I set out this year with the goal of holding a dozen tastings, and managed to come very close - merely one short, including the co-ed tasting I ran in August. Big thanks to all the guys who helped out (especially Max) and everyone that participated - 22 different scotch club attendees, and another 15 or so from the co-ed tasting! It couldn't be done without you.
With well-over 60 whiskies tasted this year between scotch club and "private research," I've learned a lot. I research notes pretty seriously before our tastings, and give the guys a write-up on each distillery. It's been a pleasure, and a whole lot of fun, and has given me a pretty good working knowledge of a number of whiskies. I'm going to share the most important things I've learned from the whiskies I've tasted in the past 12 months.
Best whisky: Port Charlotte 6. This is best thing I've drank this year and possibly my favourite of all-time. The only thing that might beat it is the Caol Ila 18 I had with my brother about 5 years ago. Do not pass up a chance at that bottling, because it's hard to say what the next will taste like as it will be done at a different distillery (see below).
Honourable mention: Ardbeg Uigeadail. If I hadn't tried the PC6, this would be the top for sure.
Best Distillery: Bruichladdich. I am amazed to be saying this, as my brother and I tried the 10-year-old about 3 years ago and we hated that bottle. I never hated a bottle of scotch before, or since. However, Max brought back some strange bottling unique to Alberta, which was fantastic. They distilled the Port Charlotte 6 and 7 that are both amazing. And we hit the Octomore, which was absolutely brilliant as well. I figure Jim McEwan must be doing something right!
Honourable mention: Bowmore. Such consistency, and the Tempest this year was brilliant.
Best Value: The Black Grouse. Unavailable here in Quebec, this beautiful bottle runs a mere $33 in Ontario (and less for a litre if you're passing through duty-free). Without knowing, many people would probably think this was quite an expensive single malt, from the Highlands or possibly Islay. It's complex, sweet, slightly smoky and smooth; a complete package.
Honourable mention: Redbreast 12. Damned fine whiskey at $43 for the bottle.
For The Ladies: Cragganmore Distiller's Edition. This was a huge hit at the co-ed tasting I ran, especially among the novice scotch drinkers. If they don't have a taste for the wonders distilled on Islay, then you won't go wrong with this one.
Honourable mention: Ardbeg Uigeadail. For the ladies that have acquired the taste.
Most Disappointing: Alberta Premium 5. With the rave reviews from Jim Murray, maybe I let my expectations run too high. Not a good whisky unless you're planning to mix it with some ginger ale.
Not-so-honourable mention: Old Malt Cask Highland Park 23. Again, maybe I let my expectations run a little too wild...
Worst Value: Glenlivet 21. An expensive bottle with elaborate packaging hiding a mediocre whisky.
Not-so-honourable mention: That Highland Park 23... it wasn't cheap!
Most anticipated for 2011: Well, given the list that Max and I compiled on his trip to Calgary over the holidays, there's a lot of great things to look forward to! Two things that top my list of whiskies that have just recently become available have to be the Port Charlotte 8, which should be just fabulous given the showings of of the 6- and 7-year olds; and the first bottling of Kilchoman, a brand-new Islay distillery established in only 2005. Both will feature in tastings either this month or possibly February.
Slainte and best wishes for 2011!
Showing posts with label Bruichladdich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bruichladdich. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
September 2010
Our September 24th tasting took place at Max's, where we profited from his fine procurement skills. Another trip to Calgary's Kensington Wine Market saw us hoping to pick up a rare repeat whisky along with some of its siblings - the Port Charlotte 5, 6 and the 7-year-old we tried back in March. Sadly, the 5-year-old was no longer available, so we tried our palates with another one from the same distillery: the Bruichladdich Octomore.
This was our first stab at a "horizontal" tasting, where all the whiskies come from the same distillery. The first run of Port Charlotte was distilled at Bruichladdich on Islay; and all three of them since they came under new management. All are bottled at a cask strength of over 60%, meaning we more than got our money's worth in terms of "bang for the buck." Oddly, a lot of us found these strong, young whiskies had great character that wasn't improved by water at all.
Joe and Jesse both attended their 5th tasting (16 and 15 whiskies sampled, respectively) and newcomers Dave C and Peter seemed to enjoy themselves. Many thanks to Max and Pat for hosting; and another cheers to Max for a fine procurement - these were 3 top-tier whiskies, although if you didn't love the Islays, it might have been a tough night.
Attending: Me, Max, Mark, Dara, Derek, Allard, Norm, Joe, Jesse, Stevens, Pat, Ardeshir, Peter, Dave C.
Port Charlotte 7
As mentioned, we tried this back in March and it was very well-remembered by myself, Max, Allard, Joe and Stevens... the other lads had heard about it and were pretty stoked to have another shot at it.
Nose: There's that toffee/caramel, spice, smoke... everything. Yum.
