Speyside

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

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IMG_2682Whisky 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.

Whisky #66: Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2678Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ with my mate Giles, $75 (bottle).

Colour: Bright orange gold.

Nose: Vanilla, toffee & cloves.

Palate: Honeyed, herby notes. Seems to get smoother, sweeter & silkier the longer you leave it in the glass to open up.

Finish: Mid palate flavours have stuck around awhile, not much heat. Smooth.

Comments: Giles’ famed “longitudinal qualities” aren’t as evident this time as we are a little more refined having this tasting after dinner at my place, rather than at a post-work boozey rathole in the city where both the whisky and quick witted observations are flowing as freely as each other.

Whisky #65: The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2717The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Courtesy of my mate Gordy – $0, tasted at Whisky a Day HQ.

Colour: A real pale yellowy gold. I know gold is yellow, but this was particularly yellowish. And pale. C’mon it’s been a long week, I just want to unwind with a dram, not have to justify my lacklustre description of the whisky’s lustre.

Nose: A little fruity. Not sweet fruit, more like a dried apple.

Palate: Smooth entry, oily mouthfeel, no alcohol burn. Sort of a grassy kind of taste, sweet black pepper tastes.

Finish: Quite a thin finish, faint pepper aftertaste too.

Comments: A great everyday drinking drop; a staple, one of the big names. If you were looking for an easy drinking single malt to introduce to a friend who isn’t a huge whisky fan, or maybe someone who is under the misapprehension that all whiskies are extremely peaty or smoky, then The Glenlivet 12 is a great drop to start on. For those who are into whisky a little more, you can find more depth and complex flavours elsewhere. But then, you probably already knew that didn’t you?

Whisky #63: Longmorn 16 Year Old Single Malt

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Longmorn 16Longmorn 16 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 48.00%. Tasted at my mate Joel’s place, $125 (bottle).

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: A bit oaky, hints of different spices.

Palate: Toasted malty flavours. Plenty of spice, quite a bit of warmth.

Finish: Medium length finish with lingering spice.

Comments: Not as smooth as I remember, thought it might have had a slightly sweeter aftertaste. Nevertheless quite an enjoyable dram, plenty of complexity & flavours to discover.

Whisky #61: Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch No.4 Cask Strength Single Malt

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IMG_2660Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch No.4 Cask Strength Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 50.4%. $0 – courtesy of my mate Brett.

Colour: Deep amber.

Nose: Sweet, a bit oaky. Vanilla notes.

Palate: A very smooth entry, lots of flavour. As my trusted whisky tasting mate Brett remarked, “a fine drop that has given us renewed vigour!”. Tastes a little like the Hazelburn Sauternes Cask single malt.

Finish: Sweet aftertaste.

Comments: Quite a hurried tasting as we were running late for dinner with friends, certainly not time to taste it properly and do this dram justice. I’ve left Brett a bottle of whisky at his place so I have an excuse to come back and have another tasting of the Balvenie Tun 1401. As one of our friends commented at dinner, “A bottle a day? That’s not a blog, that’s a problem!”…I politely pointed out that it’s called Whisky a Day, not Bottle a Day.

Whisky #56: Benromach Sassicaia Wood Finish Single Malt

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IMG_2641Benromach Sassicaia Wood Finish Single Malt. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 45.00%. Tasted at Bar Lafayette, $17.

Colour: Golden caramel.

Nose: Quite light, a bit oaky, maybe some plums? Hard to tell.

Palate: Hints of cinnamon, bit of spice. Not a lot of depth though.

Finish: Quite short, front of the tongue.

Comments: Mellows the more you leave it. Maybe could have done with some more time in the barrel to develop some more flavours, only 7 years in total, the last 29 months of that in ex-Sassicaia wine casks.

Whisky #35: Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt, Batch #45

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IMG_2598Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt, Batch #45. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 60.20%. Tasted at Helvetica, $19.

Colour: Dark toffee.

Nose: Caramel fudge & fruit cake.

Palate: Chocolatey brown sugar notes.

Finish: Salted caramel with a bit of heat that has “longitudinal qualities”, according to my good whisky tasting mate Giles. As a dutiful government advisor, Giles reports that longitudinal qualities is “Yes Minister” language for “it has length”.

Comments: Somewhat unsurprisingly (perhaps to all except the man himself), Giles’ wife has never described him as having “longitudinal qualities”.

