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Whisky a Day – The Year in Review

March 8, 2015 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Ok then, I’ll have just one more wee dram…

Well, what an adventure that was…

As I sit here at home sipping on a Michel Couvreur Overaged Single Malt, reflecting on the whole Whisky a Day project / adventure / life changing experience / excuse to use ridiculous hyperbole, it seemed remiss of me not to share these reflections and answer some of the most common questions I received, such as:

“What was your favourite whisky?”
“Does a whisky a day really keep the doctor away?” or
“How much did it all cost?!”

So without further ado, let’s pop the cork from the Whisky a Day bottle, sit back into a comfy leather chair, slip into something more comfortable and enjoy a dram of the Whisky a Day Year in Review…

By far the most common question I’ve received right throughout the year was “What was your favourite whisky?” And it’s a very hard to name just one – an analogy I’d use is to imagine if you listened to a different song every day for a year and had to name your favourite song. After listening to a song just once, it’s very hard to say that it’s your new favourite! It might piqué your interest, you might love the band or that style of music, you might really like it and want to listen to it some more to really get to know it and learn the lyrics…but you’re not going to say it’s your new favourite after only one listening. It’s the same with the 365 whiskies I tried.

So with that in mind, I’ve decided to call out some of my highlights from my Whisky a Day adventure, a few interesting facts, and then finish up with not “a favourite” but a list of the top four whiskies that really rocked my world.

Whisky collection – start of year vs end: I tried to buy whiskies at bars whenever I could, but obviously there were just a couple of bottles I picked up along the way. I’ll let the pictures tell the story…

My modest whisky collection on January 1st, 2014

My slightly expanded whisky collection on December 31st

So does a Whisky a Day keep the doctor away? Well, throughout 2014 I drank a whisky a day and had ZERO visits to the doctor. In the first 2 weeks of of 2015, I took my foot off the gas whisky wise and didn’t have one each day…then BAM – I came down with a nasty virus and had to go to the doctor. You be the judge!

Some special moments of the year:

Tasting some 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel with the guys from the Boat City Whisky Club

Tasting 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel with the guys from the Boat City Whisky Club

Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection. The first truly outstanding whisky of the year that really made me sit up and take notice. I can still remember the taste now, it was like liquified Christmas pudding.
The Balvenie Bourbon Refill Barrel 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Barrel 17703): Drinking 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel in the warehouse where it’s been maturing for the last four decades. Wow.
Gordon & MacPhail 1940 Generations Glenlivet 70 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt: This really was like drinking history. Seventy years old, laid down in 1940 during the Second World War. Stunning.

Worst whisky of the year: only a few made it to the rarified air of being dubbed a “truly awful” whisky. Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t get around to tasting many commonly available entry level whiskies, e.g. Johnnie Walker Red Label. In the interests of keeping the positive vibe going, I’ll refrain from singling out one whisky as the worst of the year. Suffice to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of whiskies I tried – I thought to get to 365 whiskies I would’ve had to try a lot more truly awful whiskies!

Favourite new distilleries that I hadn’t previously discovered: A tie between Isle of Arran Distillers (Isle of Arran, Scotland) and Great Southern Distilling Company (Albany, Western Australia, Australia). Searching out 365 different whiskies really opened my eyes to trying some new whiskies I hadn’t tried before. These two distilleries aren’t huge names, but geez they both produce some amazing stuff.

Most surprising whisky of the year: Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt.

Best Islay Malt: Very hard to split, there’s been so many great ones. I’d have to nominate it a tie between the Blackadder Smoking Islay Raw Cask (Sherry Cask) Cask Strength Single Malt and Douglas Laing’s Old & Rare Port Ellen 30 Year Old Single Malt.
An honourable mention goes to the SMWS 3.194 Surf and Turf BBQ.

Slightly surreal but fantastically fun experiences of the year:

Whisky a Day with Scottish comedian Alan Anderson at his Whisky For Dafties show at the Perth Fringe

Ardbeg 10 year old…through the medium of interpretive dance. Taking part in Scottish comedian Alan Anderson’s “Whisky For Dafties” show at the Perth Fringe Festival.
Finch Whiskies: interviewing the winner of Germany’s Best Whisky 2014 for Stuttgart’s Die Neue 107.7 radio station? Yes indeed.

