Adnams fire a Broadside with the launch of their new whiskies

I first posted this blog over on the excellent Distant Thunder Whisky Club, but for posterity I thought I'd also add it here.

Adnams Whisky No 1
(Photo courtesy of Adnams)

Last summer I visited the Adnams brewery, well known in the UK for brewing some excellent beers, in Southwold, Suffolk.

During the brewery tour we were told about a whisky Adnams were planning to release. Originally scheduled for early 2013 the launch was delayed until December. What we weren't told during the tour is that they were planning to release two whiskies. So are the latest additions to the English whisky scene any good?

The Single Malt No 1 is made using local East Anglian Barley and aged in virgin French oak barrels. I read online that the whisky is made from the same wash as their Copper House Barley Vodka.

The Triple Grain No 2 is made from wheat and East Anglican oats and barley. The triple grain has been matured in virgin American oak barrels and is made from the same wash as their Longshore Premium Vodka.

Having produced just ten barrels of each whisky, Adnams have been hyping that stocks were sure to sell out quickly, an have pitched both bottles at the premium price of £44 each.

I clubbed together with a friend so that we could sample a dram of each.

Single Malt No 1
Distillery: Adnams, Southwold, England
Matured: French Oak
Alcohol: 43% ABV

Colour: Golden, with touches of amber

Nose: Smooth, not as much spice as I'd expect from virgin oak. Sweetness. Balanced, maybe a little too well as I struggled to pick up any distinguishing features.

Palate: The smoothness carries through to the palate. The sweetness leaves a light syrupy coating on the tongue. Only after I added water did the spice / oak really open up and the whisky develop on the palate.

Finish: Before adding any water the finish was decidedly short. The water helped the spice linger down the side of the tongue.

Triple Grain No 2

Distillery: Adnams, Southwold, England
Matured: American Oak
Alcohol: 43% ABV

Colour: Straw. Noticeably paler than the single malt.

Nose: Smooth and balanced. Remarkably similar to No 1. I was expecting a different profile considering it is a triple grain.

Palate: Again smooth and not as much spice as I would have expected from virgin oak. As a triple grain I was expecting the flavour to have hints of an American bourbon, but the flavour wasn't nearly as big. However, it was thankfully more rounded and a but more complex than the single malt making it a favourite. Again water helped bring out the spice / oak.

Finish: Similarly short, but the water helped lengthen the spice on the tongue.

Both were very drinkable, admirably smooth and generally impressive for such young whiskies. Adding water helped open up both drams and that will be my preference when I drink the rest of the bottle.

The more I drank the more they grew on me (some might call that getting tipsy). However, neither was as complex or as interesting as I'd hoped, or indeed would expect, for the price and I'm not sure I can forgive them for that.

Below is the official video by Adnams on their distilling process.

Drinking the Adnams whiskies I couldn't help remembering the Grants Cask Editions I sampled last year. At less than half the price, if I wanted another easy drinker I couldn't see myself buying the Adnams again.

If I was to give a dram I'd say three lightening bolts out of seven for the Single Malt and three and a half for the Triple Grain.

The Converted

Grant's Whisky Masterclass and 12yo Launch

Samples of the twenty five whiskies which go into the Grant's 25yo

Thanks to Emma Barnitt from Weber Shandwick for inviting me to the Australian launch of Grant's 12yo whisky. An intimate group of whisky enthusiasts were invited to a masterclass with Grant's Global Ambassador Ludo.

Until recently I've been guilty of thinking that single malts are the only thing worth drinking in the whisky world. However, recent tastings and discussions with other members of DTWC has opened my eyes to the world of blended whisky.

Originally from France but now living in Scotland, Ludo has a wonderful hybrid accent. Certain words are are very French and then mid sentence he'll break into a broad Scot's accent. One of the most unusual mixes you are likely to here!

Ludo gave us a very interesting presentation on the history of Grant's and the process of how blended whisky is made. One of the facts I found surprising is that different whisky companies swap barrels to contribute to each others blends, rather than selling them.