Whisky #33: Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood Single Malt

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IMG_2594Balvenie 12 Year Old Doublewood Single Malt. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Bar Lafayette, $14.

Colour: Deep orangey amber.

Nose: Woody notes. Like a sawmill, smells a bit like someone has taken a circular saw through on of the bourbon or sherry casks it was aged in.

Palate: Clean entry, quite a bit of heat that kicks in quickly.

Finish: Quite a dry spicy finish. Slightly bitter aftertaste.

Comments: Not a whole heap of flavour. Jim Murray reckons he’s kissed & canoodled this one, but there is no spark or romance whatsoever. Have to agree with him on this one!

Whisky #24: Glen Moray 12 Year Old Single Malt

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IMG_2569Glen Moray 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at mate Gordy’s place, $0 – generously shared by the big man.

Colour: Happy Straya Day! Canary yellow?? That’s Australian Gold my friend and don’t you fuckin’ forget it! Ah, the sounds of summer – we need another Twelfth Man album!

Nose: Hints of vanilla & Aeroguard. Maybe the Aussie Day mosquitoes have tried to thwart my nose.

Palate: Smooth entry, crisp creamy nutty flavours.

Finish: A slow warmer, fills the mouth. Short finish for flavour, but warmth lingers longer.

Comments: Not as full flavoured as I personally like. Reminds me a little of when you were a kid and you were over at a mate’s place and their mum served you a watered down cordial or juice. It tastes ok, but you can’t help thinking “just give it to me full strength you cheapskate”.

Whisky #23: Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malt

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FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby featherIMG_2542Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.

Colour: Light reddish gold. Like an ageing ginga. Perception of this may have been slightly influenced by the backdrop.

Nose: Hint of sweetness & a bit of hay, maybe also dried apricots? My good mate Kiwi described it as a “fancy man’s Jim Beam”. Not sure I agree.

Palate: Soft, underwhelming entry. Kind of like a Citroen attacking a tight corner, too much body roll and you don’t feel confident how you’ll come out the other side.

Glenlivet 15 yr French oak reserve…like an ageing ginga

Glenlivet 15 yr French oak reserve…like an ageing ginga

Finish: Quite short, oily. Given it’s been in French Oak, it’s unsurprising that the flavours surrender so early.

Comments: Not that inspiring. Can’t agree with other reviews, a little disappointing. It’s not unpleasant, just a little too smooth & characterless for my liking.

Whisky #17: Inverarity Ancestral 14 Year Old Single Malt

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FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby featherIMG_2634Inverarity Ancestral 14 yr old Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $90/bottle.

Colour: She’s back on stage – bright lustrous Amber.

Nose: Sweet with a hint of maybe cinnamon. Thought it might have been some cloves, but went to the pantry & smelt some real cloves – nope that’s not it. When I stuck my snoz into a pack of cinnamon sticks…that was a bit more like it. A lot more subtle than snorting through a cinnamon quill though.

Palate: Very smooth, dry salty & sweet flavours.

Finish: Medium finish; smoked mussels, oak, mixed spice & some sweetness.

Comments: I’ve really enjoyed this drop for a couple of years now, always having a bottle around at home. I never actually thought to find out much about it – wasn’t aware it was sherry matured, just always thought it was pretty damn awesome. It’s actually a 14 year sherry cask matured Balmenach done by Inverarity Vaults. It’s not as dark or as strongly sherry-flavoured as other sherry matured drams, maybe that’s why I like it so much.

Whisky #5: Blackadder 1999 Raw Cask

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FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby featherIMG_2506Blackadder 1999 12 Years Old Raw Cask.  Distilled at Mannochmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland.  ABV: 60.9%.  Tasted at The Royal Hotel, $16.

Colour: Pale straw. Similar in colour to a third-day pitch at the SCG where the Aussies typically wrap up the Ashes. What’s that Pommies, 5-nil?!

Nose: Hay / grassy scents. Not the strong waft of alcohol that I was expecting from a cask strength whisky at 60%.

Palate: Woody notes, a moderate amount of peat.

Finish: Ah, there’s the alcohol kick.  Lingering warm sensations, slowly filling the mouth and moving back on the tongue. Much like my date the other night!

Comments: Dangerously drinkable, I’m predicting this will be one of my favourites. Didn’t have the pungent alcohol kick or fumes I was expecting from a dram at 60%.  Quite a rare drop being a single cask release, only 304 bottles released.  Definitely will be coming back to have some more of this one before they run out.