Tasty whiskybooze III

Once again with the whisky-drinking (previous incidents: here & here. Unfortunately this time dogrando has kindly fed us all some v nice curry first, which may not have been the best available option from a tastebud point of view. No matter! Onwards with the tasting...

edit: thanks to katstevens for the photos!

Present on this occasion: myself, dogrando, uon, boyofbadgers, katstevens (promising to actually try the whisky this time & not just drink gin!), catsgomiaow, marnameow, mrs_leroy_brown, sbp, & puffinry.

katstevens wishes to note that she is scared of the whiskies! Yr intrepid yet dedicated reporter is ill, but soldiering bravely onwards regardless; everyone keeps insisting that whisky is good for colds, anyway.

Balvenie Doublewood 12yo (first cask whisky oak, second cask sherry oak):

Kat: "it's like I've drunk a really boozey thing". Rick says it's very creamy (I agree; more so in the aftertaste. Tastes a bit like fudge, I reckon.); doop mentions dolly mixtures. Bec suggests a whiff of paintstripper. Rick & Pete: butterscotch; Katie: Xmas pudding. Bec says "And it comes in a very attractive bottle!". Rick: "it kind of tastes like Kendal Mint Cake would taste if it didn't taste of mint!" It is certainly pretty sweet.

Tobermory 10yo:

Kat "it smells different to the last one." A cheer goes up for the Whisky Virgin. Rum & raisin fudge is mentioned by Rick & Katie. Kat says it made her cough. Rick is getting slightly overexcited with the sniffing. Pete thinks it has "a slight minty nose" (using the word nose makes him An Ponce). doop agrees that there is mint sauce. I cannot smell mint at all but then I have a cold (update: with a bit of water added I can just about get this). Marna reckons it smells of acetone, which may indeed be fair enough. My conclusion: tasty! Marna thinks it is bitter like a thing. She compares various sorts of cleaning product (right at the end of the taste). Rick has hit upon quinine.


Rick, doop & I are engaged in a discussion about the sociopolitical implications of Fraggle Rock. Kat has taken a picture of the whisky which I fully intend to add into the blog process, but, er, tomorrow :-)

Glenrothes 13yo (Bury Brothers bottling: (a Speyside):

Pete is reading out the label; I am not about to transcribe this. it is a nicely shaped bottle, though. It's v lovely (says nice) - caramel-y (Bec). Everyone seems rather keen. It's got a bit of a belt to it. Kat says... "blackjacks!" which agrees with the front of the bottle! (licquorice). Hurrah for Kat! This is my favourite so far (& this appears to be general agreement). Rick is being poncey: "The Tobermory had more going on but it didn't come together as a coherent thing - but this just works from the front to the back of the mouth". Katie agrees "it's the most together whisky so far". Bec thinks there's something wrong with her tastebuds because she can't get licquorice. (NB I cannot spell licquorice, I don't think). Aha! Bec has located it. It's a fading taste, apparently, at the back of the tongue.

Pete is explaining the Food Science of whisky tasting.

Port Ellen 1978 (cask strength): Man. This is *great*. Kat is coughing a bit & says it's burnt her tongue a little bit. Rick: "There's a really big whoomph of grass in this - a rugby pitch sogginess". You're supposed to put some water in it but actually I really like it without. Actually, it is just as nice & a bit easier to drink with water. Katie: "It tastes like burning!". Marna mentions the seaside, & doop agrees with the saltiness. Rick: "It's much less friendly [than the other Port Ellen] - really quite aggressive". Pete describes it as "less approachable". My tongue has gone all tingly.

Poit Dhubh (tiny little bottle from Pete's brother):

ewww, this is horrid. doop reckons it tastes like old socks. I think it is far too sweet; Katie agrees "cloying". I am Not Keen. Rick thinks it's OK.

