top of page
Search

Tasting without prejudice...

Writer's picture: NigelNigel

One of the great things about hosting tasting events is that, from time to time, there's an opportunity to have fun with the attendees. At the start of October, I hosted a "blind" tasting, where the attendees would not know what samples they would be tasting. We all have our prejudices when it comes to whiskey so these tastings are an opportunity to challenge those prejudices.

We had some first-timers for the event who were interested in trying a variety of whiskeys. More experienced tasters were interested in testing themselves by guessing the origin of the samples themselves. The newer tasters enjoyed the range; others did well in guessing the origins. I didn't make guessing easy, of course...

As with any virtual event it needs a little more patience from the group and they were great (as always). The samples arrived with everyone in time and a few who couldn't attend on the night sent in their tasting notes afterwards.

I'm glad to say that everyone had some sort of an eye-opening moment...


Sample one - Jameson, Ireland, 40% ABV. Not really a sample per se as I always start off with our lodestar, and it makes for a great sample to compare and contrast other samples with. A solid start, nonetheless.


Sample two - Paddy's share, Ireland, 47%. A stable-mate of Jameson, this whiskey is produced at Midleton and is a relatively recent addition to the portfolio. This was one of the surprises on the night as many people assume a "Paddy" whiskey is going to be harsh and hot. However, the feedback was quite the opposite with many picking out it was Irish but complimenting it's quality with one noting that it must be "an expensive Irish whiskey". One to note, perhaps!


Sample three - Knob Creek 9-year old, USA, 50% ABV. Our first visit outside Irish shores brings us to Kentucky and Knob Creek. A relatively spicy ABV was picked up by everyone, with many noting that it was definitely a bourbon - a very good guess. Overall, it didn't fare well with the group, with many noting it was a little harsh and not softened much by the wooden notes.



Sample four - Eagle Rare 10-year old, USA, 45% ABV. Of course nobody expected a bourbon to follow a bourbon, so that's exactly what I did. This one, however, won favour with the group with praise for its mellow flavour, its enjoyable length and its smoothness. Of course, nobody guessed where it was from - which is definitely part of the fun!


Sample five - the Legendary Dark Silkie, Ireland, 46%. Hailing from the Sliabh Liag Distillers, this expression includes peated elements and polarised the group. Some hate peat and found this unpleasant, others enjoyed it much more. Unsurprisingly, many guessed this was a Scotch and were interested to hear that it was distilled much closer to home. The group found this a bit of a mixed bag - perhaps one to consider if you were interested in an Irish peated whiskey.


Sample six - Indri Drú Cask Strength, India, 57.2% ABV. And now we come to the one that was very difficult to guess. Hailing from India, bottled at cask strength and with a multitude of awards, this one was generally very popular with the group (though one sampler was not a fan!). This was a sample I was eager to share with a wider group as I enjoy this one, and it's one that people might generally miss. At least two bottles were bought by the group on the night!


This was a really fun tasting event with a great crowd of attendees who participated fully and really made the night great. Everyone had something to take away from the event - a newfound respect for Indian whiskey, a promise to reconsider Paddy whiskey, or maybe an appreciation for some gentle bourbon. Either way, we all had plenty to discuss on the night and we'll never approach whiskey in the same way again!

17 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Subscribe Form

Thanks for submitting!

©2021 by TheSnug. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page
<