22 March 2009

Whisky: Old Malt Cask Tasting

This months tasting looked at the Old Malt Cask range. After the disappointment of the Ardbeg, this promised to be much better.
It does come with a warning, a repeat warning, if Rich says 'lets for a beer after the tasting' I should always say no.

Always.

Scapa Provenance dist: Autumn95 Bott: winter08; 46% refill hogshead #4111 Don't think I'd had a Scapa before this, Nose: obvious speyside, vanilla, sweet; Palate: celery, hot and spicy, almost lambic sweet/sour; Finish: medium length, dry finish. 8/10
Port Ellen Provenance dist: Winter83 Bott: Winter06; 46% refill butt #3229. Nose: salty, islay, bacon, peat; Palate: salt, very light; Finish: short, too watery 6/10.
Port Ellen Old Malt Cask d:2/82 b:6/08 50% sherry butt #4427 Nose: fireworks (vague sulphur tone), huge nose, damp; Palate: cheese, fireworks, ash; Finish: medium, old, burnt oranges 9/10
Bowmore Old Malt Cask d:3/92 b:11/07 50% refill hogshead #3927 Nose: soap, plasticene, toffee, bourbon; Palate: soap, vanilla, salt, sweet, dessert wine; Finish: bite, med-long, oiley 7/10
Mortlach OMC d:9/92 b:10/07 50% sherry butt #3934 More on Mortlach below, but Nose: sugar, caramel, aged, musty, wood, xmas cake Palate: age, caramel, raisins, classey; Finish: cognac, long 9/10
Glen Elgin OMC d:6/91 b:10/07 50% refill hogshead #3927 Nose: soap, light, butter, banana; Palate: salt, bacon, light; Finish: medium, spicey, vanilla 8/10
Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery OMC d:12/66 b:3/08 50% Sherry butt #4191 Yeah a 42 year old whisky! And probably from Glenfarclas distillery. Nose: caramel, golden syrup, very very woody, old, rubber; Palate: caramel, hint of phenol, hint of menthol?; Finish: long, huge, growing in complexity, OMFG 10/10

As you can see, a particuarly fine line up of whisky at this tasting. Mortlach was the first single malt I bought, at Heathrow on our first trip over, I'd been tasting a 15yo and it was final boarding call, and they told me to spend the extra 10 quid and buy the 21yo. Good plan that man.
The 42yo was perfect, it appears the Glenfarclas distillery ages nicely. Something we'd found in an early tasting (50yo Glenfarclas).
The perculiar tasting of the PE OMC suggested to me that I should get a bottle, which was a good decision as the Mortlach may have already sold out.

me xx

2 comments:

Neil said...

I can't believe you've been to my home (twice) and never had Scapa. I am a bad host.

Sphenodon said...

you might have, things have gotten vague on visiting the proghof