PEAT FEST - Live Tasting - February 6, 2010

[Ganga]

It's the festival of the bog. Come one, come all and share a dram or more of your favorite peated whiskies.

The Whiskies:

Any whisky with a bit of peat from anywhere in the world.

The Time:

February 6, 7 PM GMT.

[andyt]

Ardbeg Almost There, an awesome balance of peat and fruit, a wonderful nose that promises umpteen treasures and a taste that delivers even more,I suspect that few of my drams tonight will surpass this.

[Ganga]

Good afternoon Andy. Good to see you started us off with a bang. As soon as the groceries are away I will be there with you.

[Spirit of Islay]

Hi Gang !
Decided to start the night with a few from the back of the cupboard that normally don't get touched and aren't exactly my favourites....
First off a bottle of legendary proportions !
Expression - Ledaig Peated
Age - NAS
ABV - 42%
Colour - Pale Gold
Nose - A very pungent peat , very youthful , a touch citrusy
Palate - a sweet peat but still quite spirity ,
Finish - long and a spirity finish .
Comments - the near legendary peated Ledaig , not as bad as some make out , just a tad young......

[Ganga]

Welcome Gordon! Interesting choice for opening up your tasting. Think I'll start with the Johnny Gold.

[Ganga]

Johnny Walker Gold
Brand : Johnny Walker Expression : Gold
Nose : Parafin, honey, straw, cracked barley kernels, wisps of smoke, wood shavings, vanilla Palate : Bees wax and honey, old straw mixed with some burnt straw, butterscotch, vanilla Finish : short, waxy butterscotch Comment : Not nearly as intense as it once was. A very pleasant dram. The grain portion is not dominant but adds a little character to the whisky. Would probably like this better at around 50%. Colour : antique gold Score : 0
Age : 18 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 0% Bottler : Johnny Walker	Type : Blended Region : Scotland Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : This bottle is from around 2000
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

PS. Opened up chat.

[Spirit of Islay]

Next up......
Expression - Benriach Signatory UCF "Heavily Peated"
Year - 1994
Age - 10yo
ABV - 46%
Cask / Bottle No. - Hogshead No.1644 / 48 of 425
Colour - Chardonnay Wine
Nose - light peat , pine nuts , distant chocolate , pine washing up liquid......quite mossy.....
Palate - more peated on the palate , quite lemony , not a lot else .
Finish - Long , chewy peat and lemon juice .
Comments - Dist 20/6/1994 , Bottled 10/9/2004 , Marginally better than the ledaig , would probably catch a few out in a blind tasting but still inferior to the "Kings of Peat" !

[Ganga]

Moving along to a single malt, HP 12

HP 12
Brand : Highland Park Expression : 12 yo
Nose : heather honey, rich grains, nutty-brittle Palate : sweet caramel nougat, almonds, Bit O Honey, heather-straw Finish : long, soothing, dessert sweetness Comment : Really, this is one of the finest drams you can have from the bargain tier pricing. Colour : dark amber Score : 0
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 43% Bottler : Highland Park	Type : Single Malt Region : Highland Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

An old bottle
Expression - Cadenheads Authentic Collection 1992 Longrow
Year - 1992
Age - 9yo
ABV - 57%
Cask / Bottle No. - Bourbon Hogshead / 1 of 342
Colour - Golden Syrup
Nose - Peat , very coastal (seashore / iodine) , green fruits , a little chemical.....
Palate - Peat and Liquorice , touch peppery , a sweetness to it . almost medicinal in a Fishermans Friend sort of way......
Finish - Long , peat , liquorice and seashore .
Comments - Bottled Sept 2001 , looking at the dark colour i would have said a sherry cask but it says Bourbon , must have been very active , a decent enough young Longrow .

[Ganga]

And now for something way different. An Ardmore.

Glenhaven Ardmore 18
Brand : Glenhaven Expression : 3.77, 4.95
Nose : lemon juice, charred oak, vanilla, wax, light wood spices Palate : Waxy, doughy, slight seaweed, lemon rinds, oak embers Finish : Long, warming, citric Comment : A beautiful rendition of what Ardmore can be. Colour : Squeezed lemon juice Score : 0
Age : 18 Years Old Vintage : 1977 ABV : 59.3% Bottler : Glenhaven	Type : Single Malt Region : Highland Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

Next up , one of Raymondos....
Expression - Bladnoch 6yo "Lightly Peated"
[Age - 6yo
ABV - 58.5%
Colour - Pale Gold
Nose - Slight Smokiness at first , a slight peatiness that hides behind the lowland grassiness , quite citric . Vanilla and fudge .
Palate - a subtle peatiness that is nearly hidden by Vanilla , grass , green fruits and late on spices .
Finish - Long , green fruits and spicy .
Comments - This must have been a very active cask , ist fill by the tastes , actually reminds me of Glen Morays from the Society .