I can imagine a bartering market would have worked well in years gone by, but long since ended as big multinational companies have moved into the whisky market. It's quite romantic to think such barrel swapping still takes place.

Tasting table, luxury nibbles and nosing references

During the evening we got to try five different Grant's whiskies. I'd previously sampled the newly launched Ale Cask ($40 per bottle) and Sherry Cask ($40 per bottle). The Ale Cask was just as good on a second tasting.

I asked Ludo what happened to the beer used to flavour the barrel once it had come out of the casks. Initially they used to throw it down the drain, but it is now sold on and available through Innis and Gunn. A beer I'd like to try sometime to see what effect the oak casks have.

I was slightly fearful of trying the  Family Reserve ($33 per bottle) after The Baron had been less than complimentary. However, it was perfectly pleasant, certainly not harsh or offensive as I'd potentially been expecting.

Ludovic Ducrocq, Grant's Global Brand Ambassador

We then moved onto the newly released Grant's 12 year old ($44 per bottle). It's a more complex and interesting blend. There's sweetness / vanilla and spices coming through with a long and mellow finish. It was a very enjoyable whisky and I was taken aback to learn it is only $44. I would have guessed the price would have been much higher in the $60-$70 range.

We were then treated to a taste of the extremely rare Grant's 25 year old. Grant's have only ever done one production run of the 25yo and supplies are very limited as a result. (You can only buy it in duty free in Australia.) It was fantastic to be able to smell, and in a couple of instances, taste the twenty five different whiskies which make up the blend. Certainly the best blend I've ever tasted and up there with one of the more enjoyable whiskies overall. At an eye watering $320 (duty free) I'm not sure I'll be sampling it ever again.

You can read The Baron's review of the evening over on the DTWC here.

Grant's Ale Cask Whisky

Thanks to Emma Barnitt from Weber Shandwick for sending me a sample of the recently released Grant's Ale Cask whisky to try.

Grant's claim they are producing the only Ale Cask Scotch whisky in the world. Although I wouldn't say that I could taste or smell beer, the whisky definitely had a distinct flavour. One which I enjoyed.

I'd imagined Grant's were buying ale casks from a brewery rather than using traditional bourbon barrels. However, after a bit of research it sounds like they put beer into their bourbon casks for 30 days to flavour the wood. Grant's then add the whisky back into the barrel, maturing it for an additional four months.

I wonder if they sell the beer when it comes out of the bourbon casks?

The whisky is available in Dan Murphy's at $40 a bottle putting it head to head with likes of Johnnie Walker Black Label. So how does it shape up?

Grant's Ale Cask
Region: Blend
Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden straw

Nose: There was a sophisticated / full nose. Cereal, touch of tropical fruit.

Palate: Creamy, drying. A little bit of malt, but not obviously beery. Surprisingly smooth for the price.

Finish: Long. Slightly bitter?

Overall I thought this was a pretty good blend for the price. It is more complex, has a more interesting character and none of the harshness that it's main rival Johnnie Walker Black has. If I had $40 to spend on a bottle of whisky I know where my money would be.

The easy drinking yet interesting nature, reminded me of the Aberlour 10yr old I tasted over Christmas.

If you wanted to taste the new Grant's whiskies for yourself the excellent Oak Barrel are hosting a tasting event next Thursday 8th March. Tickets are $25, check out the website for details.

Bunnahabhain 18 - a smooth Islay malt

At the end of the What is whisky? tasting event I attended, the owner of the shop kindly opened up the shelf and invited us to a few extra drams. One of the whiskies I tasted was the Bunnahabhain 15yr old. I remember being impressed by the smoothness and quality of the whisky.

We were told that in an blind tasting session they recently held, the Bunnahabhain 18 was rated as the Islay top whisky. At that moment I was sold and new it would be my choice for the next whisky night I hosted.

The Bunnahabhain 18yr old is difficult to find here in Australia and I've only seen it at World of Whisky in Double Bay at an eye watering $217. A trip back to the UK over Christmas gave me the opportunity to secure a bottle for the equivalent of $100. We really are being ripped off here in Australia!

