Whisky Flights

[Ganga]

This thread is dedicated to whisky flight tastings.

[Ganga]

Flight of the Glen Garioch

Tonights flight consists of five original bottlings Glen Garioch: 8, 10, 15, 21 and 30

8 yo:
Body - light
Color - light gold
Nose - grasses, lemon
Palate - pungant, oak
Finish - short, pungant on the back of tongue

10 yo:
Body - light to medium
Color - gold
Nose - heather/grass, citrus
Palate - grass, citrus
Finish - very short, cereal notes, acetones

15 yo:
Body - medium
Color - amber gold
Nose - malty, orange zest, oaky
Palate - cereals, citrus
Finish - short to medium, light caramel

21 yo:
Body - full
Color - red, amber gold
Nose - caramel/nougat, spices (nutmeg, cinnamon), oranges, slightly peaty
Palate - iodine, citrus, malty
Finish - moderate, light peat and caramel

30 yo:
Body - full
Color - red, amber gold
Nose - caramel, malty, citrus - oranges, hint of peat, spices
Palate - citrus - oranges, caramel, peat, fennel, grasses - mid palate
Finish -long, caramel

[Ganga]

The Aberlours

Batch 15, 59.6%
Color: Redish amber
Body: medium to full
Nose: carmelized sugar, cooked apples, red fruits
Palate: fennel/anise, caramel, spicey
Finish: long, spicey

Batch 16, 59.6%
Color: red to amber
Body: medium
Nose: caramel, sweets, bourbonish, lemons
Palate: Caramel, light spice
Finish: moderate, lightly spicey, mint

Batch 17, 60.2%
Color: reddish amber
Body: medium
Nose: oranges, caramel, ground cocoa beans, charred oak, baked red apples
Palate: caramel, baked fruits, chocolate, hint of smoke
Finish: moderately long, spicey

Batch 18, 59.7%
Color: dark amber
Body: medium
Nose: caramel, flowers,, tropical fruits (mango and/or papaya), cocoa
Palate: maple syrup, fruits, dark chocolate
Finish: Medium long, minty

[Lawrence]

Ganga, did you pick up any sulphur on the nose of the batch #18?

[Ganga]

I didn't that evening. However, I certainly continue to examine the beverage. After all, I do it for the sake of humanity.

[Lawrence]

I didn't that evening. However, I certainly continue to examine the beverage. After all, I do it for the sake of humanity.

You're a good man!

[Mustardhead]

Just to offer a bit of support to Ganga's whisky flight thread

A couple of months ago I bought two of those little tubs of Glenfiddich minis containing the 12, 15 and 18. I found that I also had a couple of the old NAS minis in the old style pointy triangular bottles, not with the new rounded corners. (Makes a difference to the taste, don't you know) Anyway, I thought I could have a little tasting session with four minis.

Glenfiddich NAS Special Old Reserve
This is a malt which I recall being a bit boring (malt snob talking here?) but it was good to be able to reacquaint myself with one of the classics. It's one of the first three malts I tried.
Anyway, my verdict here was that it was light, simple, pleasant, a touch spirity and nothing special.

Glenfiddich 12 year old Special Reserve
Much more winey and fruity than the NAS and less spirity. A huge improvement. Not one I'll buy by the bottle but I would now be happy to have an occasional dram of it in a pub.

Glenfiddich 15 year old Solera Reserve
The weakest link in the three standard offerings. Basically no improvement on the 12 year old, in fact I thought the 12 had more to offer.

18 year old Ancient Reserve
Fruit and honey. A lovely smooth malt which would be even better at 43% or 46%. A touch thinner than I'd like but not one I'd turn down!

On the next night I went back and finished off the four minis and decided that I felt the same way about them. Some people rave about the Solera Reserve but it just didn't do anything for me

[Ganga]

Why, thanks for the support.

Look for a Talisker event later this year.

[Ganga]

Ok, I'm retasting the Batch 16 tonight and will likely go to Batch 18 a little later. Tonight I am getting hints of charcoal underneath the fruits and caramel. This is on the palate and not part of the nose. I wonder if this is what people are calling "sulphur".

