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Attended a Whisky Society tasting tonight before tomorrow night's Whisky Extravaganza;
26 year Caledonian SMWS G3.3 "Curious but good" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel
23 year Rosebank SMWS 25.66 "Bette Davis Doing DIY" from a refill hogshead
9 year Clynelish SMWS 26.100 "Galactic Root Canal Treatment" from a first fill barrel
9 year Benrinnes SMWS 36.67 "Intensely Tasty" from a first fill barrel
14 year Glen Scotia SMWS 93.61 "Calmac Welder's Tea Break" from a refill hogshead
16 year Bowmore SMWS 3.217 "A Delicatessen Shopping Basket" from a refill butt
My favorite of the night was the Rosebank (had a couple of drams), but was surprised by the Clynelish (seemed older than it is) and the Benrinnes (sweet, tropical and very different, in a good way, when water is added. There's a lot going on in the glass.)
10 years ago 0
An excellent W/T 101 Bourbon in the Gift Box (Xmas?) Batch # LL/CH091129. This was a gift and, of course, I felt compelled to open and share: I have a few open, both Bourbon and Rye but this bottle will come to no harm in a rather fine Webb Corbett Decanter I rescued at a local market. This one has its' original red sticker and is in almost new condition. Provenance is sketchy with this Decanter but no Ltd. on the sticker, so before 1952 and as it had belonged to the woman's Grandparents I'd guess the early part of the 20th. Century.
Slainte!
10 years ago 0
Just finished a taste of Hakushu 18. Not bad, but nothing great. Now, for more Hibiki 21! God, I love this bar =)
10 years ago 0
Going to Total Wine for a Scotch Tasting. The wife got us tickets with some friends. I know TW is going to push the Grangestone, they always do when I'm there.
Glenlivet 12 Yr Glenfiddich 18 yr Shieldaig Speyside 12yr Shieldaig Speyside 18yr Grangestone Bourbon Cask Finish Grangestone 21yr Glen Ness 8 Yr Macallan 12yr
10 years ago 0
@Nozinan Because the wife knows I like Scotch and was nice enough to buy all 4 of us tickets. I appreciate that she thought I would enjoy a scotch tasting. It was a nice time with friends. They added some independent bottles that were pretty good. I'm a very lucky man.
10 years ago 2Who liked this?
My wife and I had our first date night since the birth of our son 6 months ago. We attended the Whisky Extravaganza in Seattle. I tasted the following, not in order, except for the last one. My plan tonight was to only sample whisky that I have not previously tasted. Out of over 100 expressions available, I sampled 24 and not one of them had I tasted before. Goal met.
Aberlour 12 year Non Chill Filtered
BenRiach Heart of Speyside
Benromach Organic
Brenne French Single Malt (Very sweet. My wife thought it tasted it like Juicy Fruit chewing gum.)
Bruichladdich Scottish Barley (Light, but lots of flavor)
Bruichladdich Rock Side Farm 2007 (Again, lots of flavor, but between the two, I preferred the Scottish Barley above)
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Scottish Barley (Very nice)
Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley (Excellent!)
Bruichladdich The Black Art 4.1 (1990) 23 year old (Very nice)
GlenDronach 12 year old (Nice dram)
Glenfiddich 1963, yes, 1 9 6 3 - what a special treat!
GlenGlassaugh Revival (A lot going on in the glass, but not my favorite)
Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 15 year (much better than the Rare Old below)
Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila 10 year Cask Strength (Excellent)
Glenburgie 10 year
Kavalan Bourbon & Sherry Cask (pretty good)
Kavalan Port Cask (Excellent)
Auchentoshan 13 year - SMWS 5.40 (Very good and I'm not normally a fan of this distillery)
Aberlour 9 year old - SMWS 54.29
Aultmore 11 year old - SMWS 73.63 (grassy on the nose)
Isle of Arran 14 year old - SMWS 121.71
Laphroaig 23 year old - SMWS 29.152 (Excellent)
Mortlach Rare Old (Lacking, in my opinion)
Finished the night with a special bottle shared among friends; Glentauchers 21 year SMWS 63.26 "Leather Sofa Seduction" from a second fill hogshead, ex-bourbon. (Never had a dram from this distillery before. Liked this one a lot!)
A great night with my lovely wife and some great, whisky-loving friends. It doesn't get much better than that.
10 years ago 2Who liked this?
@bwmccoy, that's a beautiful pour list, as usual...and I bet that those 24 whiskies out of 100 were just about the ONLY ones you hadn't tried before... :-)
That's great to see your wife getting back into the whisky (and dating) scene with you!
10 years ago 0
Nice roster, @bwmccoy. And congrats on your son.