Bunnahabhain 18yr old
Region: Isle of Islay
Alcohol: 46.3%

Packaging: I'm a fan of the dark squat bottle. The minimalist labels and Roman numerals give it a sense of class. The squat shape seems to give the bottle presence. My only gripe is that the dark brown glass makes it difficult to see how much you have left.

Colour: Amber in colour with reddish tones. A couple of shades darker than your regular dram.

Nose: An initial hit of alcohol tingles, rather than burns the nostrils, but still made it difficult for me to pick up too many flavours. Hints of sweetness, spice and oak.

Palate: The first thing that strikes me is how smooth this whisky is. I've taken to cutting my whiskies with water recently, but even though this is slightly higher ABV than standard is doesn't require any water to help tame the beast.

Subtle spice from the sherry casks is the dominant flavour. What I was expecting from an Islay whisky, and didn't get, was any peat.

Finish: Long. The spice gently fades leaving a dry finish. A slight saltiness.

The Baron thought the whisky had a similar profile to the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban. I did a side my side tasting, and while I can see the similarities I thought the Bunnahabhain was deeper, smoother and more rounded. But so it should be at double the price.

Overall a very pleasant dram. Would I but it again? Yes at $100, but not at $217.

If I was to give a dram I'd say 5.5 lightening bolts our of 7.

The Converted

Dramcember: A time to taste something new

I've been busy over the past couple of weeks on the DTWC group blog that I'm a member of. The Distant Thunder Whisky Club (DTWC) has an annual Dramcember challenge:

The rules are simple. Between the 9th of Dramcember until the 9th and Dramuary you are tasked to try at least 1 whisky you have never had before. This can be a single dram or a full bottle (it really does not matter). In doing so then post about it somewhere, anywhere, to let us all know how good or how bad it was.

We all get stuck in a slump and do not step to far off the beaten track which can make our pallets bit stagnant. If you have been wanting to try something new and need some inspiration well here it is.

I managed to sample four new whiskies during the month.

Bell's - the UKs favourite whisky:

A simple, easy drinking good value whisky.

A cheap dram: Tesco's special reserve:
 
Remarkably smooth for the money.

Aberlour 10yr old

A deceptively sophisticated whisky that tingles and teases.

Homemade Damson Whisky

The dessert wine of the whisky world.

 

Whisky Night: Johnnie Walker Blue Label

My run of three Scotch events in a fortnight culminated with the DTWC Whisky Night last Saturday. I missed the previous club night and it felt like ages since I'd been to a get together.

The two Matt's have been dabbling with their own home brew. Before we cracked out the whisky Matt C gave me a glass of his Northwest Pale Ale. I really enjoyed the beer and it reminded me of the Samuel Adams I used to drink while I was in New York. If I was in a bar I'd have happily bought another one. I said so, which I think pleased Matt quite a bit!

Club funds had been used to buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for the evening. We started by blind tasting the Blue Label alongside a dram of Johnnie Walker Black Label. The threat being that if we got it wrong we'd be on the cheap stuff all night!

We all managed to guess correctly, but the consensus round the table was that the Johnnie Blue wasn't worth the money. The Blue ($180) was a very smooth whisky. It is a bit of a contradiction. The whisky doesn't have any big flavour characteristics, however, the blend gives it complexity. I would never describe it as boring and it has a very smooth finish.

The Black ($40), to my untrained palate, was similar in many ways. Like it's elder brother there were no big distinguishing flavours. It wasn't as complex or as smooth, with a slightly harsh finish. However, it was still a very drinkable whisky.

I don't think any of us felt the $140 price difference was justified. Astonishingly the Blue Label has recently been reduced from nearly $300 in price! Definitely not a bad whisky and if you want a smooth easy drinker you could do a lot worse. However, if I had $180 to spend it would probably go somewhere a bit more challenging. You wouldn't have caught me writing that two years ago!

