Whisky : New Malts!

 Another regional tasting, this time malts new to the shop. Slightly misleading title, they're not new whiskies, just new to NZ / Regional Wines. But I've digressed enough ... to the booze !

Glendronach Ode To The Dark 50.8% (PX cask)

N: apple, spicy, sweet, tannin, sherry, cherries, lemon, liquorice, meths

P: sherry, full, citrus, burnt organge

F: strong, peppery, oaky

8.5/10 good drop as you'd expect from Glendronach. Came 2nd overall with 8.5.

Cadenheads Enigma Highland Single Malt 14yo 53.9%

N: salt sweet, tropical, peat, methanol, grass, young

P: light, tropical, sea salt, ash, smoke, young

F: prickly, grows, medium

7/10 not a bad drop, but I've got enough similar to it that I didn't pick it up. Came last 8th, 7.41.

Ben Nevis Adelphi #14 11yo 2014 b. 2025, 59.9%

N: demerara sugar, toffee apples, banana, salty, young, egg'n'creme lollies

P: bland, low alc? , hot charred fruit

F: medium, bit dull

6/10 nothing really happening outside of the nose on this one. Another slight disappointment from Adelphi?  Came 7th, 7.54

MacDuff Signatory 100 proof 13yo 57.1%

N: sweet, leather, sherry lemon, old wood, malt lollies

P: stylish, complex, well balanced

F: build, long

8/10 nice dram this, came 5th 8.13

Annandale Man O'Words Double Oak 60.8% Founders selection, oloroso 8yr

N: sweet, lollies, salt, sawdust, fruit flan, madiera, caramel pudding

P: spicy, pepper, hot, strong, incr alc

F: spicy, med-long

7/10 good, nothing great tho' came 4th 8.37

Mystery : Glenallachie PX single hogshead 2014 b2025 60.2%

N: sweet, citrus, maple waffles, dark chocolate, honey, complex, leather, meths, candied pears

P: sweet maple, aged, incr alc, complex, lovely, treacle

F: long, warm, liquorice

9/10. This was great, trying to get a bottle but it's not looking hopeful, ahh well. Came 1st 9.17

Bunnahabhain Staoisha North Star 11yo 55.7%

N: salt, peat, smoke, oily, sweet, suppurating wound, mouldy socks

P: oil, ash, wounds, warm sour, balanced

F: medicinal long

8.5/10 yeah this is what I like. Was very tempted to give it the dram of the night award, but y'know GlenAllachie ... Came 3rd 8.46

Ardnahoe Cask Strength 5yo 60.9% Batch #1

N: light, floral, fruity, green apple, whiteboard cleaner, 

P: dry, very integrated, smokey? 

F: long but balanced.

9/10 so yeah, this was also very very good. Came 6th 7.9 so everyone else was wrong.

excellent line up, nice and diverse. Sadly, I have another tasting this week. I know, martyr. 

me x

Cooking with Bruce : Prawn and Feta salad

 It's been awhile since we had a cooking with Bruce entry, so here's my adaptation of a recipe which had far more tomatoes than was realistic. Or needed.  Also, I get bored with shallots, so they've gone too.

1. 1 red onion, peeled, chopped in half and finely sliced
2. 2T red wine vinegar (or whatever, I used balsamic and some mirin)
3. 200gm cherry tomatoes (halved), and one tomato chopped
4. couple of handfuls of baby spinach, chopped 
5. half a ciabatta
6. olive oil
7. 300gm raw prawns
8. 1-2t of smoked paprika
9. 2t dried oregano
10. 2 garlic cloves, peeled, grated
11. 200gm feta, chopped/crumbled.

 Put 1-2 into a bowl and leave to pickle, along with some sea salt / ground pepper, stir and leave for at least 10 mins.

Toss tomatos and spinach through onions. Chop the ciabatta into small pieces and lightly fry with a bit of olive oil

Put the toasted ciabatta in with everything else, a bit of olive oil and mix, again.

Prawns in a bowl, add paprika, oregano and garlic, bit of olive, salt / pepper, and mix. Heat frying pan with olive oil, when hot add prawns and everything else from the bowl, roughly 3min per side. 

When cooked, stir prawns into the salad, add the chopped feta

Note: this tastes even better the next day (worked as breakfast for the AB v South Africa game)

Whisky Tasting: Cadenhead's, Springbank, Kilkerran, Longrow

 Bit of variety this time, and online tasting through Whisky Galore presented (from Scotland) by brand reps for Cadenhead's / Springbank / Kilkerran / Longrow. 

