Guest post - Savoring every day...

I'm not on hiatus I swear... just busy. I guess this is what happens when you transition from a blogger musing about your personal journey through whisky to being paid and published, hehehe...  Not to mention, it's whisky presenting season and I've got 'gigs' lined up right up until the end of May?! I'm not complaining or bragging - Just letting you know that I do have pieces 1/2 to 3/4 written, I simply haven't taken the time to get them finished. 

It's the goal for March & April before I leave for my annual trip to Scotland. Yes... headed to Scotland again. It's become a yearly tradition than I simply can't seem to stop but again, I'm not complaining or bragging I assure you ;)

My friend Rick likes to write. Many times out of the blue he will send me an email with a piece he's written. Some are not exactly what I think my readers would enjoy but others are simply put - Lassie approved!  This is one of those cases.

I am a sap for romantic stories (yes, be shocked...) I have watched the Notebook about 20 times, usually alone with at least one box of tissues. Deep down, I will always believe that love between two people is intimate, special and under the right circumstances forever...  So, when I read this piece that Rick wrote I was transported somewhere where Felicia & James may be...  and, as I often say -> Sometimes it's not so much about the whisky but everything else that envelopes it.  

Rick Culver: "This started out as a post about age statements, but it isn't. It became about 'old things'. I like old things. You can easily find me wandering around antique shops. If I lived in an area that had independent liquor shops I would be one of those people spending time looking for old dusties. I mean really, who doesn't love old things? They stir feelings in us and create emotions that slowly bubble their way to the surface, sometimes diving down again for further thought or contemplation before rising within us again. Ever watch someone pour a Guinness ;)

There is nostalga pulling out an old bottle of whisky, preferably with an age statement, to share with friends. I often stop to ponder what was going on in the world when it was distilled or bottled and I'll ask what people were doing that year. So back to browsing antique shops. There is one I love going to and I popped in not long ago to look at the new acquisitions from an estate sale. 

This... caught my eye:

It was a mini Glenfiddich whisky bottle. I am not sure what year but that didn't matter because it's what was inside that raised my eyebrow. I didn't make a big deal out of it nor did I take it out of the bottle at the shop. There is no use driving up the price of the prospective purchase by announcing to the owner that the bottle contained a map of Black Beard's treasure on Oak Island. I offered him two dollars for a labeless mini whisky bottle and went to run the rest of my errands. Much later, once I was home, I opened the bottle and found the following:

It seems fitting as we near Valentine Day to raise a glass of something special to toast Felicia & James and the deep feelings they seemed to share for each other. Left to the imagination, we can only guess why she decided to put this heartfelt message in a bottle. Perhaps she tucked it into a spot where she knew he would find it while she was away. We will never know. What I do know is that old bottles will never trump old relationships. 

So it really doesn't matter if you are pulling out an old bottle with an age statement or not to toast your loved one with. Whether you are celebrating many decades together or just at the very beginning of a long and lasting relationship; here's wishing you a happy Valentine and hoping that like Felicia & James, it's still as passionate as a flaming heart.

I know... How could I not use Compass Box as a great example? Flaming Heart, 15th anniversary edition. John Glaser does NAS whiskies extremely well. Those looking for the spiciness from a new French oak hybrid cask containing a blend of Clynelish, Dailuaine & Teaninich combined with the lovely sweet and smoky backdrop of Caol Ilay get, IMO, a satisfying and rewarding dram!

Perfect dram for Valentine, or toasting peope like Felicia & James."

Agreed Rick... Compass Box whiskies are often fantastic examples of how No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies can be made. Quality that stand the test of time just like a note written long ago and stuffed into a small bottle.

I also raise a dram to people who make their relationships work. It's not easy, if anything truly loving someone can be extremely difficult. My only caveat: Don't wait until a marketed day, once a year, to let them know how much you care. Tell them and celebrate surviving together as a couple... every day.

Cupid awakens Psyche - Louvre visit 2007

Cheers to all and a special thanks to Rick for sharing this wonderful discovery.