Favourite Blended Whisky: Suntory Hibiki 21 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky

Favourite Australian Whisky: Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M93 Single Malt

Favourite American Whiskey: Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Baby Bourbon.
Honourable mentions: Booker’s Bourbon Whiskey (Batch C04-J-19) & Balcones True Blue 100 Proof Corn Whisky

Best value whisky: Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection. Purchased online from Japan (god bless Claude Whiskies!), around just $65AUD for the bottle (plus shipping).
Honourable mention: Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt. At around $100AUD/bottle in Oz, for the amount of rich, full flavour you get in this it’s hard to go past this one – cracking value.

Over the course of the year I’ve found my tastes gravitating to the rich, full flavoured, syrupy, somewhat fruity almost chewy drams – especially the cask strength releases. Even at the end of the year when I thought I might find it difficult to uncover new whiskies I’d yet to try, I was still discovering absolutely outstanding whiskies in this style, such as the Murray McDavid Dufftown Distillery Speyside Single Malt Whisky (distilled 1979).

So how much did it all cost?! A question I’ve been avoiding all year…I’ve kept track of the price I paid for almost all drams and bottles, but I’ve resisted the urge to add them up until now as I was afraid to find out. This quite sizable figure adds up to a grand total of…$10,053.60. Wow. And that doesn’t include the cost of my trip to Scotland, that’s just the whisky costs through the year. Ouch!

So what were your damn favourites for the year??! It’s impossible to land on one…so here are my top four whiskies of the year – in alphabetical order, to avoid any arguments! Here we go:

Balvenie Bourbon Refill Barrel 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Barrel 17703): Stunning. Velvety, creamy; like honey and butter on hot toast. It really was special to be drinking 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel in the warehouse where it’s been maturing for the last four decades.
Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection: “Like liquified Christmas pudding”. It was a standout when I tried it in March, and it’s still a standout looking back over the year. The first time I came to love the nose of a whisky even more than the taste.
Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M93 Single Malt: Like golden syrup slathered on top of hot buttered crumpets. I bought the last bottle from the cellar door, then when I heard there was another bottle available at a bottle shop in South Perth I grabbed that as well. A stunning drop!
Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt: What a colour, what an intense flavour! I tried the Kavalan thinking it would be a “truly awful” whisky seeing as it’s from Taiwan and who’s ever heard of a good Taiwanese whisky, right? It blew me away and deservedly takes its place in the top echelon for the year.

So there you have it, my standout top 4 whiskies of the year. Simply sublime, each of them.

What now for Whisky a Day? My passion for whisky has only intensified, there are some grand plans in the years ahead but in the short term I’m going to continue exploring new whiskies and posting tongue-in-cheek tasting notes here at Whisky a Day. I’m also starting to explore whisky and food pairing and also cooking with whisky, so stay tuned for some of that.

Before I go, I must thank a few people. Thanks to you readers for your support, interaction and for making this adventure so fun and intriguing. Thanks also to the many fine bartenders, whisky industry folks and others who I’ve shared a dram with – I have learnt so much and my appreciation of this fine spirit has grown immeasurably. Special mention to the guys at a couple of Perth’s finest whisky bars, Helvetica (Jason, Hutch, Gareth and the rest of the gang), Varnish on King (Xander! Absolute legend of a whisky fiend), Canton Lounge (Steve), Bobèche (Joe) and of course The Hoff of The Flour Factory / Luxe Bar / every other damn bar in town. These guys, plus countless others, are bartenders who are all so passionate and knowledgeable about their industry and also about whisky. It really was a pleasure to sit across the bar from you guys on a random Tuesday night and shoot the breeze about this amazing amber liquid.

Special thanks also to Dram Full – Perth! What an amazing whisky community we have here in Perth, mainly thanks to the driving force behind it all – Nathan DeTienne. I’ve learnt so much from Nathan and all the other guys who are active, plus I’ve been fortunate to share some amazing drams with some fellow whisky fiends.

But most of all I’d like to thank my three “whisky tasting lieutenants” – Brett, Giles and Joel. Three of my best mates, you magnificent bastards have always been there to share a dram, split a bottle, or help us twist one another’s arms to have just one more dram…and I know that we will have many more whisky adventures over the years ahead.

