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So, what are you drinking now?

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By @Wodha @Wodha on 15th Jan 2010, show post

Replies: page 443/645

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@Victor perhaps you are right, the palate on this whisky is good but it follows the Grant's M.O. of low proof in order to make sure the whisky is "smooth" and accessible. It`s a total strategy as ambassadors are often peddling cask samples at events and everyone agrees how good this stuff is without the blinders. Heck 'Fiddich gifted it's brand ambassadors 200ml bottles of uncut winter storm recently during one of their corporate get together, so they know but it doesn't fit with their sales and marketing strategy.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

@cricklewood today, as with yesterday and tomorrow, the masses with the taste for mild whiskies pay the producers' bills. Hard core big-flavour loving connosrs will always be a niche market. A top-dollar-paying niche market, perhaps, but still a niche market.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@Victor hear hear.

I totally understand, what pays the bills for them are the blends, the gins and the accessible single malts.

And yet...

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

Tonight I am drinking from three batches of Port Charlotte 10yo. I have had three differnt batches since they launched the new dark bottle of the 10yo at 50%:

  • 2018 04 30 (April 30th 2018) - I really liked this one. However, I never liked it more than the Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2008. There were a lot of tropicial fruits mixed with the peat and some lemon. I liked it enough to pick up a back up bottle a few weeks after cracking it. I would score it around 88 or so.

  • 2018/10/04 (Oct. 4th 2018) - I picked up this bottle on vacation. I like this bottle a lot. Sadly, it was the last of this batch. It is my clear favorite. Huge deep peat and tons of farm notes. Very thick and rich. An amazing batch. I would put it far above the other two. I wish I had scored it more. Sadly, I drank this bottle way too fast. This is my last drop (I didn't even take a sample it went so fast). Probably around 91 or 92 in my book.

  • 2019/03/12 (March 12th 2019) - This is much more in line with the 04/03 batch. It isn't as deep or thick as the 10/04. It has some lemon and light fruit mixing with the peat and farm. I am almost disappointed after that 10/04 batch. It is still very good with nice peat and farm notes, and I will likely score it in the high 80's.

Once again proof that batch variation is something that must always be considered when reviewing any malt.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@fiddich1980
fiddich1980 replied

@Nock I really enjoy the Port Charlotte 10. The form and transition point between palate and finish is an epiphany. I will definitely take notice of batch variation when I pick up another bottle.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@Nock I second @fiddich1980, I quite enjoyed the Port Charlotte 10 and hadn't even thought of batch variation of these new bottles. Makes me want to go and check when mine is from.

4 years ago 0

@Hewie
Hewie replied

It's Father's Day here in NZ and my Mr. 3 year old wanted to toast marshmallows on a fire. A perfect time to kill off my bottle of Ledaig 10 too

4 years ago 7Who liked this?

@Hewie
Hewie replied

I'll definitely replace this one

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

A wee nip of Edradour 12 Caledonia, courtesy of a sample (1/5) kindly donated by @Wierdo.

My first taste of Edradour actually and I'm intrigued by it. Needs water this one, very thick and deep on the nose with lots of Scotch mist from a few drops of water - a good sign one would hope! I feel I could nose this for hours but first impressions are the dirtiest yet cleanest sherry I've come across. Nonsense, I know! There's some umami notes, with a kind of rotten fudge sweetness I'm struggling to pin down. More sour than I'd have expected on the palate and a lovely creamy and sweet spicy finish. First impressions, I'd say it has nods to the Benromach 15.

Next up - Springbank Local Barley 9 @57.7%. I've had a whiff of the bottle already and grinned . . .

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@Hewie
Hewie replied

@RianC that's interesting to read - you've no idea how many times I've ummed and ahhed over this bottle. Reviews have been quite mixed on it - guess I'll just have to see for myself sometime soon

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@Hewie - I was the same and left it too late. Going off this sample I wish I'd have pulled the trigger. Not what I was expecting but I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more Edradour.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

After a year spent working for the schoolboard as an Indigenous Education Lead, and a beautiful summer off, I'm headed back to the classroom tomorrow. There's always a bit of trepidation the night before the first day of school, but tonight feels like starting all over again. I'm also embarking on a "Sober September" challenge as of tomorrow, which actually runs into October because of the late start date. It's always good to take some time away from the water of life, and I may be a tad less present on this site as well. With that preamble out of the way, I'm winding down with a small (20ml) pour of Lot 40 11 Year Old Cask Strength. This beauty is almost empty (maybe about 100 ml left), and I'm glad I have a backup bottle for the future.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

Ok, so I couldn’t limit myself to one. That small pour went down too easily, so I’m having a Springbank 15 and then heading to bed.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Nelom
Nelom replied

Started the evening with opening my first bottle of George Dickel No. 12. I quite enjoyed it, and I've gotta say it deserves to be much more popular than it is. It's a testament to the power of advertising and branding that Jack Daniel's is the more popular Tennessee whisky.

