Single Malt Lover!

I first tasted the two samples on Aug. 22 (Sunday), I have to admit that it may not be a good idea to taste blind samples after your team lost the game.  Ha Ha! Good excuse!  

As I didn't get them right, I tasted them again this afternoon.  Severe typhoon is hitting Taiwan right now. The whole city has been shut down the second day.

Blind sample one:

Quite sweet nose.  Must contains lots sherry.  a little honey, mellow, nutty(adding water).  Must be a speyside.  around 43%, feeling old but some robust touch.  Can it be a NAS malt? Maybe very little peat.  Some familiar feeling? Like Dalmore?  And the answer is : Strathisla 26yo 1967/1994 (40%, G&M) What? I know it's familiar but I didn't taste any Strathisla inside.  Re-taste today.  Not too much different than last time.  I guess I won't put money on this bottle.  It's easy drinking, but it's not performs like an old bottle. Score: 76.

Blind sample two:

Watching Olimpic baseball, Taiwan to Japan! Great game at first!

I opened Olivier's wine! Domain Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer, Herrenweg de Turckheim, 2001, Alsace, France

As the wine getting better, we loss the game! Shit! sorry!

We have good players, but lousy coach!

Though we may not be good enough to win a medal! But it could be a good game!

My favorit sake! Sorry can't find the English name.  Will put English name here once I find it. 

刈穗山廢純米酒

Well Well Well!

Somebody can't attend the Bowmore 1968 tasting and deside to treat us with GlenLivet and Blackadder! Thanks to Brian and Richard, we can taste so many malts within one afternoon. Officially, my malt milage break 200 today.Ho!Ho!Ho!  Here is the brief record.

Attandents: Brian, Richard, Kingfisher, Stephen, Murder, Perter.

The GlenLivet 12yo Red Cap, cream lable, Red spot in the middle (43%, OB, bottled in the 80s)

After yesterday's happy Bowmore advanture, I fiinally made up my mind to buy the famous Bowmore Fino cask 1964. I have been told by my fellow Maniacette Martine that this is the best Bowmore she has ever tasted.  Currently it is not for sell anywhere.  I found the #13 bottle left alone at the store.  Price is not cheap, almost 1200 Euro, about the market price.

Waiting for the package, I spot a strange bottle in the shop.  The Arran 1982?, How come?  I remember Arran was opened in 1995.  I think there is something wrong with the bottle.  I called Stephen and Brian immediately, they all later confrimed my findings.  I sent out e-mail to Maniacs and decide to buy a bottle to take pictures. Withe Johannes help, we soon get Arran's repond and confirmed it's a fake.  I told my friend Jason, who worked in the shop, to check it out.  They are now tracing the source.  I'll post the up-date once I got more inofrmation.

To talk about Islay, probably Bowmore is the only distillery I don't like that much.  It's really by chance, over the years, I got four bottles of different vintage 1968 Bowmore in hand.  Over a private tasting event, I talked about the fact to my friend Stephen, who is a real Bowmore lover.  He was very surprise to know I "collect" Bowmore.  It's sound a little funny to me, as I don't really want to put them into my collection list. So, without thinking, I said: let's open them all together. 

Well, as usual, the result of one-bottle-one-guest soon becomes a vertical Bowmore fest.  Five of us got 11 bottles, though some of them are 200ml ones.  Total participates including Stephen, Bird, House, Denis, and myself. House brings his girlfriend, but didn't drink too much. We start with the youngest and going up to 1968.

Bowmore Legend NAS (43%, OB, 200ml bottle)

This is a 200ml bottles comes in an experiencing combo pack.  I remember spot them in the duty-free shop.  It seems not selling well in Taiwan, most of them were sent as promotion gift.  It seems a good choice to have a NAS OB bottle as the start of the vertical tasting.  This one shows clear Bowmore character, light yellow color, Sea, Peat, Sulfur, a little bit Iodine?  Strong, young, robust, finished longer than I thought.  I remember I tasted this bottle at around year 2000 but I didn't write down the note.  In my memory.  This one is a quite average bottle and not easy to drink that time.  I wonder if I changed my taste or this one comes from an above average batch.  I actually quite like it.  I think the major component comes from 10yo. Score: 82 (Stephen: 80, House: 80, Denis: 78, Bird: B-~B+) Though the bottle has been opened for over 6 months, Stephen believe it performs better than just opened.)

Bowmore 12yo (43%, OB, 200ml bottle)

Yes, I also drink wine!

Chateau La Croix du Casse, 1989, Pomerol, France

Smoking Islay NAS (55%, Blackadder, Cask#2003/06)

Finished my last drop of the bottle. This vetted malt is actually a single cast bottling.  However, was dropped for one bottle of other distillery product to prevent being bottled as a single malt.  Though, never being confirmed by the bottler.  I believe it should be a Laphroaig.  A real monster.  Guess at around 12 YO.  Score 89.

