Dram #11 for 2013 - The importance of blind tasting, thanks Jarred!

My lucky number!

In December of 2012 I shared a very special dram with a new twitter friend of mine: Jarred Lindale (@thecyclingyogi) from Toronto Canada. It was a multi-vintage Karuizawa Japanese Whisky (casks from 1981-1984). I think he enjoyed it as much as I did. My bottle is now empty :) 

So, it came as a total surprise when in February a "thank you package" mysteriously arrived. I opened it  and found nothing more but an unmarked little bottle that said: Drink me. Now some people might say: "Are you nuts? Throw that out!" I opened it and realized it was whisky. Totally perplexed I eventually tracked down that it was Jarred who was sending me a thank you dram, but it was to remain a mystery dram with me reporting back to him once I nosed/tasted.  

Courtesy of Gety Images

Blind tastings make some people really nervous. I for one tend to see it as a very positive experience because it forces me to have a completely open mind, there's no fancy bottle sitting in front of me and I focus on the nosing/tasting aspect. I also tend to be more in tune with my senses that way. 

Yes, it is HOT PINK!

On a cold February night, I fetched the little 50ml bottle and poured about half in a Glencairn. I grabbed my note book, my favorite pen and plunked myself down on the sofa. I let it breathe a bit while I went to grab some water and a blanket. I could smell the sample before I even picked it up. Intrigued, I pulled it closer to my nose. Wow... it was so inviting and I could smell that it was a lovely warming dram.

Here are that evening's notes:

Color: Golden yellow to amber'ish. Legs are thick, viscous and there's a small amount of beading (higher ABV?)

Nose: This is bourbon! Lots of sweet vanilla and caramel. My first thought was a spiced rum sort of smell? Very full bodied dram, buttery.

Palate: Very rich, sweet and beautiful mouthfeel. So creamy, like a vanilla pound cake. A bit of spice on the swallow... 

Finish: Sweet, still very mouthwatering, no hints of drying effect at all. Fairly long finish as well, stayed with me for quite some time.

I wrote down - I'd guess this is at 46% ABV, but I'm not that great at bourbons so I have no idea what it is.  

I contacted Jarred on twitter a little while later and after playing 20 questions I was dumbfounded to find out the dram was Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, 45% ABV.
I wrote:  WHOA!? when he told me because I had tried and reviewed the 10 year old in 2012. I did NOT like it and was actually sorry I had paid $50 for it. Now chances are had I been at a party and Jarred or anyone else offered me the Eagle Rare 17, I would have probably said: No thanks AND I know for a fact I would have never considered buying it for my collection. I stared in disbelief? Could two whiskies really be so different? I went downstairs and poured myself a bit of 10 to compare. 

The resounding answer: yes they can! I still don't like the 10 year old at all. It is still horrid, hot and bitter to me. I doubt I'd even be able to identify it's a bourbon in a blind taste test? So, I learned a really big lesson that night. One that will probably stay with me for life: Don't automatically assume that because you don't like a whisky, you won't like any of the other bottlings available. As a result of that lesson I have discovered many new whiskies I really enjoy.  

Unfortunately I have yet to buy a bottle of Eagle Rare 17, it's no longer available in Canada.  So it's on the list of whiskies that impressed me in 2013 and also a reminder that sometimes the good ones get away...

A huge thank you to Jarred for the fine lesson in the importance in blind samples.  :)


Join me tomorrow for dram #10... 


Lassie

Going in blind, torture for some... fun for others!

List of Lassie projects...

SHE SAID:  I knew 2013 was going to be a busy year for me from a whisky perspective.  I may have piled a little too much on that plate.  But... thankfully I am organized and one by one my whisky projects are being crossed off.  However in true Johanne style ideas continually pop into my head usually fueled by someone/something.  I love to run with scissors, errr I mean concepts... In December of 2012 I decided to be quite generous and gave away little prizes on Twitter.  One of my favorites was a sample of my Balcones.  A fairly new follower to me won it: @thecyclingyogi (Jarred) out of Toronto Canada.  I can't remember when he got to try it but seems to me he really enjoyed it and not long after in the new year I received a surprise package from Jarred. 

