The Business and Resolutions:
- AE, RMel & TH took anonymised bottles from the stock of untasted distilleries.
The Real Business: with both bottles wrapped in sacculum or esikhwameni
The Tasting #1
| The Whisky | Longrow, Springbank |
| Supplied | Host |
| Region | Cambeltown |
| Age & Distillation | NAS |
| Special Notes | Heavily peated malt, 48 hours in the smoke to dry. Ex bourbon and sherry casks. |
| Strength | 46% abv. |
| Price | When purchased 2021, R900 Whisky Bros., now R1590, same source |
The opening toast to Uisge Beatha, the “Water of Life”.
DETAILS
THE COLOUR ………………………Light candle-infused bronze
THE NOSE ……………………………smoke, peat, some lemon.
THE TASTE ………………………….Full mouthfeel, rich with a pepper front edge; citrus peel, light nutmeg and spices indistinct.
THE FINISH ………………………..long on the pepper, sweetens.
With some water………………………raises the pepper with spice, adds sweetness with a pear infused underlay. “A miraculous loss and return of the nose”
THE SCORE ……………………….……The Gents: 82.4, with a range 72-88.
The Tasting #2
| The Whisky | Blair Athol |
| Supplied | Stock, new distillery |
| Region | Highland |
| Age & Distillation | 12 YO |
| Special Notes | 700ml; old school age statement presentation. |
| Strength | 43% abv. |
| Price | Source TH, Model Bottle Store, Meyerton 2023, R1,000. |
The toast to “The Clark and the Jackson”.
DETAILS
THE COLOUR ………………………….Red bronze.
THE NOSE ………………………………Raisins, sultanas, plums, molasses and burnt treacle toffee.
THE TASTE …………………………….A sweet and sour start, with salty liquorice; previously disadvantaged BBBalls; foustiness with green apple skin.
THE FINISH ………………………….Long, held in palate by salt plums
With some water………………………deadens the dram while raising the pepper and providing an almost vinegar ending.
THE SCORE ……….The Gents: 69.4, with a range 65-74.
Gents’ comments: the written reviews do not match the dram we drank; a most unusual malt as seen by the nose and palate notes, could it have been ‘off’?
The Evening: the meeting closed at 21:10 with the Close and thanks for warm evening under trying circumstances.
| Scoring | |
| Nothing short of diabolical | 0 – 50 |
| Nasty, well worth avoiding | 51 – 64 |
| Very unimpressive indeed | 65 – 69 |
| Usually drinkable, but don’t expect the earth to move | 70 – 74 |
| Average, usually pleasant, sometimes flawed | 75 – 79 |
| Good, worth trying | 80 – 84 |
| Very good to excellent | 85 – 89 |
| Brilliant | 90 – 94 |
| Superstar, gives a reason to live | 95 – 97 |
| Nirvana | 98 – 100 |