Followed that up with a pour of Wendel Clark rye. Love that stuff.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

@Nelom George Dickel # 12 has always been very popular with some of us. (Except for that one bad bottle @Nock bought at my insistence.)

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nelom
Nelom replied

@Victor I do believe it's because of recommendations from the folks here that that bottle ended up on my shelf in the first place. But it's been sitting there for a while, so I'm not 100% sure on that.

4 years ago 0

@OdysseusUnbound

@Victor @Nelom As far as entry-level offerings, I definitely prefer Dickel 12 to JD 7, and I’m a fan of Jack Daniel’s. But I mean, 12 is 5 louder than 7, isn’t it? (Channeling my inner Nigel Tufnel).

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

A little experiment. With all the talk about some Legacy being available through the Windsor store (apparently not a new batch, but presumably well-stored), I decided I wanted some. Inspired by @paddockjudge's excellent experiments, I decided to add 5 cc of Lot 40 CS (2018) to a generous 15 cc pour of Legacy, and taste it in a Canadian Glencairn. The wider glass allows better access for my nose. I think I prefer the Canadian glass for Legacy.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Nozinan, now you’ve got a 50/50 corn and rye at about 47% abv .... a delicious pour if I may say.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@paddockjudge Quite tasty, especially after 1/2 hour in the glass.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, Sauternes finish. Seldom am I in just the right mood to enjoy this one, but I was this afternoon. It needed some water to come out to play, but with the water even this 8 years opened bottle had a lovely nose and a good palate. Today. Might have a hard time enjoying it tomorrow.

This afternoon I sampled for the first time some of the wares of a 3 year old distillery 25 miles up the road from me in Frederick, Maryland. The Tenth Ward Distillery has all very young products as of now, but they are doing some creative things. Today I sampled their Genever, which was more herbal than grainy, their smoked corn whiskey (viz. unaged corn spirit) which was more smoke than corn in flavour, their unaged rye whiskey with caraway added, which was a truly complex and fascinating product with lots of caraway flavour and a very definite chocolate flavour note on the finish, and their absinthe, which rep Sarah described as " the first and only absinthe made in Maryland, and the best absinthe made in Maryland." I liked their absinthe, both neat and diluted 1:3 with water. .

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt

Kilkerran WIP #1, then Benromach 10 100 Proof. Both good but not great.

Next up will be a quick Port Charlotte Islay Barley that I intend to hide from my wife until the peat smell betrays me.

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@MadSingleMalt Can I suggest that if you had tried them the other way around, you might have had a different experience with the Benromach?

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

@MadSingleMalt do you happen to have the bottle code for your particular batch of the Benromach 10yo 100 Proof? I have had three bottles and experienced extreme batch variety. One was super peaty while another was sherry dominant with little to no peat. My first bottle walked a perfect line between peat and sherry. It was superb.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

@Victor yes, being in the right mood and frame of mind is always key.

Last night I did a blind tasting of seven blends. I don’t think I was in quite the right frame of mind. I hadn't tried a blend in a while. I was trying to give my palate a break from heavy cask strength peated whiskies. But over all I was scoing things a bit lower than I would have expected. Was it all just not great? Or maybe my mood was off and I wasn’t dialed in. But let’s be honest I am rarely in a blend mood. Let alone a line-up of mostly 40% ABV’ers.

The line-up last night?

  • Johnnie Walker Red 40% - I found a half bottle of this at my wife’s aunt’s home. She had passed and we were cleaning it out. I have no idea how long this bottle has been open. But it probably wasn’t in her place and open beyond 10 years or so. It was thin and overly spirity. Not a good whisky. Something was clearly off, and so it scored the lowest of the night. I easily guessed this one correctly. When you find a half drunk bottle of JW Red in a deceased person’s house . . . proceed with caution. The only good thing I can say about it is that it was there for me after a dirty few days of moving old rat-infested boxes and furniture. But blind tonight? = 69

  • Famous Grouse Smoky Black 40% - I just bought a 1.75L bottle for half price yesterday. I was really curious to see if I needed to run back to the store and buy more. It was really harsh and spirity. Only a whisper of peat and virtually no sherry. A huge disappointment. I won’t be buying more. I totally missed my guess about this one. Now I have a huge bottle for blending. Oh well. = 74

  • Johnnie Walker 12yo Black 40% - I bought this bottle almost a year ago. I have had some really good bottles of JW Black. Sadly, this was not one. But it was clearly better than the JW Red. I also managed to correctly guess this one. = 77

  • Islay Mist 40% - I picked up this bottle the last time I visited with @Victor, @Nozinan, and @paddockjudge. I actually purchased this bottle . . . dumped the contents into a bottle of Pappy 15yo that we finished off at @Victor’s sister’s house . . . and @Padockjudged used my old Islay Mist bottle for smuggling purposes. I have had better batches of this blend. This particular batch hasn’t jived with me. I totally missed my guess on this one. I really got very little peat and only a whisper of smoke. Another disappointment. = 78

