Tasting #69: Westland American Single Malt
Tasting #69: Westland American Single Malt
On Wednesday, January 27th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 69th tasting. The focus of this tasting was Westland American Single Malt Whiskey out of Seattle. We were joined by Jeff Greenstein who walked us through the core line expression followed by three limited edition Westland bottlings. We were fortunate to get our hands on two Garryanas from 2019 and 2020 and an exclusive single cask for the NY market. It was a fantastic tasting and thanks so much for Jeff for joining us and co-hosting such a fun evening.
Here is what we tasted.
- Westland American Single Malt – American Oak
- Westland American Single Malt – Sherry Wood
- Westland American Single Malt – The Peated
- Westland Garryana 2019 – Edition 4/1 – Limited Edition
- Westland Garryana 2020 – Edition 5/1 – Limited Edition
- Westland Single Cask #2781 – NY Exclusive Market Release
52 members were online for this really great tasting.
YouTube video: YouTube Video
For scores, please check here: Scores
Tasting #68: A Campbeltown Celebration
Tasting #68: A Campbeltown Celebration
On Wednesday, January 20th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 68th tasting. The focus of this tasting was Campbeltown. It was a true Celebration of some really fantastic whiskies that were collected by the club over the last year. From Festival bottles to a very special Scotch Malt Whisky Society gift, this tasting was one of the best we have had as a club. We were joined by both Tom Smith and Ben Diedrich from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society to go through some of their casks, but also just to be with us to enjoy this really fun evening.
Here is what we tasted.
- Glen Scotia 14 Year Campbeltown Festival 2020 Bottling
- SMWS 93.128 ‘Smoke and smugglers’ Glen Scotia 17 Year
- SMWS 93.140 ‘Bacon on a bonfire’ Glen Scotia 17 Year Tasting Panel Experience
- Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength
- Springbank 12 Year Burgundy Cask
- Springbank 14 Year Bourbon Wood
- SMWS 27.113 ‘What a song and dance’ Springbank 26 Year
32 members were online for this really great tasting.
YouTube video: YouTube Video
For scores, please check here: Scores
Tasting #67: Scotch-Paired Dinner
Tasting #67: Scotch-Paired Dinner
On Thursday, January 14th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 67th tasting and first tasting of 2021. We started the year off with a really great Scotch-paired dinner. The food was crafted by the very talented kitchen crew at Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga Springs. We paired five courses with 4 different Single Malt Scotches and one cocktail. It was a dinner-to-go, as the Pandemic still prevents our club from getting together indoors as a group.
Here is the menu and what was paired with it:
- First Course: Red Snapper Crudo – paired with “A Step Too Far” cocktail made with Lagavulin 16 Year Single Malt Scotch, Apricot, Amontillado Sherry, Golden Moon Kummel
- Second Course: Chicken Liver Mousse Tartine – paired with Gordon & MacPhail’s Connoisseurs Choice Highland Park 14 Year Single Cask
- Third Course: Braised Beef Cheeks – paired with Infrequent Flyers’ Linkwood 14 Year Single Cask
- Fourth Course: Stilton and Eccles Tart – paired with Glen Scotia 11 Year Double Cask Finish
- Fifth Course: Sticky Toffee Pudding – paired with SMWS 48.110 ‘Sooooternes!’ Balmenach 15 Year Single Cask
21 members were online for this really great dinner and whisky tasting.
Tasting #66: American Whiskey
Tasting #66: American Whiskey
On Wednesday, December 30th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 66th tasting! It was the last tasting of the year and a great way to end it. We all can’t wait for 2021!! The focus of this tasting was American Whiskey. We dove into some Bourbons and then finished with 3 single casks from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society that were Bourbon, Rye and American Single Malt. On top of this, one of our members made ginger snap cookies with our logo on them! See the photo below. It was a really fun evening and a nice way to end the year. Here is what we tasted.
- Pre-Tasting Dram: Kyro Malted Rye Whisky – from Finland – yes, not American
- Penelope Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Rose Finish
- Elijah Craig Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Toasted Barrel Finish
- Knob Creek 12 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 100 Proof
- SMWS RW2.1 American Rye Whiskey ‘Out of the ordinary – in a very good way!’
- SMWS B6.1 American Bourbon Whiskey ‘Ginger-spiced sponge’
- SMWS 142.1 American Single Malt Whiskey ‘Made in New York, New York’
53 members were online for this really great tasting.
For scores, please check here: Scores