[Ganga]

Well, I took Batch 16 and 18 way down in percentage high teens, low twenties. The charcoal remains in the Batch 16, reminds me of campfires - we burn oak out in CA. Batch 18 has hints of "meaty" fruits like peaches and apricots. There is no real hint of the charcoal I found in Batch 16.

[shoganai]

A couple of months ago I bought two of those little tubs of Glenfiddich minis containing the 12, 15 and 18.

I had one of these a few months ago too. I agree with you that the 18 is wonderful, however I definitely preferred the 15 over the 12. My notes say the nose & palate were both more balanced had more vanilla and were less malty, and the finish was much nicer. Not saying I'm a huge fan of the 15, but compared to the 12 I like it.

I also just picked up a pack of 3 100ml Taliskers. It includes a 10, an 18, and a Distillers Edition (doesn't seem to specify a vintage for this one). Can't want to dive into these. I've tried the 10 and loved it, but have not tried either of the others.

[Ganga]

When MikeyMad and I next get together, we will be trying a flight of the Taliskers. The current list for the flight includes the 10, DE-DM, 175th, 18, 25 and 30. Should be an interesting evening coming up.

[Di Blasi]

Nice thread Ganga! Hope to give it a shot soon!

[Golden Promise Alex]

Well, I took Batch 16 and 18 way down in percentage high teens, low twenties. The charcoal remains in the Batch 16, reminds me of campfires - we burn oak out in CA. Batch 18 has hints of "meaty" fruits like peaches and apricots. There is no real hint of the charcoal I found in Batch 16.

Actually, batch #17 is the most sulphured I've tasted so far. It's not hidden at all in that expression. Actually being a A'bunadh-lover (tasted about 10 different expressions so far) that's the reason why I rate that one as the poorest of the bunch. #18 didn't show the sulphur to me, but I found it not as good as most of the previous batches, but I was happy to not find any sulphur since I was afraid it would be the tendency.

If it tastes like a campfire I would suggest phenolic notes. But for A'bunadh??? So, probably it's something like exhausted fires or spent fireworks and that would qualify under sulphur....

Talking about tasting flights. I'm planning to do an A'bunadh tasting next year if I can find all expressions (for reasonable prices). So if anyone here on the forum could help me:

I'm still looking for batch:
#7
#9
#10
and the millenium silver label.
And I don't know yet how I can find out which is which in the first 5 batches that weren't numbered.

I can swap batch #6 en #8 amongst others.

Alex

[Ganga]

MikeyMad and I are now ready to try a Classic of Islay/Lagavulin flight. The intention is to try the following:

CoI NAS
CoI 12
CoI 15
CoI 21
CoI 26
Lag 12
Lag 16
MMM Lag 1979

Order to be determined later.

[Feldrin]

Perhaps it's just me but, and I've mentioned this before (heck, today actually), I just can't taste a lot of Islay whisky in a row without it having a very strong influence on my scoring abilities. The further I get, the lesser they get special. If I have a Laph16y I almost find it impossible to have another Islay because it'd most certainly rate lower then it should, the peat and smoke is already on the pallate.

Is there any way to 'fight' against it, or is it perfectly natural and even preferably the way to taste the Islay whiskies against each other as their own natural enemies? Right now I usually drink two non-Islay before sipping the next Islay, hoping to let them come more to their own right. I find that it's the peat and smoke explosion that makes them so enjoyable, and I don't want to spoil that experience just yet.

Had an evening of 4 Islay whiskies a while back. I did notice the differences between them but the evenings when I use Islay as highlighters between the rest always felt a lot better. Perhaps I should serve something to eat between them next time...

[Matt2]

Flight of the Goyne....