Cadenhead : Mannochmore 12yo 46% bourbon hogsheads

N: cut grass, methanol, Parma violets, creamy, apples, bourbon finish

P: apples, pears, strong, bourbon, banana

F: spiky, long,hot, slightly peppery?

8/10 Nice refreshing, not hugely complex, but I like Mannochmore and this is a good example (rare to find a single malt, it seems to be indie bottlers only, eg SWMS / Cadenhead's)

Cadenhead : Glen Elgin-Glenlivet 12yo 46% Palo Cortado hogsheads

N:  maple syrup, salty, red apples

P: warm, honey, Manuka, hint of salt (dry?), pears, complex increases 

F: short ish, medium

7.5/10 I did like the maple syrup nose, which moved into more of a honey palate.

Cadenhead : Seven Stars Blended Scotch Whisky 46% oloroso hogsheads

N: creamy, sherry but subtle, apples and custard? 

P: apples, pears, dry, prickly, ginger, dark sugar 

F: medium, creamy, 

8/10 liked this, interesting and dry. Another blend I'd be happy to have int he cupboard (along with the Adelphi). Notes from Cadenhead's, 70% malt 30% grain, range between 8 -18yo (the grains being the older), and the finish in oloroso were fresh hogsheads for slightly more than 1 year.

Cadenhead : Speyside 'Enigma' Single Malt 12yo 50% oloroso hogsheads

Speyside ‘enigma’ 12yo, 

N: orange peel, burnt caramel, 

P:burnt sugar, mint, banana splits, 

F: short medium smooth

7/10 un named Speyside (hence enigma tag) nice enough, but not something I loved.

Springbank 18yo 46% Matured in bourbon, sherry and rum casks. It's vatted in those three casks, it's not three finishes.

N: warm honey hint of salt caramelised sugar

P: warm, honey, salt, sweet, candy floss , hint of smoke

F: medium, Smokey 

8.5/10 always a good dram the 18yo. I'm a fan.

Springbank 100 proof, 57.1% bourbon casks

N: floral,marshmallows, pears, 

P: peat smoke, salty, dry,cholate, 

F:long and hot

8/10 interesting and more coastal than expected. I know I've had this before, but yeah far more coastal than expected. Tasty. 

Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength 57.7% bourbon casks

N: banana, caramel,

P: sweet, apples, warming, med chocolate, 

F: high alc, and grows in warmth and quite dry, 

8.5/10 tasty, and ticked a number of boxes for me.

Longrow 100 proof, 57.1% matured in refill bourbon and rioja casks

N: sherry, salt, coastal, peppery ?paprika?

P: tasty, marmalade, sherry, complex, feels aged, raspberry, 

F: warm long, ginger? Coastal.

8.5/10 This was good, I seem to recall I wasn't a fan of the last Longrow I had (the red?) which annoyed me as I'd liked others. But this seemed good, strong and spicy, interesting palate. I can see a bottle ending up in my clutches....

Good tasting - well organised by WG and interesting chat by presenters while we drank!

b

Whisky Tasting: Glendronach

 Managed to get a tasting set for this one since I couldn't make the tasting itself ... 

Glendronach Allardice 18yo 46% 2018 oloroso 

• N: sherry, leather, chocolate, ozone, cream, cherry/plum, burnt caramel
• P: burnt caramel, sherry, chocolate, complex, liquorice
• F: long spicy (?old), smoky, liquorice, 

8.5-9 /10 Oh a shocker, I like a Glendronach sherry bomb. Well blow me down.

Glendronach 18yo 46% 2025 oloroso

• N: dark caramel, flowery, salt?/coastal, younger?
• P: salt, light, butter, nice balance
• F: good balance, spicy, smooth, warm

8/10

Glendronach Parliament 21yo 48% 2019 px and oloroso

• N: floral, bandaprint / methanol, sherry, chocolate
• P: very very smooth, chocolate, butter, cloves, molasses
• F: smooth, medium, spicy, burnt caramel, bonfire

9.5-10 / 10 this was amazing. 