  • Grant’s Family Reserve 40% - this is my classic go to blend for all purposes. It is my classic benchmark for many things. My average score is typically between 80-85. You can read my old review from 2013 here: connosr.com/grants-family-reserve-whisky-r… Tonight? I wonder if I am just off tonight? = 79

  • Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition 50% - I bought a bottle of this about 2 years ago and I really didn’t take to it. The last time I tasted I found it thin and floral. Tonight? It was very malty on the nose, but it exploded with peat on the palate and finish. It was clearly the peatiest of the night. I guessed it was Islay Mist. I was floored it was the Cutty Sark. It has been open for several years. Tonight, I really liked it. = 85

  • The Dimple Pinch 15yo 43% - I found this 200mL sealed bottle in that aunt’s house clean out. I was super excited about it. I really have no idea how old it is, but it is clearly from a while ago. It was found at the back a cubbord dusty and forgotten. My guess is that it was bottled in the 1990’s. The bottle says it was imported by Schenley Imports Co. who don’t appear to import anymore. What I can tell you is that this whisky was a revelation. It totally had fruity notes that reminded me of Amrut Intermediate Sherry (but obviously less intense). It was my clear favorite of the night. I totally missed my guess on this. I was really hoping it was the Famous Grouse Smoky Black. I was going to go back and by several more bottles. I figured the old Dimple Pinch would have gone flat. Nope. Totally vibrant and amazing for a blend. Sad I only have about 185mL left. = 89 (almost a 90)

So that was all last night (15mL pours of all seven blends). Tonight I am going with far less quantity but far greater quality. I was thinking I should try some bourbons since I haven’t really touched an American whiskey in almost two months. But, I clearly am still not in the mood!

Instead, I went for Springbank 10yo. This bottle has been open for over a year and really gotten good since it got below the half way mark. While I didn’t like it when it was first open I am totally digging it now. I have been sipping on that as I wrote up this huge post. And now I have moved on to Springbank 12yo CS 56.2% (batch 17). I love it! I have totally been into Springbank and Bruichladdich for the past few months.

4 years ago 7Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

@Nock I well remember the days when neither you nor I were much impressed by Spriingbank. It is always a wonderful thing to find more things that one can enjoy in life. I bought my first couple of Springbanks in the last 18 months. (I'm not counting that 2013 purchase of Hazelburn.) I wanted to pick up a bottle of Springbank 12 CS on my recent Amrut shopping trip, but the store was out of stock. 12 CS is hard to find in this neck of the woods.

Bad luck to drink whisky from the deceased? What a hoot! A Haitian friend once told us that the Haitians consider it to be bad luck to be farted on by a dead person. The unembalmed deceased naturally generate and pass some alimentary canal gas from time to time. Stay away from that gas!

Famous Grouse has disappointed me more than once. More than twice. Two "meh" gifted bottles I received years apart. When I sampled some delicious 12 yo Famous Grouse the bottle I then bought of it tasted nowhere near as good.

Johnnie Walker Red Label--- I sample it every chance I get. Why? I am fascinated by how much it varies batch to batch. Some bottles are quite good, but it is a terrible bet to buy a bottle, because there are lots of bad batches. My first and only self bought bottle of JW Red, a 375 ml bottle, 30 years ago, was so terrible I would drink from my bottle of Lambertus 10 yo Single Grain any day in preference.

@Nock I look at these bottles of blended Scotch I have open, maybe ten of them, and wonder, "When am I EVER going to get around to drinking these?"

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@Victor especially when one has an abundance of premium whisky, more than one can consume in a lifetime.

Why would I waste an opportunity on a mediocre blend (I am not including GOOD blends which I CAN enjoy) when I can have something I will enjoy more?

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

@Nozinan yes, among the Greatest Hits continuously available in a well stocked cabinet for drinking the difficulty of making a choice which excludes the others can be almost paralyzing. If you own only a couple of bottles the choices should be easy. If you own only a couple of outstanding bottles the choices should be easy. If you know or like only a narrow range of flavours and products the choices should be easy. For the person with broad taste and a first rate collection the only good way to make the choice is to do a deep read on one's own psyche at the moment of the choice for the best fit(s) available. And that is strictly according to the criterion of one's enjoyment at the moment. Drinking for education and expansion of experience is always there also to compete for the attention and the self-permitted quota of alcohol consumption. It is a shame that alcohol is a toxic substance. If it were not then I would be drinking 10-20 drinks per day.

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt

@Victor, me too! If whisky were alcohol-free, I'd be drinking it constantly, like a man dying in the Sahara.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

My penultimate dram of Booker's. I've enjoyed this but I can't say it's one I reach for often as it's so powerful but doesn't take water that well. One I have to be in the mood for.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

Liked by:

@Nozinan@NamBeist@fiddich1980@Timp@RianC + 61 others

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