A great boys night, aside from the mosquitoes trying to eat us alive on the back deck. Lots of banter and advice on married life!

Glenmorangie Masterclass @ Oak Barrel

Last Wednesday I went to a Glenmorangie masterclass at Oak Barrel. The bottle shop is firmly cementing itself as my favourite in Sydney.

What made the evening was my conversation with manager Simon at the end of the night. Simon had read the tweets I sent to Oak Barrel and was genuinely seeking feedback to help them improve. He was remarkably open to our probing questions (including on pricing). I think it's quite rare to find someone prepared to be as transparent about their business.

During the night we got to try eight Glenmorangie whiskies, which is more or less the entire range. We also got to try some of their chocolate malted barley which is integral part of the flavour profile of their Signet whisky.

In my eyes, the event wasn't as good as the Laphroaig night I attended last month. The host was an LVMH representative. He dropped in a few interesting facts during the evening, but didn't have a true passion for the subject. He also wasn't a natural presenter, rather quiet and failed to hold the audience during the evening. The young crowd was very talkative which made it difficult to hear what was being said. Disrespectful of the audience, but I can't help feeling a more experienced presenter would have got the room under control.

My favourite whisky was the first one we tasted, the Glenmorangie Orignal. I decided to score the whiskies during the night for a bit of fun. I started with an arbitrary five, thinking this would give me room to move up and down during the evening. It turned out to get quite crowded in the sub-five category as I started with what turned out to be my favourite!

Original - 5
Lasanta - 4
Qunita Ruban - 3
Nector D'Or - 2.5
18yr Old - 3
25yr Old - 3.5
Signet - 5
Astar - 4.5

I gave the Original and the Signet the same score. They are two very different whiskies, both in style and price, so it is hard to directly compare.  At $75, contrasted with $200, if I was going to buy one. It would have to be the Original.

Friend, 'The Baron', has reviewed the evening over on DTWC.

World of Whisky: What is whisky? Tasting event

This post was originally published on the Distant Thunder Whisky Club site. For posterity (?) I thought I'd publish it here as well.

The six whiskies we tasted

On Sunday fellow club member The Dog and I went to the World of Whisky in Double Bay, Sydney, Australia for their What is whisky? tasting event.

I hadn't been to the World of Whisky shop before. It is bright and stylish with rows of back lit bottles arranged by region. The selection is pretty impressive with a range of familiar whiskies and several distilleries I haven't heard of before.

Speaking to the owner he's pretty open that he can't compete on price with the likes of Dan Murphy's and Vintage Cellars. World of Whisky is trying to carve out a niche for themselves by exclusively importing some Scotch whiskies that you can't get anywhere else in Australia.

They also have a large tasting shelf with around 50 open bottles. A polite request opened everything that we asked to try. You don't find that at one of the big chains.

Inside of the shop

The tasting event started with an overview of the process of making whisky. Although I've heard similar things before I'd say this was the most comprehensive and easiest to understand. Perfectly pitched for those new to whisky.

We tasted six whiskies during the event. We started in the Highlands with Tullibardine, moving through Speyside with the Glenfarclas 8yr old, onto the Lowlands with an Auchentoshan and our Scottish journey finishing in Isla with the Bowmore 12yr old.

After Scotland we jumped across the Irish sea to sample a Turk Beg and then finishing in India with the Amrut.

A MaCallan 50yr old. Sadly not on offer for testing. Yours for $25,000

I didn't think any of the whiskies we tried were particularly remarkable. However, as an event aimed at those who are new to whisky it is hardly surprising they didn't crack out the premium tastings. Also, tasting the peated Bowmore fourth ruined my palate for the un-peated Irish whisky which followed. A bit of a basic mistake I thought.

Overall if it was a good afternoon. After the official tasting had finished the 'shelf' was opened up. I tasted a cracking whisky that will be my choice the next time I host a whisky night....

The Converted

Going Laphroaig crazy in Sydney

My whisky journey has been long, but I feel that I may finally have arrived. Where? As a Laphroaig fan.

