Glenmorangie and Bowmore around a Campfire

Over the past few weeks I had the pleasure of hosting our new neighbors over for a tasting of Glenmorangie Tayne, Bowmore 10, and Ardbeg Corryvreckan.  His father is a whiskey collector and while my neighbor does not share the same enthusiasm, his father's knowledge has certainly rubbed off on him.  Looking forward to more drams with him in the future!  Other than that, I picked up a bottle of High West Campfire, rediscovered a bottle of Highland Earl my colleague brought me from Scotland, and continued through my open bottles of Hirch, Old Grandad, and Tullamore Dew. 

Glenmorangie The Tayne - This is a very lovely scotch.  At first I was underwhelmed because I didn’t appreciate the subtleties.  Now I love it.  Sniffing the Tayne is like smelling a jar of honey while standing in a field of flowers. On the palate the flowers come forth followed by a whisp of smoke at the end.  I will buy a bottle next time I see one, which is a high honor from someone who likes to constantly switch it up. 

Campfire - I picked up a bottle of Campfire after Whisky Advocate ranked it the 14th best Whisky of 2017.  Besides appealing reviews it also had the key advantages that it was locally available and relatively cheap.  I’ve never been much for blends not out of some purist reasoning but rather because when I’m in the mood for whisky I don’t want a bit of everything but would rather focus on on genre - peaty, bourbon, rye, speyside... etc.  Campfire (and to some extent The Tayne) are making me reconsider.  Campfire is a blend of a Rye, bourbon, and a scotch and they express themselves in that order so it’s like taking consecutive sips of three different drams.  There’s nothing objectionable with Campfire and even the hint of kerosene is acceptable in that is evokes the experience of its namesake. 

Bowmore 10 - The color of this scotch is absolutely gorgeous cherrywood. And it tastes great too!  Stewed fruits on the nose and a soft peat on the palate with a moderate smooth finish. 

Ardbeg Corryvreckan - The tasting notes on Ardbeg’s website says this whisky has notes of chewy peppered steak soaked in pepper sauce with the tang of crispy seaweed, black tarry espresso coffee that coats the palate with rich melted dark fruits (blackcurrants, blueberries and cherries) and bitter almonds, and finally star anise and hickory dry out the palate before a surprise of chalky effervescent violets fizz to the surface.  But in this crowd I have to admit I couldn’t tell the difference between the Ardbeg 10 with its explosion of crackling peat sets off millions of flavour explosions: peat effervesces with tangy lemon and lime juice, black pepper pops with sizzling cinnamon-spiced toffee followed by a wave of brine infused with smooth buttermilk, ripe bananas and currants.  Nope, in this more delicate crowd it was what I remembered Ardbeg to be - Peaty, thick, oily, Powerful.

Highland Earl - When my colleague's asked me if she could bring me anything from Scotland, I told her to bring me something that is recommended by a local.  The result was a small bottle of Highland Earl.  After some sampling at an office happy hour, I stashed it away and forgot about it for about a year.  From some quick googling, it seems to be the Aldi brand of scotch and this probably all you need to know.  It's OK, there's not much too it, it's rather floral, I wouldn't call it smooth but I wouldn't call it harsh.  All in all, it's pretty good for the price.  

Putting all this together, here's how I ranked these whiskys:
1. Glenmorangie The Tayne
2. High West Campfire
3. Bowmore 10
4. Hirsch 8 Yr High-Rye
5. Ardbeg Corryvreckan
6. Old Grandad
7.  Highland Earl
8. Tullamore Dew
9. Kessler's  

The most difficult ranking was between the Hirsch and the Ardbeg.  They are so different and both good.  In the end, I give the edge to Hirsch because if I were to go to a store and buy a bourbon I'd consider the Hirsch.  But, if I were to go to the store to buy a peaty scotch, I'd choose something besides the Corryvreckan (such as the Ardbeg 10).  It is what it is... hopefully next time my neighbor and I share a few, he'll be able to bring the Corryvreckan!