Whisky Tasting : Best of the Best

 And so it comes around again, our yearly what did we like drinking, and let's have more of those session. Obviously it's spiced up a bit with haggis and dinner, dragged back down again by a piper, and confused by the increasingly poorly enunciating ode to the haggis. 

Talisker 11yo special release 2022 55.1%

• N: bacon, dry, salt, sweet, peat, pears, bourbon, lemon, melons
• P: mint, chewing gum, big peaty, smokey, salty, spicy, coastal
• F: med-long, pepper, salt

8/10 for me, it came last with 8.32, which seemed a little unfair. but there we go.

Kavalan Solist NC2 PX 57.1% 

• N: caramel, sherry, Armagnac,  pickled onions, very sweet
• P: big sherry, sweet, xmas cake, chewy, sour cherry, tannic, liquorice
• F: long, big

9/10. well that was a bit good. Came 5th, 8.68

Hazelburn 15yo Sherrywood 55.8% 

 

• N: caramel, sherry, dry, salted caramel, pencil shavings, rubber, butterscotch
  
• P: sulphur, complex, sherry, chewy, syrupy, astringent
  
• F: med

7/10 as a long time fan of hazleburn this wasn't as good as I was hoping. Oh well, it came 6th (8.67)

Glenallachie 14yo Whisky Galore 57.8% 21st anniversary

• N: green apples, musty, sweet, rubber, citrus, brown sugar
  
• P:sherry, big, brown sugar, strong, dry
  
• F: long,huge

9.5/10 when i originally had this I don't think I rated it, but umm, I might have been wrong... came 3rd 8.87

Mystery: Glendronach Batch 11

• N: egg caramel, sherry, silage, bourbon, less sherry on nose, sulphur
  
• P: sulphur, eggs
  
• F: warm, long

10/10. Yes, I liked this, a lot. Came 4th 8.79, but for me had all the complexity, all the sherry, all good. 

Glentauchers 10yo 64.3% Blackadder raw cask 2012

• N: caramel egg cremes, creamy, sherry, rubber, sweet, bakewell tart,
  
• P: citrus lemon, big bourbon, caramel, sweet, liquorice
  
• F: long, big

9.5/10 again, this ticked a fair number of boxes for me. And apparently for everyone else, came 1st, 9.16

Caol Ila 11yo Blackadder 58.1% 23.8.2012-10.2023 sherry finish

• N: sweet, salt, bacon, coastal, medicinal iodine
  
• P: salty bacon, smoky, well balanced between dry and sweet
  
• F:v long, rubber, salt, liquorice

9/10. I may already have a bottle of this. Came 2nd, 9.14

 As you'd expect from a Best of the Best, fair number of high scoring drams there. And any tasting where we have two Blackadder's can't be bad. 

Slainte!

 

 

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Blackadder

 More Blackadder you say? Well go on then ... 

Strathmill 11yo 2013 Bourbon Hogshead 61.2%

N: perfumy; pine; citrus; tannins; vanilla; wood glue

P: sweet; apples; citrus; fizzy; spice; pineapple;

F: long; hot; dark chocolate

8.5/10 very very tasty. I'd drink more. Came 3rd with 8.18

Glen Moray 10yo 2013 Bourbon Hogshead Virgin 63.4%

N: sweeter (at least I think that's what I wrote); green apple; tannins; sugary; yummy; 

P: sweet, dry, oaky wood; tannic, sulphur

F: hot, spicy

8/10. Again another GM I liked from an independent bottler, came 7th with 7.3 so although the others liked it, it didn't do as well as it could have.

St Killian 4yo Virgin Chestnut Cask 60%

N: sour beer, lambic, cherries, blackberries, molasses, dry

P: liquorice, effervescent; mushrooms, kirch, sour beer

F: short, bitter

9/10. Look, it was weird as fuck, smelt and tasted like a lambic, a colour reflecting the chestnuts, and if it had a been a little cheaper I'd have bought a bottle. Utterly nuts, and far more complex than a 4yo had any right to be. Came 4th, 8.02

Shizuoka 5yo 2018 first fill bourbon 63.8%

N: salt, coconut, bourbon, antiseptic, apricots, chocolate

P: grain, very sweet, fruit salad

F: med-long

8/10. Interesting without being notable? came 5th 7.82

Mystery: Talisker Special Reserve Wild Expedition

N: salt, bacon, pineapple, asphalt, dark chocolate, raisins

P: cigar smoke, oily, bacon, sweet

F: med-long, peppery, hot

9/10. Yummy, and finally a Talisker which is only slightly expensive I like :) Came 2nd 8.62

