Malt'n'Copper Whisky Tasting

The word whisky conjures up images of leather chairs and luxury, fireplaces and amber glow in crystal glasses, gentlemen and secret societies. Single malt scotch is the epitome of class in many places in the world, but whisky is certainly not limited to single malts. Whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Canadia, the United States made from barley, corn, rye and wheat are all notable and contribute to a wide variety of respected styles and tastes.

Traditional Scotch is made from malted barley and not blended with any other whisky or grain alcohol. Scotch is also not made using new casks, unlike bourbon, and so has less of an oak flavour.

For tasting, a small amount of room temperature water can "unlock" flavours and oils. Factors to notice are colour, palate, finish, and nose, which can be described with six notes; woody, winey, cereal, fruity, floral, peaty and fenty.

http://www.whiskymag.com/nosing_course/part3.php

Malt'n'Copper are a Whisky Society local to Brighton, started by a former wine trader gone rogue. They organise tasting events and share whisky notes within their community. This tasting was focussed on Highland Park scotches and involved six whiskies. http://maltncopper.com/

The first, a new make spirit, was completely clear and unaged. It was extremely strong and at 50% ABV, highly alcoholic, similar to the Eastern European spirit Slivovice (a plum brandy) but once water was added, sweet honey notes and a smoky finish were detectable. It is useful to have an unaged spirit at a tasting for comparison.

Next we tasted a 12-year old Scotch that had been aged in a Spanish Oak Sherry Cask. It's quite popular to age Whisky in Sherry casks, and it contributed to the floral smell and buttery pecan notes. 

Third up was a 15 year old, aged in American White Oak, which had a strong oak and coconut scent. This was a very sweet whisky, with honey and caramel notes.

The 18 year old Highland Park was awarded "best spirit in the world" by Paul Pacult. It was aged in bourbon casks and very complex. It had spicy notes of cinnamon, cocoa and cayenne, but overall left the impression of maple syrup and pancakes; mostly sweet but containing undertones of sulfur or pleasantly burnt batter. It was indeed a praise-worthy drink. 

The fifth whisky came from a single cask and was less sweet than the others. At this point in the tasting it must be noted that the whisky began to unlock the poetic flavours of the tasters. Tasting is always somewhat subjective, especially when tasting for pleasure rather than for purchase. Impressions of the Single Cask were that it tasted of a "savage city skyline", with the creosote and wood of train tracks underlying floral notes, Earl Grey tea and airing laundry. 

The final Scotch was a 24 year old Gordon and MacPhail single cask. It aged in a former bourbon cask and the length of time gave it an extremely smooth quality with popcorn and cherry notes. 

Overall, tasting so many whiskies together was both productive and a little wasteful. With the exception of the un-aged whisky, any of these Scotches would have been a pleasure and a treat to drink. Trying such similar drinks (and because of the water and environment, whiskies from a single distillery will have certain similarities) encouraged the tasters to look for the nuances. A guided tasting like this is appropriate for anyone looking to educate themselves and experience new aspects of a drink they already enjoy. 

http://www.highlandpark.co.uk/

Maclean, C. (2008). Whisky. Dorling Kindersley Limited: London.