Sorry guys, Been offline and haven't had a chance to post anything for a while.

Unfortunately I have misplaced my tasting notes for the drams I had with Bart and will keep looking for them in hopes to get some more postings up.

Meanwhile, here is a snippet for those of you that love those "cheeky little darkies" from Ireland

The Whisky Shop

Had a wee visit by my friend Bart from "The Whisky Shop" in Auckland a couple of days ago. This man is a wealth of knowledge on all things whisky and always willing to share it with everyone, and what better way to pass on knowledge than by a first hand sampling of some wonderful whiskies.

He had seven different drops in his sampling case this time around but I took my pick of what I thought would be the best. (Always a relative term and hard to do when you know that they will all be great)

Unfortunately for now I have misplaced the tasting notes that I took, but I will track them down and get them up in the next couple of days.

In the mean time, make sure you check out the great selection at The Whisky Shop

Magoo is the Man!!!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I often get given samples of various products by the different reps. Today was one of those days and brother Magoo from Lion definitely came through with the good stuff.

Today's sampling consisted of a few products that have been around for a while but I have only just had the chance to try.

To tell you the truth, one of them (The Clynelish 14yo) I hadn't even heard of before two days ago when I saw it at another store. So lucky me when half an hour after starting work today I get the word to grab some glasses and have a go. A cracking drop to prepare for a hard day of slacking off. (Clynelish 14yo review to follow)

The other product he had for me to try was a bit of a change for me, but I decided it was well worth making it onto this little blog of mine. The Ciroc vodka was a perfect little warm up for the whisky to follow on from. (Ciroc review to follow)

Anyway, Thanks Magoo.
You are a gentleman, a scholar and a general menace to society, and that's what it's all about.

Clynelish 14 year old

Country: Scotland
Region : Highland

Distillery : Clynelish Distillery

Type : Single Malt

ABV : 46%

Age : 14 years

Colour: Old Gold, Amber

Nose: Light peat with spicy floral notes.

Taste: Starts very dry producing only a lightly smoked barley taste. Mellow spiced honey fills out the body with hints of cereal and fruit. A very long, complex finish that moves from honey to oak and more floral/fruit notes and hints of the sea.

The Clynelish was a real suprise for me. To tell you the truth I nearly wrote it off before I had tried it. It is not often that I come across a whiskey that I haven't at least heard of before. Hailing from the northern highlands I was expecting a tame little brother of a Glen Ord or a Dalmore whiskey. What I got instead was a tame little cousin of a Laphroaig or a Bruichladdich. The character of the coastal location really through enough to really appreciate and the peat smoke is subtle and well balanced as opposed to to big and bold like its Islay cousins.

Would be a great whiskey for transitioning a whiskey newcomer from a Glenfiddich to a Talisker, Laphroaig or even Lagavulin.

Food Match. Being quite a light whiskey you could straight away pair this up with a light chicken or fish meal and it would serve just fine. To really play on the peat and spice of this one though, I would go for something a bit gamier like wild pork or perhaps pheasant.

Ciroc Vodka

Country : France
Region : Cognac
Distillery : Ciroc Distillery
Type : Grape Vodka
ABV : 40%
Age : Non Aged

The main points of difference with Ciroc are that...

 a) It is french and...
 b) It is made with grapes.

While most vodkas are made from grain, wheat or potatoes, Ciroc is made using "Snap Frost" grapes in the heart of the cognac country, France.

Distilled five times as opposed to the traditional two or three, it still manages to retain the subtle characteristics of the grapes.

Colour : Colourless (It's Vodka after all!)

Nose : Herbs, Medicine with a hint of pepper.

Taste : At first this vodka sits very forward on the tongue almost like most traditional Russian vodka's but without the very strong peeper taste that they are known for.  It has light citrus start going through to smooth grape. Very fresh grape notes carry through a long pleasant finish.

Very easily drunk neat or on the rocks, Ciroc would also suit a light splash of tonic or lemonade. Steer away from stronger mixes that would drown out the subtleties of this premium vodka.

Jameson Special Reserve

Country : Ireland
Distillery : Old Jameson Distillery
Type : Blended
ABV : 40%
Age : 12 years

Colour : Dark gold

Nose : Very mellow notes of leather and sherry across the top of woody vanilla.

Taste: The first hit is of vanilla with a malty background. This is quickly followed by hints of sherry and spiced fruit. Very clean finish.

This is a whiskey that I could quite happily drink every day for the rest of my life. In complete contrast to the Lagavulin 16yo that I last reviewed, the Jameson 12yo is all about mellow woods and subtle spice. A very nice whiskey indeed. Although easily drunk neat I find that this drop really does benefit from a few cubes of ice to break down and release some more of the dried fruit components.

Food Match : The best match for the Jameson Special Reserve would easily be more Jameson Special Reserve. Just incase you do feel like eating something with it though I would suggest keeping to lighter dishes of chicken or seafood so as not to overpower the whiskey. For something special I would also recommend some neat Jameson Special Reserve with a generous slice of vanilla cheesecake.

Lagavulin 16yo

Country : Scotland

Region : Islay

Distillery : Lagavulin Distillery

Type : Single Malt

ABV : 43%

Age : 16 years

Colour : Deep amber / Rose gold

Nose : Strong iodine and peat smoke with a touch of salt / seaweed

Taste : Starts with very dry peat smoke followed up by mineral salt and touches of wood. Hints of sweetness come though then a long complexed finish almost like coal. 

This whisky epitomises everything about Islay whiskies. It is the bold statement of a wave beaten shore that begs to be either loved or hated. Definitely for those that enjoy a big, powerful whisky.

Food Match : This is absolutely a cheese whisky. The contrast of the creamy cheese with the complex smoke will amplify the flavors of bothe the whisky and the cheese.

For those of you in Tauranga, this bad boy is available at my favorite restaurant "Amphora" on the strand. At only $12.50 it is worth giving a go. 

Drinking in the Morning

For those who struggle to find an excuse to tell the wife why you are drinking so early in the day. (And are too shit scared to tell them the truth, that it is because of their nagging) I have found the answer....

WHISKEY TOOTHPASTE!!!!

Because brushing just isn't as manly as it used to be.

Singha

Country: Thailand
Brewery: Pathumthani Brewery
Style: Lager
ABV: 5%

Colour: Light straw/gold

Nose: Light floral aroma with subtle hop notes

Taste: Crisp start on the tongue mellowing into a hint barley and vanilla with a hop finish.

Probably the best known Thai beer around and with good reason. This easy drinking lager never fails to please especially if, like me, you like a good spicy curry.

Johnnie Walker Gold (The Centenary Blend)

Country: Scotland
Region : Multiple
Distillery: Multiple

Type : Blended
ABV : 40%
Age : 18 years

I'm lucky enough to work in a liquor store and get plenty of chances to try great products at even better prices. Just the other day my rep for Lion Nathan had a few tasty drops for me to try. Of those that we sampled the "Johnnie Gold" was by far leader for whiskey of the day. Thanks Magoo!

I didn't have a chance to take proper tasting notes for the session but it is definitely one that I will revisit when I add one to my collection.

Until then I'll leave you with this little write up.

Few whiskies offer as indulgent an experience as Johnnie Walker Gold Label. Exceptionally smooth, creamy and delicate, Gold Label is the ultimate whisky pleasure. A skillful fusion of rare aged whiskies inspired by the notes originally kept by Sir Alexander Walker and crafted from only a small number of Scotland's most renouned distilleries, each matured for a minimum of 18 years.