Lassie

Guest blog - Richard Culver reviews Ardbeg Perpetuum

While I refrain and somewhat 'relax' from my recent trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans I thought maybe in the meantime you might like to read another review of the Ardbeg Perpetuum. 

When I posted mine, I asked for others to send me their opinions. Which they did...

http://whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2015/06/review-ardbeg-global-retail-perpetuum.html

I received a lovely email from a friend of mine who has done guests blog posts before: Richard Culver from Hamilton Ontario. Here is his story (cue the dramatic music from Law & Order)

Begin post: I think Ardbeg got it wrong or maybe it was the people at Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy but either way you and I are going to suffer.

Like many other Ardbeg committee members I received an email a couple of months ago telling me:

Dear Committee Member We've come a long way in the last 200 years. So this Ardbeg Day, as well as looking back into the past, we donned our jet packs and glimpsed the future of Ardbeg. And we have to say, it looks fantastic. 15,000 of you made this one not only the best, but the biggest Ardbeg Day ever, at 135 events around the world. Japan had a time travel tunnel, the US had Shortie Circuit racing, while in Germany five cities competed against each other with games involving drones and robotic barrel racing, amongst other things. Here on Islay, we welcomed friends old and new for futuristic food, music, and of course, drams ofArdbeg Perpetuum. Take a look at the pictures from around the globe and share your own at facebook.com/Ardbeg and twitter @ardbeg_com using #ArdbegDay.  So how can we possibly top Ardbeg Day 2015? You'll just have to wait until next year to find out... Slainte! Mickey Heads, Committee Chairman

So -> 15,000 of us. 135 events around the world. What a great success that is.

Ardbeg had the pleasure of some fantastic advanced hype because one of the bloggers, that they sent a free bottle to, realized that it was worth more to him (her?) to just put the bottle up for auction. Perhaps if you have a huge sense of entitlement and feel you are underpaid and underappreciated you do those sorts of things. After all, it’s so easy to just copy and paste the distillery issued tasting notes and add some verbose script. Credibility obviously is not that person’s strong suit but, it was to the benefit of Ardbeg. Bidding went crazy. Demand for Perpetuum was at an all-time high even before it was released. What manufacturer of product doesn’t want that?

  

By all accounts, I should have really enjoyed Ardbeg Perpetuum. I didn’t. There, I said it and it's not because I don’t like Ardbeg. I do, a lot. I currently have open bottles of the 10, Uigeadail, Corryvreckan and Ardbog in my cabinet. All are enjoyed regularly and the first three are always replaced when empty.

It wasn’t because of the venue where I got to try Perpetuum that I didn’t enjoy it. I went with friends to The Caledonian Pub in Toronto for Ardbeg Day. It is my absolute favourite pub in Toronto. They have great food and a great selection of malts. Donna and Dave make everyone feel at home there. I go there routinely. It’s one of eight Arbeg Embassies in Canada. Studies show familiar place and people are positive factors for ensuring that you enjoy you beverage.

It wasn’t because of the Brand Ambassador. Ruaraidh is a bright shining star among ambassadors. He is able to provide that perfect blend of education, entertainment and enthusiasm to create a warm inviting atmosphere in any environment. His passion for Ardbeg is invigorating.  His dad and grand-dad have worked at Ardbeg, it's in his blood.

It wasn’t because Ardbeg had the Harr producing smoke  fog  Scottish Mist or the sample of Supernova that had been to space. These items added to the excitement.  Although someone suggested that for the cost of the Supernova display they could have supplied every committee member in Toronto with a bottle of Perpetuum. I don’t know the costs of the traveling Supernova display but it did gather quite a bit of interest among attendees and the local media.

Nope... None of those were the reasons that I wasn’t impressed by the Perpetuum. After you get past the marketing campaign of any spirit it is “what is in the glass” that counts. For me the Perpetuum did not display that Big Bold Perfect Mix of Peat and Sweet.

I was invited back to The Caledonian two weeks later for a tasting of some cask samples with Hamish Torrie from Scotland. Hamish brought along cask strength samples which showed me that Ardbeg is capable of producing that Perfect Mix of Peat & Sweet we love. But Perpetuum isn’t “all that” to me. And judging by a number of bloggers reviews it isn’t “all that” to them either. Maybe the blogger that put his advance bottle up for auction instead of honestly reviewing it knew it wasn’t “all that” to him as well. Who knows?

