Killing Whisky History, Episode 6 - Dusty Hunting and The Dirty Dusty

From the depths of new-parent sleep deprivation, I have arisen to deliver this new episode of Killing Whisky History. It's just me, a pre-1977 Haig and a chat about the dirtier side of dusty hunting.

Glen Garioch 1990, Part 3: 25 year old for the Usquebagh Society

Monday, a raw peaty 23yo from Daily Drams.
Tuesday, a full, fruity 25yo from Signatory.
Today, I'm finishing with a 25yo single selected by the Usquebagh Society out of David Stirk's warehouses.

What a lucky bunch of Dutch to get their own single cask of 1990 Glen Garioch. The single malt has gotten scores of 87 or 88 from Whiskynotes, Dramming, Mark Dermul and Malt Fascination. Whiskyfun thought it was cooler than a penguin's arse, giving it a 90!

Oh, the pressure. The pressure!

Distillery: Glen Garioch
Distilled by: Morrison Bowmore
Current Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Eastern Highlands
Bottler: Usquebagh Society via Creative Whisky Company





Age: 25 years (March 24, 1990 to May 12, 2015)
Cask #: 7937
Alcohol by Volume: 56.7%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(purchased sample from Sjoerd!)

NEAT
Its color was the darkest of the bunch. The nose is shy at first. Needs time to wake up, then gets very fruity: plums and citrons. More stone fruits jump in, with time. There's a layer of non-fruit stuff that balances things out. Ocean, ashy smoke and horse. Meanwhile, the palate is not shy. It's a whole bunch of peppers. Think green peppercorns, jalapeños and serranos. It's fully of rocky minerals and a pile of limes. There's a soft undercurrent of toffee and marzipan sweetness. The finish is more straightforward. Minerals, salt, limes, pepper and heat, with a hint of sweetness.

WITH WATER (~45%abv)
The nose changes considerably. It gets meaty and salty. Brine and cucumbers. A little bit of farmy peat. A slab of vanilla fudge. It all fades out with time in the glass. The palate still has the peppery stuff, but it opens up more. Lemon candy. Overripe melon. Herbal and floral (blossom) notes. Toffee. The finish is similar to the palate. Tangy citrus, melon, pepper, toffee and smoky residue.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The third spot was perfect for this whisky, not just because it had the highest alcohol content of the trio, but because it held aspects of the other two whiskys. My notes lean much much closer to those of the four folks who gave it the 87-88 ratings, and far from the findings of the chap who gave it a 90.

The peat and sharp spirity notes are at a better level here than in Monday's 23yo. Meanwhile, the salt and pepper mix well with the fruit notes. The oak never gets in the way. As is often the case (for me), adding water doesn't make it all better or all worse. Dilution does help out the palate and finish, but it also cuts the nose short. The nose is curious overall, taking a long time to wake up at full strength, then fading out quickly when diluted.

Though I like the Signatory about a half step more, Kristen liked this one the best. The whisky is indeed a fun one, displaying many angles of Glen Garioch character. It was a good choice by the Usquebagh Society and they priced it pretty well, too, during the short time it was available.

Also, I really need to review more Glen Gariochs.

Availability - sold out, haven't seen it on the secondary market yet
Pricing - it was around €100
Rating - 87

Glen Garioch 1990, Part 2: 25 year old Signatory, cask 2752

During this fatherhood phase I have only one or two opportunities to do tastings each week, which is one reason why I did this three-part Taste Off. A second reason is that one can also gain a better perspective of one whisky by juxtaposing it with other whiskies during the same tasting session. I keep staring at that sentence, trying to figure out if it will make sense to anyone but me, but I'm so damned tired that I'm just going to leave it be.

On Monday, I reviewed a 23 year old 1990 Glen Garioch bottled by The Nectar of the Daily Drams. It was a sharp, peaty, spirity, youthful thing.

