Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Port Charlotte PC10 Review

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Port Charlotte PC10IMG_1085

59.8% abv

Score:  90/100

 

Tro Na Linntean.  Through the generations.  I like it.  Not because it’s yet another clever riff on Gaelic naming conventions (those seemingly being used on every second expression from the Scottish isles lately), but because it is actually meaningful in this case.

Just weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to have Bruichladdich’s Allan Logan come through town and host an evening for the Dram Initiative whisky club.  Allan is the distillery’s Production Director, aka ‘the guy in charge’.  He made whisky waves years back by becoming Scotland’s youngest distillery manager at the ripe ol’ age of 28.  With Jim McEwan’s retirement last year, Allan stepped up to lead the Laddie team into the next era.  This PC10 was one of the malts we poured for the club that night, and it allowed for a great opportunity for Allan to share the story of the ‘passing of the torch’, so to speak.  Indeed, his visage is even emblazoned on the tin packaging.  This whisky has his DNA all over it (figuratively speaking).  Y’see now how it makes sense that a malt would be named ‘through the generations’ when it commemorates a changing of the guard?  Neato.

More important than capturing a moment in time, however, is capturing a great whisky in the bottle.  And holy hell, did they ever.  All the ferocious might of the cask strength PC line is on bombastic full display here, but ten years slumber in the barrel has imparted a seriously impressive cohesiveness and softening influence.  Now, now, peatheads, rest assured this is no gentle giant.  It is just as huge as its forebears, but now bears the hallmarks of maturity and those sublime clean vanilla-infused cask notes we relish.  I can only imagine what Port Charlotte will be like at 15 or 18 years of age.  Hopefully Team Turquoise are sitting on some maturing barrels that have been earmarked for just this purpose.

Score:  90.  But you do know I’m an unapologetic peat-o-phile, aye?

Nose:  Earthy, downhome farmy peat and smoke, of course, but those are no-brainers in a PC.  Those familiar with the line will likely pick up that cola syrup sweetness meets butyric butteriness meets fairly assertive citrus (more lime than lemon?).  Now toss in some soft fruity notes (something reminds of grilled, caramelized pineapple).  Lovely, in other words.  A faint welly rubber note.  Ash and char.  It’s briny and seaside-ish and all that, but I’m a little surprised at the softer, creamier edge here.  Granted this is older than other PCs I’ve tried.  A touch of caramel and eucalyptus too.

Palate:  Bam!  Smoke and damp ash.  Sea water.  Lemon on smoked oysters.  Salt and pepper.  Oak notes are somewhat drying.  Some nice heavily toasted (read: almost burnt) pastry flavours.  You can taste the smoky malted barley (all sweet rich cereal, organic, smoky notes).  Salt licorice and green apple.

Thoughts:  Gorgeous.  A loooooong, slooooow sipping malt.  Take your time with this one.  Turn on a little ‘Soul Station’ by Hank Mobley, lean back and close your eyes.  Just…like…that.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Bowmore The Devil’s Casks Small Batch Release II 10 y.o.

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Bowmore The Devil’s Casks Small Batch Release II 10 y.o.IMG_1205

56.3% abv

Score: 89/100

 

We probably all know the story of Islay’s ’round church’ by now, aye?  Also known as the Kilarrow Parish Church, this place of worship was designed to a circular footprint, theoretically leaving no corner in which the devil could hide.  Hmmm.  Ok then.

The marketing people behind Bowmore couldn’t possibly leave a tale this rich unexploited (and let’s face it…nor would I).  They expounded upon this fragmentary bit of lore, insisting that the devil had indeed been discovered in the church, from whence he was driven by the native Ileachs, running directly down the hill and through the gates of the Bowmore distillery, before sealing himself in a cask of single malt whisky bound for the mainland.

Clever gimmickry aside – and this is certainly that – I have to admit that the story isn’t the only great thing about this whisky.  The malt is actually quite spectacular.  If I’d have gotten ’round to tackling this review sooner, I’d also have lauded the brand for pairing their pitch with an age statement.  The first and second releases of the Devil’s Casks were 10 year olds.  Unfortunately – knuckling under to exactly what NAS opponents fear-  after establishing a brand with a rabid following Suntory yanked the numbers off the bottle, jacked the prices sky high and hope we’ll simply accept this expression as yet another entry in the parade of NAS deceivers that continue marching past in this age of immediate financial gratification over long term reputation tarnishing.

