Tastes

, we have arrived. The end of another series. Another variable showing from an emerging Tasmanian heavyweight. We finish tonight on a Tawny (Australian Port) cask. I am of the opinion that port casks are typically good, if not just for the fact they can mask bad spirit. But, none the less, I am typically a port cask enthusiast and score them quite well, they just feel decadent to me. Anyway this final Hobart expression is a eparture from Hobart’s usual Bourbon and Fortified cask recipe. Here, the spirit was matured in a pair of 100 litre Tawny casks for three years before being transferred and finished for just under two years in a fresh 225 litre Tawny Port cask. The expression I’m drinking another hefty cask strength as 58.9% ABV. N: Decadent richness. Thick with brown sugar, plums, gentle allspice and some leather. Gentle barely comes through from underneath and pear/apple sweetness lifts things just enough to keep the balance en pointe. P: Yep, here we go: balance of a decadent silky mouthfeel and rich flavour profile. Deep toasted oak spice, leather, tobacco, bitter tannins. Orange zest savoury malt and a hint of menthol freshness. Sticky date pudding and mocha. F: Medium-long. Satisfying burnt sugar and molasses. Slight hint of bitter espresso, sweet cherry or plum. With no notion of high proof burn I was tempted to finish this without water, but to keep in check with the five before it, I dropped in a dash of water to the Tawny. It really doesn’t seem to do much, it pricks up the palate and draws the crisp apple/pear sweetness from the nose through to the palate and lengthens the palate into a dark chocolate-caramel. It doesn’t need it though. Where Port casks can draw criticism for being too dominant and masking low quality production or bad spirit here there is compliment not masking. The malt is just sufficient to get a show in as a supporting cast member, showing through in the sugary notes and an underlying malty presence that is ever present. Hobart has been intriguing and reaffirms my desire to visit the strange almost operate country to the great southern land I live on. The signature batch conveys a basic character built off of a desire to please the masses with consistency. The cask finishes though are where Hobart spirit apparently shines. I’m not sure I could recognise any one of these as related, suggesting they are beneficiaries of good wood choices,, and whilst the unfinished Muscat is slightly above middling at best, the sheer complexity of the Botrytis and depths of gooey goodness present in the Tawny, let alone the precise nature of the Chardonnay cask make this a brilliant one to watch. If only, if only Australia could chill the heck out on alcohol tax and allow 700 ml bottles to be affordable, then I would be stocking my overflow shelves with Hobart nectar. Slainte. Distiller whisky taste: #196 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5 Chardonnay Cask Finish: 4/5 Tawny Cask: 4.5/5

Number five for Hobart this evening and another as of yet unreleased finish. This one, Chardonnay finish. Apparently this is due to release later this year and that is the entire limit of what I know as I dive into this with an air of ignorance and a growing feeling of inebriation! N: Light and herbal/floral. Plenty of grassy and hay-bale notes lead the way. A slight oat and apple skins. I think there is some barrel char maybe, perhaps this is the ‘raw’ element that came with the label for this unfinished liquid. The malt is toasty and errs towards a milk bread type softness. I quite like the simplicity, it feels refined rather than basic. P: Big and bold there is plenty of bright fresh maltiness, green grassiness and sweet peach. A juicy texture with more toasted notes and a vanilla caramel comes creeping in the back end. The barrel spice is a little strong delivering waves of pepper and perhaps some chilli heat. A little raw I think, but I don’t mind it. F: Long. Butter and milk, milk and butter. White grapes and honeydew melon with oak and a spicy lift. A dash of water and things meld into a buttery white grape rich malty and silky liquid. Everything rough and raw is tamed but the trade off is a unifying meld rather than an amplification. Unique notes become slightly muted, but not in a subtractive way. The caramel extends to the finish and the spice calms. Again, as for the unfinished Muscat finish, there is possibly something really enjoyable waiting to hit the shelves. It has me excited for another chardonnay cask I have in on my samples shelf to enjoy in a month or two. I’m thinking that all the accolades Hobart whisky have won might be deserved, there is something special going on here. Distiller whisky taste: #195 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5 Chardonnay Cask Finish: 4/5

