Whisky Wench Tales

There are only 100 tickets available and I will have twenty to thirty of them before the end of the week. Send me an e-mail at: whiskywench@gmail.com if you would like tickets (first come, first serve).

Please come it will be a lovely treat and I would love to see you…I miss you!

The Wench hath spoken!

View Czech & Slovak Sokol Mn in a larger map

My questions and your answers, photos included!

If being a Whisky Wench were a serious profession which picture do you think would best represent that?

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If the Whisky Wench were a famous author which image would she have on the back cover of her book?

Straight draw between these two!

pic8

pic3

My favorite is pic 8 and as grand adjudicator, I win.

Top 5 Pictures:

#5

pic12

#4

pic8

#3

pic1

#2

pic3

#1

pic13

Aww my favorite is number 8, because my hair looks good. I’ll have to use that one too!

Thanks again for voting!

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE THEM PROPERLY! DEPENDING UPON THE SPEED OF YOUR WEB CONNECTION, IT MAY TAKE A WHILE FOR THE SURVEY BELOW THE IMAGES TO LOAD. CHEERS! WW

Survey is now closed, thanks for voting!

Hello Everyone,

Well it looks like my marathon ambitions may be over as I am suffering from some kind of knee affliction. All the more reason to drink Scotch for its painkilling properties!

Here is the flight in just under two weeks:

#1 Scapa “the Orcadian” 16yr (Orkney)
Strength: 40%
Appearance: Golden, shimmery
Nose: very sweet, a little mealy. Smells a bit like Malteasers (a chocolate and malt candy concoction). Raw sugar.
Palate: light taste, airy, a wee bit of sea salt to it, a peaty lilt that feels more like peat than it actually tastes of peat
Body: light/medium
Finish: slightly warming

#2 Bruichladdich Waves (I don’t know yet…watch this space) (Islay)

#3 Caol Ila 10yr – Connoissuers Choice – Gordon & MacPhail (Islay)
Strength: 46%
Appearance: yellow
Nose: more peaty and smokey than regular Caol Ila. I cannot detect any of the characteristic sea salt that one would normally find in the dram
Palate: very sweet initially, leaves a very fizzy peaty coating in one’s mouth. Peat blast!
Body: light/medium
Finish:very long and feisty. This is pretty crazy-ass, more like a beef jerky than one would expect!

#4 Talisker 10yr (Skye)
Strength: 45.8%
Appearance: golden, a little light brownish
Nose: sweet but big torrents of peat coming through, some mealiness
Palate: deliciously multi-dimensional, peaty yet fruity. Exciting tongue action!
Body: full
Finish: delightfully smokey and robust, with warmth

Come to Merlins Rest on Thursday September 3rd. We start at 7:30pm, but come early to get a table and your ticket!

I’m looking forward to it!!

WW

Hello everyone,

I apologize for the lateness of this posting, saying that I’ve been busy is an understatement. I pulled off Artery 24 in collaboration with my two co-curators and my marvelous intern, I also started a new full-time job and I am still training for the marathon (I’m crazy, I know).

So this week’s scotches are:

#1 Benromach
Strength: 40%
Appearance: very light, like chardonnay
Nose: grass, wet shrubbery, hint of smoke
Palate: very light with a peaty tongue tingle, pleasant sweet malt swallow
Body: light
Finish: very light, the only thing that lingers is taste in the throat

#2 Strathisla 12yr
Strength: 43%
Appearance: very deep gold, furniture polish
Nose: closed aroma, but a little smokiness coming through, acidic tickly nose, raw vanilla, earthy
Palate: sweet and light in the mouth with mounting smokey peat that comes through, hot tongue
Body: medium
Finish: subtle finish, mostly sticks around in your mouth

#3 Deanston 12yr
Strength: 40%
Appearance: light, very yellow, not so gold
Nose: sweet popcorn, butter, sweet malt, a tad of smoke
Palate: very light and smooth in mouth, very malty flavors coming through, heat in mouth, a wee bit of salt and pepper, some citric tones
Body: light
Finish: mostly just a bit of flavor in mouth and a back of throat

#4 Glentauchers 14yr
Strength: 43%
Appearance: yellow, gold
Nose: a little acidic, definitely some mandarin orange, an ever-so-slight hint of treacle
Palate: very sweet with citric tones and a very dry tongue, a little honey comes through, reminds me of Springbank Marsala finish a little bit!
Body: light
Finish: dry and mouth is warm, a little chest warmth lingers

I hope to see you on Thursday!

