Tasting #60: Feis Ile 2020
Tasting #60: Feis Ile 2020
On Wednesday, September 30th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 60th tasting! This was a very special one. We were able to get our hands on a number of the Festival bottles from this year’s Feis Ile 2020 which was canceled due to the Coronavirus. Most of the Islay distilleries still released Festival Bottles so we did our best. We also added some hard to get Scotch Malt Whisky Society Festival bottles.
Here is what we tasted:
- Bunnahabhain 10 Year by Douglas Laing Old Particular – pre-tasting dram
- Caol Ila 16 Year Festival Release
- Lagavulin 20 Year Festival Release
- SMWS 3.314 ‘Loungecare stave exoticism’ Bowmore 15 Year Festival Bottle
- SMWS 29.270 ‘Collateral drammage’ Laphroaig 8 Year Festival Bottle
- Laphroaig Cairdeas 2020 Festival Release
- Port Charlotte 16 Year Festival Release
32 members were online using Zoom for this really fun and rare tasting!!
For scores, please visit our Scores page.
Tasting #47: The Whisky Hoop
Tasting #47: The Whisky Hoop
On Wednesday, February 19th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club held its 47th tasting as a club. The theme for this tasting was The Whisky Hoop Independent Bottlings. These bottles were brought back from Japan. The Whisky Hoop is a members-only independent bottler that sells mostly to Japanese bars. It was an incredible tasting.
The whiskies that we tasted included:
- Talisker 6 Year
- Arran 16 Year
- Clynelish 23 Year
- Glendronach 22 Year
- Tobermory 11 Year
- Bunnahabhain 4 Year
23 members were in attendance for this tasting.
Tasting #42: SMWS November Releases
Tasting #42: SMWS November Releases
On Wednesday, November 6th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 42nd tasting as a club! The theme of this tasting was New November Releases from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. We will be doing similar tastings once a quarter going forward as we really enjoy tasting some of the new expressions that are being released. 25 members were in attendance for this outing!
Here is a list of the whiskies we tasted:
- SMWS 1.211 – Glenfarclas – 8 YR ‘Ironing a lemon’
- SMWS 64.111 – Mannochmore – 8 YR ‘Pleasing sweetness, playful heat’
- SMWS 44.114 – Craigellachie – 12 YR ‘Sweet peas and toffee trees’
- SMWS 9.167 – Glen Grant – 23 YR ‘Part of the furniture’
- SMWS 16.39 – Glenturret – 18 YR ‘Sweetness and spice laced with mystery’
- SMWS 73.114 – Aultmore – 17 YR ‘Total eclipse of oloroso’
- SMWS 10.176 – Bunnahabhain – 11 YR ‘Tea-smoked salmon’
- SMWS 53.276 – Caol Ila – 6 YR ‘Ein kleiner deutscher samurai’
It was a fantastic night of tasting new expressions.
Check out the scores! Scores
Slainte!
Tasting #36 Recap: Feis Ile 2019
Tasting #36 Recap: Feis Ile 2019
On Wednesday, June 26th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had a really special & unique tasting that focused on bottles recently brought back from the Feis Ile Music & Whisky Festival on Islay. This was a first for the club and probably one of our best tastings to date! It was a packed house and there were 20 members in attendance.
Here is a list of the whiskies we tasted:
- Bunnahabhain 17 Year Sauternes Finish – Feis Ile 2019
- Bowmore 15 Year Ex-Bourbon – Feis Ile 2019
- Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood Cask Strength – Feis Ile 2019
- Lagavulin 19 Year – Feis Ile 2019
- Caol Ila 22 Year – Feis Ile 2019
- Octomore Event Horizon – Feis Ile 2019
For scores from the tasting, please go to Scores.
It was a fantastic evening recapping the Feis Ile and tasting some of the superb whiskies that we brought home to New York. Everyone enjoyed this special treat. Cheers!
