My Dear Friends & Esteemed Guests,
I must begin, as so often these days, with an apology for my tardiness in sending along this reflection of our last evening together. I rest assured however, that the recent beautiful weather and the festivities surrounding our Independence Day weekend kept you otherwise enjoined and therefore you did not overly miss my commentary.
Another light session, we set out with eight attendees in search of scores for three whiskies and for a first hand exploration of an older vintage. We ended up, by happen-stance, enjoying a string of truly fine whiskies!
The first to be tasted was Glenmorangie 10 year old "The Original". At 10 years old, the Original turned out to be the toddler of the evening, but it still made an excellent showing! Light, clean and delicately spicy (hints of sandalwood and cedar) marked this whisky, distilled in the tallest stills in Scotland. Vanilla and light citrus came through as well, and this was attributed to the fact that the aging of the 10 year old is done exclusively in ex-Bourbon casks. The finish was short and to the point, leaving the taster wanting another. The Original earned a 7.0 overall, though I venture it would have done better had its competition not been so spectacular.
Next up (for those willing to pay the extra $10) was the 10 year old's older brother: the 18 year old "Extremely Rare". The extra aging is evident right from the start with this sample of the amber bead showing a very long-legged intense gold color. After 15 years of maturation, approximately 1/3 of the spirit that will end up in this bottle is aged for another 3 years in Spanish Oloroso casks. This whisky is then married back together with the whiskies aged for 18 years in American Oak, to produce a smooth, rich, full bodied version of the 10 year old. Dried fruits and sherry notes pleased the palate, and the finish was long and rich. This delicious dram found its way to our hearts scoring the evening's - and our club history's - highest score of 9.0. Outstanding!
Thanks to a clerical error, our next whisky was the Highland Park 18 year old. What a wonderful surprise to stumble upon. It's been written that the 18 is the best year for Highland Park, and I think our panel would agree (and this is certified by comparing to the Highland Park 12's standing score). This specimen was a rich golden color in our glasses, and showed nice legs. On the nose it was heather and honey, with the Highland Park signature hint of smoke. The palate displayed an interesting balance of flavors, though none stood out on their own: honey (again), lightly floral, cinnamon, and finishing with light smoke and spice (ginger?) on the way down. The HP earned a 7.6; a full 1.1 points higher than its younger cousin.
Last up, and for good reason, was Islay's Lagavulin 16 year old. Lagavulin holds the reigning lead on "The List" (up until tonight's Glenmorangie 18, that is) at 8.1. As always, each dark, swirling glass of Lagavulin delivered a robust, smoky, and somewhat medicinal experience. Iodine, salt and seaweed arise from the well peated malt, followed by a deep sweetness that lingers into the finish. Words aren't adequate to describe the complexity of this dram, and the reader is urged to go get a glass at their earliest convenience! Tonight we gave this peat monster a 7.8, which, undoubtedly due to the comparators, will have a negative impact on its overall average, and therefore standing.
I would be hard pressed to achieve the same level of excellence at our next tasting, but the line-up appears rather impressive in its own right! Please do what you can to attend our tasting on July 21st. Until then...
Sláinte,
