Lets start our festive malt porn festival with some remnants of the notorious ‘Birthday sessions’ in Alsace last month. Today we’ll do three different malts all distilled in 1960 and bottled at under twenty five years of age, so plenty old school production characters to enjoy and plenty time in glass to mellow, should be fun. First up…

Linkwood 1960-1985. Gordon & McPhail for Sestante. 40%. 75cl.

Colour: Bright Straw

Nose: Wax, old shoe polish and beautifully delicate metallic notes that signify a bit of OBE. Resin, orange peel, a little grassiness and some lovely mineral qualities. This reminds be of the old Aberlour dumpy 8yo bottlings from the early seventies, only a little more fragile and intricate perhaps. Notes of pear liqueur, blossom, honeysuckle and darjeeling tea. The nose is quite antique and fragile but the aromas are really poised and beautiful. Grows a little more flinty and austere with time.

Palate: Big waxy and grassy combo in the mouth, not disappointing at 40% at all. Green fruits, minerals, hessian, camphor and some really soft spices. No trace of tiredness and it lives up surprisingly well to the nose. Great waxy and flinty qualities, this dram carries a really enthralling austerity about it. Quite consistent with the nose with all its resinous flavors, also notes of green peppercorns, cocoa, biscotti and freshly baked bread.

Finish: Good length but not too long. All on bitter orange marmalade, wax, a little menthol and minerals.

Comments: This was bottled in 1985, the year I was born. So 1985 is a good year for Champagne, self-important Scottish whisky bloggers, Alsacian wines and bottled whiskies. It was a bad year for distilled whiskies and miners. I think when my 30th comes around in 2015 I’ll celebrate by opening whiskies that were bottled in my year of birth rather than distilled. This is a beautiful and very drinkable old Linkwood.

Score: 90/100

Highland Park 1960. 18yo. OB. 43%. 75cl.

Colour: Dark Amber

Nose: Bloody Hell! This is so beautiful. Peat, gorgeous, delicate, phenolic, lush peat with utterly perfect sherry integrated all around it. This reminds me of a slightly delicate, very old style Ardbeg. Rooty, earthy, thick, unctuous, raisiny, medicinal… Ok I’m not going to go through the aromas, its just brilliant.

Palate: Now on the palate there is less obvious peat and more gloriously clean and vibrant sherry. Beautifully dry and mineraly with notes of figs, plum jam, oily, rooty phenols, cloves, dunnage warehouses and incredibly fresh coastal notes as well. Greengages, kumquats, lychees, peppercorns, old dessert wines, seville oranges. My god this is amazing. Ok enough of this.

Finish: Censored!

Comments: I knew this would be good, but I wasn’t quite prepared for this. The nose is stunning and what’s even more incredible is that the palate lives up to it. I was thinking of saving this and comparing it to the current OB 18yo, I’m kind of glad I didn’t, I think it would have been very unfair on the current bottling.

Score: 94/100

Glenlivet 1960-1981. 21yo. OB for Nadi Fiori. 54.6%. 75cl.

Colour: Teak

Nose: We’re in serious sherry territory here. Loads of sweet, immensely clean, classical sherry characters. Bags of stewed fruits, glazed nuts, dundee cake, old brandies, delicate spices, all kinds of flints and minerals, green fruits and, after time, some wonderfully old school waxiness. The nose is really soft and immense, you wouldn’t believe it was above 54%, it feels like 46 in the nostrils. With water: Wow! Water really magnifies all the mineral, hessian and waxy qualities, it becomes drying, chocolatey and even slightly honied with notes of heather, beeswax and hints of flowers.

Palate: Wonderfully rich, oily, vinous, jammy, waxy and fruit laden. Old candied fruits, dried fruits, figs, apricots, all kinds of orange notes, dark chocolate. Although the sherry is big and full you can still tell this is an old school whisky, the characters of the distillate are still evident and the balance is near perfect. Beautiful notes of old liqueurs, both fruit and herb varieties, little vegetal aspects and some really oily notes of camphor and paraffin. With water: we’re in fruit city and Mr Orange is the mayor! Luscious fruits, mineral and waxy notes all over the shop, glorious. Background notes of bread, nutmeg, vanilla, mocha and flints.

