This meeting featured whiskies with a connection to beer, I think. Lost notes and a bad memory are not my allies right now. I have notes for three expressions. Here they are:

​*The Arran Malt Single Cask 54% ABV
-smells lemon, floral, pastry (Entenmann’s pastry)
-tasted light oak, peppery
-with water smelled lighter lemony
-sweet sherry smell
-tasted peppery!
-trails oak and pepper
Water flattened the sweetness. I put just a dash. 

​*Two Lanterns American Whiskey 4yr 43% ABV
Berkshire Mountain Distillers - Sheffield, MA
Distilled from Sam Adams Beer
-smelled waxy, leathery
-can smell the tanins and slight touch of beer
-tasted slight beer w/oak- almost like beer foam
-with water smelled floral and dish detergent
-tasted light, sweet beer, flat
-slight oak
Interesting.

     This was a year of eclectic expressions. I remember Todd running around that afternoon to gather the bottles. Whatever pics I took from the event are lost. About the only goal I had for the evening was to try the Game of Thrones White Walker. In fact that is the only note I have. Shame on me.
​ 

​*Johnny Walker White Walker (GOT) 41.7% ABV
-extremely light blend w/touch of oak
-trails quickly!
That’s it.

*McCallan Edition No.3
-smelled slight oak, bourbon
-tasted peppery oak
-with water smelled slight caramel, vanilla
-tinge of rubbery oak
-tastes peppery oak
-trails bitter oak
     Nothing I would go out of my way for but a nice, easy to drink whisky.

     Well I'm only about two years behind at this point. I do not remember where this tasting happened, but it's a good bet it was at my house. Unfortunately this year, 2020, we are breaking the tradition and not having a meeting for St Patrick's Day at Castle MacDonald. COVID-19 is a concern and our club is on hiatus anyway. Seeing everyone is always fun and next year is a new year. 

     *Knappogue Castle 16yr 40% ABV
TwinWood Sherry Finished
-smelled sweet birthday cake w/vanilla
-tasted vanilla
-with water smelled sweet oak vanilla
-tasted slight oak w/touch bread, doughy
-trailed bitter oak quickly

​*Knappogue Castle 12yr 40% ABV
-smelled sweet candy oak w/dessert icing
-tasted peppery oak w/toasted bread
-with water smelled powdered donuts
Tasted slight sweet with oak

     Once again I would like to apologize for lost notes, pics, time delay and general lateness of this posting. The presenter greeted us with a range of Glenfiddich whiskies. I have noted previous dates for tasting notes of each. However the exact expression may be different from that in the Highland Games tasting since my pictures are gone. Here is what I have for you:
​
 *Glenfiddich 12yr –refer to previous notes 8/9/14
*Glenfiddich 14yr – refer to previous notes 9/18/15 (Bourbon Barrel Reserve)
*Glenfiddich 15yr – refer to previous notes 2/24/17 (Solera Reserve)

​*Glenfiddich IPA Cask 43% ABV
-smelled sweet cherry candy w/tinge beer
-smelled apples after 10 minutes
-tasted light beer/light oak w/no pepper
-with water smelled fruity, apples
-tasted peppery!
-trailed quickly!

​*Glenfiddich Project XX Experimental Series ’02 47% ABV
[Blenders got together and chose 20 barrels to marry]
-smelled apples, fruit
-tasted peppery/cherry candy/dark chocolate
-with water smelled floral- almost soapy and lemon
-tasted very peppery!
-trailed oak
Water is not good for this. 

​*Exclusive Malts 14yr 57.4% ABV
-smelled cinnamon bun w/shortbread
-with water smelled very sweet taffy/vanilla w/touch of floral
-tasted peppery floral and salty pretzel! Wow!
-trailed pepper

     I am at a loss on this particular event. My phone from that period did not swim well with me and said phone must have contained photos of this event. The owner of the phone, me, did not save the photos to Google Drive or any device. With that said, there are two spirits that I noted.
     Also I do not remember where the meeting took place. I would, of course, like to thank our hosts. Thank you meeting hosts!
​     Please comment on this one and add some pics.   
​

 *Vikingernes Mjod 19% ABV Nordic Honey Wine with Hops
-smelled sweet wine
-tasted sweet wine with hoppiness
No surprises here. 

*Robert Grahams Allt a Bhainne 15yr 43% ABV
-smelled cinnamon bun
-tasted oaky with touch of bread
-with water smelled floral, sweet citrus
-tasted bitter oak
Not much better with water. 

     Our own POTWC (President of the Whisky Club) , Todd, was once again gracious enough to open his home and host a meeting even though we made jokes and called him old for his birthday. 

​*Balblair ’93 53% ABV (Angle’s Share filming location)
-smelled bananas, strong vanilla
-tasted slight floral w/pepper
-with water smelled fruit salad
-tasted fruity wood
-trailed oaky pepper slowly

​*Glenrothes 40% ABV Select Reserve NAS
-smelled sliced apples
-tasted apple, pastry, very light oak
-with water strong apples
-tasted slight oak and trailed quickly!

*Grangestone Double Cask Matured – Finished in Sherry NAS
-smelled doughy, raisins
-tasted raisin with vanilla and touch of oak
-with water smelled floral raisin
-tasted very light oak w/raisin
-trailed light oak

​*Palm Ridge Reserve 9th Anniversary
-smelled strong oak w/citrus sweet
-tasted strong oak!, no citrus
-citrus aftertaste
-with water smelled Scotch tape/oak
-tasted like a piece of oak
-tannin aftertaste with touch of citrus
 
*Springbank 16yr 54.2% ABV – Special Bottling given to me by Willie Cotting
-smelled oak wood, tar, peat lightly
-tasted tinge of rubber w/smoke, tar, peat
-with water smelled lighter
-tasted peaty, peppery
-trailed spicy
Tasted the peat with no smoke.

*Gordon & MacPhael Longmorn 30yr 40% ABV
-smelled cinnamon, grassy
-tasted peppery oak
-with water smelled soap w/ slight oak
-tastes slight oak

​*Old Malt Cask – Port Ellen 26yr 50% ABV
-smelled floral with baked bread
-tasted smoky peat w/oak
-trailed quickly!
-with water smelled cinnamon bun
-tasted lighter peat w/lots of pepper
-trailed oak

​*Caol Ila 25yr 58% ABV
-smelled slight peat w/shortbread and fruit
-taste slight peat, pepper
-trailed fruit to oak
-with water smells sherry, fruity dessert
-tasted pepper
-trailed oak quickly!
-water ruined this!
 
*Murray McDavid – Linkwood (distilled 1979) 17yr 46% ABV
-smelled caramel, sherry oak
-tasted oak, sherry/bourbon, slight peat
-trailed oak
-with water smelled toffee, grape juice
​-tasted peated oak to shortbread to burnt oak
Water doesn’t necessarily ruin this. Less water is better. 

​*Clontarf Single Malt 40% ABV (“Mellowed Through Atlantic Irish Oak Charcoal”)
- smelled caramel, vanilla, grassy and cinnamon quickly into sugar cookie
-tasted slight pepper with cinnamon toast
-with water smelled very sweet cinnamon floral
-tasted grassy w/touch of oak

     I want to apologize for my lack of postings in the last two years! You see, I've changed careers. That change required a couple years of intense schooling. Actually it was forty hours a week. All the while I drank, tasted and enjoyed in stolen hours from study, but on a budget. 
     The task for me now is to wade through the notes and post them. There are even whiskies from Ireland that I rolled past my lips while there. Stay tuned! Impressions to follow.