Monthly Archives: August 2010

Springbank/Tullibardine Tasting – March 24, 2010

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A fine night hosted by Andy Dunn, of Gold Medal Marketing.  Andy is a truly engaging speaker.  His sharp wit and caustic humor helped set the tone for another great night at Willow Park.  It is somehow liberating to throw out the pretention every now and then and listen to a great presenter who is casual enough to toss out the occasional insult…catch one in return…be a little naughty…and occasionally dip into the spicier side of our vocabularies.

The malty spread this eve consisted of bottlings from Tullibardine and Springbank.  Tullibardine is a single malt Highland whisky, first distilled in 1949.  The history of the region and the distillery is fascinating, and Andy’s brief aside detailing the history of Blackford was entertaining and enlightening (go…do your research).  The distillery was mothballed in 1994, lying dormant until 2003 when it, and its entire stock of whisky, were purchased by the present consortium, and once again the uisge beatha flowed.

Andy trotted out a young Tullibardine Aged Oak first.  Light and dusty…citrusy and herbal…dry and oaky.  Meh.  Not bad by any means, but a tad underwhelming.

Next up was a 14 y.o. Tullibardine Moscatel.  More of a craft presentation than the first we tried.  46% and non-chill-filtered.  Still fairly light.  I picked up raw grains, freshly cut hay, fruit and chocolate.  This had an interesting pink hue to it.  Maybe just the lighting in there…maybe one too many whiskies…or maybe that actually was the color. 

From here we moved onto the Springbank line.  Though I enjoyed the Tullibardines, this was much more to my liking.  Springbank is one of only three operational distilleries in Cambeltown.  A shame really, as Cambeltown was once home to more than 30 legal distilleries.  Springbank relies heavily on tradition and human involvement in all stages of production.  The whiskies are distinct, colorful and craft-presented (no chill-filtration, no coloring, higher abv, etc), which of course is appreciated.

First up…Springbank CV.  Lots of smoke and fire (almost kerosene-like), some peat and spice, a touch of sherry and a dash of salt.  Decent marks for this one.

Next up…Springbank 18.  Nice…very nice.  Beautiful on the nose, with notes of cream and caramel, light fruits and hot spice.  Even a few drops of water did not mellow this one too much.  The price point is high, but the product is very good.

Springbank 12 Cask Strength.  Now we’re talking.  54.6% abv.  Well done, Springbank, for allowing us the opportunity to decide how strong we like our dram.  This was a solid number full of salt, sherry, smoke and raisin, some pepper and a smoked meat quality to it.  Rich and rewarding.

Finally Andy brought out the big guns.  Springbank Claret Finish (12 year, I believe).  Wow.  Another beefcake bottled at 54.4%.  This deep mahogany whisky was full of rich caramel toffee, vanilla, smoke, apple, spice and peppers, and had a wonderful oily viscosity to it.  Simply amazing.

Look for some more detailed reviews in the days to come.   

Thanks, David and Andy, for another great tasting.

Liquorature – A Whisky And Book Club

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There are many things in the world that are complimented by a great whisky.  Music is one.  A good book is another.

Nothing goes better with fine whisky though than good company and conversation.

Nearly two years ago now I founded a whisky and book club in Calgary known as Liquorature.  This exclusive little crew (only 7 of us by design…along with the occasional sit-in) meets once a month to chat about books, whiskies, rums and all things related.  Each month has a dedicated host, who is tasked with providing a venue, selecting the whiskies (and a rum for our resident ‘caner), tabling a spread of edibles…and most importantly…picking a book. 

Liquorature is comprised of gents ranging in age from late 20s to mid 50s.  We’re all friends (and better friends because of Liquorature) and we all offer something unique to the collective.  Membership is exclusive and closed.  Any more than 7 or 8 in a room and conversation becomes a little…congested. 

Our gatherings are generally the last Friday of every month.  At the beginning of our evening we meet, greet and eat.  At this point we trot out the bottles and our host will explain what we’re drinking and why he has picked these bottles in particular.  Dramming begins in time with the inaugural question for the host…”so…why did you pick this book?”  The conversation flows fast and free from here.  Generally we’ll stay on topic for anywhere from an hour to two.  When we feel we have exhausted conversation related to the book of the month…it is fair game.  The levels in the bottles drop…the humor grows more candid…the evening blooms.

Our gatherings are a monthly highlight for all involved.  They are an intellectual release and an opportunity to learn.  To date we have tackled books such as ‘The Idiot’ (Dostoevsky), ‘The Namesake’ (Lahiri), ‘Atlas Shrugged’ (Rand), ‘Catch 22’ (Heller), ‘Blood Meridian’ (McCarthy) and ‘On The Road’ (Kerouac).  We have even covered a book penned by a member’s brother (David John Watson’s ‘Geonesis’).  There have been many other books so far, and there will be multitudes to come.

I can not recommend strongly enough that some of you start clubs like we have.  The opportunities at informal whisky tastings are invaluable and enlightening.  The chance to share great literature is rare.  Combining the two…well…bloody brilliant.

Feel free to visit our sister site at www.liquorature.com to see just what we do and what we get out of it.  Notes on our gatherings, book reviews, whisky reviews and rum reviews can all be found there.  Drop a line.

If you want advice on starting your own club, feel free to email at uisgebeatha7@hotmail.com.

Slainte!

Calgary Whisky Club

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Lads and Lassies,

After a final discussion with our friend, David Michiels, at Willow Park…

The Calgary Whisky Club is finally a reality!

To any who do not know me yet…my name is Curt.  I, along with David, will be spearheading this adventure.

The inaugural meeting of this exclusive little enclave will be:

7:00pm    Sunday, September 5th, 2010

This rather informal gathering will be at Willow Park Wines and Spirits in Calgary South.

