Last night we hosted our third "Sanders County Sippers" get-together. A smaller crowd--just eight of us--due to some members' colds, out-of-town company, and forgetfulness. Nonetheless, it was a congenial bunch that gathered to sample and compare six single-malt Scotch whiskies.
We featured:
- Glenfiddich 12 (Speyside)
- Glenlivet 12 (Speyside)
- Glenmorangie 10 (Highland)
- McClellands (Islay)
- Bowmore 17-year (Islay)
- Bowmore 21-year (Islay)
The majority seemed to prefer the Glenfiddich over all the others. It seemed to have a smoother start and a longer, sharper finish. I liked the Glennlivet because it had the opposite effect--a real front-of-mouth explosion with a smoother back end.
The Glennmorangie lived up to its reputation as full-bodied and much more viscous...a bit too oily for me, but probably a good after-dinner sipper with the right cigar.
Don and I really favor the McClellands for its smooth smokiness. It hardly even tastes like "Scotch" to me; it's more like sipping campfire smoke. The two Bowmores, which should have been similar to McClellands, were quite different. Everyone agreed that the Bowmore 17 was better than the Bowmore 21 which seemed odd until one of our savvy members, Bob James, explained that Bowmore had actually changed (improved) their distillation process for the Bowmore 17.
We complemented the whiskies with shredded pheasant, marinated elk, smoked salmon, and goat cheese with sun-dried tomatoes. Everyone's favorite pairing, however, was the last treat: dark chocolate squares, which made all of the single-malts even more spectacular.
Don commented this morning that it's kind of refreshing to get together with people these days and talk about something besides politics.
Our next booze education night--er, Sanders County Sippers-- is November 19, when we'll feature brandies and cognacs.
