October 2008

To My Steadfast Concomitants, Greetings!

I must start my letter this month with a hearfelt thank you to those of you who attended the first meeting of our third year as a club.  And to our newest - though by no means least experienced - companion, the warmest of welcomes!  I realize, with the chill weather now ardently upon us, how difficult it is to make one's way out into th ecold, but what better time can there be to enjoy the invigorating warmth that only a drop of the finest can bring?

So as not to bore you with my ramblings, let me proceed to the results of our first tasting of the '08-'09 year.  You will, I am certain, recall that we have designed to tour around the country (again), comparing members of the Classic Malts line to other specimens of the related regions.  In October, our comparison was between to twelve year old Speysiders: Cragganmore and Macallan.

We began with The Macallan, a deep red-gold whisky evocative of the Nibelungian Hoard.  Caramel, sherry and spice were first to the nose.  ...was there a bit of bubble gum as well?  Unfortunately, the nose misled the tongue, the whisky providing a somewhat hollow flavor.  Burned toast, fruit jams, and an earthiness characterized the medium-legged glass.  More clover and caramel came with water, and more cereal notes as well, but it was noted that this dram might actually be better undiluted.  Pair this one with baked goods.  Overall, we scored The Macallan a 5.8.

Cragganmore, the Diageo brand, was on deck.  This pale golden, seemingly unassuming glass was sweeter all around, with honey and cream on the nose; a bit of solvent as well, apparently thrown in to remind us that it was, after all, a whisky.  There was something in the flavor that none of us could evoke.  The standard vanillas and honey, but also baked yams.  It was warm without being smokey, but there was something else we couldn't put our finger on.  This one finished nicely, and we all agreed it was definitive of the region.  The Macallan earned a solid 7.0.

We finished our evening at supper with the folks at the Old Toad, and it is apparent that, although the talent has not yet returned to our desired level, the service certainly has.  And between the two, I'd pick the generous German who has had Scotch (even if it's just a story) over the copious Cuban who has cigars to spare (especially when they don't smoke that well).

Until next time, I remain faithfully yours,

Sláinte,

October 2008 - An Invitation

<I include the below, contrary to my Welcome message, in an attempt to set a context for the series of tastings that follow>

Gentlemen and Friends,

As much as I desire to be well prepared in advance of the occasion, I continue to find myself at the last minute with little more than a good intention gone awry.  I must admit though, that the wee Caol Isla upon which I sip is doing more than its share, on this chill Autumn evening, to help ease my anguish.

Before you blink, our October 16th meeting will be upon us.  The forecast is crisp chill with only a hint of a chance for precipitation, making it the perfect evening for a nip of the pure and the warm camaraderie of fine friends!

As promised, I've had several conversations regarding our upcoming program of events.  The general agreement is to spend the next five months touring Scotland in an attempt to pitch one Classic Malt against one contender of the same region whose style is somewhat different from the expected.  Here's the outline, though I must warn you that there is still the possibility of a bug in my ear leading us in a slightly different way by the time we get to a region...

• We start in Speyside, in an attempt to counter the recent lingering we've had on Islay.  The first comparison (October's, in fact) is Cragganmore versus Macallan.  In processing the choices, I was amazed that we hadn't already scored either of these!
• We linger in the region, but begin making our way North along the shore to pit Clynelish against The Dalmore.
• Then it's over the mountains to see how Dalwhinnie (one of our top 5) stands up to Aberfeldy.  I'm interested in putting the effect of order into play, to see if trying the Aberfeldy second makes any difference in our scorings.
• Next is a bit of the East Coast versus West Coast thing, as we sail out with Old Poultney and into Oban.
• And finally, we end up on Islay again, where we'll stand Bunnahabain up against Caol Isla.  Here, in particular, is a place where I might be swayed to take a more heavily peated malt instead of the most complex one, in going against what is generally accepted as the most unpeated of the Islay malts.
• And this will end us up in Founder's Month where we can re-try whatever is our heart's content.

To avoid any undue rambling, I'll leave it at that, and provide the standard agenda:

• 6:30 PM ~ Monty's for our tasting.
• 8:00 PM(-ish) ~ The Old Toad again, unless anyone feels strongly about moving elsewhere.
• Afterwards ~ Light up your preferred after-dinner smoke on the street and chat it up...

Croí follain agus gob fliuch!

(the Gaelic toast "A healthy heart and a wet mouth!")

Sláinte,