So speaketh the Wench!!

Hello Everyone,

Well this month has been quite hot for this (almost translucent) European, so I found myself thinking about some tasty and refreshing blends that we could try. This is what I came up with…..

#1 Black Bottle
Strength: 40%
Appearance: light, gold and shimmery
Nose: deeply honeyed, heather, very sweet, a smidgen of peat
Palate: old fashioned blend in the best sense, not boring. Toffee, a bit of heathery sweetness, followed by a peaty, smokey blast.
Finish: quite long-lived for a blend with a peaty tongue aspect

#2 The Dimple Pinch
Strength: 43%
Appearance: deep gold, uniform
Nose: mild aroma, a little sweet, fresh with some malt thrown in!
Palate: very creamy, peat lovely, tingly tongue
Finish: smoky, sumptuous mouth, not much warming

#3 Compass Box Hedonism – vatted grain whisky
Strength: 43%
Appearance: shimmery and light, like chardonnay
Nose: so mildly sweet and fresh and shimmery, a little marzipan and caramel
Palate: smooth followed by a herbal blast, quite savory considering the sweet nose, perhaps like basil with some mild peat inflections. Adding mineral water tempers the blast a little, I think that this would also be excellent on the rocks. Delicious!
Finish: lingering, full on taste malty flavor in throat. Warming yes, but quite different from any other finish that I have experienced.

#4 The Naked Grouse
Strength: 40%
Appearance: deep gold, tree resin
Nose: green, fresh with sweet bourbon-like aspects, some of those maple qualities that one expects to find in something like Jack Daniels, a wee bit of toffee
Palate: heavily sherried, oaky, very deep when compared to other blends, let alone regular Grouse
Finish: pleasant not overly long. A very drinkable blend.

Come to Merlins Rest next Thursday. We start at 7:30pm, but come early to get a table and get your ticket sorted. I have a deal with a man, who has very long hair, who says that there must be shortbread…or else!

See you then!

Sláinte Mhath!

WW

This month we shall sample the delights of two distilleries that definitely will not be producing any more whisky…because they are demolished! This month is a rare chance to try two bottlings that don’t show up all that often now. Once they’re gone…we have empty bottles.

#1 Lochside 13yr (Eastern Highland). Closed 1992, demolished in 2005.
Strength: 43%
Appearance: light, watery
Nose: malty, lemon, edgy, elderflower
Palate: fizzy and sweet, with a malty kick, sharp, orange marmalade
Body: light/medium
Finish: slow lingering finish that subtly resides in ones chest

#2 Speyburn Brandan Orach (Speyside) – Still open!
Strength: 40%
Appearance: light, yellowish
Nose: prunes, malty
Palate: a bit sharp if drunk too quickly, citrus tones, a bit of yummy toffee on the end
Body: medium
Finish: low toned finish, a little linger

#3 Glendronach 13yr (Speyside) – Still open!
Strength: 40%
Appearance: perfect gold
Nose: very sweet, candyfloss, xmas candy with brandy inflections, fruitcake
Palate: honeyed palate, a little oily, dried fruit, tart citrus
Body: medium
Finish: creamy finish, gentle spice, not much linger

#4 Pittyvaich 12yr (Speyside). Closed 1993, demolished 2002.
Strength: 43%
Appearance: deep golden brown, brandy-like
Nose: very subtle, malty and sweet, tart apple
Palate: little bit chewy, very sweet, a bit malty flavor with smokey inflections
Finish: really understated, a bit of a grassy taste left over. Don’t let that discourage you though.

