March meeting tasting - your favourite

[JohnM]

Not having a great nose or palate, I thought they were all pretty nice. My favourites were probably the earlier ones on the night, most likely because I could taste at that stage.

Maybe not an admission I should make amongst all the experts, but after a few drinks I find it hard to distinguish between anything.

[Michael Foggarty]

I thought they were all good but i opted to vote for the Fettercairn primarily because i thought it was going to be rubbish, it surprised me!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I vote for the Teannich but enjoyed all 4. Each had something different to offer.

I think the boldness of the cask strength won it for me though. Brute force and ignorance wins it for me

I too was surprised by the Fettercairn on how drinkable it was. However it does have a strange nose which I could not really get to grips with. Definitely not worth slating it for though.

The Rosebank had more flavour than I thought it would have too as I've had a Rosebank or too and found them light.

For me the Celtic nations was probably my least favourite. I strangley found that there was a conflict of tastes in the finish but that could have as much to do with a Guinness before hand than anything and I may be being a bit hard on it but I enjoyed it all the same.

[John]

I hope that this isn't a secret ballot!!

I voted for the Rosebank becasue I really felt that it had the most character. Like was said earlier, I also enjoyed the Fettercairn more than I thought I would primarily because of the initial review which prompted me up to label it somewhere between paint thinner and bath salts . Unfortunately I couldn't sample the Celtic nations so I can't offer any opinion on that which just leaves the Teannich. All I can say for it is that at 58%(?) I wish I hadn't tasted it without water becasue as soon as it hit my tongue all bets were off. On the plus side, both my trachea and oesophagus are now both crystal clear due to what I can only describe as an internal chemical peel. I will live and learn

Great selection on the night. Many thanks to all who were able to bring the bottles for sampling.
John.

[DavidH]

I've been fooled beofre, drinking out of sample cups, but the Rosebank was really flavourful. I'd love to have more of it. The Teannich was a close second. The Fettercairn was perfectly drinkable but I'm not a big fan of the smoke that was prominent in the Celtic Nations.

I'm very grateful for the chance to try all of these. I have hardly begun my exploration of Scotch so it was great to get a proper introduction to a variety of bottlings. Thank you, guys!

[JohnM]

Regarding the Celtic Nations... How can the SWA make this illegal? Is it just that they are not allowed to use the term "vatted malt" etc or is it that they are not allowed call it "whisky"? The association is not a legislatory body. Surely this series could be continued and they could call it a vatting or blend of malt whisky from Ireland and Scotland? I'm sure there is nothing illegal about mixing two whiskies - otherwise the Scottish police would be issuing a warrent for my arrest.

Also, in Canada they have to put some Canadian whisky into the "single cask" scotch bottled in the country. I think it has to be a minimum of 1% Canadian whisky. It's called pure malt whisky. Premium Bottlers Inc. do a range. Why can't this be done with Irish and Scotch whisky?

[BrianH]

I drank an awful lot of whisk(e)y between 7 o'clock in Bowes and 2:30 am in the Porterhouse, most of which I had never tried before. So it's hard for me to remember any one in particular. But I do actually remember liking the Fettercairn. I even said as much to Adrian at the bar in Bowes later on. I can't describe what I like about it, I just know I do.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I think we all feel that way

It is always hard to remember much in a tasting like that when you don't take notes and it is always going to be hard taking notes when we are all discussing Society issues. I could not tell you one from the other now either. I just came away with basic notions of I liked or I didn't like which is the main point.

I think the Fettercairn surprised us all as it was not known to be a great whisky ... sure what do te experts know any way

Once we get more organised we'll be able to compare the whiskies directly against each other more easily.

[DavidH]

Once we get more organised we'll be able to compare the whiskies directly against each other more easily.

Indeed. If we do end up getting a couple of gross of Glencairn glasses we'll be able to line up the samples and compare them properly. That would be a luxury.

[martin]

My vote goes to the Rosebank being a Rosebank fan. So far tasted 4 different Rosebanks and this one is in the top 3