Slàinte!

Todd (aka Whisky a Day)

Below the nose, above the chin. You’d think I’d have this whisky drinking business down pat after 365 drams in 365 days…

Whiskies #329 & 330 – SMWS Tasting Rooms in Edinburgh

December 17, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Well, I’d like to be able to give some witty and somewhat insightful remarks about the two whiskies I tasted at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) tasting rooms in Edinburgh. However, for those who have been following my Whisky a Day journey since the start of the year, it’s fair to say that my wittiness is debatable and my insights somewhat fuzzy after a few drinks and becoming, well, fuzzy. There’s that deep insight yet again…

And so as my last night in Scotland drew to a close, I made my way to the SMWS Tasting Rooms in Edinburgh, a venue that had been high on my list of whisky-related places to visit in Scotland.

As a member of the SMWS in Australia, I have been to quite a number of society tasting events and competed in the SMWS Australian Scotch Whisky Tasting Championship, though I was curious about the tasting rooms of this self-described curious society. Would it be full of stuffy old men sitting quietly in Chesterfields reading a hunting magazine and shushing you for making too much noise? As it turns out…absolutely not.

I had been shown around Edinburgh for the past day and a half by my good friend Andrea…and by shown around I mean we’d been to just about every pub and bar in town. So at the end of the night I bet him that I could take him to a bar where he’d never been before, so we found ourselves at the SMWS tasting rooms in an amazing old terrace building on Queen Street. Sweeping up the grand circular staircase we arrived at the bar to be confronted by a couple hundred green bottles of seemingly innumerate SMWS expressions.

Whisky #329: “39.104 – Getting Steamy in the Sauna”. 14 year old single cask SMWS bottling from Linkwood Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 58.5%. Tasted at the SMWS Rooms in Edinburgh.

When Andrea and I sat down to sip on a couple of wee drams, my phone packed it in and I lost my tasting notes for these. All I can say is that I’m glad I wasn’t “getting steamy in the sauna” with Andrea. Top bloke ‘Dre, but not my first choice for sharing a sauna with!! I selected this whisky as I’d tried the Linkwood 12 Year Old Single Malt early in the year and really enjoyed it. This bottling was from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. By this stage of the night I don’t recall if it was reminiscent of “a steamy aroma reminiscent of saunas meshed with sunny orchards and freshly cut daffodils” as the SMWS tasting notes described, but I do recall it being quite a tasty drop and a nice light(ish) dram to start on.

Where do you start? The staggering array of SMWS bottlings available.

Whisky #330: “72.41 – Girlie Holiday Breakfast Dram”. 9 year old single cask SMWS bottling from Miltonduff Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.8%. Tasted at the SMWS Rooms in Edinburgh.

Miltonduff Distillery is part of the Chivas Brothers estate, producing whisky that forms the core ingredient of the Ballantine’s blended whisky. Miltonduff was a mystery to me, perhaps unsurprising as they don’t produce much single malt under their own name as they are essentially a workhorse distillery for Chivas. The SMWS tasting notes suggest the nose as being quite feminine – “pot-pourri, tanning lotion, cocoa- butter, orange-scented candles, honey-nut cornflakes, pancakes and bucks fizz – perhaps a girlie holiday breakfast dram?”

I’m not so sure about whisky for breakfast, though given I was on a whisky holiday it seemed to be an appropriate choice to finish on.

Overall comments: The SMWS members in Edinburgh are very fortunate to have such a great bar as this to enjoy the society bottlings, I only hope that the Australian branch of the society is able to one day open an Australian tasting room for our every growing and enthusiastic antipodean membership! Fantastic as well to be able to share a dram with Andrea and thank him for being such a great host of this fine city, Edinburgh I will be back for sure.

Whisky #286 – SMWS 123.8 In the Spanish Mountains

November 8, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 123.8 In the Spanish Mountains. 12 year old single cask from Glengoyne distillery, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 59.3%. Tasted at Whisky & Alement (Melbourne).

Colour: Lotus twilight.

Nose: Lemon cheesecake and spearmint. AB got hints of Listerine mouthwash.

