June 2011

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,

May 2011

My Dear Friends & Esteemed Guests,

Rochester’s version of Summer must finally be upon us.  The rain has begun to let up, the first East End Fest was just held, and an abundance of competition for our attention has begun its depreciatory effect on attendance at our tastings.  I am personally looking forward to being able to spend more time shooting for birds (in either the clay or one-under par varieties).

Foreknowledge of declining summer attendance is precisely why we turned our attentions, for the current series, back to the basics and to rebuilding The List [note that the List is posted on the website, which you can get to via the links below].  We began in April using an alphabetical approach, and continued this in May with our tasting of a “D” and two “G’s”.

Our first whisky was the Dalmore 12 year old.  Dalmore (Gaelic for “the big meadowland”) is a Highland whisky produced in the north of Scotland overlooking the Cromarty Firth.  It’s just about 20 minutes south of Glenmorangie and, in many ways, is similar in style.  Dalmore’s still houses are anything but the norm.  Their stills are flat-topped and their lyne arms extend out the side of their stills, each of which is a different size.  These apparent oddities are the drivers of Dalmore’s complexity; and it was clear in our tasting that this complexity is much appreciated.  The sherry casks used to mature the whisky were evident in the mahogany color and sweetness on the nose.  Oranges, marmalade, and warm spices came through clearly.  The palate was rich and fruity, perhaps fruitcake, with plenty of citrus and a hint of vanilla.  Dalmore took the night for us, scoring a 7.5 overall.

The next two drams have graced our table before, long ago, during our “Battle of the Glens”.  Together they are the number 1 and number 2 selling whiskies in the world and are to be honored for having opened the world markets to Single Malt Scotch.  Without these fellows, we would not be meeting, and I would not be sharing this newsletter!  That said, they did not perform as well overall as one would expect, though a few of our attendees scored them quite highly.

The Glenlivet 12 year old (Gaelic for “Glen of the River Livet”, Livet being the Gaelic for “a smooth place”) was up first.  The first licensed distillery, and only allowed to be called THE Glenlivet, is the number one selling whisky in the US, and number 2 in the world.  It is a full bodied whisky, clearly made to appeal to a broad consumer segment, no (or damned little) peatiness, and aged primarily in oak.  Clean and simple on the nose, showing some maltiness and a hint of sweet spice, it is clearly a delicate malt.  We found a light sweetness and plenty of vanilla, honey, and citrus on the palate.  The Glenlivet earned only a 6.3 overall, placing it last in our assessment.

Our final peg of the evening (well, the last one we officially tasted anyway) was the Glenfiddich 12 year old.  Glenfiddich (Gaelic for “Valley of the Deer”) is the number 1 selling whisky in the world; it was opened in 1886 and is one of the very rare distilleries to remain, to this day, in the hands of the family of its founder, William Grant - the man who, five years after opening Glenfiddich, opened the Balvenie on the same plot of land.  Glenfiddich owes much of its success to being the only distillery that did not cut back production during the US Prohibition - they believed the market would explode once Prohibition was lifted, and they were right!  The Glenfiddich comes to us much as the Glenlivet did: medium-bodied, clear and clean, fresh and lightly fragrant, malty.  It is distinctive and well balanced, with rich fruits (we remarked that the Glenlivet showed more citric fruitiness, whereas the Glenfiddich were softer, more sugary fruits; pears or peaches).  A trace of peat arrives in the finish.  We scored the Glenfiddich a 7.3.

I leave the country for a week beginning tomorrow, so will be incommunicado until just before our next tasting.  I am planning on offering, for a slight extra price, a more advanced whisky along with the standard slate during our next tasting.  If you are be interested, be sure to attend - and if you can, let me know of your interest in advance so K---- and I can make the appropriate arrangements!

       Sláinte,

April 2011

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,

  

February 2011

My Dear Friends & Esteeemed Guests,

It seems so long since we met, but February is a short month, and time tends to fly as the days stretch and the weather perks up. I am glad to report that our last meeting was our most well attended ever. We had thirty people in attendance, twenty seven of whom sampled and scored Scotland’s finer wares. And, lest I forget, there is a free tasting at our beloved Old Toad on Wednesday, the 9th of March at 3:00 PM. Please be sure to let Kevin know if you plan to attend.


