The March meeting was a ‘blind tasting’ of whiskies carefully selected by Tom. On arrival we were greeted by a place setting for each of us with five carefully arranged glasses of whisky identified 1 to 5. The only hint given was that they were all Scottish Single Malts and they all hailed from somewhere above Glasgow and below the Shetland Isles – so that narrowed it down to the 4 Scottish regions and around 100 distilleries! 

Whisky 1 – A bright copper colour with some vanilla honey and young spirit on the nose. Some sweetness in the taste – banana maybe, slight saltiness, slight aniseed. A short and uncomplicated finish. 

Whisky 2- A warm amber colour with oak, some orange and sweetness on the nose. A distinct sherry/caramel taste with a long lasting finish leaving a slight saltiness.

Whisky 3 – Very dark, strong aromas of sherry, wood, dark fruits, leather, Christmas pudding. Honey sweetness and spice to the palate with a long spiced finish.

Whisky 4 – Very light straw in colour, floral, peppery, salty aromas with vanilla notes. Taste - some saltiness, slightly buttery, spirit burn. A shortish, unremarkable finish.

Whisky 5 – A light golden colour with grass, slightly medicinal and some smoke to the nose. Reasonably long salt and pepper finish.

Various guesstimates (some very close and some well off the mark!) were made as to the region of each whisky, the age and the approximate cost and each of us then ranked the whiskies in order of personal preference before all was revealed.

The whiskies were:

Whisky 1 – Glen Marnoch 18YO (Aldi Special) - £25
Whisky 2 – Tomintoul 21YO - £55
Whisky 3 – Ben Riach 15YO - £39
Whisky 4 – Tobermory 10YO - £29
Whisky 5 – Talisker 10YO - £35

Interestingly, although we had some wide ranging estimates of age and value, when individual preferences were aggregated the Tomintoul came out top with 33 points, followed by Ben Riach with 26 points, Talisker with 21 points and the two cheaper whiskies Glen Marnoch and Tobermory trailing with 16 and 12 points respectively. 

This blog was written by Sean McCarrick - SWC Member.

Thanks to Steve (@TheWhiskyWire), Andrew (@Ardbaggie), Heather (@Xcaliper) and Johanne (@Whiskylassie), all people I've never met, I've had the opportunity over the last few months, to taste some amazing whisky and find some whiskies that I don't like!

Back in Dec 2013, I took part in the #Festive Drams tweet tasting.  This was a blind tasting, so I didn't quite know what to expect, apart from a few surprises! 

Dram 1: N -  fresh and fruity, green apples and honey. P - fresh, with citrus and sherbet notes. F - pleasantly fizzy. I didn't think this was an amazing whisky, but it was very nice and drinkable. I guessed it wasn't a Scotch, which was true, as it turned out to be a HIKIBI 12 yr Japanese blend at 43% ABV. 

Dram 2: N - creamy toffee (Werther's Originals), with a hint of marzipan. P - balanced tropical fruits and sherry.  F – spicy. This got it a VERY NICE in my notes! It was the PENDERYN Sherrywood, 46% ABV. 

Dram 3: In complete contrast to the Penderyn, with a YUCK!!, was the GLENDRONACH 15 yr old Speyside single malt, 46%.  The Penderyn sherry was smooth and subtle, whereas I found the GlenDronach harsh and slightly bitter. Needless to say, I didn't finish this sample.

Dram 4: N - full of fruit and spice, oranges, cloves and sea salt. P - subtly smokey. F - quite rounded. This was a very nice expression from AMRUT Indian whisky 'Kadhambam', 50%ABV. 

Dram 5: N - creamy, sweet nougat, marzipan, butterscotch nose with just a hint of iodine and seaside. P - strong, but not overpowering, with just the right balance of butterscotch sweetness and spice. F - zingy, peppery. Was really pleased to have guessed Canadian or Australian, when it turned out to be HEARTWOOD Release the Beast from Tasmania, 65.4%ABV. This was definitely my favourite of the night.

At the end of Jan 2014, Andrew Purslow, UK brand ambassador, sent me some LIMEBURNERS samples to try.

Dram 1: M76, 43%. N – oak, marzipan, cherries, tropical fruit and rum notes. P – spicy, tannins, slightly drying with water, with a touch of honey at the end, rich. F – smooth and long. Not as complex taste as nose. Nice, but I preferred it without water.

Dram 2: M92, 43%. N – honey, soaked dried fruit, marzipan, lime, citrus. P – citurs, spice. F – spicy. Light and very pleasant, an easy drinking whisky.

Dram 3: M61, 60% NCF, CS. Silver medal at IWSC 2013. N – dried fruit, acetone, buttery. P – mouth filling, explosive, but smooth with buttery caramel. F – tongue tingling. WOW! Really liked this. Hope it eventually becomes available in the UK.

Feb 7th 2014, HIGHLAND PARK secret tweet tasting. 3 single malts, distinguished by a different coloured spot on each bottle.

Red dram: N – citrus, floral. P – rich orange marmalade, followed by smokey bacon. F – nice and spicy. Thor, 52.1%ABV, 16 yr old. Very nice.

Green dram: N – salty sea air, creamy. P – peat, with some peppery spice. F – long and mellow, with creamy notes. Loki, 47.8%ABV, 15 yr old. Smokey and sweet.

Blue dram: N – peaty, acetone notes, followed by fruit. P – smooth, fruity, butterscotch, with a nice amount of smoke. F – long and lovely. Freya, 51.2%, 15 yr old. What a lovely lady. My favourite of 3 very nice whiskies.

A few days later, some Canadian FORTY CREEK samples, arrived in the post, from Heather McBriarty.

Portwood Reserve, 45%. N – port, mellow fruit.  P – citrus, smooth, fruity. F – long and warm. Really nice. Very easy drinking.

Barrel Select Premium, 40%. N – vanilla, freshly baked biscuits. P – vanilla, tropical fruits. F – long and smooth. Nice, but not outstanding.

Heart of Gold, 43%. I didn't really like this and have just written down 'Harsh'!

These 3 drams show what an individual drink whisky is, as Heather had advised me to save the Heart of Gold to last, as it is her favourite!

22nd Feb and more whisky arrives from Canada, this time courtesy of Johanne McInnis.

FORTY CREEK Confederation Oak Reserve, 40%ABV. N – marzipan, green apples, fresh cut grass, caramel. P – citrus, crisp, vanilla, brown sugar. F – smooth, but short. This is an amazing whisky and I would highly recommend you try it.

WRITER'S TEARS, Irish Pot Still, 40%ABV. N – butter, fresh fruit, floral. P – peppery, light buttery. F – pleasant and light. Nice.

STALK & BARREL, single malt, Cask 5, Bottle 169, 60.3%ABV. N – dried fruit, apples, pears. P – nice, crisp, but not harsh. F – long and warm. This is a real cockle-warmer of a winter whisky.

Johanne also sent a MONKEY SHOULDER Batch 27, that I haven't yet opened, plus a RED BREAST 12 yr old and an HIKIBI 12. As I've tried both of these last 2, I'm going to pass them on to Stroud Whisky Club members, who haven't.

17 new whiskies in 3 months, quite a few from countries new to me, Japan, Canada, Australia and Tazmania. Just goes to show what you can find, if you broaden your whisky horizons!

Jo X