Being
of dual nationality, I'm very much choosing this week to be a blatant glory
hunter; wrapping myself in the Union Flag (not literally; there is a line...),
standing side-by-side with my fellow countryman, whisky in hand, singing God
Save The Queen.
For
at this very moment we have a huge haul of gold medals, needing just one more
to equal #TeamGB's achievements four years ago in Beijing.
However,
it isn't just the extreme haul of medals that is pleasing; it's everything that
comes along with it. Unlike a roast dinner, with the Olympics, the trimming are
even tastier.
From
the unsung heroes mentioned in my previous post, to the jokes on twitter
("Spelling is important.
The difference between won and one: Great Britain have just won gold. Australia
have just one gold") right the way through to news that, despite
still having to contest the 200 meters and the 4x 100 meter relay, Usain Bolt
was seen in a night club at 3.45 this morning celebrating his gold medal win
with... the Sweden women’s handball team. This Olympics has been pure soap
opera.
Hands
and balls, indeed...
But
alongside such well known sports as track & field, tennis ('Mon The Muzz!),
football and gymnastics, we're being given the option to watch, learn and enjoy
some fantastic events which usually we might not turn our eyes to.
Let's
face it, we all have a limited capacity; both time-wise and financially, and in
this modern age there is always something looking for our attention or our almighty dollar. So it has been a real pleasure to drop in for small
snippets on events such as equestrianism, clay pigeon shooting, Greco-Roman
wrestling and the aforementioned handball.
In
a similar way, it is very easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to your
favourite whiskies: daring to venture outside of your usual few bottles ('few'
being defined however you like) takes not only a leap of fiscal faith, but also
time to find out if you really enjoy said liquid.
And
what if you do like what you try? Shock! Horror! It means yet another item for the Christmas
list. Yet another range to discover. Yet more time and money. But, oh! The joy
of finding a new friend.
One
good way to see if you like a whisky is with the purchase of miniatures. Much
like flicking over to BBC3 and checking out the water polo, you can always
retreat to the comfort and safety of Clare Balding taking about someone simply
running as fast as they can, if the water-based sport is not to your liking.
Phew.
Of
course, here at Caskstrength.net we're always trying to provide you with
interesting alternatives (as well as plain old simple ones, too) to your usual
tipple. So, inspired by this taster of sport, I've decided to cast my net in to
the world of the miniatures and try a couple of things which are not usually on
my radar nor in my standard cabinet of delights. Why? Because I've never really
had a chance to get to know them, despite their relative ubiquity in most
decent whisky retailers.
Firstly,
I'm gonna kick off with Speyburn. A small distillery just outside Rothes in, as
the name suggests, Speyside. I was due to visit a few weeks ago but due to
illness couldn't make the trip, so here’s hoping this brings me good luck and
not bad memories...
Speyburn
- 10 Years Old - 40%
Nose: Water melon, barley water, unripe kiwi fruit, some buttery notes with a hint of
lemon juice.
Palate:
Sweetened grapefruit juice, custard
creams, heather and a drizzle of light honey. Some green apples, too.
Finish:
Every such a small amount of spices but very light and delicate.
Overall:
I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting a lot from this whisky yet its clean
and crisp palate is really lovely. Would be great on a summers day with a block
of ice. Something I'll try of this biblical weather ever ceases.
The
next mini is actually from a distillery owned by the same team as Speyburn (who
also boast Balblair and Old Pultney in their ranks, too) but it's one of the
odder names bottles out there, ancnoc.
Hailing
from Knockdhu distillery, I'm led to believe that the bottling name was changed
due to the original distillery sounding too much like Knockando. And a fair
point that is. So, when asking the locals what it should be called they simply
replied ‘Ancnoc‘ because that was their name for the local distillery anyway.
Ancnoc
- 12 Years Old - 40% abv
Nose:
Minted peas and steamed garden vegetables develops in to dried figs and some
earthy tones (forest floor). At the back of the nose lies some cream soda
notes.
Palate:
the palate is soft with brown sugars and some green tea. It develops light
cigar tobacco flavours which, in turn, mould in to the over ripe figs from the
nose.
Finish:
subtle Christmas spices of cinnamon and ginger.
Overall:
well, a totally different beast. A whisky to snuggle up to the open fire with
on Boxing Day.
Two
solid drams working hard to squeeze their way in to my Olympic team, these are
different drams for different seasons. Right now, of the two, I’d sit back with
a large glass of the Speyburn in the vain hope that the sun may well start to
shine again.
Right,
I'm off to learn Greco-Roman wrestling. Look out, Ridley...
