Last week Mark (RCWS Member #1) and I did a whisky tasting for a friend of mine, Ralph. After a brief discussion with Ralph it was decided that we would sample several very different whiskies. Actually, he wanted a sampling of “everything” for his guests.
So the whiskey selections, which were kept at about the $30 mark, were made to take the tasters from the United States to Ireland to Scotland. Along the way they would get to taste all the grains used in great whisky (corn, wheat, rye and barley) as well as be able to compare single, double and triple distillations.
After a quick lesson on how to taste and compare whiskies we jumped in. At the end of the night a comparison was made, by the tasters, of all the offerings. A quick break-down of their favorites from each country follows:
From America they tasted Johnny Drum Private Stock Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Maker’s 46 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Russell’s Reserve 6 year old Kentucky Straight Rye and Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey. The favorite was Maker’s 46.
From Ireland they tasted Bushmill’s Black Bush Blended Irish Whiskey and Power’s 12 year old Irish Whiskey. The Bushmill’s won that comparison.
From Scotland they tasted The Black Grouse Blended Scotch, Glenmorangie Original Single Malt and Auchentoshen Single Malt. The Glenmorangie beat the other two.
The overall favorite was the Bushmill’s Black Bush.
It was a fun trip through the whiskey world that I recommend you put on your travel plans.
Doug