Corner Bistro Tasting

At least once a year we go out somewhere as a club. Todd was contacted by the owner of Corner Bistro in Tapestry Park and expressed some interest in our little collective. That led to our tasting at his restaurant on this evening. 
Normally we know at least the names of the whiskies we are tasting. This evening our host blind-poured them for us. We had to guess. Without the thirty or more years of tasting/blending that a master blender would have, our skills at pinpointing the name of the dram were lacking, in fact pathetic. We did resort to ruling out what they were not by looking at the whisky list in the menu. Donna did guess one correctly. 
Here is what we tasted:

Whisky # 1           (Lismore 12 yr  40% ABV)
      -smelled very light with tinge of rubber
     -tasted chalky with wood
     -with water the smell is almost gone
     -tasted dry wood
     -trailed light oak with pepper/salt/rubber

     I'm glad to have started with a light whisky. 

Whisky #2   (Balvenie Caribbean Cask   14 yr   43% ABV)
     -smelled sherry with tinge of pepper
     -tasted sherry/pepper - trailed oak
     -with water smelled slightly oak
     -tasted more oak than sour
     
     I am not as disappointed with this as the first time I tasted it and knew what it was. 

Whisky #3  (Peat Monster    46% ABV)
     -smelled peat smoke - surprisingly no pepper/alcohol
     -tasted peat smoke with oak
     -with water - did not lighten the smoke much
     -tinge of oak

     All smoke and no flavor.

Whisky #4   (Gordon and MacPhail -Macallan 21 yr     1990  43% ABV)
     -smelled wood/oak with a tinge of floralness
     -tasted light oak pepper with Fino
     -with water - all sweetness gone - bitter oak

     Being a Macallan I can see how one might enjoy this more over ice. It would certainly remove the bitterness. The intent of Gordon and MacPhail may not have been for that at all. I am enjoying the slight bitterness in Bruichladdich Rocks as I write this. 

August Meeting at Todd’s     8/24/2013

Highland Park

           

Our first meeting after summer break and our trip to Scotland was at the Hull household. We compared a few of the expressions from Highland Park.

*Highland Park 10 yr   40% ABV

            -smelled slightly wood with a tinge of sweet

            -tasted sweet on the tongue with oak

            -with water smelled sweeter

            -tasted sweet/sour oak

*Cask Strength   No Age Statement  56% ABV

            -smelled vanilla

            -tasted sweet almost cherry cough syrup

            -with water – dulled sweetness in smell

            -smelled more wood

            -tasted even sweeter like cherry

*Highland Park 12 yr  43% ABV    “New Expression”

            -Smelled acidic oak with tinge of sherry

            -tasted sweet almost olorosso

            -with water smelled sour wood/oak

            -tasted slightly sweeter vanilla

Highland Park 12 yr   43% ABV      Older Expressions

            -smelled slightly alcohol with sour wood

            -tasted sweet dough

            -with water smelled a bit soapy

            -tasted sour with burnt wood

            -trailed wood

*Highland Park 15 yr   43% ABV

            -smelled sherry-Fino- with oak

            -tasted peppery oak – trailing burnt wood

            -with water smelled sweeter

            -tasted like a doughnut

            -trailed oaky sour

*Highland Park 18 yr   43% ABV

            -smelled sweet vanilla cherry

            -tasted almost smoky with oak

            -very little alcohol burn

            -trailed peppery

            -with water smelled slightly oak

            -tasted light wood

            -trailed extremely smoky with pepper aftertaste


We decided to vote on whisky of the evening at this meeting, which is something we will do at each tasting. It ended up being a tie between the 15 yr and the 18 yr. I actually preferred the Cask Strength.

            I did taste one more that evening:

*Whyte & Whyte    Talisker  (1979)  14 yr  46% ABV            Independent bottling

            -Smelled sweet cinnamon bun

            -tasted pine/lemon and tangy wood

            -lots of burn with little whisky

            -with water tasted slightly smoky with oak

            -trailed sour wood 

Glengoyne Master Class Tour   7/1/2013

            This tour was five hours and included blending our own whisky at the end. Our guide, Bill, was pleased that he could speak more about the whisky and less about the process. The most exciting part of the tour was getting to actually taste different sherries that are from the barrels used to finish many whiskies. This has now explained certain flavors I get when tasting.

            As we began with the introductions, we sipped on a Glengoyne 18 year. The Odor Recognition Test  was next. That prompted us to suggest that Todd break out his nosing kit for one of our meetings again.

