20, 19, 18, 17 and 16: A Mixed Bag of #WhiskyAdvent

Well, I have to say that my drink-a-day plan went off the rails but whisky has an excellent shelf life. :-)

16-Dec: Balvenie 12-year-old Doublewood

A perennial favorite. One of my go-to single-malts. I really like this and it's got a great mix of wood notes (sherry, to be specific) and caramels and sweetness. A really well-balanced whisky. Love it!

17-Dec through 20-Dec:

• Mackmyra Brukswhisky (The Swedish Whisky): I had really been looking forward to trying this but (and I don't say this very often) I honestly disliked this. Ouch. Tasted like turpentine. YMMV.

• The Girvan (grain whisky distillery) Patent Still Proof Strength: Another miss. It's possible I had a mild cold but I just got nothing out of this whisky. Most grain whisky is light in flavor and intended to be the backbone of a blended Scotch -- not for its flavor but because it's an inexpensive way to get the alcohol and flavor is added by single-malt whisk(ies) in the blend.

• The Lost Distilleries Blend (Batch 7): Again, I'll chalk this up to a mild cold, but I didn't really care for this whisky. The name sounds compelling and apparently if my nose and palate could have appreciated it, I would have enjoyed it: https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/the-blended-whisky-company/the-lost-distilleries-blend-whisky/

• Isle of Jura Elixir 12-year-old: This is not my favorite expression from Jura. That honor goes to Jura 10. This is not bad at all, but I'd describe it as "thin." It just doesn't have much in the way of structure.

Now I don't want to drink the rest of the whisky until I have a clear nose and mouth. I might be able to start them tonight. I really want to be able to enjoy them because the ones I haven't had yet are ones I really think I'll enjoy.

14-Dec: Isle of Jura - Superstition

Almost there. 2 whiskies a night is my limit, so it's not a goal to catch up until later this week. #behind #catchingup #whisky #WhiskyAdvent

I love the smell of Superstition. This whisky has a beautiful nose. It's very well balanced, with wood notes and sweet malty goodness. It's a very straightforward Scotch, which is not meant to be damning with faint praise. I really like it! There are sherry notes but not overwhelming - like dried fruits or maybe fruitcake. Again, this is all very balanced. This is one of my favorites so far. Like yesterday's whisky, it's also 43% ABV.

Here are the usual pictures (I remembered to take them!):

   

13-Dec: GlenDronach 12-year-old

Now we're into the second half of the #WhiskyAdvent calendar. I'm really enjoying it. Still #behind, but also still #catchingup.

This GlenDronach is very nice indeed. I got some smokey notes that evolved as I drank this. At first I thought it was something peaty underneath, but I used to start fires in my parents' fireplace and the closest I can think to describe this smell is that of the first smoke off of newspaper when you use it to light a fire...like after you scrunch it under the grate that holds the logs. This whisky is smooth and a bit sweet but not overly so.

It's 43% ABV, which is a fairly common bottle strength for many mainstream whiskies. This is a complex whisky and has a lot to offer to a patient drinker. I got more and more from it as I finished my (small) sample. I'm going to have to find a bottle someday. Here is a picture of the empty bottle.