When I was growing up my dad used to enjoy a dram of whisky in the evening and I'd sometimes have a taste from his glass. I thought it was horrible tasting fire water! When I arrived in Australia I joined the Distant Thunder Whisky Club, and was reminded last week, I took some beers to the first meeting as I knew I wouldn't be able to manage more than a couple of drams of whisky all night.

Over successive club meetings I've been slowly finding whisky more palatable and even finding ones that I like. However, I definitely wouldn't say I appreciate whisky to the same level as some of the other members. That might have changed last week with some Laphroaig madness in Sydney.

Laphroaig Tasting at Oak Barrel
Last Wednesday I was back at Oak Barrel for an evening tasting Laphroaig whiskies with the distillery manager John Campbell.

It was interesting to hear about the history of the distillery, how the range has developed, what makes them unique and more about John. However, what really excited me was the taste of whiskies (and some of the malted barley we got to nibble on). I can't give you flowery descriptions of buttery, vanilla and citrus noses. But I could taste some very distinct differences between the whiskies on offer.

The 10yr and 15yr old were similar in style. Sweet, smooth and easy drinking despite a definite presence of peat.

The Quarter Cask and Tripple Wood have spent longer in smaller oak barrels which imparts a definite spice to the whisky. If you get to do a side by side tasting of the 10yr old and Quarter Cask it really is quite remarkable.

Our final tasting of the night at Oak Barrel was the 25yr old. A strong whisky (58%) it gave me a bit of alcoholic shock. Complex.

 Whiskies being tasted at Laphroaig Live

Laphroaig Live
Courtesy of the Whisky Cast podcast I was lucky enough to get my hands on a ticket for Laphroaig Live for the evening following the Oak Barrel event.

For the past few years Laphroaig have been hosting an annual webcast for fans around the world. We learnt the night before that some descendants of the Laphroaig distillery emigrated to Australia, which was the connection for the event being held in Sydney.

The camera man warming up for the webcast

I wasn't sure what to expect from the night as sitting in the audience could have been a bit of a disappointment after the interactive tastings of the night before. However, it turned out to be a good fun evening.

If I'm honest I didn't think the webcast had a lot of substance, but it was good fun. In the audience we got to taste along with the panel. We got to try the Quarter Cask and Tripple Wood again. The new whisky of the night was the Cáirdeas 30yr old a special edition whisky. My favourite whisky of the Laphroaig range it was smooth with hints of spice and a mellow finish. Lovely.

The panel during the webcast

The highlight of the evening was a sixty year old bottle of Laphroaig 10yr old, which was produced around the time the Laphroaig descendants  left for Australia. I got the impression from John Campbell the night before that he wasn't particularly hopeful for the whisky, they aren't designed to sit in the bottle unopened for fifty years.

A bottle of Laphroaig 10yr old from the 1950s

The bottle was opened and tasted live on the webcast. After the broadcast, and emboldened by the three whiskies I had drunk, I shot up to the table to try and secure a tasting. John remembered me from the previous night and was kind enough to give me a dram.

So how did it taste? Pretty damn good. Overall I preferred the Cáirdeas 30yr old, but it was a fine whisky and good to be tasting something unique. Apparently they have four other bottles in the warehouse which makes it nearly priceless.

My only disappointment of the night was that as a whisky club we found it difficult to get tickets to Laphroaig Live. There seemed to be quite a lot of people in the audience who didn't like / drink whisky and were there just for a freebie. It would have been nice for some more genuine whisky fans to have been there. (Descendants excepted.)

However, overall they were two excellent events. I discovered a lot about Laphroaig, furthered my appreciation of whisky, tasted an excellent whisky BBQ sauce and found a new favourite.

Whisky Fair at Oak Barrel

On Friday night I went to Oak Barrel in Sydney for Whisky Fair with some friends from the DTWC. Oak Barrel is one of my favourite bottle shops in Sydney. They've got a great range of international wines, whiskies and some friendly and knowledgeable staff to tell you about them.

