From half a block away you could hear the bagpipes. That meant just one thing - whiskey awaited. Over 100 of them in fact inside Chelsea Piers at the annual whiskey showcase "Whisky Live".
The good stuff was distributed over 38 stations while around the corner various Scottish bands played fast and furious. Already familiar with the Highland Park, Oban and Macallan, we headed straight to the lesser known brands. The focus of the show is Scotch but there were also Bourbons, Rye, Blended Scotches and more. A lot of good stuff was being poured and we wasted no time exploring. Our favorites after the jump.
The good stuff was distributed over 38 stations while around the corner various Scottish bands played fast and furious. Already familiar with the Highland Park, Oban and Macallan, we headed straight to the lesser known brands. The focus of the show is Scotch but there were also Bourbons, Rye, Blended Scotches and more. A lot of good stuff was being poured and we wasted no time exploring. Our favorites after the jump.
Ardbeg Ten is well known to Scotch drinkers but we re-acquainted oursevles with Uigeadail, a cask strength single malt that was rich and smoky. Then we moved on to Airigh Nam Beist 1990, an even fuller version. Comparison-wise, the Uigeadail was a clear winner.
At the Glenrothes table, we ran the gamut with a tasting of terrific single malts -the clear winner in terms of overall quality. They were tasting a 1985, a 1975 and a Select Reserve. The 1985 was delicious - smooth and creamy while the 1975 showed its age extremely well. We weren't familiar with this brand but it was very impressive.
We stopped at the Brandy Library table and were pleased to find out they have whiskys made for them. We sampled an excellent bourbon made by Corner Creek Distillery in Bardstown, KY as well as an Islay Scotch. Then they gave us a T-Shirt and told us about Saturday single-malt tastings. Don't worry Brandy Library, you had us at hello.
Another great booth was run by the Speyside Company. They tasted a number of scotches including a Glenrothes 1980 and very good King's Crest blended whisky aged for 25 years. They also had a smoky Bunnahabhain 77 and a Glenlivet 77 that was aged in a single cask and bottled untouched by any other process. Both were outstanding.
Nearby was the International Beverage Company, which had scotches from Tobermory, Deanston and Bunnahabhain. We enjoyed the Tobermory 15, a smoky scotch from Islay Mull and the Bunnahabhain 18, another Islay. The 25 from Bunnahabhain was almost as good as the 18 - very smooth and cognac-like.
Another stop was the Glenmorangie Table. We're familiar with the basic version and were interested to hear their distiller is experimenting with different barrels for aging. We sampled the La Santa, aged in sherry barrels, and the Quinta Ruban, aged in port, and found them both smooth and well made. Even better was the Astar, aged in barrels hand selected from the distillery's private stock of trees (they own the trees they cut down for barrels). This 114 proof single-malt was rich and excellent. If you $80 to spare, it's well worth the price.
The sheer variety was daunting. We enjoyed the Old Potrero Rye Whiskeys - both straight rye and the gin-like 18th Century rye, Bulleit Bourbon, the Zacapa Rum made above the tree-line in Guatemala, and the "Ten Penny Ale Reserve" form the Olde Burnside Brewing Co. in Connecticut.
The selection of whiskeys was terrific and the vendors were eager to educate attendees about the products. It truly was a great night of enjoying fine spirits and we look forward to next year's edition.
At the Glenrothes table, we ran the gamut with a tasting of terrific single malts -the clear winner in terms of overall quality. They were tasting a 1985, a 1975 and a Select Reserve. The 1985 was delicious - smooth and creamy while the 1975 showed its age extremely well. We weren't familiar with this brand but it was very impressive.
We stopped at the Brandy Library table and were pleased to find out they have whiskys made for them. We sampled an excellent bourbon made by Corner Creek Distillery in Bardstown, KY as well as an Islay Scotch. Then they gave us a T-Shirt and told us about Saturday single-malt tastings. Don't worry Brandy Library, you had us at hello.
Another great booth was run by the Speyside Company. They tasted a number of scotches including a Glenrothes 1980 and very good King's Crest blended whisky aged for 25 years. They also had a smoky Bunnahabhain 77 and a Glenlivet 77 that was aged in a single cask and bottled untouched by any other process. Both were outstanding.
Nearby was the International Beverage Company, which had scotches from Tobermory, Deanston and Bunnahabhain. We enjoyed the Tobermory 15, a smoky scotch from Islay Mull and the Bunnahabhain 18, another Islay. The 25 from Bunnahabhain was almost as good as the 18 - very smooth and cognac-like.
Another stop was the Glenmorangie Table. We're familiar with the basic version and were interested to hear their distiller is experimenting with different barrels for aging. We sampled the La Santa, aged in sherry barrels, and the Quinta Ruban, aged in port, and found them both smooth and well made. Even better was the Astar, aged in barrels hand selected from the distillery's private stock of trees (they own the trees they cut down for barrels). This 114 proof single-malt was rich and excellent. If you $80 to spare, it's well worth the price.The sheer variety was daunting. We enjoyed the Old Potrero Rye Whiskeys - both straight rye and the gin-like 18th Century rye, Bulleit Bourbon, the Zacapa Rum made above the tree-line in Guatemala, and the "Ten Penny Ale Reserve" form the Olde Burnside Brewing Co. in Connecticut.
The selection of whiskeys was terrific and the vendors were eager to educate attendees about the products. It truly was a great night of enjoying fine spirits and we look forward to next year's edition.
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