November '11

My Dear Friends and Esteemed Guests,

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I begin this month’s letter with a note of gratitude: thank you all for helping me to make some warm and wonderful memories over plentiful drams of some of the best whiskies known to mankind - each made better by the fellowship of like-minded connoisseurs and seekers of endless whisky wisdom.  We’ve shared many laughs and raised some ruckus along the way, and all in the spirit of the Spirit that’s graced our tables for the last five+ years.

And though our regular events must, as all good things tend to do, be at an end for a time, I am sure there will be the odd event that will draw us together again en masse.  Until then, let’s all celebrate the memories, and the friendships we’ve shared, and lift, as often as possible, a glass to one another.  Life is short, be sure to embrace and celebrate it fully!

November brought us together to delve into the Balvenie in great detail.  The event was made better, in my humble opinion, by the first-hand experience I acquired in my recent trip to Caledonia.  I must admit that there is something in the air over there that makes the whisky just so enjoyable, but I concede that our own tasting came in a damned close second.  Balvenie has never been a stranger to our table, but this month’s focused review seemed to bring it nearer to our hearts than ever.

First up was the Balvenie DoubleWood.  Aged for 10 years in first fill and refill American Oak barrels, and then finished for two years in ex-Sherry butts, the DoubleWood is a veritable giant among whiskies.  Rich and well rounded, the DoubleWood is ripe with fruit and soft Sherry notes.  On the nose, we discerned honey and vanilla, a certain nuttiness and warm spices.  The palate was won over by this smooth, mellow dram’s sweet sherry, almond praline, and hints of cinnamon.  The DoubleWood has historically earned around 7.9, but this month it did better, pulling its overall average up to an 8.0, tying the Nectar D’Or and Lagavulin 16 on our List.  You will recall that we left some of this to linger in our glasses, and over time it developed into the most luxurious crème brulee.  Oh thou versatile wee rascal!

The Caribbean Cask 14 year old was next.  Once again, Honeyed fruit notes and orange citrus toyed with our olfactory receptors.  Oak and spice tickled the nose, and a certain hint of rum was evident underneath it all.  It was a true champion on the palate however, with its tropical sweetness and toasted oakiness.  It was remarked that, for the lover of both whisky and rum, there could be no other drink!  The finish was long and warm, with the signature Balvenie spice lingering.  The Caribbean Cask emerged well up in our rankings, earning a tie with the Talisker 10, currently holding the top spot among all the “younger” single malts.  Well done, laddie!

The 15 year old Single Barrel was the next specimen under (or rather, in) our glass.  Aged the entire 15 years in ex-Bourbon barrels, this whisky truly shined.  Fragrant with vanilla and light florals, and the sweet perfume of dry oak, we eagerly advanced to the tasting.  Rich and complex, malty and sweet vanilla notes danced on our tongues.  The cinnamon and allspice notes were there, but delicate.  The finish was long and complex, bringing along satisfying notes of anise.  We awarded this well developed dram an 8.1, only marginally behind the Caribbean cask.

Last up came the 21 year old Port Wood.  This one earns a respectable “Wow!”  Raisins and over-ripe apricots backed with a light nuttiness toyed with our senses.  In the mouth, this peg was creamy smooth and silky.  Rich, ripe fruits typical of a sherried whisky, filled the mouth - but every flavor was brighter.  Sweet honey and holiday pie spices mingled with that ever present nuttiness; pecan stuffed dates rolled in brown sugar, perhaps?  The finish was long and soft, and left us eager for more.  In return for the wonderful gift the 21 year old Port Wood gave us, we awarded this whisky our top spot overall, with a well-earned 9.1, topping both the Glenmorangie and Macallan 18 year olds.

To every thing there is a time and a season, and the season for our Third Thursday Club now closes on its Autumn.  But I am assured that I will see you all again in due time.  Until then, may your days be filled with good cheer, and may your glass always be more than half full...

       Sláinte,

      

October 2011

My Dear Friends and Esteemed Guests,


I write this letter with great excitement, my trip to the well spring of our beloved water of life so imminent.  The quick task of hanging spooky decorations, dolling out candy, and then putting away those same decorations, which has consumed my time these last few days, is now done, and I can turn my attention back to the Club.  So before I run off to fair Caledonia, let’s review our October tasting.


I have to say that I rather enjoyed focusing on a single distillery; it provided the opportunity to learn more about regional and historical influence on the distillery and its product (and made my research time much less intense!).  This month we focused on the Macallan.  In future months it may be easier to detect the core characteristics of the distillery and to explore the development of those traits over time in the barrel, but with Macallan we were somewhat limited to only two vintages of each of the traditional sherry cask and oak varietals.  Well, perhaps that was enough…


Although we could not taste it here, the Macallan’s new make, most indicative of the distillery’s “true spirit”, is said to be a clean, green fruit, malty whisky, fat / oily in the mouth, with a long finish.  How did it evolve under the guidance of the Master?


Our first tasting was of the Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak.  This pale colored whisky sports 43% ABV, but presented its alcohol to the nose and palate like something much stronger.  The whisky was otherwise light in flavor, with crisp, green fruit and pine notes.  There were hints of cereal, but the wood seems to have made these dry and ethereal.  The finish lingered, with a predominant oakiness.  Water helped this dram, making it more approachable all around.  Our most estimable panel of judges awarded this dram a 6.6 overall score, placing it in the bottom third of “The List”.


Macallan’s 12 year old was up next.  This sherried whisky is no stranger to our table, having been sampled in November ‘10 and July ‘11, and probably again in the dark years prior to our recreation of “The List”.  Perhaps there was a bit of recency bias, having just stepped away from the drier, crisper 10 year old, but upon taking a peg off this dram a resounding “oh, yes!” arose from the crowd.  This dram was noticeably darker, and presented to the nose with richer, deeper fruit notes.  It was smooth, perhaps oily, in the mouth, with fruitcake emerging immediately; dried sweet fruits like figs or dates.  Where the oak’s light nuttiness was like walnut, this was more clearly chestnut.  The finish was brown sugar sweet with the consistency of molasses.  We provided this a 7.9, which is a considerable step up in the rankings.


The 15 year Fine Oak came next.  Although many of the same notes experienced in the 10 year old were present here as well, the extra aging went a long way to round these out.  The result was a much more approachable whisky: very light ethereal notes on the nose, with orange peel and caramel emerging.  Still oaky, but now the apples were cider and the pears, stewed.  Caramel and malt come forward on the palate as well.  The finish, while long, seemed lighter than the 10’s.  The lesson learned is, if you are going to drink the Fine Oak, go for the extra aging!  We scored this specimen a full point higher than its younger cousin, with a 7.6.


Our last up, and only for those willing to sport the extra few quid, was the Macallan 18, aged in traditional sherry butts.  We also tried this whisky in July ‘11, and with the same result.  A magnificent spirit, wrapped in warm, rich fruits, with a lingering sweet, but not overbearing, finish.  The whisky had a rich oiliness in the mouth and the bouquet was complex and deep, with ripe fruits and molasses.  Moist cake notes rose on the palate, with figs and raisins, and a hint of smokiness on the way down.  A wonderful balance between the distillery’s fat, fruity, and oily style and the effects of the wine barrel it ages so long in.  We provided an 8.9 to this dram, which leaves it squarely tied for our top spot among the whiskies we’ve tasted over the last two years.


I’m very much looking forward to bringing back stories of my trip to the Balvenie Distillery when we meet to taste their whiskies in November.  Until then, my warmest regards,
 

       Sláinte,

      

post script: you can review the list on our site by clicking the “The List” icon.