New territory in familiar grounds!

I live near Windsor Ontario. Being a whisky enthusiast I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I have never visited our local distillery. Hiram Walker's & Son's has been part of this city since well before I was born. I spend many years driving past the acres or warehouses outside the city and even the distillery inside the city on my daily drive to work. I even lived within a few blocks of the distillery for a short time. The distillery is currently owned by Penrod Ricard and produces Wiser's brand of whiskies (www.jpwisers.com).

As it happens the master blender at the distillery heard about our scotch group and invited us to a tasting at the distillery. We saw though this thinly veiled attempt to convert us over to Canadian whisky but decided to go anyway. I was just happy that I did not drive!

Master blender Don Livermore taught us much about whisky. His history of Canadian whisky was enlightening and entertaining as we worked our way through the samples he provided.

Here is what I took away from the evening...

The lower end whiskies were everything I have come to expect from Canadian whisky which is why when I think of Canadian whisky a can of Coke is not far from my thoughts as well. I thought it might be rude to head to the vending machine at this point. I managed to force them down.

Wiser's Legacy was probably my favourite whisky of the night. Eminently drinkable. I enjoyed this neat but a drop or two of water did not hurt. It actually changed the flavour quite noticeably. Either way I may have to go out and pick myself up a bottle. Toasted grains and caramel notes with citrus zest. It was lightly sweet without taking away from the smooth burn. Very nice!

My second favourite of the night (in a very close race) was the Pike Creek. A very robust whisky with pepper and toffee notes. Did I say this was second? Now that I think about it maybe it was first... Damn I'm gonna have to get me a bottle of this as well to add to the collection.

Wiser's 18 year old was also very nice with a bit more spiciness. Perhaps a bit of pine and apple? Good but not quite as enjoyable as the Legacy or the Pike Creek in my opinion.

Also good was Wiser's Small Batch. Well rounded and smooth. Rich and a bit spicy. Would be good over a few cubes of ice.

I am not a fan of spiced whiskies so I will abstain from comment on the Wiser's Spiced. I wonder if we will ever get a peated Canadian whisky???

Overall my opinion of Canadian whisky jumped up a few notches and I enjoyed the experience very much to the point where I will be reaching for my wallet as I head to the LCBO to pick up a bottle or two for further sampling. I even got a nice certificate making me an honorary member of Wiserhood!

Thanks Don, it was a very informative and enlightening evening. 

Next up, I was in the Caribbean last week and picked up a bottle of Laphroaig PX Cask so stay tuned!

August 2014 Tasty Tastings

We had another fine scotch tasting, this time hosted by DB. Thank you very much Dave we appreciate you generous hospitality. As usual there was plenty of fine food to help us absorb the drinks were were about to consume. KB brought this fine platter of grilled veggies and DB grilled up some mean beef tenderloin. 

Below are our tasting glasses. Just simple little glasses with our names on them to keep track and KB does a good job filling them up for us. 

On to the first tipple... As usual we started with a non-peat, non-cask strength whisky. Today we started with the Auchentoshan 12 year old (40% acl/vol). Thumbs up all around and the consensus was that this whisky is a great all occasion whisky that would be a great starter whisky for those who were novices to the world of whisky.  It had a lovely buttery texture with some caramel sweetness. Who in the world would not like that??? This is an older bottle and KB seemed to think that newer versions were not as good. Perhaps that could be a comparison we could do next time!

Next we wanted to compare two different expressions of Aberlour. The Aberlour A'bunadh has always been a favourite and we have had the 10 year old and the 12 year old but for some of us had never had the 16 year old. The 10 year old has a 43% alc/vol and the 16 year old was only 40% alc/vol. The version in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible had the 16 year old at 43%. Odd that they would bottle at different levels. What can you say about Aberlour? They always deliver!!! These two were had only slightly different flavour notes. As the 16 year old was similar in price to the A'bunadh and the 10 year old is almost half the price. I think even though the 16 year old was marginally better the 10 year old delivers more bang for the buck!

  

Ah now to the prestigious Macallan!!!! Surely this Select Oak expression (no age statement) would be everything you expect from a Macallan. Surely it would have all the expressive and impressive flavour notes that you always seem to get from Macallan. And surely this would be another excellent whisky that the Highlanders would be proud of. Sigh.... what a let down. Ok it was not "bad" but with such high expectations surrounding the name Macallan the general consensus around the room was "meh, it's ok". BM was the only one who said "That's good" but he's a novice to the world of whisky. He said that about almost all of the samplings. I guess it's all about expectations.

I had forgotten we tried this last time and what can I say? We love Ben Riach. Personally I prefer their peated expressions but even the unpeated provides enough character that even of George R.R. Martin got a hold of a few there would still be enough left to please even the most discerning whisky drinker.