Number four in the Hobart series. I believe this whisky was bestowed with the tile of ‘Australia’s best whisky’. But this time around it has spent its entire life in a French oak Tasmanian Pinot Noir cask. I’ll start by saying, the colour is fantastic. A beautiful amber to burnt copper; it looks enticing and wonderfully rich. N: Crisp, but also musty and dark. Stewed dark fruits, bitter baking chocolate, something of an undercurrent of bakery spice and pastry but a more mature leathery and wood spice profile takes over. Over time, a little non-distinct. Hides is massive 62.3% ABV completely. P: Rich and tannic. Creamy with butterscotch and unripe green fruits (mango?). Blueberry and malt is a pleasant surprise. There is a vibrant and juicy citrus spritz that cuts through the richness before turning tannic and well spiced with plenty of oak. F: Medium. Bitter chocolate, a little coffee and some late malt presence. A drop of water unleashes a chocolate powerhouse with a slight sourness that lifts everything to a new level. I’m conflicted. In someways this is dull and uninspiring for such a behemoth ABV. Yet there are some curious characters working away, blueberry malt? Yes, more please, there isn’t nearly enough of that. The sour touches of green fruits and citrus lift are great, but they don’t pull their weight; everything stays dark and heavy. I suspect this is a case where the profile doesn’t fit well with my palate. I say (type) this reflecting on my relatively low (2.5/5) rating of another Tasmanian Pinot Noir casking (Hellyers Road, Distiller taste #69), my complaint there: forgeability. My complaint now, the best bits are forgettable under a weight of duskiness. Distiller whisky taste: #194 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5

Hobart number three. Here we have a three year ex-bourbon cask whisky finished in Tasmanian Botrytis casks for two and a half years. Hobart claim that this produces a rich foundation of sweetness and character with an infusion of intriguing florals and delicate riesling-esque tropical fruit. But wait, theres more… another six months back in American oak ex-bourbon to allow ‘the flavours to harmonise and reach their full potential’. Let’s find out. N: A heady bouquet meets me. Florals are everywhere, like walking through a meadow in bloom. The ABV is 52.2% and yet, I don’t know I’m nosing a cask strength whisky. Everything that follows is in equal measure: cereal, vanilla, raisin, bakery spices. I don’t get the riesling wine suggestion but I do get a little treacle, dry leafiness and a leathery citrus. One of the most complex things I’ve nosed. P: Sweet and wood-spice rich arrival. Earthy vanilla, porridge, creamy toffee. Sweet candied berries, some sherbet fizz (nothing like the previous Muscat finish though), almost a rye type spice profile, and a vegetal funkiness that adds a savoury depth. There is more here I suspect, its complex, and I’m not ashamed to admit it is likely beyond me to fully understand. Just picked up some fresh white peach too. F: Medium. Gentle and delicate pepper, Christmas mince pies, mocha. A little black tea bitterness. Wow. This is an ‘adult’ whisky if ever there were one, there are as many tasting notes to uncover here as whiskies there are to drink. The complexity is astounding and to be honest a little overwhelming. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but its one hell of an experience that much is sure. Both gentle and delicate it is also powerful and forthright. Water is a bad choice though, and makes things somewhat sticky and soapy and makes the nose a little sickly. Apparently this was released on the virtual this evening. I think even at the likely borderline AUD$200 price tag and 500 ml bottle that will be available, I’m going to need to get one. highly recommend this beguiling temptress even if the wood spice can at times come through a little heavy. Distiller whisky taste: #193 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5

Number two for Hobart this evening this time an as of yet unreleased Muscat finish. Matured in ex-bourbon American oak this whisky is still finishing in a 500 litre Muscat butt. I think this will be my first ever tasting of an unreleased whisky. The only notes that came with this are that it has not been through any pre-bottling treatment and may have some char present that would be separated before bottling. In any case, Muscat is quite a popular choice for Tasmanian juice and I am excited going in. N: Quite dark and heavy, there is a mustiness to this that brings a slight leathery and dusty mahogany feel. Perhaps a little clove and pepper which ring of wood spice. The malt presence is gristy and grainy and projects a slightly rough youthfulness. Underneath this heavy brooding nose is though, something a little