Getting Creative: Vattings

@OdysseusUnbound, heat it, or soak it, or fill the bottle with hot water

@paddockjudge You have it down to a science... even in a hotel room.

A variation of my favourite summer long drink is leading to innovation.

I was about to pour a glass of PC diet tonic water with ice and lime, but there were lemons on the table and it was easier to get one than to find a lime. It's not bad (I like the lime better).

My next vatting will include both lime and lemon. Who knows where we'll go from there?

Adding lime to the lemon adds a slight bitterness, but ultimately in this case I would have to say the original lime, ice and PC diet tonic is the best.

As I discovered yesterday, vatting ECBP (70.1% batch), OGD 114 and Stagg Jr (Batch 8) seems to bring out the best in all of them. I may need to do some more experimentation.

Talisker 18 YO and Springbank 10 YO in a ratio of 1:2, peaty, peppery, and sweet.

Arran 10 and Port Charlotte HP in a ratio of approx. 3:1 in my glass. Better than the Arran Machrie Moor I tried the other night - but that was after a couple of straight gins at a tasting. This is damn good.

Laphroaig 10 and QC at 2:1. An excellent tune up for the 10 and improves them both.

@paddockjudge Very daring considering neither of those needs any help. Sounds good, though.

@BlueNote, you are absolutely correct, Talisker 18 and Springbank 10 are both great on their own. The blend of T18 and Hazelburn was something special, it made the Hazelburn better.

@paddockjudge I happen to have some Hazelburn 10 and I’d love to try that vatting but the last time I had a bottle of Tal 18 was 2011, and I had to bring it back from the Motherland. Is it available in Ontario?

@BlueNote, not available in Ontario.... probably not available in Canada.

I’m reviving this thread and hoping to get some advice on a couple of questions.

1. If I’m planning to reuse a 200ml bottle that contained peated single malt to vat Lot 40 Cask Strength Rye with Wiser’s Seasoned Oak, should I rinse with hot, soapy water and run the bottle through the dishwasher? Or is that overkill? I’m just hoping to avoid peaty notes in my Canadian vatting/blend.

2. I can’t find where @paddockjudge made his suggestion so perhaps he could chime in with his suggested ratio. I think it may have been 1 part Lot 40 CS to 15 parts Wiser’s SO.

3. How long should I let the vatting/blend “marry” before testing it out? A month? A week? A day? An hour?

@OdysseusUnbound In my experience, even thorough washing may not get the peat out of the glass. There are some bottles I simply use for peated samples or decanting after they become peat-infused.

@OdysseusUnbound, which Lot No 40 CS, 12YO or 11YO?

Don't use the peated bottle unless you want peated Rye blend.

@OdysseusUnbound15:1 is a good measure to use; however, I prefer W Clark Alumni Rye over Lot No 40 CS 11 YO when blending with Seasoned Oak.

@paddockjudge it’s the 11 year old

@OdysseusUnboun, oh, good! I opened a fresh bottle of CS 2018 just for this...not that I wouldn't have eventually opened it. I like the result of Clark 11YO, in a ratio of 1:15, with Seasoned Oak 19YO better than Lot No 40 CS 11YO. I didn't see that one coming. The natural progression is to now increase the amount of W Clark 11YO.

@paddockjudge Are you saying you like the blend of Clark and seasoned oak better than the 2018 CS Rye on its own? Astounding!

@Nozinan NO....but apparently I worded it that way.

Over the weekend, I combined my last 1/3 bottle of Kilkerran 8CS and Hazleburn 12 then threw in a little bit of Clynelish 14 for good measure. Just trying it now, and I gotta say, it's actually better than any of the three on their own.

Cask Strength Wiser's Legacy.

It is well established, I am a Wiser's Legacy fanatic. While enjoying a solid pour of Wiser's Legacy (L16 288) I was amused by the thought of Wiser's Legacy at Cask Strength. What would it taste like? There would certainly be batch variation, or would it be so slight it might go undetected? Hmmm, I could answer those questions and more. All the necessary ingredients are resting only a few feet away from me.

(connosr.com/getting-creative-vattings-whis… ... connosr.com/wisers-legacy-whisky-review-94…)

The key ingredients employed in Legacy are 9 YO - 10 YO corn and rye whiskies (column and pot distilled). Master Blender Don Livermore recently posted good ingredients for this replication are Wiser"s 18 YO and Lot no 40 Rye. This evening the exercise will be performed using cask strength whiskies from the same stocks as Legacy as well as a very small amount Deanston's Virgin Oak Single Malt.

I have attempted three cask strength versions of Wiser's Legacy Doppelgänger using the following ingredients:

WLD #1 Lot No 40 CS 12 YO 55% abv., Wiser's 23 YO 64.3% abv., Deanston's Virgin Oak 46% abv.

WLD #2 Lot No 40 CS 11 YO 58.4% abv., Wiser's 23 YO 64.3% abv., Deanston's Virgin Oak 46% abv.

WLD #3 Lot No 40 CS 57 % abv., Wiser's 23 YO 64.3% abv., Deanston's Virgin Oak 46% abv.

My findings are as follows:

WLD #1 does not immediately live up to the spicy and fragrant bouquet associated with Legacy; however, with a bit of time it does develop into a very pleasant nose. The palate is heavily marked by TOFFEE, the calling card of Wiser's 23 YO which accounts for two-thirds of this beautiful blend. Rating 90.

WLD #2 the toffee notes are not so bold and the magnificent rye spices contribute largely to what is a very similar bouquet to WLD #!. On the tongue a better balance, slightly less sweet and a shorter finish but slightly more intense. I like this a bit better than #1. Rating 92.

WLD #3 this nose is a clone of Legacy L16 288, slightly brighter. The recent Third Edition Lot No 40 Cask Strength has not been met with the rave reviews of its predecessors, but alas, all is not lost. Lot 40 3rd edition has stepped up and lent its intense spiciness to an incredibly delicious cask strength version of Legacy. I didn't see this one coming! I suppose the logical move now is to acquire a few more of the readily available third edition Lot 40 CS...and some W 23 YO too. Rating 94.

Total surprise, I didn't see this one coming! I am not a fan of Lot No 40 CS Third Edition, well at least I wasn't. The French Oak influence in Lot 40 3rd Edition marries perfectly will W 23 YO to replicate many of Legacy's characteristics and showcase them in a cask strength stunner.

Cask Strength Glitch

Cask Strength glitch

@paddockjudge interesting. I hope that you continue to have some examples of these vattings on hand for the next time I see you.

@Victor, that may become a very busy week....yes

@paddockjudge Do I now have to drop $50 for a Deanston VO to replicate a near perfect Canadian Whisky at cask strength or wait for the next epic tasting to mooch a sample?

@Astroke, hahaha, there's nothing wrong with mooching a sample. I'm on my second bottle of DVO in five years.

This thread brings back memories.... Can’t believe it was started 8 years ago.

@paddockjudge You are one creative son-of-a-bitch. I mean that in the nicest possible way. Nice work.