Glendronach 21yo 48% 2025 px and oloroso

• N: px? sherry, dark chocolate, apricots, marshmallows
• P: sherry, custard (maybe, my handwriting is appalling), aged, nectarines
• F: long, complex, hot, lemon meringue, liquorice

9.5 - 10 /10

Glendronach Parliament 21yo 48% 2021 px and oloroso

• N: light, sherry, lmons, salt
• P: salt, caramel, greasy
• F: medium long, spicy, grass

8/10 knowing it's a Parliament (now), it's interesting how different it is from the other one

Glendronach oloroso casks 50.1 the Whisky Club NZ 11yo

• N: chocolate, vanilla, caramel, apples
• P: spicy, caramel, roast pepper, grasss
• F: salty, long, gingerr

8/10 felt more vigorous and young, which it turned out, it was.

Glendronach Cask Strength Batch#10 2021 58.6% px and oloroso

• N: chocoalte, smooth, cinnamon, creamy
• P: big, dates, caramel, sticky date pudding
• F: spikey, liquorice, burnt butter, long hot

8/10. Possibly could have done with a couple more years maturing? or a bit of water?

One thing about all the whisky's being from the same distillery, and all sherry bombs, is that it's very hard to pick them. I got one, the 21yo Parliament (#3) out of 7. Sadly only two of them were available for purchase and as you'd expect, they weren't cheap. But bloody hell, what a tasting.

Slainte!

Whisky Tasting : Fifty years old

A 50 year old whisky as the focus for a tasting? well ok, I guess I could manage that ... 

Seven Star Cadenhead ?? Blended

• N: leather, ink, brine, sweet, biscuity, musty, acetone
• P: light, aniseed, flat, burnt sugar, dull, 
• F: mediu, dull

7/10 for me. Now I'm not entirely sure what this was, it was the mystery but my handwriting is appalling. It came 3rd with 8.47 and retails for $92 if that helps :) And I can read the 'blended' so there's that ... 

Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic #2 44%

• N: lovely, fruit salad, coastel, acetone (light), caramel, pears, lime
• P: syrupy, thin, orange, decr alc, hint of salt, green tea, salty marmalade
• F: med-long, salt

8.5-9 / 10. I liked this, I do have a soft spot for Glenglassaugh (even tho' I didn't pick it in the lineup) came 7th with 7.68

Highland Park 16yo 44.5% Wings of the Eagle

• N: sulphur, mandarin, shoe polish, grapefruit, dusty, waxy
• P: thick, chocolate, mandarin, chewy, sulphur, sour, sherry
• F: med, sulphur. heat grows but nicely

8-8.5/10 Enjoyed this one too, more sulphur than you normally get in an HP (probably why I diidn't pick this one either), and good to see HP continuing their silly naming. Came 5th with 8.02

Bunnahabhain 18yo 46.3%

• N: dark chocolate, salty, dry, stewed apple, strong nose,wet wool, ink
• P:  thick, toasty, balanced, herbal, oily, dry
• F: med, peppery

8/10 Interesting and reasonably easy to pick as a Bunna. Came 4th 8.35

Old School Single Malt Coastal Edition 50yo 43.1% Signatory Vintage 2025 Batch #3

• N: acetone, custard, strange, sour, rodenbach grand cru
• P: dry, oil, aniseed, strange, sulphur
• F: long, salty

7/10. Not really a fan, although tasting like a Rodenbach Grand Cru (one of my favourite beers) was interesting. Came 6th with 7.95

Tobermory 21yo 46.3% Oloroso Cask Finish

• N: salty, brine, fruity, olive oil, damp leather, vigorous, sulphur
• P: tasty caramel, aniseed, fruity
• F: long, spicy

9-10/ 10. I loved this. Ticked an awful lot of boxes for me, and it appeared everyone else did too - it came 1st with 8.68

Springbank 15yo 46%

• N: complex, match heads, smokey, dirty, smoked fish, cigars
• P: spicy, rubber, dry, salt, marmalade
• F: med salt, dry, ash

7/10 meh, good without being great. Came 2nd 8.59 so what would I know :D

Nothing bad in this tasting, and if nothing else it's saved you forking out for a 50 year old whisky. 

Keyboard Restoration - J. Busilacchio Chord Organ #1

 A couple of months ago I picked up a ?1960s? electric keyboard - J. Busilacchio Chord Organ for a tenner as half of the keys didn't work. Figured at the worst it was a pretty, very Italian, case and at best if only half the keys didn't work it should be fixable.