What really concerns me about Perpetuum is the recent blog post by Thomas at WhiskySaga. He reviewed the two Perpetuums  http://www.whiskysaga.com/ardbeg-perpetuum-vs-ardbeg-perpetuum/  I had to read it twice.

Normally we see 6000 to 7000 bottles in a special release. In this case there are 12,000 bottles of the Ardbeg Perpetuum 200^th Anniversary Distillery Release and 72,000 (yes that’s right, seventy two thousand) bottles of  Ardbeg Perpetuum 200^th Anniversary Special Release. Whiskybase confirms those numbers. If I did the numbers correctly that is 4 (four) percent of their annual production. I couldn’t find any comparable sized distillery that put 4 percent of their annual production into a special release. As a comparator GlenFiddich’s Snow Phoenix was a run of 60,000 bottles. But it was only 0.4 percent of their annual production. I doubt that Snow Phoenix made a dent in Glenfiddich’s aging stocks. I wish that I could say the same for Ardbeg. I can’t help but worry that by putting that much of your stock into a special release, we will miss out on what could have been some future goodness. 

And like I said, then you and I as well as all the others suffer.

Richard (@rmculver on twitter)

Velvet Fig: The review... sort of?!

This little girl was raised in a small town where gardening & growing your own fruits/veggies was the norm. Summers are short (Jun-Sept) so I ate fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and lots of apples. The climate simply does not allow for growing citrus, bananas or any other 'exotic' delicacies. Also, we were not a rich family so 'store bought' items were rare or reserved for special occasions. 


Don't laugh but I always got a Sunkist Orange in my Christmas stocking and I would wait patiently for weeks before I ate it. 

It has always been in my nature to try everything so the first time I went to Toronto, when I was 13, my cousins made fun of the fact that I ate a kiwi with the peel on and why wouldn't I, I had no idea you weren't suppose to? (and I still do to this day). I moved to a much larger city when I was 18 and would go to the market every day to buy fruit and vegetables I had never tried before: Asparagus, eggplant, avocado, pomegranate and figs just to name a few of the first discoveries.

My favorite story was when I did buy avocado and figs for the first time. I asked the clerk what the avocado was: A fruit. I grabbed one and put it in my basket. What's that I stated pointing to a display of fresh figs. He looked at me quite strangely and asked where I was from. I happily explained (from that day forward when I came in he was always very helpful in pointing out different items that I might enjoy trying).  I got back to my little apartment, took out 2 figs and the avocado. I sliced them all open and chose to start with a piece of the fig. Oh... heavenly, juicy and absolutely mouthwatering. It was so good! I picked up the sliced avocado and put that in my mouth: bland, chalky and the peeling was like eating a piece of leather. I spit the whole thing out and stared down at the green muck. (yes, you read correctly, I ate the peel as well) DISGUSTING! It took almost 10 years and a friend's party before I would go near once again and thankfully that encounter was a much better one. I've loved avocado ever since.      

I continued to buy the fresh figs every time I could get my hands on them. They became a very memorable part of my food sensory discoveries in those very formative years of my life. Some people would reach for chocolate, I would always reach for fresh fruit because really for me they were much more special. 

THE ART AND BEAUTY OF THE FIG

Fast forward to late November 2014 when I notice some bloggers posting reviews of a whisky called 'Velvet Fig' from Wemyss Malts. I read a few of them, looked up the whisky on a few websites and it didn't appear, at that time, that it would be coming to Canada -> Bollocks! Like I usually do at the end of every year, I make a goals list for the following. So, Velvet Fig was added to my 'must try' list for 2015. Word started to spread in early January that supplies were limited and that it would soon be gone. Crap! I quickly decided I had to reach out and find a bottle, but laws don't allow whisky to be sent to Canada (archaic & stupid). I made arrangements with a 'Whisky Brother' from the fabric to have the bottle delivered to his home address in UK and I would pick it up on a trip to Scotland in May. (AMEN!!!)

