WE’RE BACK

We Purchased quite a few samples from Master of Malt! Rick and I will be doing some tasting and blogging again real soon. Here what you have to look forward to:

1. Master of Malt 60 Year Old Speyside
2. Master of Malt 50 Year Old Speyside (4th Edition)
3. Smokehead 18 Year Old Extra Black
4. Lagavulin 16 Year Old
5. Tobermory Heavily Peated 16 Year Old 1998 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
6. Caol Ila 12 Year Old
7. Ardmore 10 Year Old 2006 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
8. Lagavulin 8 Year Old – 200th Anniversary Edition
9. Bunnahabhain Heavily Peated 7 Year Old 2006 (cask 800092) (Berry Bros & Rudd)
10. Laphroaig Quarter Cask
11. BenRiach Birnie Moss Intensely Peated
12. Bunnahabhain Cruach Mhòna
13. Islay Storm
14. The Ileach Cask Strength

 

THE WHISKEY EXTRAVAGANZA

As I am sure most of my returning readers are aware. I went to a gala event on May 1^st in Dallas hosted by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, it is called The Whisky Extravaganza. What an awesome experience. As a surprise, I took my Father-in-Law. We had a blast.

I found out about it trolling the internet looking for whisky shows. At the time I didn’t know if such a thing existed. Well, it does and there are quite a few. I chose this one based on proximity and date. As well as the fact that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to me. I purchased the tickets and made my hotel reservations February 19^th. That’s when the waiting and dreaming began. I’d sit around daydreaming and searching for photos from the events trying to get an idea of what I’d be walking in to. I started to worry that my daydreaming would lead to a letdown. I’m happy to say that I was wrong.

On April 21^st I received an email to get into a Masers Class presented by Dewar’s. They would be providing samples of Dewar’s 18, Aberfeldy 21, and Craigellachie 23. The only catch, I had to be one of the first 70 people to respond to the e-mail. I responded within 4 minutes. I was on pins and needles waiting to find out if Rick and I were going to be able to attend. I had to wait a full day, but we got in. This was a unique experience for us. Gabriel Cardarella, Dewar’s Brand Ambassador, was extremely knowledgeable, and quite the comedian. He started with a very lively history of Dewar’s and then led us through the tasting and gave us background on each glass. Leading our senses, and pointing out certain eccentricities. I really enjoyed the Aberfeldy 21 followed by the Dewar’s 18 and lastly the Craigellachie 23.

The extravaganza was right after the tasting. On a quick side note, if you get to the hotel early it is NOT a good idea to go and see if you can see them setting up. It leads to a very dismal two hours of eagerness that in turn leads to watching Maury Povich to kill the time. Really, I don’t recommend it. I was an idiot, and forgot to take pictures. The one above is from the website, the guy in the picture is Ricky. He is another very funny guy, that I had the fortune of meeting. Alright I suppose I better get on to the experience.

The Extravaganza was great, it surpassed my expectations. It also taught me a lot. I suspected going in that I wouldn’t care for the heavy peat. I was right. I was also right in thinking that Rick would love it. I did enjoy the mildly peated Arran. The amount of whiskey available was unbelievable. There were roughly 200 plus different bottle to choose from. It wasn’t just Scotch. There was also Bourbon, Single Malts from Asia, American Whiskey, Rum, and a few others for color. I tried the peat a little too early and had to stop and eat to refresh my palette.  I skipped the peat after that and tried everything else. I won’t go into a blow by blow. I couldn’t have gotten through them all if I had tried to do a review on each of them. I did however find my palette and found some good names to purchase later. Sorry, not going to give any clues.

By 9pm we were pretty well hammered. Leaning on one another we were able to make it to the room. We performed the time honored tradition of the drunk dial. Sorry honey! The best part about drinking really good Whisk(e)y…No hangover! We are also planning our next event and can’t wait to do it again. These guys really know how to put on an amazing show. I have links to both the Scotch Malt Society’s website and the whiskey extravaganza in the first paragraph. If you see them coming to your area you need to go. It is well worth the money.

I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Review suggestions are welcome.

Until Next Time,

Slàinte Mhath!

 

Julep Cocktail Club in Kansas City

Julep Cocktail Club in Kansas City.

 

REVIEW: Glenfiddich 18-year-old

Color: Burnished Copper

Nose: Oak, Dried Fruits, Smoke, Citrus, Honey, Cinnamon and Spice

Taste: Sweet Sherried Oak, Honey, Orange peel, Apples, Raisins, Black Pepper, Tobacco, Sweet Caramel and Vanilla

Finish: Long smooth finish, Raisins, Dried Fruit, and Spice, perfectly balanced with a slight burn

Score: Rick- 9.25/10.0

            Sam- 8.5/10.0

            Overall – 8.875/10.0

This is now one of Rick and I’s favorite Scotches. I know I have said that before, when talking about the Glenfiddich 15, so let me clarify. This is my favorite 18-year-old scotch to date. On to the review.

We cracked The bottle Saturday night. The moment we popped the cork, the nose was there. This was the first time I have opened a bottle and could smell the contents before I even poured the first glass. Rick was actually very scared based on the smell. He had been burned before by an outstanding smelling drink so he was leery to say the least. The nose in the glass was sweet dried fruits, oak, cinnamon and spice. It is a very balanced and harmonious nose that really fills your nose. I really enjoyed it, savoring each smell trying to pull out the individual scents.

I like to take small sips, swirl them and then swallow when tasting. This bottle epitomizes balance. The smell and the taste are almost identical. It starts out sweet and morphs into oak with oranges, apples, raisins, black pepper and tobacco all equally represented. I sometimes gargle to see what differences I can get, with this I was surprised by strong pepper, and citrus.

The finish was long, smooth, and sweet with a perfect burn. It warms from the tips of the ears to the bottom of the stomach. I really enjoyed this expression. It really is perfectly balanced. It a complete mouth experience. I was surprised by the way the oak bites the tip of the tongue, and then caresses it on the way down.

I was really impressed with this and would definitely buy again. Have anything you’d like to add? Hit me up in the comment section below. I’d love to hear what your first experience was.

Until Next Time,

Slàinte Mhath!