Come to Merlins Rest next Thursday. We start at 7:30pm, but come early to get a table and get your ticket sorted. Prize draw as per usual with whisky galore!

Hello All,

after an exciting few weeks and much ponderous procrastination, I have devised a flight for next Thursday. I felt that it was time to investigate the Highlands (and sneak one Speyside in there) as we haven’t done that for a while. I’m still not sure about the Benriach as I haven’t had a chance to taste it with the others yet, so I will send you all an update about that.

Highland Bling!

#1 Clynelish 14yr – Northern Highlands
Strength: 46%
Appearance: golden, uniform
Nose: fresh green apples, a little smoke, hint of peat
Palate: delightfully chewy, honeyed, fizzy end of tongue, perfume-like with pepper towards the end
Body: medium/full
Finish: full body rub (Christian Bale…where are you?)

#2 Dewar’s Aberfeldy 12yr – Eastern Highlands
Strength: 40%
Appearance: uniform, gold, yellow tints
Nose: a little grassy, unripened melon, dandelion, heather, candied pineapple with just a hint of vanilla.
Palate: peppery, honey, a wee bit of spice, some oak creeping in and a malty taste
Body: medium
Finish: understated, delicious peaty taste left over, dry some citrus notes

#3 Teaninich 10yr – Northern Highland
Strength: [I'm so excited I've never tried it before!]
Appearance:
Nose:
Palate:
Body:
Finish:

#4 Glenmorangie Astar – Northern Highlands
Strength: 57.1%
Appearance: light gold, shimmering
Nose: incredibly rich, reminding me of toffee, crème-brulée perhaps even a really beautifully cooked bread pudding with a little pouring creame, almonds also come through with quite a bit of chocolate. When water is added it becomes a little more tempered and the flavors intermingle edging more towards to the creaminess that I mentioned.
Palate: I really find that the wood comes through strongly, however there are some many flavors to sink my teeth into it doesn’t subtract from the experience, reminds me of Easter chocolate Brazils that I used to steal from my Step dad when he wasn’t looking, some rich dried or poached fruit flavors with a bit of sweet fudge (not Brownie, UK fudge) and some fresh mint
Body: full
Finish: long and a little spicey…lovely!

Nice!

WW

Hello Everyone,

So after a frantic week, which included quite a bit of traveling, followed by a tasting at Merlins and a massive Spring clean at my other job. I finally have time to sit down and write about my fantastic experience during my virgin trip to Whisky Fest, Chicago. At first I must admit that I was fairly anal retentive about taking notes on every single whisky I tried, however I soon realized that it was futile (the voice recorder gave up on me) and started to live in the moment instead. Having said that, I did keep a diligent list of drams between Binny’s and the actual Fest….

At Binny’s World of Whiskey’s – Tasting Event, Tuesday March 31st

Port Charlotte 6
Port Charlotte 7
Bruichladdich 14 year old Links Series “K Club” finished in Guigal Hermitage/Cote Rotie casks (Oh yum!)
Bruichladdich Resurrection Dram
Bruichladdich Golden Still (A real treat!)
I met the guys from Bruichladdich including one of the proprietors, it was fabulous and I told them how much I love Bruichladdich! You all know that it’s been one of my faves of late.
MacKillop’s Choice Scapa 1989 – 19yr
MacKillop’s Choice Caol Ila 1990 – 18yr
MacKillop’s Choice Glenlivet 1977 – 31yr
Signatory Mannochmore 1991 – 16yr Cask Strength
Edradour 11yr Sassicaia Finish (really unique)
Amut Standard Single Malt (from Bangalore, India, reminded me of a Lowland)
Amrut Fusion (essentially a fusion of peated and unpeated, all from Indian barley)
Springbank 9yr Marsala Finish (I liked it so much that I bought a bottle)
Benriach 10yr Curisoitas
Glenmorangie Astar (an absolute stunner!)
As I said at my tasting on Thursday, I was honored to meet Dr. Bill Lumsden one of the minds behind the outstanding new Glenmorangie range. I have to admit I was a little star struck, I know…I’m a strange girl who gets excited by chemistry.
Sheep Dip Vatted Malt
Pigs Nose Blend
Compass Box’s Hedonism Maximus – this was one of my very favorite finds, a marriage of two single grains, 42 year old Invergordon and 29 year old Carsebridge. It was both delicious and complex.