But as always the lovely #whiskyfabric is a wondrous thing and I have true friends that are genuinely happy to share their whiskies as was the case with this one as well. Rick Culver (@rmculver) from Ontario and Franck Debernardi (@LaCaveDeCobalt) from France were kind enough to ensure a few samples of the Velvet Fig got to me. The first dram of the Velvet Fig I enjoyed with Rick and Rob in Kingston. No notes. Nothing but three friends sitting down together and enjoying the discovery of a new dram. Fabulous experience and I highly recommend doing that from time to time. JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT. It was a lovely dram that the three of us enjoyed together.

The second time was alone at home, on a cold blustery night in March while Graham walked the dog and I huddled on the couch with a soft blanket and wool socks. I needed a 'warming' dram and went into my whisky room to get a smoky Islay when Franck's distinctive hand writing caught my eye. I grabbed a Glencairn and poured the Velvet Fig. I went back to the living room, enveloped myself in my blanket and proceeded to watch TV. At first I was simply paying attention to the program and not to my glass. I held it up to my nose during a commercial and that's when the magic began. 

So fruity, silky and mouthwatering that I was immediately whisked backwards in time to a small backyard where a cat was lazing in a sunbeam. We were all outside sitting on patio chairs, shoes off, enjoying the summer afternoon. Franck, his lovely wife and their two beautiful and very smart little girls. I was in France... I snapped open my eyes and stared at the Glencairn. I smiled, turned off the television, leaned my head back and continued back to that very special afternoon. Watching the kids, laughing, speaking in French and getting to know Franck & Jennifer. Sharing stories, whiskies and having one of the best meals I had while in France cooked by both of them. Franck's Veal Osso Buco melted in my mouth and it was followed by Jennifer's French apple tart. It was so delicious it would have made my grandmother cry. Truly a fantastic day spent near Paris. I remember saying goodbye at the train station and wishing I had more time. Sometimes you meet people that you click with right away and there's a sense that you'd end up being good friends. The train ride back to Paris was spent trying to draw Llewella & Doriane, his two sweet & very bright little girls. (I suck at drawing though... hehe) Back at my Paris hotel that night, I spent a full hour skyping with Graham describing the day I had had. It was another fantastic day brought to me by #whiskyfabric

The wind howled and I opened my eyes again in the darkened living room. I noticed a few tears that had started to well up but laughed and wiped them away. I stared down once more at the now empty glass and quickly realized the whisky had transported me back in time to a very happy place with some extraordinary people I was fortunate to have met. But in the here and now my notepad was blank, the Velvet Fig was gone and I hadn't registered anything drinking the whisky?! 

I have always said that whisky is more than just a liquid that is consumed, taking notes or grinding out reviews!? It's about moments in time, sharing and living life to the fullest. Whisky has done that for me and so many of you as well. I giggled as I went back to the whisky room and pulled out what was left of the Velvet Fig sample. I sat at my desk and nosed/tasted it again, this time paying attention to the whisky. But once again I was distracted and transported back to that moment in the city market where that bright eyed 18 year old girl with her whole life ahead of her was chattering to the clerk and buying fresh figs. I relived the moment of bringing them home (as described above) and I sat back laughing at myself for being such a country bumpkin... and so naive but at least very eager to learn about everything! After all, we didn't have the interweb back then. It dawned on me that moment was 30 years ago. Memories are powerful aren't they?

I realize I'm still holding a pen in my hand and look down to find... an empty glass AGAIN. Look at the notebook to see where I wrote four words: This is really good. So, the initial review of Velvet Fig from the Lassie, sort of... 

Nose: Rich, sweet and really fruity. Ability to transport you to a time/place associated with blissful fond memories.

Palate: So silky and tasty that it may cause you to forget to write anything down because you are too busy enjoying it. Seems to cause a second dram to be poured.

Finish: Delightful and causes a bit of embarrassment when you realize the glass is empty. Leads to blaming someone else for the dram being gone?!

Probably my best review ever!  Now I have no choice but to wait patiently for May 17th when I will be reunited with my bottle of Velvet Fig and promise to do a full review of it, this time trying desperately to pay attention to the elixir in the glass instead of floating away on the aromas. Pinky swear....

