Look, it's just plain hard to keep up with this blog. Now, instead of the having the problem where I'm not sure what to write about, I simply can't find the time to write about what I've been doing. I last posted about day two of a trip I took about a month ago. I interjected a breif note while in an airport on the way to another trip. Here I sit, thinking about my (potentially nonexistent) blog followers on day three of yet another Highland trip. This time, we are in the western Highlands. I'll have to catch up quickly on the other trips because next week the whole family is off to Greece for a week. The thing is, with all these kids, and all these trips, I'm trying to squeeze a lot of work in to a little time when I'm back in Edinburgh. I promise to get Days 3 and 4 of Highland Trip 1 (Speyside), possible in abridged form, out this week. Then, in Greece, maybe I can write one about Denmark and then one or two about the Western Highlands.
As a teaser, we went to Oban on day one and I toured the distillery. On day two we went to Loch Ness. On day three we went to Skye and I toured the distillery. Tomorrow, we'll head home, but probably take a short boat trip first.
Saturday 11 September 2010
Monday 6 September 2010
A Tour of Speyside
So this week got away from me. I didn’t follow my own prescription of writing something. Here are some notes I typed up after drinking five whiskies with the proprietor of the Glen Livet cottage that we stayed in. He used to work in a whisky store in Dufftown after a full length career as a Royal Air Force Officer. We tried five malts. You can imagine that since I made the notes after five malts, they’re pretty bad.
Interesting thing he taught me: recall that I decided that color was a stupid category. It turns out that the trained whisky eye can evaluate the length of time a whisky was in a certain kind of cask by the color. Obviously, older is usually darker, but sherry casks make for darker whiskies than Bourbon casks and such. Anyway, still too much for me. I think if I learn that much about whisky as to be able to spot what wood they aged in, I will likely be single again.
These five whiskies made up my tour of Speyside.
Tamdhu, no age statement. (This was mothballed in 2010.)
Nose: smells pleasant, not too complicated, not too dull, but nothing effectively interesting. It is a nice to smell single malt.
Palette: intriguing and gentle, just a little bit of whiskey warmth and the right amount of flavor. Again, it isn't spectacular with ideas leaping out at me, but it tastes very nice and I wouldn't begrudge having another!
Finish: smooth, easy, light.
Overall: I guess the point of this whiskey is to reduce production cost (8 yrs) to make a nice whisky which can be sold for a bit less. If so, congrats to them. (It is certainly worth every penny I spent on it.)
Benromach Origins , first bottling 10yr (This is brand new, can’t yet put out a 12YO.)
Steve says this is a Speyside who went old school and tried for a smoky flavor, with 4 parts per million of peat, compared to 0 ppm for regular Speysides and 80 ppm for Islay. Also, the peat is local just like the peat on the Islay whiskies. Local to the Islay whiskies is sea air which gives them their sea-salty/medicinal overtones. This peat was Speyside peat giving off the flavor of the Highlands, flowers and fruits.
Nose: the smoke is present but not overwhelming. You can tell the smoke is there, but it doesn't smell the main point of the whisky. It also smells of cinnamon, and sugar.
Palette: The smoky flavor is much more present on the initial palette, giving me a happy feeling of a formidable smoky whiskey and the comforting feeling of a more gentle drinking malt like the traditional Speysides. The follow on palettes ease the smoke (I guess you're just no longer surprised) and emphasizes the trademark Speyside qualities of fruits and cinnamon.
Finish: Um, I don't remember. I (was) writing this too many whiskies later.
Overall: I like this one and was happy to be drinking a formidable newcomer who is looking for a niche market.
Glenburgie 12yr 50%
Smelled sweet like candy
First taste intense next just great, lovely
A perfect winter whisky
Mortlach 17yr (bottled by the wine society) 57%
It was a deep, deep brown. Smoother than I anticipated but had a metallic finish.
Glenrothes - Select Reserve
Nose: high powered nose, lets you know you'll drinking something enchanting; second nose, able to make nostril burn, but in a good way; it doesn’t smell of alcohol per se; later sweet.
