Barley sugar and whisky older that I am: what a great way to spend a Tuesday. Thank you, Douglas Laing Co.
Christopher and I stayed in one cold Tuesday night to do a grain whisky tasting with Douglas Laing & Co‘s Jan Beckers. Laing sent four old grain samples and boxes of sweets to pair them with. The event was hosted on the company’s Facebook page.
It was an interesting format: Jan shared background and tasting notes while the tasters at home typed they’re notes and comments as fast as they could.
The whiskies were lovely. Grains are usually used for blending and form the canvas against which malts paint the blend’s particular character. These four were certainly worth their own spotlight.
- Old Particular Lomond 19-yo: fruity and fun, with esters and raw alcohol on the nose.
- Old Particular Cambus 24-yo: full of caramel sweetness, a dessert in its own right.
- Xtra Old Particular Garnheath 42-yo (single cask): my favourite. Offered scents of arrack punch, rum and sugarcane, had spice, malt and dried fruits on the palate. Complex and exciting. (Less fun with water.)
- Xtra Old Particular Invergordon 50-yo (single cask): intriguingly deep in colour and scent, so spicy it was almost hot. A real after-dinner treat.
