First I tried Black Bush, a terrific Irish whiskey. It only has that Irish sweetness for a millisecond, then the flavor changes to how you'd imagine velvet to taste- like its drying out your tongue, followed by a powdered chocolate taste. Great stuff. I love flavors that come in waves.
I also had a Glenlivet 15 (I think) year old. Glenlivet is a standard whiskey sold in most bars, but I don't find it to be as interesting as others in the same age and price range. It doesn't seem to have much nose or tail (aftertaste). It's all on your pallet- a delicious, spicey-smoky taste to be sure, but I think I like my whiskeys with more bells and whistles. (I'm easily distracted by shiny objects too.)
I then tried a Dalmore 12 year. The peatiness is present in this Highland Scotch, but not obtrusive as it can be in some others, and disappears before the other fruitier flavors do. It has an almost a zesty quality, with the flavor jumping from your mouth up to your nose before smoothing out in the tail end. Nice.
The fun part about drinking whiskey is building a vocabulary by looking up the tasting notes online afterwards and seeing how wrong you were. I'll save that for another entry...
It's time to play My Tongue Versus Yours, where we compare what Camper said with what other people say about whiskey:
Black Bush
Camper Said: "It only has that Irish sweetness for a millisecond, then the flavor changes to how you'd imagine velvet to taste- like its drying out your tongue, followed by a powdered chocolate taste."
Experts Say: "Black Bush has a distinctive, full-bodied aroma with spicy, malty and nutty sweet sherry notes. It is complex and well flavored, slightly sweet with clear malt notes that are not masked by smoke."
Analysis: Were we drinking the same thing?
Glenlivet
Camper Said: "It doesn't seem to have much nose or tail (aftertaste). It's all on your pallet- a delicious, spicey-smoky taste..."
Experts Say: "Selective maturation in new Limousin oak casks, usually reserved for wine, has added delicate overtones of the spices highly prized in fine wines, while complementing the elegance of the single malt."
Analysis: We both said "spicy."
Dalmore 12
Camper Said: "The peatiness is present in this Highland Scotch, but not obtrusive as it can be in some others, and disappears before the other fruitier flavors do. It has an almost a zesty quality..." Experts Say: "Moderately full bodied; reminiscent of orange peel, dried flowers, dried fruit; Powerful sherry cask aromas; veering towards an after dinner style."
Analysis: orange peel = zesty, but otherwise we were talking about different aspects of the whiskey.
Overall, I'd say I did below average. But that's why it's called a learning curve, people!
- Aberlour 15 year old- I only have scrawled "It burns!" I remember I tried this one was near the end of the evening, which would explain that.
- Aberlour a'bunadh- This was also overwhelming to me. I kept adding water to it and enjoyed the sherry component of the whisky, but it was too tough for me. It almost tastes like a whisky you'd brag about drinking rather than one you enjoy drinking.
- The Balvenie- The Balvenie whiskies were the highlight of my evening. Not surprisingly, they got better with the age of the whisky. (Note: this isn't always the case. Age is by no means the sole determinant of quality.) I tried the 15 year single barrel and enjoyed it greatly, but not even close to how much as I enjoyed the 25 year old single cask. Unlike whiskies that wow you with their subtlety, this one presents itself to your mouth for inspection. I felt like I could almost taste the grain in the wood of the barrel in which it was stored. Amazing. I then had the 30 year old, which was also phenomenal. It differed from the 25 in that the aftertaste lasts forever, flickering on your tongue like a flip-book of flavor. I'm going to have to savor the memory of this whisky, because at about $550 a bottle, I'm probably never going to have it again.
- Castle Brands- I didn't love any of these Irish whiskies, which included Clontarf Irish Whiskey (Note: it's "whiskey" in Ireland and "whisky" in Scotland.) Clontarf Reserve, Clontarf Single Malt, and Knappogue Castle. My companion Amy really liked them, so there's that.
- Talisker 175th Anniversary- there was so much smoke my mouth said, "Where's the fire?"
- The Dalmore 21 year old- my notes say "really good but obscure," which I take to mean the flavor was different to the point of being inaccessible. (And "inaccessible" to me means I don't really get it. Like cilantro- I don't get it!)
- The Glenlivet- I liked the bottles I tried in reverse age order. I tried a 21 year old, an 18 year old, and a 15 year old, and liked the youngest the best. (That sentence will pretty much guarantee that pedophiles will stumble across this website.) The 15 year old French Oak was not only my favorite, but at $40 a bottle, I could actually afford it!
- Highland Park- The 18 year was terrific, and so was the 25. Highland Park is always a winner.
- Laphroaig- Quarter Cask- this is supposed to be more woody and sherry flavored, as more whisky is in contact with the wood. It was fine. I really liked the 15 year though- creamy goodness.
- The Macallan- I finally had a chance to sample their Fine Oak line. This line is designed to introduce new drinkers and women to whisky, with a lighter flavor profile due to aging in different casks. It did taste like oak. Unfortunately I learned that I don't like the flavor of oak (in this and other brands as well), so I'm not a fan of this line. I also tried the Cask Strength bottle. I thought it was too sharp on its own, but much better with added water. Still, I think I'll stick to the regular Macallan line, which is so very good just as it is.
- Yamazaki- I tried this Japanese whisky before on my visit to Nihon, the new whisky bar in San Francisco. Japanese whiskies are basically copies of Scotch ones, so the strong smoky peatiness of the 18 year old was no big surprise. The Sherry Wood 1986 was interesting though, with most of the sherry flavor in the finish rather than on the palette.