brighter and perhaps fruity. P: Oh dear. Recently I tried New Zealand’s new Pokeno whisky, and there was this fizzy carbonation to it. Wow is that even more present here. This is like a sherbet assault. There is an initial juicy fruit texture but it is smacked out the way by fizz, more fizz, and even more fizz. Underneath that is a glimmer of plum, raisin and maybe cherry. A dark chocolate and pepper is there if you search. F: Medium-Long. Mocha bitterness, raisins, heavy dark wood spice with a quite dry astringency. A dash of water, I thought might showcase the palate slightly and tame the fizz. I was wrong. I just sneezed. Damn. I think there is a potentially exciting whisky finishing in a 500 L barrel in Hobart right now, but it’s not there yet. It’s difficult to really criticise or applaud something that isn’t in its final form, I don’t know enough to know where this is headed, what it still has to go, or what the intention is. What I can see, is that there is a huge potential here for a darkly complex and robust Tasmanian single malt with depth of character that could excite. But, and it’s a big but, a 500 l butt; the fizz must be tamed. Also, Distiller app team please let us edit listings; i just realised I entered this as “mart” whisky. 🤦‍♂️ Distiller whisky taste: #192 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5

I was supposed to be sitting on a virtual tour of Hobart distillery tonight and sampling six of their current and as of yet unreleased offerings. Sadly life happened and I’ve missed the virtual. But, lets see what this amateur can do with these six. Situated in Hobart, Tasmania this family owned independent distillery was founded in 2014 and started producing in 2015. The distillery has been flying under the radar for quite a while now whilst creating enough stock to supply the high demand the market is throwing at them. The common theme for all Tasmanian whisky. Initially released as single cask runs the distillery is now concentrating on more consistent offerings. The distillery production is all performed in-house and maturation is predominantly in American oak ex-bourbon casks sourced from the United States. Whilst Apera (Australian Sherry) and Fortified wine barrels are more commonly used in the Australian industry Hobart whisky uses the ex-bourbon barrels for initial maturation and then if required applies a finish of another barrel type to create a range of whisky that they claim is unlike any other in Australia. Hobart Signature is a marriage of small carefully selected American oak ex-bourbon casks. The idea behind the ‘signature release’ is to make a whisky which is consistently produced to the same flavour profile each time. A whisky that is intended to represent the distillery for many years to come. N: A lovely autumnal feel of warm apple turnovers, really subtle cinnamon, honied malt and butter-creamy custard. The cinnamon spice turns slightly more woody over time. P: Juicy mouthfeel packed with oaky malt, almond, and vanilla cream soda. This is brilliantly clean almost to a fault, the texture is so simple its almost like a fresh cold water but there is a pleasant buzz from the oak spice. Eminently quaffable, albeit dreadfully simple. F: Surprisingly long. Creamy oak spice and some desiccated lemon. There is also the starting of a pecan pie and maple syrup development that begins to permeate the nose and palate also. A touch of water develops some vanilla on the nose but it also amped up the wood spice in the palate in equal measure to the nuttiness. The finish takes a slightly younger and grainy texture. I think this was bad to start with coming off the back of a run of somewhat lacklustre Speyside liquids. I have enjoyed the characters and individualities of the Tasman whiskies I have tried to date. I fear that in making something repeatable and accessible Hobart have stripped away some of the best parts of this [could be] lovely whisky. If the maple syrup pecan could ramp up, this would be a whisky to behold for its absolute drinkability. Price doesn’t affect score, but at $160 this simply isn’t worth the price. Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. Distiller whisky taste: #191 [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5

