Trying it Blind

Our 8th Annual Bottling Tasting was last Thursday March 1st. Jan from Douglas Laing and Darren from The Whisky Shop come together and present us with four whiskies that we taste blind. Scoring the whiskies throughout the night, the one with the highest is bottled by Douglas Laing with the Society's name on it. Jan and Darren gave us some great whiskies and a fabulous night with a couple of surprises was enjoyed by all. My tasting notes were confiscated with the others (the notes will go onto our bottling) so these notes are what I remember from the night.

Benriach Heart of Speyside
A welcome and warm up dram from the committee. A fairly light and sweet dram to get the palate thinking about whisky

Allt-A-Bhainne 11yo
This was the first whisky we tried blind. With only six votes, it came last in the competition. I thought it was very basic without a lot of character. I got burned hair and other such pleasantries on the nose. It finished with a lingering bitter taste.

Corey isn't too sure about the first dram

Craigellachie 12yo
Coming in at third place with ten votes was our second blind dram. A bit more complex than the first one as it had some spice and a little kick to it.

Ardmore 7yo 
With thirty-one votes, the third dram won first place and will be bottled with the society's name in the next couple of weeks. This one smelled of burned sugar cookies with red fruits and had a very complex body to it. My personal favorite of the night, I am pretty happy that it won.

Bowmore 9yo
Third place was awarded to the fourth dram of the evening. The only dram from Islay, this was very seaside smoky for me. Personally, I thought it was not as complex as the third one. But I know many people were upset that this didn't win. 

As the results were tallied and counted by the committee, Jan revealed that he had some whisky in the back for us to try. However we would have to share because he only brought one bottle.

Jan and his "one bottle" of Big Peat

A gallon of Big Peat (this version called the Really Big Peat) was brought out to the delight of everyone present. Everyone enjoyed it and it was an excellent close to the tasting. 

Braw, honeysuckle, mulled cider, Egyptian tobacco, and hot embers at the gates of Hell

On February 23rd, Nick Malcolm from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society came to our humble society with five bottles of single cask, cask strength whisky for us to enjoy. By bottling unusual whisky from all over the world, these drams inspire conversations and debates about tasting notes. Every cask they bottle is extremely unique and it really demonstrates everything that I love about whisky: its variable character.

Cask No. 97.21 "Laurel, meadowsweet and honeysuckle"
(Littlemill 21yo 54.7%)
Nose: light floral, treacle, chai tea with cream, citrus notes mostly mandarin that evolves into mandarin pancakes. "whisky warehouse" "pinewood and lemon sorbet," "play dough," "hint of pears." "herbal sorbet".
Taste: spicy, pine. cloves, rooibos, mexican rice, creamy, honey "gummie sweets," "coconut," "tropical lime".
With water: many more of those citrus notes and very fragrant fruits.

Cask No. 105.18 "Mulled cider and beef goulash"
(Tormore 28yo 54.5%)
Nose: sweet and sour pork, red apple pie, cloves, caraway. damp and rich. Applewood smoked bacon. "Guiness HP Sauce," "appley with spice," "oak, cognac". 
Taste: fresh. Promises to be a big chunky sherried whisky but is then very subtle. "licorice," "cider apple sauce," "Worcestershire sauce and bbqs, red grapes".
With Water: Sweet shop, bacon bits, brie, bleu cheese. Becomes more bitter like a struck match.

Cask No. 35.57 "Egyptian tobacco"
(Glen Moray 34yo 53.8%)
Nose: Big sweet notes, melon, cherimoya, pineapple, lots of fruit, flavored tobacco. "juice green apple skin, lemon abas oil," "old brewery," "coke float"
Taste: Wow. Pipe tobacco, toffee, fudge and caramel. Youthful vigor but dry in the mouth. Banana fudge. "salted leather," "candyfloss/ fruity sweets," "vanilla ice cream"

