Matured in 3 different casks, namely: Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, bourbon casks and Oloroso Sherry casks.
Triple distilled whisky
Master of Malt Comments:
Nose: Cooked fruit, sherry, toffee, a rum-like quality and notes of Bas Armagnac distilled circa 1940.
Palate: Rich. Liqueur cherries in dark chocolate, more sherried fruit, ripe dark forest fruits, like a Black Forest Gateaux.
Finish: Superb, led by thick dark treacle and toffee notes and chewy wooded notes, balanced with a green fruit edge.
NSC Comments:
Has a viscosity
Dark in color, but not peaty
Definitely can taste the sherry aging
Smooth
Not a strong taste of alcohol
Simple finish – just fades away gently
Round 2: Oban – 16 Year Old
Cost: $117 CDN
Region: Highland
Fun Facts:
The distillery is one of the oldest still active in Scotland, having been established in 1794.
Oban’s quirkiness extends into the distillery itself (Diageo’s second-smallest after Royal Lochnagar), with two of the smallest (legal) stills in Scotland producing less than 0.7 million litres per year, condensed in an unusual wooden worm-tub system running between the rooftops of the stillroom and the next building.
A cave opened up during a 19th century refurbishment of the distillery was found to contain human remains from the Mesolithic period.
Master of Malt Comments:
Nose: The nose is rich and smokey. The medicinal notes are quite evident with notes of the sea; seaweed, tarry ropes. There are notes of cut hay and wood smoke rising with a gentle estery sweetness.
Palate: The palate is thick and full. Notes of citrus with smooth sweetness. The smoke wafts with notes of seaweed. The oak is quite rich with grist and cereal and malt.
Finish: The finish is of good length with fruit and dry oak.
NSC Comments:
Strong, most added a drop or two of water
Opens up with a drop or two
Lighter in color
Preferred with water
Spicy to some, to others, not so much
Bonus Round: Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Cost: $46 CDN
Region: Kentucky
Fun Facts:
What began as a way for dirt-poor early American farmers to scratch a living from their fields has become one of the world’s great drinks.
Kentucky Straight Bourbon has survived temperance, Prohibition and war, all the time refining its character and now enjoying a long-awaited renaissance.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Clean, brilliant honey amber.
Nose: Heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa. Faint vanilla and tobacco spice.
Taste: Rich, chewy, rounded and smooth, with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound.
Finish: Silky smooth, almost creamy at first with a long, warm satisfying tail.
NSC Comments:
NOTE: (Information is from the bottle – virtually nothing available on the Smells like Xmas cookies (butterscotch)
Jumble of tastes
Sweet
Meeting High Notes
Two water cherries were busted at the meeting. Both Ron C. and Trevor W. relaxed their principals and opened up some of their tastings with a drop or two of water. Trevor was careful to drink at least half of his sample before subjecting the remainder to the possibility of being decimated by the heathen water (one entire drop!). Proof of the apocalypse approaching appears in this photo of Ron.
Grudgingly they admitted (with great surprise) their shared enjoyment.