Chapter One introduced the The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the ‘Clanyard town’ themed release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two focuses on the Folk of Clanyard with a Linkwood 12. Chapter Three looks to the Moon with Dailuaine 11. Chapter Four is about ‘the Bay’ with a Benrinnes 12 year old. Now, Chapter Five the last in my Fable exploration (there are though six more). This chapter is about the hound, expressed through yet another speysider: Maccochmore. “The cave was left untouched until, one day, an old piper appeared, accompanied by a faithful, shaggy hound. The piper was surely the finest in the land.” Chapter Five has seen 18 releases going back to distillate produced in 2008 through to 2012. All are Maccochmore distillates matured in ex-bourbon refill hogsheads and released as single cask expressions at cask strength. The different releases range from 180-308 bottles each and have different global markets. This evening I am drinking the 5th release (cask number 13783) distilled 15/10/2008 and aged 12 years. 213 bottles were filled at 60.1% on 27/07/2021 and released to the Australian, Danish, and Filippino markets. N: A little rough but with some character. Hard pear cider, grassy and soft herbs, touch of honey toast, and maybe a fruit tea or tisane type bitterness that I suspect is wood presence but it also delivers a strawberry-esque lift. Woody-musty dry malt begins to dominate with time in glass and progressive nosing. P: Alright, alright! Oily to dryly weighty body. Pear and mango jump out and take the lead with a fruity and bright arrival backed by a buttery and tannic wood presence. More of that fruit tea from the nose but with less bitterness, a strawberry and cream lightness to it too. Plenty of malt but its not the main player and its joined by a walnut and just faintest presence of leather and cherry. F: Medium. Slightly oily finish, wood spice is sufficient to hold interest but not overpower. Brilliant honey splash backed by some mashed banana. Chapter five coming in clutch. The series is saved, and apparently my opinion of Speyside also. Look, I’m probably not even close to being in a position to criticise anyones craft not even 200 considered drams into my whisky journey. But, Fable did not deliver on the promise of enigmatic storytelling… until here. This is good sauce. Not great, there are some less than perfect balancing issues with the wood but thats ok. Just like the pipers hound, this could be a faithful and reliable addition to the cabinet (if it weren’t for the prohibitive pricing). Really though, with so much going on, so much vying for attention, there is a lot to consider and unpack, so perhaps the price is worth it for the finest piper in the land, well; their hound at least. Distiller whisky taste: #190 No rock picture for this Fable, just the bottle art. Check out the full story on my Chapter One and Chapter Two tastes. Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 3 - Dailuaine 11, 2010: 2.75/5 Chapter 4 - Benrinnes 12, 2009: 2.5/5 Chapter 5 - Mannochmore 12, 2008: 4/5

Sorry, had to duck out for a moment. Back this evening to finish off this Fable series. Chapter One introduced the The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the ‘Clanyard town’ themed release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two focuses on the Folk of Clanyard with a Linkwood 12. Chapter Three looks to the Moon with Dailuaine 11. Chapter Four is about ‘the Bay’ with a Benrinnes 12 year old. “There where jarring waves met rugged Bay, stood a gaping, hollow cave”. Chapter Four has seen 16 releases going back to distillate produced in 2008 through to 2011. All are Benrinnes distillates matured in ex-bourbon refill hogsheads and released as single cask expressions at cask strength. The different releases range from 82-310 bottles each and have different global markets. This evening I am drinking the 4th release (cask number 301911) distilled 23/02/2009 and aged 11 years. 309 bottles were filled at 60.2% on 27/07/2021 and released to the Australian, Israeli, German, and UK markets. N: A little more depth than previous chapters, darker and more ‘brooding’. There is some char here and a warm waxy citrus, lightly chocolatey the malt is quite rich and with a gently enticing woody spice and pencil shavings. The longer I’ve sat with it I start to get a gristy presence; but its not out of place. P: A somewhat full and nutty mouthfeel. Lots of malt with a slightly cured meat spice to it. An odd one for sure. But, I think that might be about it. Is there a light touch of apple juice and toasted coconut, maybe? I’m struggling to get anything much, the second the mouthfeel clears in the opening moments it seems to fade to latent barrel spice. F: Medium. Plenty of oak spice and a malty, yeasty wholesome presence. Nothing exciting, but quite a comforting warmth none the less. A touch of water muted the nose, added a milky cinnamon presence to the spice on the finish, and slightly brightens the palate to lift off a juicier fruit body. Wish I would have done that from the start. Still though, its an odd liquid. I’m starting to think Speyside, whilst classic, is dull. Hopefully one of my betters reading this can educate my rank amateurness and direct me to better. I just don’t get it though. Speyside does a malty profile, I get it. What I don’t get is how a company building off the back off the most remarkable story telling and illustrations can bottle three straight (and I suspect a fourth to follow) malt boredoms. The nose here is inviting and I willed it to deliver more, but sadly I couldn’t find it. Honestly, The gaping hollow cave, appears to be empty. Distiller whisky taste: #189 No rock picture for this Fable, just the bottle art. Check out the full story on my Chapter One and Chapter Two tastes. Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 3 - Dailuaine 11, 2010: 2.75/5 Chapter 4 - Benrinnes 12, 2009: 2.5/5

