Whisky II
- Thread starter hifilover1979
- Start date
SteveG
pfm Member
The Museum of Island Life in Port Charlotte is also worth a look and is a short walk from the hotel. It's also worth driving down to the road end at Portnahaven as that's a nice little place. Not much to do there but we did see a lot of seals in the harbour last time we visited.
Finlaggan is also not to far from Port Charlotte (not that anywhere on Islay is all that from anywhere else!) and we enjoyed our visits there, even if it was lashing down with rain the last time we were there.
Here's a few shots from our visit last year, as a taster:
Port Charlotte, with the Port Charlotte Hotel on the right of the picture
Ludo on the beach in front of the hotel:
Kilchoman:
Visitor area in Kilchoman:
Ludo on the beach at Machir Bay:
The view from Lagavulin distillery:
Lagavulin selection at the tasting:
Finlaggan is also not to far from Port Charlotte (not that anywhere on Islay is all that from anywhere else!) and we enjoyed our visits there, even if it was lashing down with rain the last time we were there.
Here's a few shots from our visit last year, as a taster:
Port Charlotte, with the Port Charlotte Hotel on the right of the picture
Ludo on the beach in front of the hotel:
Kilchoman:
Visitor area in Kilchoman:
Ludo on the beach at Machir Bay:
The view from Lagavulin distillery:
Lagavulin selection at the tasting:
Last edited:
SteveG
pfm Member
Today's arrival was the SMWS "Enigmatic and Disputatious" bottling, which is a cask strength (64.3%) 8-year old Glenfarclas from a 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel which they have profiled as "spicy and sweet". Lots of alcohol on the nose and if you'd made me guess where it's from I'd have been thinking island more than Speyside, and I'd be thinking the same from tasting it as well as there is definite hint of peat to it as well as a lot of heat from the alcohol.
This is the SMWS description of it: "The palate was an enigmatic mix of biscuit wafers, pear belle Helene and a cream soda float, with marshmallows toasted on green sticks, burnt paper and tobacco – a 1950’s cafe perhaps. The palate delivered chocolate fondants, toffee, burnt caramel and blackcurrant jam on toast, then surprising wasabi heat and a lick of peat smoke, aniseed and charred wood; a disputatious dram. The reduced nose had toasted bannocks, apple strudel with ice cream, cinnamon buns and a curious wisp of wood smoke. The palate had green apples and melon, nutty Magnums and crystallised ginger, with a hint of hickory chips smoking on charcoal."
I'm definitely getting some of that - the wasabi heat, the hint of smoke, the charred wood and burnt caramel and a bit of the green apple. It's an interesting dram and very different from the only other Glenfarclas I have (the 25). Glenfarclas do their own cask strength release, the 105, so I might pick up a bottle of that to compare. It's also supposed to be roughly a similar age although a mix of sherry and ex-bourbon barrels.
I don't generally add water to the SMWS bottlings (even ones that are stronger than this) but this one definitely benefits from it and I'm getting more of the fruit mentioned in the SMWS description like that. It's a tasty and interesting dram!
This is the SMWS description of it: "The palate was an enigmatic mix of biscuit wafers, pear belle Helene and a cream soda float, with marshmallows toasted on green sticks, burnt paper and tobacco – a 1950’s cafe perhaps. The palate delivered chocolate fondants, toffee, burnt caramel and blackcurrant jam on toast, then surprising wasabi heat and a lick of peat smoke, aniseed and charred wood; a disputatious dram. The reduced nose had toasted bannocks, apple strudel with ice cream, cinnamon buns and a curious wisp of wood smoke. The palate had green apples and melon, nutty Magnums and crystallised ginger, with a hint of hickory chips smoking on charcoal."
I'm definitely getting some of that - the wasabi heat, the hint of smoke, the charred wood and burnt caramel and a bit of the green apple. It's an interesting dram and very different from the only other Glenfarclas I have (the 25). Glenfarclas do their own cask strength release, the 105, so I might pick up a bottle of that to compare. It's also supposed to be roughly a similar age although a mix of sherry and ex-bourbon barrels.
I don't generally add water to the SMWS bottlings (even ones that are stronger than this) but this one definitely benefits from it and I'm getting more of the fruit mentioned in the SMWS description like that. It's a tasty and interesting dram!
SteveG
pfm Member
The 8 and the Offerman were good but I still preferred the 16 over both of them - although the distillers edition was the best of all.
I bought a bottle of the Offerman at the distillery but haven't opened it, and have also got a bottle of the distillers edition.
hifilover1979
Bigger than you...
Well I've not supped a drop in ages...
So thoroughly enjoying Glenrothes 10 year old whilst listening to Snarky Puppy via Apple Music
My office is full of spare bedroom furniture as we're having it plastered and then decorated, so please excuse the mess...
And if you've not come across Snarky Puppy, find them on YouTube, especially their Tiny Desk outing and enjoy
So thoroughly enjoying Glenrothes 10 year old whilst listening to Snarky Puppy via Apple Music
My office is full of spare bedroom furniture as we're having it plastered and then decorated, so please excuse the mess...
And if you've not come across Snarky Puppy, find them on YouTube, especially their Tiny Desk outing and enjoy
hifilover1979
Bigger than you...
That spelling rather confirms that! Here's an early lesson - whisky from Scotland never, ever has an "e". American, Irish, Canadian always does.
Here endeth the first lesson.
jimbob75
pfm Member
Better tell Maker's Mark that they've spelt their bourbon whisky wrong then.
Canadian distilleries may also take exception.
Lesson number two. Don't listen to strangers on the internet
Ah well. Goes to show that I don't drink American and Canadian whiskies very often. So OK then, they *generally* have the "e".
Also, if you never listened to strangers on the internet, you'd never use it.
Asda have litre bottles of Haig Club at £20. That's cheaper than the 750 and makes it as cheap as Bells etc. It's nice. Sweet, very smooth, Bourbon cask finish. Not overwhelmingly oaked or vanilla toned, unlike many. I bet it would make a really nice OF. I'm in a hotel room tasting it from a plastic cup, but there you go. Living the dream.
SteveG
pfm Member
I sometimes buy Haig Clubman (which is possibly what's on sale at £20 a litre as Haig Club is usually a fair bit more expensive than that) as it good for the sort of mixer drinks you'd normally use a Bourbon for e.g. with coke and lime.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
What is correct, though, is that Scotch whisky never has the e.
Yes, this stuff is Haig Club, Clubman. £20 a litre, the bottles here. Having had a taste last night I can confirm that it's the kind of flavour that would be great with coke, ginger, lime, pick any two.
Dogberry
pfm Member
My booze collection in our Speyside place is coming along nicely:
Nice collection.What's the Discovery bottle?