Finish: Massive and full of all the same stuff I said above.

Comments: I had the great privilege to meet Nadi Fiori (the man behind Intertrade and High Spirits) this year on Islay, he is nothing short of a living legend, one of the old school Italian bottlers who was dealing with stuff like this in a time when many of us were still drinking Bells and coke, or in my case, weren’t even born. A time when the old school Italians like Nadi and Samaroli corresponded with the Scottish distillery via post. Hats off to him for selecting such incredible bottlings that, in these days of modern mass production, are fast becoming time capsules. What a great dram this is.

Score: 93/100

Enormous thanks is due again to Serge Valentin, I wouldn’t have been able to taste these great drams if it wasn’t for his generosity.

Ok I’m still thirsty, that Glenlivet has put me in the mood for something more, although I’m skeptical as to what could possibly stand up to the immensity of the Glenlivet and HP…

Glenlivet 39yo 1968-2008. Duncan Taylor ‘Lonach’. 41.4%. 70cl.

Lets try this random sample I had in my stash as a ‘wind down’ dram. Lets not judge it too intensely.

Colour: White wine

Nose: Malty, porridgy, a little grainy but also very pleasantly fruity, lots of white and stone fruits, flowers, tea, herbs, at first it’s a bit of a shock to the system after such immense old glories but given a little time it becomes really attractive and delicate. Charming integration of honey, fruits, cereals and subtle aged qualities. Still impressively fresh for such an age and low strength. I always love naturally low strength whiskies, something about the natural oxidisation process in the cask brings out some really wonderful fruit characters.

Palate: A little weakish at first but then explodes with loads of beautiful green fruits, gentle spices, menthol and cold tea. Some gentle minerality, more green maltiness, some grassiness, cloves, Edinburgh rock, eucalyptus, Earl Grey tea, just delicious, perilously drinkable old malt.

Finish: Surprisingly long and rich, full of green fruits with menthol and slight metallic notes.

Comments: What a big surprise and how amazing that it stood its ground next to the other heavy hitters. This is a perfect example of an old malt for drinking and enjoying, hats off to Duncan Taylor for selecting and bottling at such a sensible price. Great stuff, it’s not the most complex old dram but it makes up for it with great concentration of flavour and a complete lack of overtly woody interference or astringency. Just like when a great musician chooses the notes not to play as much as the ones they do play, the same principle goes with a good cask.

Score: 90/100

Tomorrow we’ll get even more ridiculous.

It’s no great secret in whisky circles these days how brilliant Longmorn can be. An oily and rugged distillate that benefitted from direct fired distillation until the year 2000, it can develop over time the most glorious fruit character. I think it is among a handful of distilleries that are capable of serious aging and if you get a chance to try some of these older Longmorns from the early seventies or before then go for it because they’re almost all brilliant and will inevitably, one day, be gone.

Longmorn 1964-1994 30yo. Signatory. Cask 324. 150 bottles. 43%. 70cl.

I did an on the hoof, somewhat over enthusiastic (possibly tipsy) video review of this one for the good folks at connosr when I was at the whisky show in London a few weeks back, lets do it some real justice today.

Colour: Straw

Nose: Very old school, smells like some of these old 8 and 10yo malts bottled in the early seventies and sixties, think old G&M Longmorn 10yo or dumpy Aberlour 8yo. I wonder if this has gathered some OBE since being bottled in 1994. Lots of minerals and all kinds of delicate fruits, greengages, guavas, dried mango, white flowers and a little gentle lamp oil and camphor. This is very delicate, I suspect that it was reduced to 43% before bottling. Now some cereal and hessian notes with elements of muesli, honey and buttered toast, obviously a breakfast whisky this one. Great flickers of clean flints and stones.

