Sam 'Slams Drams' Swindells

So here's out Port line up!
#BlindDrams

Dram 5; Palate/ Finish: Following on from the nose, Turkish Delight, spices and Port on the palate. Plenty of tannins like the previous two drams. Water helps to temper the spiciness. 3/5. #BlindDrams

Dram 5; Nose/ Appearance: Light gold. Rosewater and quite perfumed. Parma violets and potpourri. #BlindDrams

Dram 4; Palate/ Finish: Lots of red fruit tannins, probably an ex-red wine cask. Reminds me of Rioja, lots of plummy jam and quite bitter. High ABV again but a little water sweetens it. 3/5 #BlindDrams

Dram 4; Nose/ Appearance: Deep red. Musty, red wine nose, almost bordering on balsamic vinegar. Cranberry sauce and old library books. #BlindDrams

Woops, forgot to include my score for Dram 3 - 3/5. Best of the drams so far! #BlindDrams

Dram 3; Palate/ Finish: Sweet, almost like Vimto-like with plenty of spice and red fruits. Quite high ABV (58%ish) so benefits from a little water. Less grain-like than on the nose. Like Dram 2, drying on the finish.
#BlindDrams

Dram 3; Nose/ Appearance: Rose gold. A single grain I think. Cherries and mixed spice on the nose, suggesting possibly sherry or port cask? #BlindDrams

Dram 2; Palate : Quite hot at first with cranberries, a little black pepper & plenty of tannins. The tartness is softened with a drop of water but still quite drying on the finish. 2/5. #BlindDrams

Dram 2; Appearance/ Nose: Two shades darker than Dram 1. More wine-like on the nose than Dram 1 and ever so slightly butyric. A bit perfumed too with stewed winter fruits, clove and cinnamon - mulled wine basically.

Dram 1; Palate: Quite young on first taste. With water, the fruit (apples, melons, peaches) become more pronounced with a fairly thin, spirity mouthfeel. Reminds me of the 16YO Cadenheads Dailuaine but much younger. Possibly a Dailuaine or Glen Elgin? Drying finish. 2/5.

Dram 1; Appearance/ Nose: Chardnonnay wine. Fruit salad with vanilla cream on the nose hinting at an ex-bourbon cask. Fresh & floral too. #BlindDrams

Drams poured and ready to rock! #BlindDrams

"We called London a war zone and moved to Dubai by mistake"

I haven't cracked mine open yet so very glad to see you're enjoying it. The 6yo Caol Ila from the same military themed series is excellent too.

Yeah, WH delivery is very expensive. You really have to factor that in, along with the commission, to avoid getting trigger happy when bidding. That said, even with the extra fees included, the Cask 88 bottles are often obtainable for >50% less than RRP.

There's been a deluge of Cask88/ Braeburn Whisky bottlings on WhiskyHammer recently which is where I tend to shop. I've picked up a few cask strength, single cask bottles for under £30 and even a 21 year old, cask-strength Guyanan rum for £40 (plus fees of course). Well worth a look!

I think Braeburn Whisky and Cask88 might be owned by the same (very dodgy) parent company. I've bought 5-6 of their bottles at auction recently for next to nothing and they've all been excellent.

Some interesting auction picks I'm looking forward to trying. The ex-Sauternes cask Edradour & the Taiwanese bottling of Auchroisk really piqued my interest. The bourbon I'll probably put up against Jack Daniel's SBBP to see if the yanks really do keep the best bottles for themselves...

Fawaz boxing against Davis for the titles.

Bilal Fawaz was trafficked as a child & doesn't have a UK passport. He is now British & Commonwealth Boxing Champion. Sort out his status so he can box abroad & represent his adopted country!

Wow. What a fight. An absolute testament to all the hardworking people who come to this country looking to contribute & better themselves. Fantastic words from Eddie Hearn too. Bilal Fawaz, you're a true Brit in my eyes.

Revisiting this bruiser. It noses beautifully despite the 64.5% offering brioche, baked apple & sweet peat. At full strength, it's just a wee bit too hot. On the palate. A little water added and the fruit reveals itself, - pear, more apple & peach, all baked together with cinnamon in a crumble. 😋

Popular Glasgow-based brewery with 'some of the best IPAs' enters 'aministration' Popular Glasgow craft beer brand Overtone Brewing has entered liquidation, with new owners set to keep the brewery and brand alive.

Great write up and it sounds like a very tempting dram. Call it a coincidence but I just learnt earlier today that Overtone are entering administration. Such a shame and a depressing sign of the times 🙁 www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottis...

One more peaty nightcap in front of the fire before bed. Laphroaig CS batch 15. It has an ashier, more mineralic peat profile compared to the Ardnahoe & the flavours are more coastal - brine, kippers & bonfire on the beach; some sherry sweetness too. Over half left so will score when nearer the end.

Cheers Tom. Singed my fingertips getting it lit but it was worth it!

Ardnahoe. The perfect fireside dram. Smoked bacon, savoury peat and the same vegetal/ beef tomato note I always get on this Society bottling. A warming whisky for cold nights. 8.5/10.

We pride ourselves on being a democracy and yet there’s a medieval theocratic anachronism in the heart of parliament: 26 bishops with automatic seats in the House of Lords. (The only other country in the world with clerics automatically entering a government is… Iran).

Nearing the end of this bottle, I can see why Glentauchers is such a firm fan favourite, particularly with those fond of bold, fruity flavours. There's pear, raspberry, banana, hazelnut & sweet vanilla on the nose. The palate offers peaches & cream, oak spice & soft, red fruit tannins. Lovely! 8/10.

Sampling another of TWB's Apollo series & my first Glencadam! (Thanks @whiskytip.bsky.social for the tip off) There's apple, pine needles & lemon drizzle cake on both nose & palate; menthol too although a drop of water tempers this & the 62% ABV. Serge got peat strangely; I did not shorturl.at/UR0QG

Truly like losing a member of the family. RIP Molly ❤️