Scotch tasting last night

[Megawatt]

Starting out at home and then moving to a local pub with an unusually long Scotch list, I sampled six single malts last night. For those interested, here are some brief impressions.

Springbank 12 year old cask strength

Very rich, oily. Sweet and heavily sherried, with some peat notes buried in there. Slight sulpher/rubber near the end, but no more than other heavily sherried drams like Aberlour a'bunadh and Glenfarclas 105. A nice whisky that will take some time to get to know.

Aberlour 16 year old

After the 54.6% Springbank, this 43% Aberlour seemed almost watery. Tasting notes include apple and beeswax. Oaky mid-palate. Long, consistent finish. Pleasant, full-bodied.

The Dalmore 12 year old

Crisp, toasty malt with some nice sherry undertones. Quite nice, if unchallenging.

Glenmorangie Lasanta

Ah, this is the stuff! Rich, creamy, a very full aroma. The biggest flavour out of the three Glenmorangies I've tried. Succulent, luxurious whisky. I would definitely consider buying this, even at the $80 price tag from the LCBO.

Blackadder Peat Reek

I see this 10 year old mystery malt around occasionally and have long wondered about it. Now I finally got to try it, and boy, I'm glad I did. Just about the perfect delivery from an Islay malt. Rather than a one-dimensional blast, the peat is clean and crisp and sweetened with some vanilla. Beautiful balance. The flavour is peaty but also includes lemon drops.

Ardbeg 10 year old

My second-ever glass of Ardbeg. Nice stuff but sort of underwhelming after Peat Reek. Slightly smokier, less sweet, with a bit of pine resin in the flavour.

Hard to pick a winner here but I think Lasanta impressed me the most, followed closely by Peat Reek. Springbank was the most complex by far. The Dalmore was good but the least impressive in the lineup.

[dbk]

Nice summary, Megawatt. If you've had it, how do you find Big Peat (Douglas Laing) stacks up to the Peat Reek?

[Megawatt]

Nice summary, Megawatt. If you've had it, how do you find Big Peat (Douglas Laing) stacks up to the Peat Reek?

Sorry, never had Big Peat.

[dbk]

OK, thanks anyway

[JamesW]

Was the Peat Reek bought in Ontario?

[Megawatt]

Was the Peat Reek bought in Ontario?

It has long been available in Ontario and only now it seems to finally be running out. Not sure what distillery it is from but if you told me Ardbeg I wouldn't be surprised.

[JamesW]

Haven't seen it anywhere near me. But then, I've only been this side of the border for 6 months... it does sound interesting being a peat lover and all.... hopefully I'll find one. btw- the Amrut Peated has also disappeared. I wanted another for the bunker but I'm too late I guess.

[Megawatt]

Haven't seen it anywhere near me. But then, I've only been this side of the border for 6 months... it does sound interesting being a peat lover and all.... hopefully I'll find one. btw- the Amrut Peated has also disappeared. I wanted another for the bunker but I'm too late I guess.

Don't worry, Amrut Fusion is coming around and it's said to be even better.

[JamesW]

Don't worry, Amrut Fusion is coming around and it's said to be even better.

Let me know when you see it!

[Jono]

Thanks! The Glenmorangie Lasanta sounds incredible....must find it.

Note...Binny's has it for $49.99...not bad at all. I did not realize how many expressions of Glenmorangie there were until

looking over the selection....this one looks good too:

Glenmorangie The Nectar D'or

The Blackadder is another to add to the bunker.