These are my tasting notes and results from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 57th #BlindDrams evening. These drams were picked by Callum, Jamie & Fiona @cjfrenton.bsky.social malt-musings.blogspot.com/2025/09/btc5...

Tonight’s #BlindDrams hosted by us three Rentons (the Triumvirate, being three rulers) showcased whiskies from distilleries which are no more than 30 years old (Tridecadal, being a *ChatGPT word* for a 30 year period) - in honour of Lochranza Distillery’s (and Jamie’s) 30th birthday this year!

5 Score Another great dram Score at least 4 #BlindDrams

5F Long, meaty, loads of yummy sulphur, smoke #BlindDrams

5P Struck matchstick, smoke, background peat, burnt meat ends, sweet and sticky #BlindDrams

5N Salted caramel, fresh grass, Caramac bar, prickly, high abv, cordite, lots of sulphur #BlindDrams

4 Score An obvious 5 #BlindDrams

4F Long, salty, toffee, coastal, lemons #BlindDrams

4P Delicious, salted lemons, Seahouses, apples, toffee, rich and salty #BlindDrams

4N Another deep orange colour, peated fruits, oily, some coastal notes, farmyard/hay, freshly cut peat, best nose of the night #BlindDrams

Scores so far from me 🤪 Dot 1: 3.7 Dot 2: 3.8 Dot 3: 3.3 #BlindDrams

#BlindDrams #BTC57 Dram 3 is a really lovely progression from dram 2. Really nice. Expertly put together @cjfrenton.bsky.social

3 Score No failures yet, another good dram, score 3 #BlindDrams

3F Quite long, chocolate, herby, smoke, milky coffee #BlindDrams

3P High abv, syrup, rubber, butter smoke, jammy dark chocolate, more pepper with water, surely Sherry? #BlindDrams

3N Oh, something extra here, Sherry or rum?, jammy, deep orange/Drambuie, just a hint of peat or char, rubber #BlindDrams

2 Score Another good dram, prefer dram 1, so a score of 3 #BlindDrams

2F Medium length, meaty, moreish, slight bitter note, gentle smoke #BlindDrams

2P Hay smoke, beef/umami note, burnt meat ends, salted black beans, smoky Ribena #BlindDrams

2N Fresh, beehive, hay, touch of salt, blackcurrant cough lozenges #BlindDrams

1 Score Yes, good start, a fraction too spicy for me but otherwise it’s a very good 4 #BlindDrams

1F Lingering salt, bourbon, quite sweet, peppery #BlindDrams

1P Thick and oily, black pepper, high abv, spicy, bourbon, salt, wee-toonesque, sticky rice #BlindDrams

1N Salt, orchard fruit, high 50s abv, bourbon, toffee apples, deep and rich, oily, some mild floral notes #BlindDrams

All set for #BTC57 organised by @cjfrenton.bsky.social Wee Rentons’ Triumvirate Tridecadal Party #BlindDrams

5 Score Best of the night. Must be a 4 or 5. #BlindDrams

5F Long, peaty, smooth and sweet. Jammy. #BlindDrams

5P Delish, how can anyone not like this?!, transports me to the west coast, peat cuts through the sweetness, antiseptic #BlindDrams

5N Fire and brimstone, ooft I’ve woken up, dirty peat, some fruitiness peeking through the smoke, like Torabhaig AG batch strength #BlindDrams

4 Score Of it’s type, I’ve had better, it’s decent, it’s okay, it’s fine, a middling 3 #BlindDrams

4F Medium length, slight liner of peat, okay #BlindDrams

4P Sweet, honey, Cornflakes, some peat, slight bitterness, acetone, ham, umami, medicine cabinet, water makes it too sweet for me and washes away much of the flavour #BlindDrams

4N Another fresh nose, honey, tiny bit of peat, walking down a country lane in the summer, machair, beeswax, summer flowers, a little bit of earth #BlindDrams

3 Score Yum, really enjoyed it, at least a 4 (and close to a 5). #BlindDrams

3F Decent length, mix of honey sweetness and salty coastal notes. #BlindDrams

3P Bourbon, salt, sweet, high 50s abv, honey, really enjoying this dram, water makes it even better #BlindDrams

3N Fresh, some salt, bourbon hay, honey, tropical fruits, mango, some treacle, best nose of the night so far #BlindDrams

2 Score Such a promising nose again but dirty laundry isn’t really my thing, so a score of 2. #BlindDrams

2F Initially a lingering off note of dirty laundry, quite a short finish that disappears to nothing #BlindDrams

2P Slightly viscous, lower abv than the first dram, honey, inside of a Locket, old work socks which is a bit off putting #BlindDrams

2N Slightly darker orange, fresh with just a hint of funk, hay mixed with honey, faint vanilla pod, another promising nose #BlindDrams

1 Score Nose was promising, too oak spicy on the palate for me. As I can’t give it 1.494 I’ll score it a 2 or 3. #BlindDrams

1F Drying, long, spicy, slightly bitterness at the end #BlindDrams

1P Lots of oak spice, high abv, tastes younger than the nose, pepper, apple tarte tatin, cinnamon, pineapple cubes, salty, water gives spiced apples drizzled with runny honey #BlindDrams

1N Pale orangey-yellow, bourbon, salty, fresh, unpeated, stewed apples, pineapple mayweed, background oak spice, very promising nose #BlindDrams

Ready to go! #BlindDrams

5 Score Best dram of the night and a very well deserved 4 #BlindDrams