For the New Year RCWS gathered and tried 8 whiskies and watched the movie The Hangover. The gatherings are always fun and full of laughs, but with the addition of the movie, a good time was had by all.
We tried 6 scotches, 2 bourbons and 1 Irish whiskey. With the exception of the bourbons, at about $45 a bottle, the price was around $80 a bottle. As posted earlier, we tried Hazelburn 8 year old, Arran – Brandy Finish, Jameson 18 year old, Blanton’s Bourbon, BenRiach 15 year old – Dark Rum Finish, Compass Box – Hedonism, Glanfarclas 21 year old, and Booker’s Bourbon.
Hazelburn: This is one of the few triple distilled scotches and it shows. All agreed this was a very light and gentle dram, a good “beginner scotch” as one member noted. It was more of a floral and fruity whisky. It also proved that a whisky should not be overlooked just because of its young age.
Arran Malt – Lepanto PX Brandy Finish: This is one good scotch, and unfortunately, in limited production. This was by far everyone’s favorite. Even though it was cask strength, at 61.3% alcohol, it wasn’t overpowering. Every flavor could be tasted, and one member said you could actually smell the toffee. Usually, I add water to my cask strength, but this one I felt it was not needed. I learned that it was originally matured in Sherry casks and then finished in the brandy cask. Again, with cask strength you taste everything. A must try if you can find it.
Jameson 18 year old Irish Whiskey: As far as the Irish Whiskies go, this is one of the best. It is rated very high by Michael Jackson and Dave Broom, both whisky experts. It is a clean, fresh and fruity whiskey that goes down smooth. For those bourbon drinkers who are trying scotch, going the Irish route first with a dram of this is the way to go. This is a blended Irish whiskey so the corn gives it a bourbon taste and the barley gives it the scotch taste. What a great mix!
Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon: After trying the above three, this was a kick in the chest. Although the alcohol content was lower that The Arran, you could taste it. One or two members actually coughed. All agreed that the taste was good, honey and vanilla, but after drinking scotch, just different. This difference could be because it is mostly corn based (probably about 85%). I am just not a bourbon guy, so I have a hard time rating bourbon. Sorry folks, I’ll leave that to Doug.
BenRiach 15 year old – Dark Rum Finish: Good stuff!! The rum finish really gave it the added flavor to rate this very high. This whisky was both spicy and fruity and the dark rum really gave this dram a great finish, both in the whisky and the drinking. A little water, just a splash, really opens this up. This is one I will keep in my personal stock.
Compass Box – Hedonism: Compass Box is an independent bottler that offers boutique whiskies, going more for a flavor or idea than just labeling it from a distillery. Since this is an all grain scotch (no barley malt) I thought it would taste like bourbon, but it doesn’t. It is a very light scotch and fruity in flavor. I am not sure of the age of this, but it appears to be pretty mature and you can taste the oak notes from aging. It is different, not better or worse, than a single malt or blend. The “experts” rate this very high and I can see why. If you have a collection this would be a good bottle to keep just for the fact that it is different.
Glenfarclas 21 year old: I like Glenfarclas, all the expressions. Like Macallan, they are aged their entire time in sherry cask. Also, being aged in the cask really gives the intense sherry flavor that Glanfarclas is known for. Plus, as a bonus, it has a great balance of smoke and peat. A light balance but enough to taste. The aging, 21 years, really makes this a gentle dram as well. Plus, as a bonus, you can taste the wood notes as well. This ranked second in our tasting.
Booker’s Small Batch Bourbon: Another kick in the chest. I can’t drink bourbon after drinking scotch, even in small pours. This is a sweet and spicy bourbon and one of the higher classes of bourbons from the Jim Beam Distillery. Again, I am not a bourbon guy, so I will leave it to Doug to rate.
After the tastings we rated them, and the results were:
1. The Arran
2. Glenfarclas
3. BenRiach
5. Jameson (Tied)
5. Hazelburn (Tied)
6. Hedonism
7. Blanton’s
8. Booker’s
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