Ardmore 12yo 2011 Bourbon Barrel 57.5%

N: salt, bacon, chocolate, short, light, bourbon, vanilla

P: sweet, bourbon, oily

F: shot, oily, hot

6/10 did not like this. Wasn't overly popular coming 6th with 7.54

Caol Ila 11yo 2012 Sherry Butt Finish 58.1%

N: peaty, caramel, butterscotch, sherry,, burnt matches (I guess, my writing looks like witches)

P: salt, coastal, bacon

F: long hot, not as oily as the nose

8.5/10 Tasty, and continuing my love of Caol Ila. Came 1st with 9.06

Hey it was Blackadder, it's not like it was going to be a bad tasting. And the sheer stupidity of the chestnut cask, oh yussss.

Next up, best of the best.

Casual Dram 12

 More John ! More Mean Doses ! More Whisky ! two thirds of the Cabal !

Glen Scotia 11yo Festival Release 2023 54.7%

• N: sherry, oak, woody, sweet perfume
• P: peated, sherry, spicy, sweet, 
• F: long, hot

8/10 I liked this, which is encouraging as I've got a bottle (unopened) at home. I think I won it, but on the strength of this tasting it's likely to be opened soon. Huzzah !

Roseisle 12yo Special Release 2023 56.5%

• N:floral, bourbon, fruity, heather / honey
  
• P: bourbon, fruity, heather / honey, quite delicate
  
• F: medium-long

8/10 also rather tasty, quite different to the Glen Scotia, but very drinkable

Glenglassaugh 9yo 2012 Cask 522 58.9%

• N: water, light, butterscotch
  
• P: salt, peaty, sweet, bacon, butterscotch, creamy
  
• F: long / sherry

9/10. I had some of the very early Glenglassaugh's just after Billy Walker had taken them over, and they tasted incredible. As did the old stock they had (30? 35yo). However the Evolution and the Torfu were ok, but not great. This is a different kettle of wort. Great stuff.

SMWS GlenTurrent (Distillery 16) which had been aged in Laphroaig casks

• N: light, sherry, salty
  
• P: peat, bacon, sweet, salt
  
• F: medium-sweet. 

8/10 I did make a note that not a lot was happening in the finish, but it's a nice whisky. Possibly lost a bit compared to the others in the line-up.

SMWS 29.282 (Laphroaig) 9yo Massive Aniseed Heat and Searing Peat 62.3%

• N: medicinal, peat, bacon, salt
  
• P: supporating wound! not subtle.
  
• F: long-hot

9/10. If I'm after a big smokey peat monster, I want a big smokey peat monster. This is one. It's not doing subtle in any form. Great stuff.

Definitely recommend John's tastings, relaxed and interesting line-ups. More info here: https://www.drinkscreative.com/

 

 

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Old Malt Cask

Another indie bottler tasting, and traditionally a great one. Just two of our lot this time, but an excellent way to spend Friday night.

OMC Glen Moray 16yo 50% refill barrel hl 18663 05.2005-05.2021.

• N: lemon, dry, spritzic, vanilla, white wine, tannins, copy paper
• P: tannin, sour lollies, dark chocolate, spicy, lemon
• F: sticky, sour apples, medium, spicy

9/10 for me, I liked it a lot. I do like indie bottlings of Glen Moray. But I was in the minority with it coming 7th, 7.34. No matter, I have a bottle of it now.

 OMC Aultmore 11yo 5% refill butt HL 18988 07.2010-02.2022

• N: apples, very sweet, lemon, oily, prickly, minerals, peaches
  
• P: very sweet, herbal, salami, bland
  
• F: short, peppery

6/10, not a fan of this one disappointing on the palate/finish. Came 5th, 7.79

OMC Dailuaine 24yo 50% refill hogshead HL18760 10.1996-06.2021

• N: bourbon, apples, dry, perfume/musk, soapy
  
• P: apple, pears, dry, refreshing
  
• F:medium, chewy, dry, incr heat

8.5/10 Tasty, well balanced, interesting, and showing its age nicely. Came 3rd= 7.88

OMC Auchroisk 20yo 50% refill hogshead HL18755 06.2000-06.2021

• N: sweet, light, perfume, caramel, integrated, new tires, marzipan
  
• P:sweet, coconut, peardrops, fizzy, candyfloss
  
• F:medium, peppery

8/10 another good dram, light and interesting. But not loved by the group, 6th 7.59

OMC Pulteney 19yo 50% bourbon barrel HL18987 09.2002-02.2022

• N: light, parmesan, hint of salt?
  