Cask No. 93.50 "Hot embers at the gates of hell"
(Glen Scotia 20yo 58.6%)
Nose: trout, algae, polluted river, pork fat, bacon grease, sulfur, mackerel, dirty and fatty. "old socks," "rotting, or dull old water".
Taste: stick to your teeth fat, chips in hamburger fat, burned oil. "ember oil," "gasoline," "clammy" "ash".
Through Water: citrus and toffee

Cask No. 33.115 "Man that's braw!"
(Ardbeg 11yo 55.4%)
Nose: salty sticky toffee pudding, sea side custard, salty caramel, cherries, pepperoni and pineapple. "Charcoal orange-creme crates" "sea weed" "hints of leather"  
Taste: serious bite, burned veggies (sweet potatoes, bell peppers, butternut squash) cooked red onions. But still very sweet and light. sublte hints of moss, earth. sits at the front of the mouth. "wet peat. a burning barn" "hot dogs with mustard. open wood fireplace" "Islay- 'nuff said."

The whiskies were so good, even Tom was smiling!

Pure Decadence

Sherried whiskies and chocolate. Personally, I don't think that life gets much better than when you get to spend an evening drinking whiskies paired with chocolates.This is always our most popular tasting of the year, and with good reason. It is pure and complete decadence.

500 chocolates perfectly crafted by Megan

Dalmore 15 yo
Nose: orange peel, spices
Taste: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, a bit later you came across chocolate oranges with a vanilla coffee finish
Chocolate: orange blossom and vanilla bean center in white chocolate
Post-chocolate: initially very bitter and full of oak notes. The dominant sweeter side of Dalmore was lost in the smooth silk of the white chocolate. But it evolved into marzipan, nutmeg, kona coffee with cream and brown sugar.
Overall: A great introduction into heavily sherried whiskies. Very easy to drink and a great dram. Perfectly matched with the white chocolate.

Glengoyne 17 yo
Nose: herbs, grassy, rosemary, thyme, pear, light and fresh, melon rind
Taste: bouncy green apples, "grass--green, green grass"
Chocolate: a truffle with a white chocolate chai center wrapped in milk chocolate
Post-chocolate: brings out the sweeter notes: Christmas cake, cinnamon, oranges, and nutmeg.
Overall: the least sherry infused whisky of the night. This served as a great example of how a spirit can be subtly influenced by a small amount of time within a cask.

Olivier and his baby, Dalmore.

Glendronach 15 yo "The Revival"
Nose: red fruits, nutty, chocolate covered pretzels
Taste: "maple syrup",  "chocolat", plums, dates, honey, milk chocolate
Chocolate: salted caramel
Post-chocolate: the whisky "gets bigger" but the sweet notes are rapidly subdued and the wood and oak notes become more and more noticeable.
Overall: Another great pairing of the night. This was my favorite dram a great whisky that became more and more complex.

Glenfarclas 105
Nose: green apples, icing sugar, pear, sweetie shop
Taste: "Christmas cake on steroids or soaked in alcohol", hazelnuts, chocolate covered bananas
Chocolate: bitter orange creme wrapped in dark chocolate
Post-Chocolate: oranges, coffee, extremely sweet
Overall: A big crowd pleaser. The pairing of this chocolate and dram was truly fantastic and many loved it.

100 people enjoyed the tasting

Ardbeg Uigeadail
Nose: earthy, peat, sherry "grinds out the harsher edges" that Ardbeg usually has.
Taste: root vegetables, earth, peat, plums, pinot noir, over-ripe grapes, citrus (oranges and lemon)
Chocolate: extra dark chocolate truffle.
Post-chocolate: sweeter notes come through stronger. The heavy peat comes a bit later and not as strong.
Overall: This dram won the hearts of the peat lovers that night. A wonderful expression of Ardbeg's unusual nature. Eimear's absolute favorite dram of the night.

This semester has been packed with great whiskies that have created awesome tastings. However, I think that this one tops them all (so far). The pure ecstasy of indulging luscious home and hand made chocolates that complimented all the whiskies perfectly... it is an experience that lingers long after the night is over. 

Kampai!!

Japanese Whisky!