Bowmore Claret (cask strength; Marna's birthday whisky):

Katie says "I'ts like being punched in the face with a cinnamon fist". Bec describes "an explosion of cinnamon". I am discussing the rubbishness of the Synergy Project last week & have to be prodded to start blogging. Rick thinks this is rather less smooth than the Dusk, which gives you "a really long, satisfying snog"; apparently this, in contrast, is "more complicated". I prefer the Dusk, although this stuff is rather OK. It's Katie's favourite to date. Kat prefers it to the last one. I reckon it's not as nice as the Port Ellen. Pete points out that the two preferred so far (this & the Port Ellen) are by a margin the most expensive; Rick disagrees & says that he preferred the Glenrothes to the Port Ellen.

Caol Ila 14yo - Adelphi bottling: Pete "This is really good!". Rick agrees. Apparently it was recommended strongly by the chap in the whisky shop. Katie "This reminds me that I should give you your Anbesol back!". doop: "This is reassuringly friendly". Rick reckons it is the smoothest 57% booze he has ever drunk - Katie thinks it's the smoothest booze she's drunk at all ever. It is v nice indeed. Everyone is slightly awed. Rick reckons a tiny drop of water improves it, but a second tiny drop takes it back to the same (high) standard. General consensus: best whisky so far by some way. Rick is making comparisons between whisky & various forms of music. Apparently the Bowmore is like a really good 1992 rave record - "it does one thing really well, then does a totally different thing, then goes back to the same thing". The Caol Ila bears a stronger resemblance to "The Key, The Secret", we are informed (1993, Kat tells us).

There is a brief interlude during which we laugh immoderately at jokes of the form "my wife has gone to the Caribbean" "Jamaica?" "no she went of her own accord" etc etc, on rhodri's LJ.

Ardbeg Uigeadail:

Katie says it's amazingly sweet on first taste; but smokey on the swallow. Robin agrees that it is both sweet & smokey. Bec demands that we all assess the squishiness of our noses. Apparently hers is quite squishy. katie is causing Marna's nose to make beeping noises.

Ballechin #1 Burgundy Mature: Katie says it smells of Dr Somalingham's surgery. Rick says "someone has gone out of the way to make the oddest whisky they could... yet it tastes quite nice". I reckon it smells rather strongly of Bacon Bits. Pete thinks it is insane. It doesn't taste of Bacon Bits (tasting instead of quite nice whisky). Pete says it smells different according to what angle you smell it at (?! wtf? experimentation reveals that this is indeed true. Again, wtf?) Katie reckons it smells of freshly cracked tennis balls. I quite like it but am less keen on the aftertaste. doop says "rubbery". Pete: "it's piggy!" Trying the smelling experiment with doop's (differently shaped) glass reveals rubberyness at one edge of the glass & dolly mixtures at the other. Katie & Marna go v squeaky about this. Rick reckons it is a cheap stunt whisky, but he does really like it. It is the Weird Shit, no question. Katie mentions hockey sticks & old-fashioned gym shoes.

Katie: "I can still walk!" It is suggested that this should be blogged. Katie curtseys.

Pete: "Sweetened vomit is better than regular vomit!" Apparently this has some bearing on peanuts; Robin was I think suggesting peanut tasting. Peanuts are IMO all monumentally revolting SO THERE. doop enquires whether peanuts are clones.

doop: "I was being the Turbine Hall! Stop laughing!" hehehheh (we are, of course, discussing the SLIDES!).

Rick: "Of course he's got a cocking hood! His name's Robin Hood!" Robin looks confused. Katie: "Not that Robin!"

The tasting is degenerating slightly into "what else on the Pete Whisky Bookcase haven't people tried?" Katie is experimenting with the baby Ardbeg (6yo, bought when we were on Islay last year). Robin describes it as kitten Ardbeg. Katie compares it to brick dust (not Rick dust, which is how I first heard it); doop reckons it's too plasticy to be brick dust & mentions instead polyurethane (sp). "New double glazing", "window putty", they conclude. "Underlay!" "Underlay!" Robin shouts happily.

Rick observes that I am writing this in XJournal. Apparently he doesn't trust the notion of clients, which seem unnatural. doop complains that it is a Cocoa client, not an X client. I am surrounded by geeks (myself included), who OH GOD are about to get into the discussion about why X servers & clients are the right way around. Robin says it is both obviously wrong & obviously right. PLEASE NO STOP NOW. Pete asks Rick to stop walking in circles as it is making him dizzy.