I would be remiss not to mention - in advance of the occasion - that March’s meeting is NOT a formal tasting; it is a social gathering (as much as I love entertaining, I must take a month off each year and simply celebrate the whisky without all the research, collateral development, and requisite fanfare). Furthermore, this will be the first time in the five plus years of our association that our gathering has fallen on a “holiday”. However serendipitous it appears, the first such occasion being St. Patrick’s Day, it is never-the-less a challenge to find a place to gather amid all the revelry and madness. Never daunted, we will do what we can!


We complete the last of our Nosing Course in February. I am sure you will agree with me when I assert that it was worth the wait to get to the (non Islay) “Islands”. Defying clear classification, the Islands region is, technically, part of the Highlands. Each island seems to have its own characteristic; a certain oily, maritime character being the common thread. There are a few Coastal Highland whiskies that exude the olfactory and tactile reminders of the sea, and these are sometimes grouped together with the Islands’ drams. The more sheltered among the (currently) seven whisky producing island distilleries, such as Arran and Tobermory, produce a more genteel dram, but these are the exception; note that Tobermory also produces Ledaig, a clear example of the peated Islands style. From the more wind-swept and adventurous of the islands come whiskies as salty as any dog ever to have sailed the Seven Seas, and at least one that will ignite a wild fire in your belly!


The particular scents we went after at the February tasting included Malty and Citrus, both of which we put our noses to before. These are introduced during malting and fermentation, respectively. “Grain-like”, “biscuit”, and “burnt” are some expressions along the Malty scale, and a certain cake-like sweetness may be found. Citrus needs no explanation, “lemon” and “orange” are present so often that it would be redundant to discuss the scale any further here. We have also nosed and discussed the Smoky range on more than one occasion, but it is important to remind the reader that “salty” actually arises on this scale. The introduction of “saltiness” may come at one of two places in the production process: the first is during kilning of the malt, where the smoke of the burning peat may introduce the flavor. The second is during maturation, where salty sea air interacts for years with the precious liquid stored in quietly slumbering casks. There are some passionate debates relative to which of these is the more probable cause, but I, for one, am content that the effect happens at all!


We enjoined to test three samples, the first of which being my personal favorite - and the source of some consternation over the impact of its domineering character on the rest of the tasting. Talisker 10 year, “The lava of the Cuillins”, has been a constant favorite among our members - even taking second place among our Best of the Best. The best way to characterize this dram is to reminisce of bonfires on a summer evening on an ocean beach. And it’s easy to see why The Isle of Skye is home to both this whisky and to the Viking MacLeods… Talisker 10 scored a 7.8, clearly continuing its tradition of leadership.


Our next expression was Oban 14 year. This coastal whisky is, as much in the glass as in the town it is named for, “The Gateway to the Isles”. There is something of a beautiful marriage between Highland and Island styles in this whisky, which invokes rich sweetness and fruits, with sea-salt, spices, and a peaty smokiness that fill the mouth. Oban took our second position, earning for itself a respectable 7.3 overall.


The last glass was Highland Park 12 year, although a few were pleased to receive the 18 year as a result of the sheer size of our crowd draining the available reserves. The famed whisky journalist Michael Jackson touted this as “the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky”, but it has never received quite so nice a reception at our events. Highland Park is in fact a very well-balanced malt, with sweetness and smokiness in proportion, a high level of maltiness on the palate, and a heathery, teasing finish. But this subtlety may be just “on the fence” enough to belie the almost magical skill of Highland’s Master Distiller. Perhaps this is a dram better sampled on its own, the result of our tasting being a somewhat disappointing 6.5.


We will begin, after March’s brief reprieve, to re-score “The List” - so tragically lost in the sinking of our prior web site. On the bright side however, there has never been a better excuse to sip a dram with good friends and enlightened aficionados!


Until then,


Sláinte,

January 2011

My Dear Friends & Esteemed Guests,

If you will allow me the momentary indiscretion of playing on the immortal words of Robert Burns, I will sum up our January tasting by quoting "the worst laid plans of mice and men often go quite well!"  The weather for this passed January's tasting was frightful, and the whiskies tasted were less than delightful, and yet we incurred the best turn-out in the history of our club.  I must admit that 21 attendees is a bit of a stretch to manage, but I look forward to the opportunity of mastering the challenge!

