Cutting time!!!
A stronger smelling cheese than the first, with a typical B. linens smell. This wheel has a far more pronounced yellowing of the rind as well.
Texture was firmer and a bit crumblier than the first. Mostly, I suspect, because it was air dried significantly longer than the first.
Much more pronounced buttery/cream flavours, with a sharper tang than the first Caerphilly. A shade saltier, but not appreciably so. Acidity is in balance and a very slight bitterness on the finish.
Overall, a second success, I'd have to say. Which, with the length of time it was expelling whey, surprised me. As Jeff can attest, I wasn't super confident with this cheese. He's been urging me to let the 3rd Caerphilly age out and admittedly, when I thought it was going to be a bust, I was going to cut into its brother, whose three weeks is up tomorrow (I made this and the third back to back), but now, with the pleasant result, I'm going to wait on the third wheel.
I've got a half wheel, a quarter wheel and two little wedges vac sealed and resting happily in the cave. With the half wheel from the first, my cheese stockpile is growing! ;-)