• P:peat, sweet, soap, mushrooms
  
• F: short

6/10 yeah not a fan, not much happening although it did come 2nd 8.19

OMC Speyburn 50% Sherry butt HL18986 03.2007-02.2022

• N: sulphur, caramel, hint sherry, egg lollies, strong, wisteria
  
• P:warm, complex, tobacco, sugary
  
• F: med-short, chilli

8/10 tasty ! and for once, we all agreed, came 1st 8.4

OMC Jura 50% 13yo sherry butt HL18994

• N: apple, spun candy, cedarwood, banoffee, tannins
  
• P:fruity, woody, not much flavour
  
• F:short

7/10 for some reason I bumped it up from a 6, but not great. It came 3= with 7.88

 All very light coloured drams, and an interesting lineup. One thing I liked was the delicate approach to flavour, and keeping everything at 50% allowed for better comparisons. It did seem this time I was very not aligned with the group, huzzah !

 

 

 

 

 

Whisky Tasting : Mysteries of Malt

 A completely blind tasting at Regional, I like these. We get given nothing, a few random, generally misleading, questions and the booze. That's it. I've filled in the whisky names for the notes, because I'm not that mean...

Glenrothes 48/8% Whisky Makers Cut, no colour 1st fill sherry

• N: sweet, muscavado, caramel, chocolate, sherry, petrol, vanilla, violets
• P: bourbon, dry, mcintosh egg lollies, salt, chocolate, honey
• F: long and hot, slight peppery?

7.5/10 Tasty dram this one, nothing stunning, but certainly very drinkable. It came 4th= with 8.02 overall.

Jura 21 44% 105a colour added

• N: weak, light, water, hint sherry?, vinegar
• P: light, sweet, spearmint
• F: short

5/10. This was a real disappointment, nothing much happening anywhere.  It came last with 7.17

Meikletoir 5yo Glenallachie peated 48% PX & oloroso

• N: medicinal, bacon, oily, iodine, sweet
• P: smooth, peppery, iodine, complex, salt, sweet
• F: long and very tasty

8.5/10 Yep this was excellent, I know, another good Glenallachie? Whoda thunk it. Came 3rd, 8.17. There maybe a bottle heading my way...

Kilchoman PX matured 2023 50%

• N: light, mushrooms, earthy, ashes, musty
• P: gherkins, ash, dry, sour
• F: med-long, peppery, sour

7/10 Looking at my scoring, I couldn't quite decide on it, ranged from 6-7 with a lot of crossing out. Somethings not quite right with this one. Came 6th with 7.38

Amrut Spectrum 50% Oct 2021

• N: muscavado, caramel, chocolate, awesome, sulphur, raisins
• P: chocolate, cake, leather aged, sticky, parmesan cheese
• F: medium and complex

9/10 a sherry monster that delivers. It's not cheap, but it is very good, those Spectrum finishes all seem to be excellent. Came first with 8.61

Ardnamurchan Rum finish NC2 55%

• N: salt, coastal, marshmallows, subtle, light, sweet lollies, citrus
• P: citrus, spritzic, parma violets
• F: short-med and salt

7/10 Interesting without being outstanding. Possibly a bit sweet for me, which maybe the Rum finish coming through. Came 4th = 8.02

Glen Scotia 54.1% 12yo unpeated NC2 Palo Cortado Finish

• N: wood, creamy, brown sugar, hazelnuts, sherry notes
• P: sweet, brown sugar, complex, incr alco
• F: med-long and peppery

8.5/10 I liked this, interesting whisky that seemed pretty well integrated. It came 2nd, 8.5. 

Thanks to John we also learnt what a Palo Cortado sherry is, briefly it's a sherry being aged under flor to become a fino or amontillado, but for reasons it loses the flor and ages as an oloroso.

Fun tasting, our group made a few guesses as to who made the whiskies, that didn't go well. But I went ok on the answers to Daniel's misleading questions :)

Slainte!

Casual Dram 11

 More John based booze. Tasted blind, but impressed by myself for picking all 5. I probably shouldn't be too proud, they were quite diverse tastes...

Springbank 12yo Cask Strength 2023 54.1%

• N: grass, caramel, leather, citrus (hint), garden shed
• P: Caramel, McIntosh egg toffee lolly, dry, tobacco, citrus, pomegranate?
• F: long, hot, cloying

8/10 Hey, I like Springbank (generally) and I'd be happy with one of these in the cupboard...

Mystery Dram

• N: sherry, leather, burnt rubber, demarara sugar
• P: dry, sweet, bitter finish, pandang spice, 
• F: med, possibly a bit too young? 

