Spirit of Islay Single Maltster
Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Posts: 102 Location: Definitely not 55.640489,-6.107687
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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:42 pm Post subject: 3rd March Newcastle SMWS tasting |
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Once again it’s The SMWS Newcastle tasting in the Vermont Hotel , in the company of the “Good Woman” , we sampled 5 whiskies served by Stephen , once again he used the “separate glasses” format , which is fine by me as it gives you the chance to compare them side by side . I’ve also included Mel’s notes this time .....
First up was a Speysider (Spey) 54.24 (Aberlour , 12yo , 56.8% , Dist Sept 1992 , 298 bottles , £40). From a refill Hoggy, a pale gold in colour .
Gordon:-
Nose – Aniseed balls and cherry blossom .
Taste – Very floral and Aniseed (very aniseed……)
Finish – A medium finish
Not a typical Speysider , you keep getting the Speyside floral starting to come through but then the aniseed puts a big boot in ! Believe it or not the tasting panel completely missed the aniseed !!!!
Mel :-
Nose –Very Aniseed bally ! Also Dental Topical anaesthetic (yes she’s a dental nurse ....) .
Taste – Aniseed !
Finish – long and guess what ?
Wow !
Second up was another Speysider , a 30yo Glencraig ( 104.6 , 51.1% , dist June 1974 , 199 bottles £83 ). Done on the Lomond stills at Glenburgie distillery , from a refill barrel it’s a pale straw colour .
Gordon:-
Nose – Marzipan , vanilla and pineapple cubes .
Taste – Spicy and a slight smoke (from where who knows )
Finish – Short and sweet .
Smooth as a babies bum ! A strange one in taste and finish , it’s there then it’s not there (confused ....you will be.....) .
Mel :-
Nose – Liquorice Sticks , very pungent first smell but doesn’t follow through with taste .
Having said that very drinkable, easy on the palate and liver .
The 3rd one was another Speysider (Deveron) 73.16 ( Aultmore , 17yo , 57.7% , dist Sept 1987 , 245 bottles £44 ) . Lemony gold in colour from a refill hoggy .
Gordon:-
Nose – Bags of honey (too much to be honest ) on top of the typical speyside nose .
Taste – Very dry , icing sugar and a touch rubber ?
Finish – Long and very dry .
Hmmm ….. over-powering honey , not one of my favourite distilleries .
Mel :-
Nose – First taste HONEY , over-powering smell of honey very off putting , feel reluctant to taste it …
Taste – smell of honey is very off putting …….didn’t like it !!
At last a non-speysider ! A highlander (Island) No. 121.9 , an 8yo Arran (56.8% , Dist April 1997 , 210 bottles £35 ) . From a refill hoggie , gold in colour.
Gordon:-
Nose – really weak after the previous 3 drams , apples and christmas cakes (spices raisins etc).
Taste – Menthol Cigarettes , peppery .
Finish – barely ! couldn’t figure it out !
In a nut shell , bland !
Mel :-
Nose – Vanilla essence
Taste – toffee (clotted cream devon toffee)
This (and No. 2 and 3 were battling to impress after N0.1’s wow factor .
Last of the night was an Islay , a 12yo Bowmore ( 3.111 , 60.3% , Dist dec 1992 , £38 ) . Another refill hoggie , antique copper in colour .
Gordon:-
Nose – dry Peat and lavender .
Taste – grow bag and smoke
Finish – Long , peaty / smoky
Closer to the 15yo than the 12yo O.B. , still not up to what I remember the old Bowmore tastes used to be .
Mel :-
Nose – Surgical spirit .
Taste – Ralgex Deep heat cream !! with water antiseptic taste disappears .
Didn’t like this at all – surgical smell very off putting .
Didn’t taste like the 12yo I remember from festival visits to Bowmore distillery ! (obviously prefer distillery bottling ) .
At the end we both came to the conclusion that the Glencraig was the star of the night !
So another tasting over , the next one to look forward to ( June , a week after the Feis Ile ! ) and it could be a corker .......
Slainté
Gordon _________________ Homer's Hypothesis - One can never own too many Ardbegs.......
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