Die letzten Feiern nahmen sich entweder ein Thema (Whisky, Craft Beer, Rum, Cognac/Brandy, Wein, begleitende Speisen, etc.) in seiner ganzen Tiefe vor oder mischten, damit für alle Teilnehmer etwas dabei war. Diese durchweg sehr schönen Abende waren stets kurzweilig, lustig und brachten unserer Sache wiedereinige neue Interessenten. Dabei arbeiten wir non-profit.

Vielleicht ist so ein Event mit Niveau und edutainment auch etwas für Ihren Anlass – sprechen Sie mit uns (auch die Dauer und die Location wären flexibel, evtl. auch im Whiskymuseum, einer privaten Bar oder der Kochschule). Es moderiert immer ein Experte, der mit Herzblut in seinem Feld unterwegs ist und besondere Tropfen kredenzt, die Sie begeistern werden.

Hier ein paar Impressionen:

Glentauchers 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 310 btl., 46%

Comment: A creamy and fat dram with a wonderful sherry influence (Pedro Ximenez?) and counterbalancing spice combo. I am getting maraschino cherries and cherry juice, ginger bread, tangerine, fudge (Werther’s Echte) and vanilla. My favourite in this batch.

Score: 89

Fettercairn 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, refill hogshead, 377 btl., 46%

Comment: A malty and nutty whisky that still has some green elements of shrub wood. The leading aromas are toffee, apples and pears, pineapple, dried flowers and CO2 carbonation smells (yes, unusual).

Score: 83

Glenallachie 9 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 299 btl., 46%

Comment: Something went wrong in filtering this one, it is a bit cloudy, but this doesn’t impact the flavour. Raisins, dates and sherry cask aromas dominate the nose (better than the palate), a Christmas cake with peppery and fresh elements as well, good balance, but not very complex.

Score: 84

Braeval 12 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2001 – 2014, sherry butt, 660 btl., 46%

Comment: Hello smoke, peat and moss, I didn’t expect you in this concentration. A complex and powerful yet elegant dram with goarse, sweet fruits (maraschino) and apricots plus the ‚Island-esque‘ touch on the side. A great learning experience, hard to guess in a blind tasting.

Score: 87

Glen Grant 10 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2004 – 2014, refill hogshead, 390 btl., 46%

Comment: A very typical example of this reliable distillery. Nicely fruity, mature and fat with quite some bourbon cask influence, like a cream toffee. There are traces of tropical fruits and dextrose in the aroma while the palate seems to be spicier and greener than the nose suggested.

Score: 85

Dailuaine 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2005 – 2014, sherry butt, 393 btl., 46%

Comment: A good nose, although a bit on the raisiny side of the sherry world. This is a round and sweet dram with good integration of cristalline flavours and some more spice on the palate than I expected, already mature.

Score: 86

Blair Athol 11 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2002 – 2014, refill hogshead, 421 btl., 46%

Comment: Its predecessor was a winner and this one doesn’t fail either with this discrete Highland understatement. Soft, round and complex (like me) displaying notes of moss, tea, pear, vineyard peaches paired with good acidity. A real steal.

Score: 88

Glencadam 10 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2004 – 2014, refill hogshead, 46%

Comment: Mashy and malty start, the leading aromas are pear (!), caramel, vanilla, nougat, coffee, oak, ginger bread, pistachio and flowers. With time, Asian spice and fruity elements surface.

Score: 85

Tamdhu 12 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2001 – 2014, refill hogshead, 153 btl., 46%

Comment: Tarte tatin (Calvados)! Funny at first, a round and sweet dram with good length. After the ‚tarty‘ start it settles to reveal dough, caramel, moss, green grapes, canned pears, malt, ginger, almonds, white oak and white pepper.

Score: 84

Jura 8 y.o. Hepburn’s Choice 2006 – 2014, refill butt, 598 btl., 46%

Comment: Quite complex for its age – leather, spices (chili, too), mashy malt, coffee, maritime ozone, joghurt, pistachio, polished oak, peaches and more.

Score: 86

Ledaig 6 y.o.  Hepburn’s Choice 2008 – 2014, refill hogshead, 46%

Comment: As a fan of Ledaig, I was curious to try a younger vintage before the often released 2005. This one is still close to a new make (wild ride, baby), but with huge potential. Despite its young vegetal peatiness, the emerging complexity already shines through: shoe shine, iodine, suede, green apples and smoke are leading elements. These 2008 Ledaigs seem to be as peaty as 2005, maybe even more phenol ppm in action. Promising stuff.

Score: 86

After these releases came out, there also were a young Talisker, Caol Ila and a Laphroaig, all of which I haven’t tried yet. Overall, these drams without colouring (not chill-filtered) are a reasonable choice among the many ’no age statement‘ or finished bottlings we see at weird prices these days, I think. Honest stuff, nothing fancy, some better, some worse, but real whisky to understand the product without mascerade – which we like.

Glenrothes 18 y.o. The Maltman, Bourbon Cask, 50,8%

Grilled marshmallow and a lot of Bourbon cask influence right away (white oak, vanilla, fudge) with heather, honeycomb, pineapple, melon, apricot ice cream, pistachio and just a hint of smoke in the nose. The oakiness with bitter elements dominates the taste and is a bit closed at first. Water really opens up this dram and unlocks the complexity and aromas of the nose. Medium length finish on this classic mature Bourbon cask Speysider. 86 points.

Mortlach 22 y.o. The Maltman, Bourbon Cask, 46%

The first reminiscence one gets is thick smoke when a good steak is turned on the grill. This meaty and smoky base is accompanied by Italian herbs (mainly rosemary, sage and thyme, but also bay leaf), peaches, dried fruits, sandal wood, earth, milk, caramel and vanilla. Barrel-fermented Chardonnay might work as a wine comparison. Wow, this tastes as good as it noses, really well-balanced with all aromas dancing on a small pin of a needle. The smoke delivers such a perfect counterpart to the other aromas. A more-ish dram with a long finish. High class. 90 points.

Isle of Arran 16 y.o. The Maltman, Oloroso Sherry Cask, 46%

Dark cake with loads of different cherries, which come from the Oloroso cask. Maraschino, Amarena ice sauce from Italy, morello jam, you name it. A nice spiciness (salt, pepper, curry, Asian aromas), darker bread dough, raisins, summer flowers, and more without anything dominating (aside from the cherries in the first row). It tastes spicy and full of life with tingles. One of my favourite Arrans from a great sherry cask that doesn’t change distillery character too much. Kudos! 89 points.

Cask Sample: Ledaig 7 y.o. The Maltman (Bourbon Cask)

For years now, I have been introducing Ledaig to my friends as a wonderful dram with peaty qualities that doesn’t need to hide from any South Coast Islay whisky. My collection of 1972s can show the capacityin taste, and the 2005 is such a great distillate as well. That’s why we chose to bottle a Ledaig 2005 as our club bottling (soon tho be released, only a matter of weeks). This one, still a cask sample from the same time, makes no difference. Already great, but needs to mature for three more years or so. Love it already (89-91 points)!

P.S.: Between sample sets, there was a Springbank 17 y.o. (dark vatting) which I strongly recommend (90+ points) if you can find it (there are still some around). As it tastes a lot like the old sherried stuff (green thistle release, etc.), it is a real bargain for  around 115.- Euro at cask strength.