The rival Whisky Live, which held its first event two years ago, didn't really live up to expectations and I'm sure the able event organisers at Oak Barrel thought they could do better. They did.

It was a well run evening, with the high ceiling back room of the shop lined with tasting tables. A $60 entry feel got you unlimited tastings for four hours. With hearty baguettes on offer and plenty of bottled water available, everyone managed to stay sober through the evening and I was thankfully clear headed the next morning!

The western end of the room had less known whiskies and distilleries. Most were unknown to me and I think there were a few new ones to my DTWC colleagues as well. I spoke to a couple of producers who are trying to crack the Australian market, including Springbank.

The eastern end of the room had some of the bigger houses including Laphroaig, Glenfarclas and Glenfiddich. I generally gave these tables a miss as I've tasted a lot of their whiskies before and was looking for something new.

The most interesting find of the evening was Bakery Hill, an Australian distillery in Victoria. The friendly owner, David, was there promoting his products. I enjoyed the Double Wood Single Malt that has been aged in American and French Oak barrels. It was a lot more complex and interesting than the Single that has been only aged in American barrels.

My favourite whisky of the evening was the Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Although they don't declare which whiskies make up the blend, the Johnnie Walker rep told us that some were from the 1960's. It's not often you get to drink a 50yr old whisky! It was a very smooth and easy drinking whisky, slightly sweet, fruity and with a little bit of spice. I was surprised how much I liked it.

A few bourbons were also on offer. Some might think that heresy at a whisky night, but I enjoyed tasting some of the rye bourbons. They are a very different animal to your Scotch whisky.

Overall a very good night. The room got a little bit crowded at times, but that is a minor complaint really. It is the type of event Whisky Live should have been. Only a shame we had to wait two years for it to happen!

Arran Whisky, more romantic than memorable

Warming up for the next Distant Thunder Whisky Club social on Friday night I decided to get out my Arran private bottling for a renewed tasting.

The story behind the whisky is quite romantic. At one time there were over fifty distilleries on the Isle of Arran, however, they had all closed by 1837. After more then 150 years a new distillery was opened on the Isle in 1995.

Scotch whiskies have to be aged for a minimum of three years (although most are aged for longer), which gives new businesses a cash flow problem as they can't sell anything for years! The Arran distillery isn't unique in selling private barrels to generate some revenue before the whisky is ready to drink.

A friend of my aunt bought a barrel and she was kind enough to get me a bottle. The label states:
"The private owner's bottling is from a single cask produced at Lochranza Distillery on the Isle of Arran. Cask number 96/535 was filled in June 1996 and bottled in July 2007 without colouring or chill-filtration.."

Attracted by the story behind the whisky I was willing it to be good. However, as El Capitan pointed out expectations should really be checked by the fact that this was one of the first whiskies the distillery every made. There would inevitably be a learning process going on.

The whisky has a nice deep straw colour. There is a floral nose, definitely not complex. Light and refreshing.

At first taste there was a little bit of alcoholic shock (46%). Slightly buttery there are no distinguishing flavour notes. A short finish with no aftertaste. I tried cutting the whisky with water, but it didn't really change the flavour.

I hate to say it, but this might be a good non-descript whisky to mix with coke. It wasn't a bad whisky, just nothing really distinguishing about it.

I'd be interested to taste one of their more recent whiskies to see how the distillery has developed.

Lark Distillery

I wrote the below blog for the Distant Thunder Whisky Club, but I thought I'd also post it here for you lucky people!

To get to our rental cottage just outside of Cambridge, in Tasmania, we had to drive past the Lark Distillery. I wish I could tell you it was a romantic building situated in a grain field and next to a peat bog. Unfortunately it was a big blue shed in a grassy field! A field surrounded by vines, but nonetheless it felt odd as whisky isn't made from grapes.

You can't visit the distillery so the next day we went to the Lark Whisky Bar in Hobart for a taste!

The whisky bar is located in central Hobart next to the main wharfs. The 'bar' isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Part museum, there is an old whisky still and a small display about whisky making. Part shop, there is a large selection of Lark products which includes vodka, gin, brandy and rum as well as whisky.

