EPIC TASTINGS!

@cricklewood Makes me long for my days in La Belle Province...

@Hewie You’re thinking of our friend @ajjarrett, the current world record holder for most bunkered bottles of Nadurra 16.

@BlueNote @Hewie Now now, 22 bottles that consists a variety of batches shouldn't be considered hoarding. Okay, it does.

@ajjarrett Een at my peak of A'Bunadh hoarding I had fewer than 20 bottles, I believe.

@Nozinan Out of curiosity, how many bottles do you have left?

@Nozinan I have fewer than 48 bottles of Lagavulin 16!

@RikS Now that is hoarding! Woohoo! I have a lot to do to catch up to that number.

@RikS I have fewer than 60 bottles of Lagavulin 16.

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ZERO is fewer than 60...

@ajjarrett A'Bunadh batch 33 was the first malt that really blew me away. I kind of went a little overboard in 2011, buying 2 more (still unopened). Then I got a couple of 32s and 34s. In Nova Scotia I happened upon a 28 so I got that. I got a 27 as a gift. Then I tried to get as many as I could but I could not keep up drinking them.

I used to go through 1 1/2 bottles a year (including sharing) of A'Bunadh but now that I've expanded my palate it's less. The 46 (opened when I turned 46) and 47 lasted me till I turned 49.

The batches are released faster than I can drink them. When the batch numbers exceeded my age I decided to buy ahead and only open when I reach that age. But then I heard 44 was a great batch so I got a spare, same with 47 and 49. So even after opening those I have one of each left. I have not bought a bottle of A'Bunadh since 2016. I decided to try to buy only batches that are raved about, or that represent a milestone birthday. I am stuck at 54. I was hoping to find a 60 but haven't seen any in Canada.

Since hitting peak A'Bunadh, I have opened 1 bottle and given one away. I currently sit at 16.

I'm not proud of that. Not really ashamed either. The number will become more manageable with time.

As to the Nadurra, I would like to have one or two more. If it is as good as I remember... I would like to have one open.

@Nozinan I have yet to reach 100 bottles of Ardbeg 10. I’m up to three.

@Nozinan You are certainly better than I am. I have only opened one bottle (two years ago) of my Nadurra 16yo collection, and I still have quite a bit left in it. At least your level of consumption warrants your rate at of purchasing. As for me, I am a bit of a hoarder and keeping them for future (maybe far future) consumption.

@ajjarrett At least enjoy some of it while you can... I'm not "saving" the A'Bunadh, just have a lot of other to drink as well.

Hosted by @fiddich1980, an Epic Tasting was held yesterday evening and into this morning. I recall this from my perspective, though others may have experienced slightly differently.

The backbone of this tasting was a vertical flight of Glenfarclas, with a few others before and after.

One @paddockjudge settled into his suite, I opened a very special bottle. This was a Chinese brandy from Manas, XInjiang Province, produced by Fred, the French manager of the largest winery complex in Asia. I had tasted his wine (and this spirit) from the cask and it was good (the spirit was great then) and my brother in law brought me an unmarked bottle with a wine cork closure back in July when he moved with his family to Canada. It was as good as I remembered it, only this time I had time to really enjoy it. It has been decanted into various sized Boston rounds for preservation and dissemination. One such sample went to our host.

for some reason I can't post the list of the drams. I will try later... @jeanluc?

Hosted by @fiddich1980, an Epic Tasting was held yesterday evening and into this morning. I recall this from my perspective, though others may have experienced slightly differently.

The backbone of this tasting was a vertical flight of Glenfarclas, with a few others before and after.

One @paddockjudge settled into his suite, I opened a very special bottle. This was a Chinese brandy from Manas, XInjiang Province, produced by Fred, the French manager of the largest winery complex in Asia. I had tasted his wine (and this spirit) from the cask and it was good (the spirit was great then) and my brother in law brought me an unmarked bottle with a wine cork closure back in July when he moved with his family to Canada. It was as good as I remembered it, only this time I had time to really enjoy it. It has been decanted into various sized Boston rounds for preservation and dissemination. One such sample went to our host.