Palate: Organ-hugging, creamy – “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. Multi-dimensional.

Finish: Powerful, long.

Comments: We came up with another observation that it was “James Bondable”. No idea what we were getting at here…we’d had a few tastings by this stage. Overall though I enjoyed it, keen to have another crack at it through to see if it really is James Bondable.

Whisky #165 – SMWS 121.56 Mint Julep at the Races

July 21, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 121.56 Mint Julep at the Races. ABV: 58.5%. SMWS bottling from the Isle of Arran distillery. Isle of Arran, Scotland. Tasted at home, 100mL tasting bottle as part of SMWS new members’ welcome pack.

Colour: And they’re off in the big one! Pale straw colours are quick out of the gate…

Nose: Some sweet woody notes moving up through the pack now…

Palate: Rich full flavours making a strong charge as they head down the back straight. I can taste some creamy honeycomb maybe some dried apple. Buttery honey flavours as they round the final bend for the home stretch…

Finish: Warmth tingles on the front half of the tongue, strong finish with the flavours and tingle taking longer to finish than the nag I backed in last weekend in race 8 at Morphetville (otherwise known as the “Get Out of Jail Stakes”).

Comments: Apart from the honeycomb, I’m not getting much of the other stuff from the SMWS description on the label. I’ve not had a mint julep at the races, I’m usually knocking back a dozen beers trying to wash out the nasty taste of doing my dough backing another donkey who is still running around the track two days after the race has finished.

All in all, I really liked this one. Rich, creamy, full flavoured and a hint of sweetness – this is fast shaping up to be some of my favourite qualities in a whisky. At the recent SMWS tasting, one of my favourites was SMWS 121.65 A Well-Oiled Baseball Glove, which is actually from the same distillery as this dram – the SMWS distillery code “121” is for the Isle of Arran distillery. Based on this, I will definitely be looking out for more SMWS releases “121.xx”, I’m also keen to try some more Arran malts released directly by the distillery or by some independent bottlers. Highly recommended.

Whisky #152 – SMWS 44.52 The Artist, the Brewer and the Baker

July 12, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 44.52 The Artist, the Brewer and the Baker. 22 year old single cask from Craigellachie Distillery, Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 52.1%. Tasted at home, 100mL tasting bottle as part of SMWS new members’ welcome pack.

Colour: Brilliant light yellow gold; like a fresh glass of clear apple juice.

Nose: Like walking into a wood workshop where craftsmen have been working on timber furniture; rich sawdust, oils and a hint of varnish.

Palate: Smooth entry onto the tongue, flattens out to a salty taste overall. And then the esters really open up and some amazingly complex flavours fill the mouth. Lots of woody notes again, also a slight suggestion of some dried fruits, like grabbing a handful of some mixed dried fruits like apricots, cranberries and sultanas.

Finish: Oily, warming mouthfeel that lingers predominantly at the front of the mouth. Slow fade of flavours and the tingling sensation.

Comments: I’m a big fan of this one. It’s certainly more interesting than some of the SMWS bottlings I tried at their recent tasting event. Maybe because I got to pour myself a larger serve than they could at the tasting event, giving me the chance to get to know the whisky a little better. More of a long lunch kind of affair rather than speed dating. I’d definitely give this one another chance at a later date.

Whisky #145 – SMWS 3.194 Surf and Turf BBQ

July 9, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 3.194 Surf and Turf BBQ. 14 year old single cask from Bowmore distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 58.3%. Tasted at home, 100mL tasting bottle as part of SMWS new members’ welcome pack.

Colour: Deep, brilliant, burnished copper. So bright.

Nose: Strong alcohol fumes abound. Slowly dissipating with some time in the glass to reveal some toffee, butter & burnt orange scents. A hint of smoke too.

Palate: Freshly ground black pepper. Chewy; very meaty, with a smokey almost charcoal taste. It really does taste a little similar to a steak flame cooked on a BBQ.

Finish: Salty smoked aftertaste, long finish.

Comments: I not picking up the seafood flavours that the SWMS abundantly describe, but the meaty BBQ flavours are definitely there. Wow. Not your typic Islay – the smoke is ever-present but it takes a back seat to the complex flavour profile. Really enjoying this one! In fact I’m really loving the Scotch Malt Whisky Society releases generally; they’re all unique, full flavoured and offer huge amounts of character that gradually reveal more layers with every sip.

