Skype Tasting #2

Tasting #2

A little while ago fellow whisky tweeter @WhiskyRepublic and I 

swapped five different whiskies from our shelves with each other and held a tasting session using Skype. 

We managed to run through five drams on our first meeting, so scheduled a second session last week to finish of the remaining five whiskies.

The five drams received from @WhiskyRepublic

With three peated whiskies left, alongside two Speysiders, and three of the five were also at cask strength, some careful planning was needed to get the balance right and make this session as enjoyable as the first one.

We started off with two from my shelf, The Balvenie 21 PortWood which although a rich Port finished Speysider it is bottled at 40% abv and the honeyed sweetness that is synonymous with the Balvenie range could be enjoyed and savoured without any other influences from either cask strength alcohol or heavily peated whiskies. The PortWood is one of my favourites from Balvenie.

We followed The Balvenie with an 18 Year Old Glenfarclas from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  SMWS 1.162 is bottled at 58.8% abv, and was from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead and was one of 234 bottles. It seemed to follow The Balvenie perfectly.

The drams I sent to @WhiskyRepublic in front of their parents

With three peated whiskies left, two at cask strength, the Irish Connemara Peated Whiskey was next and what a surprising nose this had! This was my first experience of Connemara, and I have smelt a little rubber in whiskies previously, but nothing compared to what hit me here. It was unbelievable! It reminded us of changing tyres and we were both laughing that we were drinking whisky that smelt like rubber! The phrase 'caramelised inner tube' was coined to describe the nose we were 'enjoying' during this tasting.

We followed the Connemara with a Heavily Peated 13 Year Old Bunnahabhain from Signatory's Cask Strength Collection. This is a smashing drop of whisky that I've been nursing for a year now!

The final dram of the evening was the one I had been really looking forward to since receiving the sample; Ardbeg Uigeadail. Another heavily peated whisky, but a total contrast to the Bunnahabhain. Both Islay single malts, both cask strength, but the Bunnahabhain had been matured in two ex-bourbon hogsheads and the Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced 'oog-a-dal) is a vatting that marries traditional smokey Ardbeg with spirit matured in old ex-sherry casks.

Another very successful and hugely entertaining Skype tasting. Overall, five new whiskies were introduced to each of us, and we had two great evenings from the comfort of our own computers! There's not much of a whisky scene in the Bedford area yet, but I'm looking to start something in the near future. If you are interested in either a whisky club in the Bedford area or Skype tasting, please contact me and check out my shelf for Skype sample swaps - it is always changing as I drink from it almost daily, and add at least one bottle to it every month!

Whisky Discovery #103

SMWS 1.162 18 Year Old (58.8% abv, Single Cask)
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
Club bottling, not for general sale

SMWS 1.162 18 Year Old Speyside

'Perfumed and mouth-watering, eventually'

The intensely inviting nose was slightly chimerical, combining vanilla ice-cream, apple crumble, custard, chocolate, honey and toffee with sweet tobacco, leather, hay, rosewater, glossy mags, forest floors and polished wood; perfumed fruits emerged eventually.

Water made it much more consistent and approachable; millionaire shortbread, pecan toffee and rhubarb crumble faced up to geraniums, ginger and fresh laundry.

The palate delivered an explosion of oak and spice (clove, cinnamon, pencil shavings, gingerbread) but later, green apple, grassy notes and Cadbury’s Whole Nut, turned it much more mouth-watering. It changed little with water, becoming milder.

From the ‘valley of green grass’

A hip flask dram for the hills or at an autumn barbecue, Well that's what the label said! 

So what did I think?

This was a 'Brucie bonus' bottle that I was kindly given at the very end of the recent Whisky Lounge London Fest. I think I'm almost obliged to join the club now.......we'll see!

I spent an age trying to get something out of the nose when neat, I couldn't get any of what was written on the label. I wasn't too sure of the meaning of 'chimerical' and had to look it up, then I got it!

It needed a while in the glass to tease the nose out, initially dusty citrus notes and eventually the perfumed nose, as it says on the labels. With water it was more scented and some vanilla notes started to come through, but the sharp citrus was still there, and then I got some green mango.

I tried drinking this neat, but after a couple of drams was starting to feel the anaesthetising effect at the back of my mouth! It definitely needs some water to tame it which immediately brings on the creamy mouth feel, with rich oak and sweet vanilla. The finish is long and peppery.

