June 2010 Tasting

Just barely managed to squeeze a tasting into June, as I was trying to plan around a visit from an old friend and scotch lover and did something seemingly insane - plan Scotch Club for a Wednesday night. However, it was June 30th, the day before Canada Day. With most everybody off work on Thursday, we were free to celebrate with a highly-rated Canadian rye alongside a couple of fine single malts. Big cheers to Dara for hosting despite the arrival of his parents that evening!

We had a surprisingly good promised turnout, and I (perhaps foolishly) bought for 13 people attending. Some of these had last-minute issues - Canada Day is Moving Day here in Montreal, and Norm's movers screwed him over; Dara's dad was more or less dragged out by his wife - and another might have been a flat mistake on my part. As a result, several of the men put in more than the $30 we normally charge. Thanks guys, your contributions will be noted and some sort of bonus will make its way back to you.

Also thanks again to Erin for some great baking, and the ladies of Book Club for putting up with us afterwards at L&B. A last cheers to BetterMax, we unknowingly did our 10th event this night - 29 whiskies tasted and counting!

Attending: Me, Max, Mark, Kevin, Laurent, Dara, Derek, IanM, Stevens, Barry

Alberta Premium 5 (Canada)
Max and I were slightly sceptical about this whisky, being more fans of scotch than rye. However, Jim Murray talks about this whisky like ambrosia - statements along the lines of 'should be regarded as a national treasure' or words to that effect; and rating it an incredible 94.5. We decided that this was a better buy than the Glen Breton single malt whisky from Nova Scotia, and gave it a shot. At $30, why not?

Nose: Slightly sweet with complex sugars - maple and molasses maybe. Distinct grain liquor smell, though.
Palate: Sweet, nutty (one taster had coconut, too). Quite smooth and pleasant up front. Maybe some ketones towards the back.
Finish: Pure grain liquor, like a cheap vodka. Nasty, and seemingly immune to the addition of water or ice. Maybe some Canada Dry?
Overall: Whatever Jim Murray has to say, and despite a wholly pleasant palate, I wasn't a big fan. I compared it today to a girl who hasn't yet learned that teeth are no good in a blowjob. Sure, you enjoy it to a certain extent, but it's also painful and difficult to get off. Many guys didn't even want their second round. 6.5/10.

Lagavulin Distiller's Edition (Islay, no age statement)
Barry, who isn't normally a peat fan, was given the chore of picking up our 3rd bottle from the SAQ (sadly, he didn't get to London's shops before leaving). I think the promise of the sherry balanced with peat intrigued him, and I admit to wanting to try this expression badly. Lagavulin 16 is one of my favourite whiskies, and my discovery that I really enjoy heavily-sherried Islays - Ardbeg Uigeadail and Port Charlotte 7, for example - had me anticipating this pretty eagerly.

Nose: A little winey sweetness up front, and then big phenolic peat flavours. Lovely.
Palate: Sweet, smooth and calm at the outset. Maybe even weak. Builds to some serious phenol heights in a very enjoyable ride.
Finish: No lack of it. Loads of peat, but without that sorta chewy, lip-smacking bit that the best have. Something else I couldn't quite identify, but quite pleasant.
Overall: Good, maybe even great, but fell short of the high expectations set by the aforementioned whiskies. At the same price tag ($145 at the SAQ), you can get the Ardbeg Uigeadail, and get soooo much more bang for your buck. 9/10.

Talisker 25 (Highlands - Islands)
Another great buy by Max at Binnie's. $210 in Chicago compared to $400 and change at the LCBO. We were really looking forward to a bottle that broke our price record (previously about $190 for the Highland Park 23 and the Convalmore 21) and tied our age record (25 years, tied with a Glenfarclas). That's right, over $200 and 25 years old. Big pimpin'.

Nose: Strong, the 57% cask-strength bottling really shows up. A little berry, a little woody, a little... aldehyde?
Palate: Sweet and lovely in front, gets washed out by too much water. Quite peppery. Nice little smoke flavours with little in the way of phenol.
Finish: A little bitter with more of that pepper and some good solid wood and smoke flavours.
Overall: A brilliant expression of Talisker. It's smooth like a velvet suit and kicks like a gaudy, heavily-weighted cane. Feel lucky to have had the chance to drink some, but I'd never grab a bottle myself. 9/10.

Christmas Tasting

My brother is also a scotch lover, and I love to torment him with tales of the great whiskies we get the chance to sample. He was visiting over Christmas, and likely would have murdered me if I hadn't organized a tasting while he was here. Because of the season (and our department's party the same evening), many of our stalwart members couldn't attend, but we got a full twelve guys for the first time and had a now-legendary tasting with three of the best whiskies we've ever done. Thanks to Joe and Max D for taking hosting duties. I did actually manage to hold onto some notes from this tasting, or at least generate them the next day.

Stevens was a big hit in his kilt, and Jason's cigars were thoroughly enjoyed beside the Lagavulin. However, cigars are best enjoyed outside and we learned that sitting outside in the winter can really deaden the flavours of a great scotch.

Attending: Me, Max (B), Mark, Allard, Norm, Max D, Joe, Jeremy, Jason, Stevens, Jean-Martin, Jean-Francois.

Talisker Distiller's Edition 1996 (Highlands/Islands)
I like the Talisker 10 a lot and wasn't sure what to expect from this sherry-finished expression. I'm not a big fan of wine, and I'm not usually into sherry-finished whiskies as much as their "unsherried" brethren. This is one was well-liked by everyone though, and would have been a favourite of the night if the rest of the selection hadn't been so spectacular.

Nose: Sweet and fruity, loads of the sherry finish.
Palate: Lots of fruity character, with some bitter chocolate.
Finish: Long and smooth, Talisker's signature smoke without peat is here.
Overall: The sherry might have done the Talisker some favours, but I'll need to taste them side-by-side one day to be sure - and that's going to be a great day. 9/10

Glenfarclas 25 (Speyside)
My brother and I had the 15-year-old a couple years ago, and we were slightly giddy when we picked this one up - when it was bought, this was both the oldest and most expensive whisky I'd ever laid my hands on. We've since bought more expensive whiskies for the club, but this is still the oldest. It was a big favourite on the night for those that don't prefer the Islays.

Nose: Sweet, creamy vanilla
Palate: A bit of peat in the background under big, creamy, fruity flavours.
Finish: Long and complex. Absolutely amazing.
Overall: This whisky was just stunning. I described it at one point as like eating a piece of cake. Some whiskies suffer when they're too long in the barrel, but this wasn't one. #3 on my all-time list as of this writing. 9.5/10

Lagavulin 16 (Islay)
I love Islays and Lagavulin is one of the best. I first had this whisky when I was about 21 and it was a major reason I began getting interested in scotch. This was also a very well-received whisky, and is a great one to bring to novice tasters. It illustrates perfectly the peaty, smoky characters of Islay whiskies without being (too) overpowering.

Nose: Phenol, smoke and herbs.
Palate: Heaps of phenolic peat, but well-balanced with a malty sweetness and great smoke flavour.
Finish: My tasting notes from the evening read "me love you long time, baby!"
Overall: In my opinion, this is one of the great whiskies that make life worth living (to quote Jim Murray). #2 on my all-time list. 9.5/10