If you’re wondering how I was still standing after all of this…well then you don’t know me very well! (-:

After that myself and three Minnesota-based whisky comrades found our way to the marvelous Hopleaf Belgian bar to indulge one of our other passions, beer! I had a nice Kwak and then a Dupont accompanied by beautifully cooked mussels and a big juicy New York strip with Belgian frites (I did mention paradise in the title!).

Then we found our way to the equally brilliant Clark Street Alehouse. Where I tried Ommegang Hennepin ale and loved it!

After those jaunts we ventured back to one of the hotel rooms to sample some of the day’s spoils, needless to say by this point I was no longer taking notes but whatever they were, I remember them being good. I really didn’t have a hangover the next day which was a relief.

So the day of the fest I explored Chicago for a bit and indulged my other passion, contemporary art at the Museum of…well…contemporary art. I often find myself considering the convergence of my two passions, perhaps one day I could write an art history paper on the importance of alcohol to art and vice versa; think of all that inadvertent product placement in renaissance paintings! Anyway I digress, fast forward to the night of the fest, which started at 5pm. So follows the list of delight!

Bowmore 18yr
Auchentoshan Triple Wood
Yamazaki 18yr (a lot more oak to it than the 12yr, I found it quite delicious)
Glenrothes 75yr Special Reserve (to quote Kate Bush..”wow, wow, wow, unbelievable”)
Springbank 1990
Eades Vatted: Longmorn and Glen Moray
” ” : Ben Nevis and Clynelish
” ” : Bowmore and Caol Ila (aged in Cotes Rotie and Red Zinfindel)
The Macallan 15yr Fine Oak
The Macallan 17yr Fine Oak (prefer this to the 15 and 10, just not fond of the Fine Oak I suppose).
Highland Park 15yr
Pappy van Winkle 20yr
The Arran Malt Sherry 9yr (Really enjoyed this finish)
Four Roses Single Barrel (really good stuff, my first time trying this bourbon, I’m definitely a convert).
Compass Box’s Orangerie
You heard me going on and on about how much this idea excited me, an infused whisky blah, blah. Well I think that it lives up to the hype and thumbs up for the very stylish Art Nouveau influenced bottle design. This has an aroma which makes you wish that Christian Bale (insert a female if he’s not your thing) could rub it into your skin while you drink it.
Compass Box’s Oak Cross
Glenmorangie Original
” ” Lasanta
” ” Quinta Ruban
” ” Nectar D’Or
” ” Signet (made with chocolate malt, oh my goodness, yum!).
Dewars 12yr
Dewars Signature

I also attending a few seminars.
Dr Bill Lumsden’s Glenmorangie’s Brave New World
During which he described Glenmorangie’s refreshing approach to the wood that they use, it was fascinating.

John Glaser of Compass Box. On Maturation and Micro-Blending: The Compass Box Approach
I was engrossed throughout, but then I really like the everything that I’ve tried from Compass Box so far. It’s like they are doing all of things that I’ve wondered about: single grain vatting, single malt vatting etc. It was fabulous.

Karen Fullerton, Dewars. Sensory Evaluation of Scotch Whisky
I really enjoyed this seminar too and I think that the things that I learned will really help me to be a better and more informed scotch taster.

So that is about it. Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to next year.

Thanks for reading.

So speaketh, the Wench!

P.s. My husband set up a fan group (without my knowledge) on Facebook. So if you are a fb-addict I suggest that you consider becoming my fan. (-;