When my wife and I our first child a few years ago, a (small-scale) whisky tastying was our first night out too. Though, we took our girl + a babysitting grandma with us.
Oh, and I'm now drinking a bottle of Charbay R5 that I just opened and am very disapppointed by so far.
10 years ago 0
Crown Royal 1993 - great bourbon nose and hallmark CR smoothness. There was recently a period when CR became just another smooth and light mixer; however, Andrew Mackay's recent achievements are restoring my respect for Crown Royal.
CR Monarch
CR Reserve
CR Cask No.16
CR XR.
10 years ago 0
Tonight I had a friend over. We had, among others, HP Dark Origins, Glenmo Sonnalta PX, Laga DE 1995, Caol Ila 12, Caol Ila DE 1993 , and an Alchemist HP 12. Aside from the above, which were all excellent, one of the standouts was The Famous Grouse 18, an all malt vatting which is surprisingly rich bodied and textured for something so affordable.
10 years ago 0
Vatted whisky! Got the blend from the "getting creative..". thread. 2 parts a'bunadh,1 part Uigeadail. Tasted very nice. Nose was smoky and sweet, palate sweet with just a hint of smoke and the finish long and ever-changing. Fruit, sherry and peat
10 years ago 0
@bwmccoy So - what's your take on the Aberlour 12 yr Non-Chill Filter, and the Glendronach 12 yr?
Right now - I'm enjoying a favorite; Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel.
10 years ago 0
Teeling Irish Whiskey Rum Cask Finish 46% ABV. A lovely 'drop'. flic.kr/p/q58cPs
10 years ago 0
Thanks @Victor. My wife and I had a great night out together. Actually, there were about 30 more expressions that I hadn't tried before, but 24 was plenty for one night.
Thanks @OlJas. For our night out, we had the babysitting grandma as well, but they did not join us at the event. :-)
@FMichael - I was not impressed with the Aberlour 12 NCF, but it was late in the evening, so my palette may have been overwhelmed at that point. In hindsight, I should have tried the regular 12 at the same time as the 12 NCF. The 12 NCF wasn't "bad", but it wasn't anything special either. Hopefully, I will have a chance to try the 12 NCF again when my palette is less saturated by other whiskies and I can compare it to the regular 12 side by side. I really liked the Glendronach 12; a good, solid, quality dram. It was easily the better of the two in my opinion.
10 years ago 0
10 of 11 Canadian Whiskies For The Desert Island.
After an arduous, but rewarding week I thought some playful indulgence would be appropriate...and momma agreed too. A very enjoyable evening spent relaxing at home with family - good whisky and good tunes: Santana, Joe Bonamassa, Allman Bros., and Radio Moscow.
Wiser's Legacy - Bold, complex, savory
Wiser's Red Letter - Rare and pricey, but excellent
Gibson's Finest Rare 18 YO - Totally solid
Forty Creek John's Private Cask No.1 - Hard to find now
Masterson's Straight Rye, 10 YO -
Canadian-produced whisky made to US specs; excellent on any playing field
Alberta Premium 100% rye (25 YO substituted for standard expression)
Alberta Premium 30 YO 100% rye; - Delicate and delicious
Danfield's 21 YO
Corby's Lot 40 100% rye - Old school
Royal Canadian Small Batch - Canadian whisky; US bottled
Jockey Full of Bourbon, by Joe Bonamassa
10 years ago 2Who liked this?
@paddockjudge - great whisky and music line up. Joe Bonamassa is awesome!
Tonight, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural whisky tasting in the wine cellar of a nationally recognized restaurant here in Seattle. The tasting was only open to 8 people along with one of the owners who was pouring from his private whisky collection, most of which was personally brought back from Scotland by the owners.
Started off with a 4 Roses Bourbon that the restaurant is barrel aging and has their restaurant name and logo on a label on the side of the bottle.
Next, Highland Park New Make purchased at the distillery
1985 Littlemill (Connoisseur's Choice) bottled in 2002
1989 Rosebank (Connoisseur's Choice) bottled in 2002
17 year Imperial (A.D. Rattray) Distilled May 23rd, 1995, Bottled Nov. 7th, 2012
Glenmorangie "A" (A few years ago, Glenmorangie sent 3 bottles labeled "A", "B" and "C" to about 50 of their most respected accounts and asked which one of the 3 they thought should be bottled. "A" is a Burgundy finish.)
