Single Malt Scotch
Dec. 31st, 2010 11:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wwcitizenMatt hates that I love Scotch. Not just any particular Scotch, but it must preferably be Single Malt Scotch. I have liked some blended Scotches in my day, though. Matt does not like Scotch or any type of whisky at all. I like to enjoy the odd glass now and then. And, yes, I'm a one-ice-cube Scotch drinker (die-hards, go ahead and poo-poo that, but a man likes what a man likes!). Although, I have to say, if I've never tasted a certain Single Malt, I will refrain from the ice cube for the first taste - a small shot of it for the flavor and experience of its face value. Then for a full serving, I'd slide in one cube.
On Wednesday, I was offered many rare treats! Along side some wonderful pâtés, goat cheeses, truffled honey, and heavenly olives, were three bottles of (potentially very expensive) Scotch!! One of the bottles was Johnny Walker Blue. At a local retail store JWB goes for almost $200). The second I spied was a 27-yr Tomintoul, which was oaked in 1983. I would have been about 15 then. Its price point ranges possibly between $100-180 a bottle. Lastly, there stood a bottle of 16-yr Lagavulin, which is about $75.
Here are two of the bottles:
The Tomintoul was by far my favorite. A description of the 16-yr Tomintoul reads, "One of the gentler whiskies in Speyside. It's a fragrant whisky too with a firm malty foundation, fruit gum drops and caramel. Subtle notes of almond and anise helped keep my interest, as did its soft, subtle wood spice finish. Very easy to drink too!"
The extra 11 years added to the bottle definitely added more spice and starker caramel. I don't think I got the almond in the 27-yr bottle, but certainly the fruity overtones and malt were very present. There was a nice bite to it as it finished.
For the 27-yr Tomintoul, a different description reads, "Deep amber color. Sweet dried peach and apricot, brown spice, and orange blossom aromas. A very smooth rich entry leads to a dry-yet fruity full-bodied palate of sweet dried fruits, Sherry and spice with a very long fade. Excellently balanced and soft with a gently Sherried and very fruity character that makes this an easygoing pleasure to drink. This is a remarkable value as well." There was a lot of repetition in this description, which tells me the author was probably drinking glass after glass to pull in as many adjectives into his description as possible before having to leave the bottle behind. I could picture myself doing that.
I was happy to taste the JWB; people get those bottles as gifts in business. It would be nice to build up a business that would warrant that type of gift! I think I liked the Lagavulin better than the JWB, though.
So, in order of preference, taste, and complexities:
#1 - Tomintoul, 27-yr
#2 - Lagavulin, 16-yr
#3 - Johnny Walker Blue
Then we went out to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I got a fantastic Osso Bucco accompanied by roasted fennel mashed potatoes following a goat cheese arugula salad. Dinner was finished off with coffee and fig & honey gelato. YUM!!
Yeah, we had to ring in the new year with some amazing food after Matt and my family put out so much other good stuff for the better part of a week! Starting Monday, it's starvation mode (within reason) and exercise. Gotta look good in my summer bikini (as opposed to my winter bikini!).
On Wednesday, I was offered many rare treats! Along side some wonderful pâtés, goat cheeses, truffled honey, and heavenly olives, were three bottles of (potentially very expensive) Scotch!! One of the bottles was Johnny Walker Blue. At a local retail store JWB goes for almost $200). The second I spied was a 27-yr Tomintoul, which was oaked in 1983. I would have been about 15 then. Its price point ranges possibly between $100-180 a bottle. Lastly, there stood a bottle of 16-yr Lagavulin, which is about $75.
Here are two of the bottles:
The Tomintoul was by far my favorite. A description of the 16-yr Tomintoul reads, "One of the gentler whiskies in Speyside. It's a fragrant whisky too with a firm malty foundation, fruit gum drops and caramel. Subtle notes of almond and anise helped keep my interest, as did its soft, subtle wood spice finish. Very easy to drink too!"
The extra 11 years added to the bottle definitely added more spice and starker caramel. I don't think I got the almond in the 27-yr bottle, but certainly the fruity overtones and malt were very present. There was a nice bite to it as it finished.
For the 27-yr Tomintoul, a different description reads, "Deep amber color. Sweet dried peach and apricot, brown spice, and orange blossom aromas. A very smooth rich entry leads to a dry-yet fruity full-bodied palate of sweet dried fruits, Sherry and spice with a very long fade. Excellently balanced and soft with a gently Sherried and very fruity character that makes this an easygoing pleasure to drink. This is a remarkable value as well." There was a lot of repetition in this description, which tells me the author was probably drinking glass after glass to pull in as many adjectives into his description as possible before having to leave the bottle behind. I could picture myself doing that.
I was happy to taste the JWB; people get those bottles as gifts in business. It would be nice to build up a business that would warrant that type of gift! I think I liked the Lagavulin better than the JWB, though.
So, in order of preference, taste, and complexities:
#1 - Tomintoul, 27-yr
#2 - Lagavulin, 16-yr
#3 - Johnny Walker Blue
Then we went out to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I got a fantastic Osso Bucco accompanied by roasted fennel mashed potatoes following a goat cheese arugula salad. Dinner was finished off with coffee and fig & honey gelato. YUM!!
Yeah, we had to ring in the new year with some amazing food after Matt and my family put out so much other good stuff for the better part of a week! Starting Monday, it's starvation mode (within reason) and exercise. Gotta look good in my summer bikini (as opposed to my winter bikini!).