*Glengoyne 18 year   43% ABV

            -smelled oaky, slightly leathery

            -tasted light oak with a tinge of lavender

            -trailed oak

            -with water smelled sweet oak

            -tasted sour wood

            These are the five sherries we tasted:

*Fino       (Palamino grape)    ‘Covered’ aging – the skin on the surface (flor: film of yeast) is not removed as it sits. The barrels are not agitated or rotated.

            -smelled sour

            -tasted grape with sweet and sour

*Manzanilla    (Some of the flor is removed during aging.)

            -smelled strong grape

            -tasted sour grape like a wine

*Amantillado  (Flor is sometimes intentionally killed off or allowed to die slowing. Sherry is fortified to higher alcohol content for oxidative aging resulting in darker, stronger and sweeter product.)

            -smelled sweeter

            -tasted almost like wine/grapes with a tinge of sour

*Olorosso  (Flor is suppressed with fortification from the start. This sherry is aged more than most.)

            -smelled of vanilla and grape

            -tasted sweet floral and vanilla

*Pedro Ximenez    

            This sherry is made from a Spanish grape of the same name using the solera process. The grapes are sundried and concentrated into a molasses like liquid which is fortified and aged in barrels. The solera process mixes portions of each barrel with with the next youngest one, as each is filled at set intervals. The youngest barrel in the stack receives new grape concentrate and fortification while the oldest barel’s removed portion is bottled. This process is continuous and the barrels are never emptied. This is the sweetest and richest tasting sherry of the varieties.

            -smelled of vinegar and grape almost like a plum Danish

            -tasted sweet cinnamon grape and plum

            The whiskies:

*Glengoyne Cask Strength   58.7% ABV  No Age Statement

            -smelled slightly floral with oak

            -tasted sweet vanilla, trailing peppery oak

            -with water smelled lightly of leather

            -tasted slight sour wood

*Glengoyne Single Cask  11 year  55.6% ABV

            -smelled sherry and wood with vanilla

            -tasted peppery vanilla

            -trails oak with a tinge of sherry

            -with water smelled sweet sherry/vanilla dessert

            -tasted sour oak

*Glengoyne Single Cask  10 year   59.8% ABV

            -smelled sweet vanilla/lavender

            -tasted peppery, trailing oak

            -with water – killed smell – light dessert, caramel

            -tasted woody caramel with sweet peppery flavor

*Glengoyne Single Cask  14 year   57.8% ABV

            -smelled slightly floral

            -tasted sweet floral with lemon

            -trailed oak

            -with water smelled floral almost wood polish-pine

            -tasted lightly sweet with a tinge of lemon

            -trailed oak, slightly sour

Aberlour Distillery tour.     6/28/2013

            Our tour guide was James Fleming. He was very knowledgeable and also a Monty Python fan. He appreciated Todd bringing his own coconuts to Doune Castle.

            At the beginning of the tour we tasted a 12 year.

*Aberlour 12 year    43% ABV   Aged in bourbon (80%) and finished in sherry (20%)

            -smelled sweet cough syrup and wood

            -tasted sweet on the front of my tongue

            -trailed oak

            -with water became lighter sweet with a touch of pepper

            One of the cool things about this tour was the being able to smell the Foreshots, Hearts, Feints and a control sample. Normally these are just talked about and maybe even shown in a bottle. We got to stick our noses in it.

            *Foreshots   90% ABV  Undrinkable!

            It is what comes out between distillings to clean out the pipes. There is a lot of copper in it. It smelled like cleaning fluid and burned our eyes and sinuses. Adding water clouded it up and made it smell like old brake fluid.

            *Hearts  64%-74% ABV

            It smelled floral sweet with a tinge of sour. Adding water made it smell surprisingly sweeter with no sourness .

            *Feints  55% ABV

            It smelled like a floral, waxy cleaning fluid. I smelled decaying flowers as well. Adding water made it smell like week old vase water, mildewy.

            *Control     69.8% ABV

            It smelled of wood with slightly sour floral scent. Water changed the smell to wood with a lemon, citrusy scent.

            We did get to taste some expressions after ruining our sense of smell with rotten flowers and cleaning fluid. If I remember correctly we also had some chocolates that were supposed to complement each dram. I tasted first and ate the chocolates later.

#1 New Spirit   Control Sample       (For some reason I have noted 6 year. Doesn’t make sense.)