On the 9th of February we held a small tasting for those big whisky nerds who wanted to try five different Japanese whiskies side by side. Thursday we packed as many people possible into a tiny room and dissected several whiskies from the East. Coming from the same company, Suntory, I expected to find some of the family similarities within these whiskies that Willie had described the previous week.

Hibiki 12 yo blend
A blend of whiskies taken from both Yamazaki and Hakushu distillies, it is totally dominated by the time it spent in plum wine casks. 
Nose: fruity (peaches, cantaloupe) "marmalade and melon". Deep ruby reds
Taste: very light compared to a decently rich and complex nose. Immediately sat at the back of the tongue and tasted of glue, resin, and tree sap. Quite bitter and fleeting after an initial shock of sweetness. "Candied apple"

Yamazaki 12 yo single malt
This was the first Japanese single malt to ever be produced from Japan's first distillery.
Nose: plums, honey, shredded wheat, vanilla
Taste: a very subtle taste again. Not overpowering. Begins with noodle-y oak nature and quickly turns to a bitter fleeting sensation again.

Yamazaki Puncheon
Matured in a 480-liter virgin oak puncheon cask, 48% and non-chill filtered to boot!
Nose: honeydew melon, pine, roasted pine nuts and walnuts, cream cheese icing, granulated sugar, Haribos, "nail varnish", "pear"
Taste: a bouncy dram, spiced ginger, light and floral, again very fleeting.

Hakushu 12 yo
Coming from Suntory's second distillery, this whisky is widely popular in Japan for its use of peat.
Nose: picked peaty black pepper
Taste: old fireplace cinders. green barley peat kiln   

Hakushu Heavily Peated
A "heavily peated" version of the original spirit. It promises to hold onto the subtle Japanese characteristics without delivering the traditional Scottish heavy peat.  
Nose: irnbru smoke, cinnamon, rust, bubblegum
Taste: "peat Robatayaki",  tobacco and green apples, dry smoke but leaving a behind a very wet palate. "Like an old geisha sitting in a public swimming pool", "peated by someone who has never been to Islay"

The Suntory Family and the Water of Life Society

The more mindful readers out there will notice that I have removed the "overall" category from my tasting notes. Since we decided to compare the whiskies side by side I waited until the very end to take a quick poll of the room to see which whisky would be voted the best. As I proclaimed the five names, hands went up all over the room. There was no single whisky that commanded the room that night. They all shared characteristics particular to Japanese whiskies (notably apple, plums and their light and fleeting nature) but they were different enough to cut across the preferences of all 28 of us present.

A house divided.

Superstition and Prophecy

The one, the only, the legend, the wonderful man himself: Mr. Willie Tait. Mr Tait came to our society last Thursday and gave us one of our best tastings of the year. Master Distiller and Global Brand Ambassador, Willie had all 110 of us in stitches all night long. His understanding of Jura's whisky and the whisky process as a whole is unrivaled and everyone was thrilled to listen to such a remarkable man. Especially when he compared the aroma of a particular whisky to the unforgettable "perfume of the girl who dumped you".

The night began with The Claymore. This blend was chosen by the committee in order to welcome the hundred participants as they walked into the room.
Nose: very mellow aroma, hints of oak
Taste: For my palate, I thought that this was a very harsh blend. Typically, I enjoy blends as they serve to open the taste buds and other senses. This was an exception to that rule. The Claymore finished in extremely bitter tastes. It left the back of the throat dry in a very unpleasant way.
Overall: I did not enjoy The Claymore at all. It was hard to drink and made finding the flavors of vanilla, oak, and tiny bits of honey within it almost impossible.

After the room was packed to the rafters, Willie took over. He lead us on a tour through Jura and the people who come together to create the whiskies we were sampling. The island of Jura and its whiskies are often compared to and cast in the shadow of those of Islay. Willie showed everyone that the whisky made on Jura stands apart from those made on Islay.

Our taste journey through Jura

 

Origin 10
Nose: oats, warm sunshine, salty, dry
Taste: caramel, other sweets, oak, "brewing dark coffee", slight bitterness like a burned espresso. Finished in a mellow salty, oaky and malty flavors.
Overall: A very enjoyable and delectable dram. Great session whisky and one that you could easily return to time and time again.

