2011-10 Octogalore

Octogalore Tuesday 25th and with Michael Fraser Milne on Monday 31st October 2011. That was a fantastic treat, as if importing all these goodies wasn't enough!

Apparently "Too much whisky is barely enough".

Nearly half of the attendies, over both nights, had tickets awaiting Dramfest'12, more tickets available in a week.

4 newcomers, extra welcome to you, and 2 people guessed all 7/7, slainthe :)

The scores and notes as follows:

Bunnahabhain 31 yo 1979 bottled 2011 by Adelphi at 46.5% 516 bottles from cask 8893. Came First Score 8.90
NOSE: Treacle, old suitcase, fusty, Xmas cake, currants, nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel, toffee, rum, sulphur, sawdust, burnt sugar, gunpowder rum, dark chocolate, vanilla, leather book, oak, rich and heavy, manuka honey, MacIntosh, liquour, muscatelle, vegemite, orange, not like a whisky.
PALATE: Ahhhh, delicious, oaky, cognac-like (but better), gritty, coffee, bitter varnish, cherry cordial, chocolate.
FINISH: Sweet, a hint of smoke, maple, chartruesse, burnt caramel, cough mixture, bitter wood, tannic, maple, soft, heated peppers, dark jaffa, bitter toothpaste, longish length.

Caol Ila 27yo 1982 bottled 2009 by Adelphi at 57.6% 227 bottles from cask 688. Came Second Score 8.70
NOSE: Leather polish, coast, peat, matured bananas, musty, Islay salt-n-vinegar, coke, white choc, ascetone, thick, apple shampoo, vanilla, leather, tobacco, floral, swimming pool, sweet, oily, butter soap, alc
PALATE: Butter, weight, smoke, cask strength, always huge, choc.
FINISH:Salty pepper, orange, smoked paprika, tannic, bitter metalic, lemonade, dries out, mediumish

Bunnahabhain 19yo feb 1990 bottled april 2009 by Old Malt Cask at 50% 278 bottles from refill hogshead 5121. Came Third Score 8.61
NOSE:Brown sugar, maple and fig, cherry bitters, green apples, fusty, beer, butterscotch, hint of ash, warm, restrained, stewed fruit, marker pen, Bunnahabhain, dunkin donuts, malt, dark choc
PALATE: Sherry, sawdust, cognac, dry oak, restrained, glycol, brown sugar, needs to be cask strength ;)
FINISH: I could drink that, bitter choc, spice, orange, toasted almonds, short bread, dries, whiff of smoke, med/long

Bowmore "Smoke On The Sea Shore" 1996 bottled 2011 by Wymess at 46% 328 bottles from hogshead. Came Fourth Score 8.23
NOSE: Islay, Caol Ila at a guess, or Ardbeg, peat, smoked bacon, oily, steam train, machine oil, salt, fish, iodine, Rex Attitude, apples, wet dog, young, oily, balanced, hot skin.
PALATE: Iodine, easy alc, big smoke, easy alc, kippers, sweet, cheese, sappy, chives, oily
FINISH:Smoke, sweet, vegetal, cigar, bitter, burnt toast, quinine, hairs, tweed, med/long

Glen Elgin 24yo Old may 1985 bottled may 2009 by Old Malt Cask at 44.9% 250 bottles from refill hogshead 5124. Came Fifth Score 7.70
NOSE: Fruit, sweet, canned pears, calvados, dried pineapple, boiled lollies, gerkhin, dry putty, dusty rocks, vanilla oak, brandy, vegetal, husky, sweet/dry balance, leather, fresh, oaky, hint of vegemite yeast, savoury bus ticket.
PALATE: Whisky, light, pepper, bittersweet chocolate, capsicum, olive oil, THC, old cocoa, low alc, liquorice, pear drops.
FINISH: Short nose, pilnser, ash spice, not a whole lot, bubblegum, bananas on toast, shoe polish, peat, bitter, wet cardboard, salt, dries, cerial, medium/long, european.

Tullibardine 1988 20yo bottled 2008 46% Came Sixth Score 7.44
NOSE:Sweet/dry balance, baking fruit buns, distant bananas, pizza dough, vegetable, floral soap, tea, kauri, raisins, eraser, medium alc, raisins, oily linseed, weetbix, pine sawdust, grass, medium age, fruit, complex, coffee, seasame seed, old dominos, coffee, chocolate.
PALATE: Sweet, sherbert fizz, 46%, yeast, sweet peat, oly, sugar, dough, like nose but better, 24 year old varnish, wierd, outstays it's welcome, soft and smooth.
FINISH: Salt and bitter pepper, coffee, easy, vanilla, smoke, sweet, burnt sausage roll, chemical, dark choc, metals, medium length

Mortlach "Vanilla Oak" 1996 bottled 2011 by Wemyss 733 bottles from butt. Came Seventh Score 7.22
NOSE: White wine, juicyfruit, lemongrass, palmolive, ash, dry walnuts, salt, tobacco, shoe polish, grapefruit, muslie, ironing, skye?, dry/sweet, tequila, goosberries, tannins, eskimo lollies.
PALATE: talisker, hand soap, sweet, fruity, apple, salt, weak chardonnay, cereal grain, too much water,
FINISH: Grapefruit, chocolate, salt, smoke, bitter liquorice, spice, air freshener, pot pouri, peat smoke, oily, short/long :)

RWS/DMM

The Products...

Glen Elgin 12 Yo 43% 750Ml
...
$112.75 700 MLS

Wemyss Vanilla Oak (Mortlach) 1996 46%
Reviewed at our Octogalore tasting novemebr 2011: Mortlach "Vanilla Oak" 1996 bottl...
$121.80 700 MLS

Wemyss Smoke (Bowmore) 1996 46%
Reviewed at our Octogalore tasting novemebr 2011: Bowmore "Smoke On The Sea Shore" ...
$142.20 700 MLS

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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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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Introduction to Malt Whisky
Monday 21st May, 6.00pm start, Cost $45.00 pp Limit 27 places per night. Upstairs Tasting Room, Regional Wines. Bookings with Ian ph 385 6952

Glendronach - Monarch of the Glen
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