Whisky #119 – SMWS 35.89 Spell-Binding and Breath-Taking

June 26, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

SMWS 35.89 Spell-Binding and Breath-Taking. 17 year old Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling from Glen Moray distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.7%. Tasted at home, 100mL tasting bottle as part of SMWS new members’ welcome pack.

Colour: Dull straw colour.

Nose: Sweet grassy notes, maybe a touch of banana.

Palate: Salted toffee, dried banana crisps. Oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Some sweet apple and toffee flavours in the fade, but not a sickly sweet toffee apple – it’s more subtle than that. Medium length finish.

Comments: A little underwhelming compared to the other SMWS releases I’ve tasted. I’m not getting the big fruit flavours the SMWS tasting committee listed on the label. It’s quite a focused, intense flavour profile, but not as complex as I like. Overall, ok but after tasting this 100mL sample bottle it’s certainly not a SMWS bottling that I would go out of my way to purchase.

Whiskies #106-115: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Autumn Tasting Extravaganza

June 23, 2014 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Autumn Tasting Extravaganza. Parmelia Hilton, $70.

I joined the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) at the start of the year for a few main reasons. Firstly, as another way to expand my whisky horizons and give me exposure to a range of unusual whiskies that I hadn’t heard much about (much less seen available to buy anywhere). A good way to really start to rack up the number of different malts that I knew I’d need to successfully complete the Whisky a Day challenge.

Secondly, I was intrigued by this mysterious “society” – would they have a secret handshake? Would it be a stuffy old man’s club where everyone stands around twirling their moustache and wearing a tweed jacket? As it turns out, no – they’re just a bunch of friendly folks who are really into their whisky. A huge range of ages and mix of guys and girls, everyone is really down to earth and passionate about tasting and talking about whisky.

Anyway, a crash course in the SMWS. They do their own bottlings, whereby they go to a distillery and choose a single cask from which they produce a limited run (e.g. ~200 bottles) of a unique malt. The whisky is given a numerical code, denoting the distillery and the individual cask. For example, whisky “96.7” below identifies it as being from distillery number 96, and it is the 7th single cask bottling the SMWS has released from this distillery. They’ve also got some quirky tasting notes on the label to describe the flavours and aromas that the SMWS tasting panel has come up with.

So onto the tastings. The standout favourite of the day for me was “121.65 – A Well-Oiled Baseball Glove”. As with my experience at Whisky Live 2014, I didn’t want to spend the whole evening furiously making tasting notes. Tasting 10 whiskies in all, I kept the notes to a minimum and simply enjoyed the experience. If you are intrigued and want to know more about a particular whisky you’ll just have to join the SMWS and try it for yourself!

96.7 – For a Sweet Tooth. 7 year old SMWS bottling from Glendronach Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.3%.

Very pale colour. Chewy toffee on the nose. Not as sweet as I was expecting given the description on the label. Warmth builds & slowly fills the mouth.

3.218 – Opening the Bonnet of a Classic Car. 13 year old SMWS bottling from Bowmore Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 55.8%.

Apple juice in colour. The nose is smokey, but subtler than other Islays. Palate is meaty with hint of sweetness, like a seared steak.

131.2 – Magic Carpet in a Sweetie Shop.

13 year old SMWS bottling from Hanyu Distillery. Chichibu, Japan. ABV: 55.1%.

Looks more like a port, beautiful colour. Initial scents reminded me of firecrackers, turns out it has a few hints of an Islay dram. Lots of spice, hint of smoke, quite full bodied, sweet notes abound. Medium length.

73.62 – Magical, Mellifluous Marvelosity.

24 year old SMWS bottling from Aultmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 57.8%.

Looks like a botrytis semillon in colour, the legs on the glass also give away the relatively high ABV. Heat & peat on the palate, warmth lingers.

28.24 – Curiouser and Curiouser.

23 year old SMWS bottling from Tullibardine Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 52.2%.

Pale gold. Musty. Like an old book. Bourbon like flavours, gentle. Smooth. Medium finish.

93.58 – A Manly Adventure.

