Whisky 101 Class

Member #6, Bill D., held a private whisky tasking for his friends this past weekend. The tasting, led by Mark (#1) and I, was handled as a Whisky 101 class. The goal was to teach the attendees about the process of distilling whisky along with giving the examples of different types of whiskies.

There were 12 in attendance and the evening went really well. We started the evening by discussing the types of grains used to make the product. We moved on to the distillation process and then onto what makes whiskies different from each other.

For the tasting section we selected whiskies from the main whisky producing countries. The goal was to give the attendees an idea of the types of whiskies produced in these countries. The selections included a Canadian Rye, an American Bourbon, an Irish Single malt and two Single Malt Scotches (one with no peat, one with a little peat) and a Blended Scotch.

As they tasted each they were given suggestions of the types of flavors to look for both in the nose and the taste.

As with all our tastings the tasters wrote notes on the whiskies then ranked them. Keep in mind that these rankings do not indicate which whisky is the best of the bunch. Since the selections are so different, the rankings simply establish which the group preferred.

Here are the rankings (1 = favorite, 6 = least favorite) and their notes:

6) Highland Park, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 12 years old, 43% ABV: Kind of a medicine flavor, smooth.

5) Pendleton 1910, 100% Canadian Rye, 12 years old, 40% ABV: Taste of butterscotch and pepper, smooth, easy to drink, spicy kick, long finish.

4) Very Old Barton, Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 6 years old, 50% ABV: Sweet and smooth, taste of caramel and vanilla, spicy, long finish.

3) Bushmills, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, 10 years old, 40% ABV: Light, fruit flavors, taste of apple and cinnamon, short finish.

2) Aberlour, Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 12 years old, 40% ABV: Complicated flavors, tastes of chocolate, floral notes.

1) Great King Street by Compass Box, Blended Scotch Whisky, NAS, 43% ABV: Great aroma, scents of vanilla and caramel, dry, lingering finish.

We finished off the night with a drawing, where the winners got to pick their favorite of the night, followed by cigars and conversation. It was a really good time.

Doug #1