.. Was our first. Sarah and I attended at the prestigious Rainier club, and what an event it was. Rather crowded, and rightly so. Local Whisky afficionados arriving over an hour ahead of time to line up outside, with the overflow crowd down the sidewalk and around the block. We arrived about a half hour before the doors opened and were able to secure a spot about 100 people back. Soon the line was triple that.
As we entered and registered we had a bag of goodies; SMWSA Official Tasting Glass, certificate for fine cigars later, and a printed guide to the event. The cattle call atmosphere contrasted slightly with the stately entryway to the Rainier Club. But it was well handled and registration was smooth, and we were soon headed up the stairs.
Remember the first time as a kid you walked into Disneyland? How the whole world at that moment was perfect and filled with amazing promise? That was similar to how I felt upon reaching the second floor landing, looking in either direction and seeing room after room of some of Scotland's finest vendors. Some were already crowded: Macallan, Highland Park, and Glen Livet were three people deep. We quickly audibled and went long, all the way down the hall to the far room where we were met with a wide open Ardbeg table... The pass is good!
Ardbeg is one of my favorites, but Sarah is leery of their normally heavily peated and smoky taste of the "10" and the Uigeadail. Fortunately, they brought tonight "the Beast" .... Airigh Nam Beist, a full 16 year old, which I presume gives the Ardbeg famous finish some time to mellow. The "Beast" turns out to be quite a kitten, and Sarah even was able to give it a strong thumbs up. So much so she got the temporary tattoo of the "A" for "Ardbeg" on her hand.
Tasting Notes, Airigh nam Beist:
Gold color, smoky nose. Some pine, Sarah picked a sort of sweetness also, maybe citrus. Taste is peppery and spicy, but not as strong as the other Ardbegs -- mellowed. Sweetness is present, vanilla. The subdued yet sustained finish is smoky, and has a definite character.
Next, we wanted something lighter. Much to our surprise the Suntory distillery was here with two of their Yamazaki expressions. We've both had the "12" so we plumbed for the "18." About as different as an Islay as one could get... or was it. At any rate, it was a definite contrast, light and smooth, I think with a saki feel to it. Sarah especially liked this one too.
Tasting Notes, Suntory Yamazaki 18
Full bodied (for them) but pretty light I thought compared with what I usually drink. Copper - gold color. Toffee nose, spicy too. Sarah thought it was fruit like as well. Finish is long, dry, and quite pleasant.
Two whiskies down with many more single malts to go, we adjourned to the food buffet line and were treated to roast beef, lasagna, turkey and gravy, and various salads and breads. The food was nice, if a tiny bit dry. We liked it, but not as much as the food we had at our wedding six months ago, which we're convinced was the greatest buffet in the history of earth. Still pretty good though. Finished off with coffee and sweets, as well as the company of several of Sammammish's Finest, and we were ready to head back to the tasting....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment