A Whiskey Affair 2014 was not quite as crowded feeling as last year. We were able to walk around without bumping into people and choose what we wanted to taste. We huddled by the heaters outdoors and posed for pictures inside. It was a fun evening. I wish I had remembered to bring some water. This tasting is without the addition of water to any of the whiskies.

*Palm Ridge Rye   50% ABV
     -Rye/cereal smell
     -tasted sweet cereal
     -very little pepper
     -trailed peppery cereal
     I wish I had been able to put some water in it to taste. Now I will have to buy a bottle for a proper tasting. 

*Palm Ridge New Make
     -smelled sweet rye and honey
     -tasted peppery sweet
     -trailed very quickly

*2 Gingers  4yr  Blended Irish Whiskey 40% ABV 
     -smelled sweet with a little oak
     -Tasted peppery oak
     -tinge of sour at the end
     This did not have the rubber hose quality of some Irish whiskies like Tullamore Dew. 

*LeDaig 10yr  46.3% ABV
     -smelled like sour cork, almost wet towel
     -tasted peaty
     -charred oak/peat to the top of my mouth
     -finished sour beach towel/bacon
     I really wanted to put some water in this to see what flavors were unlocked. Another one I will have to buy. It was a surprising amount of flavor from a 10yr old whisky. 

*Rogue Farms Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey   40% ABV (Aged in oak 1 month)
     -smelled rye/flowers
     -tasted sweet cereal grain with pepper
     -floral/oaky taste lingered in mouth
     This is not something I would go out of my way for. 

*Jura 16yr 43% ABV
     -smelled sweet cough syrup
     -tasted peppery oak
     -trailed oak
     Two things. One, I would like to have had some water to taste this with. Two, I was disappointed with this. I thought there would be more. 

*Powers Signature Release  46% ABV   Aged in bourbon and sherry casks
     -smelled oaky
     -tasted peppery oaky
     -trailed quickly!
     Not much to this Irish whiskey. I would find it hard to justify spending double the price of a bottle of Gold Label. Well, Gold Label used to be $20. Now it has gone up to $23 or $24. 

     Burlock and Barrel is a new distillery here in Jacksonville that put on a tasting and food pairing (burlockandbarrel.com). Since the company is not producing yet, the whiskies were from other places. The food was prepared by the chef and part owner of the venue 927 Events (927events.com). 

*Angels Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon    43.3%  ABV
     -smelled light oak/vanilla sweet
     -tasted peppery with a slight char
     -trailed bitter oak
     -with water lightens to almost no sweet
     -tasted bitter pepper with tannins
     -trailed sour/sweet oak
     Not much to speak about here. Light bourbon.

*Woodford Reserve Distillers Select   45.2%  ABV
     -smelled that oaky/vanilla bourbon smell
     -tasted peppery sweet oak with lots of burn
     -trailed bitter oak
     -with water smelled a tinge of turpentine
     -tasted sour oak
     -trailed tannins/wood
     Just what I expected.

*Pendleton Canadian Blended Whiskey  40%  ABV
     -smelled slight cereal grain/rye with tinge of acrylic paint
     -slightly citrus after a few minutes
     -tasted sweet on the tongue with citrus/lemon
     -turned peppery then sweet
     -with water very citrusy smell
     -tasted sweet lemon oak
     -very little bitterness
     -butterscotch floats up as it trails
     Very, very surprised with this whiskey! How can anyone make acrylic paint and lemon into a pleasant, easy to drink whiskey? I bought a bottle. 

*Tullamore Dew   40%  ABV
     Refer to previous notes.

*Highland Park 12yr  40% ABV
     Refer to previous notes BUT highly recommend buying a bottle and taking your own notes. In fact I highly recommend buying a bottle of Highland Park in any expression and taking notes or just drinking - no notes.

     Todd came by one night with a bottle of Hogshead Pure Malt (Thank you Myra!!) We tried it out. The bottle of Cardhu in the background is actually not Cardhu. It is the leftover "inches" from the tasting at CoRK. That went into our living cask. Having tasted it, I believe the cask is the best place for it. 
     The Hogshead Pure Malt is a blend of only single malt whiskies ( no grain whiskies). There are very few of these types of blends. In fact use of the term Pure Malt is not allowable by the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (Scottish Whisky laws). Any blend of this type is now called Blended Malt Whisky. Johnny Walker Green Label, the most drinkable one of the bunch, is a Blended Malt Whisky. Of course the powers that be decided to discontinue this expression. But back to the Hogshead.

Hogshead Pure Malt  43%  ABV
     -smelled sweet vanilla oak
     -tasted peppery with slight burnt wood
     -trailed oaky
     -with water smelled sweet oak and cinnamon
     -tasted bitter oak and sweet on the tongue
     -trailed sweet oak
     This is sweeter than Johnny Walker Green Label. It is bitter and sweet at the same time. 

     Jeff Luque, one of our newest members, was gracious enough to host a meeting in October at CoRK, the artist studios in Riverside. His work was impressive, and still is, hanging in the gallery space and withing his studio. The building itself enhanced the feeling of being back in art school for me. Although I am well fed, have money, a job and good shoes, there were moments that brought back memories of my school years. Then I would realize how clean the place was and that it wasn't student work hanging on the walls and I would snap back to present. Of course I never tasted any whisky in a studio either. The whole meeting was a series of familiar and new experiences for me. 
     Also included that night was a "White Elephant" gift exchange. Those are always fun. With our group you never get a beer pong set or a paper-weight. 

*Glengoyne  10yr.     43%  ABV
     -smelled very light oak with a slightly burnt scent
     -tasted peppery with slight rubber
     -with water smelled vanilla sweet
     -tasted rubbery oak
     -trailed sour
     Water definitely ruined this. Very light whisky.

*Edradour Natural Cask Strength   58%  ABV   Bourbon aged
     Refer to the August 2014 tasting notes. We tasted it in St Augustine that night. 

*Oban  18yr.    43%  ABV
     -smelled orange and cinnamon with slight vanilla
     -tasted doughy citrus with very little burn
     -with water smelled oak and orange
     -tasted bitter oak
     -sweetness lost
     Water ruined this whisky for sure. Citrus/orange went away. 

*Glenfarclas   12yr.    43%  ABV
     -smelled caramel and raisins/grape with a tinge of oak
     -tasted strong oak/peppery with plain doughnut
     -with water - bitter pepper
     -sweetness went away
     Water completely ruined this!

*Ardmore Traditional Cask   46%  ABV       
     -smelled leathery with vanilla
     -tasted peppery/chalky/smokey and tar  (um, good)
     -with water smelled light oak
     -tasted smokey/burnt wood
     -trailed sour oak
     A light hand with the water is necessary to just take off the alcohol burn without losing the sweetness. Unless, of course, tar and smokey, burnt wood are what you are after. 

Dry Fly Straight Washington Wheat Whiskey       40% ABV
-smelled light oak/sweet
-tasted very light pepper with oak but sweet at first
-trailed bitter oak with tannins
with water smelled lighter oak-charred
-almost a bourbon taste with barrel char
-trailed light tannins
 I think this was left in a barrel for too long. Water ruined it.