Buffalo Trace

Bourbon. Not yet introduced to Taiwan, brought back by shop owner's friend.  I like it, either by desigh or by taste. Score: 88.

Glenmorangie 28yo 1975/2004 Tain L'Hermitage Finish (46%, OB)

Quite good one! Smooth and elegant.  Layered flavor. Strange, this one sold at 10% higher than Sauternes finish. I wondered fi they mis-labeled the price. Score: 88.

Glenmorangie 21yo 1981 Sauternes Finish (54.6%, OB)

Brora 24yo 1977/2001 (56.1%, Rare Malt)

Getting better each time.  I love it. Score: 90.

Longmorn 20yo 1981/2001 (50%, Old Malt Cask, 570b. Sherry Cask)

If not stated on the label, you can hardly taste the sherry! Not so Longmorn, but still quite malty! Some smoke, some tropical fruit. Finished with some Nutty!

I send two samples in blind to Brian and Stephen.  None of them get Longmorn right.  But both get the YO very close.  nosing are both close to me. 

Score: 76 (Brian: 79, Stephen: 91)

Domain Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer, Herrenweg de Turckheim, 2001, Alsace, France

From our French Maniac's, Olivier's, vine yard.  Lovely!

P.S.  I've never asked Olivier, but the Taiwanese importer sold me at around USD35.-/bottle as the Olivier's friend's special price.

Genrerally speaking, Whisky goes very well with any kind of Chinese Food.  I think that's also the reason why single malt is so popular in Taiwan.  However, I actually changed my belief tonight. It was just a normal family dine-out .  I broght my 200ml-bottle Bruichladdich 10yo (46%, OB) with me.  This winner, quite strange, doesn't go with food at all.  Why?  It never happened before, normally speaking, any malt can go with Chinese food. Why such a good malt can't? I remember this one goes with western food very well, when I was in Bruichaddich. Maybe an elegent malt need lighter sauce?  Malt and food seems not as easy as I thought.  We now have Martine Neout join the Maniacs, I think I can learn much more from her.

Got two blind samples from Brian today. 

Sample 1. (Light color)

Color: Golden.  At the time pour it out, I immediately smell something familar.  Must be Islay.  I thought it was Laphroaig at first.  But didn't found the signature Iodine nose.  Weak legs indicate it's a young malt.  Later cofirmed by taste and concentrate on the front tongue, young but strong. I think ist' around 10 to 12 yo.  Shake it, 3 rims of bubbles.  I guess it's around 50 to 55% Alc.  Start nosing:  Sulfer, Sour Malt? Oak.  Quite strange, hardly can smell any fruit.  Can't be Caol Ila as I didn't found any sweet at all.  A little bit lke the Bunnahabain 10yo OB, but not really.  I thought it would be an IB bad Laphroaig.  But after drink them all, nose the glass again.  Wait a miniute, there is something familar.  Ardbeg.  Yes, it's Ardbeg.  and it reminds me again the Uigeadail I tasted when I visited Ardbeg back in May.  This bottle hasn't introduce to Taiwan and seems they have no plan to import. Conclude it all: Islay, Ardbeg 10yo 53% (Is that Uigeadial?) And the answer is : Yes. Ardbeg Uigeadial (54.2%, OB) Score 80.

Sample 2. (Dark color)

Color: Dark Red.  Very dark color, almost black.  You know even by color it's fresh sherry cask.  I haven't tasted anything in this dark color.  Heavyly sherried even taste a little bit plum, reminds me the Aberlour a'bunadh immediately.  Must be Speyside for sure.  Talk about heavily sherried speyside, Longmorn somes to my mind,  but it tasted quite balanced, can't be Longmorn.  Beauitful legs, must over 20yo.  Later confirmed by tasting.  Last long.  Nose: Plum, Chocolate, Honey, Fruit.  Quite solid body, finish long.  Forget to check the Alc.%, by tasting it seems like a little bit under 50%.  Could it be Mortlack?  G&M seems has quite some old sherried Mortlack, but I've never tasted sherried Mortlach before.  So take a guess, I think it's:  Speyside, Aberlour 20yo 48%.  And the answer is : Longmorn 30yo 1973/2003 (56%, Millinnium Malt, Fresh Sherry Cask#3978)   Score: 88.  Not too surprising, but I think I should review Longmorn again.  Many people like it a lot, maybe there are quite some good Longmorn  waiting for me.  And it confirms again it's very difficult to guess the Alc% only by tasting. BTW, Millinnium Malt seems to be a specially label by Duncan Tayler.  Probably specially bottled for a Taiwanese distributor.  I'll try to find more information.