Diurach's Own 16
Nose: a rich and yet subtle nose of citrus and warm fruits. "Lazy, hot sunny afternoons in August." Small hints of natural smoky that turned sweet.
Taste: dark chocolate covered citrus. Tangerines, oranges. A hyper whisky on the palate with a long-lingering finish.
Overall: This was one of the favorites of the night. I walked around filling glasses and listening to critiques of it, no one had anything bad to say.Frequently I heard, "I would drink this any night" and "If I was going to introduce a friend to whisky, this is the one I would use". Very highly received and really enjoyed.

Superstition
Nose: floral peatiness comes across immediately. A lightly peated whisky, there are also notes of dried orange peels, some caramel--maybe butterscotch and crushed peppercorns.
Taste: Smoke, spice, honey, a bit salty. Some got hints of pine and others found it finishing in definite orange influences while other found bonfire smoke.
Overall: This one encountered mixed reviews. Many had tried it before, but few had tasted it within the basic Jura range. Nevertheless, it was not voted the favorite of the night. Many preferred the other aspects of Jura's personality.

Superstition and Prophecy

Prophecy
Nose: heavily peated the smoke dominated the nose on this dram for quite a while until the cinnamon-y spice had an opportunity to come through.
Taste: The lack of chill filtration really made this dram stick to your teeth. Very rich and full bodied this whisky kept unfolding flavors. Again the Jura salty and orange definitely came through the very heavy smoke.
Overall: This was a very popular dram of the evening. A great way to finish the night and a fine example of the high quality that is Jura's whiskies.

All too soon, Willie finished taking us through the fabulous whiskies of the evening. His anecdotes about the family tree of the whiskies helped represent the citrus and salty flavors in Jura. I don't believe that anyone will be forgetting this night any time soon.

If you don't have bruises, you aren't doing it properly.

Oh yes. The annual Water of Life Society Ceilidh. Celebrating Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns, this night is never one to be missed. With the stabbing of the haggis and women being spun into walls, a Scottish experience is guaranteed. Guests were greeted at the door to Teviot's great Debating Hall by an Englishman gone native. Dressed in full Scottish regalia, Sam set the tone for the evening in his highland dress.

Sam the Scotsman

Guests were then presented with the first and rather appropriate dram of the evening, the Robert Burns Blend created by Arran Distillers. Caramel amber in color, this tasted of vanilla dusty oak and finished in a tiny hint of spiciness, but most of the emphasis was on the oak. Second was Compas Box's Spice Tree. This blend is like "Christmas in a glass". Flavors such as clove, nutmeg, and boiled fruits come through this great dram. It was the perfect dram for toasting the haggis or the lassies or even acknowledging the laddies in my reply.

Scott presenting and stabbing the haggis and Eric translates for those of us who do not speak old Scottish. Sam waits in the background to toast the lassies

My reply on behalf of the lassies

After the toasts Gunna Sound took us through many more dances and the night was rounded off by the very smoky Cask Islay blend. Unlike our typical tastings, the drinking dancers were given a series of tickets in order to claim their whisky. We did enjoy our drams but the focus was on the dancing, smiling and the acquiring of bruises. And of course, the men in kilts!

Kilts, never "skirts"

Pub Crawls

Did you hear about our legendary pub crawls this year? Missed them? Never fear! I have listed the pubs on both of our routes for those wanting to expand their whisky enjoyment throughout the city*. Alternatively,  you may re-create these nights with friends, family and other loved ones.

Semester 1:
Cask and Barrel (Southside)
Dagda
The Reverie
Bow Bar
Albanach

Of course, the different groups this semester had different routes and some of us even went to additional pubs like the Greenmantle.

Semester 2:
The Kilderkin
The Tass
Malt Shovel
Bow Bar
Dagda

The group at the beginning of the night in the Kilderkin

* Please note these lists are not to be taken as comprehensive.