Velvet Fig - Wemyss Malts, if you haven't already gotten your bottle... you might be out of luck. 

Plenty of much better reviews out there I'm sure, just get on the google machine and look up "Velvet Fig review".... 



#AwkwardLassie

PS -> This coming to NB in November 2015 ;)

Blind Head to Head - Glenlivet 12 vs Glenlivet Founder's Reserve NAS

Or.... do you???

Well, well, well.... Another big whisky company has announced they are replacing a core expression of their product line with... a No Age Statement whisky. Now, mind you they have stated that the Glenlivet 12 (one of the most recognized & affordable whiskies) is not dead. That the Founder's Reserve will replace the 12 in 'mature' markets worldwide including the UK as of March 2015. Ughhhhhh.... I rolled my eyes after reading the headlines on 23 different twitter accounts, why... because I knew I would have to avoid social media and whisky forums for a few days as the trolls and preachers of NAS evil would jump on that news faster than green grass through a goose! I turned off the feeds, drank my whiskies... Tried not to care.

As fate would have it, I received a bottle of the Founder's Reserve as a surprise from a very lovely friend and the plan was immediately hatched: I posted the photo of my new bottle on our whisky society FB page and requested volunteers (especially if they were huge Glenlivet 12 fans) to come to my house for a whisky experiment. We would perform a blind H2H challenge of the 12 vs the Founder's Reserve. Within 10 minutes of posting I had 5 volunteers. (The power of social media or free whisky, or maybe both? hehe) I received a message on the day of the blind taste test that one participant had come down with the flu and wouldn't be coming (thankfully... love ya, but stay away!). He was supposed to bring a friend, well boo! Although I would have preferred a larger group, I was down to 3 people plus Graham and I...

On a random winter evening, I think it was a Monday, the five of us ranging from novice whisky drinker to hard core Glenlivet 12 fans sat down together in my living room. To keep things completely unbiased I enlisted the help of Graham (my partner) to pour 4 pairs in marked glassware (white blank tag vs unlabelled). After he poured and brought those out I went in the kitchen and poured his blind as well, not having any clue what sequence Graham had used. Then the table was set: Water, oat cakes, each a tagged and non-labelled glass with 1 oz whisky pours in them, pen and paper. 

Rules: No talking, nose/taste each of the two whiskies, write down whatever you think, if you had a preference and (optional) which you think is the Glenlivet 12. All nodded and we began. I watched for a few minutes as each person went through their own personal routine of noting color, nose, palate, etc. and making notes as they went. Not one of us did it the same way (remember that statement for later!) No discussions were had, well except the occasional grunt and I was impressed with how much time each person was spending with both samples as I didn't give any type of timeline or deadline. Thirty minutes later the final pen went down and we did a round table. Each person reading out their impressions of the tagged sample as well as the unlabelled one then stating which of the two they preferred. Nobody said out loud which they thought was the Glenlivet 12 except myself. 

Greg: No tag - Seems a bit darker in color than the tagged sample, smooth, just a hint of smoky peat on the palate. Tagged - A sweeter aftertaste, lighter in color, smoother. I prefer the tagged sample. 

John: No tag - Lighter in color - amber. Mild cider on the nose like a fruit wine, slightly oily on the palate with a lovely after taste. Tagged - Color is a medium amber. On the nose I find a dry white wine (a bit of oak) whereas the palate is smooth with a lovely after taste. The tagged is beautifully balanced for this style. I'd give it an 8/10. I prefer the tagged.
Steven: No tag - Not getting much on the nose, barely any aromas for me. The palate is somewhat harsh and it has a long finish. Tagged - I can detect more sweetness on the nose, caramel creaminess on the palate and a sweet finish. I prefer the tagged.

Graham: No tag - Grassy with a touch of wine gummies on the nose. Palate is much more mellow that tagged sample. Tagged - Much lighter on the nose, I get way more grassy and hay like notes. On the palate there was spirit burn and more grassiness. I prefer the untagged sample.

