Tasting #21 Recap: Saratoga Race Track Tasting

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Aug 22, 2018 | Tastings

Tasting #21 Recap: Saratoga Race Track Tasting

On Saturday, July 28, the Saratoga Whiskey Club held its first whiskey tasting at the Saratoga Race Track on Jim Dandy Stakes Day. We had a great group attend and this will definitely become an annual tradition at the track. We couldn’t use our fancy Glencairn glasses, but there was still plenty of whiskey to be tasted. Now if we could only get the wagering to be better!!

Here are the whiskies that we tasted. Scores are posted on the Scores page.

Aberlour A’Bunadh – Batch #62 – 59.9% ABV
Glengoyne Cask Strength – Batch #5 – 59.1% ABV
Benromach – Gordon’s Single Cask – 60.6% ABV
The Macallan Edition No. 3 – 48.3% ABV
The Glenlivet Code – Limited Edition – 48% ABV

Here are photos from the event:

Looking forward to next year already!

Tasting #19 Recap: Drams For Fams

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | May 31, 2018 | Tastings

Tasting #19 Recap: Drams For Fams

On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, the Saratoga Whiskey Club took part in a North American initiative started by the Edmonton Scotch Club in Canada called Drams For Fams (#Drams4Fams). The purpose of the initiative is to raise money for a local food bank or other charity in the form of a whiskey tasting. Many different clubs in Canada and the United States took part in this and a lot of money was raised. It was great to be a part of this and we look forward to making an even bigger contribution next year.

The format for our tasting was a lot of fun. Bottles were donated by members and the club for this tasting. All money raised went directly to charity. Participants were able to taste up to 10 different whiskies of the 13 that we had available for the group. Henry Street Taproom provided us a great spot in their restaurant and some awesome appetizers as well. It was a perfect night for tasting a lot of whiskey (but then again, when is it not the perfect night!). All in all, we had 22 people attend this great evening.

Here are the whiskies we tasted and the scores they received:

Blood Oath Pact #4 Bourbon – Score of 88 (avg. of 10 scores)
High West American Prairie – Score of 83 (avg. of 5 scores)
Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye – Score of 85 (avg. of 9 scores)
Elmer T. Lee Bourbon – Score of 87 (avg. of 6 scores)
Glenmorangie Lasanta – Score of 75 (avg. of 3 scores)
Ardbeg Auriverdes – Score of 83 (avg. of 6 scores)
Boone County 12 Year Single Barrel Bourbon – Score of 84 (avg. of 7 scores)
Glenmorangie Spios – Score of 82 (avg. of 5 scores)
Whip Saw Rye Whiskey – Score of 82 (avg. of 9 scores)
Pikesville Rye – Score of 84 (avg. of 2 scores)
Weller Antique 107 – Score of 79 (avg. of 4 scores)
Laphroaig Cairdeas – Score of 83 (avg. of 3 scores)
Johnnie Walker Blade Runner Director’s Cut – No Score

A fantastic evening was had by all. We can’t wait for next year!

Tasting #16 Recap: 2017 Award Winners

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Mar 29, 2018 | Tastings

Tasting #16 Recap: 2017 Award Winners

The Saratoga Whisk(e)y Club had Tasting #16 on two nights, March 14 and March 28, 2018. The focus of the evening was Award-Winning whiskies from 2017. We had a very large turnout of 30 people for the two tastings. We had four different award-winning whiskies at our tasting, a Scotch, an Irish, a Bourbon and a Rye. Here is a list of what we tasted:

We started with a Kelso Pilsner or IPA
Glenmorangie Astar – Ranked #2 Whiskey of the Year by Whiskey Advocate Magazine
Redbreast 12 Cask Strength – A continual winner in its category by the World Whisky Awards
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Batch B517 – Ranked #1 Whiskey of the Year by Whiskey Advocate Magazine
Kentucky Owl 11 Year Rye – Figured this needed an award as well for 2017!

Overall it was a fantastic tasting with lots of special whiskies!

Please sign up for our quarterly newsletter if you are interested in learning about future tastings. Sometimes there are extra spaces available for non-members.

Here are some photos from the tasting.

Tasting #14 Recap: Oyster-Paired Whiskey Dinner

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Feb 6, 2018 | Tastings

Tasting #14 Recap: Oyster-Paired Whiskey Dinner

The Saratoga Whisk(e)y Club had Tasting #14 on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at Henry Street Taproom. Chef Matt Weekes dished up some great courses that we paired with various whiskies from different countries. It was a six-course dinner and four of the courses were oyster-focused. It was a fantastic evening of 19 people and everyone had a great time. Most of the pairings were on point and we look forward to more Henry Street Taproom events in the future.

Here is a list of the courses and the whiskies that we paired:

Course 1 – East Coast Raw Oysters – Savage Harbor Blondes from Prince Edward Island paired with Talisker Distiller’s Edition 2015
- Pairing Comments: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, great, yes, good, works, two thumbs up, great, great, A, very good”
Course 2 – Salad Course – Charred Beet and Citrus Salad
Course 3 – West Coast Raw Oysters – Gigamotos from British Columbia paired with Glenmorangie Nectar D’or
- Pairing Comments: “No, yes, yes, yes, fav!, yup, okay, spice strong, 5 out of 10, good, not as good, B, eh”
Course 4 – Fried oysters atop a corncake with deviled egg mousse paired with Teeling Single Cask Carcavelos
- Pairing Comments: “great, yes!!, yes!, o yea, good, wrong oyster, swap with #2, well-paired, A-, very good”
Course 5 – Baked oysters with bacon and horseradish paired with Jefferson’s Ocean-Aged Small Batch Bourbon
- Pairing Comments: “delish, yes x2, fantastic yes, yes!, delish, very good, favorite, dulled whiskey, really good, bacon washed out whiskey”
Course 6 – Hudson Valley Duck Breast served atop a faro risotto paired with Oban 14
- Pairing Comments: “nice, yes yes yes, excellent, hell yea, good, two thumbs up, good, very very good”

What a great night, whiskey and food!

Please sign up for our quarterly newsletter if you are interested in learning about future tastings. Sometimes there are extra spaces available for non-members. We’ll also keep you up to date with our upcoming events!

Cheers!

Tasting #13 Recap: Blended Scotch Whiskies and Blending Workshop

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Feb 6, 2018 | Tastings

Tasting #13 Recap: Blended Scotch Whiskies and Blending Workshop

The Saratoga Whisk(e)y Club had Tasting #13 on December 13, 2017 and January 3, 2018 . The purpose of this tasting was to explore and learn about the world of blended scotches. We had four Premium Blended Whiskies to taste and then we did our own Blending Workshop using four Single Malt Scotches and one Single Grain. It was a lot of fun tasting the premium whiskies and then trying to match their flavors or blended profiles using the single malts and single grain. It was definitely not an easy job, but someone had to do it!

Here is a list of the Premium Blends we tasted:

Chivas Regal 18 Year Signature Gold
Johnnie Walker Director’s Cut Blade Runner Edition
Compass Box ‘The Lost Blend’
Exclusive Blends 1991 Edition

Here are the Single Malts and Single Grain that we used for our blending workshop:

Ancnoc 12
Glenfiddich 12
Caol Ila 12
Auchentoshan 12
The Exclusive Regions Single Grain 12

Overall it was a very educational tasting and a lot of fun!

Please sign up for our quarterly newsletter if you are interested in learning about future tastings. Sometimes there are extra spaces available for non-members.

Here are some photos from the tasting.