It's also a bar. There is a decent range of scotch whiskies as well as Tassie rival Sullivan's Cove on offer. However, it's not the most impressive whisky selection you'll ever see. Beer, wine and other spirits can also be had.

You can taste their whisky at $3 per glass or four whiskies for $10. (The other Lark spirits can be tasted at $1 a go.)

We went for four whiskies for $10. I wish I could tell you it was a fantastic experience, but I'd be lying! I was asking the lady conducting our tasting about the barrels they use, how long they age their whiskies for, the difference between their products etc.... It wasn't quite as bad as talking to a brick wall, but it wasn't a lot better!

All I did manage to learn was that their whiskies are five to seven years old. They import all their bottles and majority of their barrels from France. They primarily use port casks, some bourbon and have recently secured a 'secret' source in NSW.

The first whisky to taste was the Lark Single Malt Whisky, 43%, a single cask whisky. Even though you are paying you get such a small measure it's difficult to determine the flavour. Two sips and it was gone! Light straw in colour it definitely isn't a complex whisky.

Lost on me, but the tasting notes describe spicy plum pudding, liquorice and mixed peel. I didn't detect much peat, which is odd considering Lark have their own peat bog in central Tasmania.

The second whisky was the Lark Single Malt Whisky Distillers Selection, 46%. I asked how the distillers collection was different from the regular single malt, to be told that the distiller particularly likes the flavour profile of the barrel. I couldn't detect any difference in taste, but you can tell that the alcohol content is slightly higher.

The final true whisky in their selection is the Lark Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength, 58%. Just like the first two whiskies it is single barrel. This was my favourite of the three whiskies once you got over the alcoholic shock. It was helped by being cut with a little water. There was a good floral nose.

The final of the four tastings was the Slainté a malt whisky liquer. Sweet on the nose and in the mouth it was almost sticky. It tasted of candy and light caramel.

It was fun to visit Lark. They've obviously got a passion for whisky, are a small boutique producer and working hard to try and make it financially viable. However, they've got a long way to go before they can start mixing it with the boys from Skye.

Whisky Night #5: The Conversion

The below blog was first posted on the Distant Thunder Whisky Club (DTWC) site.

Not known for drinking whisky I joined the club to hang out with friends. During the various meetings I've started to appreciate the different flavours and varieties that whisky has to offer, hence the nickname 'The Converted'.

Saturday night saw the fifth meeting of the members DTWC hosted by The Converted. In attendance were El Capitan, The Colonel, The Baron, Grey Bush and The Unclean.

The Converted brought his first ever bottle of whisky for the event. Turning his back on Scottish roots he bought a bottle of Tassie Single Cask Port Maturated Whisky from Sullivans Cove. An inspired choice that will be fully reviewed on DTWC in the near future.

The evening also saw The Secretary join us via video link up for our first inter-state meeting.

The Converted showed his inexperience by cooking a spicy Moroccan lamb dish for the evening, affecting everyone's palates before the tasting. A fact subtly pointed out by Grey Bush!

Other whiskys sampled during the evening:
Isle of Arran private bottling
Glenfiddich 21yr old
Bruichladdich 18yr old
Laphroig Quarter Cask
Finlaggan

Glenfarclas 10yr Old

Club Accounts:
$161     Balance brought forward
$120     Membership fees collected
$(160)   Whisky purchased.
$121     Club reserves

Whisky Night III: The conversion?

Last Saturday I went to the third meeting of the Distant Thunder Whisky Club (DTWC).

It was a evening of several first.

We were drinking the Glenfarclas 25yr old, first sampled at the Whisky Live event I went to back in September. The first remarkable event of the evening was that I enjoyed the whisky. I am certainly no connoisseur, and the flavour notes that other members claim to detect are lost on me. All I know is that I know longer find whisky harsh, burning or suffer from alcoholic shock (you can tell we're starting from a low base).

