Single Cask Whisky Tasting at the Broadfield

As you may have read, we have been to a few of Ed's (@WhiskyCurator) whisky tastings at the Broadfield. This time, it was the turn of the cask strength whisky, all of which were bottlings from Master of Malt (although this was more coincidental than intentional). The theme of the evening was delightfully titled "Single cask treats and homemade sweets", with lovingly prepared sweeties to accompany the drams.

Glentauchers 15 year kicked off the evening, the weakest of the night at a mere 55.1% ABV. On both the nose and the palate it was zesty and fresh, yet gaining body as the flavour developed, invoking the chew of apricot and peach with custard. This was paired with a soft, chocolate coated pistachio nougat.

The second dram was a Miltonduff 18 year old sherry cask whisky, with an ABV of 59.6%. The woody scent of this whisky flowed through, and onto the palate were pear drops and fruity hints, meaning it tasted a bit like Christmas. This was quite possibly the most exciting drink of the evening, with intriguing nuances of flavour true to it's single cask nature, which makes it such a shame that most of this makes its way into blends. Ed's invention for this one - Irn Bru gummy worms. Improbable, slippery, and fantastically weird. We loved them.

Glen Garioch 20 year, at 58.8%, came next. This highland malt had a delightfully soft, toffee vanilla-ness with a background of brewery malt on the nose, then somewhere between the smell and actually drinking it, it's as though some secretive soul has surreptitiously swapped the contents of the Glencairn for a peppery and altogether more oaky drink. The palate continued to expand with a porridgy apple that lingered, and ended with a custardy finish that took the dram full circle. An apple candy brought the first half of the tasting to an end. 

(Accidentally ate most of the nougat pre-photo!)

Ledaig 7 year was next - an absolute stonker of a dram at 61.9%. Rather poetically, this whisky is made on the island of Mull in the beautiful stills of Tobermory, before being transferred the 35 miles to Islay where the barrels are stored for a deliciously short time. The peated lightly coloured liquid swims with a saltiness that comes only with ageing in the middle of the North Atlantic. This nasal saltiness is then beaten to submission by what tastes like the Honey Monster smoking a pipe. With a finish that sticks to the tongue for a remarkable length of time, this could easily be mistaken for a much older whisky. This came matched with a wonderful pairing of cinder toffee.

Glenburgie 21 year old, from Speyside, was the final dram of the night and it was simply spectacular: a veritable delight of fruits and sweet spice that just glowed across the tongue and up the nose, and even at 56.9% was still beautifully quaffable without the heat that one may expect. The rich and demerara sugary palate glistened with cinnamon and bundles of vanilla ice cream, and overall the rounded flavour was exceptional. To go with this, we were presented with what soon became our favourite sweet of the night, a delicately flavoured and sumptuously squishy earl grey marshmallow.

Another great night in what is becoming quite a tradition for the team at Mashtun and Meow - we will be back on June 3rd for a night of American whiskeys and cocktails!

Slainte,

J&L

The Curator's Collection

So we are for the second time sat in the upstairs room of the Broadfield, confronted by 5 delicious and truly special single malts, with the smell of smoke and warmth of spice drifting nosewards. This collection was put together and led by the charismatic whisky curator at the pub, Ed (you can read his blog here), and was a fine showcase of delightfully selected contrasting and exclusive whiskies, all of which were from the home shelf of the presenter.


Yet again this was a wonderful evening of tasting leading to a potential new favourite, although I think buying a bottle may set me back a few pennies...

With five whiskies on the cards, it was set to be a delectable night of malted peaty goodness.
The evening opened with a Glenkeith 1983, a dram with a light delicate nose and a stroke of liquorice on the finish that slips neatly down the palate, despite the dry nature of the oak.

Next was a Canadian Club 1975 - a 6 year aged bottle that was well kept from the ages of yore before the name meant cheap American 'liquor store' blend. Instead we are confronted by woody smells, a sligthly chalky nose, but backed up with the delightful taste of almost rum-spiced quality.

The third dram of the evening was a Tormore 28 year, bottled by the incredible whisky fanatics at WhiskyBroker. It has a depth of flavour like an apple crumble, sweet and lightly spiced with hints of cinnamon, which comes with a helping of warm vanilla custard. On the exceptionally long finish across the tongue were hedgerow fruits and hints of nutmeg all levelled with a flavour of oak wood. This is a very well rounded whisky with great warmth and sweetness. 

Komagatake 1989, is a spiced dram from a far lesser seen Japanese distillery, compared with Nikka or Yamazaki. It is a delicate whisky with a strong black pepper character, which dissolves to a toffee sweetness on the tongue. The long finish sums up the previous spice with a slightly smoked oak character. This was Laura's favourite of the night.