Glengoyne 17 y/o
Nose: Rich fruit cake, caramilised sugar, slight oily tar, lighter and sweeter with water, citrus and floral.
Palate: Smooth, coating, creamy, slightly perfumed
Finish: Light fresh wood
Comment: Very drinkable.... nice

Glengoyne Vintage 1972
Nose: Restrained, BBQ?, sweet flowers, scented, summer, very appealing. Like a heavy Glenlivet
Palate: BBQs, smouldering flowers, woody, quite deep and rich, slight bitterness, bigger than nose suggests
Finish: Long, full, warming, on the sides of the tounge
Comment: Has some very interesting notes to it, but maybe a little complex for my tastes.

Glengoyne Single Cask 32 y/o
Nose: Paint thinners, restrained, stringent alcohol, orange peel, spices, xmas and pears
Palate: Malty, woody, deep and thick
Finish: Cinamon, spices and perfumed
Comments: Not bad, if you like the older whiskies. Good example of an aged goyne.

Glengoyne 21 y/o
Nose: Rich deep, dark, burnt sugar. Lost when water added, hot road tar comes through
Palate: Rum? Burnt, woody and bitter
Finish: More bitterness
Comment: Just to much like hard work, colour is very dark and taste reflects this.

and after that lot I was

[mikeymad]

Very nice contribution Matt.

Cheers,

[Ganga]

Oh, they look so purdy. Do you think the order you tried them in had any influence to your perceptions of the whiskies?

PS. Wondering if you've been listening to Rimsky-Korsakov.

[Di Blasi]

Yes, great lineup there Matt, and great foto too!

[Frodo]

GREAT post and picture Matt!!!

Love those vertical tastings...

[Deactivated Member]

Yeah...four is a vertical...six is a wobbly...and eight is a horizontal!

[Matt2]

Do you think the order you tried them in had any influence to your perceptions of the whiskies?

Quite possibly, and I am going to go back to them and taste in reverse order....

[Lawrence]

We're going to have to buy you some Malt Advocate Glencairns Matt.....




Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[les taylor]

We're going to have to buy you some Malt Advocate Glencairns Matt.....




Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I only have one whisky live glass. I guess every job has it's perks. Good posting Matt.

[Deactivated Member]

I have two Victoria Whisky Festival glasses. Wondering if I can afford a third. Might tip me if they had the year on them....

[Lawrence]

I have two Victoria Whisky Festival glasses. Wondering if I can afford a third. Might tip me if they had the year on them....

Can you afford not to? If you do attend once again we have to one or two more drams together. 2007 was much to rushed for me, we're planning a less complex Festival for 2008, but still high quality.

[Ganga]

Welcom to Friday Night Flights.

Tonight, MikeyMad and I are going to experiment with the Highland Park 12 @ 43%. We are going to try the HP with 2:1 whisky:water, ice and virginal.

First, whisky and water.
Nose: orange notes, cereal, cinnamon, dried herbs, brown sugar and/or caramel.
Palate: caramel, cinnamon, cereals, citrus, slight bitterness.
Finish: quite short with hints of the cinnamon and herbs.

Now on to the iced version.
Nose: oranges, cereals, fennel.
Palate: raw cereals, concentrated fatty/oiliness, bitterness.
Finish: Oily with greens (eucalyptus).
Not very pleasant. However, it was really cool visually watching the eddies swirl because of the temp differences between the whisky and the melting ice. I think Vincent van Gogh painted this whisky. I will also say that it becomes more like the whisky with water as it begins to warm.

Well, I'm thinking it's time for some stronger stuff. Nothing added to the HP.
Nose: spicy, barley notes, rich citrus, fresh red apples.
Palate: cinnamon and herbs, fruity (dole fruit pack - pineapples, peaches, apples, citrus).
Finish: moderate, slightly oily with cinnamon.

Overall impressions:

It was surprisingly pleasant on the nose at 2:1 whisky:water. I don't mind drinking this beverage this way. However, the palate is much more intense and, for me, more enjoyable without the addition of water. The ice was not that pleasant as far as palate and nose were concerned.