Needless to say, I’m now on record as saying grab the first or second if you can find them, skip the third.  On principle, if nothing else.

But let’s get back on topic.  This particular 10 year old heavily-sherried beast is a monster.  A beautiful monster.  Sweet jammy fruit notes smash headlong into the oceanic peatiness we crave from Islay’s shores.  The result is intoxicating (beyond the physical effects).  This and the Laimrig (great bedfellows for side-by-side sipping sessions, I might add) should be the distillery’s focal point going forward.  Hey, if Ardbeg can pitch Uigeadail and Corryvreckan as core range stalwarts, why can’t Bowmore do likewise with hefty cask-strength offerings?

As I’ve said before, Bowmore is killing it with their current run of releases.  Perhaps the talents of Ms. Rachel Barrie at work?  Who knows.  Lovin’ it either way.

Nose: Lots and lots of sherry.  Wow.  Raspberry, strawberry, mint, pepper and smoke.  Immediately enamouring.  Damp hay and ocean breeze.  Milk chocolate.   A fair bit of iodine.  Both meaty and spicy.  Dark and oily.  Wet soil.

Palate:  Big, big arrival.  And very sweet.  Smoky and ashy.  Mixed berry jam on burnt toast.  Salty and coastal.  Dries a little, letting the barley step forward a bit from behind the peat and sherry.  Black Forest cake.  Tea.  Some licorice and plum. Leaves behind big smoky, tarry ropes of apple and barley sweetness.

Thoughts:  This is one of the best contemporary 10 year old malts I’ve ever encountered.  Vibrant and full of life.

Thanks to my mate, Mike M, for sharing this one.  Enjoyed the hell out of it.  Cheers, Mike!

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Bowmore Laimrig 15 y.o. (2014)

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Bowmore Laimrig 15 y.o. (2014)135

54.1% abv

Score: 90/100

 

Oops.  Just discovered that I’d somehow missed publishing this one.  Thankfully I had saved a hefty sample from one of the bottles that got drained ’round here.  Yes, bottles.  This is a great malt for sharing and showing off the incredible strides Bowmore has made in recent years.

Longtime readers will know that in earlier years I had a bit of a ‘hit and miss’ (read: mostly miss) relationship with Bowmore.  Too many floral notes.  Happy to report, as I have before, that Bowmore seems to have sorted all that out and moved more into fruits than flowers.  Their recent sherried expressions are absolutely top notch.

I should note before diving into tasting notes that Laimrig seems to be a little drier and richer in spice and chocolate now than earlier batches, which were all jams and macerated fruits.  Don’t get me wrong, this is still a sweetie of a malt, but if you had a chance to try the earliest edition or two…wow.  I wouldn’t call this slippage; just a slightly different cask composition.  And the age statement remains, which we love.

I’ll be buying this indefinitely.  Great malt from Islay’s oldest distillery.

Nose: Chocolate and deep dark caramel.  Jammy, rich fruit notes.  Smoke.  Deep on the spice, nicely integrated though.  Smoky grape juice.  There’s something a little softer and creamier here than expected too.  Some sort of candy.  Chocolate cake.

Palate: Good.  Really good.  Not as great as earlier editions, but unquestionably top 5 for me in terms of 15 year olds.  Arrives rather dry, but turns mouthwatering.  Lots of smoke.  Fisherman’s Friend cough drops.  Rubber and earthy notes.  Finishes on smoked apple skins.

Thoughts:  Brilliant smoky and sweet collision.  Bottled at a great age.  One of my favorite affordable standard releases going.

 

– Images & Words:  Curt

Port Ellen 12th Release Review

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Port Ellen 12th Release049

52.5% abv

Score:  94/100

 

Nearing the end of this run of Port Ellen OB reviews.  One more after this (the 5th release), but I may hold off on that one in favour of sharing notes on a few others.  We’ll see.

Anyway…there’s a reason I saved this one for the back end.  I was sort of edging toward it as nearing the apex of the line (those I’ve tried anyway).  Notice I said ‘nearing’.  Basically, we saved the best for last.  This and the 5th are bloody mind blowing.

