All Hail The Whale

Five years. Is it a long time, or not? A lot can happen in five years.

This bunny took 5 years to hand knit (see pic above).

Facebook was started 5 years ago and has changed the face of modern communication.

And "5 Years Time" is the title of the excellent single from my act-of-the-year for last year, the fantastic Noah and the Whale, a band I was turned on to in my time doing A&R for Universal (Island Records).

So five years can be a pretty significant time, be it in digital, physical or musical form. Last night we had the pleasure of trying the 2009 Special Releases from the Diageo stable and we're staggering our notes across 3 days, as their was just so much to digest. Having done Pittyvaich, Benrinnes and Mannochmore yesterday, it is the turn of Brora and the two Taliskers (25 and 30) to get their say today! Let's kick off with the twins from Skye. Only five years difference; but what will the effect of those extra five years be?

Talisker – 25 Year Old – 5,862 (individually numbered) – 54.8% Vol – 70 cl from refill American Oak and European Oak casks.

Nose: Plenty of licorice, wicker furniture from the late 1970's (!), a hint of kiwi juice and of course all the Tally hallmarks of salt and seaweed.

Palate: Phew! This is a lively dram. White pepper and spices fly around the mouth with plenty of energy. There is a hit of sweetness too and then the salt.

Finish: Heavy on the spirit, esp for something at 54.8%. I would have expected the finish to be more subtle, but it goes on. And on! More of the palate on the finish.

Overall: Not subtle at all. Needed water which calmed it a bit but not a lot. A fiery dram, but very yummy.

Talisker – 30 Year Old – 3,000 (individually numbered) – 53.1% Vol – 70 cl from refill American Oak and European Oak casks.

Nose / Palate / Finish: If the 25 was like walking along a rain lashed cliff on Skye in November, then this is the same but instead of being on the cliff in your North Face coat, you're curled up in a stone cottage, rain lashing at the windows and a fire crackling away, toasting your feet. Everything the 25 was, but more refined. More delicate. More rounded. Warmth, not fire! Assertive, not aggressive. Beautifully balanced.

Overall: There is a price difference between these two Tallys (RRP for the 25 is £150 and for the 30 is £215), but that's like saying there is a price difference between a Holiday Inn and a Hotel Du Vin. They both do a very good, professional job. But if you can stay in the Hotel Du Vin, then do it. You really won't be disapointed. Those extra five years makes all the difference.

After the Taliskers, we had a nip of the Brora. A 30 Year Old matured in refill American Oak casks. Brora's are usually a solid dram and especially when they have had a good long period to mature. Like Port Ellen , Brora was shut in 1983 so all stocks are now going to have some degree of age to them. Brora is the now departed sister distillery to Clynelish and this bottle has the shortest run of all the Special Releases 2009, coming in 42 bottles short of the Talisker 30 Year Old and with an RRP of £230.


Brora – 30 Year Old – 2,958 (individually numbered) – 53.2% Vol – 70 cl from refill American Oak.

Nose: Real Lemonade, coffee, whisps of smoke and salt.

Palate: Loads of lemon and lime in oak! Crispy Seaweed. A drop of water opens up the citrus notes and takes the edge off to let the age and the wood in, rounding this off beautifully.

Finish: Very nutty with a touch of red chillie and salt.

Overall: Pleasant, well aged and kept Brora with all the good characteristics of a Coastal malt. If you like aged Springbank, you'll like this.

That concludes Lot 2. Tomorrow: PORT ELLEN, CAOL ILA and LAGAVULIN. Not that we're excited or anything...

Time for Afternoon T? The Skye's the limit.

'Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight gonna grab some afternoon delight, 

My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right, why wait until the middle of a cold dark night...'

4pm on a rainy Saturday.  One of the greatest comedies ever committed to celluloid, Anchorman has just finished on BBC One and i'm still howling with laughter. The 'Sex Panther' scene really needs no introduction. If you haven't had a chance to see this film yet, your life is almost certainly incomplete and some of this review probably won't make a whole lot of sense, but all the more reason to rent it out!

Anyway, 'time to musk up' and select my own little 'afternoon delight'. Whilst Will Ferrell has, in my opinion, never managed to reprise the genius of Ron Burgundy, the particular distillery i'm about to enjoy, never ceases to amaze and excite. Talisker's recent bottling's have seen a tremendous consistency and in a lateral Talisker tasting we conducted last year, we were pretty much blown away by the FOCM 12 yo, classic 18 yo and the 57 Degrees North, the limited duty free bottling. 

Our good friend Tim Forbes (check his rockin' blog too) recently stunned us with an older bottling of 20 year old, which for me, set the bench mark of the distillery bottlings I have tried. Perhaps now is the time to see if that lofty crown can be stolen away ...

Talisker 25 year old - 2008 distillery bottling - 54.2% abv - 70cl

Nose: Brittle candied ginger, rich sweet treacle sponge, a faint whiff of something lightly peated, seaweedy rock pools and soft wine like notes.  wonderful, elegant and certainly not as heavy as the other distillery expressions. 

Palate: Really rich and oily with notes of black coffee, fudge, slightly dry cedar, spiced notes and a light medicinal note right at the end.  Again, not craggy and windswept like the '57 Degrees North' and considerably more mellow than the 18.  With a small addition of water, more wonderful sweetness comes through.

Finish: That's more like it...some classic peppery Talisker, as the palate dries out.  Lovely, lengthy and elegant.  

Overall:  Perhaps this expression is a sign of things to come.  Not Talisker gone all shy and retiring, but slightly more refined and delicate.  Some Tali fans will perhaps find this more polite than they're used to, but i'm all for some 'diversity'... something Ron Burgundy would certainly NOT agree with.  

As the last drops flow from the glass to my lips, I can't help but recite probably THE defining line from the film and- perhaps a maxim for life itself; 

' I love scotch.  Scotchy scotch scotch. Mmmm, mmm, mmm, There it goes, down into my belly'.    

For more 'Burgundyisms', click here...