Tasty whiskybooze III

Once again with the whisky-drinking (previous incidents: here & here. Unfortunately this time dogrando has kindly fed us all some v nice curry first, which may not have been the best available option from a tastebud point of view. No matter! Onwards with the tasting...

edit: thanks to katstevens for the photos!

Present on this occasion: myself, dogrando, uon, boyofbadgers, katstevens (promising to actually try the whisky this time & not just drink gin!), catsgomiaow, marnameow, mrs_leroy_brown, sbp, & puffinry.

katstevens wishes to note that she is scared of the whiskies! Yr intrepid yet dedicated reporter is ill, but soldiering bravely onwards regardless; everyone keeps insisting that whisky is good for colds, anyway.

Balvenie Doublewood 12yo (first cask whisky oak, second cask sherry oak):

Kat: "it's like I've drunk a really boozey thing". Rick says it's very creamy (I agree; more so in the aftertaste. Tastes a bit like fudge, I reckon.); doop mentions dolly mixtures. Bec suggests a whiff of paintstripper. Rick & Pete: butterscotch; Katie: Xmas pudding. Bec says "And it comes in a very attractive bottle!". Rick: "it kind of tastes like Kendal Mint Cake would taste if it didn't taste of mint!" It is certainly pretty sweet.

Tobermory 10yo:

Kat "it smells different to the last one." A cheer goes up for the Whisky Virgin. Rum & raisin fudge is mentioned by Rick & Katie. Kat says it made her cough. Rick is getting slightly overexcited with the sniffing. Pete thinks it has "a slight minty nose" (using the word nose makes him An Ponce). doop agrees that there is mint sauce. I cannot smell mint at all but then I have a cold (update: with a bit of water added I can just about get this). Marna reckons it smells of acetone, which may indeed be fair enough. My conclusion: tasty! Marna thinks it is bitter like a thing. She compares various sorts of cleaning product (right at the end of the taste). Rick has hit upon quinine.


Rick, doop & I are engaged in a discussion about the sociopolitical implications of Fraggle Rock. Kat has taken a picture of the whisky which I fully intend to add into the blog process, but, er, tomorrow :-)

Glenrothes 13yo (Bury Brothers bottling: (a Speyside):

Pete is reading out the label; I am not about to transcribe this. it is a nicely shaped bottle, though. It's v lovely (says nice) - caramel-y (Bec). Everyone seems rather keen. It's got a bit of a belt to it. Kat says... "blackjacks!" which agrees with the front of the bottle! (licquorice). Hurrah for Kat! This is my favourite so far (& this appears to be general agreement). Rick is being poncey: "The Tobermory had more going on but it didn't come together as a coherent thing - but this just works from the front to the back of the mouth". Katie agrees "it's the most together whisky so far". Bec thinks there's something wrong with her tastebuds because she can't get licquorice. (NB I cannot spell licquorice, I don't think). Aha! Bec has located it. It's a fading taste, apparently, at the back of the tongue.

Pete is explaining the Food Science of whisky tasting.

Port Ellen 1978 (cask strength): Man. This is *great*. Kat is coughing a bit & says it's burnt her tongue a little bit. Rick: "There's a really big whoomph of grass in this - a rugby pitch sogginess". You're supposed to put some water in it but actually I really like it without. Actually, it is just as nice & a bit easier to drink with water. Katie: "It tastes like burning!". Marna mentions the seaside, & doop agrees with the saltiness. Rick: "It's much less friendly [than the other Port Ellen] - really quite aggressive". Pete describes it as "less approachable". My tongue has gone all tingly.

Poit Dhubh (tiny little bottle from Pete's brother):

ewww, this is horrid. doop reckons it tastes like old socks. I think it is far too sweet; Katie agrees "cloying". I am Not Keen. Rick thinks it's OK.

