Whisky: Mystery Tasting

Next up from the Regional Wines tasting, Mystery Whisky. Where we get eight (yes, 8) whiskies with no info and have to taste them.

Because it'd be stupid to write it up that way, I'm naming them.

Old Particular Craigellachie The Elements 2006 12yo 54.3%
N: fruit salad, apples, light, floral, grass, vanilla, creme brulee
P: rough, apples, lemonade
F: long, hot

9/10  I liked this, reminded me of the Glengoyne cask finish (12yo).

Signatory Clynelish 1995 22yo 56.3%
N: astringent, hint of smoke, complex
P: light, sweet, tasty, fruity, bourbon, lemon, date bar
F: long, chewy

8.5/10 Have I mentioned I like Clynelish....

Benromach 2008 Batch#1 Cask Strength 57.9%
N: peat, sherry, asphalt, bacon, ozone, complex, aged
P: bacon spicy paprika, peat
F: long, hot, oily

9/10 my notes say 'great balance'. This is ridiculously good value (NZD $127.99).

Glen Garioch 17yo Renaissance 3rd Chapter 50.8%
N: apple, tangy fruits, light, cut grass, burnt sugar
P: fruit, quite bland
F: short

5/10. Nothing there, bland / boring. (and definitely not worth the NZD $240!)

Dalmore King Alexander III 46%
N: fruits/apples, complex, pavlova, light, phenols?
P: apples, simple, soapy
F: light, short
5/10 notes again say boring (this one was NZD $400)

Benromach 2010 Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured 59.9%
N: lipstick, artificial flower (that comment has all the hallmarks of a Richard comment...), not great, sweet, dirty boots
P: phenol, salt, long throat clearer, ashtray
F: big long, tangy

8/10 I thought this was quite bunnabhain like. In a good way.

Ballechin Straight from the Cask ex Sherry 61%
N: phenol, salt, bacon, cauterised washed, lovely,
P: smoke, bacon,
F: dry, long

9.5/10 comments of 'fuck yeah', this was great. to this point the Ballechin's I've had (they're the peated version of Edradour) have been very crap. This wasn't.

Blend: Glenfarclas 105 + Pedro Ximenez Lausto 1:9
N: sweet, figs, sherry, PX, dark choc, sulphur
P: sweet, massive, very strong, syrupy, dates, orange, cognac?
F: long, hot

6.5/10 Basically, the bastards made their own blend. Some loved it, me, not so much. But adding a bit of water gave it 7.5/10 and released a far creamy flavour.

We had a bunch of questions, I got 8/16 (top was 12/16).

Fun !!

me x

Whisky Tasting : Sherry Casks

So, I'm back. And went to my first Regional Wines whisky tasting in about 12 years. Many of the usual suspects were there, and still run by the lovely Daniel. Met up with Blair and Rich, again reuniting the old crew, to taste a number of sherry malts.

Kurayoshi Japanese Sherry Cask Pure Malt Whisky 43%
N: aniseed, apple, grain, marzipan
P: boring, sour, salty gose, apple
F: short, warm

6/10. Not good, acceptable at best. I'm not a big fan of Japanese whisky, but this was just dull. Nose was the best aspect.

Glenburgie 21yo Old Particular 1997 51.5% sherry butt
N: Dry, PVA glue, supporating wound (not my suggestion!), balsamic vinegar, maple
P: low alc? nothing really, honey, boring
F: short, warm

5/10 Again, disappointing. Seems like it had been left too long and the flavour had run off. Shame really as the OP bottles tend to be quite good. Saved me $210 NZ there :D

Glenlivet 11yo Signatory 2007 UCF 46% 1st Fill Sherry butt, Cask #900267 d.10/04/2007
N: light, melon, fruit salad, pina colada, banana lollies
P: smooth, coconut, salty, soap, grapefruit
F: short, peppery

6/10 Quite light, as you'd expect from Glenlivet, not a lot of sherry rocking along there. But, by far, my favourite nose of the evening.

Bladnoch Adela 15yo 46.7% oloroso cask
N: varnish, apples, hint of sulphur
P: very smooth, sounded, sulphur, salty
F: short

7.5/10 I liked this one more, don't know much about Bladnoch, but would hunt them out based on this.

Glendronach Revival 15yo oloroso cask 46%
N: PVA, cedar wood, jockstraps, malty, aged?
P: oddly effervescent, low alc
F: long, warm
7.5/10 pretty sure I've had this before, always a good choice. Thrown in as the mystery whisky.

Bunnahabhain 10yo Adelphi 2009 #90021 58.8% 1st fill sherry European oak
N: sherry, wood, cigarette ash
P: warm honey, inky, chewy, sherry, fudge
F: long, lovely
9/10 Adelphi are the best. Bunnahabhain are also good. This seems a good mix to me :D

Kavalan Solist oloroso sherry cask 57.1%
N: PVA glue, woody, polished wood, black tea
P: woody, sherry, no complexity
F: nothing short, dry
6.5/10 I've had this before, I don't like them. Nothing here to change my view on Kavalan. Technically good, but boring.

So there we go, unpopular rating by me for the Kavalan (everyone else loved it). But Adelphi won the night for all of us.

More soon...

B x