Ella, helping...

Funny how such a simple and unexpected act can make someone's day.  It was a 50ml bottle of "something".  No label, no letter, no hints.   I'm always up for a challenge and I think blind nosing can be fun if you simply roll with your thoughts and don't get too caught up in the pressure of guessing it "right".  I soon found myself sample bottle in hand, a Glencairn and my trusty neon pink note book and wrote my thoughts as they came.  A little later on, a great session of "20 questions" took place as a result of the sample.  The reveal blew me away and made me a convert to a whisky I would have probably "wrote off" due to a previous bad experience with a younger version.  As a thank you, I returned the favor and sent a surprise blind sample back.  Same game ensued:  Is it a Scotch?  Is it an Islay?  I think ABV is, etc...  until a correct guess or reveal.  And so it continued.  We've been sending each other blind samples ever since.  Unfortunately, I fell a bit behind lately and wasn't able to properly nose/sample anything for a few weeks so it was lovely to be able to start doing that again two Fridays ago.  I almost had to pace myself after being whisky free for the better part of 21 long days.  

from Jarred:  Drink me, I'm awesome!

So I did three blind samples over the course of this past week.  Two from Jarred and another sent by another member of the Whisky Fabric - Simon Seaton.  He and I bantered a bit over football teams back in January during the playoffs.  I'm a staunch fan of the New Englands PATS and he's a pretty big fan of the Texans.  Me and my big mouth bet that my PATS would trounce his team (which they did) and as a result of his very good nature I received a gorgeous sample of Hibiki 30 and two blinds.  (I love how generous whisky imbibers around the world are...)  Check out his blog here:
(http://www.somanywhiskies.com/).    

So here are four "blind" whiskies.  What I thought.... and the reveals.  Three out of four, ain't bad at all :)

Jarred, sample #1:

Color: Deep amber, almost orange.  Legs are viscous, thick and spaced out, also lots of beading (higher ABV perhaps?)

Nose: Banana bread right out of the oven, lots of sweet caramel and vanilla.  A Caribbean spiced rum comes to mind.  A bit of tobacco leaves maybe?  Very nice!

Palate: Creamy and so mouth watering!  Mouth feel is surprising.  More vanilla, rich pound cake, very buttery.  A bit of water brings out toffee apples.  

Finish: Sweet, long, smooth but goes to drying in nature.  Awesome from start to finish.

My guess was that it was a bourbon and I estimated about 46% ABV.  I didn't write down the questions I had asked Jarred to try and narrow it down, but I recall him giving me the exact ABV and a "bird" hint.  I was floored when I eventually guessed Eagle Rare.  I had tried/reviewed the 10 and was severely disappointed.  Talk about redeeming itself with this one.  I'd buy it in a heart beat.  It was one of the best bourbons I've had thus far.  Smooth, complex and tasty from start to finish.  DELISH!   

Reveal:  Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, 45% ABV.  Official notes: Nose - Dark candied fruit, cinnamon, cigar boxes.  Palate:  Delicate and drying.  Hints of leather, vanilla and tobacco. Finish: Lingering with hints of toffee.

Simon, mystery sample B

Color: Dark mahogany! Legs are very viscous and fat.  Sticks to glass like crazy.

Nose: Dark chocolate covered cherries, nutty, old leather, spicy like ginger snap cookies.

Palate: Drying in nature.  Spicy cake (like gingerbread), very full bodied and meaty.  A lot of dried fruits like figs, prunes, dates.  Nice mouth feel.

Finish: Medium, lingers for a few minutes.  A bit spicy and a touch of flint.  

My guess was that it was an older whisky but I didn't think the ABV was that high, maybe 46% or so.  Simon thought the whisky might be "off".  Although I tasted a bit of flint in the finish I found it to be quite pleasant and balancing in nature.