            -smelled faintly sour floral with wood

            -tasted a touch of dry oatmeal with a tinge of flour

            -with water smelled sour floral again

            -tasted peppery wood and trailed quickly

#2 Aberlour 18 year  43% ABV      (80% Olorosso Sherry/20% Bourbon)

            -smelled sherry/wine with a sweetness

            -tasted bitter like a chardonnay at first and trailed sweeter

            -left an oak taste

            -with water smelled floral and woody

            -tasted sweet wood, much lighter flavor

            -trailed quickly

#3 Aberlour Cask Strength  16 year  54.4% ABV     (Mostly bourbon/sherry)

            -smelled slightly sour bourbon, no floral

            -tasted sweet chalky, peppery in the middle and trailed bourbon

            -with water smelled slightly floral/wine scent (no bourbon)

            -tasted bourbon all the way through

            -trailed peppery

#4 Aberlour Cask Strength Single Cask  16 year  54.4% ABV   (Mostly sherry/bourbon)

            -smelled sour wood

            -tasted peppery at first then sweet wood into a sherry flavor

            -with water smelled sour wood

            -tasted sweet peppery wood that moved into a sherry and oak

      The distillery was a zoo or an amusement park. That is what it looked like. There were tour buses and huge groups of people milling around. Tour were run every half hour for the public. I was reminded of Epcot at Disney.

            Fortunately for us we had a reserved tour with a special guide. That tour guide was not there that day though. So we settled for a lady who did something else and was not accustomed to tours.

            This place packed in people and put out some whisky! They had 12 stainless steel washbacks. Glenmorangie’s production is huge.  See this site for pics of  washbacks:

http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/

            We had all tasted Glenmorangie expressions before. Myra’s collection has/had some fine bottles with even a few we will never get to taste again. I was excited to try the Finealta and Ealanta.

*10 year Original     40%ABV

            -smelled like an orange scone

            -tasted bitter oak – not sweet

            -with water the sweetness is diminished

            -tasted strongly of oak with a tinge of sweet

            -trailed quickly

            -water ruined it!

*Astar      No Age Statement    57.1% ABV

            -smelled slightly medicinal and sweet

            -tasted peppery with almost a doughy start

            -with water it smelled like orange/short bread

            -tasted sweeter like a dessert then went quickly to pepper

*Finealta    No Age Statement   46% ABV

            This whisky is a recreation of an expression found in the Glenmorangie archives from 1903.

            -smelled mossy sweet like moldy bread

            -light scent of citrus

            -tasted medicinal, slightly chalky and light wood

            -with water smelled the same but fainter with a tinge of chocolate

            -tasted doughy, wet

            -trailed quickly with a peppery, wood taste

*Elanta      No Age Statement    46% ABV    American Oak Heavily Charred

            -smelled of sweet cream turning quickly into light  pine wood

            -tasted wood, no sourness, slightly chalky

            -sweetness like bread

            -with water smelled – raisin bread?/cookie dough(no chocolate)

            -tasted very light, sweet cookie dough

            -trailed quickly with oak

Since Todd was driving that day, his flight was actually packed up for him to taste later. Whisky to go. 

The girls were so happy that they did not have to kill Todd and I for not going to Glenmorangie.

    This distillery was the find of the trip. We liked the whisky and our visit to the shop was part tour, part shopping. Upon parking in the narrow lot we were cautioned to stay in the middle so as not to get in the way of the trucks. I moved the van. Then the nice lady led us back to the shop. 

            On the way there was an unmistakable scent of bananas and something citrusy. I am not making this up. I think Donna chimed in with a “Yeah!” when I mentioned it.

            Here is what we tasted:

*Balblair  10 year   2012 bottling                    46%ABV

            -smelled of bananas/citrusy

            -tasted sweet citrusy and quickly went to oak

            -with water sweetness disappears

            -smelled of light oak

            -tasted lightly sweet with stronger oak, no vanilla

I was surprised with banana and oak in a whisky.

*Balblair   16 year      1997 bottling             46%ABV

            -smelled orange citrusy with slight wood

            -tasted  almost bitter oak

            -trailed oak with a hint of citrus

            -with water turned almost sour, bitter oak

            -smelled faintly of oak

It seemed that an extra 6 years did not add anything to this whisky.

Tood and I bottled our own. 

Scapa had a very modest reception area where we gathered before our tour. This makes sense since they do not normally allow tours. This was a special treat for IMWC.

We did get to take some pictures and walk around. Our tour guide and the mill above. 
If I remember correctly, the stills were about to be filled and run. We had to get out of there before that began. 

I don't have notes on this but we did taste a Scapa new make at the end. Myra wanted to put the dram and the glass in her purse. It was unbelievably sweet and grassy. Compared to other new makes we've tasted, this one was a pleasure to drink. We'l have to put that one the list to buy. Maybe next trip it will be for sale.