A single malt scotch tasting

Yesterday, my friend Charlie organized his 2nd annual single malt Scotch tasting. As I am not a Scotch drinker, I skipped last year, but got talked into attending this year. glad I did as it was interesting and a lot of fun. My knowledge of Scotch is very limited. I know i prefer less peaty scotches and smooth is good. I took notes and offer them up here, but take them with a grain of salt. These are the first Scotch notes I have written and I am very much a novice. YMMV.

A 1/4 ounce was poured of each scotch and evaluated a bit. Then I poured more than a few drops of water in. I tried one or two, but always found that for me, more water brought out the nose and the flavors (not always a good thing). There was food available. The Scotches are listed in the order consumed which I think worked very well.

These were attempted to be ordered from cleaner to peaty in style.

• 1994 Tobermory 20 Year Old Blackadder Raw Cask #381015 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 53.7%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Isle of Mull

  Med in color. The nose has some honey with a light touch of smoke. Very pretty. Drinking is a bit rough. A lot of alcohol but smooths down and has less heat than I was expecting. Lots of flavor. 4.25/5

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• NV The Macallan 15 Year Old Fine Oak Triple Cask Matured Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Craigellachie, Easter Elchies

  I have really liked the 17 but this was a pretty good sized step down from that it seemed. The nose was a bit harsher. Some wheat but also some vanilla and a woody note. Much smoother on the palate. The vanilla carries thru and the woody quality becomes less harsh and more interesting. Overall, I did really like this one. 4.0/5

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• 2012 Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 47.8%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Speyside, Dufftown

  This seemed to be the groups favorite in the non-peaty side of the tasting. It certainly was mine. Deeper in color than the rest on the table (I have no idea what that means). The nose has hay with a slight herbal quality (like a cross between tarragon and mint). Very smooth to drink. Slight warmth, no heat. That allowed me to appreciate a bit of complexity. 4.5/5

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• NV Glen Moray 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Speyside

  My least favorite on the day. The nose has some hay with a bit of mint and charcoal. Very rough on the nose, even rougher on the palate. Burned all the way down. Hard for me to appreciate. A bit of water seemed to make it worse. 3.0/5

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• NV Balvenie 12 Year Old Triple Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 40%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Speyside, Dufftown

  This was interesting. Not as good as the single barrel 15 but I am not sure if that is the age or the barrel/cask or both that was responsible. The nose is very mild on this. Some what and a slight sweetness. On the palate, the lightness continues but that is not all bad. It makes for a very smooth, easier to drink scotch. Very clean. Finishes with a slight touch of sweetness. 3.75/5

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• NV Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Highlands

  Slightly smoky on the nose. Its a bit rougher. On the palate, this is slightly sweet and slightly hot. Finishes rough. The sweetness lingers a bit though and that is nice. 3.25/5

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• 2015 Laphroaig Cairdeas 200th Anniversary Edition (bottled 2015) Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 51.5%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Islay

  This seemed to be the crowd favorite among the peaty scotches. It was the most peaty on the table IMO. The nose is peaty with some ashes. Very smooth on the palate though with a smoky yet roasted herb note. Very interesting. I expected more heat but found it reasonably smooth. Considering I don't really like peat, this was very good. 4.0/5

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• NV Ardbeg 10 Year Old Ten Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 46%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Islay

  A medium amount of peat with some smoke on the nose. There is some heat on the nose. On the palate, much smoother. It seems to trade less complexity for smoothness which for me is just fine. There is some flavor though. 3.75/5

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• NV Ian Macleod Smokehead Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Islay

  Slight smoke with some peat but not overpowering. There is also a sweaty sock quality to the nose. Its pretty smooth on the palate, but the finish is clipped. It just stops. A bit odd. Good but different. 3.25/5

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• NV Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Heavily Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 50%

  United Kingdom, Scotland, Islay

  The nose is very smooth with peat, slight smoke and a bit of herbs. Harsher on the palate, it burns a bit. There is a toffee like quality to it. Water helped this one quite a bit. 3.25/5

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We finished with some Cubans, Port and beer on the back deck. Wonderful afternoon. Thanks to Charlie for organizing, hosting and to all for bringing a bottle. And thanks to my wife Jane for driving me.