At the tasting, We started with some palate teasers and then went straight into the main event and beyond (these are what I tasted):

• Highland Park 12 YO 43%

• Hibiki 21 YO 43% - outstanding (especially the nose), one of the stars of the evening for me

• Glenfarclas 25 YO 43% (2016 bottling batch 04/04/16)

• Glenfarclas 21 YO 43% (2016 bottling batch 21/06/16) - my favourite of the > 10 YO age stated range this evening

• Glenfarclas 15 YO 46% (2016 bottling batch 22/03/16)

• Glenfarclas 105 10 YO 60% (batch 14/05/14)

• Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 65.5% - went amazingly well with the home-made crème brûlé

• Stagg Jr. 66.05% (batch 4 - correct me if I'm wrong)

• Lagavulin 12 YO CS (2017 bottling) - sorry, I didn't record the ABV - it was really good

• Bunnahabhain 18 YO 46.3% 2012 bottling

• Yamazaki 18 YO 43% - another absolute star performer. I could nose it for hours (I came close)

• Bruichladdich Black Arts 4.1 49.2% 23YO freshly opened

Also tasted by most others but not by me (because I have tasted them before and have access to them at home (and I admit to being a bit of a lightweight - this allowed me to prevent the buzz from overtaking me):

• Lot 40 CS - 12 YO first edition. @Talexander you would be proud. One of the guests had not one but two generous pours with first Canada Dry then Schweppes ginger-ales.

• Kilkerran 12 YO 46%

• Forty Creek Heart of Gold 43% - my favourite FC to date

• Amrut Peated CS 61.8% - Yes, I cracked the seal on my own bottle and didn't have any. But I coached people through the Ashok manoeuve with, I believe, some successful results.

Thanks @fiddich1980 for such an excellent hosting job, and for opening your home to us!

@Nozinan and @paddockjudge the additions of the Amrut Peated and Forty Creek "The Heart of Gold" were a pleasant surprise to the line up. It is good to know that you enjoyed the evening. Moreover, it is always rewarding to exchange ideas and experience in social environment.

@fiddich1980, Indeed an Epic Tasting!

Thank you for a great line-up of personalities, food, and top notch whisky.

The Glenfarclas flight, the original focus of the evening, 25 YO, 21 YO, 15 YO, and 105 10 YO was both instructive and enjoyable. The collection of experienced whisky enthusiasts made for engaging conversation...at a level seldom enjoyed. My level of respect for Glenfarclas 105 10 YO is now much higher after having experienced it with some other excellent 'farclas. The table was split between 25 YO and 21 YO with both camps claiming the 15 YO to resemble their favourite 'farclas...my favourite was the 25 YO.

An evening of Surprises, the first being a pre-session sip with @Nozinan. Chinese brandy from Manas, XInjiang Province, a delightful cask strength treat (50 - 55% abv as told by the distillery manager). I would buy a couple of these if it were possible. Thank you @Nozinan for sharing such a rare and delicious treat.

Another surprise was Forty Creek Heart of Gold, a bottle which I had recently opened and was instantly reminded how much I admire this whisky, the nose is heavenly.

I enjoyed a delightful evening and was thoroughly impressed with the incredible line-up of whisky, not one of them out of place. Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1 and Hibiki 21 YO are both stunning. Best nose of the night, Hibiki 21 YO, an absolutely delicious dram.

The finale of the session was Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1 and Forty Creek Heart of Gold (I revisited Hibiki 21 during this time as well). To quote our host, @fiddich1980, _ H of G rich colourful centre cut beef tenderlion, "true" chateau briand. Black Art wild mushroom porcini wine infused risotto_ ....and that my friends is a mouthful.

"...wild mushroom porcini wine infused risotto" to describe Bruichladdich Black Art? Excellent! @fiddich1980. That Black Art (mine the 2.2) had been well-neigh indescribable to me previously. That's by far the closest description I have seen.

The tale of this tasting makes me miss Canada! ...and all of you tasters...

@Victor I don't want to romanticize or fetishize whisky. I tend to subjectively, assess whisky or any alcoholic beverage especially, after after a tasting. The host's job is very much service related, managing their own and other's expectations. The assessment of some of the new things tried tend to take place the day after from memory and recollection of moments. @Nozinan Seriously, Amrut Peated a symphony, not a food related reference but, music. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor OP. section 125 IV by Chicago Symphony conducted by Georg Solti, Presto - Allegro. Deadly serious the Choral sections. It is the way the spirit and flavours play on the tongue.

@fiddich1980 Personally I'm a fan of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra Beethoven symphony series under George Szell, but I think I see what you mean..

@fiddich1980, I respect your ability to associate the whisky experience with another experience, I derive great pleasure from your analogies. Having shared this experience with you makes it indeed memorable. Bravissimo!