The second notable event of the evening was when our Secretary decided to take photos of every member for posterity. As his camera doesn't have a flash he decided to use the head torch I gave him for Christmas. And there was me thinking it would be used strictly for camping..... I am looking forward to seeing the pics they could be sublime or ridiculous.

Finally, after the Glenfarclas I had four further drams of different whiskies and enjoyed them also. I am beginning to taste the differences between the peaty liquor.

Whisky Night II

On Saturday night I went to the second meeting of the Distant Thunder Whisky Club (DTWC), following up from our first meeting and Whisky Live.

The event was hosted by Mat W, who I have to say put on a fantastic evening. Matt has a hot tub in his garden and a few of us started by relaxing in the tub, while sipping a beer and nibbling on some delicious homemade canapés. Just to give you an indication of the effort Matt had gone to there was some homemade orange infused ricotta. And I don’t mean Matt added orange to some shop bought ricotta, he was separating the curd and whey himself!

The whisky of choice for the evening was a Japanese Yamazaki 12yr Old. Those that have read my previous posts about the DTWC will know that I am somewhat reluctant whisky drinker. I would say, however, that my tastes are evolving. I quite liked the Yamazaki which was nutty and sweet, compared to the harsh spiciness of the Glenmorangie I also tried.

After two whiskies I retreated back to beer. I can only evolve so quickly. Everyone else present continued sampling the various whiskies that had been brought along to try and share. Everyone was a bit more restrained than the first meeting which will have been good for the heads the next morning.

*Hat tip to Clint for the photo.

Whisky Live

My unwitting membership of the Distant Thunder Whisky Club (DTWC) continued yesterday with a visit to the Whisky Live Expo in Sydney.

The Expo was in the International Passenger Terminal for cruise ships located in Circular Quay. It's a building I've wanted to get inside to take a look around for a while. The fantastic view from the balcony of the Opera House, ferries coming and going, and an amazing red moon setting over Watson Bay helped make up for the soulless interior. The inside doesn't keep up to the promises of the sleek exterior.

On arrival everyone was given a tasting glass and vouchers for food, beer and most importantly whisky! At a guess there were around 18 stalls each representing one or more distilleries. In addition to Scottish whiskies there were Indian, Welsh, Japanese and Australian tipples on offer. Most of the stall holders spoke very knowledgeably about the whisky making process and the uniqueness of their own distillery.

The event was quite well run. Being the first year the distilleries were not quite sure how much whisky they would sell and some had run out of stock. Luckily the whisky supplies for tasting were not exhausted! The stalls were a bit uniform and unexciting. A bit more effort next year please!

I can't say that I am yet a convert to whisky, but I did sample 4 or 5 drams. This was a lot less than some of the other DTWC members who were definitely inebriated by the end of the evening! There was a chocolate stall doing whisky and chocolate matching which I thought was quite innovative.

The Secretary for DTWC, Clint, spent a solid two months drumming up support for a trip to the Expo between members, before realising he couldn't attend himself! (Something about a 60th birthday party in the family.) Throughout the evening we bombarded Clint with text messages letting him know what he was missing. I am sure he was quite annoyed with us by the end!

I am sure there will be reviews shortly being posted by other members on the DTWC site.

Whisky Club

Last night I attended the inaugural meeting of the Distant Thunder Whisky Club. The club is, in effect, a group of friends with a healthy enjoyment for the peaty fire water.

The format of the evening was relatively simple. We all chipped in a bit of money which Brad (as the host) used to by a bottle of whisky. The idea being that our combined resources enabled the purchase of a more expensive whisky. Members were also encouraged to bring a bottle from their own collection for comparing and contrasting.

Last night Brad chose a 10yr old Talisker. The evening started off almost seriously with maps of the distillery in Scotland, tasting notes and discussion on the best way to drink whisky. As the bottle disappeared and the evening became more lubricated all pretensions ended.

I've never been a fan of whisky and last night didn't change my opinion! I didn't even finish the first dram of Talisker that I was given and substituted for a Coopers beer instead.

A fun evening. I'm sure they'll be a few sore heads around Sydney this morning!