Writing up tasting notes for Dalwhinnie Scotch, WhistlePig Straight Rye, Basil Hayden's Straight Bourbon, and Slane Irish Whiskey. It's a random, eclectic group, but worth reading.
When I first discovered scotch, I knew I needed to write down what I had tried and what I liked about it, so when I'd go into restaurants I'd know what to order. So I did, using the Notes app on my laptop. And I kept adding to those notes for almost 1½ years, until one fateful day, all my notes were gone.
Pfft.
Poof.
[insert other appropriate sound effect here]
I don't know why or how it happened, and I couldn't seem to restore them from my backup. ** SIGH **
Most of the time I go to tasting events with a lineup of 4 to 6 samples (like Whisky Wednesdays at Gordon's DTX or a more formal tasting), but when I go to a restaurant and order something or go to someone's house and they're pouring a new expression for me, I write up my tasting notes for those expressions as well.
This post, then, is a short collection of some of those random tastings I come across. There's no rhyme or reason to how I collected these notes to present to you. Instead, think of it as a cleaning up of my files for my (and your) perusal. And so I don't lose these notes again, Heaven forbid!
Let's begin, shall we?
Random whisky reviews from individual notes
Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Honey, butterscotch
- Taste: Very soft, medium body, caramel, pineapples, bananas
- Finish: Fades quickly, cinnamon and brown sugar lingers
- Comments: So approachable! Wonderful sweetness and no fire. I had it room temperature, but trying it cold sounds interesting
Slane Irish Blended Whiskey
Tasting Notes
- Nose: light vanilla, slight pineapple
- Taste: hay, cinnamon spice, medium body, light
- Finish: banana, very light raisins on the finish (need to look for it)
- Comments: very soft & approachable, had characters not usually found in Irish Whiskey
Whistlepig Rye 10yr
Tasting Notes
- Nose: corn, rye underneath, hint of vanilla
- Taste: pepper immediately, hint of sweet Toffee candy before rye rises,
- Finish: spice lingers in the back of the throat, Rye slowly fades
- Comments: the rye isn't overpowering, it's balanced by the sweetness; with water: pepper is tempered so sweet corn and caramel is more prominent, rye becomes even more sublime. Finish fades faster
Basil Hayden Kentucky Bourbon
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Soft nose, corn, hints of rye, slight vanilla oak
- Taste: hit of pepper first, rye shows up,
- Finish: some dark chocolate decided to join the mix and lingers
- Comments: I really like this! The rye is pleasantly balance with the sweetness of the corn. A good sipping bourbon
Final thoughts
It's good to know that I can count on the Internet to hold my notes so I can keep writing whisky reviews. Nothing can happen here, can it?
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Look at these tasting notes next
Whiskey can be found all over the world, and it has such a rich and diverse array of flavor profiles and distinct characteristics from which to choose. Here's where you can find a whiskey or bourbon I've reviewed from America. Cheers!
I hope you like this review! If you tried the expressions or have a question, I'd love for you to leave a comment below. Thanks!
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