There's not a lot on the web about them, or rather not a lot about how to identify models. And having taken it apart, there's very little in the box to identify model or date. It also looks like there's been some mods to change the power socket a bit too. 

It's essentially a reed organ (like my pump organ), but with an electric fan pushing the air over the metal reeds. The chord section is all working, and it sits on four, currently very unstable, legs.

The fan is working, the chords all work, and as advertised, half the keys work. There's some veneer damage, and the lid isn't attached. I've now got it to the point where it's disassembled and I can start cleaning the reeds to see what happens. I'll be replacing the baseboard which has had a large number of holes drilled in it, and stripping back the paint that's been put over the sound board etc. 

this should pop up just after the Whisky on Saturday. See how organised I'm being?

me

Whisky Tasting : Regional - Whisky Tour

 Hi all, reasonably good chance of two posts - mainly as I'm playing with timed posting ... 

Regional Wines March tasting 'Whisky Tour' which was based around a number of interesting things Daniel and John wanted to try. It's complicated like that.

Glenburgie First Edition 2007 16yo 2007 53.1%

• N: hint salt, sweet, acetone, apples, no peat, sulphur
• P: warm, apples, pear, spikey, sweet n sour, bitter wood
• F: grassy, long and hot, sweet

9-9.5 /10. I like this, a lot. What a great way to start the tasting, really great balance, maybe a touch more in the cask for complexity, but great. Admittedly, it only came 6th with 7.22 but there's no accounting for taste.

Ben Nevis North Star 2012 12yo 58.6%

• N: big, menthol. sweet, powdery, peaches, leatheer, bourbon + oloroso
• P: fruit salad, big apples, candied fruit, sweet, oily, woody
• F: med-short.

8/10 tasty wee number. North Star seem to be on a bit of a role with their bottles, worth checking out. Came 3rd with 8.36

Deanston Old Particular Midnight Series 15yo 60.2% refill 667

• N: walnuts, pepper, sherry, leather, acetone, dark chocolate, aged, spikey. 
• P:fruit slad, salty, peppery
• F: long, spicy

8/10. Another I liked, I am a bit of a fan of Old Particular bottlings and this one was good. Again with the silly others in the room, it came 8th with 7.47. I also suspect that Neil has convinced me about Deanston. 

Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 1 60.1%

• N: toilet air freshner, jasmine, heather, banana, light 
• P: light, sherry, salty, 
• F: gets very hot

6/10. I didn't like this, I didn't like the balance and it just seemed wrong. It appears others agreed as it came 7th with 7.66

Kilchoman 17yo Excl Blackadder 52.3% Fresh bourbon cask #08/194

• N: peat, salt, bacon, medicinal, smoke, suppurating wound, sweet, antiseptic
• P: peaty, smoke, sounds
• F: long, nice balance

8.5/10 good stuff, I'd picked this as a Ledaig, but Kilchoman makes sense too :) oddly it's bottled for Blackadder, but in in a Kilchoman bottle (rather than the Blackadder bottle).  Came 5th with 7.76 

Signatory Ardmore 14yo NZ bottling 58.4% full oloroso - Mystery Whisky

• N: warm sweet, menthol, aged old leather, soft, gentle, sugary Demerara 
• P: chocolate, cake, burnt orange, leather, aged, integrateed
• F: med-long, sweet, pepper grows

9/10. I liked this, strong coastal flavours but wihtout it being silly. Also, ridiculously good value. why yes, I did walk away with a bottle. Came 2nd 8.78 

Ledaig Blackadder 17yo 2008-2025 57% Raw Cask PC Sherry Cask #700302

• N: peat, soke, sweet, rubber, sulphur, bacon, sultanas
• P: peaty, port, bourbon, bacon rubber
• F: long, hot, ?too young? 

8/10. I liked it, but it didn't rock things for me. the rest of the group were more in favour, it came 1st with 9.4

Ardbeg 10yo 2026 Cask Strength 61.7% Committee Exclusive

• N: lightly peated, smoke, gentle, sweet, slightly medicinal
• P: coastal hobo, dry, ashy, complex and well balanced
• F: long, hot, grows

8.5/10 for me Ardbeg are very hit and miss at bottling good drams. The independents seem to do a better job, but this was very good. Possibly my favourite I've had since the Black Sheep? Came 4th with 7.9

Really really good tasting, variety, excellent drams, everything you really want in a tasting. 

