The KOTQ

Here’s a reason to participate on our blog – we can cover topics here throughout the year and not spend scotch-tasting time talking…

For those of you who might think that this topic isn’t official KOTQ business – it doesn’t have to be…this is a blog:

Could someone tell me if that cask we bought a share in was a scam and it’s (pure spring) water under the bridge -or- it really is a slow-to-develop, maddeningly poorly communicated scheme from our friends across the pond? If answering, please note that those are your only two choices.

If it is actually a scheme please reply with the specifications so that we have them in writing in this blog:

Distillery
Current Age
Next voting period
# of bottles each KOTQ member invested will receive
etc, etc.

Yet another Sam’s Spirit Night whisky brother Bluff and I chose to sample was Bruichladdich 20. Bruichladdich 15 got average scores from KOTQ so I wanted to see how the 20 yo stood up, particularly after the disappointing 3D experience. We learned that the 20 yo is a Second Release–they are not perpetually cranking out 20 yos so this is a limited offering. They gave it another stupid nickname “Flirtation”–but let’s look beyond that. The first thing you notice is that the color is atypically (or is that typically) rose color–distinctively red-brown. The whisky is aged in bourbon casks and then “finished” for 5 weeks in Mourvèdre casks. Mourvèdre is a red grape native of Spain and also grown in France and California. It is known for making rich, intense, inky, leathery wines. So clearly this is where Bruichladdich 20 picks up some of its color. The whisky has an earthy nose, floral with a hint of mint. The pallette is soapy and sweet with a little bit of wood–no discernable peat. The finish is clean and easy. Oddly, none of the experience says “Islay”. This is nice mid-afternoon scotch. Good, not too challenging but still flavourful. It retails for $169 at Sam’s. This is the tipping point for me. While I like the drink, $169 buys a lot of HP18 or a really nice bottle of Glenfarclas 35 yo. I’m finding with all the Bruichladdies, the price/value relationship is a little out of whack–they’re overpriced.

You want a great way to learn about anything over the Internet in a relatively short period of time? Then, participate in forums. I regularly read (and subscribe to) forums for Heroclix and Board Games. I have learned immense amounts of useful information just by reading and participating in these forums.

I’m starting to get excited about Whisky Magazine’s forums as well. There is an opportunity to gain access to a hugely valuable resource on what is happening in the Single Malt Scotch world, not from the industry perspective, but from the single malt enthusiast’s perspective, by reading (you don’t even have to contribute) the forums at Whisky On-Line.

I have set up direct links to the open-ended Whisky Q&A forum and the Whisky Tasting Notes forum in our sidebar area under Whisky Magazine On-Line. I highly recommend both, but, note that Whisky Magazine On-Line also has many, many, other forums for you to use.

The Q&A forum covers the full gamut of single malt enthusiasm and experience from what to do when you visit Scotland, to the FWP (French Whore Perfume) problem with current Bowmores, to what gift to give a friend with a $300 budget. The topics are wide ranging and relevant all at once.

As a teaser I invite you to go straight to this thread on single malts and music. Read through the whole thread, and you’ll see that many, if not all, of us are in good company when it comes to opinion on this!

The Tasting forum is an excellent supplement and extension to our own tasting notes area. I recommend it as well.