A Spirited Tasting - Adelphi
So for this tasting (hosted by Spirits of the Glen’s Francesco) we not only got to taste 6 drams but we also had breadsticks, crisps, bread, cheese, and Italian meats. Yum! This was also the first time I’ve been to a tasting at the Edinburgh Youth Hostel, which was surprising not very youthful (I mean that it was a very diverse crowd of tourists staying there!). Plus, they served some beer on tap for us to drink alongside the whisky.
Beer is merely a palate cleanser, of course. 🙂
Before going through the tasting, Antonio from Adelphi, spoke about the company brand. I had been to an Adelphi tasting before (hosted by Royal Mile Whisky during lockdown) and I knew that they had quite the reputation (and accompanying price tags) for producing some of the best and rarest whisky. But, I learned a lot more from them!
As you may or may not know Adelphi owns Ardnamurchan (a fine whisky distillery!) and this is where Adelphi runs the business now. But, this wasn’t always the case. Rather, they had a location in the heart of New Town in Edinburgh. I did a double take as Antonia named the very street where I live! We live in a muse house (site of former stables of the elite in the posh mansions in the New Town near Dundas). Just imagine, where I live was the site of whisky aging and bottling. It was meant to be!
Antonia spoke about each dram in turn as we went through them. None of them were blind. We were fully aware of the line up!
The Line Up
Laudale
Gelngarioch
Glover
Selection (Akkeshi Distillery)
Selection (Caol Ila Distillery)
Selection (Smogen Distillery)
Et voila! I won’t go through all the tasting notes for each, as that’s not really the main gist of the blog.
Laudale (one of the first Adelphi ranges) was named with Viking names “dale” to link it to the heritage roots of Scotland. This one was 12 years old. It had the normal moss, stewed red fruits, toffee, cola, lemon zest, oats with a chocolaty easy finish. The most surprising note to me was Sichuan peppers! This is a taste I knew well during the PhD days when my cohort members would bring Chinese snacks to campus. One of these snacks was almost a trail mix, with little peppercorns that were Sichuan. The funniest thing about them was that they were floral on the tongue but when you bit into one, it would almost fizz on the tongue with notes of spice! This was that nostalgia for me.
Glengarioch was the next dram at 11 years old and only 452 bottles. It had notes of Andes mints (After Eight Mints), shorbread, nutmeg, and salted caramel. I had to be taught the After Eight Mint as I’m not quite British enough to know these. Another flavour that emerged for me was Hob Nobs. Do you know them? They are wee sweet oat cakes with an oreo-like icing filled centre. This makes them sweet and oaty. I’ve started enjoying these at the airport with my coffee!
The next whisky dram was the Glover. This is quite unique and a second Glover I’ve tried. This is a blend of one Japanese whisky and one Scotch whisky, resulting in something that’s crazy but quite yummy! I think that a lot of the notes for me on this one were more Japanese-esque. Oddly, I don’t shy away from light peat burning rubber or ramps and chorizo. The meatiest aspect for me was the Chipotle Chilies in Adobo (going back to my childhood). A very savoury whisky, but still bringing in salt, brioche, and icing. YUM!
The next whisky was a 100% Japanese whisky from Akkeshi Distillery. This was just 3 years old but whisky from hot climates tends to come across as rather aged. It just matures fast, and this was another delicious dram! This distillery was modelled after Scottish distilleries and is sometimes called Little Lagavulin. It really did remind me of an Islay whisky- kippers, sweet peat, kelp, white pepper, salt. But, it also had sweet notes like maize and the roasted dates wrapped in bacon (devils on horseback). This was my favourite dram of the evening.
Next was a Caol Ila. Getting your hands on Caol Ilas is quite easy as Diageo tends to sell their casks aplenty to independent bottlers. Traditional to the distillery, it had a sweet peat to it. The most interesting note was wasabi coated peas. This was also more complex than most Caol Ila’s giving off some miso caramel, gherkin, menthol, and burnt ends (think BBQ). It also seemed to dance on my tongue. A very close runner up!
Last but not least was a Swedish whisky for a farm distillery called Smogen. My Finish friend TP was keen to try this one (and she is not a whisky drinker!). Not my favourite dram of the night but it had very interesting tasting notes. I think the ones that remind me of Sweden are rain, hay, celery, and dill. Though, I would also describe it as wet dog, black peppercorn, icing sugar, and oily. I think this was the first time that I tried a Swedish distillery and I hope it won’t be the last!
Overall, a very interesting tasting, with a few more drams secretly being poured over the next 30 minutes or so. Francesco kept in in line (even his mom made an appearance).
But, the conversation was much more than about whisky- we talked about the places to eat in town, met new people over drams, and just had a fun evening. Perhaps this is why like whisky tasting so much. It brings people together and you get to learn more about different cultures. Your taste buds and sensations are based on your own powerful memories, so everyone will recall different tastes. And, the best part is, everyone is right!