Monk's Tasting

by **shoganai** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:00 am

I hope it's not taboo to promote a competitor’s event here, but on Feb 20 at 7pm, John Hansell is doing a tasting at Monk's in Philadelphia.

This one looks interesting. It will focus on cask strength bottlings from "shuttered"??? distilleries. More info is available at Monk’s website.

Also, if anyone is in need of a drinking buddy for that evening, I might be of service. It appears that my two whisky buddies are out of town that week.

by **Deactivated Member** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:25 am

A Tuesday night, is it? Boy, I'd love to, but chances are slim to none. Choochoo, can you drive? :wink:

by **MGillespie** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:28 am

Unfortunately, I have to work that night...

Mark

by **shoganai** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:32 am

Too bad.

I'm on the fence about this one myself. February is going to be a pretty busy month for me and I was actually planning on taking a little break from dramming. But this one might be too tough to pass up.

We'll see...

by **MGillespie** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:10 pm

OK, I was wrong...forgot that I'm taking that week off to burn off some comp days. Just bought my ticket...

Mark

by **Choochoo** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:28 pm

I'd love to go to this, but a Tuesday night just wouldn't work for me.

$75 isn't cheap, but I'd be apt to shell out the cash to attend this. If it just weren't for the long drive, too far a distance for me on a weeknight.

by **shoganai** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:15 am

MGillespie wrote:OK, I was wrong...forgot that I'm taking that week off to burn off some comp days. Just bought my ticket...

Mark

Cool. I'm still deciding. I might take a walk over there tomorrow during lunch and grab one, if there are any left.

Or maybe I'll just give them a call tonight.

The more I think about it, the more I don't like the idea of skipping this one, even at this price.

by **shoganai** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:19 am

Choochoo wrote:I'd love to go to this, but a Tuesday night just wouldn't work for me.

$75 isn't cheap, but I'd be apt to shell out the cash to attend this. If it just weren't for the long drive, too far a distance for me on a weeknight.

Well, Choochoo & Mr.T, Southwest runs a (relatively) cheap flight between Bradley and Philly.

Of course they're stopping the run in early March, but I'm pretty sure there are still flights through February!

by **shoganai** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:01 am

Ok, Ok. You talked me into it. Got my ticket this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to this one.

February will still be a dry month for me, but I can make an exception for a special event like this, right?

Does anyone know what "shuttered" means, as in "shuttered distillery"? Is it just a fancy word for "closed"?

by **EdipisReks** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:13 am

shoganai wrote:February will still be a dry month for me, but I can make an exception for a special event like this, right?

that's the spirit (no pun intended).

by **Deactivated Member** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:48 am

shoganai wrote:Does anyone know what "shuttered" means, as in "shuttered distillery"? Is it just a fancy word for "closed"?

This distillery is shuttered. Defunct. Deceased. It is no more. It's pushing up daisies. Gone to the great beyond.

Actually, I would take "shuttered" to mean mothballed, but not dismantled; but I don't know that they're making that distinction.

by **MGillespie** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:10 am

You guys missed a great tasting tonight...couple of gems, couple of dogs, but a good chance to taste some rare (and for some, with good reason) whiskies...Shoganai and I had fun, though...

Mark

by **shoganai** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:15 pm

'twas a great time indeed! Out of the 7 whiskies sampled, there was 1 that I really didn't like, 3 that I really really liked, and 3 that I thought were good/very good but not spectacular.

Overall I thought it was a lot of fun, and John had a lot to say about each of the whiskies and distilleries.

I'll definitely be a regular fixture at these events in the future.

by **The Fachan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:31 pm

Gents,

Just needs you to tell us what whiskies you sampled then we can all be truly jealous!!!!

by **Photon** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:34 am

Possibly they can no longer remember (or they've been sworn to secrecy).

-P.

by **shoganai** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:37 am

OK, OK, you beat it out of me. I took some notes on each, but they're not complete or easy to read. So I'll do my best to give my impressions. I think John Hansel said he will have his notes publised in the next issue of Malt Advocate.

These are all Signatory bottlings of closed distilleries or discontinued lines.

Rosebank, 15, distilled 1990 56.6%abv
This was the one I really didn't like. The nose was nice, but something about the taste was off for me. Too sour or salty or something. I was one of maybe two or three who voted it their least favorite, so in general people weren't as negative as I was.