Johanne: No tag - Lighter on the nose than tagged sample, I get cereal and grassy. Once it's sat in the glass I do start to get a honeyed aroma. Not very viscous in nature. Thin on the palate with lots of harsh and citric notes. The finish is hot, quite bitter to me and it lingers... Not something I would drink, personally. Tagged - Much more rich on the nose, orchard fruit like pears or apple blossoms. After it sat in the glass much more of a ripe banana overtone. The palate was thin as well but I found it to contain Seville orange citrus vs just citric. No hot finish, no long finish. A more balanced whisky than the untagged. I preferred the tagged and thought the Untagged was the Glenlivet 12.
  
Greg, Steven, John and I had: 12 year old - Untagged and Founder's Reserve - Tagged, whereas Graham had the opposite. 

Greg and Steven said they would buy a bottle of the Founder's Reserve after the reveal. I don't recall what John said? Graham also stated he'd be more likely to buy the Founders Reserve over the Glenlivet 12 - Price/quality. In our discussion afterward, some were surprised and one was a bit let down that the Glenlivet 12 didn't come out on top. But all 5 of out 5 preferred the Founder's Reserve overall. What exactly does that tell us or you for that matter? 

Well other than the fact that five friends sat down on a random Monday night, nosed/tasted two blind samples and all liked one whisky over the other, not much really? Because the reality is 5 other people in the exact same experiment might have stated the complete opposite. 

Now... I was once told I had a whisky agenda. I was a bit perplexed by that comment at the time but with some thought I guess I do. My agenda, announced here for the first time is: Be open to every whisky experience that is presented to you.

1. For every person that will ridicule others for putting ice in their whiskies there are five more that will say it's your whisky - do as you please.
    
2. For every one 'Messiah' who will make you wait a full hour before you drink a whisky in his masterclass and tell you Scotch is dead while bourbon is the new king - ALL HAIL Pappy Van Winkle!!! There are ten more who will tell you drink what you like.
3. For every soap box hero that condemns the industry for NAS whiskies, there are just as many who will give the opinion that some of the NAS's on the market are great. And yes, I'm aware some are not just as much as I'm aware that some of the Age Statement Whiskies suck too! Bad whisky is bad whisky regardless. But my worst whisky could be your best so:  

Here is why I will ALWAYS urge you to make an opinion for yourself. Whisky like everything else in your life is subjective. Would you put your complete trust in a stranger who preached that new Hanes underwear should never be bought by everyone because they are now cheaply made, no longer have the 'Inspected by #12" sticker on the inside and they all fit funny? Seriously... then why trust someone else's judgment on the whiskies you drink?

Back to how each of us had our own way of performing this little experiment (told you that was coming) 

SUBJECTIVE: Relating to the way a person experiences things based on their feelings and opinions rather than facts. 

Objective: Based on facts rather than influence by personal feelings or opinions.

The five of us gave you a subjective opinion on two whiskies we tried. Objectively we can state we tried two forms of Glenlivet, both at 40% ABV. Subjectively we can tell you, all 5 of our personal opinions matched in this case. Objectively we can say that for the price range it was a good whisky to own, 4 (I don't recall if John said he would) would buy the Founder's Reserve over the 12 year old. 

I urge every single one of you to continually try whiskies for whatever reason you choose. Don't be swayed by one person's opinion may it be mine or anyone else's. My philosophy is quite simple: I want to try every whisky I can before I leave this earth knowing full well some will be stupendous, some horrible and some inevitably will be mediocre in nature. 

Now it's your turn. If you are set in your ways, so be it. If you absolutely refuse to try anything new, so be it. But for the rest of you, no matter where you are on your journey be brave, be bold and don't let the opinion of Simon, Jim, or the Johanne's of the world be yours, please. 

If I had listened to many of the self-professed experts this whisky world has to offer, I know I would have missed out on some real gems in my lifetime. Don't get me wrong because they are certainly entitled to their opinions. My point is: so are you and the only way to make that opinion is to TRY THE WHISKY. 