We’ve spoken much of Port Ellen in the past couple weeks, so let’s keep it short here.  This is another 1979, but bottled in 2012 this time.  32 years young, and still vibrant and radiant.  The gorgeous soft fruit notes that collide with the aromas of ‘all things Islay’ makes for not so much a rollercoaster ride, but a gently rolling, ebbing and flowing of subtle changes.  It’s the tart grapefruit notes on the palate, though, that had me salivating.  Mixing melon and grapefruit with ‘old whisky aroma’ (OWA) is a rare treat and absolutely harmonious.  In short…love this whisky.  Immensely.  Port Ellen has an incredible hype behind it.  This is why.

Limited to a mere 2,964 bottles, and generally sold with a price tag that is in and around those same numbers now.

Nose:  Melon.  And more melon.  Watermelon, to be exact.  Fishy, seaside notes and damp grass (if any of you have been to Islay, imagine sitting up on the Battery behind Bowmore distillery).  Soft milk chocolate.  Oily, even on the nose.  Warm leather.  Lemongrass.  Soft and creamy.  Pepper and peat.  Smoke, of course, but far off and ‘home-y’.

Palate:  Chocolate.  Beautiful, rich grapefruit and grapefruit pith notes bring tartness to the balance the sweet.  Oak is strong and sharp, in a good way.  Lots of lemon and citric notes.  The smoke grows with diffusion.  Drying at first, but then juicy and mouthwatering.

Thoughts:  Beautiful balance of sweet and sour.  Tart and tangy.  One of the top three Port Ellen I’ve ever tried.  Utterly magic.

*Sincere thanks to the anonymous gent who kindly poured this, and several other, Port Ellen for me at a recent gathering.  Unforgettable.  Slainte.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Port Ellen 11th Release Review

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Port Ellen 11th Release056

53.9% abv

Score:  93.5/100

 

We’re creeping up a little here in terms of age and quality in this run of Port Ellen annual releases.  At the same time, the outturn is shrinking.  This release was limited to 2,988 bottles, dropping down below 3,000 for the first time in the series run.  That should tell you something about the scarcity of remaining Port Ellen stocks, one of the industry’s best kept secrets (and part of what allows extravagant and unquestionable pricing policy).

But that’s just metadata and speculation.  Let’s leave that for other writings and just stick to the ‘porn-esque’ fantasy highs of simply basking in all the magic that makes Port Ellen special.

This 11th release is unquestionably one the best expressions of the distillery I’ve yet encountered out of the dozens of PEs I’ve been lucky enough to taste.  It doesn’t quite reach the stratospheric heights of the 5th or 12th release, but I think this one may rest in a bronze position.  The independents are a little more hit and miss, but the distillery bottlings are remarkably consistent and, as you can imagine, are mostly variations on a theme (a perfect theme…something like Miles’ ‘Kind Of Blue’).  This one is no exception, and fits perfectly into the PE mould.  I’ve not yet tried Port Ellen 1-4 or 7, but until I do let’s just say this one is my third favorite.

The soft and delicate nose, as is almost always the case with Port Ellen, is given a strong counterpoint with how much oomph is packed into the palate.  This isn’t so much an imbalance as it is a contrast that shows the inherent beauty in each separate facet and the stunning whole they achieve together.  At 32 years old (1979 distillate, bottled in 2011) this one still has a lot of vibrancy in it.  Hopefully we’re not approaching the end of these remarkable old malts.  I’m dying to know what a 40 or 50 year old Port Ellen tastes like.  Perhaps that’s my grail malt.

Nose:  Oh, wow.  What a gorgeous nose.  Grassy.  Roman nougat.  Oceanic winds.  Lemon meringue pie.  Lime.  Earthy and smoky.  Pastry notes.  Smells like Gramma’s pantry.  Subtle and appealing farminess.  Chocolate.  Cranberry scones.

Palate:  Peat and ash.  Smokes oysters and lemon.  Lemon zest too.  Salt.  Burnt seafood.  Licorice.  Over-steeped tea (in the manner it dries along the sides of the mouth and tongue.  Fruit skins.

Thoughts:  Strong oaky back end seems very much in line with what I’d expected.  Sublime older Port Ellen.  One of the best I’ve ever tried.

