April 2012 Live Tasting - Spring Cleaning

[pkt77242]

Isle of Jura 21yo.

Glad to see this go. I got it for $80 and I still feel ripped off. Dirty mushrooms, a little soy sauce, nuts and it is very watery. Just not very good.

[Fscott]

Scapa 14

Nose: Chamomile and honey
Palate: Creamy, Maria biscuits, cinnamon, light ginger
Finish: Short, spicy, pleasant

One of the two or three whiskies in my collection that don't benefit from a few drops of water.

I would buy you again at that price, but I don't think you exist anymore.

[AdamMY]

97/12 GM Glenburgie Binny's Cask number 8544.


As with a lot of sherry casks this just kept getting more and more delicious as its been open. The last dram from this bottle was so incredibly rich and flavorful, tasting almost like a chocolate, butterscotch, and caramel desert with nuts and dried fruit. Absolutely delicious so sad to see it go.

[AdamMY]

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist.

Honestly I have had this one so sparingly I am not sure if it has gotten better or worse, all I know is it has been consistently damn tasty. One thing I will say is tonight it seems less peat driven than I remember it in the past. But still incredibly delicious, with hints of simple syrup, buttered vegetables, and a touch of vanilla.

[Ganga]

Scapa 14

Nose: Chamomile and honey
Palate: Creamy, Maria biscuits, cinnamon, light ginger
Finish: Short, spicy, pleasant

One of the two or three whiskies in my collection that don't benefit from a few drops of water.

I would buy you again at that price, but I don't think you exist anymore.

Aye. did you ever try the 12? It was quite good. 16 is good as well but I think I prefer the 12 and 14.

[Ganga]

Kirkland Sig Bourbon 7, batch 5183. Like Sean, I really think this is a wonderful buy. This is the second one I have finished and I will restock shortly.

[pkt77242]

Kirkland Sig Bourbon 7, batch 5183. Like Sean, I really think this is a wonderful buy. This is the second one I have finished and I will restock shortly.

Restock it shortly? I already have my next bottle sitting on the shelf ready for May's live tasting.

[AdamMY]

Evan Williams 1783.

Pretty consistent the whole way through. Although this last pour is incredibly bitter after some bourbon chicken.

[Willie JJ]

Kirkland Sig Bourbon 7, batch 5183. Like Sean, I really think this is a wonderful buy. This is the second one I have finished and I will restock shortly.

Restock it shortly? I already have my next bottle sitting on the shelf ready for May's live tasting.

I suspect that we will not see that in our local Costco, but I live in hope.

[Willie JJ]

looking forward to see what Willie will clean out of his "closet".

There have been a lot of tastings recently so struggling to get much dramming in the house, but I cleared out a sample or three tonight:

Archives 37yo 1974 44.5% - Strathmill:

Nose: The nose reveals the age. Lots of linseed oil, paint, tropical fruits and thick caramel toffee. Leafy trees in the summer. Absolutely wonderful. A couple of drops of water brings out some stewed white fruit.
Taste: Very oaky on the palate. Most of the fruit and sweetness is submerged into the oak. Still there is an initial sweetness before it turns into a musty bung cloth affair. The sweetness lasts a bit longer with a couple of drops of water.
Finish: It's hard to escape from the over-oaking at this end of the dram. Musty, dusty and dry. Water releases some menthol and eucalyptus.
Comments: I tried a sister cask to this one recently and this is the better of the two, especially on the nose. Still, you have to like your whisky woody to fully appreciate this.

[Willie JJ]

Archives 10yo 2000 59.1% - Caol Ila:

Nose: Delightful coal smoke and lemon zest. The underlying barley sugar is overwhelmed by the salty sea shells. The fruit becomes softer and less citrus with water.
Taste: Intensely salty, bitter lemons and sharp sugar counterpoint to the salt. Water softens the palate, but sends spices flying off to crash into the roof of your mouth.
Finish: Huge return of the coal smoke at the end. Only the lemon survives it. Water calms the coal smoke and leaves room for the malt to come through.
Comments: A splendid Caol Ila, probably a year or two younger seeming than it is, but none the worse for that.

[Willie JJ]

Archives 14yo 1997 53.9% - Clynelish:

Nose: Very mineral like cutting granite with a Stihlsaw. Plenty of fruit with peaches, pears, manarin oranges and a splash of lime. Hints of cedarwood too.
Taste: Very sweet vanilla delivery that is soft like custard with tinned peaches and a dusting of cinammon. Delicious.
Finish: Now the cinammon and other spices take over and linger for an incredibly long time.
Comments: This is a sweetie. A really nice cask of Clynelish.

[Ganga]

Willie:

Does the Clyne have any peatiness? Usually get some soft notes that are either earthy or smokey in Clynelish.

[Willie JJ]

No, not that I noticed. Granite was the closest it came to earthiness I thought.

[Fscott]

Scapa 14

Nose: Chamomile and honey
Palate: Creamy, Maria biscuits, cinnamon, light ginger
Finish: Short, spicy, pleasant

One of the two or three whiskies in my collection that don't benefit from a few drops of water.

I would buy you again at that price, but I don't think you exist anymore.

