The below is our tasting guide, in Excel format. Created by Ryan Schwartzel from information scavenged from the internet.
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TastingGuide.xlsx Size : 13.117 Kb Type : xlsx |
Date: 08/10/14
Brand/Yr: Bunnahabhain 12 yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 6
With Water Rating: 5
Overall Rating: 5.5
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Prickly and Sharp
Body: Sharp
Mouth Feel/Taste: Creamy, Tingly, Salty
Finish: 1 min, changes
Flavors: Oak, Butterscotch, Tobacco, Buttery, Bourbon, Salty
Notes: Possibly Bourbon cask. Small, slow leg. Very strong, alcohol-y smell. Slightly salty tasting on the start. Very strong tasting initially. Slow, sweeter finish. Strong alcohol/burning feel, and not overly sweet. The longer you sip, the sweeter it becomes.
With WaterAppearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Sweet and Mellow
Body: Sharp
Mouth Feel/Taste: Creamy, Sweet Sour
Finish: 35 seconds, changes
Flavors: Oak, Butterscotch, Leathery, Iodine
Notes: Much less salty and less astringent. The ice completely mellows out everything (negatively, except for the alcohol-ness). Almost no burning during smell, slightly sour tasting. Finish is not as sweet.
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Taster: Greg
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7.5
With Water Rating: 5.5
Overall Rating: 6.5
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Warm and Peppery
Body: Light and Clean
Mouth Feel/Taste: Smooth, Tingling, Creamy
Finish: 1 min, changes
Flavors: Figs, Plums, burnt rubber, cherries, buttery, earthy, leathery, peat, black licorice
Notes: Pale gold in color with warm peppery aromas. Light body, clean tasting. Very smooth on the mouth, but tingles the tongue. Tastes creamy, buttery, and earthy at first with plums, cherries, figs & burnt rubber slight black licorice & peaty finish. American oak/bourbon cask?
With Water
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: mellow and Peppery
Body: Light and Thin
Mouth Feel/Taste: Clean and Creamy
Finish: 20-30 sec, changes
Flavors: raspberry, macadamia nut, hazel nut.
Notes: changed a lot with 1 ice cube (approx. 1 oz). Slight tartness then very nutty with a slight pine finish.
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Taster: Ian
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7
With Water Rating: 6
Overall Rating: 6.5
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Warm
Body: Light and mellow
Mouth Feel/Taste: Smooth, Creamy, sweet sour, salty
Finish: changes to sweet.
Flavors: Peat, Toffee, Iodine, Bourbon, Mandarin
Notes: salty, iodine nose with hints of toffee-bourbon sweetness. Very mellow peat on the palate. Smooth, rounded finish. Sweet tasting aftertaste.
Add Water
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: mellow and sea air
Body: soft, clean, mellow
Mouth Feel/Taste: creamy, smooth
Finish: lingers
Flavors: vanilla, bourbon
Notes: more bourbon as water opens it up. Buttery, creaminess. Water makes it more rounded and softer. Shorter finish with water.
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Date: 10/14/14
Brand/Yr: Glenfiddich “Age of Discovery” 19 yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 8.5
With Water Rating: N/A
Neat
Appearance: Amber- Med
Aroma: Mellow and Sweet
Body/Mouth Feel: Rich and Creamy
Finish: 46 seconds, doesn’t change too much
Flavors: Corn, Plum, Honey, Butter, Cream
Notes: Aged in Bourbon cask. Nice, lingering leg. Smooth and sweet, but not overly sweet at all- subtle sweet. Slightly astringent, but not too much at all. Over arching taste is corn and honey, which sounds odd, but it was quite pleasant. Slight fruit undertones, but quite mild.
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Date: 10/14/14
Brand/Yr: Laphroaig Triple Wood
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 9
With Water Rating: N/A
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Warm, Sea Air, Sweet, and “old, wet log that was just cut (in a good way)”
Body/Mouth Feel: Rich and Robust
Finish: 47 seconds, doesn’t change too much
Flavors: Leafy, Peat, Wood, Moss, Roots, Earthy, Complex
Notes: Aged in Bourbon, then oak quarter cask, and then finishes in Sherry Cask. Very strong leg. Strong wood smell, like a freshly cut log that has been sitting damp in the forest for quite some time. There is a slight seaweed smell to it, but without a lot of the salt smell. Initially, you get the seaweed taste, and then the peat hits your palate quite strongly. Very leafy and woody tasting. The peat fades for some time, and then you are left with this rich forest taste, especially of the fresh cut log that is damp and aged.
