Tasting #54: Speyside Tasting

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Jul 22, 2020 | Tastings

Tasting #54: Speyside Tasting

On Wednesday, June 24th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 54th tasting. The focus of this tasting was whisky from the Speyside region of Scotland. We had bottles from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society as well as others to round out this great tasting.

Here is what we tasted:

Aberlour A’Bunadh Alba
SMWS 54.80 ‘Banana Mexicana’ – Aberlour
Cadenheads Miltonduff 11 Year
SMWS 1.217 ‘Mezzalunas at dawn’ – Glenfarclas
SMWS 44.118 ‘Get your castanets clacking’ – Craigellachie
SMWS 44.117 ‘Happiness is a warm bung’ – Craigellachie
SMWS 36.171 ‘A smooth ride’ – Festival Bottling of Benrinnes

35 members were online using Zoom for this really fun tasting.

For scores, please visit our Scores page.

Tasting #49: SMWS April Preview

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Apr 3, 2020 | Tastings

Tasting #49: SMWS April Preview

On Wednesday, April 1st, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its 49th tasting. This tasting’s focus was the new release of April whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. We had 6 different releases to taste from. Ben Diedrich, Co-Director of the Society here in the USA, joined us for this first virtual tasting during the Coronavirus epidemic. It was a great tasting of whisky from so many different distilleries with individual tasting profiles.

Here is what we tasted:

SMWS 26.132 ‘Krupnik and amaretti’ Clynelish 9 Year
SMWS 93.120 ‘Cocoa and coal’ Glen Scotia 14 Year
SMWS 59.59 ‘Spock’s earwax’ Teaninich 10 Year
SMWS 1.215 ‘Formidable chocolate’ Glenfarclas 15 Year
SMWS 28.43 ‘Muscle-toned heft and punch’ Tullibardine 11 Year
SMWS 53.310 ‘Kippers and slippers’ Caol Ila 10 Year

30 members were online using Zoom for this tasting.

Tasting #39: Annual Club Dinner

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Aug 19, 2019 | Tastings

Tasting #39: Annual Club Dinner

On Wednesday, August 14, 2019, the Saratoga Whiskey Club held its annual dinner feast. The theme for this year was whiskey finished in a variety of different casks. We had 48 people in attendance for this great evening of outdoor dining and tasting. The weather cooperated for us which was nice!

Here is a list of the whiskies we tasted and the food that they were paired with:

We started with a Rye Lemonade Cocktail
Writers Tears Florio Marsala Cask Finish – Paired with Jerk Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers and Chicken Satay with Siracha Aioli
Sagamore Spirit Port Finished Rye – Paired with an Arugula Salad with Port Poached Pears & Roquefort
Highland Park Twisted Tattoo 16 Year – Paired with Lobster Sliders and Greek Israeli Cous Cous Salad
Bardstown Bourbon’s Phifer Pavitt Reserve – Paired with Braised Brisket with Bourbon Peach Glaze, Summer Succotash and Honey Jalapeno Cornbread
Limestone Branch Yellowstone Limited Edition 2018 – Paired with Whiskey Bacon Brownies

A big shout out to Airstream Catering for providing us with the food for this dinner!

Scores can be found on our Score page.

And here’s to another great annual dinner!! Cheers.

Tasting #38 Recap: Race Track Tasting

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Jul 30, 2019 | Tastings

Tasting #38 Recap: Race Track Tasting

On Sunday, July 28th, the Saratoga Whiskey Club had its second annual Track Tasting. It was a great afternoon of tasting various whiskies, betting on the ponies, and getting treated to some Pies on Wheels! It really was the perfect afternoon for our club. 24 members were in attendance for this outing!

Here is a list of the whiskies we tasted:

Dingle Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Batch 4
Barton’s 1792 Full Proof Bourbon – Gordon’s store pick (Waltham, MA)
Balblair 2005 Single Cask – Gordon’s store pick (Waltham, MA)
The Macallan Edition #4 Limited Edition
The Glenlivet Enigma Limited Edition
Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Single Cask – Symphony #2 – Gordon’s store pick

A great second year event for the club. We are already looking forward to next year. Cheers!

Tasting #36 Recap: Feis Ile 2019

by Saratoga Whiskey Club | Jun 27, 2019 | Tastings

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!