Turntable Track 06 All My Life
Blended Scotch Whisky | 46% ABV
Sorry, but I like the Foo Fighters.
Dark chocolate, blue cheese, dry crackers? Everyone has their opinions on the best whisky pairing and while these are all valid (bar oatcakes which are just stale cardboard) for me it’s music.
I enjoy sharing and conversing with whisky friends around a whisky, but there are few things greater than sinking into a comfy chair with a dram and a carefully curated playlist, or just diving into a back catalogue of your favourite band. There’s a song, artist or album for every pour.
I never imagined a whisky review site could be the place for me to chat about music, or more specifically the Foo Fighters, But Here We Are. This American alt-rock band has had a huge impact on multiple stages of my life. Yes, do expect puns bad enough to make you Grohl.
Don’t worry though, this review is more than me breaking down albums One By One, there will be sufficient whisky lubrication between the tales of my formative years. I will apologise to the editors now, this jumps between dates and times so often it’s enough to confuse Christopher Nolan.
A brilliant piece by Fergus covers scotch and sounds in his review of Turntable Paradise Funk, so I hope this provides a different groove to a similar beat. Cellophane wrapped vinyl lived in my dad’s cupboard, like giant grooved frisbees. For me though, it started in the CD era of the 1990s. I vividly remember the excitement of opening a Jewel case, only to find broken little pieces of plastic and the disc untethered, with me worrying it was too scratched to play smoothly. I’m Waiting On A War in the comments between digital vs vinyl but, to be fair, These Days the big vinyl resurgence is strong.
My first experience of the Foo’s was similar to my first experience of Whisky. While I wasn’t initially interested in The Colour and The Shape of the liquid, stealing swigs of Glenfiddich 12yo from the top cupboard awoke something in me, just like the title track from that 1997 album. Wild, heavy, but with passion and a carefulness which stood out from the noise. It was messy, exciting and also what kickstarted the whisky world I adore today. Now, a decade later, I’ve started to really revel in the joy of whisky, albeit in a much more mature environment, with less theft.
Growing up surrounded by classic “lager lads” cracking open tinnies, I quickly found it to be both pretty flavourless and uninspiring. Yes, even in my early 20s I was already pretty pretentious. I became “that guy” who would bring fruity ciders, ginger wine, Amaretto or spiced rum. Yet, quickly it all began to feel a bit “one-note” sometimes “sharp” sometimes “flat”; just alcohol for the sake of alcohol. A dangerous habit hole to go down. But in time it led me to my whisky passion and, once there, I knew there was No Way Back.
Monkey Shoulder to Haig Club, Talisker 10yo to Glenlivet 15yo and all the supermarket favourites, I was amazed with the wild contrasts of flavours and styles. Sometimes smokey and powerful, then others floral and sweet. It was magic.
Similarly this world of contrast matched the album that lived inside my Bush personal CD player for years; more than any other: The Foo Fighters double album of In Your Honor.
Disk one was filled with heavy hitters: In Your Honor, Best of You and DOA. Then the second disk, in contrast, is almost an acoustic affair. Soft flows with introspective and heartwarming tracks: Cold Day In The Sun and Razor. Just like whisky: Ardbegs and Aultmores, Lagavulins and Linkwoods.
The years passed and the whisky passion built like a bridge into a chorus: sample swaps, live tastings and - dare I admit - the dark dungeon of Reddit all fed the fire of discovery. After years of supermarket exploration, my first taste of the “bottle hunt” was soon on.
While most went for Springbank, it was Kilkerran for me. More importantly, the Kilkerran 16 year old first release of 2021. I thought I was prepared, then I experienced what makes those whisky chats light up with rage. A bottle found and placed in the online basket, only to be kicked out at the last hurdle due to a lack of haste with the frantic registration and checkout. A gut punch.
Fortunately I was better prepared come 2022’s release; mouse ready, card details already saved, I wasn’t missing my chance this time. It took me three different attempts but the actual bottle sitting proudly on my shelf was all the sweeter for the struggle.