Chapter One introduced the The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the ‘Clanyard town’ themed release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two focuses on the Folk of Clanyard with a Linkwood 12. Chapter Three is all about the Moon. “On stormy nights, when the Moon was nearly drowned, eerie screams seemed to come from below them.”. Chapter Three has seen 22 releases going back to distillate produced in 2008 through to 2012. All are Dailuaine distillates matured in ex-bourbon refill hogsheads and released as single cask expressions at cask strength. The different releases range from 62-308 bottles each and have different global markets. This afternoon I am drinking the 3rd release (cask number 308827) distilled 14/07/2010 and aged 11 years. 275 bottles were filled at 59.4% on 27/07/2021 and released to the Australian, Danish, German, and UK markets. N: Light but punchy. Quite acidic apple, red berries, barley sweetness. Light spice and grilled pineapple rings. P: Medium bodied with a grainy cream texture. Vanilla toast and thick oak char. There is a slight alcohol prickle that comes across as harsh black pepper. A lighter refreshing grass and floral character struggles to take hold against the very dominant malt and oak spice. F: Medium-short. Honeyed apple, shortbread biscuit, a little tannic vanilla. A drop of water adds a slight waxiness to the nose and palate. The palate develops a slight coconut and perhaps a metallic twang. The finish softens a tiny bit to allow some pleasant fragrant pepper out from the tannic vanillin. Reading the Fable website informs me that the Dailuaine Distillery derives from the Scottish Gaelic ‘An dail uaine’ meaning ‘green valley’. This distilleries whiskies are rarely seen and sought after when they are available. Owners Diageo use the malt from the distillery in blends, mainly Johnnie Walker. Only the best casks make it out to be independently bottled. Available usually at cask strength as a vintage or aged statement. So, that holds up, this is an age statement cask strength of limited release. But, it also lacks significantly across the board to me. The nose is the most interesting part of the pour, theres some nice depth to the fruits but I think the acidity is a little too harsh. It then goes downhill from there. The palate is aggressive and doesn’t really get going with the seemingly exciting aspects hidden away under the oak. I think that three chapters into Fable I am clear on the trajectory, and for the third time I’ll say: this is style over substance and certainly doesn’t deliver on the cost. Distiller whisky taste: #188 Instead of a third telling of the Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay, I have busted out a pretty special rock. It’s literally the moon. Well, a piece of it. This is a lunar meteorite, a piece of the Moons surface ejected when it was hit by a meteorite itself. This fragment is from lunar meteorite NWA11273, one of ~306 known lunar meteorites. This fragment is a ‘feldspathic regolith breccia’; a solidified aggregate of clastic debris generated on the moons surface due to meteorite bombardment. Its probably that this rock originated in the lunar highlands 3.9-4 billion years ago shortly after the Moon was born from our own planet; a product of a giant collision itself. So: Earth hit by planet, forms moon > moon hit by meteorites, forms breccia > breccia hit by meteorite, forms meteorite > brecciated meteorite hits Earth > man drinks Moon themed whisky. Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 3 - Dailuaine 11, 2010: 2.75/5