Some people save the best till last, and this for me could be the best ever. Ardbeg 1977 is an incredibly complex mix of powerful peat, with subtle overtones that constantly dance around the palate, up the nose and down the throat. It holds a magisterial concoction of flavour reminiscent of cocoa and coffees, that become creamy in texture across the tongue: a texture that brings with it a real depth and the phenols of peat smoke with fruit after citrus fruit. Really there are for too many levels of flavour into which I could plunge as far as this whisky is concerned, but I can comfortably say this is the greatest whisky I have ever tasted and that I am probably ever likely to drink. This would sell in a bar for upwards of £80 per dram, and due to its small run and now limited supply, will only increase in cost sip by delicious sip. 

But at the same time this is not the one I would recommend anyone purchasing. Instead I would opt for the Tormore 28 (now succeeded by the Tormore 29 year on whiskybroker) - it is well worth the money at £65. 

With the addition of christmas crackers containing miniature festive treats from Master of Malt in the form of single serve drams akin to our advent calendars, this was a smashing evening.

We are already looking forward to what the next series of whisky tasting nights will bring!

Slainte,

Jim

The Whisky Collection pt. Islay

Islay is one of our favourite places on the planet. Situated about 70miles from Glasgow as the crow flies and 150miles as the car drives, through undulating hills to the picturesque Loch roads, towards a 2 hour crossing past the Paps of the surrogate sister island to Islay, Jura.
  

The Old Schoolroom

It is a place that breathes pleasantness in such spades that when we pointed out that the front door to the Old Schoolroom (our home for our honeymoon week) did not lock, the owners confided that they left the car keys in the ignition overnight. This revelation sat strangely with us townies, but on such a secluded yet welcoming island the only option was to embrace the situation.

With 8 active distilleries and two more opening shortly, the island is a worthy pilgrimage for any whisky fanatic. Ranging in size from the massive annual production of 3.5 million litres of Caol Ila, to the smallest distillery, Kilchoman, that struggles to produce per year what Caol Ila makes in a day.

The whiskies themselves, whilst generally peaty, are always interesting and different, and for this post i am going to focus on a few of my favourites.

Kilchoman warehouse

Kilchoman is a farm distillery that at the time of visiting made the only 100% Islay whisky, with most distilleries importing the malt from the mainland. The 5 Year 2006 tastes like a young whisky, in that it is not as refined or smooth as a longer aged whisky. That being said it is by no means bad, more I feel it the opposite, something unique and to be treasured, with a light pear smell that gives way to a gingery peat on the tongue and ends in a woody finish. 

The bay of Laphroaig

Laphroaig is arguably the most famous distillery on the Island and is often seen in pubs and supermarkets around the country. The 10 year old, which is provided as the 'Drivers Dram' from the distillery for those partaking on the tour, is the most often seen. It is a heavily peated whisky that seems to float the head in a soft smoke on the nose, with sweet hints of oak across the palate with vanilla and spice that end with an iodiney finish

I will stray slightly from the isle for the penultimate dram, to the incredible island of Jura, a land of stags and stills, described by George Orwell as 'extremely ungetatable'. The distillery itself has an great range of excellent whiskies demonstrating a spectrum of peatiness and sweetness. The 'Duirachs Own' is one of the free drams you can get from the hotel across from the distillery if you are part of the members club. This 16 year old whisky is aged for the final 2 years in sherry casks, giving it sweet vanillas on the nose and across the palate with additional layers of honey and slight apples, reminiscent of crumble and custard. 

And finally... I am leaving these whiskies till last not only because they are some of my favourites but because the distillery is one of the most interesting. Bruichladdich is run with an air of experimentation; a flair seldom seen in whisky production. It showcases the ambition to try new things, new woods, greater peat content and even a gin. They have a series of whiskies named Port Charlotte (also one of the towns on the island), one of which, entitled Peat Project, is a heady mix of spice and smoke, that engulfs the skull with the caressing warmth of pepper and a smooth creaminess that brushes the palate. It provides a taste which is well rounded and whole.

I recently had a dram of a release of a Octomore: one of the most heavily peated whiskies ever made. This limited release has steadily increased in its peat levels since the first batch, starting at 131ppm and with a level around 167ppm for its newer releases (up to version 6.2). For those who aren't aware, ppm stands for the Phenol content in Parts Per Million, in reference to peat levels in the whisky as a whole, which is added when drying malt in peat smoke. As a guide, Laphroaig 10 year is around 40ppm and Springbank being 7ppm. While this whisky is probably the most heavily peated you will ever try, it does not feel that way, being surprisingly smooth and quaffable. On the nose it smells sweet and grapey due to its ageing in Bordeaux barrels, which adds a sincere refinement throughout the mouth as a whole. The sweetness continues to tickle across the tongue as the smoke fills the back of the throat. Having had a dram in the distillery I have been on the look out for it ever since. Buying a bottle of this whisky can set you back up to £200, but as a single measure in the pub it is closer to £7 and worth every penny. 

Slainte 
Jim