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Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

"If it's not good enough to drink slowly, then it's not worth drinking"

Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival

 8 Oct 2008  

I couldn't resist going to Stockholm again for this year's beer & whisky fest­ival. I got a really cheap flight - that helped me decide =) Here are my favourites from the fest­ival:

Bowmore 1991 16 y.o. 53.1% (port wood):
A rather nice combo of peat, malt and fruit on the nose. The palate is sur­pris­ingly dry and musty and rather dis­ap­point­ing. The fruit makes a welcome comeback in the finish though. (Careful with the water!) (85 p)

Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 y.o. 40%:
Very nice palate: rich, fruity and spicy with lovely rum notes. A rum wood finish (of course) and it works beautifully... (Tasted with a drop of water.) (88 p)

Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 y.o. 57.6%:
Just as nice as its 48% predecessor: sweet, with fresh fruity notes and a lot of flavour (but cask strength is more logical when you market a whisky as "natural") (87 p)

Yamazaki 18 y.o.:
Wonderful nose with vanilla, dried fruit and a yummy note of peat. Rich, fruity, oaky, quite dry palate - rather nice but doesn't deliver what the nose promises. Like its younger sibling, it's great on the nose but the palate is too oaky. (89 p)

Another highlight was the cask of whisky that Glenfiddich had brought to the fest­ival. The 15 y.o. malt, straight from the cask, was pricey to try but very, very nice! I'd love to see a bottling of that... With so many dis­til­leries bottling "natural", un­chill­fil­tered whisky, perhaps it's time for Glenfiddich to do so as well?

While I was at the fest­ival I also tried a few beers and I rounded off the evening with a glass of BrewDog Paradox Smokehead - an Islay cask matured stout! Wow!

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Five single malts from Cadenhead's
A review of Ardmore 1997, Balblair 1990, Glen Moray 1992, Strathisla 1987 and Strathmill 1995.

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A review of single malts from the Czech Republic, England, Germany, India, Sweden and Taiwain.

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