Today I'm reviewing a 25 year old from Signatory, probably my favorite indie bottler. This whisky is beloved by Serge and the whiskybase community. Let's see if I'm in the same whisky boat...

Distillery: Glen Garioch
Distilled by: Morrison Bowmore
Current Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Eastern Highlands
Bottler: Signatory





Age: 25 years (April 9, 1990 to April 16, 2015)
Maturation: hogshead
Cask #: 2752
Alcohol by Volume: 50.6%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(purchased sample)

NEAT
This has the lightest color of the three. A lovely nose. Lemons, pineapples, roses, canned peaches, toffee pudding and peat. The palate is full of malt and white fruits. Then fermenting melon, cayenne pepper and citrus. Marzipan. Slightly fizzy. It does get a sharper bite with time in the glass. The complex finish mirrors the palate, but with a little more peat and herbs.

WITH WATER (~43-44%abv)
Oooh yeah. The nose has butterscotch, (lots of) fresh peaches, dried apricots, ocean air and a hint of Belgian witbier. The palate has changed a bit. Plums, limes, fudge, tart cherries, cranberry juice and bitter peat. Again, the finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Okay yeah, this is pretty great. It works with or without dilution, though I think I preferred it with. It's much rounder and more mature than yesterday's 23yo, swapping out the harsher edges and loud peat for fruit and complexity.

I'm pretty sure this sold out promptly following Serge's blessing in 2015, but if it's still floating around out there at its €100-120ish original price, it wouldn't be a bad Glen Garioch to seek out.

Availability - probably sold out, so maybe via the secondary market?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 89

Glen Garioch 1990, Part 1: 23 year old Nectar of the Daily Drams

Here's a random series for you. In honor of reader James, to whom it's taking me months to respond, I did a Taste Off between three Glen Garioch single malts distilled in 1990. (James is a fan of older Glen Gariochs, to clarify that previous garbage sentence.)

Before Suntory took over (1994) and mothballed (1995) Glen Garioch, the distillery used lightly peated malt. And as much as I like the current version of Glen Garioch's single malts, the pre-Suntory style always brought something interesting to a bottle. Of course, the rumored dark side of that situation is the dreaded lavender soap note that also infected Morrison's Bowmore output in the '80s.

Here are three samples of '90 Garioch from three different bottlers.

First up, a 23 year old from Nectar of the Daily Drams.

Distillery: Glen Garioch
Distilled by: Morrison Bowmore
Current Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Eastern Highlands
Bottler: Daily Drams





Age: 23 years (1990-2014)
Maturation: maybe a refill ex-bourbon cask
Alcohol by Volume: 49.7%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is the second darkest of the three, but it seems as if the cask contributed little more than visual tone, because the nose is very spirity for the whisky's age and alcohol content. Burnt paper, barley, apples and plaster. A good oceanside note. Small notes of marshmallow, lemon cake, vanilla and peat. The palate is ashy and earthy, full of minerals and concrete (oh that tasty concrete). It's lightly sweet with moderate notes of malt, horseradish, plastic and vanilla. Its finish is very ashy, like damp cigarettes. Light bitterness and peppercorns.

Dilution time...

WITH WATER (~43-44%abv)
Its calmer nose has more vanilla, caramel and marshmallows. Additional beach, smoke and farm notes. With time it almost turns into a single-digit Ledaig with sulphur and sneaker peat. The palate is aggressively green and herbal with plenty of bitter smoke. Tart citrus, stale raisins and jalapeño peppers. Little bit of sweets, lots of minerals. The finish is shorter, quieter. It's still green and earthy like the palate. Light vanilla sweetness mixes oddly with the jalapeño peppers and smoky residue.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
That this whisky flexed its spirit was not a surprise. That it read like a 60%abv whisky at one-third its actual age was unexpected. Water did bring out some oak notes in the nose, but also turned up its rugged phenolics. The palate's a fighter with or without water. This was confirmed by Kristen's reaction when she tried the whisky.

