It was great mate.
With everything being free inside it’s always very tempting at these events to try all the really expensive stuff (and I do try 1 or 2, but I tend to concentrate on the bottles that fall into a price bracket I’m happy to pay, I see very little point in falling in love with something I can’t afford.
My favourites from the day.
Kilchoman Machir Bay: It’s a Islay, so peaty, finished in bourbon and Sherry casks. Quite light and fruity and it was a really finish, really nice and oily. 46ABV About £40
Kilchoman Sanaig: This was incredible. Like the Machir Bay finished in bourbon and Sherry casks, but the Sherry was more prominent. It was like dark berries, chocolate and pepper. Really spicy finish, lovely. 46ABV - About £48
Glendronach 15: Another stunner this is slightly more expensive at about £60 but worth ever penny. Good to read up on this distillery. It was mothballed about a decade ago, so it’s thought that the age statements are wrong, and the 15 is generally thought to be about 19yrs old. Heavy Sherry influence, there was orange, nuts, coffee, kind of like a Xmas cake. Stunning. I, and a few other trying it much preferred the 15 over the more expensive 18.
Loch Lomond Perfectly Balanced: Another beauty. This was medium peat, fruity apples, pears, citrus lemon and a lovely spicy, oily finish. 46ABV - about £45.
Now 2 I tried that I can’t afford
Laphroaig 25 cask strength : 59.1ABV - £430. Serious peat, bourbon casks for the entire 25yrs. There was apples, honey, pepper and spice, and did I mention peat? Seriously bloody good.
Octomore 11.3: Even the peat level of the laphroaig 25 didn’t get close to this (you’re probably guessing I like peat) the peat level is 194PPM, for comparison the seriously peaty Laphroaig is about 45PPM.
61.7ABV - £174 (so unlike the Laphroaig which I’ll never own, this could be a special occasion purchase) This is only about 5yrs old, and you can tell that, but in a good way. There is pear, honey, apricot, spice, and the peat whilst heavy is really complex for such a young age statement. The finish was really long and the spice and peat left a oily film around my gums which didn’t stop tiggling for about 30 second. Absolutely stunning, my favourite of the day.
