Whisky Tasting Archives - Rant And Whisky

If I had to pick just one thing I have gained from going to whisky tastings, it is Knowledge. With a capital K.

The people I generally share whisky tastings with are drawn from every imaginable sphere of activity and background.

But the common factor across all of them is the love of whisky. They like whisky and they know stuff about whisky – whether it’s about production or consumption or anything in between. And they are totally willing to share what they know, unconditionally and for free.

There is a lot to be learned about whisky – the history, how it’s made, what the various flavours are. The How, the Where and the Why. Some people have bits of the knowledge, others have a whole lot. Since I have been going to whisky tastings, the biggest thing I’ve learned is how much there is to learn! But I have never found any preciousness or pretention about the knowledge or about freely sharing it.

I have learned that it pays to keep your ears open at a whisky tasting. A tasting is a place where, if you want to learn, plenty will be presented to you. There will always be something new, such as the effect that different production techniques, equipment, ownership or process will have on the final spirit outcome.

Tastings are the place where, for a relatively low cost, you get to taste some whiskies that would otherwise be unaffordable (or unobtainable!)

It may be that you will find out which drams you prefer and – possibly more importantly – which you don’t. That knowledge alone can save you a lot of grief, purchasing a whisky which you later discover is not really one you fancy. I can attest that the system is not universally fool-proof, but it’s better than none at all.

Tastings are also the place where, for a relatively low cost, you get to taste some whiskies that would otherwise be unaffordable (or unobtainable!)

Whisky tastings develop long-term friendships.

Stories of tastings past get told and re-told (and probably enlarged): the tasting where the offerings were so poor that the tasters elected to club funds together, go downstairs to the retail shop and purchase something palatable to share. Or the bottle where the label read “we have bottled this at 40% so more people can get the benefit of tasting our whisky” – when the first sip of this very substandard dram split into two layers in the mouth, the more prevalent layer being the 60% water content!

How do you know it tastes like licking a cricket bat??

Tasting comments from the floor are insightful, very personal, totally random and frequently indelicate. As are the comments that they engender from the assembled throng. “How do you know it tastes like licking a cricket bat??”

The humour is high, and frequently neither politically nor socially correct. It is insightful, unrelenting, unforgiving and very sharp. Laughter is the key, sometimes laughing at but more commonly laughing with.

Another by-product of whisky tastings I enjoy is the exchanging of small sample bottles of whisky brought from home to be given to others to try.

Here are a few examples of recent exchanges …

G&M Caol Ila (Islay), from Mel

Cask Strength 57.8% abv.
Bottle 6 of 223
Refill Sherry Butt
Distilled 27 Nov 1988, Bottled 10 Jul 2002 (14 yo)

Colour: Dark Amber
Nose: Dull peat, but not over the top. A matured cow pat. Alcohol heat comes through (not surprising, given the abv). A medium-rare steak.
Palette: Alcohol burn, brown & dark, sweeter and with slight smoke. With reduction, sweeter still & radishes.
Finish: Warming.
Comment: This quite surprised me. Normally I have found Caol Ilas a bit too earthy and peaty for my preference. But this one is quite subdued peat-wise and I could get very used to it. Very yummy.

Score: 8.8

SMWS 76.126 “Racy Lady, Wearing Leather”. From Mel
Mortlach, refill bourbon hogshead, 57% abv, no age statement. Distilled 22 Sep 1987.

Nose: Laundry powder. Alcohol is up, sandsoap and a grassy meadow.
Palette: Alcohol burn, soap, fencing timber and a hot tongue. A big mouth, sweet and sourish. No obvious bourbon influence (eg no vanilla note). Dusty leather.
Finish: Long heat, tannic, dries off and slightly waxy. Thorax-warming, the pepper mouth stays.
Comment: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society do not reduce the abv of barrels they get – that option is left to the consumer. This Mortlach could tolerate some reduction to lower the effect of high alcohol and let the flavours through.