What would a night of tasting be if all the whiskies were great whiskies? This is where the Fettercairn fits in. Maybe it was better when it was Old Fettercairn before Whyte and Mackay took over the distillery???? It's good to have something to compare. I can't say it was bad, it just did not taste like anything. Has about as much to say as a political speech. Lots of talk but no substance.

When people talk about how fabulous Macallan whiskies are, THIS is the kind of Macallan they were talking about!!!!  No age statement, 58.6% alc/vol. This whisky is a monster!!! Opens up with a nose something reminiscent of bananas foster with the flame still going as it hits your tongue. The honey sweetness stays with you long after it's gone.

On to the peat!!! Talisker Dark Storm. Appropriately named because so many flavours are thrashing around in your mouth. The non-peat drinkers were not impressed and it caught our novice off guard. I thought it has a slightly briny, charred citrus nose with a bit of chilli heat. Not quite as much peat as I expected but still plenty to satisfy the peat lovers.

The award for the most interesting whisky of the night surely goes to this Murray McDavid version of Bunnahabhain. It got some mixed reactions from very good to very bad. Some thought it had nose and taste of charcoal briquettes soaked in lighter fluid and not the good smell after you light it, the bad smell before you light it! There was a distinct charred flavour notes but beyond that there was more lurking beneath all that smoke. A bit like slightly burnt chocolate chip cookies.

How can you go wrong with a 12 year old cask strength Lagavulin??? Even those who are not fans of peat loved this well peated whisky. Earthy straw with green apples. I can almost smell the seaweed splashing up against the rocks somewhere on the west cost of Scotland.

I love Ardbeg. Every Ardbeg I have had I absolutely loved. The Ardbeg Supernova is no exception. At 60.1% Alc/vol it is a big big whisky. Cigars and new leather on the nose, and a full peppery peaty body with a long long long spicy finish with a hint of coffee bitterness.

La pièce de résistance!!! BenRiach 18 year old cask strength, 56.7 alc/vol. Of all the whiskies of the night this was my absolute favourite. It has a sweet peatiness. Soft fruit and spice with plenty of smoke that seems to linger forever like a really good cigar. 

Now tell me about the tipple that you sampled recently!

Until next time! 

Slàinte 

"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough" 
                                                                                                                       -  Mark Twain

June 2014 Whisky tasting

Well this post might be a bit tardy but there is a new tasting coming up so I thought I should get this done before then. These are the whiskies we tried at our June 2014 tasting event.

These are the bottles people brought for us to choose our tastings from. I must say these gentlemen do have good taste!!!

We started with the Balvenie Caribbean Cask, 14 Year old, 43% alc/vol

Most of us liked this one it had spicy and fruity notes. MP was not a fan. KB said that he was not usually a fan of Balvenie but likes this one finding it a bit fuller than their other expressions. 

Next up was the Highland Park Herald. There was no age statement and was 43% alc/vol

The Highland Park Herald got thumbs up all around. Consensus was that it had a dry flowery bitterness . BP thought it had some sherry notes but the rest of us couldn't find it. We guessed it was aged in virgin oak. Very pleasant and drinkable despite a lack of strongly pronounced flavour notes. Very sexy without being obvious. 

Glenmorangie Portwood Finish, no age statement, 43% alc/vol.

We found this to have dark chocolate and orange notes. It had a rich full body. Thumbs up all around.

BenRiach 12 year old Sherry Wood, 46% alc/vol.

We found this to have a very pronounced sherry essence which seemed to give make it reminiscent of a Canadian Whiskey. DB said "I could drink this all night."

Number five for the night was the Port Charlotte An Turas Mor, no age statement, 46% alc/vol.

Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the bottle. We found this to be great up front but dies in the end to a very mediocre finish. KB described it as "astringent". DB compared it to faecal matter but his opinion should be taken with a grain of salt since after all he does prefer Canadian Whiskies. 

A new one to me was the Bunnahabhain Darach Ur Batch #9, no age statement, 46.3% alc/vol.

This got mixed reviews. Some of us peat lovers were disappointed that there was not discernible peat flavour. A pleasantly briny whisky with a clean oak flavour and fresh green grass.

We all love Macallan so we were excited to try the Macallan Sienna, no age statement, 43% alc/vol.

Very intense flavour up front. Some of us thought it was the best whisky of the night. A bit premature if you ask me as we had not even brought any peat to the table yet! All reviews were positive and just confirms our belief that there are no bad Macallans. 

Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 21, no age statement, 59.5% alc/vol.

The a'bunadh has always been a group favourite. Hot and spicy up front. KB shared that this was his first whisky and it seduced him. Had a bit of a burnt caramel flavour reminiscent of a Skor Bar. 

"The old standby that's still standing by!" - Baker Sr.

