Fable Chapter Five - Mannochmore 12, 2008

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