[andyt]

Benromach Peat Smoke, bought this for this tasting. Quite sparse on the nose, nicely smoky on the tongue and a wee peated kick at the end. A bit "Victoria Beckham" for me though, skinny, girly and saccharine sweet.

[Ganga]

Transitioning to Islay....

McClelland's Islay
Brand : McClelland's Expression : Islay
Nose : Lots of straw and grain, smoke from wood and leaves, some sweetness-Hubba Bubba?, heather Palate : Big ashy hit up front resolving to malty sweetness Finish : short with a battle between the ashes and malt. Comment : - Colour : reddish gold Score : 0
Age : NAS Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 40% Bottler : McClelland	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Benromach Peat Smoke, bought this for this tasting. Quite sparse on the nose, nicely smoky on the tongue and a wee peated kick at the end. A bit "Victoria Beckham" for me though, skinny, girly and saccharine sweet.

I don't think I'll ever look at the whisky the same again.

[Spirit of Islay]

A surprising rediscovery......
Expression - RoyalmileWhiskies Young Peaty Islay
Year - 1999
Age - 6yo
ABV - 61.5%
Cask / Bottle No. - / 1 of 322
Colour - Pale white Wine
Nose - Very nose hair tingling.....spirity and peaty (so it does what it says on the label....) , after a while lemon comes through .
Palate - Whoof ! peaty ! actually tastes better than it smells , wow ! Not as spirity as i would have thought , really nice peat , balanced , quite refreshing .
Finish - Not too long but peaty and citrusy .
Comments - Dist 17th Feb 1999 , bott March 2005 . A very nice drinking dram for it's strength , begs the question "where does it go wrong later in it's life ?"

[Ras Mazunga]

Big Peat 46%
Great whisky this. Very tasty. Nice to notice the older whisy in here.

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - The Ileach
ABV - 40%
Colour - An un-natural burnished Copper
Nose - a flat peatiness , not a lot else
Palate - Again a peatiness but not much else , there is a distant floralness which would make me think of one Islay Distillery.....
Finish - Gone as quick as it was there.....again a distant floralness....
Comments - this is an old batch , bought out of curiosity more than anything else , wondered why i'd left it alone for a while......ok my guess......Bowmore

[andyt]

Ardbeg CC 1979, very little smoke but none the worse for that, vanilla and orange peel/pith. Sorry about this but it makes a wonderful burp

[Ganga]

Bowmore 25 Moonlight
Brand : Bowmore Expression : Bowmore 25 ceramic "Moonlight"
Nose : cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla, orange cider, whisps of smoke, grapefruit blossoms Palate : cinnamon sticks in tea, light tar and coals, light grapefruit Finish : long, grapefruit and dying campfire Comment : - Colour : Orange gold Score : 0
Age : 25 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 43% Bottler : Bowmore	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - Dun Bheagan 8yo Islay
Age - 8yo
ABV - 43% and unchill-filtered (!?!?)
Colour - Copper
Nose - sweet fudgy peat , Lemon , eventually it becomes wet peat
Palate - definite wet peat on the palate , mossy
Finish - medium lemon and peat .
Comments - Not a bad dram (better than the Ileach...) , my guess would be a Caol Ila......

[Ganga]

SMWS 29.78
Brand : SMWS Expression : Laphroaig 8
Nose : bacon grease, oak embers, oily, glue? Palate : charcoal, oily feel and taste, kippers Finish : long, warming, bacony Comment : - Colour : straw gold Score : 0
Age : 8 Years Old Vintage : 2001 ABV : 58.2% Bottler : SMWS	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

I have a Cunning Plan......More cunning than the cunningest Fox at the University of Cunningness.....
Expression - Blackadder Smoking Islay (2002/04)
ABV - 55%
Cask / Bottle No. - 2002-04 /
Colour - Pale Gold
Nose - loads of wet peat interweaving with smoke from a fire on a beach .
Palate - Wow a mouthful of peat smoke , almost like chewing a mouthful of peat , nearly woody infact .
Finish - extremely long , peaty and smoky , touch of strong lemon right at the end .
Comments - Again does what it says on the label , as for it's origin ? my guess is again a young Caol Ila.

[Ganga]

SMWS 53.133
Brand : SMWS Expression : Caol Ila 19
Nose : doughy, Elmer's glue, straw, cooking grease/bacon fat, meadowy Palate : dough mixed with fresh greens including sparse mint, mosses, light Crisco, wet hay Finish : Moderate, seaweed bonfire Comment : - Colour : dark straw Score : 0
Age : 19 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 53.2% Bottler : SMWS	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Bunnahabhain 1997 Peated
Brand : Signatory Vintage UCF Expression : UCF 9 yo, d:1.12.97, 4.12.06, cask 5268
Nose : Tarry, creosote, lemons, seaweed/iodine, heather straw Palate : Charred seaweed, oily, cured salmon, dough made with sea salt Finish : moderate, diesel and brine Comment : - Colour : Pale gold Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 0% Bottler : Signatory	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - Blackadder Smoking Islay (2003/05)
ABV - 55%
Cask / Bottle No. - 2003-05 /
Colour - very pale Gold
Nose - Again Very peaty , whisps of peat smoke , lemon , hint of Cocoa , slightly nose hair tingling.....
Palate - the peat sucked in my cheeks ! almost like standing over a peat fire and drawing the smoke across the palate .
Finish - Long , pungent peatiness
Comments - Again does what it says on the label , Could be a young Ardbeg but doubt it , more or likely a Caol Ila though Bowmore could come into it after the RMW one.......Not a Lagavulin !

