October 2011 Live Tasting - Trick or Treat

[Ganga]

Yes, it is late in the month. This month it is chocolate and whisky. Any whisky with any chocolate.

Final say should be whether the experience of each whisky was a trick or a treat.

[AdamMY]

Old Ezra with a Milky way.

Not really a trick or a treat, but certainly unique.

It nulls all of the Bourbons sweetness, and brings out black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

[AdamMY]

Kirkland Signature Bourbon with Milky Way.

This one is more trick than treat. While it also nullifies the sweetness the Kirkland is less peppery even without the chocolate, with the chocolate the Kirklands tastes like a mouth full of cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest, with a hell of a lot of burn.

[AdamMY]

Milky way and White bush is a total flop, as White bush does not have a lot going to it in general, the milky way basically renders all the flavors but the alcohol of the White Bush obsolete.

So Milky way and White Bush, total trick.

[pkt77242]

Royal Lochnagar with a 100 Grand candy bar.

RL comes off very nutty but the caramel of the 100 Grand dominates the RL. Makes it even burn a little when I have never got alcohol burn from it before.

Definitely Trick.

[pkt77242]

Tomatin 12 with 100 Grand candy bar.

Brings out a sauteed mushroom note instead of the dirty mushroom note I get from. No cinnamon at all, just a hint of sherry and with some wood polish.

Trick.

[pkt77242]

Caol Ila 12 with the 100 Grand candy bar.

Starts off normal Caol Ila 12, with light peat, citrus, brine but then the light peat disappearts along with the citrus. Leaving the brine and and a little tar with a touch of wood smoke. The Caol Ila 12 isn't worse just different. So kind of a treat?

[pkt77242]

Jameson Gold Reserve with some 100 Grand candy bar.

It really brings out the vanilla and wood spice. Pretty good. Treat

[pkt77242]

Ardbeg Rollercoaster with some 100 Grand candy bar.

the candy bar makes the RC very spicy with lots of tar and smoke. It hides the green notes and vegetal notes I normally get with it. Big time treat.

[Ganga]

OMC Glenrothes 19, 1982. Milk chocolate

This one is quite herbal with a strong anise base. By adding the milk chocolate the anise fades way back and the whisky now exhibits a very bold malt character. The interesting thing is that I like this whisky both ways. So either way....treat.

[AdamMY]

Heath bar and Kirkland Signature Bourbon, actually a slight treat. Not sure how I can describe it, but the Toffee and chocolate bring out a sweet wood note in the whisky that I actually quite like. Sort of like a spiced maple syrup.

[Ganga]

Kopper Kettle, Virginia Whiskey. Milk chocolate

Really don't care for this whiskey so I thought I would give it a go with chocolate. So I'm starting with a trick and hoping to get a treat. Results...mixed. Not exactly a treat but the whiskey is more interesting. Instead of a fermented grain from the bottom of the silo it turns into a pumpkin palate. Guess that's fair for this time of year.

[Ganga]

Aberlour a'bunadh batch 11 with milk chocolate

Batch 11 is not one of my favorites but it is still a good whisky. Big caramel notes, cooked oranges and apples. With chocolate, I find the oak and a lot of alcohol. This is a trick.

[Ganga]

Tomatin 12 with milk chocolate

Pre-chocolate I get some dusty cinnamon notes with some oakiness. Post brings out stronger oak character, kills the cinnamon. Have to say this is a bit of a trick.

[Ganga]

Cadenhead Glenallachie 11, bourbon cask

Starts with a lot of lemon, malt and oak and mellows into squashes. Milk chocolate just emphasizes the squash even more. The other character is there. I would say that this is a bit of a trick but that's cause I'm not much of a squash nut.

[Ganga]

Battlehill Jura 11 with milk chocolate

There's some lemony notes, light peat, sea breeze prior to chocolate. The chocolate really ends up just muting everything w/o changing any of the balance or bringing out the alcohol. The trick I guess is that the falvors just aren't as strong.

[Ganga]

Last one for tonight:

Lagavulin 16 with milk chocolate

Initially has a charred oak character with some sherry notes. Not as sweet as some of the previous batches. Chocolate mutes all sweetness. Char gets big but then you start getting some diesel notes and brineness. Somewhat of a trick and a treat.

[pkt77242]

Evan Williams Black Label with some DQ mint oreo blizzard.

Tastes somewhat similar to normal but it definitely amplifies the vanilla flavor. Also has a little more alcohol than normal.

[pkt77242]

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1999 with some DQ Mint Oreo Blizzard

Really brings out a polished oak note along with some char and almost a port note. Hmm interesting but I prefer it the EWSB by itself. Trick.

[pkt77242]

Kirkland Signature Bourbon with some DQ Mint Oreo

Really brings out the pepper note with some polished oak and vanilla. Some toffe notes come to the front as well. Treat. yummy.

[Ganga]

Kirkland Signature Bourbon with some DQ Mint Oreo

Really brings out the pepper note with some polished oak and vanilla. Some toffe notes come to the front as well. Treat. yummy.

Do you think it is the mint that is bringing in the good experience or the oreo?

[pkt77242]

Kirkland Signature Bourbon with some DQ Mint Oreo

Really brings out the pepper note with some polished oak and vanilla. Some toffe notes come to the front as well. Treat. yummy.

Do you think it is the mint that is bringing in the good experience or the oreo?

I think it is the mint.

[AdamMY]

Kirkland Mac 15.

Brings out an odd nutty flavor, almost reminiscent of peanut brittle. And an odd oak flavor.


Treat.