Palette: The first taste is a spicy kicker that’s loads of fun. This is not just warm, but heated as you drink it and unlike some others, it never seems to leave the first drink impressions, always spicy
Finish: the finish is quick, with deep warmth lingering from the spiciness, it still tastes nice long after it's gone
Overall: a unique one in its ability to maintain its intensity. I'd be happy to have a bottle of this one on my shelf as it appears a very versatile friend to have around, light enough for a hot summer evening, but a spicy warmth giving it credibility around a wood burning stove.
So, very little editing (mostly spelling) was done to those notes from that night a few weeks ago. I fell like a wee dram!
Interesting thing he taught me: recall that I decided that color was a stupid category. It turns out that the trained whisky eye can evaluate the length of time a whisky was in a certain kind of cask by the color. Obviously, older is usually darker, but sherry casks make for darker whiskies than Bourbon casks and such. Anyway, still too much for me. I think if I learn that much about whisky as to be able to spot what wood they aged in, I will likely be single again.
These five whiskies made up my tour of Speyside.
Tamdhu, no age statement. (This was mothballed in 2010.)
Nose: smells pleasant, not too complicated, not too dull, but nothing effectively interesting. It is a nice to smell single malt.
Palette: intriguing and gentle, just a little bit of whiskey warmth and the right amount of flavor. Again, it isn't spectacular with ideas leaping out at me, but it tastes very nice and I wouldn't begrudge having another!
Finish: smooth, easy, light.
Overall: I guess the point of this whiskey is to reduce production cost (8 yrs) to make a nice whisky which can be sold for a bit less. If so, congrats to them. (It is certainly worth every penny I spent on it.)
Benromach Origins , first bottling 10yr (This is brand new, can’t yet put out a 12YO.)
Steve says this is a Speyside who went old school and tried for a smoky flavor, with 4 parts per million of peat, compared to 0 ppm for regular Speysides and 80 ppm for Islay. Also, the peat is local just like the peat on the Islay whiskies. Local to the Islay whiskies is sea air which gives them their sea-salty/medicinal overtones. This peat was Speyside peat giving off the flavor of the Highlands, flowers and fruits.
Nose: the smoke is present but not overwhelming. You can tell the smoke is there, but it doesn't smell the main point of the whisky. It also smells of cinnamon, and sugar.
Palette: The smoky flavor is much more present on the initial palette, giving me a happy feeling of a formidable smoky whiskey and the comforting feeling of a more gentle drinking malt like the traditional Speysides. The follow on palettes ease the smoke (I guess you're just no longer surprised) and emphasizes the trademark Speyside qualities of fruits and cinnamon.
Finish: Um, I don't remember. I (was) writing this too many whiskies later.
Overall: I like this one and was happy to be drinking a formidable newcomer who is looking for a niche market.
Glenburgie 12yr 50%
Smelled sweet like candy
First taste intense next just great, lovely
A perfect winter whisky
Mortlach 17yr (bottled by the wine society) 57%
It was a deep, deep brown. Smoother than I anticipated but had a metallic finish.
Glenrothes - Select Reserve
Nose: high powered nose, lets you know you'll drinking something enchanting; second nose, able to make nostril burn, but in a good way; it doesn’t smell of alcohol per se; later sweet.
Palette: The first taste is a spicy kicker that’s loads of fun. This is not just warm, but heated as you drink it and unlike some others, it never seems to leave the first drink impressions, always spicy
Finish: the finish is quick, with deep warmth lingering from the spiciness, it still tastes nice long after it's gone
Overall: a unique one in its ability to maintain its intensity. I'd be happy to have a bottle of this one on my shelf as it appears a very versatile friend to have around, light enough for a hot summer evening, but a spicy warmth giving it credibility around a wood burning stove.
So, very little editing (mostly spelling) was done to those notes from that night a few weeks ago. I fell like a wee dram!
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