Scotch Tasting

My son and I attended a Scotch event at the Westin Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ. I learned a number of things about Scotch I did not know:

• Almost all of the single malt scotch brands are owned by large scotch producing companies and in turn they are owned by non Scottish companies such as Diageo, Bacardi, Suntory, etc.
• A single malt scotch is a blend of various malts from a single distillery.
• The age of the single malt scotch is the youngest of the malts. So, a 12 year old malt will have blends of, for example, 12, 17, and 25 year old malts but the youngest blend is what appears on the label.
• Adding just a few drops of water changes the entire flavor of the Scotch. I usually drink Scotch neat but will have to rethink that process.
• Johnny Walker Blue has blends of up to 125 years old in it.

We had a tasting of three Glenfarclas Scotches: 12, 17, and 25 year olds. Glenfarclas is a Speyside Scotch.

The 12 year old was quite impressive. Very smooth with a mild peaty flavor. The 17 year old was bolder with a sherry taste to it. The 25 year old was mild with the least peaty taste. However, it was the smoothest of all three.

After dinner we returned to the Scotch Bar and had a drink. We tried Bruichladdich Octomore, which is the heaviest peat Scotch. This is an extremely high alcoholic content Scotch at 64% and was dated 2009. It is bottled young to preserve the peat flavor. Surprisingly, this Scotch goes down smoothly considering its proof. However, after you swallow it it feels like your insides are going to burn up! This is one Scotch where a little goes a long way. This is a complex Scotch for special occasions and not for all tastes.

Thanks! Great review.

I attended a scotch tasting a while aaago as well. I tried several scotches in succession. My tasting notes are as follows:

1. Dalhwinnie 12: a subtle speyside with hints of sherry cask and a lingering finish.
2. anOc 10: a very sophisticated and complex scotch indeed.
3. Glenfarclas 15: nice "rum" feel to this one
4. Talisker 10: this has a kick to it
5. Lagavuling 16: that's really nicesh.
6. Laphroaig Quarter Cask: that's a goodie too.
7. Oban something .... mmm, nice
8. That one in the funny bottle with the thing ... me likey
9. Glen-achie-arggie-something ... urp!!
10. Gimme another!
11. Gaaaarrghh!!
12. *thump*

Good times. I strongly recommend whatever #11 was.

LOL doc!

So many bottles, so little time.

Thanks for the information. Scotch was my drink when I was single.

You are encouraging me to get back to singles (and single-singles), but need to hang on to SWMBO!

An interesting piece of Scotch trivia I heard is that the distilleries all produce single malt. Those that also sell blends, source single malts from other distilleries and mix them with their own to make their blends. This makes them both competitors and partners.

I have yet to find a scotch I haven't liked!
I drink one Tequila, 114 Old Gran-Dad, and Rare Breed.
The rest is Scotch!
Thanks for your thoughts/review

ackvil said:

• Johnny Walker Blue has blends of up to 125 years old in it.

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I swear this number goes up every time I hear/read it. Although, to be fair they could keep changing what they blend in, they only have to maintain Blue's taste profile.

langod said:

An interesting piece of Scotch trivia I heard is that the distilleries all produce single malt. Those that also sell blends, source single malts from other distilleries and mix them with their own to make their blends. This makes them both competitors and partners.

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Somewhat. Most of the distilleries used for sourcing are owned by a larger company that owns both distilleries so they aren't particularly competing as they are different product lines.

I like mine very peaty. Tallisker for me, which is one of those big brand names you mentioned.

Something I discovered on accident: when trying whiskeys, tomato juice followed by water is great to cleanse the pallatte, something not easy to do with scotch.

I recently went to the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. They have a bar stocked with 400+ whiskies. Tried various malts from the four major producing areas. Guys at the bar were very knowledgeable. Lowlands were ok. Laphroaig 10 was horrible. Tasted like I was chewing on a charcoal and washing it down with gasoline. My favorite was Dalmore Cigar Malt.

ShaverGN said:

I recently went to the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. They have a bar stocked with 400+ whiskies. Tried various malts from the four major producing areas. Guys at the bar were very knowledgeable. Lowlands were ok. Laphroaig 10 was horrible. Tasted like I was chewing on a charcoal and washing it down with gasoline. My favorite was Dalmore Cigar Malt.

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Laphroaig is one of those Scotches you either love or hate. I'm not a fan of it, either. However, the last time I tried it with a few drops of water it was better.

I was only able to get rid of the horrific taste of Laphroaig by having a drum of Glayva. My poor wife carried me home.

BigJ said:

Thanks for the information. Scotch was my drink when I was single.

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Not many take the "single" of "single malt" quite so literally. Kudos.

ShaverGN said:

I was only able to get rid of the horrific taste of Laphroaig by having a drum of Glayva. My poor wife carried me home.

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Ahh ... spot the silver lining!

Doc4 said:

I attended a scotch tasting a while aaago as well. I tried several scotches in succession. My tasting notes are as follows:
Gaaaarrghh!!
*thump*
Good times. I strongly recommend whatever #11 was.

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I'm a big fan of Gaaarrghh!! myself. *thump* leaves a bad taste in my mouth (kinda like floor polish and dust bunnies) and it gives me a headache. I might be allergic to it as I end up with a raised welt on my forehead the next morning.

Yes, as a single malt stays in its barrel,
it smooths out over time. Which is why
the younger scotches are more "harsh"
to some. I actually enjoy the younger
singles as it really brings out the distillery's
profile.