and lo she returns, but with Scotch, not wine....

[lagilman]

Last night, I dragged myself away from the manuscript (kicking and screaming, really) to [eat really amazing red meat and] attend the Master Series Scotch Tasting for Highland Park, hosted by F. Paul Pacult.

(pause to be amused that I now know two F. Pauls)


To say that this was an Experience is understating it. As it was recently Robert Burns' birthday, we started with a traditional piping in of the haggis, and the traditional ode read to it (this is something to behold at least once in your life, even if you claim not to like bagpipes or haggis or poetry). Then on to the tastings.

There were eight malts listed, all from Highland Park, but nine glasses set at each place. Hrmmm...what's this? A whiff (like wine, scotch is 80% about the nose) made some folk say tequila, some think of PGA, and some (okay, me) consider overripe oranges.

#9: pure spirit, distilled 23 January. 70% proof. What the good stuff tastes like before it gets mellowed by barrel aging. Discussion of how the distillery masters know when it's ready, and I joke to quarkwiz that this -- Malter's Bane -- will be the sequel to Vineart War I-III.... and then I realize that I have, actually, already set it up in book 1. Heeeee. But in terms of tasting and understanding, this is a really good place to begin.

and then on to the featured performers!

(note: for those new to this, the year listed is the youngest a whiskey in the bottle can be -- some may be older. 'single malt' means it is all from one distillery/region, not that it's all from one barrel. 'Single cask' is something else entirely. 'Blended" means it may be from many different regions, losing the specific geographic identity.)

#1: Highland Park 12-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- a touch of brine, smooth. A little too faint and sharp-toned for me.
43% $40 SRP

#2: Highland Park 15-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- thicker in the mouth, smoother. Very nice.
43% $70 SRP

#3: Highland Park 18-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- much softer, and I detected a definite note of honey, but the smoothness is matched with a strong peaty flavor (not the brine-and-smoke of an Islay, but noticeable)
43% $99 SRP

#4: Highland Park 25-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- much more bite to it -- bourbon casking coming through on the flavor. I like. A lot. And then I hear the price.
48.1% $250 SRP

#5: Duncan Taylor 21-year-old HP Orkney's Single Malt Whiskey.
- an outside distributor's bottling. My only comment on this was 'meh.' It really does make a difference, even if the original distillation was the same.
53.3% $175 SRP

#6: Scott's Selection 1986 HP Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- I liked this one better, but still felt that the alcohol was too much present over the flavor.
54.1%, $125 SRP

#7: Highland Park 30-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
-- "foooking gorgeous" is my sole note. A balance of power and smoothness and smoke and sweet. If anyone ever wanted to buy me a bottle of this I would make them a very nice dinner to have before we cracked it open. Yes.
48.1% $350 SRP

#8: Highland Park 40-year-old Orkneys Single Malt Whiskey.
- Holy. Shit. I saw a few eyes roll back into heads, and happy smiles on the faces of people who had been anticipating this one. The nuances were probably lost on me [I'm much better at wine than malts], but unless you'd numbed your tastebuds entirely, you know when something perfectly crafted and aged hits them.
48.3% $2000 SRP

The thing to keep in mind when choking on the prices is that -- unlike wine -- a bottle of Scotch can be opened and enjoyed for an extended period of time -- I've had bottles last a year or more after being opened, without significant loss of taste. So it's not quite as chokingly awful as it seems at first. Just painful. Except that last one. That's just awful.


They're holding a Master Series for American Ryes in April. I'm really quite tempted to go.

Comments

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

You should go. It's research for the Malter's Bane.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

OK, tell me I'm not imagining the post to Quarkwiz "hic!" that I saw this morning (my time). *scratching my head*

[lagilman]

*snicker*

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear lord, I am so envious.

(Highland Park is one of my faves. I once got a taste of the 25 year old...Mmmmmmm)

[antonstrout.livejournal.com]

Scotch it one of those things I wish I understood better. I've accustomed my palate to many a thing, but I have never had.. I dunno, a good teacher..? as far scotch goes. Clearly I don't drink enough at conventions... and sadly, the next one will be NY Comic Con where the only intoxicating thing is the year old hot dog I'll buy for twelve dollars that causes me to hallucinate.. sigh.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

(pause to be amused that I now know two F. Pauls)

*laughs*


They're holding a Master Series for American Ryes in April. I'm really quite tempted to go.

Oh really, says the guy whose 40th birthday is in April???????????

[lagilman]

I'll pass along the details when I have a bit-o-brain returned to me.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

...shouldn't have clicked. Definitely not brave enough.

[lagilman]

*nodsnodsnods* I almost died. I mean, I have expensive tastes, yeah, and there have been a few wines I've spent $$$$ on, but that's OMGWTF-crazy money, even for a limited release.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

desperance sent me, because he knew I would be envious; and I am...

Highland Park has clearly come a long way. First time I visited the distillery, they weren't even bottling their own miniatures to give us, and we were sent away with little bottles of the Famous Grouse and the assurance 'there's a lot of Highland Park in that'. Now they have a fancy visitor centre, and, well, events like this one. And I wish I could have been there.

(My actually favourite scotch is Scapa, but that's another story...)

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

Funny, I spent yesterday evening at a wine tasting at the ICE, which was a friend's boyfriend's 40th birthday party. Me, the person who is allergic to wine. Still, it was a lot of fun and *very* educational (as I knew less than nothing about wine going in). And as it was socially acceptable to spit, that's what I did ... though I still have a headache today, dammit. :P

[wojsvenwoj.livejournal.com]

somewhat unsurprisingly, i preferred the aged wines from that tasting. bring on the 40yo!

[ramblin-phyl.livejournal.com]

I prefer the Islays. But for a really interesting experience try Sheep Dip.

English Farmers used to list it as essential farming equipment.

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

Do they still market Sheep Dip? I haven't seen it in the UK in years - which is a shame, as I rather liked it.
(I think my favourite malt may just be Caol Ila, but I need to try a few dozen others to make sure...)

[autojim.livejournal.com]

I saw Sheep Dip at a Specs Wine & Liquor store in NW Houston a month or so ago.

[autojim.livejournal.com]

::turns bright green with envy::

Wonder if they do that in Texas. Of course, I looked at getting a fresh bottle of Lagavulin 16-y-o Islay and the local store had it at $89 and I choked a little at that...