Dallas Dhu. 26, 1979 57.1%
This was my favorite of the night. Really complex & sweet nose and taste. The nose was powerful. The body was full. The finish was nice and long.

Brora, 24, 1981 60.1%
Second favorite. Most people picked it as their #1. I was getting scents in this one that I've never gotten from a whisky before. The first thing I thought of was Kentucky Fried Chicken. After some discussion someone said "Olives" and that started to stand out. There was some sweetness I couldn't put my finger on. I'd love to have another crack at this one.

Glencraig, 30, 1975, 54.4%
This was okay, but I didn't think it was spectacular.

Mosstowie, 27,1979, 54.1%
Again, good but not great. I found the nose to be a little weak and the finish short (though that could be relative to the other samples). Some nice flavors, like mixed fruit and vanilla/honey.

Craigduff, 33, 1973, 47.5%
I think the general consensus was that this one was too sherried.

Glenisla, 29, 1971, 50%
I liked this one a lot too. The nose was really interesting. Powerful, smokey, sweet, custard?, melon? brie cheese?. It was smooth, but I didn't write down anything for the palate. It was the end of the night.

by **The Fachan** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:52 am

Shoganai,

Great mix, must have a good evening and I look forward to what John has to sat about them.
Two whiskies using Lomond stills, and two from the experimental phase Chivas Bros. had in the 70's.
Yes, I am jealous.

by **MGillespie** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:23 am

I'll post my notes as well...just give me a day or so...

Mark

by **MGillespie** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:56 pm

OK...here are my notes...

#1 Rosebank (See shoganai's earlier posting for specifics)
Nose: floral with hints of straw, violets, and rye bread with honey
Taste: Spicy and peppery with a taste of black tea leading to a lingering, spicy finish. A touch of water brought the floral notes back into the taste and smoothed the pepperiness out.

#2: Dallas Dhu
Nose: Malty with heavy vanilla and barley notes, along with spices, especially cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste: Woody and spicy at full strength, but water brings out grassy notes and a touch of herbs (can't tell which, but it reminds me of my wife's herb garden). Very thick and chewy...
Finish: smoky and long...curls up the back of the throat...

#3: Brora
Nose: Light and clean, with a touch of sea breeze and olives.
Taste: Brisk and sharp, kicking the back of the throat, then settling down with oaky notes showing through.
Finish: Very smoky, slightly peaty, and long.

#4: Glencraig (Glenburgie)
Nose: Simple, with strong notes of tobacco and leather and a hint of lavender and maltiness underneath.
Taste: Woody and caramel-like (natural...no caramel coloring added).
Finish: Not much...nothing stands out.

#5: Mosstowie (Miltonduff)
Nose: Warm, spicy and sweet with a touch of figs.
Taste: Very thin, but had hints of Heath Bar and butterscotch, along with honey and the requisite vanilla taste.
Finish: Again...not much there to recommend it.

#6: Craigduff (Strathisla)
Nose: Sherry, wood, and not much else
Taste: Slight peatiness from the water used in distilling, but the sherry overwhelms most other flavors...slightly nutty
Finish: More sherry

#7: GlenIsla (Glenkeith)
Nose: Smoky (they used peated barley), but nothing else shows through.
Taste: More smoke...sherry, and unfortunately, the basic Glenkeith malt just didn't hold up in this experiment.
Finish: More smoke

I may have been a little hard on some of these whiskies, but Signatory deserves credit for giving us a chance to try them.

Mark

by **shoganai** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:55 am

MGillespie wrote:I may have been a little hard on some of these whiskies, but Signatory deserves credit for giving us a chance to try them.

I'll second that. Plus, it's all relative. In the world of scotch, "bad" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in the world of milk.

by **shoganai** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:17 am

shoganai wrote:Glenisla, 29, 1971, 50%

Nose is A LOT like Connemara "Peated Single Malt". It took me 3 days to put it together, but that's it. Palates are different though. I wish I'd taken some notes on the palate on Tuesday, although at that stage of the night who know what they'd be worth. My notes tend to suck anyway. Something I'm working on.

by **MGillespie** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:07 am

Agree with you on the palates being different...I like the Connemara peated malt!

Mark