Score: 8.4

Bruichladdich Octomore 8.1. From Brian

8 years aging in ff American oak bourbon, 167 ppm*, 59.3% abv

Colour: Light
Nose: Smoky, uncooked bacon (with no eggs). Sweetish.
Palette: Soft and a bit fizzy. Bacon & black pudding for breakfast, ash & high alcohol
Finish: The smoky bacon lingers on (and on). And on.
Comment: I can sort of understand why people go for this, but it’s considerably too peaty-laden for me.
Score: 7.5

*ppm: Parts Per Million – a measure of the phenols (the “peaty-ness”).

G&M Mortlach 15yo, 43%. From Graeme

FF and RF sherry casks

Colour: Amber
Nose: Peaches (stone-fruit peel), sweet sherry, fresh cookies, tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce.
Palette: Leather polish, sourish (oloroso?), not as sherry-sweet as I had expected. Wood, tannic (drying mouth)
Finish: Fades off early (from the low abv?). Dark, slight smoke towards the end. Raisins from a packet. The sourness stays, although it is not unpleasant. Warms the throat and chest.
Comment: Totally different from the SMWS Mortlach earlier. This is nice as a relaxing whisky, without the over-the-top alcohol level.

Score: 8.5

Cragganmore 12yo 58.4%, donated by Thomas (Pat’s tasting notes)

Matured in American oak

Colour: Light
Nose: Coastal, seashore, salty, barbeque plate, sweet bourbon
Palette: peat, sweet & warming, smooth
Finish: Medium
Comment: I could quite happily buy a bottle.

Score: 8.0

Toki (Suntory) 43%, donated by Thomas (Pat’s tasting notes)

‘Toki’ means ‘time’ in Japanese.

Toki is a blended whisky from Suntory’s three distilleries. Its main components are Hakushu single malt and Chita grain whisky. This is a round and sweet blend with a refreshing citrus character and a spicy finish.

Colour: Very light
Nose: Soft peach, beeswax polish, honeycomb
Palette: Oily mouth feel, smooth, cherry
Finish: Short, with soft tannin
Comment: A “quaffer”. Pleasant enough, but not challenging, run-of-the-mill

Score: 7

This article is assembled from detail kindly provided from Daniel’s highly competent whiteboard notes, and with Ian & John D’s best recollections of proceedings. Scoring is from Ian and John, together with the overall group average scoring and the group’s final placing.

Many thanks to Richard Mayston for his photography.

The Book of Great Whisky Tastings

There is a book being written somewhere that will be entitled The Book of Great Whisky Tastings.

To be fair, in my experience there are not many bad whisky tastings.

However, every now and again one comes along that absolutely hits the headlines – the Springbank and associates tasting in Wellington after the 2018 Dramfest is a memorable example.

But now we have new heights! Kurt’s Dark Matter tasting – the seven Sherry Bombs Tasting to rule the world!

On our arrival, Kurt welcomed us and offered us an introductory dram. There were a dozen black Glencairn glasses on the kitchen top, so Kurt had been busy ensuring that we could not even guess the whisky from the colour. After a lot of educated – and a few less so – guesses were made, Ian shouted “Imperial” and got lucky. It was one of the G&M Imperials that was the most common way people got to try product from this demolished Speyside distillery.

The Seven Tastings Line-up.

All seven whiskies were tasted blind. What was in each glass was not revealed until the commentary, the scoring and the guesses were complete.

In glass order (the names have been added with the advantage of hindsight):

Adelphi Laudale Batch Release No 3, 12 yo, 46%

Nose: Rum & raisin, a cardboard box of stewed raisins, sage with peach and marker pen. It smells old, like a dirty barrel, a forest floor and fresh cut grass with pineapple lumps, liquorice and marshmallow.
Palette: Christmas cake with custard, thin, bitter, lemon, metallic.
Finish: Short, going tannic. Slightly bitter, tamarillo, waxy, chocolate orange and roasted coffee.
Score: John 7.4, Ian 8.5, The Group 8.92
Place: 6^th

There is a book being written somewhere that will be entitled The Book of Great Whisky Tastings.