*Sincere thanks to the anonymous gent who kindly poured this, and several other, Port Ellen for me at a recent gathering.  Unforgettable.  Slainte.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Port Ellen 10th Release Review

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Port Ellen 10th Release058

54.6% abv

Score:  92.5/100

 

Apologies.  I’ve been slower getting these Port Ellen reviews posted than I’d hoped.  February is a bit of a messy month.  Bear with me.  Still a couple more to go.

This 10th Annual release from the good folks of Diageo came second (in terms of tasting order, not ranking) in an absolutely stunning range of Port Ellen I was fortunate enough to try recently with a group of friends.  I’d read incredible things about it, and this particular expression was one of the ones I was most looking forward to trying.  I think, by the end of the night, I ranked it slightly lower than I figured I would, but let’s face it…this is like comparing Ferraris.  We may have our favorites, but they’re all pretty damn spectacular.

Most of these official releases (all, up to and including the 14th) are either 1978 or 1979 vintages.  This one, being the tenth in a series that started in 2001, was a 1978 and was bottled in 2010, making it a 31 year old.  The outturn was a mere 3,000 bottles, all of which were quickly scooped by the collectors and connoisseurs.  The retail back then?  Hmmm…just breaking four figures I think.

I should note before jumping into tasting notes that the nose on this PE was stunning.  A gorgeous soft profile that lived up to what all good flavour experiences strive for: a balance of sweets and sours, but also boasting an individuality that makes it entirely recognizable for what it is.  Beautiful old Port Ellen.  The palate is a little different, but still…wow.  Just wow.

Nose:  Milk chocolate.  Soft peach.  Smells of old books.  Citrus, but mostly grapefruit (one of my favorite aromas in whisky).  Faintest pink bubblegum.  “OWA” (old whisky aroma).  Sugar cookies.  Wooden buckets of sea water.  Peat and smoke are simply background dressing here, adding complexity and character.

Palate:  Grassy and herbal, with smells of green tea.  Chocolate again.  Pepper and brine.  A squeeze of lemon.  The peat explodes with a bite after a second or two, in a bigger fashion the the nose would lead you to believe.  Leaves a smokiness behind that is only hinted at on the nose.  Long finish.

Thoughts:  Softer than the 9th release, and a rather different animal, I think.

*Sincere thanks to the anonymous gent who kindly poured this, and several other, Port Ellen for me at a recent gathering.  Unforgettable.  Slainte.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Port Ellen 13th Release Review

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Port Ellen 13th Release042

55% abv

Score:  93/100

 

2013’s official Port Ellen release.  I’m not sure what this one retailed for when it hit the open market, and quite frankly not really interested in hunting that information down, to be honest.  The reality is that it’s now long gone and well beyond what I’m willing to pay for a bottle anyway.

Having said that, a friend of mine who has a warm heart for sharing, a passion for great whisky and really good taste was kind enough to pour this for me just days back.  This and several others which we’ll cover in the coming days actually.  As you can imagine I was diligently taking notes, as were most others in our little collective.

I’ve been questioned about the value of these high end malt reviews before, as in theory they really only pertain to a very small and extremely specific audience.  I spent quite a while mulling over that line of thought before ultimately dismissing it.  I think, because there are very few individuals that will actually get their hands on whiskies like this, that it’s absolutely important to share details.  Otherwise there’s a very small data set regarding these malts that exists in the wider whisky world.  The more information, the better, aye?

Anyway…this is one of the oldest PEs I’ve tried, having spun ’round the sun 34 times since its 1978 birth.  And age is definitely a huge factor in the end product’s character.  Earlier Diageo Port Ellens boasted much more heft, prickling vibrancy and bigger smoke.  This is an exercise in austerity.  Not sure which I prefer, to be honest, but I can tell you this one is a classic beauty.  Islay with age is magic.

Limited run of just 2,958 (highly coveted) bottles.

Nose:  So soft.  Everything is fading and settling into mature austerity by this age.  Nice toasted notes.  Smoke, but not big billows.  Vanilla.  Soft lemon.  Fruit cocktail in syrup.  Mild milk and white chocolate.  Nice warm farmy, barnyard aromas.  Peat and briny, seaside notes.  A slight sourness of fruits.

