The Highland Park vs Glenfarclas nights were potentially going to be straightforward. Surely we could pick three heather-smoke Orkney malts from three sherry sweet Speysides? And surely the cask strength Adelphi Highland Park would clean up? However... we were tasting older expressions of the two distilleries, not the usual 12 year olds here, so they were not quite what was expected. Then throw in a high class rich mystery number and the whole thing became quite a cauldron.
Very few tasters guessed more than three out of seven right but on the last night we did have a 7/7 :)
At the end of the first night the winner was the Highland Park 25 yo.
At the end of the second night the overall winner had become the mystery: the Glendronach 18yo Allardice.
At the end of the third night the overall winner had become the Adelphi Highland Park afterall! We are trying to secure stocks for orders and for Best of the Best.
The race for first place was so tight that the scores for 1st, 2nd and 3rd are within 0.09% of each other. Surely hats off to the Glendronach 18yo for such an affordable and available malt whisky.
The placings and ratings were:
Highland Park 15 yo Adelphi Score 9.02 Came First
NOSE: Dry, american oak notes, vanilla pods, salt, medicinal, chalk, iodine, strong, smokey bananas, iodine, toasted bread, ketchup, newsprint, irish cereal notes.
PALATE: Swwet, big, varnished wood, lemon peel, shavings, thicker than nose, rich wood, a bit rooty.
FINISH: Wholesome, banana returns, pepper, toasted muslie, dried fruits, honey, oily residue, sherry, peat, ages long, salty tail, Xmas, cigars.
Glendronach 18 Allardice 46% Score 8.94 Came Second (mystery)
NOSE: Sweet, sherry, cheesecake, caramel popcorn, maple'n'walnut icecream, chocolate, rooty, thick and luscious, orange chocolate, sticky date pudding, golden syrup, marzipan, rum'n'raisin, burnt toffee, leather, smoke hint, aged.
PALATE: Sherry, turkish delight, burnt, big, long, oily thick, complex, struck match, PX note.
FINISH: Alc, pepper, fireworks, spicy, carob, vanilla, jaffa, match head, marmite, long.
Highland Park 25 yo 48.1% Score 8.93 Came Third
NOSE: Dusty ties, old leather, golden syrup, toffee, coffee essense, sweet, toast, vegetal, dirty dog, dry barn, hay, saddlery, sappy, crumpets, rich.
PALATE: I'll take that home, old Springbanky, the zoo, coastal notes, delayed bite, sherry, Islay even.
FINISH: Salt, sweat, smoke, iodine, sacking, asphalt, crackle, alc, big, nice bitter wood, long.
Glenfarclas 25 yo 43% Score 8.60 Came Fourth
NOSE: Fruity, tang note, dry side, heather, honey, spice, banana, coal tar soap, maple, apricol, lanolin, salted caramel, nutty, citruous, wood, plastic, vanilla, violet, HPish, fresh rubber, aquarium.
PALATE: Low alc, sweet malty, easy, luscious, fire, fresh, grows.
FINISH: Peat hint, alc comes through, spice, pepper, chartruesse, salt, fresh, quaffable, lingers, toffee, builds, better than palate, sweet, long and warm.
Glenfarclas 175th Anniversary 43% Score 8.34 Came Fifth
NOSE: Varnish, salt, dark chocolate, malty, metals, floral, alc, musty, honey, floral oils, wood, wet cloth, waxy apple, sweet/dry balance, GF style, perfume, a hint of caramello.
PALATE: Easy, sweet, rich, complex, molassis, sherry wood, coal, caramel, fudgey smoke.
FINISH: Dry, bitter sweet chocolate, sacking, medium flavour, wood, heat, lingers, alc stays, vacuum cleaner bag, with metals.
Highland Park 18 yo 43% Score 8.11 Came Sixth
NOSE: Wood shavings, dry powdery sacking, creamy, sweet, floral oils, sherry, shaving cream, figs, cherries, plums, coastal notes, citrious, Xmas cake, raisins, rhubarb, hint of peat, luggage, thick, GFish.
PALATE: Smooth, pepper, wood spice, oils, peat/sweetness balance, builds.
FINISH: Taliskery pepper, balanced, cigar smoke, bitterness, oatmeal, liquorice, hessian, dry, medium length, grainey, fumey, med/long.
Glenfarclas 17 yo 43% Score 7.75 Came Seventh
NOSE: Sweeter and older than the Adelphi, rich sherry, varnish, honeysuckle, granny smith, dry leather/wood, dirty, caramel, dried fruit, pencil shavings, bananas, raisins, smooth toffee malt, coffee, musty butter, HPish.
PALATE: Easy alc, a match head, almonds, dry, sparkle, oily, acidity, granny smith, better than nose, breakfast malt.
FINISH: Smoke, spice, sweetness remains, dutch liquorice, heat, nutty, wood, cream, albumen, medium.
RWS/DMM