Day 19 - SAMAROLI!!! 20 year old for me and Marko!

Ugh... Monday. I can do this, I think to myself as the 6:15am alarm goes off. The reality is, I'm so tired today. But, I know my little advent calendar is calling to me so I muster getting my slippers on and make my way down the cold dark hallway. Flipped on the light (Good Lord that's bright) and squinted my way over the table. I poke my finger through #19 and the reveal is yet another Samaroli, holy wow... I'm really feeling quite lucky now. I skip up the stairs and proudly display to Graham my spoils! "Oh nice!" he says as he admires the bottle. "Did you see what this is, it's two casks: One from Miltonduff and the other from Tormore blended together". Now, I had something to look forward to for the rest of the day!

It was a hellish day at the office, people are trying to get too much done before the holidays and many were "cranky", including me by 5:00pm. Once home though, in the comfort of my own home, the pants come off and I relax (I put PJ's on!!!). I sat in my arm chair and poured myself day 19. As I nosed the lovely elixir, I browsed social media and started a conversation with my friend Marko. I sent him a photo of what whisky I was enjoying and he did the same. Just so happens, it was the same one! I asked if he wanted to help me write about this whisky today and he said YES!  So away we went, sharing day 19 together, nosing/tasting, making notes even though we live almost 2 hours apart. 

Samaroli 1995 Samaroli Spey 20 year old, 45.0% ABV. Cask #2845 Miltonduff & #20267 Tormore

Marko was sitting in his home office listening to some of his favourite music. I was already on the nose at that point so that's where we started comparing notes.

Colour: A lovely Chablis, again another light coloured whisky

Nose, Marko: Floral to which his wife helped him discover which one: Lavender. Bang! It's Lavendar with a little citrus but not a really pungent citrus, a little bitterness and a hint of vanilla.  Lassie: I had a lavendar scented vanilla creme brulee once that reminds me of this...

Palate, Marko: Sweet, creamy, vanilla cake or maybe vanilla cream or maybe a combination of both! Delicious, delicious... A lovely Speyside, yes. Lassie: I'm getting a bit of key lime pie with fresh whipped cream, it's sweet but tart, it's got a zesty and zingy feel to it but it's also creamy. (This is a complex dram indeed!)

Finish, Marko: There is the citrus/lime again with a little bitterness again. Wow. Simply wow. Lassie: A bit of a sweet minty aftertaste, it's delicate but lovely indeed.

Overall Marko thought this was a very well balanced dram, it wasn't too dry and didn't seem to have too much influence from the oak. He really loved it and would buy a bottle if he could find it.

Overall I felt this was a very enjoyable dram and the Samaroli's are bang on in this calendar. Every single one has been impressive.It's interesting to see how they chose two different types of barrels and blended them to create something quite unique. I can't help but wonder if this is common for some independent bottlers?

It was not only a great whisky but a fantastic way to share a dram with a good friend. It made my day so thank you Marko!  

You can always go and check what Jonathan thought today by clicking here: www.singlemalting.com

With 6 days left, what will come up next! 

Thanks for sticking around so far. See you all tomorrow

Lassie