07-Dec: Glen Scotia - Double Cask

This is me catching up on my drinking. It's a job, but someone has to do it.

Reminds me of one of my favorite lines from the movie 'Arthur:' "Well, I race cars, play tennis, and fondle women, BUT! I have weekends off, and I AM my own boss."

Speaking of jobs, last week was so busy that I couldn't even drink tiny whisky samples. Well, I don't want to drink them without taking the time to write about them. So it's my problem. Anyway...back to the #WhiskyAdvent calendar.

I've never had Glen Scotia whisky, except perhaps as a sample at a WhiskyFest or some event like that. I'm not very familiar with this Campbeltown distillery. The whisky is very potent. I got a hint of green apples on the nose but what I got after I took a sip was black cherries, licorice or anise and some mouthwatering hint of saltwater. It's not my favorite but it's very interesting and I'm glad I tried it.

By the way, I found a bottle of the Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014 locally and while it's getting tough to find it's still in some stores. You should be able to get one for between $50 and $70.

06-Dec: Kilchoman Machir Bay (2014)

This is day 6 of the Whisky Advent Calendar adventure. #WhiskyAdvent December is rolling along. And when getting up early it's still quite dark.

Ok this is a single-malt Scotch with a kick -- even at "only" 46% ABV, but trust me on this: don't inhale. It's peaty but not the peatiest whisky out there. The smoke is layered over a lovely sweet base that has a looong finish. It's got vanilla and green apples, too. Honestly - it's true!

This distillery is putting out some fine liquid. Tomorrow: Day 7 and 8, then I'll be almost caught up.

05-Dec: Dalmore 15-year-old (Single-Malt Scotch)

Well, yesterday was a wash. Getting up at 05:00 stinks. Boy is it dark then.

. . . . . . . . .

This is day 5 of the Whisky Advent Calendar adventure. #WhiskyAdvent

Today is another single-malt Scotch whisky. I am a huge fan of the Dalmore. I've been extremely fortunate in that on March 25th, 2011 I was able to meet the Master Distiller of the Dalmore, Richard Paterson. See picture below. The other picture was from my Nexus 9 tablet when I was watching my Golden State Warriors in Toronto last weekend.

The Dalmore 15-year-old whisky is fabulous. There is a wonderful citrus-y nose with hints of dark fruit and chocolate on the palate and a lovely caramel and butterscotch finish. I'm going to keep this short so I can drink the 6-Dec whisky. If I do 2 a day, I can catch up. :-)

Never fear - WhiskyAdvent continues tonight

I had a Christmas event Saturday night and I did manage to drink my "Day 5" dram but not to write about it. Then I was behind on my writing on Sunday, though I did keep up to date on my drinking. I'll catch up with the notes tonight.

Also: GOOD NEWS: I recovered "episode 1" and will re-post it tonight.

04-Dec: Elijah Craig 12-year-old (Small-Batch Bourbon)

This is day 4 of the Whisky Advent Calendar adventure. #WhiskyAdvent

Out of the 4 days so far, we've had 2 malt whiskies (one Japanese, one Scottish), one blended whisky (Scottish) and now one American whiskey (note the spelling!). BTW, the first post in this series has been permanently lost. If you read it, those photons are a collector's item.

The Elijah Craig small-batch bourbon (age: 12) is my kind of Bourbon, in that it's not super sweet. I have to admit not knowing much about Bourbon, other than that it's made from corn and must be aged in new oak barrels (charred oak barrels). I've tasted a number of Bourbons and some are sweet but to me this isn't a good thing. I like spices and Elijah Craig delivers. (It turns out that - and this is probably a tall tale - but the Reverend Elijah Craig, of what is now Kentucky but which used to be part of Virginia, allegedly discovered that aging whiskey in charred oak barrels gave a nice effect.)

The nose of this whisky is wonderfully woody, as you'd expect for a 12-year-old Bourbon, with some sweetness underneath layers of peppery spices. I did read the tasting notes at Master of Malt and this clearly demonstrates that I don't know jack about Bourbon. I am just not used to the tastes and smells it presents. However, with that said, I did enjoy it and I think I'd like some more, please.

 

03-Dec: Great King Street (from Compass Box)

This is day 3 of the Whisky Advent Calendar adventure. #WhiskyAdvent

Today is the first day of this adventure wherein I am visiting a place I've already been (so to speak).

Compass Box's Great King Street Artist's Blend is one of my favorite blended Scotch whiskies that I have ever had. And you'll perhaps be surprised to hear that you can probably get a full-sized bottle for less than $40 -- no kidding.

The nose of this whisky is light, sweet and tangy, with notes of green apple and some light citrus (I thought I got Meyer lemon). It's got a smooth mouth feel and finish, and the bottle strength is a modest 43% ABV. The folks at Master of Malt give notes that describe the whisky as buttery and that's a good description of the texture. The expected Scotch wood notes and malt notes are present, of course. This is an excellent Scotch whisky.

02-Dec: Miyagikyo (NAS)

This is day 2 of the Whisky Advent Calendar adventure.

To me this is a step down from yesterday's spectacular dram. This Miyagikyo non-age-statement (NAS) whisky is somewhat herbal and has an uncommon nose which I can't easily describe. It is almost certainly aged in Japanese oak which would account for the floral aspects.

At first I thought the nose was redolent of paint thinner but that's very unkind. It's just very different from what I'm used to. That is excellent though...drinking a different whisky every day and not having the freedom to choose it means each day is a chance to broaden my horizons.