Sunday, February 24, 2008
There Were So Many, and it's So Hard to Remember Them
Last night was the annual single malt whiskey night at our friends the Clynes, and 15 bottles (all different!) were brought by guests. I dragged along two, a 14-year-old Oban and a 15yo Extra Dark Bowmore from Islay. Of course I didn't sample either of my own, but rather went for a variety of others. Not all of them, mind, but I did end up sampling seven. Don't know if I can remember them all (I should have been taking notes), but I'm going to try.
There was an Arran, no age listed, but it was a limited edition, bottle number 76 of 825. This was very nice, mild, with quite a strong caramel nose to it. Our friend Dave brought a 25yo cask strength Port Ellen that I had purchased for him in 2003 when I was in Glasgow, at that time for the low low price of 95 pounds. Strong and peaty and smoky and with the highest alcohol content of the lot at almost 60%. Someone else brought a 15yo Bowmore, but this one was a Mariner, much lighter than my own, but still quite nice. The lightest and smoothest of the night was a 15yo Dalwhinnie, and the other cask strength I sampled was a Glenrothes, good but not outstanding. My last (or so I thought) was an 18yo Glenlivet, very nice, and up until that point the best.
And then I thought I'd retire for the evening, but my other friend Dave (there are many) came and sat beside me and asked me to take a whiff of the beverage he was carrying. The problem with that, I had trouble handing the glass back to him. It was a 16yo Lagavulin and the smell was richly smoky and peaty, so nice I couldn't even bring myself to drink it (although I ain't stupid, of course I drank it).
There was also haggis, scotch eggs, men in kilts (not me), a new(ish) puppy named Rodeo, a honking big dog named Hank, and great company. All in all, a fine evening.
Last night was the annual single malt whiskey night at our friends the Clynes, and 15 bottles (all different!) were brought by guests. I dragged along two, a 14-year-old Oban and a 15yo Extra Dark Bowmore from Islay. Of course I didn't sample either of my own, but rather went for a variety of others. Not all of them, mind, but I did end up sampling seven. Don't know if I can remember them all (I should have been taking notes), but I'm going to try.
There was an Arran, no age listed, but it was a limited edition, bottle number 76 of 825. This was very nice, mild, with quite a strong caramel nose to it. Our friend Dave brought a 25yo cask strength Port Ellen that I had purchased for him in 2003 when I was in Glasgow, at that time for the low low price of 95 pounds. Strong and peaty and smoky and with the highest alcohol content of the lot at almost 60%. Someone else brought a 15yo Bowmore, but this one was a Mariner, much lighter than my own, but still quite nice. The lightest and smoothest of the night was a 15yo Dalwhinnie, and the other cask strength I sampled was a Glenrothes, good but not outstanding. My last (or so I thought) was an 18yo Glenlivet, very nice, and up until that point the best.
And then I thought I'd retire for the evening, but my other friend Dave (there are many) came and sat beside me and asked me to take a whiff of the beverage he was carrying. The problem with that, I had trouble handing the glass back to him. It was a 16yo Lagavulin and the smell was richly smoky and peaty, so nice I couldn't even bring myself to drink it (although I ain't stupid, of course I drank it).
There was also haggis, scotch eggs, men in kilts (not me), a new(ish) puppy named Rodeo, a honking big dog named Hank, and great company. All in all, a fine evening.
// posted by Derryl Murphy @ 5:18 PM 
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