Ganga wrote:
Aye. did you ever try the 12? It was quite good. 16 is good as well but I think I prefer the 12 and 14.

I have never even seen the 12. I once had the 16 in my basket and ended up not buying it. So many to try...

[Willie JJ]

The 12 was the bottling before the 14. They have gone up in ages due to stock problems arising from the period when the distillery was closed. I suspect that at some point we will see a return to a 12yo, but we might get an 18yo first. Time will tell.

[pkt77242]

A'bunadh batch 29. At times rubbery but right now it is tart cherry and some berries. Just a touch of rubber with a little cinnamon and brown sugar.

[pkt77242]

Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15yo. Just an amazing bourbon. Leather, tobacco, some orange and oak shavings. Vanilla and caramel with a touch of cocoa powder and white pepper. Hints of oak char as well. Glad I have an extra bottle and I will pick up any more that I see.

[AdamMY]

Robert Burns Blend.

Sometimes in whisky you get less than you pay for, but when you pay 20 dollars for a bottle and you get less than that, it is scary. Lots of Maraschino cherry syrup mixed with cheap vodka, and cherrios a flavor combo I really have come to associate with cheap grain whisky.

Just just not a good blend.

[whiskgeek]

Just emptied a Talisker 10 that had been opened, I don't know when. It seems to have lost a bit of its nuance. I had some Fresh Tal10 the other night, and detected some fruit, which I don't find in this bottle. Something's changed with the spice, too. More dominant, but not as sharp?

[lockejn]

AnCnoc 16. I rather enjoyed this one all the way through - it surprised me. One of the better whiskies - and better values - in this style. Would love to try it with a few more years.

Locke will you be buying another bottle?

Hard to say. I'm not opposed to it. Probably.

[lockejn]

Jameson NAS. Probably the best cheap Irish whiskey, but still not something I want to buy more of. People keep giving it to me, though.

[Ganga]

Saturday we finished the Longmorn 12 (G&M bottling I think, I'll have to go look). It was a decent Longmorn but when we opened the Binny's G&M Longmorn, the 12 became rather weak in comparison.

[lockejn]

G&M Highland Park 8. Excellent stuff. While I never managed a h2h, I think this is preferable to the OB 12. I'll be looking for another next time I'm in NY.

[pkt77242]

G&M Highland Park 8. Excellent stuff. While I never managed a h2h, I think this is preferable to the OB 12. I'll be looking for another next time I'm in NY.

Care to give a description as I think I might have seen it around here

[AdamMY]

Ardmore Traditional Cask.

This bottle has continuously changed since it has been open, it went from honey with a hint of peat. To almost an Ardbeg light, like a toned down ANB. And now I am getting something quite interesting, its very sweet peat. Honey, golden raisins, and a lot of carrots, and other sweet vegetables.

[lockejn]

G&M Highland Park 8. Excellent stuff. While I never managed a h2h, I think this is preferable to the OB 12. I'll be looking for another next time I'm in NY.

Care to give a description as I think I might have seen it around here

Smokier with a bit more peat than the OBs. Also something vaguely herbal which I also find distinct from the distillery expressions. Has aged very well in only 8y.

[pkt77242]

G&M Highland Park 8. Excellent stuff. While I never managed a h2h, I think this is preferable to the OB 12. I'll be looking for another next time I'm in NY.

Care to give a description as I think I might have seen it around here

Smokier with a bit more peat than the OBs. Also something vaguely herbal which I also find distinct from the distillery expressions. Has aged very well in only 8y.

Thank you

[AdamMY]

W.L. Weller Special Reserve. Binnys Select.


A quite interesting whisky. While its cleaner and more refreshing than most bourbons, probably due to the wheat influence, and occasionally produces incredibly powerful bubble gum notes. This is by no means a bad whisky, and even though it is not expensive, I am not completely sold on this Bourbon. I may get a bottle again, but I'll write this one up as good but will get after I exhaust the other whiskys I want to try.

It has not changed much as far as I can remember in terms of flavor over the life of this bottle.

[lockejn]

Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Great stuff.

[Ganga]

Joshua Brooks 8. This is really good bourbon. At $10, it is a steal. Even better steal than the Kirkland is. Will go in search of this sweet one in May. (some search, it's down the street from the office)

[lockejn]

Michael Collins 10. Probably my value preference in Irish. The peat is such a nice touch.

[johan brugge]

Glenfarclas 15yo 1989 first fill Oloroso sherry butt at 60.2 %. If you like a cask strength Speysider that has truck loads of sherry flavours and everything that comes with it, go for it. I know a lot of Belgians (Flemish and Serge Valentin) adore this one but not me. It's way too much on sherry.

[Ganga]

Glenfarclas 15yo 1989 first fill Oloroso sherry butt at 60.2 %. If you like a cask strength Speysider that has truck loads of sherry flavours and everything that comes with it, go for it. I know a lot of Belgians (Flemish and Serge Valentin) adore this one but not me. It's way too much on sherry.

sounds like my kinda dram. I take it this was a small release or just for Europe.

[johan brugge]

Indeed. Only 618 bottles from this cask. There are still a few bottles out there, but only a few. And it costs about 100 €.