More Whisky

There was such a huge variety of malts to try at the Whisky Fest that it is impossible to speak of all of them, so these posts will only be about the malts that are not easy to fine, for reasons of limited production, allocation or simply not listed by the BC government.

Both the Glenfarclas 15 and 17 yr old were available to be tasted. the Glenfarclas 15 yr old was rated 95/100 points by Whisky Bible's Jim Murray. It's been bottled at 46%, and shows lots of sherry, butterscotch and malt with a hint of peat. This one is currently in stock at Hillside Liquor Store, and is around $88.
The Glenfarclas 17 yr old was my favourite of the two, as it shows a bit less sherry and a touch more peaty smokiness, making it a deliciously rich complex whisky. This one is not yet available at Hillside Liquor Store, but we are working on getting a couple of bottles.

From the Compass Box Distillery comes the Oak Cross, which is an entirely different way of building casks. The casks have French oak heads, and American oak bodies which gives the perfect balance between the lighter characters found in American oak and the deeper spice and dried fruit characteristics from the French oak. This whisky is also comprised of all Highland single malts which have been aged for a minimum of 10 years. Complex and herbal on the nose, with cloves, butterscotch and freshly-sawn wood, Oak Cross has a spicy palate of nutmeg and ginger, along with a faintly herbal note, blending with soft malt. Lingering and slightly assertive in the finish, with ginger and a touch of pepper, set against a background of fresh oak.
Greatly enjoyed this one, and hopefully it will be available soon.

Also of note were some interesting Bruichladdich malts. We tried the Margaux 1st Growth series, the 16 yr old Bourbon cask, the Octomore (which is the most heavily peated whisky ever), the special 2001 and the interesting clear, non-aged spirit NC 4.
The Margaux First Growth is one of 6 whiskies aged in French wine casks- this is delicious. the Margaux cask gives this spirit an extra touch of fruit and spice, and a little more depth without any noticeable peat. Definitely a wine drinkers dram.
The 16 yr old Bourbon cask was a very pleasant surprise. It is aged in white oak, first in Jim beam casks, and then in Buffalo Trace casks. This malt shows a lot more sweetness and caramel than any other Bruichladdich tried before- maybe not for everyone but great as a dessert scotch.
The Octomore was outstanding. In a very funky non-traditionally Bruichladdich shaped bottle that is pure black, this is definitely a spirit for those that appreciate peat. Like the Bruichladdich 'Peat', the Octomore manages to showcase the glorious smoky peat taste without getting into medicinal flavours. Surprisingly, other flavours of caramel, orange and a slight nuttiness show through, even though the peat levels are 135 ppm, which is twice as many as any other single malt. This one is a very limited release, and one to be snatched up as there really won't be anything like this for a while. A good substitute for those who missed the Blacker Still or the PC5.
The 2001 is the first single malt distilled at Bruichladdich after the closure. This is one distilled by Jim McEwan, with a once-only light peat of only 10 ppm and matured in Bourbon casks. Bottled in a very distinctive Bruichladdich aquamarine bottle, this is one for collectors.

A very special treat was the Ancnoc 1975, not available anywhere. This was a special bottle brought over just for the Whisky Festival, and what a treat it was to try it! Aged over thirty years ago in Spanish and American oak casks, this beautiful Highland shows some sweetness with fruit overtones, sherry and vanilla flavours. Absolutely gorgeous!