Lambertus 10 YO Single Grain Whisky

I first tasted this Jan 12 2014. I know this because i posted a comment to @victor’s review of this whisky (found here) connosr.com/reviews/radermacher-belgium/…

At the time I was less than impressed. Since then, I’ve read comments about whiskies that people covet BECAUSE they are so bad, so they can be shared with either unsuspecting victims or people with an interest. When I asked my friend if he had any left so I could have a sample to review, he offered me the whole bottle.

As we all know, time and air can affect whisky. So I wondered, can it be as bad as I remember? Or worse?

This bottle has been open for about a year and a half without gas, and has about 50-100 cc missing. It is reviewed in the order I experienced it, writing as I go.

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Nose:

Not as bad as I wrote in my post. I don’t smell the “hoarder’s house smell” I previously describe. Having had corn on the cob today with lunch, I can say it doesn’t smell like the empty cob either. Leaving it in the glass a little longer, a few things do hit my nose (in the order I noticed them): fruits, dust. Maybe a bit of sweat on the “finish” of the nose. There remains something off. The alcohol is more than peaking through. Definitely some fruit (like a glenfiddich 12). Then on one sniff I got a faint hit of cat urine (I do not believe, for one moment, that anyone could ever say “in a good way”). I believe the smell of staleness is now coming through (about 10 min after pouring, the glass covered between sniffs.

Given that this is bottled at 40%, I get the impression that this is weak in the nose. It needs covering to concentrate the smells to be able to really notice them. While this might improve something like a glenlivet 12, concentrating the nose here does it no favours. Starting to get a little nauseous, 15 minutes out.

I am going to, with trepidation, try the “modified Ashok manoeuvre”, warming the glass with the air coming out of my desktop for about 5 min. Then: First impression, the smell of a bandage being removed from an infected diabetic foot ulcer. Yes, definitely polymcrobial, maybe a bit of betadine residue. It could have been worse...

Taste:

Ughh. Sorry. Alcohol on the arrival, sweat and decay in the development. Something awful in the finish. 2 sips were all I could manage. There is a sourness that is not flattering.

Water did nothing for this (perhaps a good thing).

Traditionally rated:

Nose: 10 Taste: 0 (no redeeming value, can I give negative numbers?) Finish: 0 Balance: 10

But really, it does not merit a number, as it is not something that ought to be consumed, in my humble opinion.

I am thankful this one was not available in cask strength.

I look forward to offering it to people to try out of interest.