Whisky Tasting : Top Shelf

 Definitely was looking forward to this one, not a cheap tasting, but an excellent lineup meant our cabal was all in for it. 

Only 7 whiskies, but given the age and rarity, that was more than enough. It was held a couple of weeks after DramFest but eh, who turns this lineup down?

Pittyvaich 28yo Ltd Release 2018 52.1%

• N: lime, green apples, fruit salad, dry, hummus, mint, oak
• P: apples, incr alc., pear, sour, fruit salad
• F: long, massive

8/10. This was lovely, really really good. Came 4th with 8.12

Deanston 25yo Old Particular 1994 51.6% refill hogshead

• N: sweeter citrus, papaya, effervescent, pineapple, vanilla, icing sugar, oaky, ozone, 
• P: icing sugar, sweet smooth, fruity, floral, custard, grain?
• F: med-long

8.5/10 So I've become more of a Deanston fan over the years, and damn this was good. Came 5th with 8.09

James Eadie 15yo Fife blend 56.3% 15yo Fife farm distillery malt with marsala cask finish, 25yo Cameronbridge grain.

• N: spiky, incr alc, golden syrup, sweet, brandy, sherry, coconut
• P: chocolate, odd, oaky, tannic, 
• F: long, hot, sour

7/10 Nice, interesting, fun, and I'd drink more of it. Came 7th with 7.98

Tomintoul 50% Five Decades (casks from 1965, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005)

• N: cream, cut grass, pine needles, dry, xmas cake ?sulphur, peaches, green apples, star anise
• P: sulphur, decr alc, creamy, sherry, balanced, pears
• F: long, complex

9/10 This was awesome. I want more of it. I can't afford it. Came 3rd with 8.47

Caperdonich 21yo Peated 46% (Glen Grant #2, not gone)

• N: peat, bandages, sweet, smoke, sweet sherry, complex, wounds!
• P: iodine, not much happening
• F: short, empty

6/10 the worst of the line up. Came 6th with 8.00

Craigallechie 11yo Signatory 2012 68.2%

• N: molasses, caramel, smoke, creamy
• P: sherry, wood, spiced, sulphur, huge, 
• F: long, hot, coffee

10/10. Yeah that good. Awesome whisky. 1st, 9.12.

Bruichladdich Octomore 13.2 58.3% 137.3PPM Fernando de Castilla Oloroso Sherry

• N: peat, sulphur, tobacco, salt, iodine, sulphur
• P: sulphur, oily, sherry, peat, oil, iodine
• F: long oil. 

7/10. So this maybe the best Octomore I've had - I'm not a fan - but I liked the sherry base of this and the balance was good. Came 2nd 8.57

Great tasting, definitely prefer these interesting and rare whisky tastings, Might be expensive but how often do we get to drink these?

Whisky Tasting : Are you single?

 Bit late writing up this one, held on the 13th of Feb as a one off tasting. Mix of blends and single malts, hence the title, and a nod to the 14th Feb.

Part focus on the indie bottler Samaroli which we hadn't tried before.

Daftmill 2010 Winter Batch Release 46%

• N: parmesan, marzipan, honeysuckle, marshmallow, oaky, creaming soda
• P: lemon, light, metallic, salty
• F: short, salty, 

6.5/10 Not a fan, lot of bourbon and oak notes, but nothing of note. Came 7th with 6.57

Samaroli Apprentice 2023 Blended Malt 43% 3x refill USA hogs Fortrie 2017 (teaspoon of MacDuff)

• N: lemon, sweet, perfume, coastal slightly, light
• P: martini, watery, banana
• F: nothing. just stopped.

5/10 This was abysmal, very overpriced and delivered nothing. Came last 8th with 6.1

BBR Blended Malt 44.2% Sherry cask

• N: sweaty, salted caramel, tobacco, sulphur, sherry, tiramisu
• P: coffee, caramel, smoke, stonefruit
• F: med, sour

6/10. Not very good, which is rare for a BBR. Nose promised a lot more than the palate delivered. However it came 3rd with 7.63.