If you are interested, please confirm with me, Curt, at uisgebeatha7@hotmail.com in order to ensure a spot is held.

Membership will be limited to 40 people.  When our maximum is met, we will have a wait list.  Annual dues are yet to be determined.  Your input at the first meeting will help decide many details about this club, including (but not limited to):

  • Member costs
  • Dates and times
  • Format
  • Products
  • What you want to put in/get out of this club

While there will be a nominal fee associated, the benefits will far outweigh anything you put in.  Exposure to many new products, access to industry persons and their knowledge, discounts and exclusive opportunities at products…and most importantly…a social circle of like-minded individuals out to have fun.

To all involved thus far, thanks for your help.  To those I have yet to recruit into supporting roles…uh, sorry…and again…thanks for your help.

To any reps and industry persons…if you are interested in being involved in hosting tastings, providing samples for review or simply sitting in…please do not hesitate to contact me.  Once a month you will have a captive audience of 40 whisky drinkers just itching to sample and purchase your product from Willow Park.

Please hang tight for more information.

Until we meet in September…Slainte!

Highland Park Tasting – May 5, 2010

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Highland Park comes from a land full of mystery and rich in history and heritage.

 Established in 1798 on Orkney, Highland Park is the most Northerly Scotch whisky distillery in the world.  With its windswept moors, craggy outcrops and ancient religious sites, Orkney is a land rich in anecdote.  This, combined with the wind, rain, lightning, freezing ice, crushing waves and hail provide the perfect setting for home of one of the world’s best malt whiskies.

(from the HP leaflet available on tasting night)

Wow.  What a night.  Though Willow Park always puts together quite a do for these tasting events, this was a night of exceptional aesthetics, entertainment and of course, whisky.  We’ll get to that momentarily. 

Upon arriving early Pat and I wandered through the groaning shelves of whisky and rum.  (Should note…everyone’s flavor favorite in rum is back in stock – EH5 at $29)  After needling David a bit, he was able to get in the last laugh.  I made the mistake of asking him what was new in store.  As we wondered around, him pointing out exciting new product, my eyes hit a rich green tube on the top shelf.  I’m sure Pat will attest, I nearly leapt for it.  Laphroaig 18 year old (48%).  Dear gawd.   Without hesitation, David reached up and scooped the other two bottles for himself.  And just like that…gone!  As I debated spending the $102 for this gem, a few eyes followed me and a gentlemen came up to ask where I’d found it.  I knew if I set it down I’d never see it again.  I put it on hold at the service desk until after the tasting.  More momentarily…

At this point we headed down to the ‘ballroom’ below.  J. Wheelock, of Highland Park, our host for the evening, outdid himself.  The room was nicely done up in blacks, slates and greys.  Large visuals and a solid powerpoint iced the cake.  J. was an engaging speaker with a soft voice and a quick wit, prone to self-deprecation and humility.  Humor was splashed over much of his presentation.  The presentation itself focused largely on history and tradition.  Indeed Highland Park are a very traditional distillery. 

For those that have tried Highland Park, you should have an idea as to just how bold and beautiful a dram it is.  Believe me when I say that nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to taste.  Highland Park 12 has, of late, become my go-to bottle.  Beautifully balanced with just the right complexity.  It seems to please almost all of my moods and cravings.  After making our way through the six whiskies we tried this evening, I was blown away with how meager the 12 seemed in comparison to some of its big brothers.

What we tried:

Highland Park 12 y.o. – Balanced, bold and full of character.  Honey, fruit and smoke.  A little sherry and a bit of tobacco.

Highland Park 15 y.o. – More flowery than the 12.  Peat, hay, sherry, and orange.  Seems quite fresh for a 15 year old whisky. 

Highland Park 18 y.o. – Fantastic.  Peat and smoke (though not too much), creamy and sherried.  Fairly mellow.  Both Pat and I got a hint of Dill Pickle chips on this one.  Odd, but delicious.

Highland Park 25 y.o. – Stunning.  Truly Stunning.  Caramel and chocolate, smoke and fruit, toffee and salt.  Lots of sherry…and a hint of rich unlit cigar.  A favorite, for sure.  48.1%

Highland Park 30 y.o. – Again…amazing.  Peat and smoke, caramel and rich chocolate.  A bit of spice and wood.  Arguably the best nose of the night.

and as a special treat (from Jay’s personal stash)…

Highland Park Earl Magnus – Wow.  Bloody brilliant.  Buttery…rich in caramel/toffee/butterscotch.  Warm and smoky .  Some fruit and nut and hay.  A hint of sesame on the nose.  52.6%…but what a beautifully balanced whisky.  J. said it well…this one “has some personality”.  Only 5,976 bottles of this.  I don’t imagine it will go cheap, but worth every penny.  A true collector’s item.

As another class act on the part of Highland Park, we were told to take home our water glass from the evening.  This was in fact a nicely etched HP glass, perfectly shaped for whisky.  As a few guests opted not to take their gift home, Pat and I each ended up with a set.  As yet another bonus, in a room full of people, there just happened to be a couple empty seats next to us.  We were able to lift a couple extra drams of our favorites from the evening. 

I can say, in all honesty, this was the best tasting I’ve been to. 

Now…back to that Laphroaig…

When I returned to the counter to pick up this bottle (with wife’s permission…happy Father’s Day to me) I actually had to show ID before they would release it to me.  I was told it is the hottest thing they’ve had in store and has sold out everywhere.  As you know, tickets to the tasting are good for $5 off every $20 spent.  I managed to end up with four tickets, thus knocking $20 off this prize. 

This little gem is now at home, awaiting a day when (if?) I break down and open it.  This one will be beautiful.

A great end to a great evening.