I invited the two Johns over for a tasting since they had me over for the previous samplings of whisk(e)y. If I remember correctly, I only took notes on the ones John senior brought. We had ourselves a fine time with the Water of Life that evening. It turned out to be Campbeltown, the once smallest distillery in Scotland and something from my cousins in Taiwan. (Not literally my cousins.)

​*Kavalan Oloroso Sherry Oak (NAS)46% ABV
     Taiwanese distillery with first release in December 2008.
     -smelled bourbon, rubbery
     -tasted smoky oak w/rubber
     -w/water smelled cinnamon w/oak
     -tasted smoke, oaky w/touch sweet sherry
     Trailed quickly to oak bitter!
 
*Edradour Caledonia 12yr 46% ABV
     Once the smallest distillery in Scotland
     -smelled cinnamon bun
     -tasted sweet dessert bun, pepper w/floral
     -trailed sweet oak
     -w/water smelled cookie dough
     -tasted oak w/sweet dessert
     -trailed light oak slowly

​*Springbank Hazelburn 14yr 49.3% ABV
     Finished in Oloroso cask
     -smelled bacon/cooked meat with cinnamon dessert
     -tasted cinnamon bun w/pepper
     -trailed quickly!
     -w/water smelled butterscotch, sweet cookie
     -tasted floral pepper
     -trailed sweet cookie quickly!
     From sweet to peppery oak to sweet again. This whisky was back and forth. Water definitely opened it up though. Unless, that is, you wanted to stay with the cooked meat flavor. 

​*Kilkerran Single Cask 15yr 51.5% ABV
     Oloroso cask finished
     -smelled sourdough cookie with slight oak
     -tasted smoke/oak
     -w/water smelled caramel
     -tasted caramel, sherry, grape
     -w/slight oak trailed quickly sweet
     Wow! Water brought out the sweetness in this one. It went from sourdough cookie sweet to caramel, sherry, grape.
     This is the sister distillery to Springbank. The actual name is the Glengyle distillery but their expressions are bottled under the Kilkerran brand to avoid confusion with the same named blended malt Highland whisky. Also Springbank resurrected Glengyle to bring the number of operating producers in Campbeltown to three – the minimum number required by the government to be considered a whisky region. Hence the distinction of Campbeltown being its own Whisky Region in Scotland. 

​*Laphroaig LORE (NAS) 48% ABV
     A mixture of stocks from 7-21 yrs and varying from quarter cask to bourbon and Oloroso butts
     -smelled peaty, boot leather
     -tasted peat, leathery smoke and trailed quickly
     -w/water smelled sweet grassy
     -tasted smoke, pepper, bitter oak
     -trailed quickly
     Whatever sweetness the water opened on the nose, it was lost in the peat. I like peat. It was just overpowering in this one for any other smells/tastes. Having tasted 4 before this, my taste buds may have been fried, especially considering Springbank and Kilkerran were the two previous ones. 

     I met up with John and his son down in St. Augustine one night for a little tasting of Irish and a Glenfiddich. We went to the Irish  pub for dinner afterwards. The fish and chips were very appropriate. 

​*Glendalough Single Malt Irish 7yr  46% ABV
     -smelled grassy, citrus
     -tasted slightly unmalted barley/rubber
     -peppery, oak – trailed quickly
     -w/water smelled very light citrus
     -tasted peppery oak
     -very little sweetness left
     Even at 46% ABV this needs no water.
 
*Powers Gold Label (NAS) 43% ABV Irish Pot Still
     -smelled sweet caramel w/berries
     -tasted slight pepper w/oak
     -w/water smelled citrusy light
     -tasted light oak w/slight citrus
     This is an easy drinking, triple distilled, light Irish. Once undervalued, this whiskey got great reviews a few years ago and went from around $20 a bottle to anywhere from $30-$38. That’s quite a hike. It’s still good and doesn’t break the bank.
 
*Glenfiddich Experimental Series - Fire and Cane (NAS) 43% ABV 
     [Peated single malt aged in ex-bourbon, finished for 3 months in rum casks]
     -smelled malted barley sweet, almost corn
     -tasted light oak, trailed quickly
     -w/water smelled floral, citrusy
     -tasted light peat, slight bitter sugar rum and oak
     Interesting flavor mixture. I was not overwhelmed with any one thing. 

*Auchentoshen 12 yr 40% ABV

     -Smells sweet, sherry w/toffee and vanilla
     -Tinge of chocolate
     -Tastes sweet oak, peppery charred, almost leather
     -W/water smells light pine, lemony floral
     -Tastes acidic citrus with peppery oak
     Trails quickly!