[Ras Mazunga]

Caol Ila 2000 7yo hogshead 66.7% Van Wees
c: sauternes
n: lemon sweets on a freshly tarred road, suprised this amount of alcohol doesn't irritate my nose. not sure if this says anything about my nose or the whisky.
t: sweets, peats, lemons and some cake. Peated lemoncupcake maybe
f: lemon and pepper(black).
c: young, strong and peated a great combo.

[Ganga]

Bruichladdich "First Born"
Brand : Bruichladdich Expression : Bruichladdich "First Born", K&L exclusive
Nose : Straw fire, deft Palate : pepper, bell peppers, straw, dough, slight wininess Finish : Short but strong, lots a burning peat moss Comment : - Colour : Red gold Score : 0
Age : 5 Years Old Vintage : 2001 ABV : 46% Bottler : Bruichladdich	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Caol Ila 2000 7yo hogshead 66.7% Van Wees
c: sauternes
n: lemon sweets on a freshly tarred road, suprised this amount of alcohol doesn't irritate my nose. not sure if this says anything about my nose or the whisky.
t: sweets, peats, lemons and some cake. Peated lemoncupcake maybe
f: lemon and pepper(black).
c: young, strong and peated a great combo.

Maybe you don't have any nose hairs left to burn after the Bows. Looks like my kind of CI though.

[andyt]

Jura Superstition, I usually like this a lot but tonight it seems slightly wanting, I must try the Prophecy though.

[Ganga]

Chieftains Ardbeg 10
Brand : Chieftains Expression : Chieftains 10
Nose : melons and tar, dough rising on a sunny afternoon, seashore breezes Palate : slight soapiness overpowered by road construction, green melons soaked in brine Finish : Long, seashore bonfire Comment : - Colour : gold Score : 0
Age : 10 Years Old Vintage : 1999 ABV : 54.8% Bottler : Chieftains	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - SOS 1996 Ardbeg Cask 898
Year - 1996
Age - 8yo
ABV - 51.7%
Cask / Bottle No. - 898 /
Colour - Gold
Nose - Wet peat , pine cleaner , creamy Coffee .
Palate - a typical peaty lemony Ardbeg palate .
Finish - Long peaty /slightly woody , lemon finish .
Comments - A very good Ardbeg from Spirit Of Scotland more commonly known as Gordon and Macphail , why the hell didn't they release CS Ardbegs in the UK ?

[Holysinner]

Talisker 175th
Brand : Talisker Expression : 175th Anniversary Limited Edition
Nose : Tar, fishing boats. Palate : Peat, salt, yoghurt. Finish : Wood smoke, oak, and pepper. Comment : Sample set aside from a bottle finished months ago, this doesn't match my notes from previous tastings at all. Much more maritime and peaty than I recall, with little sweetness and a less peppery finish. Still good, just different. With time in the glass it does approach the profile I recall. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 45.8% Bottler : -	Type : Single Malt Region : Island (non Islay) Water : None Ice : None Glass : Tulip Nosing Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Lagavulin 12
Brand : Lagavulin Expression : 12, 2009 edition
Nose : cooking bacon, wet grist, dried peat and mosses, beach sand Palate : burning driftwood and kelp, tar rope, lemons, ground lemon rinds Finish : Huge bonfire Comment : - Colour : medium gold Score : 0
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 57.9% Bottler : Diageo	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Brandy Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ras Mazunga]

Bowmore 1995 13yo 56.4% sherry butt smos
n: wax, oil, old furniture, panforte, fresh tabacco, kippers, very nice smoked fishy notes, walnut oil.
t: cooked fruits with sundried seaweeds.
f: smoked panforte
c: a suberb whisky. best Bowmore I ever had.

It really annoys me that there are so few sherried islanders for sale.

[Holysinner]

Springbank 10
Brand : Springbank Expression : 10
Nose : Tropical fruits, slightly medicinal. Coconut, whiff of smoke. Palate : Loads of fruit and peat. Finish : Sweet then drying, ashy peat. Comment : - Colour : Straw Score : 0
Age : 10 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 46% Bottler : -	Type : Single Malt Region : Campbeltown Water : None Ice : None Glass : Tulip Nosing Glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.