A few of our cadre, well-intended but over eager, may have come away worse for wear after the evening.  I earnestly hope this will not deter anyone from returning for our February tasting, and urge you all to continue your patronage well into the future.  We would be wise to consider that the nature of our event requires - nay, celebrates! - the consumption of alcohol, and we should therefore never be surprised if a few folks are, from time to time, affected by the potency of our beloved uisge beatha.

We continued our exploration of Scotland this month, by meandering into the Lowlands.  Some revile the Lowlands akin to Mordor: a desolate, God-forsaken place where the semi-human inhabitants eat their own babies.  I have it on excellent authority however, that this is strictly not correct ...agricultural industries actually get along very well there.  My abhorrent tom-foolery aside, the Scottish Lowlands cover the areas of what is known as the Southern Uplands, from the Cheviot Hills along the borders with England to the Central Lowlands between the River Clyde and the Firth of Forth containing Scotland’s chief cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.  The area includes rolling hills and lush valleys, and was called home by such personalities as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns (technically, they called it "hame", but I digress).  Production of whisky in this region was originally intended for trade with England, as an ingredient for gin.  The region's production process was heavily influenced throughout its development by Irish whisky manufacturing techniques, and triple distillation has historically been the norm.  Whiskies from this region are, as a result, typically smooth, light, and slightly fiery.  They are very light in - and often devoid of - salt, peat, and smoke.  They tend, as a result, to make good aperitifs.

Only three (Auchentoshan, Bladnoch, and Glenkinchie) of the original ten distilleries in this region have remained active to today, but two new distilleries (Ailsa Bay and Daftmill) have recently been opened.  I am sure this will come as good news to those of you who found a fondness for the Lowland style ...please pardon my mistake, that describes none of us.

Because there are few environmental influences to affect the taste profile of these whiskies, notes generated at the beginning of the process and during the maturation period tend to be more prevalent than in their Highland and island counterparts.  Our nosing focused on "green", "fruity" and "solvent" scents .  "Green odors" - not to be confused with those generated by home composting - are reminiscent of growing plants.  These include freshly cut grass, leaves, green peppers, pine, and damp earth.  These notes are produced as the barley begins germination, on the way to becoming malt.  Fruit notes, produced during fermentation and discussed at length in prior months, are reflected primarily as lemon in the Lowland varietals.  We are sometimes aware of "lemon grass" in these whiskies, but this may be more a matter of confusion in our olfactory nodes, caused by the mixing of the lemony fruit notes with fresh grass notes.  Lastly, the more solventy, spiritous notes were experienced.  These are generated during time in the cask.  Solventy odors, like "glue" or "nail polish" are actually ethereal fruity aromas released as the whisky evaporates.  Spiritous odors are generated as the alcohol vapors oxidize while aging.  Woody notes arise from interaction with the wood, and fall on the same scale as "vanilla" and "caramel", except "woody" has more of a "fresh" sense to it.

The first of the two Lowland whiskies tasted was the Auchentoshan 10 year old.  This dram was smooth and light, with a certain freshness.  We found earthy farmland notes and citrus, and also a leathery, perhaps stale, edge to it.  The finish was surprisingly long on this dram.  Although not a bad whisky, we were in general agreement that it lacked pizazz, and this was reflected in the score of 4.7 that it received.

The second Lowland, and best scoring, whisky of the evening, was the Glenkinchie 10 year.  Here was lemon grass and meadows in spring; exceptionally light with a hint of sweetness.  We found the solvent notes in this dram, expressed as lemon zest - as if you had just twisted the lemon rind served with an espresso.  The finish was dry and lightly spicy.  This, I believe, would make for a good aperitif before a meal.  The Glenkinchie, though taking the night, scored only a 5.9 overall.