​

     Aly bought us a gift for Christmas 2019. Todd was purchasing a set and offered to get 2 if we wanted one. Of course! We waited a bit to taste some. We still haven't tasted them all. This is the first round:

​*Dalwhinnie Winter’s Frost  NAS 43% ABV
House of Stark
     -smelled citrus and floral
     -tasted citrus w/oak, some sugar cookie
     -w/water smelled sweet lemon
     -tasted lemon, went quickly to oak/pepper

​*Singleton Glendullan Select NAS 40% ABV
House of Tully
     -smelled salty, apple pie
     -tasted green apple w/touch pepper/oak
     -w/water smelled candy/apple/Jolly Rancher
     -tasted lighter apples and oily
     -went quickly to oak!
I could almost taste rubber through the apple. 

​*Royal Lochnagar 12yr 40% ABV
House of Baratheon
     -smelled floral, citrusy, apple w/chocolate
     -tasted pastry/dough w/ very little pepper/oal
     -w/water smelled citrus and prune Danish
     -tasted slight citrus w/pepper/oak
     Water really didn’t open this up.

​*Talisker Select Reserve NAS 45.8% ABV
House of Greyjoy
     -smelled bacon/cooked meat
     -tasted peaty, sweet almost bourbon w/cherry
     -w/water smelled lemony w/tinge bacon/peat
     -tasted peppery citrus
     -trailed peppery oak

                I was first introduced to Burlock and Barrel in 2014 when I went to a tasting they hosted called the Bad Ass Mens Whiskey Night. (11/7/14) This was before they had the distillery operating. It put them on my radar and I stayed aware of their progress. Pictures from that tasting are long since evaporated, probably at the bottom of the hot tub three phones ago. Yes I did that before I went swimming with the last phone. 
​     This tasting was truly a local for me. Burlock and Barrel is right here in Jacksonville. My wife and I stopped by one afternoon and tasted some whiskey.

 
*Reserve 45%  ABV  (corn, malted barley and rye aged in 15 gal American oak casks)
     -smelled corn vanilla/oak
     -tasted rye!  and corn
     -trailed oak with pepper
     -w/water smelled rye
     -tasted corn/rye
     -trailed rye w/slight sweet
     Water pulled out the rye flavor. This is their core expression, an American Whiskey. The corn seems to counter the spiciness of the oak and rye well. 

​*Whim Honey  35%  ABV (Orange blossom honey)
     -tasted peppery honey with corn
     The peppery undertone is probably from the oak. The honey and corn do a great job in smoothing out that bitterness. This is really a mixed drink in a bottle which is not my thing. Tasty though!

*Whim Jalapeno Honey  35%  ABV (Wildflower honey)
     -tasted tinge of jalapeno w/honey masking
     -trailed pepper/jalapeno quickly
     I like to taste the flavor of the pepper in spicy foods, not just feel the heat. This is a case of tasting the flavor of jalapeno with minimal burn. Also a tasty, premixed drink. It reminds me of an Umatilla Smash, a mixed drink I had at one of our meetings in 2012. It had a certain Florida whiskey in it and jalapeno as well. 

                The Highland Games are a cacophony of sound with the skirl of bagpipes echoing through flashes of tartan scarves and hats and tents overflowing with kilts and all that is Scottish. Clan banners undulate and snap in a dance with the wind as sheep dogs scamper to whistles. A rhythmic chug-chug-pop is the undertone as the ice cream maker’s motor seems to strain with effort. The Saturday of the Games is one of colors, culture and vendor wares from all over the country (this one) and beyond. This was the 25th Annual NE Florida Highland Games.
               The actual Games competitions are held on the various fields surrounding the covered stadium under which are all the clan tents. The cabers are tossed. The hammer is thrown. The shot put is – well – thrown. And a weight for height competition, which also involves throwing something, is contested. Those athletes travel in circuits to Games and Celtic festivals competing against each other around the southeast and nationwide.  
               Whisky. Ah yes. The Water of Life. Uisge beatha. Like vessels throughout a body, glimpses of the flowing spirit are only seen close to the surface. On display but factory sealed, bottles of the stuff sit on tables. Ask and from under kilts, tables and displays the magical liquid appears. There are always those willing to share in a dram and talk of things Scottish. Or just talk and talk.
              The night before the Games, Friday night, the bottles of whisky are out on the bar. They are opened and they are tasted for that is the night of the Whisky Tasting. Here is what we tasted that night:

​                For this Highland Games Whisky Tasting our selection of aged distillate was provided by Katie who was our local Whyte and Mackay representative. The whiskies were varied and interesting for notoriety and the sheer amount of work that went into producing them. The list included Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Jura 10 yr and Seven Wood (10yr) and two Dalmores. 