Palate: Really soft delivery full of minerals, a little vanilla cream, some very pleasant metallic notes (quite OBEish really). Caraway seeds, liquorice, cumin, green bananas, nutmeg and rice pudding. Really gentle texture in the mouth, this one tip toes across the palate. It has a really attractive dry, floral austerity about it. Like an old riesling that’s just at the end of its prime before it starts to decline. Fresh butter and olive oil now, beautiful.

Finish: Medium to long with lots of green tea, dried fruits, tropical fruits and more metallic mineral qualities.

Comments: This one is tough because it feels a tad weakish overall, I suspect that time in the bottle has done that to it. However it is beautifully understated, perfectly balanced and the flavours are pure, old school class. I love it but I suspect that bottles may vary, some may be even better than this one if they’ve kept their intensity a little better. Anyway pretty much same score as in London, minus one point in the cold, analytical light of day.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 1964-2010, 46yo. G&M Private Collection. Fresh sherry Hogshead. Cask 1534. 164 bottles. 51.9%. 70cl.

Colour: Very dark treacle.

Nose: Immensely polished, pure and intense sherry at first, it doesn’t cloy the nostrils though, rather it sort of bathes them in a thick fug of dundee cake, stewed fruits, concentrated dark treacle, dark rum, caramelised brown sugar and high quality furniture polish. Further notes of antique shops, old books, old leather, cigar tobacco and big dollops of chocolate, resin, mocha, cocoa and freshly chopped walnuts. This is a pretty stupendous sherry cask, the kind that almost certainly doesn’t exist any more. Now we get down to fresh earth, leaf mulch, mushrooms, hints of cannabis resin, black tea and rancio. If you like sherry you’ll probably die for this nose. With water there are a few more fresh leaves and notes of espresso, more chocolate and caramel.

Palate: Very big arrival, massive notes of apples baked in cinnamon, treacle, bitter dark chocolate, tobacco, prunes and big clean woody notes. Very tannic round the sides of the mouth, this is a stupendous sherry cask but it’s maybe a bit active for my liking. Lets try with a little water… that’s softened the tannins quite a bit and brought out lots of roasted coffee beans, more dark chocolate, truffle oil, concentrated dried fruits, candied peel and orange muscat.

Finish: Long and packed full of dark chocolate, aged tokaji, espresso, mixed nuts and some big tannins.

Comments: Well you have to like sherry. I’m not the biggest fan of immense sherry in the world but this is very impressive, the cask is absolutely flawless and it really is a great whisky. I’m not sure I could drink too much of it as the tannins become just a bit too cloying after the first dram. If you like your sherry big, dark, polished and intense then this is for you. The nose is stupendous neat but the palate is better with water so pour two glasses, one for sniffing one for sipping.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 1978-2010, 31yo. Speciality Drinks, ‘Masterpiece’ Series. Bourbon cask. 135 bottles. 58%. 70cl.

Colour: Amber

Nose:  This is not as distinctively Longmorn as some of the early seventies casks floating about, it’s more a low key, very well aged highland style nose. Vanilla, damp sackcloth, old books, caramel, creme brulee, some dried herbs and a few hints of petrol and minerals with a little background waxiness. With time some white flowers and Longmornesque green fruits begin to emerge, greengages, pineapple, bananas and notes of buttery digestive biscuits. With water it becomes much oilier and fruitier, it’s much more recognisable as Longmorn now. Hints of fresh butter, candle wax, spice, Cointreau, candied peel, strawberries and cream and some confectionary sweetness.

Palate: Big notes of hessian, sweet vanilla, woody spices and several kinds of oil. Quite pleasantly sweet with some very nice supple fruits in the background balancing things out a bit. Toasted cocoanut, chocolate McVites, marshmallows, apple sourz, mandarins, orange marmalade, coriander seeds and a bit of alcoholic prickle. With water there’s big spice, baked bananas, fresh custard, flowers, sweet oak and some hints of old dessert wine.

Flinish: Medium to long and focused on these reduced characters of old desert wine and dried fruits.

Comments: I tasted these in ascending order of strength but the first two were pretty stellar whiskies and I feel this may have suffered a tad by latter comparison. Having said that this is a very good whisky and an interesting snapshot into the life and times of latter seventies Longmorn. I wouldn’t say it’s a masterpiece, but it is damn good whisky. Excellent cask selection methinks.

