Whisky Tasting: Thirty Years of Tastings at Regional

 The 30th anniversary tasting by Daniel at Regional. Discussions between our cabal suggests we've been going (in various guises) for 25-26 of those years. Either way, we've had a few drams. Some of them have been quite drinkable. 

Tonights line-up falls under the 'quick drinkable' category. 

We opened with a welcome dram, Auchentosh 1L Dark Oak 43% which was adequate and qualifies as a non-challenging quaffing whisky. 

Ardmore 30yo 47.2% 1987-2018

• Nose: pears, sweet and savoury, medicinal, leather, fruity, coconut, wood
• Palate: white pepper, green apples, sweet, fruity, bitter, lemon, oily
• Finish: long, hot, minerals

8.5/10 A lovely, actually great, whisky. Complex, interesting, challenging. Came 5th with 8.83.

Springbank 15yo 46%

• Nose: toffee, sulphur, perfume, sweet, parmesan, phosphorus, wet dog, rubber
• Palate: light, hint of salt, spicy, liquorice, sweet, wet wool, dry
• Finish: medium, dry

7/10. Look, I'm just not a fan of SB, the nose is amazing and after that things are a bit mild. Probably good it was early in the lineup as I doubt it would have fared well after some of the later drams. Came 6th= with 7.98

Lagavulin 16yo

• Nose: band aids, medicinal, suppurating wound, bleach, rubber, coastal, damp, 
• Palate: salty, bacon, smooth, ash, peat, dry
• Finish: ash, long

9/10 This was the mystery. It's a consistently great whisky and whenever its thrown into tasting line-ups it always does well. I love it. Which reminds me my bottle died recently. Must fix that. Came 6th= 7.98

Berry Bros Rudd Glen Grant 1995 2022 barrel #119467 49.1%

• Nose: lemon, cheese, spritzic, fruity, sweet, apples, fruit salad, bourbon, green apples, coconut/vanilla
• Palate: fruity, light, sugar lemons
• Finish: medium-long

9/10 I may not have made masses of notes, but again a great whisky. Balance and complexity. Beautiful. Came 4th with 8.93

Glendronach 26yo 16/7/1993-2019 PX 8634 54.4%

• Nose: very fruity, vanilla, bourbon - hint, sherry, berries, metallic
• Palate: milk chocolate, wood, tannins balanced.
• Finish: medium peppery

8.5/10 the odds of a Glendronach brown and gold doing well? yeah i know, surprising innit. Came 3rd 9.07

Ben Nevis 25yo Blackadder St.41 51.9% 5/12/1996-6/2022 Raw Sherry Butt 2203

• Nose: sherry, xmas cake, woody, apple, tobacco, maple syrup, great !!! charred
• Palate: apples, chocolate, xmas cake, treacle, caramel, rubber, sulphur, coffee
• Finish: salt, long, chewy, complex, dry

10/10. It's great. Everything I want in a whisky. Came first with 9.66. Suggesting others were equally smitten.

Inchgower 20yo Blackadder 57.6% 7/1995-9/2015 Raw Sherry Butt #692

• Nose: sherry, fruity, lighter (than the 'Nevis), floral, musty, banana, linen, ?mouldy?
• Palate: sherry but hint of salt, coconut, sweet, waxy, parma violets, 
• Finish: med-long, complex

Somewhere between a 9.5-10 /10. In any other tasting, probably a 10. Truly lovely dram, came 2nd 9.2

Fair to say one of the top tastings we've had. When the worst is a Springbank, you really can't complain. 

Slainte Daniel !