Quick Links
Click the image to download the Tasting Booklet PDF
Tastings Archives
3/14/14
Terms
abv: Alcohol By Volume
ncf: Non-Chill Filtered
ncs: Natural Cask Strength
nas: No age statement
Quick Links
Click the image to download the Tasting Booklet PDF
Tastings Archives
3/14/14
Terms
abv: Alcohol By Volume
ncf: Non-Chill Filtered
ncs: Natural Cask Strength
nas: No age statement
Our Tasting "Gatherings": A malt, a beer, a malt, a beer. Who's counting!
3/14/14 Tasting
Bowmore 25yr 43% abv
Islay
Nose: Intense sherry and stewed fruits with a trace of Bowmore smokiness.
Palate: After twenty five years, delicious toffee and hazelnut have mellowed together with just a hint of sweet peat smoke.
Finish: Mellow, gentle and incredibly complex. Savour every drop
Comment: It doesn’t get any better than this!
Bruichladdich Cuvee 407/PX 21yr 46% abv
Islay
Nose: Huge aromas of spice and chocolate. Toffee apples, marmalade and black treacle. Sticky toffee pudding and cherries.
Palate: Raisins and soft spice. Big notes of vanilla, marmalade and rich oak. Very aromatic and intense. Lovely and thick malt core.
Finish: Long, spicy finish. Sherried oak and fruit
Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill 12yr 47.8% abv
Speyside
Nose: Bounty of sweet oak and spice.
Palate: Rich and complex with deep vanilla oakiness. Honey notes will be overlaid with sweet fruits and subtle spices.
Finish: Medium long with lingering sweetness.
Kilchoman Loch Gorm 1st Release 5yr 46% abv
Islay
Nose: Fruity and spicy with understated peat.
Palate: Deep and richly flavored, combining sherry notes with peat and cloves.
Finish: Well balanced with lingering sweetness and long finish.
Springbank Calvados Wood 12yr 52.7% abv
Campbletown
Nose: The influence of the Calvados casks is immediately apparent, with notes of green apples, citrus fruits and sweet toffee showing themselves in the beginning. Vanilla essence, pears and some gentle spice come later.
Palate: A very lively dram at cask strength. Black pepper and rhubarb give way to demerara sugar, green grapes, a touch of cinnamon and a little bit of home-made fudge. This is an oily whisky for sure.
Finish: Orange marmalade, gooseberries and a pleasant, dry, peatiness leave a lasting impression.
Octomore 6.1 Release @167ppm 5yr 57% abv
Islay
Nose: Malt, leather, and a little medicinal... Something sweet also, maybe a little melon. Floating above all of this is almost a slight cheese aroma, and then of course the peat smoke... Not the uppercut to the face you would expect. But it's definitely there.
Palate: This stuff just fills the mouth. Fills every crevice. Almost creamy, thick. A real joy to tease across your tongue. This time smoky, peaty, bonfire. Not as aggressive again as you may expect, but wow. Its definitely powerful. Aside from that though, it's deceptively delicate. There are some really light, almost floral notes. Maybe a little fruit too. Hard to describe. The peat is definitely the overwhelming flavor. Absolutely incredible.
Finish: Long and warming. Your tongue is coated with wave after wave of peat. Fantastic!
Brew List
Scotland Revisited!
Islay, here we come!
Tastings
Great Divide “Fresh Hop” Pale Ale 6.1%
Colorado
Nose: Citrus, fresh hops
Palate: Nice hops on the forefront, orange notes with some slight bitterness
Finish: Short
Brewdog “Cocoa Psycho” 10%
Scotland
Nose: Big coffee and chocolate hit
Palate: Dark roasted malts, coffee, then the chocolate sweetness
Finish: Short
Founders “Sweet Repute” Wheat Ale 12.6%
Michigan
Nose: Sweetness, maple syrup, orange notes
Palate: Very sweet (ready for your pancakes), Bourbon, maple syrup, vanilla, oak
Finish: Medium with the lasting bourbon sweetness
Williams Brewing “Fraoch Heather Ale” 11%
Scotland
Nose: Bit of a whiskey (bourbon) nose, winey
Palate: Fruity, malty, with a bit of caramel
Finish: Medium with the bourbon oak coming through
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Did I hear someone say BACON?
A great evening with friends, whiskey, beer, and yes, bacon!
Our palates were pleased with a plethora of bacon themed dishes from bacon meatballs to bacon soup shooters, bacon cheese balls to bacon crab cakes, and bacon stuffed mushrooms even. Not to mention the beautiful pairing of the Bowmore 25 with bacon truffles. Superb! I would also add that it was a wonderful way to celebrate Matt’s birthday.
Bowmore 25 & Chocolate Bacon Truffles
Bacon Soup Shooters
Potato leek soup with peppered bacon and dill