​*Shackleton Blended Malt Whisky 40% ABV
[This is apparently a blend of 20 single malts to get as close to the original Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt found in the floorboards of the cabin of the famous Ernest Shackleton Antarctic base camp. The whisky was found to have contained Orkney peat and indications of aging in American oak sherry casks.]
     -smelled citrusy, lemon with touch of oak
     -tasted light oak and vanilla
     -trailed peppery-very light
     -w/water smelled slight dish soap, very floral and lemon
     -tasted peppery oak (lightly)
     -trailed quickly!
     Not much to this whisky. 

​*Jura 10yr  40% ABV
This uses peated and unpeated barley.
     -smelled very light w/touch of wood
     -tasted slight smoke like from a campfire
     -goes quickly to oak without pepper
     -w/water smelled a tinge of toast w/bacon
     -tasted a little peat with oak

​*Jura Seven Wood 10yr 42% ABv
[7 Casks-French and American]
     -smelled caramel, sherry, vanilla
     - tasted wood with pepper
     -w/water smelled floral caramel
     -tasted lighter wood w/pepper
     -trailed bitter (wine)
     I try to taste things ‘blind,’ meaning I do not do any research about a whisky before I taste it. That way I am not influenced by anything I read or expecting any flavors or dislikes. In this case I am not a fan of wine, especially in my whisky. The water opened up the wine. Interesting whisky, for sure, but not one I would reach for. 

But what are the seven woods? That was also my question. Answered perfectly:

​*Dalmore 12yr 40%  ABV (9 years in bourbon casks, 3 yrs in olorosso)
     -smelled almost grape w/slight citrus
    -tasted unsweetened chocolate, slightly peppery w/citrus notes
     -trailed oak
     -w/water smelled sweeter – caramel, slight toffee
     -tasted light citrus orange but less sweet
     -quickly went to oak
     Not as sweet as it smelled.

​*Dalmore 15yr  40%  ABV   (Bourbon/3 sherry casks aged)
     -smelled slight bourbon w/oak and raisin bread
     -tasted sweet oak w/sweet bread/dough
     -w/water smelled cherry w/caramel
     -tasted almost smoky w/light floral
     -trailed oak quickly!
     Water gave this a surprise. 

A couple of pics from our booth during Saturday's Games. 

​                John came by with a few bottles of the Water of Life for a tasting. Since he had a GlenDronach 18 and 21 we tasted the 15 year for comparison. I rated my 1, 2 and 3. We compared a Bunnahabhain 12 and 18 as well. The Ballechin, from Edradour, was also on the menu. 

​*Aberlour A’bunadh Batch No. 56  61.2% ABV
     -smelled sherry, cherry syrup
     -strong cinnamon and caramel
     -tasted caramel, sherry, grape juice into cinnamon
     -w/water smelled lighter sweet with oak
     -tasted oaky w/pepper and cherry
     Water does not improve this much! 

​1*GlenDronach 18 yr  46% ABV
     -Smelled vanilla, cherry, caramel dessert
     -tasted cherry scone/dessert with cinnamon
     -very light pepper
     -w/water smelled cinnamon bun! With cherry tart
     -tasted slight pepper w/light sweet dessert
     I enjoyed this one the most of the three.

​2*GlenDronach 15 yr Revival (My bottle) 46% ABV
     -smelled caramel, cinnamon
     -tasted slight pepper with cherry
     -trailed oak quickly
     -w/water smells caramel and cinnamon bread
     -tasted sweet dessert with oak slightly
     The 15yr was my second favorite of the group. It’s just good!

​3*GlenDronach 21yr  48% ABV
     -smelled tinge of lemon dish soap w/caramel and cherry
     -tasted peppery citrus/orange w/cherry
     -w/water smelled shortbread cookie w/cherry
     -tasted peppery w/sweet cookie dough
     Water doesn’t ruin this but less is better.
     This whisky was my least favorite of the comparison. Still a whisky worth going out of your way for though!

​*Bunnahabhain 12yr  46.3% ABV
     -smelled chocolate chip cookie w/vanilla
     -tasted sweet w/peppery oak and trailed quickly
     -w/water smelled lemon floral
     -tasted slight oak
     Very sweet on the nose with and without water. 

​*Bunnahabhain 18yr  46.3% ABV
     -smelled sugar cookie
     -tasted slight rubber w/oak
     -w/water smelled oak but sweet
     -tasted sweet pastry with pepper
     The extra six years in a barrel imparted a sweetness on the finish that the 12yr did not have. 

