The Whiskey Chaps

BLIND TASTING CONSORTIUM SESSION 14 (Callum & Kate’s Wee Town Party Night) 21/08/2021.

Posted on August 23, 2021
btc14

28 Whisky loving folk blind tasting 5 drams, for this session the drams were picked by Callum – @glen_scotia and kate – @kccjf, follow buttons to their Twitter accounts are at the bottom of this summary.

The idea is to blind taste all 5 drams, rate them in order of preference, and reveal the drams after we’ve put them into our orders, so a truly blind tasting. Use #BlindDrams through Tweetdeck to follow along in future or to check out older tasting notes and sessions.

blind tasting consortium

Blind dram #1

Appearance

Very light gold in colour, white wine ish, swirl line beads up straight away and is quite thick. Legs are slow and syrupy #BlindDrams

Nose

Quite sweet initially, I’m thinking honey throat sweets, cream soda, icing sugar, but darkness hangs back waiting to pounce. More time brings wood and wood treatments, linseed oil, and slightly vegetal too.

I’m going with royal icing now, sherbet, but still very cereal/grain like. #BlindDrams

Palate

Very refreshing for me, nice mouthfeel, lots of honey and sweet lemon, pineapples and apricots, some ginger, ginger nut biscuits, slowly becoming more spicy now. #BlindDrams

White pepper, cinnamon, nice and warming tbh. Vanilla custard with Apple strudel, I rather like this one. Perhaps 46% ABV. #BlindDrams

Finish

Quite long, and becoming more vegetal, and milky coffee, with cinnamon in it. #BlindDrams

My thoughts

This was a very strong start to the evenings tasting, and i really enjoyed this dram. It’s actually the first single cask Glenmoray i think iv’e tried, and i’d definitely buy a bottle, a good steady dram.

And blind dram #1 is

Blind dram #2

Appearance

Again very light in colour, white wine ish, a decent thick swirl line with slow medium legs.

Nose

Menthol and bacon first off, juniper/conifer, sawdust, pva wood glue, definitely getting bacon, but I’m finding the nose quite closed up atm. #BlindDrams

Really unripe bananas, lemons, and quite a lot of wood. #BlindDrams

Palate

The palate is a little thin, there’s definitely smoke here, low ABV, this is unusual, bananas, lemons, some spices but not dark fruit spice. Slightly vegetal, tobacco leaves, herbs too, some cinnamon coming through now. #BlindDrams

I’m so not getting what others are here, I’m finding it light, more spirity, oranges at a push, perhaps cranberries.#BlindDrams

Finish

Short to medium in length, lemons, grapefruit/ pomello, char, spirity again for me, I’m not clicking with this one 1-2 at a push #BlindDrams

My thoughts

I have to say i did struggle with this dram. I poured and let it sit for around 40 minutes by the time we got to tasting it, and i largely found spirit not flavour. I did pour another later on and let it sit for over an hour and got a little more from the glass, but not much more. It’s not a bottle i’d buy, but it was good to try it.

And blind dram #2 is

Blind dram #3

Appearance

Deep gold/ amber mix in colour, swirl line beads up immediately, leaving an overall film on the glass and small teardrops. #BlindDrams. I updated this to thick and syrupy legs.

Nose

Lots more here, strawberries, cherries, brown sugar, vegetal, hazelnuts, wood and wood varnish, caramel, decent ABV a I think too. #BlindDrams

Old style glazing putty, the back of a carpenters van, chocolate raisins. #BlindDrams

Palate

Nice mouthfeel first of all, oily/buttery, and then a full on spicy bomb for me. Hot cinnamon, ginger root, vanilla pods, pecan pastries, red berries still too, a touch of salinity #BlindDrams,

I like this a lot, hot mince pies with a dusting of caster sugar on top, cigar leaves, leaning towards Black Forest gateaux, warming into the chest, a lovely winters dram #BlindDrams

Finish

Long, warming, dark fruits and 5 spice, Christmas in a glass for me, I’d definitely buy one.

My thoughts

Yes more of this please, i thought this was an absolutely cracking dram. Lots of flavour and depth for me. I wouldn’t have guessed it was English whisky to be honest, but i really did enjoy it, i’d definitely buy a bottle.

And blind dram #3 is

Blind dram #4

Appearance

It’s just becoming fruitier for me now, green grapes, then plums, raisins, dark chocolate, it’s a great nose.

Nose

WOW! That’s a monster. BBQ bacon, gentle smoke, we’ll married I’d say, blood oranges, perhaps a tough of Germoline here too. Seared pineapple, nectarines, cereals, big ABV, dark chocolate on the back of the palate from smelling.

Palate

Full, bold, Rich, yes lots of smoke and some bonfire ash, red berries, germoline like the nose suggested, prunes, Dr Pepper, char, black pepper, anise, black and red liquorice, icing sugar, dates, perhaps a touch of sulphur.

Finish

Long, loads of dark fruits, blackcurrants, grapefruit, high cocoa content dark chocolate, perhaps a touch of salinity, char, espresso, turning slightly bitter right at the end.

My thoughts

This is a full on monster of a dram, it’s a whisky riot on the palate to be honest, and in general i really did enjoy it, and it was a privilege to have tasted it as a pre-release. It is a lot of whisky for the money, but as to whether i’d buy one i’m not sure, i’d have to visit it again.

And blind dram #4 is

Blind dram #5

Appearance

Deep gold in colour, medium thick swirl line, beads up straight away with slow medium thick legs.

Nose

Another WOW here, Plasticine, black cherries, a touch of menthol, big ABV, caramel, dark plums, interestingly a touch of menthol, royal icing, pontefract cakes, liquorice torpedoes, slightly dusty, red apple skins.

There’s also a perfume note and rose water, Parma violets, quite floral in general.

Palate

Super mouthfeel, Rich, spicy, warming, chest clearing, 5 spice, baking spices, Xmas fruit cake with iced top, dates, prunes, a touch of cloves, dark chocolate, anise, nutmeg, wood shavings, perhaps smoke but the fruit is so strong.

Black peppercorns, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon swirl pastry, mocha, raisins, so much depth for me, love it.

Finish

Long, so spicy warming, takes my breathe away tbh with the ABV. Grapefruit, espresso, cranberries, a touch of drying, char, black peppercorns still, pomello, almost molasses, dark rum like, very nice indeed.

My thoughts

Now, this was my winner from the evening, but i have to say that it did have pts awarded from 0 to 5. For me it’s a stonking good Oloroso cask whisky, so bold, so deep, so spicy, as a sherry cask whisky it’s one of the best iv’e tasted, but not all agreed. I’d definitely buy a bottle, and i know i’d thoroughly enjoy every drop.

And blind dram #5 is

Overall tasting thoughts

Another superb Blind Tasting Consortium session with a super spread of drams, it’s been a privilege to try them all, a cracking evenings entertainment.

Thanks to – Callum and Kate for the samples, party pack and images 🙏.

Callum and kate’s Wee town party night banner courtesy of @jwbassman_.

Now for something completely different

Continuing my whisk(e)y and music thing, songs iv’e listened to either during tasting or review. I hope you enjoy this one.

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By Dram It Mick!

Mick Cash

Enjoying being part of the Whisk(e)y community. I’m one half of @thewhiskeychaps. My opinions are mine only.

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