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Date: 11/09/14
Brand/Yr: Grand Old Parr 12 yr.
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7.5
With Water Rating: N/A
Neat
Appearance: Light amber
Aroma: Slightly prickly aroma, with a slight sea smell, and then a sweet and prickly aroma remains
Body/Mouth Feel: Light, Tingling
Finish: 48 seconds
Notes: Thin legs, dissipates rather quickly. The taste starts out with little flavor, then you get a slight astringent taste. After a few seconds, I picked up toffee notes, a slight taste of banana. Turns creamier and changes from light to buttery over time. Also becomes far less astringent. There is also just a touch of bitterness at certain points, but not in a bad way. The aftertaste is quite nice. Overall, this is a very easy to drink whiskey, with a good amount of flavor.
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Date: 11/09/14
Brand/Yr: anCnoc 16yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 8
With Water Rating: N/A
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold, almost Champagne color
Aroma: Sweet and Fruity, slightly astringent
Body/Mouth Feel: Heavy, Tingling, Slightly Stinging
Finish: 1 min 12 seconds
Flavors: Corn, Honey, Floral, Sherry, Plum
Notes: Small, slow leg. Fairly alcohol-y smell and taste, but the flavor is quite good. Very floral and fruity, but the alcohol taste covers quite a bit of it. I think this would be better with some water, but I am not going to try today. Although the astringent smell/taste is quite strong, it does not burn very much, which is quite odd. There is a fairly strong corn and honey start to it, and then opens up to floral/fruity, ends with a buttered popcorn with honey taste and then strong hints of cracked pepper.
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Date: 11/30/2014
Brand/Yr: The Balvenie 17yr “DoubleWood” Speyside
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 9
With Water Rating (out of 10): 8
Overall Rating: 8.5
Neat
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Warm, Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: Smooth, Creamy
Length of Finish: 51 sec
Taste/Flavors: Fruity, Apply, Honey, Butterscotch, Buttery, Complex
Notes: Slow, thin legs. Very sweet smell with slightly warm, but not astringent at all. Almost a fruity smell, green apple. First taste is sweet and a bit fruity, then gets a bit tangy/sharp and then you get hit by a small blast of peat. Subsequent tastes are far less peaty. Also, a bit of salt on the first taste, with a nice, buttery feel. Matured in whiskey oak cask, and then sherry oak.
With Water
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Warm,Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: NA
Length of Finish: NA
Taste/Flavors: NA
Notes: Sweetness is lowered. I don’t taste the peat, but the buttery-ness is mildly intensified.
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Date: 11/30/2014
Brand/Yr: The Balvenie 17yr “DoubleWood” Speyside
Taster: Ian
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7.5
With Water Rating (out of 10): 7
Overall Rating: 7.25
Neat
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Warm, Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: Rich, Mellow, Full-Bodied, Creamy
Length of Finish: 40 Sec
Taste/Flavors: Oak, Honey, ButterScotch, Oily, Buttery, Sherry, Bourbon, Creamy
Notes: Hazy, golden appearance. Rounded ??? deep on the nose with sherry sweetness. Buttery mouth feel, smooth. Coats the mouth nicely. Long, sweet finish.
With Water
Appearance: Light Amber
Aroma: Warm, Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: Soft, Mellow, Smooth
Length of Finish: 30
Taste/Flavors: Oak, Citrus, Toffee, Creamy
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Date: 11/30/2014
Brand/Yr: The Balvenie 17yr “DoubleWood” Speyside
Taster: Greg
Neat Rating (out of 10): NA
With Water Rating (out of 10): NA
Overall Rating: NA
Neat
Appearance: Dark Amber
Aroma: Warm, Smokey
Body/ Mouth Feel: Rich, Clean, Tingling
Length of Finish: 25 sec F, 40 Sec B
Taste/Flavors: NA
Notes: Slow to medium legs, dried apricot/plum, cherry, cranberry (aroma/nose). 1st Taste: very sweet on the lips, aluminum and cactus fruit.
With Water
Appearance: Dark Amber
Aroma: Warm, Smokey
Body/ Mouth Feel: Thin, Clean, Tingling
Length of Finish: 18 sec F, 36 sec B
Taste/Flavors: NA
Notes: Buttery, Oily, Caramel, Honey, Cayenne, Coriander
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Date: 11/30/2014
Brand/Yr: The Balvenie 17yr “DoubleWood” Speyside
Taster: Dave
Neat Rating (out of 10): 8.2
With Water Rating (out of 10): 8
Overall Rating: 8.1
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Peppery, Smokey
Body/ Mouth Feel: Light, Mellow, Smooth
Length of Finish: 35 sec
Taste/Flavors: Honey, Vanilla, Buttery, Earthy, Smooth
Notes: Slow, Thin legs. Starts with a peppery honey, then melts into a buttery vanilla.
