Aside from having Black Friday on 25.11.2016 one more event took place in Kiev - five malt maniacs gathered together to taste quite rare and unique Speyside malts.
Gems of Speyside tasting: the concept is quite simple, we'll start with 2 old Glen Grants from Gordon & McPhail which should be light and elegant at 40% strength and then we'll compare 2 different Macallans: 18 yo Sherry Oak distilled in 1966 and 20 yo cask strength Macallan Scott's Selection matured in most likely bourbon cask.
Gems of Speyside tasting: the concept is quite simple, we'll start with 2 old Glen Grants from Gordon & McPhail which should be light and elegant at 40% strength and then we'll compare 2 different Macallans: 18 yo Sherry Oak distilled in 1966 and 20 yo cask strength Macallan Scott's Selection matured in most likely bourbon cask.
Glen Grant GM 1952/2012 40% - 60 yo (!) Glent Grant grabbed as a sample on Whisky Dram 2016. I guess it's first time I'm tasting smth of this age :) thanks to Steven Cameron and G&M!
Nose: fresh and ethereal at first nosing. Nutty notes. Creaminess. Really develops and develops over time. Grassy and floral notes appear after a while. Even some hints of porcini :) It still sings after an hour in empty glass! The first whisky I'm willing to put 24+ for nose. Really stunning, it's a pity we had only 50 cl for 5 persons.
Taste: light and quick. Though damn tasty.
Finish: delelops on mint, menthol and wood. Stays with you for a really long time.
Overall: the longer you sit with it the better it becomes. I don't know how they achieve such fressness after 60 years spent in oak...
Score: 24.5 22.5 23 23, 93/100! That means it's better than some 92 points whisky I've tasted though still HP 25 yo 48.1% or Port Ellen 6-th release are better for me. Actually depends on mood and on malt style you prefer, can be considered as 92 - 94 points whisky.
Valerii score: 24.5 22 23 23, 92.5/100!
Sergii score: 93/100!
Timur score: 24 23 23 23, 93/100!
Averagre score = 92.875/100!
Glen Grant GM 1967/2008 40% - oldie Glen Grant from Gordon & McPhail. At 40% strength it should be easy to start with and warm up the receptors.
Nose: much sweeter, should be more sherry casks in a batch. Elegant honey and fruits. Hay and grass after some time.
Taste: silky smooth and drinkable. But I'd prefer at least 43%.
Finish: some wood bitterness and astringency, sweet and warm.
Overall: it's very good in every component though 60 yo was a cut above...
Score: 22 21 23 22, 88/100!
Valerii score: 23 22 23 22, 90/100!
Sergii score: 89/100!
Timur score: 22 23 22 23, 90/100!
Average score = 89.25/100!
Macallan 18 yo 1966 bottled for Giovinetti import 43% - sherried 18 yo Macallan bottled the next year after I was born :) The level is bad in a bottle, though 50% off auction price made this too tempting. Actually I have tried only two tasty Macallans, so hopefully it would be the third one.
Nose: much sweeter, should be more sherry casks in a batch. Elegant honey and fruits. Hay and grass after some time.
Taste: silky smooth and drinkable. But I'd prefer at least 43%.
Finish: some wood bitterness and astringency, sweet and warm.
Overall: it's very good in every component though 60 yo was a cut above...
Score: 22 21 23 22, 88/100!
Valerii score: 23 22 23 22, 90/100!
Sergii score: 89/100!
Timur score: 22 23 22 23, 90/100!
Average score = 89.25/100!
Macallan 18 yo 1966 bottled for Giovinetti import 43% - sherried 18 yo Macallan bottled the next year after I was born :) The level is bad in a bottle, though 50% off auction price made this too tempting. Actually I have tried only two tasty Macallans, so hopefully it would be the third one.
Nose: rich, rich sherry, rasins, coffee, chocolate, dried fruits, some cherry wood smoke after 15 min.
Taste: lots of coffee, though cask strength would have been much better.
Finish: coffee, fruits, hints of wood smoke.
Overall: reminds me of Macallan 1971 Speymalt - similar coffee and chocolate notes.
Score: 23 21 23 23, 90/100!
Valerii score: 22 22 21.5 22, 87.5/100!
Sergii score: 90/100!
Timur score: 24 22 22 22, 90/100!
Average score = 89.38/100!
Score: 23 21 23 23, 90/100!
Valerii score: 22 22 21.5 22, 87.5/100!
Sergii score: 90/100!
Timur score: 24 22 22 22, 90/100!
Average score = 89.38/100!
Macallan 20 yo 1985/2005 Scott Selection 54.4% - quite rare Macallan matured in bourbon cask. Let's taste their spirit naked...
Nose: quite reserved, needs some time. Apple freshness. Calvados. Varnish notes. 1-2 tea spoons really help. After 15 - 20 min it becomes more floral and fruity. Give it time and some water...
Taste: powerful and sharp on melon, apples and exotics fruits. Oily and fruity old style Macallan cleric as is. Some beautiful barley appears (is that Golden Promise?..).
Finish: long and fruity on pineapple and apples. Rural style Macallan-Calvados.
Overall: I'm not sure I would have ever guess it's Macallan. Though after some speculations I presume it could be typical Macallan spirit from 80-s - very fruity and oily. Joker of the evening, I haven't expected anything special from this one, but it was excellent!
Score: 21 23 23 22, 89/100!
Valerii score: 22 23 23 22, 90/100!
Sergii score: 89/100!
Timur score: 22 22 22 23, 89/100!
Average score = 89.25/100!
Of course there was some more for the finish - Highland Park Eark Haakon 18 yo 54.9% - which was also a teaser for the next tasting dedicated to Highland Park. Detailed review can be found here, I will just give scores:
Max: 23 23 23 23, 92/100!
Valerii: 91/100!
Sergii: 91/100!
Timur score: 23.5 22 22 22, 89.5/100!
Average score = 90.875/100!
Conclusions: nice tasting it was. Stunning nose in 60 yo Glen Grant, polished 41 yo Glen Grant, delicious wood smoke in Macallan 18 yo 1966, rural calvados aka Macallan 1985 Scott's Selection and brutal Orkney viking aka Haakon. Slainte!
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| Christie?.. I need this 60 yo Glen Grant! |
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| first we take Macallan, then we take Glen Grant |
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| Ralfy style teaspooning |
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| They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, no, no, no |
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