7/10 nothing really interesting in this, could have benefited from a year or two?

Glenallachie 'Whisky Galore's 21st Anniversary' 2009/14yo 57.9%

• N: sweet, mild, caramel, burnt sugar, caramel milkshake
• P: caramel, light
• F: med, spicy

6/10 disappointing (sadly) I was really looking forward to this one as I hadn't yet picked up a bottle, but not sure I will now. Damnit. 

SMWS 4.312 'old-school with a twist' 13yo 61.2%

• N: bourbon, seaside, salt, bacon
• P: more coastal, different to nose, light balsamic vinegar, salt 'n' vinegar crisps, 
• F: med salty

8.5/10 Yup liked this one, another interesting bottling from distillery #4.

Ledaig LMDW 2007/10yo peaty artist #9 60/8%

• N: burnt rubber, salt, bacon, aniseed, tamarind, mushrooms, medicinal, iodine
• P: vanilla, very salty, islay iodine, sweet
• F: long and hot

9/10 As someone who wasn't abig fan of Ledaig's a few years ago, I'll admit I might have been hasty :) this was great. Well if you like your Islay's big and salty. 

Interested in John's tastings? have a look here. https://www.drinkscreative.com/

Whisky Tasting: James Eadie

 This months Regional Wines tasting was the indie bottler James Eadie which we haven't seen much (?any?) of in New Zealand. There's some history on their website, essentially mid 1800s, James Eadie was a distiller with a good rep, fast forward 100+ years, relative kicks off a indie bottling based on his ancestors ethos. 

James Eadie Benrinnes 9yo First fill malaga hogshead finish 55%

• N: sweet, sherry, complex, zest, young, lemonade
• P: chocolate, rough, sweet, pineapple, lime, burnt orange
• F: long, hot

7/10 Nose promised much which was disappointing in the flavour, it came 6th with 7.34. Not a typical Benrinnes.

James Eadie Caol Ila 10yo 55.3% First fill amontillado hogshead finish

• N: dry, rubbery, rashuns, bacon, tasty, cigars
• P: rubber, ash, peat but subtle, fruity, salty
• F: med hot butter

8/10 I liked it, although it came 4th (7.44), for me it was the dram of the night. The fruity body to the normal Caol Ila flavour worked really well.

James Eadie Glen Elgin 12yo 56.6% Refill oloroso hogshead finish

• N: caramel, sweet, nutty, butterscotch, demarara sugar, old wet wool, sultanas
• P: sherbert, woody, oaky, sherry, tannin, sweet
• F: short. not much happening.

6/10. Had an amazing nose, but for me was lacking after that. It came first (8.19) but our table were not fans of it (two fails from a table of 6). 

James Eadie Port Dundas 23yo 54.7% Refill PX Sherry hogshead finish

• N: complex, sweet, heavy sherry, rum, demarara/molasses, dark chocolate, hazelnuts, plums
• P: warm, engine oil, disappointing
• F: short

6/10 and I think I was being generous there, great nose but overall really disappointing. It came 5th (7.42). 

James Eadie Teaninich 13yo Refill marsala hogshead finish

• N: light, wet dog, vomit, lemon, elderflower, sherbet, acetone
• P: damp washing, spicy paprika, pencil box
• F: bitter, long

7/10 and again, interesting nose, although a bit more happening in the flavour. Came last with 7.3

James Eadie Glen Ord 12yo refill hogshead 59.1%

• N: light sugar, very sweet, ash, liquid sugar, custard, tea
• P: dull, light peppery, salty, aniseed
• F: short

6.5/10, again a bit more happening, but not enough to drag it up for me. Came 2nd with 7.51

James Eadie Royal Brackla (mystery whisky) 58.9%

• N: marshmallow, weetbix, vomit, light, key lime pie, floral
• P: rubber, light ash, burnt sugar, wood
• F: pepper, medium

6/10 again good nose let down by the flavour. It came 3rd (7.5).

Overall, a disappointing tasting, at least in our group we were keen to try a new (to us) indie bottler, as the group is a fan of them. We had quite a long discussion about what didn't work for us on the table. There's a suggestion that the finishes were good, they certainly did some pretty magical things with the nose, but maybe the underlying whisky was a bit young? That's got to be a tough call for a indie when you've got 10 years or so before seeing any profits (unless they're buying casks already a few years old, then finishing them?). Looking at the bottles, most of the finishes were at least 18months which, depending on the size of the barrel, should be enough for flavour? 

Ah well. 