With Water
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Mellow, Peppery, Smokey
Body/ Mouth Feel: Light, Thin, Mellow, Smooth
Length of Finish: 30 sec
Taste/Flavors: Honey, Vanilla, Earthy, Buttery, smooth, Creamy
Notes: Quick thin legs. Starts with smoother pepper nose to honey. Slower melting with a little vanilla.
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Date: 11/24/14
Brand/Yr: Pig’s Nose Blended 5yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7.5
With Water Rating (out of 10): NA
Overall Rating: NA
Neat
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: Soft, Mellow
Length of Finish: 26 Sec
Taste/Flavors: Fruity, Pear, Honey, Toffee
Notes: Large leg. Smells of caramelized sugars, almost dry maple syrup. Taste is sweet with a bit of honey, and then slightly fruity (young pear), and hints of toffee. Not a lot of complexity, but very easy to drink and quite tasty
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Date: 11/24/14
Brand/Yr: Caol Ila 12yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 8
With Water Rating (out of 10): NA
Overall Rating: NA
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Warm, Smokey, Sea Air
Body/ Mouth Feel: Light, Soft
Length of Finish: 54 Sec
Taste/Flavors: Peat, Grape Skin, Leathery, Tart
Notes: Thick leg. Smell is very peaty, and then you get a whiff of sea air. After a few more smells, it grows sweeter to the smell. Taste start out sweet and vanilla-y, with some moss and finally ends on a peat note. Interesting how peat starts on the nose but it ends with the taste. Easy to drink but good flavor, with a bit of heat in the end.
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Date: 12/23/14
Brand/Yr: Ardbeg 10yr- 46% ABV
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 8
With Water Rating (out of 10): NA
Overall Rating: NA
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Prickly, Smokey, Sweet
Body/ Mouth Feel: Sharp, Full-bodied, Tingling
Length of Finish: 49 Sec
Taste/Flavors: Peat, Pine, Oily, Moss, Earthy
Notes: Medium sized and speed legs. Medium bite. Salty smell with peat & spice. Slightly pine-y and oily with a rich earthy/mossy taste. Like a forest floor on the ocean coast after a light rain. Less of a campfire taste, and more of a wet moss. Delightful. Doesn't change dramatically, but over time time flavors do change.
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Date: 12/10/14
Brand/Yr: Hibiki 12yr- 43% ABV
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 9
With Water Rating (out of 10): NA
Overall Rating: NA
Neat
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Mellow, Fruity
Body/ Mouth Feel: Extremely smooth, rich, creamy
Length of Finish: 52 Sec
Taste/Flavors: See notes
Notes: Young/tart cherry with a bit of maraschino thrown in. There is also a floral, rose water taste to it. Very, very smooth with almost no burn. This is a complex and delicious whisky. Different from most Scotches out there.
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Date: 02/10/15
Brand/Yr: Hakushu 12yr
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 7.5
With Water Rating: 7
Overall Rating: 7.5
Neat
Appearance: Pale Gold
Aroma: Sweet
Body: NA
Mouth Feel/Taste: Creamy
Finish: 37 sec
Flavors: Sweet, Creamy, Caramel, Bubble Gum, Mandarin
Notes: Very mellow smell, but tastes sweet. Strong caramel aroma, with a hint of “hubba bubba” bubble gum. Starts out smooth tasting, but then the alcohol taste kicks in. If then mellows out again and the sweetness returns. Creamy finish with some mandarin notes.
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Date: 02/10/15
Brand/Yr: Colonel Taylor E.H. Uncut
Taster: Ryan
Neat Rating (out of 10): 6.5
With Water Rating: 7
Overall Rating: 6.5
Neat
Appearance: Medium Amber
Aroma: Mellow, Sweet
Body/Mouth Feel: Sharp, Full-Bodied
Finish: 20 sec
Flavors: Cinnamon, Peppercorn, Astringent
Notes: Smells very sweet, with a slight astringency to it, but it’s fairly subtle. A lot of heat, with notes of cinnamon and peppercorns. Sits in the back of your mouth. This is way better with a drop of water, which is probably due to the high ABV (64.5%).
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