[Ganga]

Last night PeerGynt, MikeyMad and I went through a series of Laphroaigs. The first was a Signatory UCF 1990 12 yo. Second was the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Third was the Laphroaig Cask Strength. Fourth was a Caledonian Selection 20 yo. Last was the 30 yo.

We weren't careful about taking notes so this is just an overall impression. The first had the notes typical to a Laphroaig with each having a slightly different sweetness on the palate. I wouldn't rate one higher than the other; they're just a little different on the palate and nose. The Caledonian Selection 20 yo however...well it just had a little bit richer palate and a light nose that just played with you. All in all this one was just a little bit better. The 30 yo was that and some more. Mellow with all the flavors of the younger ones plus some. A wonderful experience for the three of us.

[Ganga]

Tonight MikeyMad and I did a flight of five Taliskers.

---

{Talisker 10 yo}
Nose : {Sweet, peat, smoke, cereasl}
Palate : {Swee smokiness, cereals, spicey}
Finish : {Earthy smoke, moderately long}
Comment : {A very enjoyable dram.}

---

---

{Talisker 1992 DE}
Nose : {Flowers, honey, light smoke}
Palate : {Smokey honey, cereals-malt}
Finish : {hard candy and smoke, moderately long}
Comment : {This is an improvement over the 10 yo.}

---

---

{Talisker 175th Anniversary}
Nose : {Honeyed malt, red apples}
Palate : {Oakey smoke, sweet cerealts}
Finish : {Continuing smokiness, medium length to finish}
Comment : {tonight, I would say that this one takes a back seat to the DE.}

---

---

{Talisker 20 yo Caledonian Selection}
Nose : {Iodine, smokey, cereals, light citrus}
Palate : {Smoke, malt, sweetness and spiceyness-oregano?}
Finish : {Medium long, smokey with pepper notes}
Comment : {A step above all the others.}

---

---

{Talisker 25 yo, 59.9%}
Nose : {Spicey caramel, honey with a smoke base note}
Palate : {Smokey, caramel, spicey, peppery, oranges}
Finish : {LONG. Sweet smoke and lemon pepper.}
Comment : {Ahhhh. Enough said.}

---

[Deactivated Member]

This thread is dedicated to whisky flight tastings.

Sounds great - but which airline have you found that offers such great hospitality?


Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Ganga]

Tonight MikeyMad and I did a flight of the Classic of Islays. The notes are posted over in what are you drinking tonight. We had the 15, 21, and 26.

[Ganga]

Tonight, I am going to do a flight of Glenlivet whiskies. I have in front of me two 12 yos and two 18 yos from different eras. A brief description of each follows and then some tasting notes.

#1 Glenlivet 12 yo, cream label, gold foil, "aged 12 years" in red, single label on front, bottle embossed with "Estd 1824", several other notable differences on the label, 40%, think this is from the late 90s, green glass

#2 Glenlivet 12 yo, cream labels, "12" in maroon and "aged" and "years" in black, two cream labels, bottom label has "George Smith" signature, red foil, attached designation "Estd 1824", bottled 26.11.2009, 40%, green glass

#3 Glenlivet 18 yo, blue/black box with embossed gold lettering, midnight blue label with second cream label, bronze attached "established 1824", 43%, story label on the back, believed to be from late 1990s or early 2000s, green glass, blue foil

#4 Glenlivet 18 yo, midnight blue box with cream label, cream label and blue lower label, attached "estd 1824", blue foil, clear glass, bottled 18.11.09, 43%

Hm, maybe need to get a picture of these bottles. Also, I will be using standard glencairns.

[Ganga]

#1 Glenlivet 12 yo

Nose: oak, lemon, vanilla, swirling brings out tropical fruits including pineapple, used cinnamon sticks, light flour underneath
Palate: coconut meat soaked in salt water, lemony, straw heather, oakiness
Finish: short, fleshy fruits, straw

[Ganga]

#2 Glenlivet 12 yo

Nose: heather, grounds grains, raw pealed bananas, model glue
Palate: grilled fruits (pineapples, bananas), heather, coconut, lemons, dough
Finish: longer, citrus and papaya