Score: 88/100

So I have gone on holiday only to find myself stricken with a hefty case of snuffly cold and a blocked nose. Any worse and it is in danger of morphing into a lower to intermediate grade of man-flu. Its frustrating because where I am in the Pyrénées is very beautiful and I had intended to indulge in the delights of the local Jurançon wines. I already visited the beautiful Domaine Cauhapé yesterday and tasted a selection of their dry whites (Jurançon sec) and the more famous sweet wines (Jurançon Moelleux), they were simple, aromatic and delicious wines that allowed the terroir to shine with great vibrancy. Sadly this cold has temporarily arrested any further tasting possibilities. What’s more I don’t even have any whisky here for medicinal purposes, short of going out and buying some, but I’d rather be spending my money on local produce than something I can get at home.

One of this year's less inspiring holiday snaps. Not one for the slide show.

However it did make me think about the idea of whisky as a medicinal concoction. The obvious use is the Hot Toddy, something I would be tucking into right now if I had some whisky to hand. I remember my dad making me a Hot Toddy for the first time when I was about ten, I’m not sure if I was ill or if my dad just though it was about time for me to start drinking Hot Toddies. I’m grateful nevertheless as I love them. The problem is that having a cold magnifies the desire to have a wee dram but unfortunately your sensory capacity for appreciating said dram is usually at an all time low. So here is my current wish list for (reasonably) inexpensive, head cold zapping whiskies. Ones that have enough power to shine through and good capacity for melting and unblocking stuffed up noggins. In reverse order they are:

no5: Clynelish 14yo

Its big, its bold, its an old school Highlander and its 46%. There is also something honeyish about it that, combined with the natural peaty elements towards the finish, make it one half Hot Toddy already. Plenty of wafting flavour to help clear the airways and a good oily texture that you can close your eyes and imagine is some sort of old fashioned medicine that your Granny might spoon feed you under a certain amount of duress. Thus leading to a possible beneficial placebo effect.

no 4: Aberlour A’bunadh

It had to be on here, sooner or later someone will probably suggest this as a restorative tipple. Its mighty, its powerful, it has enough alcohol to eat the hull of a submarine and enough flavour that it registers on seismographs whenever a dram is poured. Enough said.

no 3: Springbank 10yo 100 Proof

I love this little bastard. For me its much better than the new 12yo cask strength that has sadly replaced it. Driven largely by refill casks it is one of the most old school whiskies currently produced. Oily, waxy, coastal, brimming with flavours of peppered mackerel and subtle peat all wrapped up in a snot dissolving 57% alcohol. Its a no brainer for the conk-blocked connoisseur.

no 2: Longrow 10yo 100 Proof

The next step up from the Springbank, its logical follow up, if at first the light artillery hasn’t shifted those pesky commie germs then you bring out the big guns. The smoking bonfire on the beach, the peat ridden, seaweed sodden lump, the Springbank special forces that is Longrow 100 proof. Its heavier than its Springbank counterpart and less complex, its flavours are more compact and direct, its a peaty bulldozer, ready to bring down those phlegmy barricades.

and finally…

no 1: Lagavulin 12yo

When you’ve tried everything, when gargling hot salt water just doesn’t seem to work anymore, when it feels like there’s an unruly pig setting up residence in your sinuses and holding frat parties, then there’s only one whisky to help you. Lagavulin 12yo: the ‘Mr T’ of head cold-curing drams. Its like drinking a smoothie concocted of engine oil, seaweed and salt n vinegar crisps. A veritable peat bog of flavour lays siege to the gunk fortress in your nose while the immense alcohol quietly rounds up all germs and has them unfussily shot in the back of the head. Its a winer and definitely my choice of whisky if I have a cold. Sadly, as was established at the start of this post, I don’t got not whisky here. So if anyone is passing through this particular vicinity of Souther France before Saturday and finds themselves overburdened with any of the above drams then… you know what to do.