Peated Port Blind Tasting with @TheWhiskeyChaps

A message from @TheWhiskyChaps arrived asking if I'd like to run a #BlindTasting session for them - how could I say no?

I picked my favourite style of whisky - Peated Port Cask Finish and invited them to guess what they were!

@TheWhiskeyChaps are two guys who taste whisky, share their notes and generally have a good time! They often ask others to join in or set them challenges! You can find @StillSurreal and @whiskeychap's website here. I was asked to organise a Blind Tasting for them. 

Lots of distilleries mature or finish some of their spirit in Port casks, some even mature their peated spirit in Port casks and they usually turn out like nectar! I picked three bottles from my shelf which fitted this criteria to see what the Chaps thought!

As a bonus(?) I also included a sample of Taylor's Tawny Port

The session was run as a proper Blind tasting, the chaps didn't know what the drams were before hand, not even that they were Peated Port.

First I asked them to nose each sample in turn and share their thoughts. We then tasted each one and again shared our thoughts. Finally I asked some questions about age order, ABV order and Region before revealing what the drams were.

Dram	1	2	3
In the glass
	So, dram 1 appearance: Lovely dark auburn, nice and clingy. Left sitting, the legs on 1 seem to last longest. Immediate hit of alcohol on the nose, oak, smells well matured to me. There's a menthol hit to it to, like Vicks. There is a smokiness to it, I didn't think of tobacco, more embers or that bit of wood as the fire dies, that doesn't quite burn through, there's a sugary fruitiness to it in the background though. Blackberries maybe? Ethanol and white pepper and chilli! That warms the soul!! More of a barley hot than menthol with this, gets you in the throat and chest. Second sip is still a hitter, but with a metallic twang now. Mint on the throat but sweetness mid palate. Lots of black liquorice, cinnamon and some cloves too. Pretty xmassy, and strong! Pretty spicy finish. The sweetness is there still, but the lingering taste is spices	Very dark, almost oak in colour, again nice and oily. Another big hitter initially. Fruit forward on this one for me, mixed berries and baking spices. Foam sweets are back. Shrimps and bananas. There's a slight hoppiness to it, like a strong ale, maybe even floral, under that ABV. Nice and oily Lots of oak and woody notes, herbs and earthy notes. Again, lots of ABV! Tingling on the roof of the mouth and tongue. Second sip provides a more fruity palate, plums, cherries and blackberries. I prefer this on the palate, to dram 1. The oakiness catches the chest a tad.	Somewhere in between the first 2 in colour. Closer to number 2 than 1. Dark and a bit of an orange tint. Sugar first, not as much ethanol, suggesting lower ABV, but I've made that mistake before! There's a herbal quality to this one, a touch grassy. I get no smoke whatsoever! heheh. More sugars and lighter. I think less ABV than the first 2. Tropical fruits and syrup. Dram 3 does have a numbing effect on the palate, followed by that tingling. Not as well balanced but I still like this palate the most
	Mid gold in colour, It’s mid gold in colour, and syrupy viscous, with thick legs. On the nose cherry drop sweets, a little menthol freshness, some dark chocolate, hand rolling tobacco, black coffee, and icing sugar sweetness. Comes across nicely married. A little bbq sauce, raisins. It’s just getting darker and darker with time for me, definitely some tannins, and bitter dark chocolate. That’s a spicy punch straight away, quite a bit of oak, black pepper, very oily too, orange, cinnamon, salted bacon, ginger, cardamom, dark chocolate; that’s a lovely palate Brian. Finish is medium long, quite salty and oily, some nice oak, and cigar leaves, very nice indeed.	More of a dark amber, 2 is with thinner teardrop legs. Higher ABV possibly, still menthol but not as strong, bonfire ash here, cherries again but sweeter, stoned fruits too, some lemon and pineapple. Slight germoline note too. It is almost confectionery behind the peat. Dram 1 is meatier, dram 2 is sweeter on the nose. Instantly salty, not as spicy for me, pineapple, pears, salted bacon again, nuttiness, a little smoke/peat, not as much as I expected tbh. There’s sweet lemon too, but so salty for me. Finish is also medium long, still salty, cigar leaves, cinnamon, and more refined I’d say.	More of a dark gold in colour beads up and has small teardrop legs. Ooooh, I like this nose lots, smoky with royal icing, I love that mixture, making me salivate tbh. BBQ meat, liquorice, cola cubes, old leather Much more fruity for me, red wine? Definitely strawberries, raspberries, cherries, furniture Polish, varnish, dark chocolate, getting spicier too, ginger, cinnamon, fumigation leaves, and a touch of linseed oil, nice mouth feel also. The finish is longer for me, sustained spiciness, wood, tannins and a fruit sweetness persists. I generally agree with you too, definitely thinking red wine fruits, perhaps not so old.
	I love the swirls on #1, the rich gold  liquid, with maybe a hint of pink, clings as a hairline crack to the glass. Beads form and slow thin legs fall. Dram 1 for me has a little light peat smoke, orchard and berry fruit notes with a little sweet citrus. Maybe a small hint of orange zest? Thick syrupy arrival, very sweet with a huge ginger spice note. The smoke arrives blanketing everything then rolls away to leave notes of dark berries - blackberries, blackcurrants & black cherries. As the liquid disappears there's a sweet citrus fizz on the tongue and a huge drying note in the mouth - yummy!	#2 is quite oily, but again forms a hairline crack and slow thin legs. Dram 2 suggests o me : peat smoke and maritime salt notes - bonfire on a beach. But this beach is on a tropical island - hints of tropical fruit - pineapple and peach. Thick oily arrival, huge sweet berry fruit notes from the nose, sea salt and then a huge wave of smoke swamps everything. once you're a few sips in and the ABV and smoke have dissipated a little the berry fruit starts to come through more - yummy!	#3 has a pink tinge to it and again hairline crack and thin slow legs. Dram 3 for me is much more fruit forward, there's a lot of smoke around and again some citrus hints. I get more fruit from Dram 3 and also noticeably dryer. Lots of berries, cherries and chocolate then a big waft of peat smoke. Yummy!
What were they?
Drams	Loch Lomond 2006 Single Cask 18-550/12 Heavily Peated Tawny Port Finish 53.1% ABV 13yo	Glen Scotia 2006 14yo Tawny Port Campbeltown Malts Festival 52.8% ABV 14yo	Glen Moray 2011 Single Cask #600434 Peated Port 53.4% ABV 9yo

The 4th bottle contained a sample of Taylor’s Select Reserve Port, a 20%  blend of red wines produced in the Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo areas of the upper Douro Valley, chosen for their depth of colour, intense fruit and full, firm palate. These wines are matured for about three years in oak vats, where they soften and develop without losing their fresh, intense fruity character and their deep ruby colour. 

It's  a lovely dry port perfect with Mince Pies or Christmas Cake. 

Many thanks to the Chaps for the invite, I think they enjoyed my choices!