Monday Baker

My first – and before this evening only – tasting of Scotch whisky was last Fall at the Highlands festival surrounded by men in kilts.  I tried twelve different whiskies with a friend and had an opportunity to talk to representatives from the distilleries.  What I remember from that tasting (besides the men in kilts) was that Talisker was my favorite, my taste in beer is similar to the flavors I enjoy in Scotch, a little water goes a long way towards enjoyment, I want to go tour the facilities, island environmental conditions rock (literally and figuratively), and finally there is such thing as too much age – you loose the distiller’s style.

So with these mental notes I approached the box of goodies – tasting kit – my friend Luke sent.  His conditions were that I try them all, take notes and report back, and not return the bottles empty.  I agreed to the terms.  My friend Julia joined me for this tasting.  We sat outside by the palm trees at a little table, enjoying the evening breeze.  Each person had a Riedel single malt whisky glass (thanks, Luke!) and a water glass with filtered water.  We had a dump bucket (no pressure) and my notebook.

Why is there no “e” in Scotch Whisky? Because it’s Scotch.  The Scotch, Canadians, and Japanese no “e”; the Americans and Irish use an “e.”  And they’re completely different beasts when it comes to taste, of course.  For more clarification, here’s a NY Times article on the subject.

Brief tasting notes (combined from Julia and me).  We tasted by checking out the color, swirling a bit and smelling, then we added a bit of water to open it up and took a sip:

1. The Macallan 12 year old – nose had caramel and oak, the palate some peat “tastes like whisky.”
2. The Glenlivet 12 year old – nose was fruity, sweet, and stronger than the first; palate some tropical fruit “no, thank you.”
3. The Macallan 15 year old – nose similar to the first, but more pleasant perhaps more refined; palate was smooth with oak and vanilla notes
4. The Balvenie 15 year old single barrel – favorite bottle, lots of pomp and circumstance in the presentation, Bottle #4 of 350, nose was fragrant, vanilla, floral; palate was perfumed but more delicate
5. The Lagavulin 16 year old – nose was very smoky and of peat; palate of wet, earth, smoke, rich.  Quote on the bottle – “Time takes out the fire but leaves in the warmth.”  Agreed.  Warm. Turns out these folks also make Taslisker
6. The Macallan cask strength – nice dark color, nose like sherry; no comment (no enjoyment) on the palate.

A little more about Single Malt Scotch – They are made in Scotland (that may have been obvious) at a single distillery with malted barley as the only grain ingredient.  The finished whisky is then aged in oak barrels for years.  Often left in the same barrel for a decade.  I can only imagine the patience required.  Each year aging in oak apparently decreases the alcohol content (we were still at 43% or so) and as with wine, the different types of oak barrels impart different flavor characteristics, for example bourbon casks give a vanilla flavor to the whisky.