2011-11 Best Of The Best

The best whiskies of 2011, bagpipes, haggis, Robbie Burns address and 90 connoisseurs... better than Christmas.

Four new-comers joined us (welcome) and twenty eight of us are heading to Dramfest'12.

More than a third of us got 5 out of 7 guesses right, but none got the bull's eye. We did however discover yet again the beauty of youthful Adelphi Bunnahabhains.

The reviews and rankings:

Bunnahabhain 13yo Adelphi 1997-2011 57.2% cask 5372 Score 9.17 (the 11yo bottling scored 9.10 in March) Came First
NOSE: Fireworks, sulphur note, tobacco, rot, coffee, leather, salt, Islay smoke??, hot cross buns.
PALATE: A lot! Ash tray, big comfy chair with a cigar.
FINISH: Salt twist, bitter oak, oily, long, smooth as silk.

Caol Ila 27yo Adelphi 1982-2009 57.6% 227 bottles from cask 688 Score 9.09 (8.70 in Oct) Came Second
NOSE: Sweet, alc, brie, wet grass, apple cider, chilli chocolate, violets, vanilla, calvados
PALATE: Apple, alc, fruit salad, dancing tongue, passionfruit.
FINISH: Balance, linseed, happy, long, sweet smoke.

Springbank 54.6% 12yo 60% sherry hogs 40% refill butts Score 8.99 (8.54 in Feb) Came Third
NOSE: Citrous, paint, creamy, glue, alc, fruity yogurt, sweet, coconut ice, anzac biscuits, perky nana, oats, woods cabin, apple.
PALATE: Sweet, sour edge, pepper and spice, yeasty biscuits, astringent, ashtray, plums.
FINISH: Cereal, smoke, chocolate, reisling cheesecake, longer, sulphur tail.

Benromach 1981 (Oct/Nov) bottled Oct 2007 from refill sherry casks 1084, 1087, 1244-1246 at 58.1% Score 8.91 (score 9.20 in June) Came Fourth
NOSE: Dry, implied smoke? alc, youthful, vanilla custard, apple shampoo, creaming soda, oak.
PALATE: Sweet, creaming soda, wood, warm, bourbon fizz.
FINISH: Salt, quite long, but low, citrus twist

Laphroaig Quarter Cask Finish 48% Score 8.66 (9.08 in July) Came Fifth
NOSE: At the doctor's, bourbon wood, smoke, peat, salt, rubber and cheese, burger rings, smoked fish, must, wet carpet.
PALATE: Frogs, like the nose, sexy-ugly, Laphroaig.
FINISH:Smooth, oily, med/long.

Highland Park 1995 bottled 2000 by Adelphi 55.4% Score 8.53 (9.02 in Aug) Came Sixth
NOSE: Grass, sappy, pepper, sweet, white bread, drinkable, cheese, white wine, sand flies, heather, white chocolate, alc, overcooked brocolli (but at this point the cooked neaps were in the kitchen)
PALATE: Lovely, cointreau, sweet oak.
FINISH: Tang, bitter/sweet, cyanide, hot, erasers, med/long but simple.

Bowmore Darkest 15yo 43% Score 8.20 (8.80 in April) Came Seventh
NOSE:Sulphur hint, dryer/sweeter, Bowmore, carrot cake, easy alc, musty, salt, raisins, damp tea towel, apple, acetone, prunes, iodine, gerbel cage.
PALTE: Easy alc, chocolate coated wood/leather, oily, sweet, sherry wood.
FINISH: Metals, short, salt/sweet.

Thanks to Alastair, Moira, Maeve, Duncan, Richard, Ian, Kevin and over a hundred whisky lovers for the heady year of beautiful whiskies.

Slainthe,

DMM/RWS

The Products...

Bowmore Darkest 15 Yo 43% 700Ml
Reviewed and rated at our Bowmore tasting nights April 2011 Bowmore Darkest 15 yo 43% C...
$141.95 700 MLS

Benromach 1981 Cask 58.1% 700Ml
Reviewed and rated at our grand finale whisky tasting Best of the Best 2011. Benrom...
$235.15 700 MLS

Laphroaig Quartercask 700Ml 48%
Rated at our "All of Islay" tastings July 2011 with 80 people giving it an average score o...
$141.25 700 MLS

Springbank 12Yo 58.5% 700Ml
Reviewed and rated at our grand finale whisky tasting Best of the Best 2011. ...
$120.80 700 MLS

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Staff Recommendations

KIERAN

And the good weather starts! I had a fantastic roast shoulder of lamb on the weekend.

DANIEL

Give me big flavour at cask strength if possible please.

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16-May-2012 - RT @Wellington_JAG: One of the most amazing wine experiences of my life with @regionalwines & Christopher Canan tasting @DOMAINEGUIG ...

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12-May-2012 - Free Mt Difficulty wine tasting starting in 10 mins. Plus we have 20 fill your own taps as of yesterday...great... Click Here

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