Palate:  Lemony and very oily.  Much smokier here than the nose belies (and we like that).  Green tea and a general herbaceousness.  Tastes very mature.  Quite soft, all told, for 55% Islay malt.  Hay.  Fruit candy sweetness.  Soft white fruits.

Thoughts:  Gorgeous.  Rich, big and elegant.  Port Ellen in all its inherent singularity and complexity (if that makes any sense).

*Sincere thanks to the anonymous gent who kindly poured this, and several other, Port Ellen for me at a recent gathering.  Unforgettable.  Slainte.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Port Ellen 15th Release Review

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Port Ellen 15th Release037

53.9% abv

Score:  92/100

 

As of January, 2016, this is the most current Diageo Port Ellen annual release.  And it is a doozy.  Though not necessarily in the ways you might expect.  Let me explain…

As we’ve discussed here a few times, Port Ellen closed 33 years ago this May.  It had been distilling from 1967 through 1983, after having been shuttered from 1929 up until that point in the mid sixties.  Simple math tells us that the entire supply of Port Ellen that our generations have seen hit the market was from a 16 year production window.  That speaks volumes (pun aside) about how much Port Ellen may still be napping in Diageo’s warehouses (very little, I assume).  Also telling is the fact that all previous annual releases were either 1978 or 1979 distillate.  This 15th release is an ’83.  Hmmmm…what?

It’s long been rumoured that Diageo has been sourcing back PE casks from some of the independent bottlers.  The name most often mentioned is Douglas Laing.  Whether there is truth to the mutterings is not likely something that either party is willing to disclose, but it is whispered that Diageo exhausted their own stores and have subsequently restocked via buybacks.  Hence…a 1983 release this time.  Coincidentally, you may notice that many of the Douglas Laing releases have been from the 1980s, suggesting that this may indeed have been the source of Diageo’s rumoured pillaging.

Enough conspiratorial nattering.

A few nights back I was fortunate enough to be part of a private little gathering that sipped our way from the 9th release through the 15th release (with a little extra for ‘afters’).  Over the coming days I’ll share the details for each of these expressions.  I thought maybe we’d start here, with arguably the most atypical of the whole series.  Anomalous though it may be (due to it’s darker complexities and a seemingly more sherried profile), it is still an absolute barnstormer of a malt.

Cost prohibitive, of course, but Port Ellen is becoming as scarce as integrity in the whisky world these days.  This 32 year old was a limited release of 2,964 (grossly overpriced) bottles.  Oh yeah…and it really is utterly magic.

Nose:  Hmmm…this is quite an outlier from the rest of the Diageo PE OBs.  Almost Sherry-ish.  Rich in creamy toffee/butterscotch notes.  Dough.  Cinnamon.  Very toasted.  Iodine and medicinal notes.  Quite briny and citric.  Farmy too.  Dried fruits.  And also some burnt fruit.

Palate:  Smoky, but it’s a big wet smoke.  Burnt caramel.  Kippers.  Lemon.  Chocolate.  Rich, jammy fruits.  Plum skins.  Tarry.  Licorice.  Mocha/coffee.  Quite tart and tannic at the back end, but not unpleasantly so.   Leather and caramel.  Smoked apple.  And yeah…a little earthy and peaty.  Reminds a bit of older sherried Caol Ila.

Thoughts:  I swear this seems sherried.  Delish, but an odd man odd malt from PE.

*Sincere thanks to the anonymous gent who kindly poured this, and several other, Port Ellen for me at a recent gathering.  Unforgettable.  Slainte.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

BenRiach 18 y.o. Albariza Review

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BenRiach 18 y.o. Albariza129

46% abv

Score:  89/100

 

There are a few whisky profiles that really work for me: older bourbon-matured malts that bloom into bold tropical notes; young peat that explodes like pine knots in a bonfire; syrupy, almost overcooked sherry bombs in their third and fourth decades; and malts like this 18 year old Albariza, which marry the gooeyness of rich jammy fruits with the complex subtleties of mature peat.

Put simply, BenRiach absolutely nailed it with the Albariza.  This is one of the sexiest and steamiest marriages of sweet and peat I’ve met so far.  These two alpha whisky styles can either be uncompromising sparring partners or intimate bedfellows.  Fortunately in this case it is the latter.  The peat profile is not quite Islay, in terms of style and make-up, but when rubbing up and down against the rich trappings of sweet PX sherry it manages to emerge in a new guise not dissimilar to Bowmore’s current king-o’-the-hill, Laimrig.