14 year Longrow Burgundy finish (11 years bourbon barrel + 3 years burgundy cask) Distilled February 1997, Bottled October 2011
19 year Highland Park SMWS 4.??? (The picture I took of the bottle doesn't show the cask number or the name). Distilled June 1986 Bottled December 2005
2002 (10 year) Caol Ila from Gordon & MacPhail
7 year Laphroaig from Signatory. Distilled Sep 18th 2000, Bottled May 16th, 2008 from a refill butt
5 year Bruichladdich Octomore 5.1 (169 ppm)
5 year Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2 Comus (167 ppm) Sauternes Wine Cask
Finished the night with a 21 year Springbank bottled from a cask that the restaurant purchased a few years ago.
A very special night!
10 years ago 0
@paddockjudge Hey excellent selection of tunes. I really like Joe Bonamassa, Also nice line up of Cdn drams,a great idea. As you know I particularly enjoyed the AP samples last year. If you were able to slot the Canadain Club 100% Rye into the lineup where would you place it? or would it be outside the top 11?
@Bwmccoy terrific lineup, makes me slather. Have only tasted one of those, the 4.2 Comus (excellent), thanx to a sample received. Can omly dream of some of the others on this list must have been a superb evening.
10 years ago 0
@paddockjudge
Quite the line-up - cheers to that.
Curious as to your thoughts on the Highwood 90 20 Year Old - was heading to a friend's last weekend and stopped at the LCBO in Ajax. There was not much selection and vaguely remembered a positive comment towards the 90 so took the plunge.
We were all pleased w the choice and it was a nice addition to the flight I brought (21 Year Old El Dorado, 18 Year Old Yamazaki, 12 Year Old Balvenie First Cask) as it slotted nicely bw the rum and the Balvenie
10 years ago 0
@bwmccoy, thanks to @Victor for compiling the great line up of whisky. I merely followed his suggestions from the list: Eleven Canadian Whiskies For The Desert Island....what a great island! Unfortunately I was not able to obtain WhistlePig and make it 11/11 from the list; however, I have been able to enjoy WhistlePig 10 YO from a sample provided by @Victor.
Your 'Evening in the Cellar' could itself be a list 'For the Desert Island'. That is indeed a stellar line up.
I am always intrigued by 'wine finished' whisky, and in particular red wine finishes. Perhaps it is the notion of color change in the whisky, but definitely the influence on taste and the relationship between grape and grain. I find it fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
10 years ago 0
@JayRain, Yes, awesome line up! Thanks to @Victor for posting a world class list of Canadian Whisky - link below.
Your session had a great variety and all are excellent examples from their particular niche. That is the type of tasting I don't do often enough; with a group of people who have varied interests.
Very nice cabinet you have at Whiskybase! Their presentation and ease of usage make it a good place to track whisky.
Highwood NINETY is unique and absolutely delicious. Some sources indicate this whisky was distilled in Saskatchewan, from a now defunct Seagram's plant, and eventually made its way to B.C. for a nap and then High River, AB where it now sleeps. This is something to be cherished (code for - get some before it is gone). The same aged distillate (my assumption) is used for Lot 15/25, Stampede 25 YO, Century 21, and the (45% abv) Ninety 20 YO. These aged stocks will not last forever. I would guess the 5 yr.-old Ninety is distilled by Highwood.
Cheers!
10 years ago 0
@Jonesz, CC 100% Rye is a 'game changer'. There are now so many expressions of rye available, as compared to a decade ago, that I could never have enough room in my cabinet to keep a large variety. This CC 100 is unique in that it was a collaboration of Kentucky wood management, Alberta distillation, and Ontario finished goods and distribution specialization...all are expert in their field and this cross-functional team has produced an incredible and unique product AND excellent value for < CAD$30.
Which whisky would I bump from the line up of eleven to make room for CC 100? I would replace Sazerac Royal Canadian...I would also agree with @Victor that his list could be expanded to 15 expressions.
It is the Golden Age of Canadian!
10 years ago 0
@paddockjudge
Not to promote another site but the WB cabinet is superior to the Connosr but WB functionality is only for storage and not learning/community discussion. Even grander would be an Alchohol Cabinet site where you have all your bottles cataloged (for sharing purposes) that promotes the same type of discussion as on Connosr across all types.
If there is anything you see that you would like a taste of, let me know and we can arrange.
10 years ago 1Who liked this?
@JayRain, Thank you for the generous offer. I will peruse your cabinet and let you know if anything screams out to me.
I like the connosr cabinet, a lot, but the functionality of WB makes it easy to load almost every whisky known to man and it does look awesome.
Is it just my perceived notion or has this board lit up this weekend?
10 years ago 0
Octomore 06.1, Clynelish 14yr, Balvenie 12yr DW, Isle of Skye 12yr Blended. Family in town for the holiday so much raiding of my cabinet has been done. (:
10 years ago 0
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