The 1st Semi-Annual 'Scotchtoberfest' - December 2011
Being a fan of The Simpsons (although not having any form of cable or internet tv, I haven't watched The Simpsons in ages), I couldn't help but name the first Scotch Tasting Party that I co-organized and co-hosted after the 'Scotchtoberfest Sting Operation' in "Bart's Girlfriend" (Season 6, Episode 7). My friend Jeff and I have since decided to make it a semi-annual event (Jeff wanted to do it quarterly, and I was thinking annually, so we comprimised on semi-annually).
The first event was held last December, either shortly before or shortly after my birthday, I can't remember which, and while not everyone we invited could make it, we did have a fairly good representation of whiskies:
a) Jura 'Superstition' (me)
b) Ardbeg 10yr 'The Ultimate' (Jeff)
c) Aberlour 10yr (Tom)
d) Compass Box 'Peat Monster' (Blaine)
e) Springbank 10yr (Mark)
f) Glenfiddich 12yr (Mark)
g) Jameson 1780 12yr (Mark)
While I know Mark explained why he'd brought three whiskies, I can't for the life of me remember what the explanation was. The Jameson was to provide a different taste from the Scotch, and I think the Glenfiddich was simply because the bottle was almost empty and he wanted to make room on his shelf for the remainder of the Springbank.
There was an ample amount of food, which Jeff and I tried to pair with each of the different whiskies: crackers, sweet oat cakes, bread, olives, smoked trout, cheeses and dips, shortbread, and a chocolate whisky cake with chocolate drizzle (I baked the last two items myself). The food disappeared over the course of the evening (started around 8:00pm, and I think the last person left at 1:30am), and there was just that right amount left - where there still is some, but not enough to justify packing it up and and putting it in the fridge, so you have to finish what is left after the guests have gone. Aside from the food and the whisky, there was a great deal of good conversation - about the food, about the whisky, and about a vast number of other subjects.
We had to carefully arrange the tasting order to make sure that the lighter whiskies (the Glenfiddich and the Aberlour) were not overwhelmed by the more hefty Ardbeg and the 'Peat Monster'. The tasting order was as follows: Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Jameson, Jura, Springbank, 'Peat Monster', Ardbeg. While I've since decided that the Ardbeg 10yr was way too smoky (I could still taste the smoke the next day), the Springbank (salty and slightly peaty) and the 'Peat Monster' (peaty, not smoky) were fantastic, and I've added them both to my wish list. Similarly, I enjoyed the Jura when I had it (Jeff and I finished the bottle on Robbie Burns Day, which will be the subject of another entry), but now that it is gone, I'm not sure I would buy that particular expression again (near the end it started to lose its nose very quickly); the Jura 'Prophecy' could be interesting, however, depending on how heavily it is peated. Tom, who is very new to Scotch whisky (he brought the Aberlour on based on my recommendation that it was a good entry level malt), wasn't much of a fan of the Jura either, but did find the Springbank and the 'Peat Monster' to his liking.
This turned out to be the general consensus. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Springbank and the 'Peat Monster', had generally good things to say about the Aberlour, appreciated how different the Jameson was, and commented heavily on the smokiness of the Ardbeg. So, we're aiming for June for the next event, and this time we have a theme: Blended Whiskies. They could be Blended Malts (formerly known as 'Vatted Malts', and made up of only single malt whiskies) or Blended Scotch (which is a blend of single malt whiskies and grain whiskies), but there is no price point, they just have to be something relatively (and subjectively) good. I've already got a bottle of Compass Box 'Spice Tree' sitting in my cabinet waiting...now I just have to resist the temptation to open it before then!
The first event was held last December, either shortly before or shortly after my birthday, I can't remember which, and while not everyone we invited could make it, we did have a fairly good representation of whiskies:
a) Jura 'Superstition' (me)
b) Ardbeg 10yr 'The Ultimate' (Jeff)
c) Aberlour 10yr (Tom)
d) Compass Box 'Peat Monster' (Blaine)
e) Springbank 10yr (Mark)
f) Glenfiddich 12yr (Mark)
g) Jameson 1780 12yr (Mark)
While I know Mark explained why he'd brought three whiskies, I can't for the life of me remember what the explanation was. The Jameson was to provide a different taste from the Scotch, and I think the Glenfiddich was simply because the bottle was almost empty and he wanted to make room on his shelf for the remainder of the Springbank.
There was an ample amount of food, which Jeff and I tried to pair with each of the different whiskies: crackers, sweet oat cakes, bread, olives, smoked trout, cheeses and dips, shortbread, and a chocolate whisky cake with chocolate drizzle (I baked the last two items myself). The food disappeared over the course of the evening (started around 8:00pm, and I think the last person left at 1:30am), and there was just that right amount left - where there still is some, but not enough to justify packing it up and and putting it in the fridge, so you have to finish what is left after the guests have gone. Aside from the food and the whisky, there was a great deal of good conversation - about the food, about the whisky, and about a vast number of other subjects.
We had to carefully arrange the tasting order to make sure that the lighter whiskies (the Glenfiddich and the Aberlour) were not overwhelmed by the more hefty Ardbeg and the 'Peat Monster'. The tasting order was as follows: Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Jameson, Jura, Springbank, 'Peat Monster', Ardbeg. While I've since decided that the Ardbeg 10yr was way too smoky (I could still taste the smoke the next day), the Springbank (salty and slightly peaty) and the 'Peat Monster' (peaty, not smoky) were fantastic, and I've added them both to my wish list. Similarly, I enjoyed the Jura when I had it (Jeff and I finished the bottle on Robbie Burns Day, which will be the subject of another entry), but now that it is gone, I'm not sure I would buy that particular expression again (near the end it started to lose its nose very quickly); the Jura 'Prophecy' could be interesting, however, depending on how heavily it is peated. Tom, who is very new to Scotch whisky (he brought the Aberlour on based on my recommendation that it was a good entry level malt), wasn't much of a fan of the Jura either, but did find the Springbank and the 'Peat Monster' to his liking.
This turned out to be the general consensus. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Springbank and the 'Peat Monster', had generally good things to say about the Aberlour, appreciated how different the Jameson was, and commented heavily on the smokiness of the Ardbeg. So, we're aiming for June for the next event, and this time we have a theme: Blended Whiskies. They could be Blended Malts (formerly known as 'Vatted Malts', and made up of only single malt whiskies) or Blended Scotch (which is a blend of single malt whiskies and grain whiskies), but there is no price point, they just have to be something relatively (and subjectively) good. I've already got a bottle of Compass Box 'Spice Tree' sitting in my cabinet waiting...now I just have to resist the temptation to open it before then!