Whisky Boys invited to Scotch Malt Whisky Society (The Vaults)

Whisky Tasting – Whisky Boys invited to Scotch Malt Whisky Society (The Vaults) Jscotch-malt-whisky-society-the-vaults-courtyarduly 2010 Outturn.

With Whisky Boy Jim off to Northern Ireland for a short break (visiting guest taster Philip Giles) with Whisky wife Jacqueline, he was gutted to have lost out on one of our regular invites to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Outturn Whisky Tasting nights, especially as this tasting was being held at The Vaults in Leith instead of their members club in Edinburgh City Centre.

Wednesday 30th June, I headed over to Longcroft to pick up Whisky Boy Dougie, chauffeured by my Whisky Husband, Scott. We set off from Longcroft at 4:30 pm and arrived at The Vaults around 6:00pm, this gave us enough time to grab a quick beer before our tasting night started.

Once we arrived at The Vaults, were were greeted by our friend Olaf who was our host for the evening.
Mandarin Dreams and Marmalde Heaven, Cask No. 7.58
Price:  £61.30
Age:  19 Years
Alcohol:  51.4%
Outturn:  188 bottles
Cask:  Refill ex-bourbon barrell
Distillery:  Longmorn, Speyside
Date Distilled:  February 1990
mandarin-dreams-and-marmalade-heaven-scotch-malt-whisky-society
Colour……..Dawn light through a honey jar

Nicola’s Tasting

Nose…Sweet sherbet, desserts by the bowlful, tropics.
Taste…Strawberry laces, ginger crystals & treacle scones.
Finish…Long, holding on to the sweet taste.

Score…3 corks

Dougie’s Tasting

Nose…Fresh meadows and honeysuckle with a hint of ginger.
Taste…Exotic fruits and oranges with a gingery tingle. Little or no water required.

Score…3.5corks


Audrey Hepburn in a ball gown, Cask No. 41.45
Price:  £58.30
Age:  25 Years
Alcohol:  56.1%
Outturn:  164 bottles
Cask:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
Distillery:  Dailuaine, Speyside
Date Distilled:  September 1984
hippie-dram-scotch-malt-whisky-society
Colour……..Antique Copper

Nicola’s Tasting

Nose
…Coastal, salty on nose, orchard fruits.
Taste…Honeyed/musty still hanging onto apples with a waxy after taste.
Finish…Reminiscent of a good ale, long.

Score…3.5 corks

Dougie’s Tasting

Nose…Fresh cigars in a gentleman’s club, old comfortable leather armchairs and damp wood on the fire.
Taste…Like a freshly cooked mussel in taste and texture, smooth and sweetly, salty, melting and blending with a light oak tingle.

Score…3 corks

Hippie Dram, Cask No. 18.30
Price:  £71.50
Age:  24 Years
Alcohol:  45.5%
Outturn:  221 bottles
Cask:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
Distillery:  Inchgower, Speyside
Date Distilled:  February 1985

audrey-hepburn-in-a-ball-gown-scotch-malt-whisky-society
Colour……..Full gold


Nicola’s Tasting

Nose…Smokey cigar, firewater.
Taste…Clove tobacco, cigarettes, spice.
Finish…Spice & fire, long olives lingering.

Score…2.5 corks

Dougie’s Tasting

Nose…Fresh cigars in a gentleman’s club, old comfortable leather armchairs and damp wood on the fire.
Taste… Like a freshly cooked mussel in taste and texture, smooth and sweetly, salty, melting and blending with a light oak tingle.

Score…3 corks

Chinese food in an old-fashioned hotel, Cask No. 53.141
Price:  £63.40
Age:  20 Years
Alcohol:  52%
Outturn:  259 bottles
Cask:  Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
Distillery:  Caol Ila, Islay
Date Distilled:  December 1989

chinese-food-in-an-old-fashioned-hotel-scotch-malt-whisky-society
Colour……..Bubbly yellow gold

Nicola’s Tasting

Nose…Nutty, ashy with leather tones.
Taste…Coal & tar but with perfume undertone.
Finish…Medium, not really to my liking – passed the rest of this one to Dougie.

Score…2 corks

Dougie’s Tasting

Nose…Mahogany and almonds , dry and dusty with a light spice tingle and a faint leatheriness.
Taste…Faint cigar smoke, sugared almonds, pear drops and wet boots drying by a campfire on the beach.

Score…3 corks

Perfect pitch of peat, Cask No. 33.88
Price:  £57.30
Age:  10 Years
Alcohol:  56.5%
Outturn:  243 bottles
Cask:  1st Fill ex-bourbon barrell
Distillery:  Ardbeg, Islay
Date Distilled:  September 1999
perfect-pitch-of-peat-scotch-malt-whisky-society
Colour……..Soft mid gold


Nicola’s Tasting
NoseNutty, ashy with leather tones.
Taste
Coal & tar but with perfume undertone.
Finish
Medium to long, very pleasant.

Score…3 corks

Dougie’s Tasting

Nose…Cough syrup,cinder toffee and the sea shore just before the tide returns.
Taste…Soft warm peat, liquorice and leather followed by salty wood smoke with an underlying sweetness.

Score…3.5 corks

tasting-glasses

Once again another great Whisky Tasting night hosted by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Olaf.  Once making our way out onto the cobbled streets of Leith, we were picked up by Scott and driven back to Dougie’s for a wee night cap.

Dougie and I felt terrible that my dad (Whisky Boy Jim) had missed out on such a good evening,  and for this reason called him on our way home to rub it in further!!!  To be fair though, his response was “I’m in a luxury country club on the outskirts of Dublin”, at that point I rhymed off the fine drams we had been tasting and after discovering there were Islay malts (Jim’s favourites), he suggested throwing himself out the countryclub’s window.

Once again thank you to Olaf and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society for hosting such a fine evening, a great night was had by Dougie and myself.

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