Brother Bluff and I had the absolute pleasure of experiencing Sam’s Annual Spirit Night at the downtown store. For those of you who have not been to a Grand Tasting there, it’s in the store both in the main part of the store and in the back stock room. Tables are scattered throughout. Your $35 entry fee gets you a Riedel glass, a tasting book and all the fine scotch you can drink. The lineup was tremendous–more than one can practically taste in an evening. So strategy was key. I will post several offline experiences beginning with what I tasted last: Highland Park 30. I was practically walking out the door ready to hang up my glass for the evening having thoroughly enjoyed 8 great NEW malts when I decided to finish off the evening with an old friend HP 18. Chatting with the distributor I noticed a ‘not on the Sam’s tasting lineup’ bottle of HP 30. Shaking, I asked “can I try try that?”…… Well, gentlemen, let me tell you this is one awesome drink. It has a soft, lighty floral nose with a hint of wood. The pallette is velvety smooth (even at 48% alcohol), with cocoa, brown sugar and citrus. The finish is ever-lingering, soft and round. The whisky is made of casks aged 30 to 38 years. They are kept on premises where the weather is colder and evaporation less than in the more southern regions. Once it hits the stores in a few months, at $350/bottle I won’t be adding HP 30 to my cellar any time soon but I consider myself fortunate to have tasted it–and to have been among the first in the world.
Souvenir hat.
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