The Whisky Diaries: A Family Tasting
Recently, I visited my mother and brother in Ireland for a few days, with my sister joining us as well. My sister brought 5 mini bottles of whisky with her, so we had a little family tasting session, over two nights, supplemented by one of my brothers Irish whiskies.
All of the whiskies we tried were enjoyable but each had its own, very different, profile.
Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt
The first whisky we tried, the Glen Scotia was a pleasant whisky without any hint of peat or smoke. It is first aged in American oak, and then Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. The slightly spicy flavour profile was good, but despite being a really good whisky, was my least favourite of the tasting.
The Balvenie Triple Cask 12 Year Old Single Malt
The Balvenie ranked as one of my favourites of the evening. It was soft, sweet and fruity with a nice level of peatiness, followed by a very smooth finish. It has notes of apricots, plums and vanilla. The complexity and smoothness combined to make a whisky that went down well. It is matured in Oloroso, first-fill Bourbon and, finally, refill Bourbon casks.
Edradour 10 Year Old Single Malt
This one from Perthshire was velvety smooth with a sweet honey taste profile. It was not very complex but thoroughly enjoyable.
Bowmore Islay 12 Year Old Single Malt
The last whisky we had on the first night of tasting was the Bowmore Islay. It had some good complexity with dominant smoke and honey, with a slight hit of lemon. It was followed by a lovely mellow finish.
Glen Garioch 1797 Founders Reserve Single Malt
For our second evening, we started with this whisky, which really packs a punch. The initial sip will put hair on your chest. Despite the strengh, the sweet flavours of vanilla and butterscotch came through nicely, trailing to a long soft finish. There was a slight peatiness added to the mix. This, along with the Balvenie, ranked as my favourites, although would consider this one more as a drink for a special occassion.
Redbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still
Having tried Scotch up to this point, we now tried an Irish whiskey. It would not be fair to compare this one to any of the others we had tasted, since the character of the whiskey was so completely different. The Redbreast is one of only a few Irish single pot still whiskies, making it somewhat unique. Sweet fruity sherry flavours combined with a grassiness mingle to give a great warm feeling. It has great complexity with a great long finish, making this one of the best Irish whiskeys I have tasted to date.