Batch 167

Mature and rich. A mix of old sweet wrappers and seaside rock, with some hessian at the back. Everything is concentrated, dried and dark fruits with drying meadow grass, and while it is slightly hard to grab onto its complexities initially, in time there is cacao, sawn wood, and antique furniture. Water enhances this quality: you’re now in a battered leather armchair – there’s even a whiff of old slippers – surrounded by the smell of dates, figs, and old tins of varnish.

Balanced and rather lovely, mixing the sweetness of rich tea biscuits (dunked in sweet, malty Assam tea) with dried mint that slides towards camphor. In time, you pick up gently cooked red and black fruits and, as it develops, more of the dark chocolate element.

Long and fruity.

It might just need a wee bit of energy to get it moving in the middle, but that’s hair-splitting on my part. A worthwhile and relaxing evening dram.

Late at night, settle down, time for a Brainshift.

Well you ain’t shy, are you? Mature scents from the off. Highly compressed fruits with a scented (dried) Muscatel element dribbled with blueberries in maple syrup, then dried sweet plums and a tiny touch of dried mango behind, then cinnamon toast, hothouses, light mint, and more wood tones. Water brings out a huge hit of roasted coconut and Lees’ macaroon bar, then more of the fruited elements, though this time there’s an upping of the peachy and tropical side. It steadily grows more muscular as it develops. Excellent.

There’s more structure than you expect from such a lush, fruited nose. Those firm tannins need a balancing richness in the centre of the tongue which isn’t quite there. Things sag a little in the middle (as they do in life) before a spicier element begins to take hold as a fresher orchard fruit quality develops. The same effect is repeated when it’s diluted, with plenty of scented sweet fruits and some custard, but also this slight lack of concentration in the centre.

It pulls itself together marvellously to finish with expansive fruits and more of the maple syrup.

Fruit-laden and sybaritic. That’s what 15 years of secondary maturation in Bual Madeira does. You’ll have to save up to afford a bottle though!

Candy rain coming down, taste you in my mind… oh, Juicy Fruit.

Heat and some weight from the off, with a light smouldering quality and some herbal elements. The impression is of wet bracken, sodden moorland, and the smell of a wet horse then, weirdly, dog biscuits (am I selling it to you yet?). It moves into damp dunnage, then old milk chocolate, but there’s also some savoury sweetness in there along with this singed quality. Water produces some hedgerow fruits and a little dustiness before we head deeper into the bog – or the stable yard.

Thick, with light heat and this burnt quality, but slippery and slithery in terms of texture. There’s better balance and while the singed element now has a more sulphurous intent, there’s hard toffee and some grip. Water brings the sulphur out on top of this oozing palate.

Strawberries when neat, then burnt.

There’s something buried in here, but as hard as I tried, it was tough to get a clear view of what it was.

The Pale Horse arrives, judgement day is nigh.

Some raisins rehydrating in warm water, fruit and nut bar, a little lipstick/ wax crayon, then some lavender-scented soap and light tobacco. With water it becomes considerably more aromatic, perfumed even, with the scents moving more into violet alongside dried sweet fruit. Things remain bright and very up, rounding off with Tunnock’s tea cake filling.

The aromatic elements are still in evidence along with some meadowsweet which balances a slight bitter edge. The Sherried element from the octave cask isn’t overly dominant. The start is actually quite delicate and there’s some very light tannins with the darker fruits coming through later on with a slight burnt note. Things become generally plumper and pleasingly ripe when water is added, as the whole delivery becomes much more fruit-driven with some heavy floral elements.

Plum pudding.

All very sweet and upfront. It might not have huge complexity, but it’s easily quaffable.

All is well, all in Sweet Harmony…

Fat and slightly buttery – in fact, it’s like butteries or fatty croissants with blackberry jam. There’s more noticeable heat here than on the Miltonduff as well as a little nuttiness on the side. This bready element develops alongside some black olive, although there’s the sense that you’re losing the distillery’s signature. In time, a mix of bruised black fruit with some rushes.

The sweeter, Sherried elements on the start add a thick coating to the tongue. Overall, things are pleasingly soft, with a toffee-like mid-palate balancing the malty distillery character. When water is added there are more chocolate elements, especially in the mid-palate. It becomes more vinous in time.

Slightly hot, then some raisin and an over-toasted tea cake.

The octave here has added weight and a glossiness, even though it obscures the distillery character.

As we head In The Green Wild…

Mature and relaxed with a lightly oily quality, some sandalwood and a blurring prickle of heat. In time you can discern the strangely herbal, marijuana-like element which you sometimes get with Macduff, before dry reeds and some nuttiness. Water stirs in mint sauce, some roasted malt and then it slowly, gently blooms into orchid-like Oolong tea, herbs and fruit peels. Elegant, slightly elusive and fascinating.

A bit of a slow burner (with the emphasis on burn) but you can pick up a mealy, almost fatty quality similar to some Glen Gariochs. That herbal element is retained (more marjoram now) while water extends its length and adds oiled canvas, yellow plum and apple.

Long and lightly fruited when water is added.

This isn’t conventional. It’s not showy or shouty, it hasn’t been covered over by wood. Instead it has been allowed to ease into maturity. This allows you to get the sense of time passing, of what happens when a whisky is permitted to mature at its own pace. It’s an important style and there’s not enough of them. One to seek out and learn from.

Where So Mild The Wind, so meek the water.