So what will I say about the Founder's Reserve: In a head to head with the Glenlivet 12, I preferred it immensely over the 12. My confession: I don't like the 12, although we do have a bottle of it in the house I don't ever recall pouring myself a dram. I have never used it in a led tasting nor do I recall ever recommending it. It's there for when visiting friends who like it, can have it. 

The Founder's Reserve has been purchased and I will likely recommend it to friends for what it is: Tasty, balanced and a great example of an extremely affordable whisky that (again in my opinion) is done right. Will I even mention it's NAS? Not unless they ask because for me, in the event you didn't already notice -> It doesn't matter...

When the annoucement first came out I noticed many people freaking out and speculating that the NAS would be super expensive! WRONG....

Pernod Ricard is not going to charge you an arm and a leg for this bottle. It's actually going to be a few dollars cheaper than what the 12 is currently going for. Yes, you read correctly. On average, in Canada the 12 sells for about $46 whereas the Founder's Reserve is $2-3 cheaper.  

In conclusion, thanks very much to my friend for bringing me this bottle. She knows me well enough to know that I would appreciate having something different and that I wouldn't judge a whisky before trying it. As for the rest of you: You like the 12 because it's one of your staples? Great! Get out there and buy more, however I do hope will consider trying the Founder's Reserve. 

Either way, don't be blind or get led by hand by anyone. Put down the book, the blog, the forum. Pour yourself a dram and try the whisky for yourself then decide if it's worth buying.

MOE, CURLY AND LARRY GETTING LOST IN THE NAS NOISE??!

LASSIE

ROAD TRIP!!!! French Whisky samples anyone?

In the fall of 2013 my friend Franck Debernardi (http://lacavedecobalt.blogspot.ca/) decided to celebrate his blog's 3rd anniversary by hosting a twitter tasting #FrenchWhiskyTT. A little while later, I received the 5 samples he had provided to the participants. (Too cool & lucky me)

Then I went away to Scotland and a few other lovely places, came home, went back to work and the next thing I knew it was the 1st of August??? I happened to be cleaning my whisky room a bit and organizing stuff when I saw the 5 lovely samples still sitting there. I carefully opened #1 and took a sniff. I was also in the middle of packing for a week away for work when it struck me, I was going to be gone for 5 nights. Hmmmm, 5 nights, 5 samples...  5 quick and easy blogs!!?  DONE!!! Packed a whisky glass and my Cave de Cobalt samples and I was a happy camper. It's Monday night and I popped open the first sample. It was a hot and muggy night, not the best of environments for a whisky but I pushed forward on my quest. 

Sample #1 - On the nose: Red rich ripe cherries!  Once it's sat for a little while, a really strong smell of demerara sugar and/or a spicy sweet rum.  Quite an aromatic little sample!  On the palate: Again very sweet, tropical in nature (coconut cream, vanilla, powdered sugar with hints of ripe banana.  The finish was a bit of a surprise because it was a bit on the bitter side and very short.  

I decided not to add any water as I was enjoying the sample just as it was.  A thunder/lightning shower started and I opened the window. Heavy air, hot, muggy with a strong warm breeze.  I was transported to the first night I was in Paris in June.  I arrived around 9:00pm, went straight to the hotel, dropped off my stuff and headed directly to the tour Eiffel. I walked around for a little while, bought a crepe and took some photos.  A huge thunder storm was approaching and I captured this:

It was glorious! I quickly walked back to the Metro and jumped on. Five stops later, I was at my stop and it was pissing down sideways! Stuck in the subway for about 20 minutes and finally it let up or at least I thought it had. I took off running just as it started to come down again.  I ran all the way back to the hotel laughing and was soaked.  It was almost 3:00am, I was in Paris and I was loving every second! 

And just like that, my happy memory and sample #1 was gone. How appropriate to enjoy this one during the height of a hot and sticky night filled with thunder and warm wet breezes.  TOO COOL... as always.

The reveal:  Sample #1 was a French Single Malt - G. Rozelieures, Rare Collection from the Grallet Dupuis Distillerie, 40%, NAS. 

Not bad at all for a sipping whisky on a hot summer night!   Can't wait to see what sample 2 brings on Tuesday...

Cheers folks

Lassie