‘Albariza’, for those interested in linguistic marketing origins, is the name of the white soil used for the cultivation of grapes in Andalucía.  A gimmicky name, of course, but so be it, so long as the distillery keeps putting those age statements front and center on the bottles.  It’s when we see the latter disappear in favour of the former that we start to worry.  Moot point here.  As I said…BenRiach really aced this one.  Great malt from one of the most consistently excellent distilleries around.

Nose:  Smoked fruit.  A ‘gooey’, jammy nose.  Damp, peaty notes.  Somewhat farmy, with notes of iodine, pepper and chilis.  Wet leather.  Raspberry and blackberry.  Dried figs and prunes.  Quite ashy.

Palate:  Head-on collision of jammy fruits and ash.  Plums and berry compote.  Threads of smoke and medicinal notes.  Mincemeat.  Very rich.  Damp wood.  Maybe moist tobacco.  Not too, too far off an Islay malt, surprisingly.

Thoughts:  This is like a mainland version of Bowmore Laimrig.  Of course that means I love it.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Strathmill 22 y.o. Cask #10310 (A.D. Rattray) Review

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Strathmill 22 y.o. Cask #10310 (A.D. Rattray)158

58.6% abv

Score:  87.5/100

 

This one was a bit of a shocker.  One of those whiskies that go to show that no matter how much you know, sometimes you just don’t know.  I’d have sworn, when I tasted this for the first time, that this was a bourbon-matured malt.  It was only on returning to it much later, and reading the label properly, that I learned otherwise.  Turns out that this clean and nekkid, spicy l’il gem was actually napping in a sherry barrel for the last couple of decades.  I honestly would never have guessed.  Ammunition for my critics to say I know nothing, I s’pose.  So be it.

So, what do we know about Strathmill?  Not a lot, really.  It’s another of those ‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride’ distilleries in Diageo’s portfolio.  The team at this old Speyside distillery pump out nearly two million litres each year, but nearly all of that output is tankered offsite to Auchroisk for blending away into J&B (and likely other suitably unimpressive blends as well).  Historically this has always been because blends were largely responsible for putting bread on the table, but I can’t help but wonder if now – in this age of single malt explosion – Strathmill is finally destined to see official bottlings of single malt released under its own banner.  If things continue status quo I would think it’s only a matter of time.  Blends just ain’t what they used to be in terms of market share (though they are still a far bigger seller than our beloved malts).

But moving on, let’s look at this independent Strathmill from the good people at A.D. Rattray.  Is it spectacular?  Nah.  But it is utterly enjoyable, and mindbogglingly under-priced around here.  I paid less than $100 for this one just a month or two back.  Sub-century price tags are simply unheard of for bottles over 20 years now.  Who are we kidding?  We’ve hit a point where many 10 year old malts are falling into this price bracket.  Or worse still, NAS malts at three figures (and beyond)!

This was a 631 bottle outturn from a sherry butt…a very dead sherry butt…and hit the shelves in 2012.  If you can still find one…grab it.  Well worth a hundred clams.

Nose:  Big, naked and fruity.  Toasted marchmallow and banana.  Vanilla, white chocolate and pepper.  The depth of spice is the only thing here that really hints at the sherry influence.  A slight eucapytus bite.  It’s all quite soft and custardy though.  I quite like this ‘simple’ profile.  Softens beautifully by the 20 minute mark or so.

Palate:  A very oaky malt.  Slightly grassy, with green tea notes.  Apple and dry grains.  Underripe pear.  Creamy, but with a woody undernote.  Like the last licks of ice cream on a popsicle stick.  A big cereal-rich back end.  Not overly deep, but pleasant throughout.  I like this style.

Thoughts:  I’d guess third fill bourbon barrel.  Honestly.  I think this speaks to early wood policy in some of the less ‘single malt-driven’ distilleries.  It simply wasn’t (isn’t?) a priority to ensure best-barreling for malts that were destined for obscurity; instead just a need for a vessel for at least three years.  Thankfully a few – like this one – survived the blending abattoir.

 

– Images & Words:  Curt