The August tasting was a great time and was held at a great location. Dave Weglarz, of Still 630, hosted the tasting at his distillery in St. Louis. Sipping whisky among the barrels and vats, with the aroma of the aging whisky, sets the perfect tone for a tasting.
For this tasting we sampled five whiskies chosen by the attendees. Each submitted the name of their favorite whisky with a cost of $85 or less. From that list five were chosen.
When the sampling portion was complete each taster ranked the bottles with a “1” being their favorite and a “5” being their least favorite. Here they are, listed in order from least favored to most favored, along with comments from the tasters:
5) Oban 14 Years Old – Highland Single Malt Scotch – $70
Smooth aroma, Peppery taste, Lacked complexity, Notes of cinnamon, Spicy, Good basic scotch.
4) Craigellachie 13 Years Old – Speyside Single Malt Scotch – $50
Strong on the nose, Creamy taste, Fruity, Sweet, No bite, Very clean finish.
3) Orphan Barrel, Rhetoric 19 Years Old – Bourbon – $85
Very oaky taste, Good and polished taste, Very carmel, Notes of blackberry, Smooth & bold, Great after-taste.
2) Macallan 12 Years Old – Highland Single Malt Scotch – $48
Always good, Crisp taste, Smooth, Hint of chocolate, Firm & sweet taste, Medium finish.
1) Glenfarclas 17 Years Old – Speyside Single Malt Scotch – $77
Toffee notes, Cinnamon, Chocolate, Nutmeg, Smooth & buttery, Full bodied, Nice finish, Excellent.
The #1 favorite, Glenfarclas, took the top spot by a landslide. Now that does not mean that the others are on worth trying. Each whisky on this list is very good and earned a “1” from several tasters. But with any list there will be a “stand-out”. And Glenfarclas was it this time.
I also want to thank Clayton Woodward for attending. He is the General Manager of Montrey’s Cigar Lounge in Ferguson (MO). It’s a great place with a very good selection of whiskies and cigars. It is worth a visit (or two).
Thank you to everyone who attended. See you at the next tasting in October.
Doug #1