Back in 2014, the Foo Fighters kicked off their tour of Sonic Highways. My older brother got us tickets to see them in London with opening acts of Iggy Pop and Royal Blood. I was pumped. To this day I can still see the tickets forever pinned to my notice board. Due to a widely documented tour incident, they were never redeemed. Frontman Dave Grohl took a tumble, breaking his leg. The set finished with a paramedic holding his foot together on stage. Our show was cancelled. Another gut punch.
Four years later, the album Concrete and Gold was released. While not my favourite, I wasn’t missing out again. I was better prepared. A lifelong friend and I secured our tickets and booked our bus to London Stadium. The four-hour bus slowly became seven hours. Awful traffic all the way was bad enough, but we hit gridlock inside the streets of the Big Smoke. I wasn’t missing my chance this time.
Knowing the stadium was only three miles away and that the opening acts had already started, we rolled the dice, jumped off the stranded bus and started running. Half a mile later, a painful check of the pockets revealed our tickets were still on the bus. Another gut punch.
Fortunately the bus only moved about 10 yards and, to the confusion of our driver, we reboarded to find the golden tickets to happiness waiting for us.
Back on the run, we somehow covered that Long Road To Ruin all the way to the stadium. As security patted us down we realised we’d made it just in time to see the last of the warm up acts. We’d made it. I can’t remember much of the show but, once more, it was all the sweeter for the struggle.
I’ve cut a huge chunk out of this copy which meandered through connections of Blended Scotch with the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, while revisiting whisky through reflections on The Bee Gees covers album Hail Satin, and trying to determine if grunge whisky exists. As fun as it was to write, I’ll spare you the reminiscing for another time and instead move to the crescendo of connecting music and whisky, and how similarly they can make us feel.
Musically, for me, nothing compares to the pure raw emotion of being surrounded by 90,000 people, singing, laughing, dancing and crying at a live music concert, especially an epic event such as the Taylor Hawkins Tribute show.
A six hour salute to the band's drummer with acts spanning Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, through Stewart Copeland, Paul McCartney and Brian Johnson. Certainly the “Band Aid” of my time. You can find the livestream online if you know where to hunt for it… My Hero once again managed the impossible and got us tickets. We weren't missing out, not this time, and we certainly were prepared. An early morning drive, tickets printed, downloaded and on our phones. Ready.
Close to the front with a barrier to lean on, we rode our emotions through the entire experience in a flash. Closing out with Everlong, shoulder to shoulder with strangers-come-friends, we celebrated the joy of music and people.
I realise today, despite not enjoying whisky at that particular moment, it’s proven to me that it’s capable of doing very similar things.
The only thing I’d forgotten, that time, was the hip flask.
Review 1/2 - Gilbert
Turntable Track 06, All My Life, Blended Scotch Whisky, 46% ABV
£65-70 and still some availability
Before we dive into this review, I Got a Confession to Make. This bottle was provided to Dramface HQ then deflected to me. The timing was perfect and, when it was proffered, I couldn’t not get excited by the naming of the bottle; perfectly smashing my emotion elevators together. But in truth, this was months back. Sorry about that.
I have been remarkably fortunate to have tried an impressive range from Turntable; six if my spreadsheet is up to date, and all have impressed. From the Purple Haze - which was a little on the sulphuric side for me - to the fantastic rum and raisin delight of Bittersweet Symphony; all have also provided a fantastic level of transparency with a full blend breakdown for anyone who cares.
This All My Life is made up of:
21% Glenallachie 1st fill ex Woodford barrels
14% Balblair Limousin oak XO octaves
16% Benriach 1st fill bourbon barrels
30% Knockdhu 1st fill oloroso Sherry butt
19% North British bourbon barrels
Nose
Apple sauce, croissants and lemon drizzled pancakes, this is a confused continental breakfast on the nose. Lots of fresh fruit, ripe pears and a soft pine wood hint. It really reminds me of Deanston 18, so much so I’ll have to pop the cork on that and compare later.
