1) Arran - Robert Burns 250 Commemorate Anniversary
Bourbon Cask (6000 Bottles), 43% Single Malt
2) Arran 12 yo, 46% Single Malt
Built as new distillery in 1995
3) Arran  55.3%  Sherry cask
#88 (513 Bottles) 1998/2008
brown sugar, xmas fruit plums
4) Arran NAS Medeira 50% Ltd Edition (5760 Bottles)
Single Malt Bourbon Cask and finish in a wine cask
5) Arran 59.8% 4yo Peated Cask
#103/225 Bottles/2004
licorise peat, not pepper

In Victoria, BC, March 28, 2009

Star rating indicates what I liked the best.

1) Littlemill 16 yo malt cask (distillery no longer exists)
Nose: lightly peated, sweet fruity nose, candied banana, orange
Taste: soda, oily, salty, light mouth feel
Finish: pepper ending
Rate: 3 stars

2) Dufftown 12 yo Provence
Nose: sour mash, malt, grassy, ha, light
Taste: mash, malt, grassy hay
End: pepper
Rate: 1 star

3) Glentauchers 12 yo malt cask
Nose: butter caramel, grassy earth, hay
Taste: Grassy, lak water, salty, soda
Finish: Spice, hot (milder with water)
Rate: 4 stars

4) Mortlach 12 yo malt cask
Nose: Cherry, plum, Xmas cake
Taste: Sweet, warm, sugar, big mouth feel yummy, yummy
Rate: 5 stars

5) Glencadam 15 yo (Angus Dundee Distillers)
Nose: Sweet, chocolate, coffee, Xmas cake
Taste: Licorise, salty, tiny bit of peat
Finish: itty-bitty peat end
Rate: 4 stars

6) Highland Park 11 yo malt cask
Nose: Light
Taste: malt, green peat
Rate: 3.5 - 4 stars

7) Glen Scotia 15 yo malt cask
Nose: dirt, lake water, sweet
Taste: Lake Water, deisel, dry, hot pepper ending, peat
Finish: Hot pepper ending

Laphroaig 8 yo Provence
Nose, Taste, Finish: moved past thinking about it.

9) 20 yo Laphroaig
Nose, Taste, Finish: Tasted like whisky

We returned safely from Seattle, Washington. What was the purpose? The 16th Annual Single Malt Scotch Whisky Extravaganza co-hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Added benefit? The Seattle Art Museum!

Trying to find a single malt or whisky that I haven’t had before is starting to get a little difficult. This is not for a lack of trying, it’s because I have the malt mileage of an 80 year old man.

Whisky I tasted this weekend:

Michael Collins Single Malt Ireland (aged 8-12 years) - a surprise for the night, smoke and chocolate - the best rep too (hi Chelsea!).

Loch Chaim - Glen Garioch 1989 - 17 year old, fruit and spice and reminds me little bit of Glenmorangie, very earth wormy. Fun to pronounce.

Scapa 16 year old. Highlands Orkney. One of the best of the lot.

SMWS Cask 26.58 Northern Highlands (Clynelish) called Pink Peppercorns and Liquorice Allsorts - definately liquorice, and grassy notes.

SMWS 97.13 - 18 Year old Western Lowlands (Littlemill) called Lemons, Chillies and Flowers, very nice dram.

SMWS Cask 53.11 - 15 year old North Shore (Caol Isla) called Smoke and Soot with Liquorice Root. Very bon!

SMWS Cask 7.47 - 39 year old higlands region (Longmorn) called Church Pews and Tobacco - the best one for me!

SMWS - Cask 91.19, 20 year old highlands (DUFFTOWN) called the No-nonsense Dram.

The Seattle Art Museum was great. Highlights include:
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness features the extraordinary holdings of American art at the Yale University Gallery.

Paintings by George de Forest Brush have been recently rediscovered, providing the inspiration for an exhibition of 21 works of art by this gifted but little-known 19th-century American artist.

This installation of four suits from the SAM collection features the work of contemporary artists Walter Oltmann and Nick Cave.

 And my favourites from the Modern/Contemporary art: 

Some/One, 2001
Stainless steel military dog-tags, nickel plated copper sheets, steel structure, glass fiber reinforced resin, rubber sheets
Do-Ho Suh

Sea Change, 1947
Jackson Pollock
58.55

St. John the Baptist, 1988
Jeff Koons
2007.121

Mann und Maus, 1991-92
Katharina Fritsch
2007.118

visit his website for larger photos by Ken Hamel/DenverArts.org

29 yo Port Ellen, 55.3
Colour: Gold
Nose: Spicey, licorise, peat, fruit
Taste: Coal Tar, Sea Salt, Soda, Woody, barley sugar, bourbon barrel
Finish: Oily with Pepper ending
Points: 84 pts

Octomore/Bruicladdich
5 yo, 63.5 p131pp
Notes: Melted plastic, oil paint, dettol, turpentine, peat, dirt, swimming hole, cinnamon love hearts, peppermint, barn yard, dry ash, oil tongue, playdough - lots going on here. (80 pts)

Springbank Tasting with Peter Currie: Hazelburn 8 Sprinbank 10 Springbank 15 Springbank Vintage 1996 Longrow CV Longrow Gaja Barolo Springbank Modera Finish

Woodford Reserve Masterclass with Chris Morris: Makers Mark Woodford Reserve Buffalo Trace Kentuky Straight Bourbon Sweet Mash Gentlemen Jack JD Tennessee. Since enjoying the Masterclass with Chris Morris the Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve so much, we are planning a trip to Kentucky and while we’re in the neighborhood, a side visit to Mecca (Memphis and Graceland!).  

Highland Park Masterclass: Presented by Craig Jonstone we tasted the 12, 18, 25, 40 years old respectively.

 Highlights of the Consumer Tasting were drams I hadn’t tried before.  My short list included:  An Cnoc 1975, Highwood Distilleries Century Reserve 15, Bushmills 1608, Armorik, Finlaggan (Bowmore?), Crown Royal 25. And everything Amrut (Indian Whisky). Especially the Peated Amrut - holy cow (no pun intended).

Personal whisky tasting: Black Bowmore 1942

I will post the Arran Distillery whiskies from the dinner later today.

For media coverage and photos coming soon, visit the website: http://www.victoriawhiskyfestival.com

To listen to highlights of the festival visit Malt Maniac, Mark Gillespie’s http://www.whiskycast.com/