Oh…. and a hint of peat…

June 14, 2008

BunnahabhainWe had a great Whisky tasting evening last week at our neighbors down the road. To prevent starting with an empty stomach they cooked us a delicious dinner and so, after dinner with our bellies ready for some serious tasting, we started off with the first tray of five.

The tasting was anonymous and there was a wide array of Whisky brands available. The results were amazing and the tasters had their preferences (some liked the peaty whiskies more than others). In the end the different brands were revealed and we could check whether we had recognized our favorite ones.

With the first samplings the comments were remarkably exuberant and I remember remarks like “A hint of peat…”, “Apples and spring grass…” or “Peaches and faint chocolate”, while towards the end they ended in an unclear murmuring of “Nice…” and “Not too bad…”

We had Smokehead, Glenmorangie, Bruich Ladich, Bowmore, Auchentoshan (my favorite but not recognized by me, shame!!), Laphroaig (a favorite with the peat lovers), Oban, Tamdhu, Old Harry, Glen Livet, Cu Dubh and Bunnahabhain. The last one (with the sailor on the bottle) got really good reviews, Cu Dubh (weird coffee taste) was not appreciated.

It was a great evening with lots of fun although the morning after was painful which was probably due to not only the sampling of Whisky but the combi with beer and wine during dinner. The headache was definitely worth it though….

Posted by roger | Filed Under Blog, Food & Drink 

Comments

4 Responses to “Oh…. and a hint of peat…”

  1. Rob Ellin on June 15th, 2008 18:18

    Sounds like a good night was had by all. Whisky tastings are a great way of exploring new drams and you have certainly explored a wide range.
    At our last evening about 8 or 9 of us did a tour of Scotland with the lowlands for starters moving up the East and central , up through Speyside to the far north to Orkney.We the finished off by sailing to the islands finishing on Islay.
    17 or 18 was probably too many to appreciate in one night but it improved our geography no end.
    Going to buy a bottle of Clynelish for my next. Will share it with you when we are on Skye.It is a lovely dram.Not sure about the headache though, I hate em

  2. Ian Norris on June 16th, 2008 10:10

    We can’t wait to move into our new house - and follow your whisky tasting example!

    I must admit, I prefer the peaty island whiskies, with Laphroaig Quarter Cask top of my (affordable) list. On our last visit to Islay we visited 6 of the 7 open distilleries (Bunnahabhain was closed for maintenance).

    My ‘next door neighbour to be’ recently lent me a really good book on the Islay malts entitled ‘Peat Smoke and Spirit’, by Andrew Jefford.

  3. Rob Ellin on June 16th, 2008 22:22

    Laphroaig quarter cask is a lovely dram and would agree with your view on the island whiskies.there is something special about the smoke and peat. My current fave is the Ardbeg 10 yr and my kids bought me a bottle for fathers day.

    Have you joined the Friends of Laphroaig and claimed your lease on 1 sq foot of Islay and free dram?

    Lagavullin is also great but an acquired taste as it is so peaty and smoky. Bought a bottle of Longrow (Springbank Campbeltown) from Loch Fyne whiskies and it is definitely an ace and worth a try if you can.

    All us new house builders must meet up!!

  4. Ian Norris on June 17th, 2008 14:14

    Joined the Friends of Laphroaig in May 1997 - plot number 52048

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