I was at a meeting the 0ther day with a scotch tasting. Bill Hoar (a local distributor) had some vodka, Buffalo Trace, few liquers and some single malts. Here was the lineup:
Glen Morangie – original
Glen Morangie – port cask
Glen Morangie – sherry cask
Glen Morangie – sauterne cask
Ardbeg
Bowmore 15
Being an Islay man, I thought the Bowmore 15 was quite good – a touch smoother than the 12 year old. Distinctive peat notes but the older vintage seems to mellow out the normal oiliness and phenol taste of peat to leave a nice, smoky taste and finish. Picks up just a wee bit more of the sherry cask flavor. A nice overall representation of an Islay single malt.
I’m not a big fan of the “flavored” single malts that Balvenie and Glen Morangie put out, but I thought the sauterne cask was quite good as well.
DD#22