Samaroli Architectus 2023 Blended Whisky 45% North British 2012 grain sherry butt Tomintoul 2017 Refill USA hogs

• N: Sulphur, match heads, bergemot, tea
• P: light, watery, hint of smoke, lemons,
• F: short

7/10. This was a bit more interesting, not worth the price, and not the best NB i've had either. Came 5th with 7.37

Samaroli Speyside 2023 Blended Malt 45% 3x refill USA 2013/2015 The Speyside 2013 + Linkwood 2012

• N: hot, bacon, perfume, apple/pear, sweet, sherbet, honey
• P: sweet, hint salt, delicate
• F: medium, salt

6/10. Again nothing great, nice nose, but not much to it. May have lost a bit with the others around it. Came 6th with 6.89

Glentauchers Cadenhead 14yo 46%

• N: pickles, raisins, not pleasant, sulphur?, musty apples
• P: hint salt, dry
• F: med-long

6/10 Looked good in the glass, but nothing to it. Came 2nd with 7.84 

Samaroli Islay 45% Caol Ila 2013 3x refill bourbon hogs

• N: peat, medicinal oily, big, suppurating wound, hint of wine, balanced
• P: salt, bacon, medicinal, oily, dry, tannin
• F: long, hot

7/10 the best of the Samaroli's for me, reasonable if not great, example of a Caol Ila. Came 4th with 7.53

G&M Caol Ila 13yo 45% Sassiciaia cask finish

• N: salt, bacon, lighter, balanced
• P: smoked, red wine, compelx, subtle
• F: med

7.5/10 best of the evening for me, but still not a great Caol Ila. Came first, which isn't saying much in this line up 8.5

It was interesting having the Samaroli bottlings for the first time, they're expensive and this tasting suggests, not worth the money. Oh well, cheaper to learn this way :)

Casual Dram #15

 First tasting of the year, another Casual Dram - lots of people at this one. Sort of theme of varieties of peat, from islands to mainland, with the recognition a lot of peat comes from the same sources :)

Adelphi Ardmore 2016 7y #1051 61.1%

• N: light, coastal, floral (ish), citrus, pears
• P: high alc, pears, prickly, salt. 
• F: long, hot

7.5/10 it improved with a touch of water, but I wasn't getting a lot of subtlety in there. 

Benromach cask strength #3 2014 Vintage 60.6% - bourbon and sherry

• N: tobacco, smooth, sherry, peat
• P: warm, sherry, peat in finish, woody
• F: med, interesting

7/10 a nice quaffing dram? good stuff without being amazing.

Kilkerran 8yo cask strength sherry cask 57.4% oloroso

• N: cucumber, sherry, yeasty, gherkin
• P: aniseed, hot, peaty/salt
• F: long

6/10 yeah didn't really rock my world this one, it did split the group as a number found it their favourite.

Springbank local barley 10yo 55.5% oloroso

• N: medicinal, complex, old?, apple
• P: smooth, light, complex, nothing really distinctive?
• F: medium

7/10 continuing the slightly over rated nature of the local barley releases.

Mystery: Infrequent Flyers Bunnahabain, 

• N: vanilla, sherry, oyster sauce
• P: complex, salty, bacon, coastal
• F: long, interesting

8.5/10 the stand out for me. interesting and complex, would be happy to have this in my collection

beers of 2024 : the competition with Alec

 As any of you who have gone for a beer with me knows, there's BeerAdmin to do. Every pint. It keeps my OCD in check, I guess.

As I'm a cheap bastard, I'm using the free version of untappd, so I don't get any real year data, or your year in beer to put forward. Instead I just compare with Alec's info, and book in for a liver transplant.

Continuing good news, I'm still ahead of Alec in total number of beers, but he's pulling ahead in unique beers, even worse he's got more badges than me. 

But our favourite beers are still similar 

unsurprisingly, mine's the one with Craftwork in there. Mmm Craftwork.

Until the next update, slainte!

Last.fm listening 2024

 The now predictable end of year summary from last.fm on what I've listened to.

I haven't done a best of 2024 yet, but I might...

2024 had me listening to more music than I have since 2014, almost breaking the 20,000 tracks (last time I did that was 2013).

I don't think there's much point commenting on this. Quite predictable, although I did listen to more Hawkwind this year, the result of Record Collector having a special edition on them.

Most tracks from an album is a little silly, when the top album (Leatherbritches) is a 100 track compilation of old americana stuff. Actually most of those albums are compilations, with a number of tracks ... 

For a similar reason I haven't included the decades analysis, as my albums don't always have the release year in them (if it's a reissue, or I don't care...).

 The most listening happens on a Thursday? Well golly, I should mention that to Thurs night music night !

I appeared more dedicated to listening to stuff this year. Especially in Dec when I realised I had the chance to break 20,000. But I failed. 

If I decide to become more focussed in 2025, that would be 55 tracks a day. As of the 8th Jan, I'm slightly ahead of that at 59.3. Everything is looking good! I have yet to fail !

Coming up soon, an untappd what I have I drunk summary with comparisons to Alec, and maybe a top10 albums. Or at least 10 albums I liked in 2024. There is a whisky tasting near the end of the month, which is a maybe...

Toodles!