In May of this year the River City Whisky Society hosted a club tasting with an unusual theme: Animals. We chose expressions that had an animal in the name. We had actually done this theme in the past so I thought it would be a challenge to find five more. How wrong I was.
For this tasting we had a bourbon, a wheat whiskey, a rye whiskey, a scotch and an Irish.
Additionally, for this tasting Mike Weller, owner of Table 36 Cigars (click link) was on hand. He presented his line of cigars and gave us an opportunity to try them. They paired very nicely with the whiskies! Mike is also the owner/operator of AP Cigar Company (click link) of East Alton, Illinois.
As per our regular process each taster received a ounce pour of each. They then ranked them from their favorite to their least favorite, adding tasting notes to each. We added up all the numbers and the results were as follows (5 being least favorite, 1 being their favorite):
5) Chicken Cock, Straight Bourbon Whiskey, NAS, 45% $59
Tastes of licorice, Zesty, Sweetness on the tongue, Fruity, Taste of banana comes through, Creamy but short finish.
3) Old Elk, Wheat Whiskey, 6 yrs old, 50%, $70
Orange on the nose, Very earthy, Floral taste up front, Too peppery, A bit plain, Chocolaty, Light flavor, Lots of cocoa, Smooth finish.
3) WhistlePig Piggyback, Rye Whiskey, 6 yrs old, 48.2%, $46
Very spicy, Sweet berries, Good smoke on the tongue, A big bite, Peppery like a herbal tea, Bitter aftertaste.
2) Blackadder – Distilled at Aultmore, Single Malt Scotch 11 yrs old, 57.6%, $132
Fruity nose, Taste of apple, Very smooth, Herbal mint flavor, Green apple, Black licorice, Short finish, Dissipates quickly.
1)Redbreast Lustau, Irish Whiskey, NAS, 46%, $70
Tons of flavor, Oaky, Extremely smooth, Fruit up front, Finish of dates and raisins, Thick aftertaste.
Thank you to the 28 folks who participated. And a big THANK YOU to Mike and Table 36 Cigars. If you are ever in the Alton area stop by and see him!
Cheers,
Doug