Official PCF Whisk(e)y Thread (45 Viewers)

Sorry, I can't resist! :cool:

A pallet of single malts:
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A palate for single malts:
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Another palette for single malts:
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Quite possibly the nastiest word in the English language...
 
ChaosRock said:
My guess is YOU, Larry!! LOL!!!

Btw, WTF is wrong with Macallan's advertising agency? Horrible campaign imo. What were they thinking?!?!?

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At least they used a poker phrase. Also the stuff is still delicious.

On the downside I now associate it with shirtless men suicidally jumping off mountains into thunder storms.
 
This Malted Monday I am sitting back with a dram of Old Pulteney 12 YO Single Malt. The Pulteney Distillery sits on the northern coast of Scotland, in Wick, and for a long time was only accessible by sea. Thus, it is a maritime Malt, if not an Islay. It is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, and bottled at 40% abv, leaving a viscous coating on the inside of my glass. It actually takes about 20 seconds for tears to form.

On the nose, I find raisins and honey. There is some salinity, and oaky tannic notes in the background. Waiting a bit longer brings some brown sugar and a sense of fresh toast and marmalade. There are some very interesting aromas here . . . and unlike an Islay Malt, they are given free rein to flow, in the absence of domineering peat smoke.

The first impression is that the mouthfeel is a little thin, but that is likely my implicit bias in favour of stronger proof spirits. It is very approachable. There is a sweet caramel immediately, that is followed by a building cinnamon warmth. The cinnamon never gets the chance to become too spicy, however, as fruitier flavour comes to the fore. There is a bread-like flavour, oily, with some nutmeg and vanilla that leads into a finish that turns toward the salt-airs found on the nose. Like the nose and palate, the finish builds slowly to a medium length climax. The caramel sweetness is offset by the sea-salt, and the oak comes through and dries the palate. A drawn breath hints at the cinnamon spice noted previous, brings wisps of smoke, and entices you to take more. So . . .

A couple drops of water turns this dram into a creamy butter toffee delight. There is still some saltiness and vanilla bean to keep it from being cloying, but the fruit flavours are firmly in the backseat, and any smokiness disappears altogether. A beginner, new to Scotch, might appreciate how tame this spirit becomes as a result, but I preferred it's more complex character, so "neat" for me.

All that being said, this is an exceptionally approachable dram. It does not sit heavy on the palate, and is not overbearing in terms of either mouthfeel or flavours. It is easy to see why this Distillery has a loyal following.
 
First purchase of Bourbon in probably 20+ years. Turns out Koval distillery is literally around the corner from my apartment & was the first distillery to open in Chicago since prohibition in the 1800's.

From webstite: "KOVAL Distillery’s organic, single barrel bourbon has the requisite mash bill of at least 51% corn, but instead of the usual rye or wheat supplement, they have included one of the main cereals of Asia and Africa. Millet is a gluten-free ancient sustenance grain, and like corn, has a history of working in the spirits industry, albeit in Nepal, where it has long been celebrated as a libation of choice."

Tastes good to me! (y) :thumbsup:

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Initgially, I thought this was a typo for the 18, but our favorite bartender dug this bottle up for us last night. It had been on the list at several of the higher-end bars on the ship, but no one had a bottle available. Has anyone come across it in the wild?
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pltrgyst said:
Initgially, I thought this was a typo for the 18, but our favorite bartender dug this bottle up for us last night. It had been on the list at several of the higher-end bars on the ship, but no one had a bottle available. Has anyone come across it in the wild?
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I remember seeing a bottle of the Glendorangie 19 at the Amsterdam airport duty free a couple of years ago. I believe this 19yo bottling is a travel retail exclusive.
 
Saw Metallica back in October and our tickets included two bottles of Metallica Whiskey. They finally showed up and surprising are not bad.


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CdnBeerLover said:
I would recommend Auchentoshan or Glenlivet for a smooth scotch. These are not as strong/smoky/peaty as some of the other scotches available on the market.
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I live a stone's throw away from the Auchentoshan plant here in Scotland, sadly I don't drink whisky I know I know I'm Scottish I should but I just don't care for the stuff at all!
 
Any opinion on the McClelland single malts in here? That's my last name, and having a bottle of it around would be funny, but it would be even better if it was drinkable.

Love your posts Milo. Those funny looking whiskey glasses are on my birthday list now.
 
Glenlivet 16 year is a treat. I don’t buy it that often, but it is one of the few pricier but widely-available scotches I think really stand out as a significant improvement over the next step down.
 
Taghkanic said:
Glenlivet 16 year is a treat. I don’t buy it that often, but it is one of the few pricier but widely-available scotches I think really stand out as a significant improvement over the next step down.
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Glenlivet’s standard bottlings have always been 12 and 18 years. I must have missed this 16 — where is it available?
 
Typo—I meant 18. But there is also a 15 in addition to the 12 (and higher ones as well). I’ve not had the 15 but mean to try it.
 
Taghkanic said:
Typo—I meant 18. But there is also a 15 in addition to the 12 (and higher ones as well). I’ve not had the 15 but mean to try it.
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Yes, but the 15 comes and goes as an offering. I thought the 16 might be a temporary bottling of left-over 15, sort of like the 19 Glenmorangie I brought up a couple of weeks ago.
 
pltrgyst said:
Glenlivet’s standard bottlings have always been 12 and 18 years. I must have missed this 16 — where is it available?
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Glenlivet had until a couple of years ago the Nadurra 16yo, matured in ex bourbon and bottled at cask strength. It was my favorite affordable (21yo and younger) Glenlivet. Now the Nadurra is a NAS and has theee different bottlings, also good but not as good as the discontinued Nadurra 16.
 
It is time for my first review of the year, and the subject is Whisky. More specifically, Barnburner Whisky from Maverick Distillery in Oakville. Who? Well, if I said Tag #5 Vodka, would that ring a bell? Because it is the same company making both. I have to admit, there is not a lot of information to be had about Barnburner. The website is "still fermenting" despite their Vodka having been around for a number of years, and attempts to contact them via social media and e-mail have gone unanswered. Nevertheless, I have a glass of whisky and a keyboard in front of me so lets get started. The label states it is double aged in bourbon barrels. This is one of my unanswered questions. Barnburner is a blend of Corn and Rye Whiskies, crafted in small batches (as per the label), non-chill filtered, and bottled at 41.6% abv. The spirit is oily in the glass with thick tears.

The nose brings aromas of caramel and sweet apples, a hint of vanilla and spices. There is also a touch of raisin to be found here.

The first sip is very sweet, to the point of overpowering the palate. There is a slight bitterness of vanilla toward the end and an unfinished warming feel. Another sip . . . caramel toffee, vanilla, warming rye spice towards the medium length finish, and just a hint of oak tannins as you swallow.

Water seems to bring forward the vanilla flavours and some of the rye spiciness noted previously. Unfortunately it tends to make the sweet corn/apple flavours a bit cloying.

All in all, Barnburner is not going to set your palate alight. But, at $35.00 in the LCBO, it is not going to burn a hole in your wallet, either. Taken neat, it is a nicely flavoured whisky that is very approachable to someone looking to start exploring whisky. Unfortunately, there are many questions I would have liked to have had answers to before telling you about it. C'est la vie.

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