Whisky reviews are vast and done by educated connoisseurs or complete fakes. I am a fake, but I aspire to not be a complete fake. I won't be faking the terminology and telling about what type of cask I think the liquid lived in for the past decade. Whisky should be tasted and commented on according to a standard set of categories (with my overly simplified category description):
Color: what does it look like?
Nose: how does it smell?
Palate: how does it taste?
Finish: how is the aftertaste?
Overall: does this need a description?
For example of a review by a trained connoisseur, here is a copied review from last week on the Edinburgh Whisky Blog.
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Mortlach 1993 (11yo)
Bottled by: Murray McDavid
Speyside
Bourbon cask, finished in Graham’s Port casks
1800 bottles, 46% abv
Mortlach means ‘duck massacre’ apparently…
Colour: 1970s brown leather sofa
Nose: Apples, berries and peaches. Blackcurrants and nail varnish, lemony and sour. Finally White chocolate and nutmeg.
Palate: Grapey blackcurrants oaky and very clean
Finish: Very short
Overall: Easy drinking, clean and quite sweet. Not as big as other Mortlachs. Expected more on the palate after the nose, but still enjoyable.
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Now close your eyes, slowly breathe in through your nose and think “Apples, berries and peaches. Blackcurrants and nail varnish, lemony and sour….” Then think of “Grapey blackcurrants oaky and very clean” as a flavor. To be honest, that’s not so helpful to me. I don’t know what blackcurrants smell and taste like. I’m not going to review whisky like this; that would be like me trying to dance: AWKWARD!
I’ve had a few whiskies in my day and I like the idea of looking at these categories. These are the things you would tell a friend about a whisky. I think I will be more down to earth. Suppose I just got the well whisky at Mueller’s in Atchison, Kansas. Fictional Whisky Review:
Mueller’s Well Whisky 4yr:
Color: light and cloudy
Nose: strong and unsettling: smells like it is going to hurt
Palate: intense alcohol flavor, like it should have waited 8 more years before bottling
Finish: serious kick causing one eye to shut and a bit of chills and shakes
Overall: an unfortunate purchase, stay away. This should only be used for mixing and only with the intent of inebriating college aged people.
See, that review makes sense. We can relate to that. I didn’t have to say anything about blackcurrants or peaches. If you really want to read reviews like that, I suggest the aforementioned Edinburgh Whisky Blog. For the most part, I can’t afford the whisky they review.
I did find that not so far from the Heatherlea is a bar they recommended, Leslies. The whisky list is here. I would like my loyal followers to suggest which whiskies I should taste. Make a few selections and put them in the comments if you’re interested. Make more than one in case they are out, but list them in order. Some whisky tasting will begin in the near future.
Quick Updates:
- I finally responded to some questions posed over the past few posts. Sorry, I've been busy.
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Pauly here with some reco's:
ReplyDeleteYou can't go wrong with the Macallan - the single-malt by which all others should be judged, in my opinion.
The Oban (highland) is AWESOME.
At some point drink Laphroaig (islay), but I think it's like drinking a surgical glove.
It's not on the list, but Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban is also kickass.
Once you've got a feel for Scotch, try Jameson or Bushmill's and see if you like the smoother Irish whiskies (triple-distilled, barley dried with smokeless anthracite coal. Scotch is twice-distilled with smoky fires adding more flavor. Bourbon is distilled once, which is why it makes you blind)
Enjoy!
Pauly, thanks for the reco's. I have had a reasonable amount of Scotch whisky, but mostly the standard single malts: Glen Levit, Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Lagavulin come to mind. The reviewing is what's especially new.
ReplyDeleteI will certainly give your recommendations a try. I'm intersted in comparing the surgical glove of Laphroaig to the nuclear bacon bomb of Lagavulin. I'll give your reco's a try in order.
Interesting about the third distilling of the Irish whiskies. It has been more than a decade since I had Jameson. We'll have to see if that is legally sold in Edinburgh.
Well, here goes my list. Keep in mind when I say my list it means the list that I am so jealous because you will get to drink these.
ReplyDeleteOBAN 14 YO - you just can not go wrong with Oban.
Balvenie 10,12 or 15yo - When I think of refined, beautiful whisky, I think of Balvenie.
Highland Park - wonderful. A must try.
Talisker - Getting harder and harder to find here.
Scapa - I beleive this is the northernmost Scottish distillery.
Longrow - I have never had this and want to try it badly as the distillary just came out of mothballs.
Springbank cask strength - I love ALL cask strength (usually 50-56%) as I think it gives a true representation of the wisky and springbank is a great great one. I beleive they also Malt their own barley.
Littlemill - I would be interested to try this b/c of the history (possible oldest)
Glenfarclas Cask strength - sounds like a flavor bomb!
**Special catagory**
I put all Islay Malts in their own catagory b/c I think they represent what Scotland and wisky is all about.
Lagavulin - The grandaddy.
Caol Ila - My FAVORITE distillary hands down. I wish they were more available in the US.
Bowmore Darkest - Can not find in the US (at least not in St. Louis). I would buy bottles of this stuff.
Ardbeg - I beleive you had some of this with me. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.
This list should last you a few days...
Now that would be an interesting few days; At two per week, we're good through Spring. What a fun list. At this very moment I am trying to talk myself out of walking over to Leslie's Bar to go after the Oban you have both chosen. I'm not sure if I can hold myself back.... it's only £2.40. (each)
ReplyDelete