Review #26: Namring Estate (Darjeeling) FTGFOP1 and Imperial 1995/2013, 46%, Berry Bros. Cask #50348

I have a lot of work to do but I don't want to do it.

Namring FTGFOP1.

This is an older harvest -- I lost track of it but it was in a sealed bag, and it still seems fresh. In fact, it's very aromatic, even before steeping it. (This is a very tippy batch.) All sorts of sweet and spicy potpourri notes plus some orchard fruit (esp. peaches). On the palate it's medium-bodied. It has a nice tannic structure, with dried herbs and peaches against crushed autumn leaves. It doesn't have the extravagant fruit that some first flush darjeelings have, but it does have a nice weight and a very rich fruit profile. I wish I could pick out some individual components of the potpourri nose. Maybe if I go spend some time sniffing around the spice rack -- but I'll leave that for a day when I'm really power-procrastinating.

very good stuff! and not so pricey. highly recommended.


Imperial 1995/2013 BBR C#50348

This is Imperial, which is a dead and gone Speyside distillery, but like many dead things (e.g., the Cleveland Browns) it has the possibility of being reborn. (Of course, only the name, which is the worst part, would continue.) In any case, there have been a lot of indy bottlings of late, as if to mock us over its nonexistence.

Very nice combination of a youthful and powerful Granny Smith apple nose with some older creme fraiche, white chocolate and floral notes. Lanolin, some sharp grassiness, sawn oak, and just a bit of canned pineapple. Apple vs. creamy/floral is really an intriguing contrast.

It's softer and oilier on the palate than I expected, with some (good) yeasty bread flavors joining the party. The oak speaks up a little, but softly. It's all good. I can't decide about the finish -- it's long but the sweet flavors don't fare well against some sourness from the apples and oak. But I do like this -- it's youthful and profound at the same time.

score: 86

Review #18: Singtom Estate BPS "In-Between" and Singbulli Estate SFTGFOP1

maybe I'll get some work done tonight

or maybe not. either way, two Darjeelings bought from Upton. These are teas, not whiskies, by the way.

Singtom BPS In-Between, Organic

well, if "In-Between" is for people who can't decide between first flush and second flush, then that's for me. it costs less than either, too, although it's a lower grade. (I guess "BPS" is just the Darjeeling way of saying Broken Pekoe -- strange I had to look that up when SFTGFOP1 makes perfect sense to me.)

dry vegetal nose with some floral fruit -- like quince or apricots, very faintly. palate is much lighter than I expected -- somehow it imparts the taste of green tannins without the bite. so overall it is a little bit of first flush and a little bit of second flush, but not exactly the best of both worlds. still nice for the price.


Singbulli Estate SFTGFOP1

this one was pricey -- almost 10x as much, I think.

ah, the Benriach 1976 of Darjeeling. Not the finest nose ever, but filled with tropical fruit (pineapple, lychee) and the herbaceousness is less stemmy and more herbal (as in fines herbes). it's all very delicate, of course, and on the palate it's already a memory, but some new flavors -- almond paste, buttercups -- come in with the aftertaste.

very nice, but you could miss it all if you weren't paying close attention.