Whisky Show 2012

The third outing of our yearly trip to the Whisky Show in London. A cold (ish) morning, brisk, and the unwelcome discovery of no coffee on the train. Ah well, I wasn't likely to have any as we were pottering around Borough market before the show.
Monmouth was, as expected, packed, so we went to the coffee stall at the back of the market. It does make me happy having good coffee, shame I have to head to london for it.

After acquiring some chocolate to keep S happy, we wandered through the whisky shop, where I singularly failed to convince Alec to buy me expensive bottles of whisky. Bastard.

And so we queued. Or rather, I queued, and Alec ran his virtual news service.

This year we had decided we may go for quality rather than quantity, and thus not get too drunk (foolish thinking!). And, although ruining the experience for Rich, I'd decided not to make full tasting notes, rather just note what we'd drunk. Therefore the latter sections of this blog won't have the translational issues of previous years - where 'sweet' could be variously read as sweet / sushi / salmon / sordid etc.
Links to buy from our favourite indie booze store Loch Fyne Whisky as/where I coudl find them.

And so it begins...
Glendronach 14yo oak, very sweet, long finish 7/10

BenRiach 20yo, very very nice, long finish  8.5/10 [my notes say, buy a bottle] LFW

BenRiach 16yo peated, very nice 8/10 LFW

Glenfarclas 105 20yo, sweet sherry lovely, all the goodness of the 105 but subtle, mature - 9/10

Adelphi blend hey it's cheap, it tastes damn good, and it gets my thumbs up

Adelphi Springbank salty very long 8/10

Adelphi Macallan light pretty typical Macallan, not really liking this one 6.5/10

Glen Moray 16yo kinda light 6/10 LFW

Glen Moray 25yo (new cask sample) - mushroom!! 8/10

Glen Moray Chenin blanc, I liked htis, shame I can't seem to find it anywhere 8.5/10

Glengoyne - first bottling 7/10
Note, Glengoyne have just refreshed their lineup and website, worth a look...

Glengoyne - 18yo  43% which is replacing the 17yo. Hints of apple, but still sherry goodness. Very tasty 8.5/10

BBR Clyneish 1997 14yo 7.5/10 it appears Clyneish are improving...

BBR Aberlour Cask #3919 quite a kick on this one

BBR Glenlivet 1973 (tho I think the link is the 74) 8.5/10

BBR Cognac XO spicy 8/10 I keep meaning to try more cognac, but get sucked into whisky instead...

Kilchoman Single Cask exactly what I want from an Islay dram, cask strength, ballsy, great 8.5/10

Brora 35yo - this is what I spent my dreamdram token on. I love Brora.
Nose: sweet, lovely floral, marshmallows, sarsparilla
Palate: sweet, floral
Finish: mid-long, absolutely wonderful.
I'm biased, but 10/10

Johnnie Walker Double Black (£35) 7/10; Platinum (£70) 6/10
hey we've no excuse other than it was something we wouldn't normally drink. the double black was much better than expected.

Talisker 25yo
Nose: dead
Palate: quite nice, interesting, smooth
Finish: short
8/10 yeah before this I didn't like talisker, but this was very nice

Talisker 30yo LFW
Nose: very oily; Palate: sweet, saltiness;
9/10 - my notes say 'fuck!!!!' as this totally blew my preconceptions of Talisker out of the window. But at £250+ I wont be having it in my collection anytime soon.

Caol Ila 25yo LFW (think it was this one)
Nose: great. petrol, rubber, salt, rhubarb, custard
Palate: sweet, salt, peat ??
Finish: peat, short
8-8.5/10

Balblair 1979 nofinish 5/10

Balblair (I think) 12yo doublewood very nice, the notes either say very sweet or hairy sweat, your call 7/10

Balblair New spirit. Quite smooth, not nearly as exciting as the Kilchoman, but in interesting.

Dalwhinnie Rum Caribbean not much flavour, very sweet 5/10

Dalwhinnie Single barrel 15yo

Benromach 30yo apples!  but very nice 8/10 LFW

Linkwood 25yo G and M 9/10

Strathisla 1970 apples on nose, leather and sherry notes, oak, lingering sherry, short-med finish 9/10

English whisky company Chapter 12 Sherry cask 46% 8.5/10

English whisky company Chapter 11 peated 8/10

Penderyn Madeira - very sweet, green apple, and something indecipherable 6/10

Penderyn peated, very weird 4/10

Glenrothes John Ramsey bottling 9.5/10
Glenrothes 1995  LFW
Glenrothes 1988
Basically, you can't go wrong with Glenrothes. Never had a bad one...

Glenglassaugh NEW! but sadly i can't read my notes :D I have a feeling the next release is called Evolution, but whatever it was, I gave it 8.5/10

Glenglassaugh 26yo 40% bloody nice, but I already knew that

and possibly something else, the notes are illegible. It appears to be a Glen something.

All in all a very very good day. We managed to get home (an achievement) with minimal damage to anyone else. And I survived Freshers Fair on Sunday morning, although it's fair to say I'd rather have been lying in bed.

Love, B