sugestions for a tasting

That sounds like it should be a fun experience. He's just branching out into SMS's and has 150 different ones on his shelves? This wasn't planned overnight! I can't help you with specifics, but in general, I have found that starting with the light and building to the heavy, whether with food, wine or whisky, seems to have the best results. Have fun!

I didnt say he was "just" branching out NIck:-). But he has beenbranching out for a couple pf years. Actually he owns a liquor store, but wine is his speciality. He actually imports fine wines from France. But sells beer and genever and bitters as well. Whisky is such a growing market ( 20% in The Netherlands this year alone) that liquor stores cant ignore it. I know about starting with light and going to heavy. I have a few ideas myself, but am interested to hear what informed others might think. My opinion might change if anybody can suggest something more worthwhile. Sorry that I was not clear. Anyway here are my own suggestions for the night in question:

1. Auchentoshan ( 3 times destilled and I can talk about that)
2. Dalwhinnie
3. Glenfarclas 15
4. Highland Park ( age still open for thought)
5. Ardbeg 10
6. Caol Ila Cask Strength I am open for anybody who might suggest something diferent. But the final suggestion has to be made on November 30th and the bottles will be laid aside for December 13th.

Peace, Jock

Some other decent, easily obtainable representatives might be:

The Glenlivet 12 yr. The Dalmore 12 yr. The Macallan 12 yr. Abelour 10 or 15 yr. (or a'bunadh) Caol Ila 12 yr. Laphroaig 10 yr.

Jock,

Light to heavy is the first step as you know and have listed. With that in mind, your list is already great. Here are a few things that went through my head. Cost might also be a driver for beginners, so maybe low to moderately high in cost could also give the crowd a good idea about value vs. taste which we know can be misleading. My list might go like this:

1. The Glenlivet (I like the French Oak Reserve 15, price is medium compared to the 12 and 18)
2. Glenfiddich 18 or a Glenmorangie 10 (GF18 higher in cost than the GM10 but a much more pronounced flavor)
3. Cragganmore 12 or Oban 14 (the Oban is more malty and higher priced)
4. Aberlour 16 or A'bunadh (here they can explore a sherried malt with high proof, the 16 being a smaller less fierce brother)
5. Bowmore 12 or Clynelish 14 (both very good medium peat with a little trace of smoke)
6. Any of the Islay malts, Talisker 10, Highland Park 18 (cost runs from medium to medium high and smokey-peaty)

Alternates for a lighter malt are; Glenkinchie 10, Aberfeldy 12 Alternates for medium palate are; any of the Balvenie Alternate for the heavy; Lagavulin 16

I think most beginners will either fall in love with the phenolic smokey-peaty malts(like I did) or frantically grab for the water bottle or 1 through 5 to wash out their mouth :-O

Good luck at the tasting and I will enjoy reading of the results.

Daniel

Jock,

I hope that you might encourage the proprietor to allow you to open a

7th bottle, as a bit of a bonus - after all, how could you go to a tasting in Nederlands and not try some Frysk Hynder?

Frysk Hynder: I had to look that up, but I'm intrigued. I gather it's a Frisian malt. Or I should say, the one and only Frisian malt. I know there is peat thereabouts; is it a peaty malt? Any tasting notes outstanding? Does it compare to anything else?

And I've just read that the proprietor was selling it from his own shop only. Is that still so?

It is indeed. A side project from a local brewery. It's not, however, the only Dutch malt [1].

Unfortunately, I'm 8000 miles away from my whisky collection, which has been safely put into storage until I return. It's young at only 3 years, pale in colour.

It's a barley malt who's taste has varied from batch to batch - being a side project, they used various different casks to store it, each imparting a different essence.

From memory, it's quite light - would serve okay as an apperatif course. Theres some fruitiness about and a zing that's not quite peppery but reminiscent of talisker. I don't remember it being particularly smooth.

Some people absolutely hate the stuff, others find it quite reasonable. I suggest it has more value as a collectible "only Frysk malt".

No - he had to stop exporting it, as the demand exceeded the supply and he wasn't really cut out for that type of business. You can buy it locally in stores called "Mitre". I'm sure you can get it in other places in NL.

[1] there is a 5yo bottling by the name of Millstone ( ), and another called Vallei ( ) neither of which I have come across in person.

I might reverse the order of the first two as Dalwhinnie is _very_ light, but otherwise that's a good list. Might be worth inserting a Talisker after Highland Park and before Ardbeg.

Jim

Good idea Jim. But I do want a cask strength to finish with.

Jock

I tried it in Leiden and didnt like it. Sorry. I need to be enthousiastic about something myself to praise it. Looks like you are from NL yourself. The tasting is in Harderwijk in case you are interested.

Peace,

Jock

Ah, PC6 in that case. Although the Caol Ila you have there is very fine.

Jim

Fair enough.

I'm a Brit, who considers NL to be home - however I'm working in California for the next couple of years. Thanks for the offer though - I appreciate it.