BTC2 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes

These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 2nd #BlindDrams evening.

These drams were picked by John @jwbassman_

Dram 1

Appearance: Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling, bead up and fall as slow thick legs.

Nose: loads of vanilla, brown sugar, peat smoke and orchard fruit.

Palate: sweet syrupy arrival with a little smoke, golden syrup on toast? There's vanilla custard notes and a little milk chocolate. Bitter orange? Nice!

Finish: long lingering vanilla and golden syrup sweetness with a hint of smoke. Nice!

Dram 2

Appearance: almost bronze n the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack, beads up and falls as slow thick legs.

Nose: tropical fruit - pineapple and peach, citrus oils - orange and lemon, oak casks and an edge of vanilla. A little hint of milk chocolate but no smoke.

Palate: Tropical fruit - pineapple, peach, mango; berries - strawberries, blackberries; citrus peel, milk chocolate - nice!

Finish: ginger spice dominates a tropical fruit edge and a hint of strawberry jam. Yummy!

Dram 3

Appearance: Pale gold in the glass, swirls again cling as a hairline crack, take a while to bead up and then falls as slow thin legs.

Nose: Huge smoke notes with a maritime edge - bonfire on a beach. There's a little orchard fruit but the smoke dominates - could be Islay but there's no medicinal note.....

Palate: toffee apples warming on a bbq? Lemon bonbons by a fire? Grilled pineapple? It's a combination of toffee, fruit and SMOKE. Yummy!

Finish: long lingering peppery spice with loads of smoke. Yummy!

Dram 4

Appearance: dark bronze in the glass, swirls again cling like a hairline crack in the glass, tiny beads form and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: Dunnage warehouse mustiness, strawberry jam, dried fruit, Christmas cake stuff but with a smoky edge. A little cola cubes and icing sugar. The ABV is tickling my nose - a little high?

Palate: thick sweet molasses arrival, strawberry jam, dried fruit, butterscotch. The smoke is there but only gentle - hidden behind the sherry notes - YUMMY! This just keeps giving - very warming in the throat - finish offers lingering sweet smoky toffee.

Dram 5

Appearance: pale gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: smoke and salt - bonfire on a beach stuff - again not medicinal - Islay - Highlands - Speyside?

BBQ meats, tarmac, rubber gloves and a little citrus.

Palate: silky smooth oily arrival - floral cereal notes, some berries and a little citrus - mixed fruit crumble? But it's been left in the oven too long and burnt to a crisp - SMOKE...

The drams were:

Dram 1 was a Douglas Laing bottling of a 15yo Port Dundas from 2004

Dram 2 was Chapter 7's 26yo blend -  A Whisky Anthology - Monologue

Dram 3 was BenRiach's Peated Cask Strength - Batch 1

 Dram 4 was Benromach's 2010 Peat Smoke (Sherry)

 Dram 5 was Octomore 9.3

The theme was #SherryAndSmoke with John introducing us to sherried, peated and drams with a combination of both!

More information about the Blind Tasting Consortium can be found here!