​*Ballechin 10yr  46% ABV  (Edradour)
     -smelled sweet, burnt wood, grass
     -tasted sweet grass, peat w/grilled meat
     -w/water smelled bacon
     -tasted peppery, bacon, oak

​*Stranahan’s Whiskey 47% ABV  Rocky Mountain Single Malt
     (Denver, CO, small batch straight, barley whiskey from a combination of 2,3 and 5 yr old stock)
     -smelled lemon bar dessert
     - tasted pepper, chicken BBQ
     -w/water smelled lemon
     -tasted lemon, poppy seed
     -trailed quickly!
     Interesting, to say the least. 

     We were so happy that the distillery was open on New Year's Day. The holiday season made it a challenge at times to find open businesses. Luckily whiskey is a popular business. We were also able to get a bite to eat while we were there as well. More importantly, I tasted a few drams. 

*Single Malt Irish Whiskey 7-9 yr 46% ABV
-smells leathery caramel w/tinge of grassy
-- goes quickly to cinnamon bun
-tastes peppery cinnamon bread w/touch rubber/grassy
-trails quickly! Oak
-with water smells rubbery w/hint citrus
-tastes very light peppery oak
-trails quickly to oak!
-water not the best for this

​

*Teeling Revival Single Malt 46% ABV
-smells orange scone w/grassy note at the end
-tastes slight grassy and pepper
-with water smells very sweet lemon dessert
-tastes light citrus and goes quickly to peppery oak!
-water opens up the smell

​

*Seasonal Single Cask (finished in Olorosso sherry) NAS 
-smells bourbon grassy
-tastes very peppery oak with hint grassy
-with water smells citrus, floral and oak
-tastes sweet oak and trails quickly to bitter oak
-water ruins this.

​

*Whiskey Renaissance 46% ABV
-smells strongly orange, bourbon oak
-tastes salt water Taffy and goes to pepper
-with water smells cinnamon flowery with caramel
-tastes sweet cookie and trails quickly, not bitter

​

     These were our last few days in Ireland. We enjoyed Dublin the second time around. Although I would not recommend making any plans around the fireworks display if you are ever here for New Years Eve. Short, underwhelming and difficult to see. The fireworks show at The Spirit of the Suwannee campground in Live Oak, FL, would easily put that to shame.  
     

     Uhm, yeah. I know. This tasting was in December of 2019 and I'm just now posting. ".. I ran out of gas. I... I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locus. It wasn't my fault. I swear to god! Jake Blues from the Blues Brothers.

     Well, enough of my excuses. Here's what I tasted:

Powers Single Cask 15 46% ABV

-Smells vanila, caramel, licorice
-Tastes cherry oak pepper
-With water smells citrusy lemon with caramel
-Tastes caramel cinnamom toast into pepper and oak, quickly!

​

sTemple Bar Irish Whiskey Flight 12/17/2019
     Our Ireland trip was highlighted by the holiday season. Lights were everywhere. People were shopping (almost all locally owned shops) and enjoying festivities everywhere. It was nice and cold, wintery and old European. Just like Scotland, everyone was warm and welcoming.
     We had to go to the Temple Bar of course. It’s a landmark destination for Dublin that has been serving since 1840. It is the focal point for a neighborhood named after it that includes other pubs and a famous hotel owned by Bono and the Edge (didn’t know this while I was there). As luck would have it, Temple Bar has a whiskey tasting room and retail store attached. Aly and I bellied up to the bar for a tasting!

​*Temple Bar Signature Blend    “5 yrs or so”  40% ABV  Port and Bourbon casks
     I was told that Middletons was in the blend.
     -smelled sweet  cherry
     -tasted slight oak with fruit
     -w/water smelled citrus sweet almost lemon
     -tasted tea biscuit – quickly goes to peppery oak

​*Temple Bar 10 Yr  40% ABV American Oak
     -smelled grassy sweet with sour apple candy
     -tasted apple candy
     -went to oak quickly
     -with water smelled apple candy
     -tasted bitter oak
     Water ruined this.

​*Temple Bar 12 Yr 40% ABV
     -smelled slight tar/smoke
     -tasted toast and oak
     -with water smelled light vanilla
     -tasted oak
     -trailed quickly

​     *Temple Bar 15 Yr 40% ABV Double Distilled, Bourbon Casks
     -smelled lemon, sugar cookie
     -tasted sweet pastry – went quickly to oak
     -with water smelled sweet cookie
     -tasted cookie dough – went quickly to oak with a little pepper

*Temple Bar 14 Yr Malbec Cask 43% ABV
     Aged in Argentinian Malbec casks
     -smelled slight rubber and floral
     -tasted rubber with wine
     -with water smelled rubbery and grassy
     -tasted wine – trailed rubber/pepper/oak
     I struck up a conversation with the young gentleman serving me. He appreciated my whisk(e)y knowledge and added this expression to my tasting. 

Aly was enjoying a nice Scapa while I tasted.