Bowmore Claret (cask strength; Marna's birthday whisky):

Katie says "I'ts like being punched in the face with a cinnamon fist". Bec describes "an explosion of cinnamon". I am discussing the rubbishness of the Synergy Project last week & have to be prodded to start blogging. Rick thinks this is rather less smooth than the Dusk, which gives you "a really long, satisfying snog"; apparently this, in contrast, is "more complicated". I prefer the Dusk, although this stuff is rather OK. It's Katie's favourite to date. Kat prefers it to the last one. I reckon it's not as nice as the Port Ellen. Pete points out that the two preferred so far (this & the Port Ellen) are by a margin the most expensive; Rick disagrees & says that he preferred the Glenrothes to the Port Ellen.

Caol Ila 14yo - Adelphi bottling: Pete "This is really good!". Rick agrees. Apparently it was recommended strongly by the chap in the whisky shop. Katie "This reminds me that I should give you your Anbesol back!". doop: "This is reassuringly friendly". Rick reckons it is the smoothest 57% booze he has ever drunk - Katie thinks it's the smoothest booze she's drunk at all ever. It is v nice indeed. Everyone is slightly awed. Rick reckons a tiny drop of water improves it, but a second tiny drop takes it back to the same (high) standard. General consensus: best whisky so far by some way. Rick is making comparisons between whisky & various forms of music. Apparently the Bowmore is like a really good 1992 rave record - "it does one thing really well, then does a totally different thing, then goes back to the same thing". The Caol Ila bears a stronger resemblance to "The Key, The Secret", we are informed (1993, Kat tells us).

There is a brief interlude during which we laugh immoderately at jokes of the form "my wife has gone to the Caribbean" "Jamaica?" "no she went of her own accord" etc etc, on rhodri's LJ.

Ardbeg Uigeadail:

Katie says it's amazingly sweet on first taste; but smokey on the swallow. Robin agrees that it is both sweet & smokey. Bec demands that we all assess the squishiness of our noses. Apparently hers is quite squishy. katie is causing Marna's nose to make beeping noises.

Ballechin #1 Burgundy Mature: Katie says it smells of Dr Somalingham's surgery. Rick says "someone has gone out of the way to make the oddest whisky they could... yet it tastes quite nice". I reckon it smells rather strongly of Bacon Bits. Pete thinks it is insane. It doesn't taste of Bacon Bits (tasting instead of quite nice whisky). Pete says it smells different according to what angle you smell it at (?! wtf? experimentation reveals that this is indeed true. Again, wtf?) Katie reckons it smells of freshly cracked tennis balls. I quite like it but am less keen on the aftertaste. doop says "rubbery". Pete: "it's piggy!" Trying the smelling experiment with doop's (differently shaped) glass reveals rubberyness at one edge of the glass & dolly mixtures at the other. Katie & Marna go v squeaky about this. Rick reckons it is a cheap stunt whisky, but he does really like it. It is the Weird Shit, no question. Katie mentions hockey sticks & old-fashioned gym shoes.

Katie: "I can still walk!" It is suggested that this should be blogged. Katie curtseys.

Pete: "Sweetened vomit is better than regular vomit!" Apparently this has some bearing on peanuts; Robin was I think suggesting peanut tasting. Peanuts are IMO all monumentally revolting SO THERE. doop enquires whether peanuts are clones.

doop: "I was being the Turbine Hall! Stop laughing!" hehehheh (we are, of course, discussing the SLIDES!).

Rick: "Of course he's got a cocking hood! His name's Robin Hood!" Robin looks confused. Katie: "Not that Robin!"

The tasting is degenerating slightly into "what else on the Pete Whisky Bookcase haven't people tried?" Katie is experimenting with the baby Ardbeg (6yo, bought when we were on Islay last year). Robin describes it as kitten Ardbeg. Katie compares it to brick dust (not Rick dust, which is how I first heard it); doop reckons it's too plasticy to be brick dust & mentions instead polyurethane (sp). "New double glazing", "window putty", they conclude. "Underlay!" "Underlay!" Robin shouts happily.

Rick observes that I am writing this in XJournal. Apparently he doesn't trust the notion of clients, which seem unnatural. doop complains that it is a Cocoa client, not an X client. I am surrounded by geeks (myself included), who OH GOD are about to get into the discussion about why X servers & clients are the right way around. Robin says it is both obviously wrong & obviously right. PLEASE NO STOP NOW. Pete asks Rick to stop walking in circles as it is making him dizzy.