My Dear Friends and Esteemed Guests,
April’s results must begin with a very wet welcome, having accumulated the most rain Rochester has ever seen in one month. No doubt you’ve probably recognized that the water from Heaven is not as good, when consumed for a prolonged period of time, as our water of life ...that is, whisky.
We returned this month to the basics, tasting whisky without all the frills and education, in an attempt to begin rebuilding “the List”. We have quite a few new regular attendees now, and it is only fitting that we re-establish our scores based on the new collective pallet. The benefit of having completed our last few learning cycles is that they ought to have better educated us as to what to expect from the glass, to better appreciate the nuances of our favored dram, and to help up along our all important quest for the perfect whisky. Now let us put our dogs to the hunt!
It seemed only fitting that we begin our journey at the beginning: with an A, a B, and a C...
Aberlour 12 was first up. Founded in the Speyside region by James Fleming in 1879, Aberlour (Gaelic for ‘mouth of the noisy burn’) uses water that has filtered through granite and layers of peat. They procure their barley, basically un-peated, from a central malting company. This dram was medium bodied, and amber gold with ruby highlights, indicative of its time spent in sherry casks. Fruity and winey, the Aberlour was a good representative of a traditional Speyside - a fine balance of sweet and spicy, red apple, but with a bit of stale alcohol noticeable until water was added. The Aberlour made its debut at our table this month, scoring a moderate 7.0.
The Balvenie Double Wood was next up. Since its first appearance at the Third Thursday Club, the Balvenie has gone on to become a favorite dram among many of our regulars. The distillery was founded by William Grant in 1892, five years after he established the Glenfiddich. Full of body and medium gold in color, it is clear that care has been taken in the preparation and maturation of this whisky. The most traditionally made of all single malt Scotch whiskies, at least 10 years in ex-bourbon American oak, and another two to three years in ex-sherry casks provide the Balvenie with a mellow richness and a complexity that sets it apart. Sweet, almost fruitcake like notes appear on the nose. This is followed by rich, soft fruits on the pallet, pears perhaps? There was a hint of alcohol present - enough to provide a warming effect, but not as evident as in the evening’s first glass. The Balvenie scored a respectable 7.8 this month, a tick behind its usual 8+ rating, but enough to take the evening.
The Cragganmore has also filled our cups before. Cragganmore (Gaelic for ‘great rock’) was founded in 1869 by John Smith, the son of George Smith who founded the Glenlivet Distillery. Cragganmore uses flat-topped, T-shaped lye pipes (the pipes at the top of the first still that capture and carry the distilled vapors to the second still). The resulting increase in reflux of condensate into the boiling wash is credited with producing the Distillery’s unique flavor profile. Few or no sherry casks are used in the maturation process, and the dram comes to the glass pure gold in color, medium bodied, and complex. Sweet florals, vanilla, and a honeyed oakiness are characteristic of the peg. Lightly smoky (perhaps incense?) and with hints of malt, the Cragganmore finishes long and light. The 12, though complex and generally well received, has seen better days with us. In April, it took only a 6.9, but it’s a scrapper and I expect it will rise again in some future tasting.
Happy belated Easter to you all, and best wishes for a drier, warmer Spring than we’ve seen so far.
And until next month, when we return to the regular Thursday meeting and the next few letters of the alphabet, I bid you,
Sláinte,
April’s results must begin with a very wet welcome, having accumulated the most rain Rochester has ever seen in one month. No doubt you’ve probably recognized that the water from Heaven is not as good, when consumed for a prolonged period of time, as our water of life ...that is, whisky.
We returned this month to the basics, tasting whisky without all the frills and education, in an attempt to begin rebuilding “the List”. We have quite a few new regular attendees now, and it is only fitting that we re-establish our scores based on the new collective pallet. The benefit of having completed our last few learning cycles is that they ought to have better educated us as to what to expect from the glass, to better appreciate the nuances of our favored dram, and to help up along our all important quest for the perfect whisky. Now let us put our dogs to the hunt!
It seemed only fitting that we begin our journey at the beginning: with an A, a B, and a C...
Aberlour 12 was first up. Founded in the Speyside region by James Fleming in 1879, Aberlour (Gaelic for ‘mouth of the noisy burn’) uses water that has filtered through granite and layers of peat. They procure their barley, basically un-peated, from a central malting company. This dram was medium bodied, and amber gold with ruby highlights, indicative of its time spent in sherry casks. Fruity and winey, the Aberlour was a good representative of a traditional Speyside - a fine balance of sweet and spicy, red apple, but with a bit of stale alcohol noticeable until water was added. The Aberlour made its debut at our table this month, scoring a moderate 7.0.
The Balvenie Double Wood was next up. Since its first appearance at the Third Thursday Club, the Balvenie has gone on to become a favorite dram among many of our regulars. The distillery was founded by William Grant in 1892, five years after he established the Glenfiddich. Full of body and medium gold in color, it is clear that care has been taken in the preparation and maturation of this whisky. The most traditionally made of all single malt Scotch whiskies, at least 10 years in ex-bourbon American oak, and another two to three years in ex-sherry casks provide the Balvenie with a mellow richness and a complexity that sets it apart. Sweet, almost fruitcake like notes appear on the nose. This is followed by rich, soft fruits on the pallet, pears perhaps? There was a hint of alcohol present - enough to provide a warming effect, but not as evident as in the evening’s first glass. The Balvenie scored a respectable 7.8 this month, a tick behind its usual 8+ rating, but enough to take the evening.
The Cragganmore has also filled our cups before. Cragganmore (Gaelic for ‘great rock’) was founded in 1869 by John Smith, the son of George Smith who founded the Glenlivet Distillery. Cragganmore uses flat-topped, T-shaped lye pipes (the pipes at the top of the first still that capture and carry the distilled vapors to the second still). The resulting increase in reflux of condensate into the boiling wash is credited with producing the Distillery’s unique flavor profile. Few or no sherry casks are used in the maturation process, and the dram comes to the glass pure gold in color, medium bodied, and complex. Sweet florals, vanilla, and a honeyed oakiness are characteristic of the peg. Lightly smoky (perhaps incense?) and with hints of malt, the Cragganmore finishes long and light. The 12, though complex and generally well received, has seen better days with us. In April, it took only a 6.9, but it’s a scrapper and I expect it will rise again in some future tasting.
Happy belated Easter to you all, and best wishes for a drier, warmer Spring than we’ve seen so far.
And until next month, when we return to the regular Thursday meeting and the next few letters of the alphabet, I bid you,
Sláinte,