This whisky was distilled at the Glenfarclas Distillery on the 23rd September 1993 and laid down to sleep in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. (a hogshead is circa 225 litres) Yielding just 234 bottles when bottled in January 2012 and was one of the SMWS January releases, and checking the SMWS website there are no more available.

Whisky Discovery #78

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old (43% abv)
Speyside Single Malt
Circa £98.00 70cl

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old

The final dram at the Glenfarclas stand and for our fourth of the afternoon we were presented with the 25 Year Old.

A rich full bodied whisky. Again the tasting notes are from their website:

Colour: Amber with dark gold highlights.

Nose: Complex, yet refined, delicately peated, with fresh tempting aromas of marmalade, honey, freshly ground coffee, sherry and nuts. Some oaky tannins.

Flavour: Full-bodied and robust, the sherry and the oak fight for your attention yet neither is overpowering. A powerful nutty smokiness.

Finish: Intense, long lasting, dry smoky and malty. A beautiful dark Belgium chocolate taste at the back of your mouth to complete the flavour of the 25 Years Old.

Comment: A great after-dinner whisky so rich and full that it is a dessert in itself, with a finish that goes on forever.

Whilst it certainly didn't disappoint, I much preferred the 15 Year Old, and went back for a second taste afterwards.

Whisky Discovery #77

Glenfarclas 15 Year Old (46% abv)
Speyside Single Malt
Circa £40.00 70cl

Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

The second of the three Glenfarclas's we sampled at The Whisky Lounge London Fest. and our third dram of the afternoon.

Glenfarclas is renowned for producing Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky in the traditional Speyside style, with a heavy Sherry influence

Since 1865 Glenfarclas has been owned and managed by just one family, the Grants of Glenfarclas.

On the 8th of June 1865 John Grant acquired the tenancy for the Rechlerich Farm and as part of the transaction purchased the Glenfarclas Distillery for £511.19S.0d.

To this day Glenfarclas is one of only a few distilleries in Scotland to remain family owned and managed. Now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generation of the family, the Grants remain committed to the vision of creating the best quality Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, in the traditional Speyside style.

Tasting Notes by George S Grant, Brand Ambassador and Sixth Generation from their website:

Colour: A rich golden amber.

Nose: Complex, sherried, deliciously peated, light butterscotch aromas, with a hint of dried fruit.

Flavour: Full bodied with super balance of sherried sweetness, malty tones and peaty flavours.

Finish: Long lasting, gloriously sherried, sweet, gently smoky, and distinguished.

Comment: With greater complexity than our younger whiskies, this is a great whisky drinker’s whisky. We bottle this at 46% simply because my grandfather preferred it at this strength. It’s still a family favourite. In his 2007 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray gave Glenfarclas 15 Years Old a score of 95/100, one of the highest scores he has awarded.

This was my favourite of the three we sampled on the Glenfarclas stand, and one I will be adding to my wish list.

Whisky Discovery #76

Glenfarclas 10 Year Old (40% abv)
Speyside Single Malt
Circa £29.00 70cl

Glenfarclas 10 Year Old

This was our second Dram at The Whisky Lounge London Fest, and the first of the three cracking Glenfarclas drams.

I've never tried a Glenfarclas before and know little about the whisky or the distillery, but have had a couple of expressions on my list through previous recommendations.

I've found out that Glenfarclas were awarded 'Distiller of the Year' in 2006 by Whisky Magazine for being consistently staying true to it's core values. The distillery relies on six traditional direct fired copper stills and maturation in plain oak or Spanish sherry casks to produce naturally coloured whisky.

From their website:

Colour: Vibrant straw-gold

Nose: Tempting sherry-sweet malty tones combine with delicate smokiness, releasing subtle spices. Warming the glass reveals honey, vanilla and pear drops.

Flavour: Delicately light, with a mouth-watering combination of maltiness, smokiness and sherry sweetness. Hints of dried fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves tempt the taste buds further.

Finish: Long, smooth and spicy, with a delicious, yet delicate, lingering smokiness.

Comment: Gloriously smooth, yet with the depth and finish you would normally only expect of a much older dram. A wonderfully sherried whisky, and an excellent aperitif.

It was a nice introduction to the Glenfarclas family of whiskies. I wrote in my notes that it had a lovely citrus nose to it. It's also at a competative price for a 10 year old Speysider.