2 in 1!
Posted on January 17, 2008
Yes that’s right two posts in one! Went to a concert at Duffy’s Tavern last night to see the famous Loup River Band & Street Choir, along with friends Patrick Bradley and The Sleepover. There was dangerously bad snow out, so turnout was low, but Beerorkid was there, along with pints of very tasty 2 Below ESB for $2, so it definitely was a good time. The opener was Patrick “Motherfuckin’” Bradley doing a one-man set, complete with a singalong. That was followed up by a newer band, The Sleepover, which produced a great set. Finally, Loup River took the stage, and was fully awesome. It was guitarist/vocalist Jeff’s birthday, so happy birthday was sung, and cake was ate. How many bands give you birthday cake? Kickin’ rad. Pictures are at the Flickr.
Whilst at the show, I noticed a poster advertising “Feckin’ Irish Whiskey”. With a name like that, I was too curious to not try it. The bartenders were surprised that somebody was willing to try it. They had to hunt for the bottle, and it was brand new and unopened. Nobody knew what to charge for it, so we got it for $3 a shot (thanks Esteban!) So here’s another tasting review, for Feckin’ Irish Whiskey.
Nose: Very sweet, a bit of vanilla, almost no whiskey scent. A very mellow nose.
Flavor: Still very sweet. It’s a spiced whiskey, so it tasted more like rum than whiskey. The closest I can compare it to would be Captain Morgan, but with a bit of whiskey floated on top. It’s not a very complex flavor if I’m honest, and as I said, not very whiskey like. There’s very little barrel taste, and some vanilla flavor to it.
Finish: The finish was smooth and uncomplex, with almost no burn to speak of. As Steve said, it tasted better than it smelled. A couple of ice cubes dropped in served to mellow it a little.
It wasn’t a bad whiskey, but it wasn’t a very great one either, at least for an unwhiskey-like whiskey. If I were feeling more generous, I might be pushed to give it a 3, but as it is I wasn’t so much impressed as not horrified, so I’ll give it 2.5 out of 5.
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Tasting Notes: Bruichladdich 10
Posted on November 29, 2007
Yep, time for another round of tasting notes. We’ll go with the Bruichladdich 10 year, thank you very much. Bruichladdich is a mighty tasty whisky from the isle of Islay, and the only independently operated one of two independently operated distilleries on the island (thanks Armin!) The distillery has been around since 1881 and ran until 1994; it then shut down until it was purchased in 2000 and renovated. Most interestingly, they came under the scrutiny of American intelligence, as their stills can be used to make chemical WMDs, apparently. Their website has a number of webcams from around the distillery, as well as videos of the whisky being made. Interesting stuff, but on to the whisky itself.
Its nose is definitely the lightest of the Islay bunch, not very smoky but still very rich. Touches of sweetness and slightly oaky. Tastewise it has just a hint of peat, with a lot of malty flavor. It has a very pleasant finish, and is surprisingly soft for a young Islay. I’m not gonna lie, out of all the scotches I’ve tried at JTK so far, this one is my favorite. Gonna have to ask for a bottle for Christmas, for sure. Mmmm.
Image courtesy of the Bruichladdich website
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Tasting Notes: Cragganmore 12 and Isle of Jura
Posted on November 16, 2007
I thought I’d try something fun. I have a little notebook I carry with me when I go a drinkin’, so that I can make notes of the different things I try and remember what I like. I call it my scotch diary, though really it applies to any tipple. Anyway, now you can expect from time to time, a post, a review if you will, of what I’ve been drinking.
To start off with, the other night I cracked open a bottle of Cragganmore 12 year, a gift that was given me by an old friend. A Speyside single malt, the Cragganmore distillery has been running since 1869. This whisky is light gold in color, and has a sweet, mellow bouquet with a hint of sherry. Then I drank some. It has a very full, almost floral taste, with a bit of char. It is very smooth, and somewhat complex, with a smokier, less herbal finish.
3.5 out of 5
Next up in the ole diary, I had the opportunity to try Isle of Jura whisky. We have a number of scotches behind the bar, and I spend many slow nights smelling them and salivating. Me and the other bartenders have decided to do a tour of the many whiskies, so I thought I’d start with Jura. Isle of Jura is the only whisky made on Jura, and classified as an Island whisky, a subset of the Highland family. I tried the 10 year, which is honey amber in color, with a sweet, almost honey-like nose. Tastewise, Isle of Jury is very spicy, almost forceful. At first, it doesn’t have the heavy peat flavor associated with whiskies from neighboring Islay, though that “mouth full of smoke” flavor soon appears, with a lasting aftertaste.
3 out of 5
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