B

Casual Dram 10

Our favourite John, from Regional, runs an occasional Whisky tasting and this was #10 in his continuing series of a John who'd gone to the booze...

Ardbeg BizarreBQ Double charred casks PX Sherry Casks & BBQ Casks 50.9%

N: salt, bacon, oily, mint, menthol, bbq meat, dry

P: salty, sherry, lovely, iodine, woody

F: long, dry

9/10 this was really good, i know a shocker that Ardbeg bottled their own well !

James Eadie Port Dundas 23yo refill PX Sherry Hogshead Finish 54.7%

N: wood, age, vinyl, PVA glue, brown sugar, too sweet

P: sweet, sickly, very dry

F: medium and dry

6/10 didn't like this, which was frustrating as the potential was great

Glentauchers 'North Star' 2008 / 14yo Oloroso Sherry Butt

N: apple/pear, complex, leather

P: sticky date, 

F: long, very hot

9/10 This was lovely, I want more of it. 

SMWS 30.122 'A Bootful of Brazil Nuts' 9yo, Oloroso Butt/European Oak Refill Puncheon HTMC 67.6%

N: sulphur, complex, charcoal, wood, grilled seafood

P: sulphur, massive, sour nectarines

F: long, massive, lovely

10/10 Why yes, I did rather like this. Amazing. 

Whisky: Blackadder tasting

 I think this is the first of the Regional Wines tastings we've done this year, the first one didn't have a lot of unique things so we skipped it - with the intention of having our own tasting, which we, as usual, failed spectacularly to organise. 

Blackadder are an independent bottler with their USP being they keep some of the soot/wood/crap from the barrel in when they bottle. So each bottle has some floating bits, for that added authenticity. This we learnt makes it very difficult to pour for samples. 

Blair Athol Blackadder 13yo Raw Cask 2009 Hogshead 3049 51.7%

N: sherry, sweet, glaze, acetone, sulphur, tea, apples

P: spicy, liquorice, woody, orange, savoury

F: warm, spicy, long

8/10 Came 3rd with 8.33

I liked this a lot. Interesting whisky.

Inchgower Blackadder 12yo Raw Cask 2009 58%

N: dry, powdery, sherbets, bourbon, phenol, thyme

P: floral, lemonade, peat(ish), mineral, chardonnay, vanilla

F: med-long

8/10 6th with 7.33

Interesting and unusual in its flavours.

Macduff Blackadder 14yo Raw Cask 2007 59.7%

N: sweet, parma violets, hot, phenol

P: dry, vigorous, coconut

F: very dry, med-long, buttery

8/10 7th with 7.04

Starting with three 8s seemed a good indication of the quality of this tasting. 

Linkwood Blackadder 12yo Raw Cask 172 2010 59.2%

N: sweet, sherry, lovely, woody, blue cheese

P: incr alco, big, 

F: prickly, solvents, short

6/10 4th with 8.14 (people are silly)

Promised much on the nose and failed to deliver. Possibly too much alcohol and may have needed mor time in the barrel?

Glen Spey Blackadder 11yo Raw Cask 2010 61.3%

N: light, phenol, sweet, bourbon, fruit, lemon, balsa wood

P: fruit salad, medicinal, lemon

F: medium, bitter, lemon

8.5/10 This came 5th with 7.34

Obviously I liked this far more than others int he tasting, it seemed very balanced to me.

Mystery: Glendronach NS Cask Batch 11 59.6%

N: brown sugar, molasses, sweet, sherry, old leather, varnish, complex, aged?

P: dry, sherry, tannins, cigars

F: long, dry, massive

9/10 Came 1st with 8.98

This was great, as you'd expect from Glendronach, and it's a little embarrasing that the mystery won the tasting, but it didn't for me, so I'm obviously a better person. But seriously, this is great.

Glentauchers Blackadder 10yo 2012 Raw Cask Butt 900472 64.3%

N: sherry, sweet, rich, incr alc, papaya, spiky, fruit

P: amazing, long hot, sherry, spicy

F: long hot dry

9.5-10/10 Came 2nd with 8.86

I ended up pushing for a 10 on this one, and may have a bottle sitting at home now. It's stunning. 

Untappd - update on the Alec v Bruce competition

 This competition has been going, unofficially, since err, I dunno, I want to say 2010? 2009? who knows. Any way, I've tried to post updates every 6 months or so. 

The good news (for me), I'm still ahead on total number of checkins, although Alec continues to have had more unique beers. Badges, I'm 4 ahead, which suggests we're both maxxing out on the gamification. 

Also we share two of the top beers, Schlenkerla and Oude Geuze Boon. Again, not much of a surprise.