I am a big scotch fan. Up until now I have only explored the single malts. So far I would have to say that my favorite everyday sipper is the 16 year old Lagavulin, with an 18 year old Talisker coming in close second.
I got a sweet new job recently with great pay, so I decided to treat myself to a more expensive bottle. I wandered around the liquor store, but couldn't find the top shelf selections I was looking for. I must have walked around the store 5 times, thinking where the hell is the good stuff?!?
I made my way to the front and proceeded to ask for assistance. After a 10 minute wait, a man emerged from the back and took me through a door in the back storage area.
We were now in the back conference room which was in fact quite large, where a high end scotch tasting was just winding down. There they were... All kinds of single malt Scotches ranging in Price from $200 - $11,000!! I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe how much money worth of alcohol was surrounding me.
I made my way to a seat, and was given a menu so to speak, of what was available for tasting. On that list, were some of the finest scotches, cognacs, armagnacs, and brandies.
Every sip had a small tasting fee attached to it. I ended up spending about $200 on tastes. I tried some pretty rare vintages that evening. Some that were so rare in fact, that they were sold in 45ml, labeled test tubes. I wanted to buy a few of those, as they were so damned delicious, but I found it hard to justify spending $100 on 45ml (1.5oz). Much of the higher end stuff was in fact tasted with an eye dropper! Its amazing how many different tastes you can have before you get hammered if you only have a tiny bit of each. The most we'd get for any one taste was a few mils (just enough for 2 or 3 small sips, at most, though often less)
After some time, I stumbled across one that seemed to glow in a way that just called to me. Perhaps it was the color, perhaps it was the lighting... whatever it was, there was definitely something magnetic about this particular bottle.
"It was crafted in 1965, and bottled in 2005".
There were quite a few aged samples, some as old as 65 years! But this one... There was something un-nameable about this particular bottle of amber coloured liquid. It was made 18 years before I was born! (I was born in 1983, am now 26)
"The price-tag comes in at a reasonable $280 (CAD)"
As he was pouring it, I could smell the aroma filling the room. The taste, wow, just freakin wow! I have never tasted such a complex scotch before. There were so many layers it was incredible. All very distinct, yet all working harmoniously together creating the final flavour profile. There was a really nice heat in the mouth as the scotch made its way around my taste buds. There is a saying on one of the Islay Malts, (I think its the Lagavulin): "'Time' say the islanders 'takes out the fire, but leaves in the warmth'"
I didnt really get it until now.
Here are the Tasters notes from the Bottle:
That about says it : )
By the time I decided on a bottle and paid for it, I was still only half drunk. Fortunately I was also only half an hour walk from home... so I decided to hit up the walk in Humidor, which housed countless brands of cigars from all over the world. The Guy who seemed to be running the thing told me to pick any one I want, and he will give it to me for half price. So I took the Cohiba Siglo VI, and we ventured outside into the back area where there is a nice table and chairs set up like a lounge. It was made specifically for the smoking of cigars.
I was about to open my bottle of newly acquired Clan Denny, when the guy suggested I try some more samples. For $100 he said he could assemble 8 premium samples at 1/4 oz each. They were all phenomenal, but well beyond my pricerange. After those were good and done, I switched to a 25 year old Talisker to finish off the night.
What an evening. That was the most amazing tasting I have ever been too.
I know this is not a knife post, but there seems to be a lot of people who appreciate liquor in here, so I figured I would share my experience
(Just a quick question for all you JW Blue drinkers: I have never tried a blended scotch, not due to any particular aversion, but because all the tastings I have been to have been about Single Malts. How would you rate it along-side the single malts in that pricerange?)
So I hope you enjoyed my story, as I sure did
That Clan Denny is going down just right 
I got a sweet new job recently with great pay, so I decided to treat myself to a more expensive bottle. I wandered around the liquor store, but couldn't find the top shelf selections I was looking for. I must have walked around the store 5 times, thinking where the hell is the good stuff?!?
I made my way to the front and proceeded to ask for assistance. After a 10 minute wait, a man emerged from the back and took me through a door in the back storage area.
We were now in the back conference room which was in fact quite large, where a high end scotch tasting was just winding down. There they were... All kinds of single malt Scotches ranging in Price from $200 - $11,000!! I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe how much money worth of alcohol was surrounding me.
I made my way to a seat, and was given a menu so to speak, of what was available for tasting. On that list, were some of the finest scotches, cognacs, armagnacs, and brandies.
Every sip had a small tasting fee attached to it. I ended up spending about $200 on tastes. I tried some pretty rare vintages that evening. Some that were so rare in fact, that they were sold in 45ml, labeled test tubes. I wanted to buy a few of those, as they were so damned delicious, but I found it hard to justify spending $100 on 45ml (1.5oz). Much of the higher end stuff was in fact tasted with an eye dropper! Its amazing how many different tastes you can have before you get hammered if you only have a tiny bit of each. The most we'd get for any one taste was a few mils (just enough for 2 or 3 small sips, at most, though often less)
After some time, I stumbled across one that seemed to glow in a way that just called to me. Perhaps it was the color, perhaps it was the lighting... whatever it was, there was definitely something magnetic about this particular bottle.
"It was crafted in 1965, and bottled in 2005".
There were quite a few aged samples, some as old as 65 years! But this one... There was something un-nameable about this particular bottle of amber coloured liquid. It was made 18 years before I was born! (I was born in 1983, am now 26)
"The price-tag comes in at a reasonable $280 (CAD)"
As he was pouring it, I could smell the aroma filling the room. The taste, wow, just freakin wow! I have never tasted such a complex scotch before. There were so many layers it was incredible. All very distinct, yet all working harmoniously together creating the final flavour profile. There was a really nice heat in the mouth as the scotch made its way around my taste buds. There is a saying on one of the Islay Malts, (I think its the Lagavulin): "'Time' say the islanders 'takes out the fire, but leaves in the warmth'"
I didnt really get it until now.
Here are the Tasters notes from the Bottle:
That about says it : )
By the time I decided on a bottle and paid for it, I was still only half drunk. Fortunately I was also only half an hour walk from home... so I decided to hit up the walk in Humidor, which housed countless brands of cigars from all over the world. The Guy who seemed to be running the thing told me to pick any one I want, and he will give it to me for half price. So I took the Cohiba Siglo VI, and we ventured outside into the back area where there is a nice table and chairs set up like a lounge. It was made specifically for the smoking of cigars.
I was about to open my bottle of newly acquired Clan Denny, when the guy suggested I try some more samples. For $100 he said he could assemble 8 premium samples at 1/4 oz each. They were all phenomenal, but well beyond my pricerange. After those were good and done, I switched to a 25 year old Talisker to finish off the night.
What an evening. That was the most amazing tasting I have ever been too.
I know this is not a knife post, but there seems to be a lot of people who appreciate liquor in here, so I figured I would share my experience
(Just a quick question for all you JW Blue drinkers: I have never tried a blended scotch, not due to any particular aversion, but because all the tastings I have been to have been about Single Malts. How would you rate it along-side the single malts in that pricerange?)
So I hope you enjoyed my story, as I sure did
That Clan Denny is going down just right
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