The second whisky tasting of Michaelmas 2008 is a Winter Warmer Whiskies Tasting on 5 Dec at 8p.

This tasting is for those who are looking for that special Christmas dram! The tasting will focus on special, limited-edition, or unique bottlings of whisky from around the world. In past premium tastings, whiskies such as the Balvenie 14 year Rum Wood Single Malt and Compass Box Orangerie Whisky. The menu for this tasting has yet to be created but will definitely contain something for every whisky drinker (and something that every whisky drinker has never seen)! Read the rest of this entry »

The first whisky tasting of Michaelmas 2008 is an Introductory Whisky Tasting on 20 November at 9p (after Hall).

The Introductory Tasting is a guided tasting through the world of whisky. It will give you an overview of the tastes and styles of whisky available from around the world (and available from the Whisky Cabinet at the Bar). This is the tasting to attend if you are interested in whisky but are unsure about which whiskies you enjoy. Also, during the course of the tasting, we will cover the basics about distilling and aging and try to answer any questions you may have about whisky. Read the rest of this entry »

Maker’s Mark has produced special Rock the Vote bottles. The bottles are triple-dipped with red, white, and blue wax. They are available from a lot of good retailers or you can buy them online here.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite whiskies and is always my choice when I want a shot of peat! Read the rest of this entry »

Aberlour 10 Year Old starts with a light nose, but presents some traditional Speyside spicy malt, and finishes with a long fruity note. Overall, this is a very solid Speyside malt that shows it sherry butt aging and spicy malts to great effect. (originally written on 16 Jan 07)

Link to Distillery

Tasting whisky is more about the nose than the tongue! Which is why the correct terminology for a whisky tasting is actual a “nosing” and the best tasters are called “noses.”

Tasting is easy, you can only taste four things: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. On the other hand, your nose can detect about 35,000 different smells and is sensitive enough to detect those aromas when diluted to one part per million. Therefore, when determining the qualities of any whisky, your nose can provide you with a lot more information and even when you are drinking whisky, it is your nose that is providing you with most of the information. Try to hold your nose when you take a sip and see how much you can taste! Read the rest of this entry »