Chapter One introduced the The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the ‘Clanyard town’ themed release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two focuses on the Folk of Clanyard. These were hardy folk as tough as the granite rock beneath their feet. They did not complain or scare easily, but for one strange thing”. Chapter Two has seen 20 (yes, 20!) releases going back to distillate produced in 2008 through to 2015. All are Linkwood distillates matured in ex-bourbon refill hogsheads, except for one listed as ‘new wood’, for 7-13 years and released as single cask expressions at cask strength. The different releases range from 47-308 bottles each and have different global markets. This afternoon I think I am drinking the 3rd release (cask number 305604) distilled 13/10/2008 and aged 12 years. 277 bottles were filled at 58.7% on 27/07/2021 and released to the Australian, UK, German, and Danish markets. I only think I am drinking this, my sample pack says cask number 305608 and 59.1% ABV, but this is not mentioned anywhere by Fable. The Australian distributor ‘the Whisky Company’ that bottled up the samples have cask 305604 photographed in their full bottle listings on their website. So I’m going with that. A raven has been sent to the supplier to outline my outrage. N: Sweet and malt forward. Barley sugar, honied toast. Quite perfumed and woody and over time a little dried ginger and generic stone fruit keeps things slightly interesting. I’m not really drawn to this at all, it is big, but I also think it’s quite boring. P: Ooph the ABV is definitely there. Similar to my recent Pokeno, there is an effervescent/carbonated fuzz across the tongue with this and accompanied by plenty of slightly aggressive ethanol heat. Flavours are perhaps a bit bland, generic white stone fruits, smacks of barley and lightly honied toast, as per the nose suggested. Fairly indifferent body and perhaps a nutty-nougat texture and flavour late in the very minimal development. F: Medium. A little gristy, baked pastry crust and some apple crispness. Raw red chilli heat. A drop of water brings out a little sour/tartness to the nose and allows a little peachy or melon note to come out in the palate whilst also cutting the fuzz to an acceptable background. Adds a soft creaminess to the finish. Style over substance again. The art and story telling is beautiful. The liquid, less so. I was getting ready to drop a rather poor 2.25 on this, but the drop of water opened up enough agreeable texture in the finish, and sliced through the fuzz enough to reveal a little more white fruit interest that I am happy to bump to 2.5. Still, at AUD$185 that is a damming indictment from me. This is my first Linkwood, I guess this does fall into the generic Speyside camp of light and grassy with its unobtrusive flavours and slightly tart white wine fruit notes. Still, its just boring. For such a Fable we should be getting more. Blend it, mix it, cocktail it; yes. But sit around and tell stories with it, nope. Distiller whisky taste: #187 No rock tonight, instead, Fables telling of the Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay. Again, for anyone only joining story time at chapter two. “There was once a small settlement perched on a sea cliff in Scotland’s wild southwest corner. The four compass points would take you elsewhere – east to the borders, north to the country’s heart, south to glacial lakes and west by boat across the waters - but the locals stayed put. For the land here, which should have been barren, was remarkably rich for farming (a well-kept secret). Lashed by rain, these were hardy folk as tough as the granite rock beneath their feet. They did not complain or scare easily, but for one strange thing. On stormy nights, when the moon was nearly drowned, eerie screams seemed to come from below them. There, where jarring waves met rugged bay, stood a gapping, hollow cave. The cave was left untouched until, one day as the earth was thawing, an old piper appeared with a dog. The rough hound was as grey as the beard of its owner. The piper was surely the finest in the land (as no doubt was his father before him). His bagpipes were crudely made and yet, from this instrument, came a merry sound that even stopped the crows from cawing. No one had heard such cheerful tunes. And so, accompanied by his faithful dog, the piper ventured into the cave, playing boldly as we went. At the entrance, the locals waited and listened. Hours passed and the pipes grew quieter until there was no sound at all. Suddenly the hound, once shaggy, ran out of the cave howling, without a single hair left on his shivering body. Deep underground, the piper continued to play as the fairies yelled, cursing him to leave. On he went, with a chill upon him, towards a distant light. The music soared above the terrible cries until the piper reached the cave’s centre. The piper was now in the mouth of a dreadful storm yet still he played. Furious at being bested by a human, the fairies departed, leaving a labyrinthine of mazes behind them to trap the poor piper inside. The piper was never seen again and not one settler could later recall his face. The cave’s entrance is now long gone, but hear me! Stand on that cliff in the middle of the night and a feint melody of pipes can still be heard coming from the depths below.” Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5