On a lighter note; I like my Beethoven more in the raw and edgy style, not Calder Quartet edgy, not Chuck Berry nor George Thorogood raw and edgy, although I do enjoy them all, but definitely Jeff Lynne and ELO raw and edgy.

www.youtube.com/watch

I’m not sure it qualifies for an epic tasting, but it certainly was the most intense whisky day that I’ve ever had at the TWE annual whisky show. So, I’ll include below the drams we went through, and what I hope may be a few worthwhile or even interesting, one hopes, observations. Happy to expand. I’ll do them in the same order as we did the tasting, saving the heavy peat monsters for the end. Observations made to the best of my recollection, which may have become increasingly challenged as the day went on…

Glendronach 15 mkII / 18 / 21: the 15 wasn’t the ‘original’ and revered 15, but the new incarnation. All good drams that cannot be faulted, and my favourite was actually the 18 Allardice which I found to strike the best balance with its bourbon / sherry cask.

Glenfarclas 40: fun to try such an aged dram – a first for me. I won’t lyric about the complexity and many nuances as there are several reviews here. That said, 40 years in Sherry casks is… intense. So, would I buy it? Actually no. Almost too much of a good thing for me, but very nice to have tried, oh yes.

Amrut fusion: liked this one. A new take on sweetness that doesn’t really correspond to what I normally drink. A diferent kind of barley sweetness, without being the recognizable sherry that otherwise tends to be what ‘sweetens’ my normak go-to sweeter drams.

Glenmorangie Nectar d’or: sauternes. Of all the GM, this one is almost too subtle to be interesting. Not bad, and granted, didn’t have much time to sit down and really take in all the impressions, but were I to be given the offer to pick one Glenmorangie, this wouldn’t be it.

J.P. Wiser’s Dissertation: a new foray into corn for me, inspired by the many appreciative comments on here. I’d need some more time to get used to the different elements and to acclimatise the palate to a different kind of sweetness. From this initial experience, it didn’t really work for me – but I recognise that this is likely not having had much if any exposure yet.

J.P. Wiser’s Union Cask 52: now this one was interesting and merits a few comments. Double column distilled corn ex bourbon blended with a 52 yrs old highland single malt 4% at cask strength (apparently a well known 9.09% rule). Apparently the first time this one has been made available at CS. Story goes that they had 17 casks of the 52yrs old, origins unknown. Once the angels were done, there was the equivalent of one full cask left, which was blended in to 4% with the corn ex bourbon. Rather wonderful and served up at 60%.

Redbreast 12 CS / 21: To reiterate what’s been said many times; if the Redbreast is your thing, then the 21 is rather marvellous, and the 12 CS is truly the 12 on steroids really driving through the full range of taste.

Suntury Harmony / Yamasaki: Nope, the Harmony wasn’t my kind of sweet. The Yamazaki was preferable I think.

Nikka 12, Super Nikka, from the barrel: All very nice, and interesting to have tried the Super Nikka which is a homage to the late wife of their master blender, but the favorite was still from the barrel.

Bruichladdich Chateau Mouton Rothschild: Port Charlotte 7 years in bourbon cask, followed by 1 year in Mouton Rothschild wine cask, Cask Strength 59% and will be released towards Christmas. Outstanding.

Macallan 12 double cask: they didn’t have the 12 sherry that I would like to try so much after @Victor’s commens on here. So had to settle for this one. Verdict: meh. Nothing special and plenty other sherried ones out there equally good or better for the money.

Kavalan Solist / Solist PX: the solist is very nice and well worth its accolades. Now, the PX was the big surprise for someone like me who doesn’t take well to PX – it was wonderful! Had a long what with the very nice Mr. Chang, Kavalan’s master blender and head of R&D and global marketing who also gave me a lesson on their soecial STC process for the wine casks: shaving, toasting AND charring.

Talisker 18: I’d say in one word, delicious. Enough said!

Benromach 10, 100 proof: I do like the standard 10, and here it’s all pushed up a notch. If you like the 10, this one is well worth the few extra bob. Very nice.

Lagavulin 8: yes, it’s a slightly more feisty Laga. Certainly not bad, but given the choice I think I’ll stay with the 16.

Laphroaig Lore: unmistakenly Laphroaig and very nice, but… I’m not sure I’d abandon my go to QC for it. Again, there wasn’t much time to really sit and calmly collect all impressions so I won’t make too much of a judgement, other than to say that I also tried the QC in parallel and I think I prefer the finish of the QC.

Cladach blend: a blend with various, if not all, Islay present. Very interesting – possible to pick apart and most of the known islay pieces were nicely put together in a rather great puzzle!

Octomore 9.1.: Wonderful. And not at all this hyped up ‘extreme’ dram that one may get the impression from staring at the ppm. Truly enjoyable, I wish I could dosh out for these ones more regularly.

And that’s all folks…. Time to go home!

deleted double posting...

A few snaps

Union

Bruichladdich

Kavala solist px

Super Nikka

Cladach. Quite pricey but very fun to pick apart.

@RikS, looks like a great time! What did you have to pay for it?