Albert tavern whisky society
MEMBERS CHOICE EVENT 28TH MARCH
An eager company looked forward to our second “Members Choice” evening following the success of our event last September when five of our members picked an excellent selection of drams.
Before getting started though we were all happy to wish Jim Brande “All the best” as it was his 65th birthday. What a great way to celebrate it! We also had to set the date and theme for our next meeting in June. The date is the 27th and the theme is JENNY’S JEMS. More on that later.
THE WHISKIES;-
Our first dram was Nigel’s choice, a BenRiach Cask Strength Batch 2 @ 60.6%.
Nigel had very generously donated this bottle to the evening from his private stock. Just a well as when I looked for this one online it was sold out everywhere.
The cask strength was obvious on the nose and at the first sip. Not harsh but warm (hot) and spicy.
A little water made it a much smoother sherry sweet and spice driven dram.
A long and pleasant finish.
Thanks Nigel, great choice!
Our second whisky was chosen by Callum. Glenfarclas 12yo @ 43%
Familiar to most of us Glenfarclas is known for its well sherried expressions and this multi-award winning expression was no exception.
On the nose a pleasant honeyed sweetness.
Very smooth and sweet on the palate with hints of oak.
This dram doesn’t really need water and most members had it neat, however I tried it with a little and it was still sweet and pleasant but much better neat!
Medium/long finish with honey and a touch of spice.
Cheers Callum.
It was now that Robbie dished up our regular Clootie Dumpling and it went very well with the Glenfarclas.
Whisky No. 3 chosen by Alistair. Strathdearn 7 Year Old 2015 Single Cask @ 58.2%
A single malt from the Scottish Highlands, bottled under the Strathdearn name (a.k.a Tomatin without distillery naming rights). The whisky spent seven years resting in a barrique yielding a total of 324 bottles. Alistair thought the barrique had probably contained cognac rather than the usual wine judging by the colour of the whisky. He also gave us a very interesting potted history of the ups and downs of the Tomatin/Strathdearn distillery.
A slight nose sweet with a hint of honey.
Taste neat. Sweet and fruity but a bit harsh at cask strength.
A little water calmed it down but, as some members discovered, any more than just a little water nearly killed it. Probably due to its relatively young age.
Finish. Fruity and a hint of spice at the end.
Thanks Alistair, an interesting dram.
Whisky No. 4 chosen by Cari. Edradour 10yo @ 46%
A Signatory bottling from their un-chillfiltered series this one spent a decade in a first fill Oloroso cask as the dark colour testified. Cari (one of our too few lady members) gave us her recollections of a long past holiday in Scotland with her father visiting several distilleries, Edradour being a favourite.
Nose. Obvious sweetness and fruity.
Taste. Sherry forward with red fruits and a hint of spice.
A dram to be sipped neat but a little water smoothed things and brought a hint of dried fruit.
Finish long and pleasant.
Great choice Cari.
Whisky No. 5 chosen by Eric. Carn Mor 2011 9yo Glen Garioch @ 47.5%
This Glen Garioch bottling by parent co. Carn Mors spent 9 years in a sherry butt and joined their “strictly limited” range in 2011.
Nose. Dried fruits and sherry sweetness.
Taste. Nice warmth and a spicey background.
With a little of water smoother but still warm and hints of spice.
Finish. Quite short and nutty.
Nice one Eric.
A great selection very much enjoyed by the company. I’m generally not a great fan of sherried whiskies but I did find them all tasty and interesting. I would put the Edradour as my “Whisky of the Night”.
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As mentioned earlier, our next tasting in June will be “Jenny’s Jems”. Our wonderful bar manager Jenny will pick a selection of drams for us to try. If any of you attended her recent Rum evening then you’ll know to expect something special. Personally I can’t wait. Mark your diaries and get your names down early!.
Another fantastic evening with the Albert Tavern Whisky Society. The clootie dumpling and the buffet pies were excellent. Robbie was on his usual fine form presenting and somehow controlling the rowdy crowd with his new dinger! Jenny did a marvellous job with us in the lounge, a busy bar and a group of folkies practising upstairs (they actually sounded pretty good).
See you all in June,
Sláinte.
Enjoy some fine dining at Campbell's restaurant in Falkland. Bring your own wine with no corkage charge.
ROBBIE AND SOME OF THE LADS VISIT LINDORES DISTILLERY. KINDLY ORGANISED BY GRAEME.
More pictures in the gallery.
