Last night, I attended a tasting at Louis 649 in the East Village/Alphabet City. The tasting was sponsored by Gordon & MacPhail.
I’ve been meaning to get to Louis for some time now. My buddy Tristan is somewhat of a regular and speaks fondly of their whisk(e)y selection. A look behind the bar tells me why. It’s not the largest selection in the city, but I have to respect a bar that stocks Sazerac, several Tuthilltown whiskeys and an interesting assortment of single malts.
As I sat down at the bar, I immediately felt like this was not going to be like any other tasting I’ve attended. The other attendees were not your usual whisky tasting crowd. From the folks I talked to, it seems that most of the crowd consisted of bartenders, alt.-writers/bloggers, cocktail crafters, and even one Absinthe distiller. I have to say, it was very refreshing to see a room full of tattooed and pierced people and other eccentrics enjoying single malt whisky. This is part of the crowd we apostles are hoping to reach. Bringing whisky out of the realm of dimly lit, smoke-filled bars full of suits. There were even a large number of women in attendance (close to half the audience)! It made me smile quite broadly. The fact that the crowd asked some really astute questions and got a little rowdy, made me smile even more.
The brand ambassador was an hour late to the event, but our host (Gianfranco Verga) started pouring anyway. For me, this was nice. I was able to give the first pour (five different drams) some real time and attention while we waited. Here are my notes on the first five whiskies (all either bottled or distilled by Gordon & MacPhail):
Benromach Traditional (7-7 ½ yo)
40% ABV, 80 Proof
Nose: Light smoke, smells strongly of fresh green apples, honey
Palate: Light, small smoke, green apples, cloves
Finish: Dry, long, turns slightly bitter toward the end
Comments: Benromach is G&MacP’s distillery. It’s the smallest distillery in Speyside and this expression is an attempt to define what traditional Speyside whisky should be. This whisky spends about 80% of it’s maturation in first-fill bourbon barrels and the remaining 20% in first-fill sherry casks. From a cost and taste stand point, Benromach Traditional sits squarely among our Gateway Speysiders, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. I would definitely recommend this whisky.
Benromach Organic (7-7 ½ yo)
43% ABV, 86 Proof
Nose: Caramel, apple, sour (like bourbon mash), oak
Palate: Viscous but light, green apple, toffee, vanilla and light spice
Finish: A little burn, leaves the mouth wetter than the Traditional
Comments: How can a whisky be organic you ask? Well, the barley is organic and the virgin American oak in the barrels is organic. That’s right, all virgin American oak (charred of course) just like the Glenmorangie Astar. The Organic is much darker in color than the Traditional and woodier. It may be a touch more balanced than Astar, but it is also a touch too light on flavor. Not bad but, unless you have a tremendous amount of guilt about your SUV and beef habits, I think the Traditional is a better product.
Caol Ila (Connoisseurs Choice 1996), 8yo
43% ABV, 86 Proof
Nose: Peat and pear
Palate: Light but not much to except peat and it’s associate flavors (leather, anise, damp earth)
Finish: Short but the peat lingers
Comments: Caol Ila is one of the primary malts in Johnnie Walker and a handful of other blends. It’s a good base whisky, but this one is nothing special to my palate.
Miltonduff, 10yo
40% ABV, 80 Proof
Nose: Lady’s perfume, summer fruits and wild flowers
Palate: Tastes exactly like it smells with an oily mouth feel
Finish: The taste does not linger, but my tongue curls and cramps in aftershock
Comments: If this is the key component of Ballentine’s, I might have to stay away from Ballentine’s.
Mortlach, 15yo
40%ABV, 80 Proof
Nose: Green apples, nail polish remover and pipe tobacco
Palate: Roasted nuts and cherry cough syrup
Finish: Cherry cough syrup
Comments: Mortlach is distilled 2 ½ times, aged in first fill sherry casks and “condensed” in worm tubs to create a more intense flavor profile. Unfortunately, it is not a flavor profile that I enjoy in the least. Though at least one attendee claimed it as her favorite.
After the first five, the tables were cleared and we were give four more drams. We kind of rushed through them and both my tongue and nose were getting fatigued so my notes aren’t as good (especially on the last two):
Aberfeldy (Connoisseurs Choice 1989), 15yo
43% ABV, 86 Proof
Nose: Smells just like the perfume they use to scent baby diapers
Palate: Light, smooth, spice, vanilla, and caramel
Finish: Burns with sweet caramel
Comments: Aberfeldy is the key component of Dewar’s. Not a bad dram, but the nose really turns me off.
Glen Grant, 21yo
40%ABV, 80 Proof
Nose: Green apples, peaches
Palate: Sweet, fruity, a little brine somehow (maybe I was sweating into my cup)
Finish: Long and lovely
Comments: I’ve always been a sucker for a good Glen Grant and I’ve always thought that it wore age well. Very good indeed.
Benromach, 21yo
43% ABV, 86 Proof
Nose: Sweet fruits and cereal
Palate: viscous, soft, sherrywood, oak
Finish: Long and luscious
Comments: Fatigue setting in…
Macallan Speymalt 1972, 35yo
43% ABV, 86 Proof
Nose: Extreme fruit (citrus, tropical, and dark berries)
Palate: Same fruit as the nose with a creamy note and Christmas spice
Finish: Long and luxurious
Comments: Is it as good as the distillery-bottled 30yo? I don’t know. I really like the 30yo. This is a little fruitier and a whole lot cheaper. So you decide.
Whew. That’s it, nine whiskies. I don’t want to complain about too much free whisky, but this was a little much for any real objective tasting, especially when there were no spit buckets. If you were following my Twitter posts, you probably noticed that the whisky was served from plastic cups. That was a minor disappointment, but I think it was the shape of the cups, more than the material, that was the bigger problem. However, I did get some good tasting in, so why am I complaining? 🙂
Thanks to Gordon & MacPhail and Louis 649 for putting this together.
Drink well, drink responsibly.
-Matt