Palate: Sweet, smoky, balanced and almost a hint of bacon in there. Just a fantastically complex and balanced whisky.
Finish: Chewy peat, huge phenol and nice oak background. Long, complex and beautiful.
Overall: As good as remembered, meaning among the best whiskies I've ever had. 9.5/10
Port Charlotte 6
Another gem from Port Charlotte. Even better than the 7, which was a surprise - I didn't think it got much better than the 7. The overwhelming favourite of the night.
Nose: Fantastic. Great sweetness; the peat blends well into complex malt sugars with big alcohol notes.
Palate: Sweeter than the 7-year-old, maybe some citrus as well. Complex and beautiful as the peat eases into the fore.
Finish: Fantastic peat, mouth-watering, rich, complex and chewy. Fuck yeah.
Overall: What a whisky. Big flavours, big character, incredibly well-balanced and just downright amazing. Did I mention AMAZING? A must-have for Islay lovers. 9.5 or 10 on the 10-point scale.
Bruichladdich Octomore
Supposedly the most heavily-peated scotch ever made (at the time) with a whopping 131 ppm phenol. At 5 years old and something like 64% alcohol, I wasn't sure what to expect from this beast. I attempted making a 131 ppm phenol solution in the lab to compare this two, but I couldn't get a concentration on the Tris-saturated bottle we use for DNA extractions... but this definitely lived up to expectations.
Nose: Like a phenol/alcohol solution from the lab, with some interesting citrus notes.
Palate: A little hot and sweet with the enormous alcohol content, but then balanced and complex flavours have a go 'round before the phenol takes over.
Finish: Nothing complex or layered here, just fantastic phenol goodness.
Overall: Despite the high-phenol warnings, this is a complex and well-balanced scotch, truly a pleasure even at 64%. Not for those loving a mellow whisky. 9.5/10
This was our first stab at a "horizontal" tasting, where all the whiskies come from the same distillery. The first run of Port Charlotte was distilled at Bruichladdich on Islay; and all three of them since they came under new management. All are bottled at a cask strength of over 60%, meaning we more than got our money's worth in terms of "bang for the buck." Oddly, a lot of us found these strong, young whiskies had great character that wasn't improved by water at all.
Joe and Jesse both attended their 5th tasting (16 and 15 whiskies sampled, respectively) and newcomers Dave C and Peter seemed to enjoy themselves. Many thanks to Max and Pat for hosting; and another cheers to Max for a fine procurement - these were 3 top-tier whiskies, although if you didn't love the Islays, it might have been a tough night.
Attending: Me, Max, Mark, Dara, Derek, Allard, Norm, Joe, Jesse, Stevens, Pat, Ardeshir, Peter, Dave C.
Port Charlotte 7
As mentioned, we tried this back in March and it was very well-remembered by myself, Max, Allard, Joe and Stevens... the other lads had heard about it and were pretty stoked to have another shot at it.
Nose: There's that toffee/caramel, spice, smoke... everything. Yum.
Palate: Sweet, smoky, balanced and almost a hint of bacon in there. Just a fantastically complex and balanced whisky.
Finish: Chewy peat, huge phenol and nice oak background. Long, complex and beautiful.
Overall: As good as remembered, meaning among the best whiskies I've ever had. 9.5/10
Port Charlotte 6
Another gem from Port Charlotte. Even better than the 7, which was a surprise - I didn't think it got much better than the 7. The overwhelming favourite of the night.
Nose: Fantastic. Great sweetness; the peat blends well into complex malt sugars with big alcohol notes.
Palate: Sweeter than the 7-year-old, maybe some citrus as well. Complex and beautiful as the peat eases into the fore.
Finish: Fantastic peat, mouth-watering, rich, complex and chewy. Fuck yeah.
Overall: What a whisky. Big flavours, big character, incredibly well-balanced and just downright amazing. Did I mention AMAZING? A must-have for Islay lovers. 9.5 or 10 on the 10-point scale.
Bruichladdich Octomore
Supposedly the most heavily-peated scotch ever made (at the time) with a whopping 131 ppm phenol. At 5 years old and something like 64% alcohol, I wasn't sure what to expect from this beast. I attempted making a 131 ppm phenol solution in the lab to compare this two, but I couldn't get a concentration on the Tris-saturated bottle we use for DNA extractions... but this definitely lived up to expectations.
Nose: Like a phenol/alcohol solution from the lab, with some interesting citrus notes.
Palate: A little hot and sweet with the enormous alcohol content, but then balanced and complex flavours have a go 'round before the phenol takes over.
Finish: Nothing complex or layered here, just fantastic phenol goodness.
Overall: Despite the high-phenol warnings, this is a complex and well-balanced scotch, truly a pleasure even at 64%. Not for those loving a mellow whisky. 9.5/10
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