Jolly Toper Edinburgh tastings 2008 program #1

[jmrl]

All tastings held at 7.30 pm at The Tolbooth Tavern 232 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh. A fully detailed listing is available via file by contacting myself here, tickets and further details available by telephone 0131 556 5864.

Here is an outline of the first couple:-

December 20th Thursday £20/17*

Cadenheads distilled at Arran distillery 11yo Fino sherry hogshead 330 bottles 56.0%
Cadenheads distilled at Macallan-Glenlivet distillery 16yo Bourbon hogshead 282 bottles 53.3%
Campbeltown Loch Christmas 2007 blend 40% from Springbank distillers
Lagavulin 25yo 57.2% bottled 2002 distillery bottling
mystery dram #1 (peated single malt 61.8%)
mystery dram #2
plus some christmas nonsense

January 16th Wednesday Islay #1
Cadenheads distilled at Bruichladdich distillery 1986 - 05/05 18yo bourbon hogshead 270 bottles 55.8%
Cadenheads distilled at Bunnahabhain distillery 1979 - 09/07 28yo Bourbon hogshead 258 bottles 45.8%
Cadenheads distilled at Caol Ila distillery 1984 - 09/07 23yo Bourbon hogshead 258 bottles 56.3%
Lagavulin 1985 - 2007 21yo 6642 bottles 56.6% distiller's bottling
Cadenheads distilled at Laphroaig distillery 1994 - 11/07 13yo bourbon hogshead 300 bottles 54.7%

* first timers'/members' discount. 13 month membership = £10

[Willie JJ]

2 mystery drams on Dec 20th ? How mysterious.

Looking forward to it Mark
See you there.

[Leither]

Good stuff Mark

I'll take a guess (yes, already!) at the mystery dram #1 being the new Amrut Peated stuff

[Willie JJ]

Leither, what do you know that I don't?

[Leither]

Just a guess, was intrigued when I saw it on the RMW site earlier and I know that Mark likes to throw in the odd curve-ball like that - cunning little fox that he is!

I was looking forward to a blind tasting so thought I'd cheekily try and guess one early

[jmrl]

Leither you're either a supersleuth. lucky or WRONG. I'll be mighty impressed if you guess the other one. Willie you were 'raking in my cupboard' the other day so you might have something to work on.

By the way the Islay tastings are £23/20

[vitara7]

Willie you were 'raking in my cupboard' the other day

i dread to think what that could mean...

[Willie JJ]

Leither you're either a supersleuth. lucky or WRONG. I'll be mighty impressed if you guess the other one. Willie you were 'raking in my cupboard' the other day so you might have something to work on.

I will ignore v7's comment on the grounds that it is only likely to lead to further scurrilous innuendo (before you get started that's not a pun)

As to the mystery malts I do now have an idea what one may be, but the other remains a mystery. I'm not telling my guess in case anyone who is coming doesn't want to know beforehand. If you do want to know, then you'll just have to come along tonight, or wait till tomorrow, assuming I can remember.

[Leither]

Looking forward to it, I've refrained from the aqua vitae all week especially.

Any other forum friends (or foes! ) joining us?

[Leither]

Okay, I'm a tad hangover today but it's all worth it

Last nights tasting was (again) very good, first time I'd had a Macallan from a Bourbon cask, intriguing

Star of the show for me tho was the Peated Amrut, wow! What a lovely complex dram, I was convinced I was on Islay. Would love to try this one with a ruby murray!

From memory the majority 1st choice was the Arran from a Fino Sherry cask, very fine indeed.

Lagavulin 25yo was a classic sherrried and peaty dream of a dram indeed, but at it's pricepoint I'll stick to the 16yo OB and their DE from PX.

Anyway, back to some more....

[Willie JJ]

A few extra details on Leithers post above:

The Macallan was 16yo 53.3% and one of 282 bottles from Cadenheads. It was initially very oily but developed a superb creamy taste. It was fab.

The Arran came from a fino sherry hogshead, was 11yo one of 330 bottles and 56% also from Cadenheads. This was the winner of the most popular dram poll.

There was also a 1970s bottling of Bell's 12yo. It was fantastic .

The Amrut has no age statement and I can't remember the strength, but it really is a class act. Great stuff.

The 2007 Christmas bottling of Campbelltown Loch was really good and only £15/bottle.

But, the Lagavulin 25yo was awesome