One's personal preferences are certainly in play here. This isn't a graceful or casual sipper. It's a bit more of a winter warmer. While I enjoyed the nose better once the whisky was diluted, the added water messes up the finish. So I'd recommend it either neat or at an ABV much lower than 43. And while I dig the zesty greenery in this one, I expect a bit more depth, roundness and maturity from a whisky that spent twenty-three years in a cask.

Availability - A few European retailers perhaps?
Pricing - probably €100-€130
Rating - 82

Beatrice Booze Report: Springbank 25 year old Millennium Collection

In 1998, J. & A. Mitchell & Co. Ltd., the owners of Springbank Distillery, released the Millennium Collection, probably the most erotic thing in the history of whisky (with apologies to Jim Murray).

The set was made up of a 25 year old, 30 year old, 35 year old, 40 year old, 45 year old and 50 year old Springbank single malt. Each of these whiskies took the form of one 700mL bottle and one 50mL bottle. The set included a certificate of authenticity and six wooden coffins. There were a total of 580 sets.

(source)

While this set appears in auctions every year (and I'll let you google its value), a number of original owners actually chose to break up the set and DRINK the whisky. Through the generosity of one of these crazies, the LA Scotch Club obtained a bottle of the 25yo, five years ago. We split it up, 30mL a piece. And now I am going to drink my sample of whisky history.

Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank

Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown
Maturation: good casks ✔

Age: at least 25 years

Bottled: 1998
Limited bottling: 580 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%

NOTES

The nose begins with a surprising amount of fruit: orange peel and dried cherries, as well as a cinnamon and apple baked treat. A swirl of toffee pudding, vanilla bean and nutmeg. Burlap and a hint of mossy peat. After 30 minutes, it's all anise, rosemary and oregano oils.

A surprise greets the palate as well: a heavy strike of peat and salt. Chimney and earth. Lemon and pepper and Underberg. Its creamy texture fills the mouth and reads as if it's cask strength.

Oh my. The finish is colossal. Earth, coal, pepper, lemon peel, mint leaves and herbal bitterness.

WORDS

This was a revelation. No, not its tremendous quality, but its character. I was expecting a graceful heavily sherried thing. But the peat and herbs and fruit and filth carry the day. And it's gigantic.

The 2005 21 year old may be more detailed and drinky, but this one's remarkable finish sticks the landing better than almost any whisky I've tried. I'm thrilled to have had this opportunity to try these two whiskies, and am glad I was able to liberate them before the samples had spoiled.

(For a few more takes on this very bottle, please see the LAWS reviews here. The salted plum notes are pretty cool, I wish I'd thought of that!)

Availability - Auctions & a few European retailers
Pricing - Auctions: $1000-$2000, Retailers: $2000-$3000
Rating - 93

Beatrice Booze Report: Springbank 21 year old, bottled in 2005

After examining my entire sample stash for storage problems, I decided to change up the celebratory whiskies this week. I'm going with two super samples I've been saving for years for some unknown circumstance. I believe the opportunity has presented itself.

First up is the official Springbank 21 year old that was bottled in 2005. Here's a photo of a bottle:

(source)

Old Springbank. It sounds awesome, right? But wait, there's more.

Doing the math... 2005 minus 21 equals 1984. But the distillery was closed in 1984. And 1983. And 1982. And 1981. And 1980. So the youngest possible whisky in the bottle would have been from 1979. Thus it's a 26 year old in 21 year old clothing.

And.......commence.

Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank

Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown
Maturation: probably some pretty nifty sherry casks

Age: 21 years per statement, but actual age is at least 26 years

Bottled: 2005
Limited bottling: 2400 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%

(Purchased at an LA Scotch Club event many years back)

NOTES

The nose takes one on a little journey. Industrial dockside. Coal smoke. Tobacco. But then... nuts roasting in the oven, alongside an apple tart. Hints of jerk spice and cabernet sauvignon. Then raspberry syrup, pineapple and molasses. Damn.