Our third whisky was not a Lowlander at all, but a Speysider that we hadn't tried before.  The Glen Moray 12 year old was served in an effort to try to find more green notes, and this was accomplished as hints of "mint".  Unfortunately, this note was overshadowed by livelier fruit and wood aromas, and some nuttiness.  A valiant attempt to try something new, the Glen Moray only earned a 4.9 overall.  It is interesting to me, that the general consensus seemed to be that the Auchy was better than the Glen Moray, and yet the scores do not bear this out.

Conscious I have gone on too long again this month, I will here draw to a close with my best wishes for a Happy New Year to one and all.

Sláinte,

December 2010

<The reader is returned to the customary blog format with this month's entry...>

My Dear Friends & Esteemed Guests,


I write in hopes that you had the very best holidays, a Merry Christmas and, as they say in Scotland, a Happy Hogmanay. I myself had a very pleasant end of the year, but since fell a bit under the weather. My sense of smell has not yet returned to its proper place, and you can imagine how much this dismays me. But be of good cheer! And trust that I will be right as rain when next we meet.


In December we expanded into the Highlands. The evening began with a little history, specifically focused on how Speyside, which we discussed last month, is and always has been a sub-set of the Highlands region. Its elevation to a region in its own right is due to the preponderance of distilleries (more than half of all Scotland’s distilleries are here), and that this is owing more to the terrain being suitable to the illicit distilling trade than to any particular nature or style of whisky produced there. The industry creates a stereotype for Highland whiskies in much the same way as they do for Speysides, namely: malty and fruity, and generally with a hint of smoke, and always well influenced by the wood. Of course there will be variations, and these are generalized into sub-divisions. In the North, the typical house style is “big, salty, and sweet” on the nose, and “sweet and dry, with a long finish” on the palate. The Eastern distilleries tend to be fruity and oily. The South are more full bodied, and most eagerly display the influence of their casks. The West have a fairly wide variation even among themselves! Both the North and the West, in my humble opinion, can further be subdivided to include “coastal” styles; the North’s coastal style more heavily containing orange, spice, and salt, the West’s, in addition to the orange and spice, tend to have more complexity. The Islands, exclusive of Islay, are also included in this region, though there is growing understanding of their being quite independent from their “mainland” cousins. Here there is generally a maritime sense to the whisky, with more or less peat. Again, even among themselves, styles vary.


As last month, our nosing covered a wide range of the flavor wheel. Fruit notes, introduced during fermentation, and wood notes, introduced during aging, are most evident. Last month’s letter focused on Speyside’s primary regional aromas: Estery and Woody, so I will not write much on those here. Suffice it to say that in addition to the peachy/coconut notes we nosed last month, we experienced rose-water and hyacinth and discussed the term “perfumed”, which is used when the specific floral scent cannot be identified. Likewise, we explored the more tannic side of the wood scale last month, and focused on balsamic vanilla and caramel this month. There is little need, I am sure, to go into any description of these flavors, owing to their prevalence in every day experience. Lastly, we spent time with the Malty notes, exploring aromas best described as “malted barley”, “butter”, “biscuits” or even “cake”. Although the extremes may contain more burnt variations of this sweet, somewhat thick, note, we did not experience this ourselves. We did notice that several of those present were able to experience only parts of the sensory range, or picked up other notes altogether.


We began our tasting with Dalwhinnie 15 year old. Aromatic, with hints of heather and peat, Dalwhinnie presented the malt and fruit aromas we had just sampled. With water the flavor actually opened up considerably, prompting one participant to encourage us to sip it more slowly: “...it’s not Irish whiskey after all!” The Dalwhinnie scored a respectable, but not stellar, 6.8.


Next up was the Clynelish 14 year old. Faint florals and brown sugar lined the nose, with a respectably creamy but not cloying sweetness were presented to the mouth in a lovely complexity. A hint of salt and a touch bitter on the finish, we scored this dram just a hint behind our first, with an average of 6.75.


Our final glass held Glenmorangie’s The Original, their 10 year old whisky. Being Glenmorangie, we all had high expectations - which were summarily met. A deep and velvety peg, nuts, vanilla, and fresh flowers come together in the nose, and honey and citrus dominate the palate. A long, dry and somewhat oaky finish bring this fine dram to completeness. We scored the Original at 7.85.


Until our next time together,


Sláinte,

November 2010