The world’s greatest golf tournament is upon us! Join in the fun by submitting a Master’s pool team.
$10 Entry
Send all entries to Raf @ mr.wyszynski@gmail.com
All posts by Mark Buchholtz
The Glenlivet Tasting
The Glenlivet Tasting:
The club had the pleasure of a guided tasting with Frank The Glenlivet Ontario ambassador. We were all enthralled with the detailed guided tours supplemented by some fascinating whiskey stories. Frank brought 4 scotches for the main tasting. Founders’ Reserve, 12 Year, 15 Year and finally 18 Year. The tasting took just under an hour while Frank treated up to an oral history of The Glenlivet, mixed in with personal Glenlivet stories, including his trips to Scotland. After the 4 tastings Frank surprised the group by pulling out a special bottle he had hiding in his trunk. We had the enjoyment of tasting The Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill Selection. Overall a great guided tour, thank you Frank and Glenlivet, now time for detailed tasting notes below:
Founders’ Reserve: Sweet fruit notes of oranges and pears with the hint of apple toffee. Great smooth finish with a touch of cream. You can almost taste hints of the over 23 whiskeys that were blended together for this complex dram. Overall a fantastic whiskey that is available at the LCBO for just over $50.
12 Year: Little touch of a floral note mixed with fresh peaches and pears. Touch of vanilla and sweet honey. Finished smooth with a light spiciness mixed with a nutty note… I can’t quite place the type of nut, maybe a hazelnut flavour.
15 Year: A slightly darker version compared to the 12 year, this 15 year iteration has a sweet balanced flavour with the traditional fruitiness rounded out by a touch of cinnamon and spice, almost like the oatmeal flavour from when you were a kid.
18 Year: A balanced darker finish as this gets the bourbon and sherry cask treatment to make it quite distinct from the other three tasters. Smooth balanced flavour with a burst of spice mixed with oranges or orange peel and a nice oaky toasted touch. The sherry cask finish is one of my favourites.
Nadurra First Fill Selection: For this one I will consult The Glenlivet web site so you get the full picture; Nàdurra, meaning “natural” in Gaelic, is The Glenlivet’s range of small-batch expressions made using traditional 19th-century techniques. The Nàdurra First Fill is drawn from casks made of American white oak which have never before been used to mature Scotch whisky. These oak casks, which distillers at The Glenlivet have favoured since the early 1900s, impart hints of creamy vanilla to this wonderfully rich single malt.
You can really taste the difference with the different finish of a virgin oak barrel, sweet pear and pineapple notes with a touch of citrus followed by a bit of a spicy finish as this bottling is a little strong at 48% ABV. Great overall Glenlivet expression.
My favourite of the night is the one I am most likely to purchase in the near future the Founders Reserve. I absolutely loved the expression, was a perfectly balanced blend. Who needs a date on the bottle to enjoy Whiskey? Not this guy.
Overall a huge thank you to The Glenlivet and Frank for the fantastic tasting and history lesson!
Glenfiddich The Original
I sat down and was introduced to this fine swallow of liquid. It is a speyside single malt scotch and the concept of the bottle by the distiller was to copy the original 1963 Glenfiddich straight malt bottle. They did this by using original samples and research ingredients from the Glenfiddich archives. Now I was not born in 1963 nor had the original but will say it was nay bad in my books.
A sniff of the glass did not produce any strong reactions. It was fruity but not overpowering so and did take a second sniff to identify even that. The taste was like the smell and was very easy going down with a sweet taste and just a hint of oak The aftertaste was dry and did not carry a strong exit taste. Overall I found this bottle as very easy drinking scotch. May not appeal to some looking for a strong reaction, but was to my taste in scotch.LCBO list price is $119.90 Priced as a premium scotch it did seem appropriate for the experience.
Lagavulin Distillers Edition
Region: Islay
Lagavulin Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky is matured for 16 years in traditional, oak casks in the distillery’s warehouses. During its maturation, Iain McArthur, Lagavulin warehouseman, ensures that the whisky matures evenly and consistently (McArthur has been working at the distillery for over four decades). After the whisky has matured in traditional oak casks, it is double-barreled, or finished, in casks that were previously used to mature sherry made from Pedro Ximinez grapes. Once harvested, Pedro Ximinez grapes shrivel up to a raisin-like state, which concentrates the sugars in the grape and results in a sweet wine with legendary viscosity and intensity. This double-maturation process complements the intensely smoky notes of the whisky and adds an additional layer of complexity.
Lagavulin Distillers Edition Single Malt Scotch has an aroma of intense raisins, prunes and smoke. The initial notes are surprisingly sweet, with subtle hints of caramel, vanilla and dates that are balanced by a smoky undertone. The ever-lasting finish has deep, dark notes of red fruits and a round, bold finish.
Oban Distillers Edition
Region: Highlands
Following distillation, Oban Distillers Edition 2014 Single Malt Whisky is aged for 14 years in oak casks. During this beauty rest, the whisky is touched by its environment and geography. The warm, salty Gulf Stream and mild, temperate climate of Oban are reflected in the whisky. After its initial maturation, the whisky is double-barreled, or finished, in ex-Montilla Fino sherry casks. The sherry casks add notes of dried fruits, particularly cherries and strawberries, to the whisky, and complement its notes of light, peaty smoke.
Oban Distillers Edition Single Malt Whisky has a fruity nose, with hints of grapes, citrus and a touch of smoke. The flavor is full and rich, with complex notes of tangy salt, butterscotch, caramel and toffee, which ultimately lead to a lingering, smoky and sweet finish. Oban is situated at the frontier between the Western Highlands and Islay of Scotland. The whisky has the lighter, sweeter notes of Scotland’s Highlands region, while still possessing the dry, smoky style of Islay.