New Brunswick Spirits Show Nov 21 -21

[Novice Scotch Fan]

Who from New Brunswick is going? I am aiming to attend on the 21st.

[Wendy]

Hello Novice Scotch Fan,
I won't be attending the New Brunswich Spirits Show, but would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the festival. I may try to make it there next year because I have heard very good things about it from others who have attended in previous years. Perhaps you could verify if the NB Liqour Board set up a Whisky shop with special order whiskies that they bring in just for the occasion. I find the concept particularly thoughtful and could perhaps be one of the highlights of the event if it is, indeed, the case.

Best regards,
Wendy

[Wendy]

Hello Novice Scotch Fan,
I won't be attending the New Brunswich Spirits Show, but would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the festival. I may try to make it there next year because I have heard very good things about it from others who have attended in previous years. Perhaps you could verify if the NB Liqour Board set up a Whisky shop with special order whiskies that they bring in just for the occasion. I find the concept particularly thoughtful and could perhaps be one of the highlights of the event if it is, indeed, the case.

Best regards,
Wendy

spelling correction...New Brunswick

[Moose]

Well, Novice Scotch Fan, you already know that I will be there.

Just to explain my attendance a little bit... I'll be working at one of the tables with the company that represents Highland Park, MacAllan, Famous Grouse and others. At last years show, I worked the Mac table and had the 10,12,15,18 and Cask Strenght in front of me. It was a great evening... i'm sure you can all imagine

I'm also very close on attending the Thursday evening event - a private session with the Highland Park ambassador. Rumor has it that a 40yr old HP will be available for tasting. Now I'm up for that!! Chances are I'll have my digital camera and if pictures are allowed, I'll post them soon after the festival.

During last years show, the NBLCC had brought in some "show only" spirits. I believe the same is happening this year. Believe me, our prices are very fair in NB if not the best in Canada. I met a guy from Ontario last year at the show that basically attends every year to stock up on his favorites.

Somehow, if any other forum members are attending the show, we should try and meet...have some kind of identifier on us that would point us out as forum members...

Moose

[pmullin]

I'm also very close on attending the Thursday evening event - a private session with the Highland Park ambassador. Rumor has it that a 40yr old HP will be available for tasting.

I have heard the same thing repeated by a quite reliable source. To my calculations, $20 for a taste (along with several other members of the HP lineup) beats paying the festival price of $2000 for a bottle.

[Novice Scotch Fan]

Have any of you made up a list of scotches you plan to taste?

[pmullin]

Have any of you made up a list of scotches you plan to taste?

I haven't planned on a whole lot beyond the Macallan and Highland Park Special Tastings that I have signed up for.

I think I will focus on some of the new (to us) single malt expressions ANBL has bringing been in (mainly from the Balblair, Benromach, Benriach and Tomintoul lines) to plug the gap from Diageo bailing on us. I'm sure I'll also try out some favourites and anything unique I see.

[Novice Scotch Fan]

Well, I attended the New Brunswick Spirits Show last night and must say that it was a great time. It sold out so i was glad i had my ticket in advance. A friend and i went to various tables and sampled some great scotches and some poor ones. We sampled the following:

Macallan 18 year old - This was outstanding and the highlight for me of the night. A sherried scotch with excellent complexity, some peat (but not too much) all in perfect balance. The only criticism is the stuff is $159.99 a bottle!

Macallan 12 yr old - Again good, lots of sherry flavour, but certainly lacking the complexity one would expect of a single malt. It is good, but rather simple. I like it but for $61 a bottle there are better values.

Famous Grouse Gold Reserve - This is a twelve year old blend that impressed my friend who is not a fan of blends. He and I both agreed that we preferred this to the Macallan 12. The Gold Reserve had complexity, the sherry notes of the Macallan (a key ingredient of the Grouse) plus the complexity and peat as a result of the other ingredient (Highland Park). The combination of the two produced a blend that has superior complexity to the Macallan 12 and a more interesting flavour profile. And at $38 a bottle it represents tremendous value.

Famous Grouse 30 year old - Very good to excellent. More pronounced peat than one would expect from this blender. This had it all and is a close second to the Macallan 18. Good length.

Ardbeg- If you are a peat bomb fan then this is the one for you. I rather enjoyed it, the nose served up enough sea salt and peat that gave one sufficient indication to what would follow on to the palate. On the palate more peat, sea salt and iodine. It was a nice change. not something i would buy but a nice change. My friend who likes peat oriented scotches found it a bit too strong for his liking. Even after i rinsed my glass, the peat and iodine still could be detected on the nose. Wow.

Glenmorangie - Tried the "original". Lots of citrus on the nose. On the palate, orange rind and cinnamin and more citrus notes. Impressive length.

Asyla - My friend wanted to try this blend. He said he had read positive reviews. Well, we detected very little on the nose and once on the palate there was little more than perfume and lavender. I would not even call this a scotch blend, but apparently it is. In short, it was terrible.

Johnnie Walker King George V - This stuff retails for $689.99 a bottle. It was a very good drink but not worth the price and was not as good as the Macallan 18 or even the FG Gold Reserve. The chief problem with the JW King George is that it lacked a sufficient degree of complexity found in the two aforementioned drams. It was good, dont get me wrong, but not worth it. I think I tasted Clynesh in it and it was totally unoffensive.

Woodford Reserve- This is a fine American bourbon. This is the first time i had a whisky that tasted like it was described on the promotional material. Lots of vanilla, round flavours, a bit of charcoal, good stuff. Sweet and a little pepper on the long finish. Good price too at $46.48.

Met Moose from this forum there. He was working the FG table and was very generous with his pours.

Anyway, gotta go, the kids are crying.

Later