanilla pod note!! Maybe I have some stuck betwixt my incisors. The sherry notes are muted, but there is so much complexity going on, this is a whisky you have to take a step back from to get your head around. With water, it all becomes a lot clearer; the viscosity opens up, golden syrup comes through, alongside an unmistakable HP smoke, a tart blackberry fruitiness, some aromatic vermouth and some clean sweet malt.

Finish: A very herbaceous note lingers, some distinct Oloroso/Palo Cortado sherry dryness, alongside the sweet cereal and vanilla.

Overall: Unquestionably a whisky of quality, but it makes you work to find it. This is more 'The Battle Of Evermore' than 'When The Levee Breaks' or 'Rock and Roll'. When you do fall under its spell, you'll be lost in a fruity/peaty abyss for a long time.

Next up, the 1976. I was one year old when this whisky was made and judging from the now fading pictures my parents took of my birthday that year, it was hellishly hot. Our lawn was completely brown, counterpointing the dark blue of my father's denim flairs and the cream cheesecloth shirt they had fitted me in for some reason. 1976 was also the year that the Sex Pistols played one of their seminal shows at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Halls, where they were proclaimed to be the saviours of British music by some and the spawn of the devil by the establishment.

U2 also began their tentative steps towards superstardom in the same year, although it took them a little longer to get to the point... Will the 1976 Orcadian Vintage cut through like the the abrasive chords of Anarchy in the UK, or wash over the palate like The U2's chiming, echo soaked I Will Follow.

Highland Park - Orcadian Vintage - 1976 - 49.1%

Nose: Quite a contrast to the 1971. Initial notes of butter scotch, peanut brittle, fragrant talcum powder, some very gentle peat and light sweet vanilla notes. It's not as brooding as the '71, with hints of zest developing as the glass warms up. With water, the floral notes positively explode from the glass - lilies, rose notes and scented candles. Lovely stuff indeed.

Palate: Hot initially, but then some lovely candied cherries, sweet vanilla, coconut creams (macaroons) the return of the floral peat, which really intensifies as the palate dries. It is particularly buttery too, with some sweet milk chocolate notes creeping in at the last minute. With water, the palate becomes a little blurred, not quite as direct, but the sweetness and fruity cherries very much remain the driving force. Whereas, the 1971 needed a little water for some real direction, this is absolutely sensational with only the merest hint of the stuff.

Finish: Cherry sherbet and coconut linger, with a little prickle of lemon zest.

Overall: Stunning for a multitude of different reasons to the 1971. This is bright, very direct, with all the hallmarks of the younger expressions of Highland Park.

Both chalk and cheese really, but fortunately, I love street art and Ploughman's lunches...