Here comes the peat!!!! BenRiach Birnie Moss Intensely Peated, no age statement, 48% alc/vol.

"Distillers seem to be depending on the process rather than the age to sell a whisky." - KB

He could be right as most of the whiskies we tried this time around had no age statements indicating that they were probably closer to 8 years old which I understand to be the minimum for scotch whisky. And of course considering the old adage of time being money aging a whisky is costly.

Not that this was a complaint because this particular whisky had thumbs up all around with particular enthusiasm coming from the peat lovers among us. 

 Last among our official whiskies was the Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Heavily Peated

No age statement, 50% alc/vol.

 Of course this was only liked by the peat lovers in the group. The rest snubbed their collective noses at this wonderful whisky.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the wonderful leg of lamb that JP cooked up for us with all the fixings. It was delectable. Thanks JP!

Look for another posting coming soon. I will try to be a bit more prompt with the next blog post.

Until next time,

Sláinte!!!

We All Remember Our First Time

Yes, we all remember our first time. One of the guys in our little group was inspired to write about his first experience.

I'll never forget the first time we met. She was tall and slender. I was taken aback that she was sitting by herself in the center of the table. I didn't want to label her, but what could I do, a label was all she was wearing. Her colouring caught my eye. She was neither a brassy red, a bleached blonde, nor a faded brunette, rather she was a soft amber. My hands shook as I reached out and gently touched her. She felt cool, but I was soon to discover that she had an inner fire. Sensing that she wanted me to get a better read on her, I held her closer. She was definitely not an open book, but she did wear her identity on her sleeve. It was clear to me that she was quite mature and I could see that she was about 45 (abv). Resting now quite comfortably in my hands, it was clear that she wanted me to proceed even further. Holding her firmly, I removed the only remaining barrier to getting to know her better. In my hands she flowed softly. I raised her to my face and my olfactory senses tingled like never before. It was a feeling both compelling and repelling at once. Nonetheless I had made up my mind to throw caution to the wind and indulge myself in her offering. Holding her to my lips, I took my first taste. WTF!!!, I cried and immediately recoiled!!! She was not what I had expected at all. In fact, she was downright nasty. I quickly turned away, my face reflecting a mixture of disappointment and revulsion. Like a disappointed lover, I wanted nothing more of what she had to offer. It felt all wrong, oh so wrong and I was sure it would never work between us. I wanted to run, but I needed to remain calm and not show what I was feeling. I turned away from her and my eyes returned to the place where I had first noticed her. Immediately I realized that my attention had been so focused on her that I had failed to notice that she had not come alone. Sitting in the same place, my eyes caught sight of another who had now taken her place. Despite my reluctance to experience a similar fate, I was unable to avert my gaze. Mustering up every ounce of courage that I could, I approached her as I had the first. As I began to get to know her better, I could see that she had an exotic air of smokiness that the other had lacked. I was immediately drawn to her and I resolved not to give up on my search for the right one. Surely she would be more to my liking...   JP

Ahhh, C'est l'amour! 

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

I previously made mention of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. If you care to get a copy, and you should if you love whisky, you can visit his website...

http://www.whiskybible.com/

I am sure that you can also find it at your local book store or wherever you buy books. The cover says  "Over 4,500 whiskies tasted, evaluated and rated". I would have to say he has the best job in the world.

Cheers!

February 2014 Tasting

These are the whiskies we had at our February 2014 scotch tasting. I meant to take notes or everyone's thoughts and opinions however I was too busy cooking. As there is no such thing as a bad single malt scotch they were all varying degrees of good. I suppose one of the most entertaining aspects of our scotch tasting is reading from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. If you love scotch you need a copy of this book. Most of the time he's on the money as far as his tasting notes go but the descriptions are priceless. 

So our first whisky was not even a scotch. It is a locally made and award winning Canadian whisky. 

I had to post this picture of the seal on the Macallan's bottle as we had not seen this before.

We paused to say goodbye to this good friend Ledaig. We finished the last drop. Alas we knew thee well.

We always loved the Aberlour 12 year old and the Aberlour A'bunadh so we were very excited to try this 16 year old. It did NOT disappoint.

Jim Murray rated this Arran Malt with the Amarone Cask Finish very high and considering the price we were pleasantly surprised but still surprised that Murray rated it so well.

We have had this Bruichladdich before and it's a hard one to beat.

For many of us this Lagavulin cask was the highlight of the evening.

This whisky, considering the cost (over $300) and age was disappointing. It lacked body and had almost no finish. There is a school of thought that says if you age a whisky too long you smooth the goodness and flavour right out of it. Perhaps this 32 year old Mosstowie should have been bottled 10

All in all we had a good night as usual, good food, good friends and plenty of good whisky.
Till next time!

Sláinte