Palate
A good creamy texture brings in plenty of cinnamon, honey and a mild lactic note; like a whiff of soft cheese smeared over a honey and oat loaf of bread. The grainy element is present with sugar mice sweetness and a bit of a chalky mouthfeel. It’s like a melted Müller corner: the yoghurt along with the strawberry compote as well as the plastic packaging too.
A slight rubbery finish hangs around for a while, which gets sweeter and sweeter over time. The finish leaves an almost burnt, dry sugar texture on the palate.
The Dregs
Not quite the bombastic blend that I was expecting, this is possibly the softest release from Turntable yet (so much so I feared that the remarkably loose cork on this one may have subdued it?).
But let’s not dwell on softness as a negative, alongside the sweetness and the balance, it actually highlights the fact an impressive and harmonious blend has been brought together.
With three Speyside acts, supported by a Highlander and a Lowland grain - with half of them playing the bourbon instruments - they’ve put together a show that might not read like they’d sound or taste particularly great together, yet they do.
Next time; whether close to the front at a barrier, or slumped in that comfy chair for a playlist, this would be as perfect a pick as any to sing along with.
Score: 6/10
Review 2/2 - Wally
Turntable Track 06, All My Life, Blended Scotch Whisky, 46% ABV
£70 paid, still some availability
The good folks at Turntable sorted us out with a bottle or two of various ‘Tracks’ a few months back. After distributing them out to the team, I purchased this latest All My Life edition myself, from Glasgow’s Good Spirits Co. I’ve bought most of their core range releases and enjoyed each of them.
Despite many pals embracing the bottles and concepts from Turntable, we remain susceptible to spewing forth the inevitable “expensive for a blend” nonsense. We never learn. Sipping them blind against similarly priced whiskies - malts or otherwise - usually sets the tone much better, before a little further reading about the components - thanks to the cracking bottle labels - hammers it home. This is the cost of it. It can’t easily be done much cheaper.
Nose
This is a sweet whisky and it noses as such; burnt sugars and crème brûlée (one day I’ll memorise the accents for that dessert and not need to copy and paste from Google) with plenty of vanilla. A little Germolene/root beer/ sasparilla too, with sweet red berries, nutmeg and shortcake biscuit.
Palate
It arrives smartly dressed. I see, with the name, where Gilbert might have been expecting something a little grungier. It isn’t, to my mind, grunge whisky which, if it exists, is probably made at Ben Nevis.
It hits softly sweet and refined. Nothing is particularly up front about this, other than it is sweet. Not sickly or cloying, but it’s a dessert-like pour and that fits my mood pretty often.
Luxardo cherries in syrup, treacle, banoffee pie, sweet baked apples and custard. I don’t get anything more lactic than the creamy custard thing, but I know Gilbert is more sensitised than I am to such things. The silky clean, easy delivery of all of these sweeter elements gives a sense of milk chocolate too, but with nuts and raisins à la Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut. A long, sweet, orangey finish.
The Dregs
Labelling guidance for scotch whisky doesn’t permit them to share the age statements on the labels, but you can usually find out a wee bit more about age and vintages with a wee chat, should you have the opportunity at any of their festival appearances or tastings.
I can, however, assure you that you’re right to follow the reaction of your palate; there are no young, cheap whiskies going into these bottlings. The folk behind these releases are whisky nerds, and they are leaning heavily on flavour. It’s meant that some releases, like this, can seem pricey on the shelf. Not so in the glass. They are legitimate, high quality bottlings and deserve an occasional punt.
I also need to remark upon the ABV here, it’s 46% (being mostly malt and un-chill filtered, it needs to be; grain whisky cares less about a cloudy mood when it’s at low ABV and cold) but it drinks like 40%. That’s not to suggest it lacks texture or detail, but the maturity and poise served alongside its sweeter elements place it as a perfect pour for those of us who have ABV-shy friends along to our music n’ whisky nights.
I’m here to back up Gilbert on his 6/10, but I suspect, on the right evening, with the right accompaniments, it’d rise to at least a 7/10.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. GG
Other opinions on this:
Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.