Slaints

Whisky: Blair Athol

First Regional Wines tasting of the year, Blair Athol isn't usually seen as a single malt as most of their product is destined for blending (ding dong!). therefore, aside from the rare distillery only releases, you'll only find Blair Athol single malts from independent bottlers. Which is what we've got here ...

Blackadder Raw Cask 13yo NC2 51.7% 10.7.2009-12.2022 Hogshead 304826

N: floral, sweet, citrus, spicy, mahogany

P: fruit salad, prickly, sweet, rosemary

F: long and hot

7.5/10 I liked this, the spicyness possibly overpowered the interesting fruit salad flavours, suggesting it may have needed a few more years in cask? Overall, typically good Blackadder bottling, 3rd 8.12

Single Malts of Scotland 47.1% #40245 2.8.2006-24.4.2025 NC2 18yo PX Sherry Hogshead

N: sweet, older, grassy, bourbon?, prickly, metallic

P: sweet, tangy, creamy, vanilla, light, vanilla, fruit salad

F: spicy, medium

6/10 not a lot going on (contrary to the description!) it all felt kind of flat to me 6th, 7.56

James Eadie NC2 55.3% #307364 17.11.2009-2024 14yo re-charred hogshead

N: light, sweet, butterscotch, caramel, creme brulee, salt, vanilla

P: creamy, vanilla, sweet, salty

F: salty, dry on finish, med-long

7.5/10 Our tasting last year for the JE bottles wasn't a favourite, but this bottling was ok, interesting but still quite spiky on the finish. Came last (7th) 7.31

Adelphi 13yo 2011-2024 1st fill bourbon barrel 56.6% 305328

N: prickly, brandy butter, parmesan, savoury

P: pear, apples

F: spicy, increasing heat, but quite short finish

8/10 I liked this, another good Adelphi, the palate was particularly nice. Came 5th 7.58

Signatory 13yo NC2 30.9.2011-23.5.2025 1st fill Ruby Port hogshead 57.5%

N: banana, tobacco, sweet, tannins, peach tea, meths, malt vinegar

P: raspberries,

F: long, hot, big

8/10 Good dram, and interesting the port finish, 4th (8.11)

BBR 14yo 2009 Hogshead PX Finish 55.6%

N: sherry, sweet, roses, chocolate, molasses

P: metallic, cloying

F: astringent, short

6/10 Did not like this, not very interesting and again seemed a bit young. Came 2nd (8.26)

Mystery [Glengoyne 59.5% Cask Strength 12yo].

N: peat ?, light, sweet

P: bourbon (hints), sweet

F: spicy, medium

5.5/10 oddly low for a Glengoyne for me, but I felt this was a very one dimensional bottling.  Came 1st (8.53)

Overall, interesting without being great. There is a house style, which is light, floral with fruit salad in the palate. But the spirit does seem to pick up cask flavour very easily. 

Beers of 2025 : the Liver and Alec

 In the ongoing series of how much have Alec and I drunk, here's the 2025 summary. For those wanting context, 2024 is here. 

For the first time, I'm now below Alec in absolute numbers of booze consumed. Damn he's a lush. He's also now well ahead of me in unique beers and badges. Life is terrible.

Looking at 2024 - 2025, it appears I only drank about 300 beers, Alec bless his damaged liver, hit around 700. that's beerfests for ya.

our top beers are still reasonably similarm, but are continuing to diverge over the years. Obviously it's because i'm not there to lead him on the straight and narrow. Mine has the Craftwork, unsurprisingly. 

Last.FM 2025 notes

 There isn't much new in this post, but it is a summary of the 2025 listening stats, thanks to last.fm sending me a summary of that sort of thing.

Regular readers will already know 2025 was my biggest year, per track numbers, since last.fm and I cuddled up in 2006. 

 

top artists? predictable. Top album, I see there are a number of compilations in there from Moochin' About, one of my favourite labels. Top track, no surprise there either. It does turn up on most of their live albums ...

I had a feeling I hadn't listened to as much new music last year and the stats support that. But the ones it calls out are great, that Steve Rothery/Bioscope is brilliant. and new Steve Wilson is most enjoyable.

apparently i didn't love many tracks last year, but i did listen to a fuck load of music each day. 

there ya go, next up in post land, comparison on the Alec and Bruce damage their liver expedition.