Adelphi Hororata Linkwood 11yo, 55.4% ex-sherry

Nose: Dark chocolate, coffee caramel chews. Young and feisty, with vinegar, leather, sherbet and Turkish delight, lavender, and asparagus.
Palette: Oranges, boiled sweets, dry but balanced.
Finish: Lapsang tea leaves, not fully together, young, dusty and slightly ragged.
Score: John 8.3, Ian 8.3, The Group 8.7
Place: 7^th

The Whisky Barrel One Giant Leap – Deanston, 10yo 61.6%, first fill Pedro Ximenes

Nose: Stinky, marmite, dark chocolate, decomposing cabbage, potato chips, almonds, bonfire, buddha stick, earl grey tea, gun powder
Palette: Hot, better than the nose, chilli, chocolate cake, marmite, creamy
Finish: Spicy, stewed tea, sage bonbons, menthol, waxy & alcohol
Score: John 7.5, Ian 8.2, The Group 9.37
Place: 3^rd

G&M Balblair 1993, 49/6% first fill puncheon

Nose: Meadow grass, apple tarts, Turkish coffee, condensed milk, brown sugar, stale chocolate, nectarines, aged ham, modelling glue,
Palette: Raw runner beans, sherry casks, pleasant plums, soft.
Finish: Huge, sweet, dry, a drinker, sticky, chocolate, PX.
Score: John 7.8, Ian 8.4, The Group 9.03
Place: 5^th

Adelphi Glenrothes 8 yo 66.6% one of 315 bottles

Nose: Walnuts, plums, mahogany, bee pollen, oranges, simple and elegant.
Palette: Not very old, anaesthetic, grubby
Finish: Alcohol buzz, chocolate powder
Score: John 9.4, Ian 8.7, The Group 9.46
Place: 2^nd

Adelphi Blair Athol, 21yo, 57.2%, Sherry Hogshead (The Mystery)

Nose: Dark fudge chocolate, floral, raisins, camphor, copper, an unlit cigarette, blueberry tarts, toffee apples, plum pudding
Palette: Pureed fruit pudding, Turkish delight lollies, a menthol cigarette, chocolate-covered plums.
Finish: Chewy date pudding and hospitals. Fantastic!
Scores: John 9.5, Ian 8.8, The Group 9.1
Place: 1^st

Adelphi Teaninich 12yo 55.9% first fill Sherry Butt

Nose: Autumn leaves, caramel, a leather seat in a new car, cooking apples and figs, and a dirty bookcase.
Palette: Liquorice, spearmint and vine fruit.
Finish: Chewy and yummy
Scores: John 9.1, Ian 8.6, The Group 9.1
Place: 4^th

The “After-Match” Function

From Ian’s notes:

Once the main proceedings were finished. Kurt offered some yummy food to soak up the alcohol and attention turned to a range of novel drams that people had brought for others to try.

Meeting in a convivial atmosphere brings out the sharing nature: there is too much whisky in the world to buy a bottle of, and each of us has only a limited exposure. It is nice to try something someone picked up in some store or on their pre-Covid travels that they think is worth a wider audience.

Pat brought a bottle of peated French whisky. It was a little synthetic to start with and a bit raw, but I liked how the peat worked with the spirit – I scored it a 7.9 but I did not make any detailed notes. The French consume a lot of whisky so it makes sense that they also have a few distilleries of their own. This was a first for me and probably for many people present – a great choice by Pat.

From Mel, a dark Adelphi Benriach 8yo 59.1% #34 to fit into proceedings: dark chocolate, Phoenix cola – score 8.5. Matt’s comment: a face full of salty raisins

From Kurt, an Adelphi Inchgower 2007 12yo 55.8% Hororata bottling. I didn’t score it but it was in the 8-8.5 region.

I poured a mystery sherried whisky which no-one seriously objected to – a 12yo Jura, from Douglas Laing, finished in PX. I would say you would be hard pushed to recognise it as a Jura.

The Wrap-Up

For someone with mobility issues, it is quite a walk up paths and stairs to Kurt’s house. It’s a more perilous trek back down the paths and stairs four-and-a-half hours later.

But the time spent in between the climb and the trek back was sublime.

And mobility issues are taken for granted after drinking a wide range of good whiskies for that long. My personal thanks to Pat for moral and physical support on the return journey.

And an enormous vote of thanks to Kurt for the event, for his organisation and especially his hospitality.

Slainte mhath

Tag: Whisky Tasting

The Joy of Whisky Tastings

Kurt’s Dark Matter Tasting

From Ian’s notes: