Wedding Themed Whisky

The theme for our latest whisky club tasting was “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”.

We gathered at Michael’s house under the usual rules: each taster brings a 700ml bottle he bought for under $100, they are wrapped in brown paper for a blind tasting, we score them before revealing their identity.

Here’s what we drank, in the random order in which we drank it. Scores are out of 40.

Paul John Peated (55.5%)

Michael said this fit the theme by being a new distillery he'd never heard of.

It starts with sweet peat and a little bite, before the oak makes its presence known. It’s a very well rounded drink with a lingering aftertaste of caramelised citrus.

There’s lots to appreciate here. You want to drink it slowly and spend an hour with a glass!

Water improves it, releasing hints of liquorice and stone fruit

SCORE: 32

Paul John Christmas Edition (46%)

Tim says this is also a new release and relatively young.

The first thing we noticed was the intense colour, almost like coffee.

It has much less attitude than the peated whisky, softer and easier. We suspect a sherry cask was involved in the making.

There’s plum on the nose, cocoa notes, and raisin after-taste.

It doesn’t need water, but adding it makes the whisky incredibly smooth.

SCORE: 31

(This is the first time we’ve had two whiskies from the same distillery at a tasting! They were quite different and both good.)

Penderyn Myth (41%)

Simon says the name of the whisky suggested something old.

It has a sweet nose and a sweeter opening taste, with vanilla notes and lots of spices. It makes you want to bake some pies.

This is a breakfast whisky, soft like a cloud and way too easy to drink. You could make Bircher muesli with it.

Water opened it up nicely, releasing even more flavours.

The scores were split, two people gave it high marks and two people gave it low marks. So not for everyone.

SCORE: 30

Callington Mill Emulsion (46%)

This was my pick. It’s something of a cheat, because I got a discount voucher at a tasting event and that brought the price under $100. It’s a brand new offering from a brand new distillery.

This is literally like nectar, with a rich blend of dried fruits on the tongue. There are raisins, sultanas, and dried apple. It reminds us of Christmas cake - fruity, spicey, and a little sour.

The flavour is almost overwhelming. Water helps too cut the sweetness, for those who don’t appreciate such bounty.

We think this is a gateway whisky, the sort of thing you give to someone who’s never had it before.

Once again, this had a mix bag of opinions, with a couple of very high scores and the single lowest score of the night.

SCORE: 30

Kilchoman single malt (46%)

Tim chose this because it’s a relatively new Scottish distillery.

The first thing that hits you is the scent of peat! But when you drink it, it’s almost clear, a cleansing smoke.

The flavour has a rosewater sweetness with a hint of marmalade. It’s very polite on the palate compared to the aroma. Like someone with a face tattoo complimenting your shoes.

This is vastly improved with water, taking away the bite, making it easier.

We all thought this whisky was missing something. The flavour doesn’t linger at all - it hits your palate with a bang and then it’s gone. There’s not enough substance and the score shows we all agreed.

SCORE: 26