14 year old SMWS bottling from Glen Scotia Distillery. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 60.4%.

Crisp clear straw colour. The nose gives pork spit roast on an open fire. Band aids. Meaty, very chewy. Kind of whisky to put hairs on your chest. Smoke builds, lips tingle long after.

37.55 – Surprising Smoky and Savoury.

12 year old SMWS bottling from Cragganmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 56.6%.

Really pale straw. Surprisingly smokey for a Speyside – only then did I realise the SMWS name was “surprisingly smokey”.

121.65 – A Well-Oiled Baseball Glove.

14 year old SMWS bottling from Isle of Arran Distillery. Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 58.3%.

Deep copper. Wow – like it. Muscat notes, it is leathery – the title of this one really is on the money. Like a salted caramel dessert – salty but a sweet aftertaste. Delicious – definitely my favourite dram of the day.

53.198 – Wasabi on a California Roll.

18 year old SMWS bottling from Caol Ila Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 59.1%.

Like opening a tin of smoked mussels or anchovies. Nice. Smokey, but almost a bit of a metallic aftertaste.

29.145 – Innocent Embrace of Sweetness and Smoke.

22 year old SMWS bottling from Laphroaig Distillery. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 45.3%.

Straw colour. One of the lightest Islays I’ve nosed in terms of smoke. Sweet almost cool smokey sensation on the tongue. Quite unusual, but nice.

Whiskies #67-69: Whisky Live 2014 Masterclass with Nathan DeTienne

April 5, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Whisky Live 2014 Masterclass with Nathan DeTienne, Rydges Hotel, $40.

I had the privilege of attending one of the Whisky Live 2014 masterclasses run by one of the most knowledgable and passionate whisky fiends that I have met, Nathan DeTienne. For about 90 minutes Nathan not only shared his impressively vast whisky knowledge, but he also shared some special whiskies from his personal collection.

I tried not to make extensive notes for these tastings, I just wanted to soak up the info and enjoy the whisky. Or is that soak up the whisky and enjoy the info? In any case, apologies for the tasting notes below not being extensive enough to do these three fine whiskies justice.

As a side note, Nathan also has a whisky blog (Squidgy Ash the Whisky Fiend) that is definitely worth a look…it could even be the second best whisky blog in Perth! Just kidding mate 😉 Check it out here: http://squidgyashwhiskyfiend.blogspot.com.au

Whisky #67: Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 47.60%.

Colour: Golden.

Nose: Caramel, toffee.

Palate: Silky smooth entry, gentle sweetness.

Finish: Very light, like a snowflake melting in your mouth. Ok, rubbish attempt at humour there. I just wanted to enjoy this one, not too much to say. Despite the lightness, the flavours linger for quite some time. But not long enough…oh wait that’s because I enjoyed it so much I drank it rather quickly.

Whisky #68: Kavalan Podium Single Malt. Taiwan. ABV: 46.0%.

Colour: Copper.

Nose: Medicinal notes, slightly leathery. But not in a bad way.

Palate: Spice & heat builds gently; oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Fades to a soft oaky finish.

Comments: I had very low expectations of Kavalan. I mean, who has even heard of whisky from Taiwan?! Earlier this year I bought (but have yet to try) a 3 x 50mL tasting pack of different Kavalan expressions in the expectation that they would be prime contenders for the “Truly Awful” whisky category. Well let me tell you, if the Kavalan Podium is anything to go by, the other three expressions will most definitely NOT be entries in the “Truly Awful” category this year.

Whisky #69: Scotch Malt Whisky Society G10.3, 24 Year Old Single Malt. Independent bottling from Strathclyde Distillery, Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 59.60%.

Colour: Dark straw.

Nose: Straw notes abound, plenty of wood too (and yes, I’m talking about the smell).

Palate: Bit of oak, creamy sweet flavours too.

Finish: Medium finish.

Comments: It’s my first ever taste of a SMWS bottling, seeing as I’ve just joined the Society I’m certain it won’t be the last! I believe it may also be the first Scottish grain whisky I’ve tasted. Certainly keen to try some more SMWS bottlings, this one was certainly intriguing and a drop that I firmly believe you need to have more than one dram to really get to know all its secrets.