Reveal:  Karuizawa 1984 (28 yr old), 61.6% ABV, Sherry Butt 3692

Notes:  Nose - Raisins, wood, sherry, leather,  slight matchstick and earthy. Palate - Very oily, sherry notes, creamy and round.  Finish - Oak, smooth, red fruits, long and warm.

All I can say is thank you to Simon for sharing this dram with me.  I sent the other half of the sample to a friend for him to enjoy as well.  It retails for about $650.00  so hope you enjoy it as much as I did Jean François.

Jarred, Sample #2

Color:  Light amber (like a beer).  Legs plentiful, viscous and thin.

Nose:  Phenolic, not overly smoky more peaty in nature (earthy/salty). Solvent, acetone.  Heavy citrus, salt.  Slight floral and cooked cereal in the background.  A bit of petroleum type smell as it's left in the glass.

Palate: Bitter grapefruit pith, really find this one to be industrial in nature.  Mouth waters then dries immediately (ever have a mouthful of snow!?)

Finish:  Bitter, hot.  Drying, big mouthful of sand!  Smoke on the exhale, but not overwhelming.  Dryness stayed for a long time.  

Something unbalanced about the dram Nose - Palate - Finish.  It seemed to progressively get harsher?!   I guessed an ABV of about 46%.  

Reveal: Talisker 10, 45% ABV.   Are you shittin me?!!   My favorite distillery, but definitely not my favorite whisky.  Gob smacked again.

Official Notes: It's a smoky sweet single malt with a hint of sea salt and a warming, peppery finish.

Nice to know I'm consistent.  I have this whisky in my collection but don't drink it often, mostly offer it to friends or use it as an introduction for people curious about peat.

Jarred, Sample #3 (Drink me I'm awesome!!!)

Color: Dark rich yellow, golden hues.  Nice legs, plentiful and skinny in nature.

Nose: Huge spice ->  Cloves!!! Creamy rum raisin ice cream.  A bit of oak in the background, toffee pudding.  Pine needles - "foresty"?

Palate:  Mouth watering, viscous and sweet.  Just a bit of burn, very full bodied with caramel, sweet soft cinnamon and hot ginger. A bit of creosote in the back, reminds me of railway ties?

Finish:  A bit drying, oaky with a spiciness like hot tamales (from my youth).  Also get a bit of smoke on the exhale.  

I guessed something from the Speyside region or a "light" highland.  No clue other than I recognized the rum raisin quality.  I've had that in a few whiskies lately.  I guessed an ABV of about 43%.

Reveal:  Mackmyra Moment Medvind, 48.6% ABV  Stunned again!??  In the aftermath, the rum raisin ice cream should have been a dead give away.  I recognize now that's my "signature" tell for Mackmyra...  geez!

Official notes:  Nose - Rich, smoke, vanilla toffee with loads of dried fruit. Palate - Concentrated with sherry, dried fruit, soft oak and the smokiness of juniper, peat and tar.  Finish - Tar, spice and tobacco.

What a great whisky!  I WANT IT!!!  So now it's a quest to get it.  See what happens when people share their whiskies??  

So, what have I learned from all this.  Blind nosing/tasting is hard but fun.  There are so many great whiskies on the market and I can't think of too many people that would be able to guess every single whisky they are imbibing.  I like the  method I use to work my way through whiskies.  I'm confident in my nose/palate as well as my likes and dislikes. So, I may not guess what I'm drinking but if I compare what my notes are to those of the official or otherwise, I'm quite content I'm doing something right!  

The one lesson I take away from this and one that I'm sharing with you is DO IT!  Go blind, let someone pick a whisky for you and then simply enjoy trying to piece the puzzle together.   

I want to thank Jarred, Simon and all the other members of the #Whiskyfabric who play this game with me.  Let the numbered samples continue to come - the Lassie is ready!!!   

On the whisky trail, walking around with a blindfold sometimes (hehe), come join me if you dare...

Lassie