The palate's tale is narrower but intense, and occasionally similar to the nose. It's dingy and oily. Tar. Smokestack. Earth and stones. Those Campbeltown dunnages. Very dry sherry meets a slight malty sweetness. Hints of bitter chocolate and anise. A subtle rooty bitterness. I could get used to this.

Focus continues to tighten in the finish. It still has the greasy industrial notes and dunnage. Hints of the ocean and bitterness. There's also chili pepper, lemon and salt. The smoke returns later.

WORDS

Because the nose and palate notes speak for themselves, I'll waste no further words on them. *sobs*

The finish is briefer than expected and never reaches the heights of the nose and palate, yet it ends up leaving the palate feeling refreshed, like some mysterious aperitif.

This whisky......it's a completely different liquid than any single malt being produced today. I do have faith that the current Springbank folks could nail a similar style someday somehow. And maybe Benromach ten years from now, if they've got stuff sitting in sterling sherry casks. And if anyone really gave a crap about single malts at Ardmore, but they don't. Anyway, let us not dwell in the present anymore than we already do.

Let's see if I can top this whisky on Friday.

Availability - Auctions
Pricing - Under $500?! Where's my coin purse...
Rating - 92 (the finish knocks it down from 94-95, these scores are stupid)

Whisky PSA: Check yo samples before you wreck yo samples!

Achtung! And embrace the terrible title! This is a public service announcement for those who have a liquor sample collection.

I started my whisky sample stash about six years ago.  Less than two years into the bottle accumulation, I upgraded bottle caps.

The standard caps have a plastic ribbing and a foam or paper liner. When one first starts saving whisky samples, these seem perfectly okay. One may even choose to use electrical tape around the bottle neck to make sure the cap doesn't open.

When I upgraded caps, I switched to those with phenolic ribbing and the little polycone seal. These provide something much closer to an airtight fit. These are more expensive than the standard caps.

The thing is, though, I chose to use the better caps only on samples going forward. A year later, I decided to order a slew of extra caps to switch out the old ones. Then life happened, and I never did the big switchout.

I'm here to tell you that by not switching out the caps, I enabled a number of samples to spoil. The standard cap's cheap liner falls off within a couple of years, often adhering to the glass neck or crumbling into the whisky itself if the liquid is right up to the edge.

Even more troubling, the cap itself gradually buckles upwards. (You can actually see and feel this, as the top of the cap starts to get curved instead of flat.) Thanks to the buckling plastic and flimsy liner, the seal breaks and air comes in. Over five years, some of my samples experienced 1/3 to 2/3s evaporation. They're left with what I recently called a "swirling murk" throughout the liquid. The whisky loses most of its smell, while the palate goes flat, watery and nearly tasteless except for a really weird bitterness.

Luckily I lost only a half dozen samples to this issue. But all of them had caps that buckled on the top. This weekend, I replaced another fourteen caps on samples that showed no evaporation nor murk. Meanwhile, the little historical archive I started six years ago is probably mostly ruined. Can't bear to look at it right now.

If you have a whisky/brandy/rum/etc sample bottle collection going back more than three years, then I encourage you to check your bottle caps. If you've been using the standard tops, I recommend any option with a better seal. Swap out the old caps with better ones. Dump any sample that has experienced evaporation of 1/3 the bottle, or greater. I mean, you can sip it first to check its quality but then you've lowered its fill level and also contributed some bacteria to the mix.

In conclusion — never a great way to begin a conclusion — keep your samples sealed the best way you can. The extra ten or twenty cents per cap is worth it. (One method to buy extras is to add a bunch of additional caps to your next bottle order. I don't think Amazon sells the caps by themselves.)

ALSO, drink your whisky.

Thank you. This has been a Diving for Pearls public service announcement.