10 best whiskies tasted in 2007

I'm off on holiday tomorrow till the end of the year. And as I'm diving for some of the time, and driving for most of the rest, there won't be any whisky action going on (unless I get lucky). So it's a good time to list my favourite whiskies tasted this year. In 2007, I've tasted (properly tasted, not just knocking back shots at the bar) about 30 or so, of which only 25 of which made it into the tasting notebook for one reason or another. I had a slow start to the year. However, I think 30 whiskies are enough to pick a top 10 from, especially if they were without exception enjoyable.

I don't like to rank my lists (who's to say that Deinotherium is cooler than Gomphotherium?) but in this case, why not? In order, from the most scrumptious, right down to plain tasty:

1. Rosebank 17 yo 1990/2007 Cask Strength (Whisky Exchange).

I got this straight from the cask at the Whisky Exchange in Vinopolis. Lovely, complex, fruity nose, wonderful flavours - reminds me of rhubarb and custard sweets, something I'll forever associate with Scotland. Also pear drops, which I first sampled in St Andrews next to the seaside. A brilliant, warming, delicious whisky, and it's so sad that the supplies of Rosebank are limited. I think I've got enough left to attempt some food pairing experiments though.

2. Clynelish 15 yo 1992/2007 Cask Strength (Whisky Exchange).

I tried this in 2 incarnations - straight from the cask at the Whisky Exchange, and a bottling from their indie label, the Single Malts of Scotland. The cask expression was better, because Duncan and Matt at the Whisky Exchange moved the cask around before filling my bottle, giving the whisky a good shake and a lot of extra spice from the wood. Ginger biscuits,
spiced apple, wheat beer, fig jam on toast, burning wood - so interesting, and so very tasty. I can't wait to try pairing this one.

3. Bunnahabhain 27 yo 1978/2006 Cask Strength (Signatory).

This was FM's birthday gift, and also the first whisky I've tried that's older than I am (by a few days, but who's counting...). Very big flavours, Highland-like, with woodsmoke, papaya (drizzled with lime, hurrah!), fermented fruit, and a very interesting mix of land and sea at the finish - whiffs of seaweed followed by cut grass. It's FM's, and it would be a shame to deny him the pleasure of finishing it, so no pairings - yet.

4. Glengoyne 17 yo (OB).

Sweet child of mine! The oak aging gives this whisky flawless spice and fruit notes. Chocolate covered raisins pop out everywhere. I did try to pair this, but nothing worked - this whisky is best as a dessert all on its own.

5. Talisker 18 yo (OB).

I actually finished this bottle just before I had the idea of blogging about food pairings. What a shame. But this one was a food in its own right - the smoky, meaty, peppery Talisker had somehow been enhanced with bittersweet orange and toasty, bready notes. Smoked bacon and Seville marmalade sandwiches, a wonderfully satisfying combination.

6. Kilchoman New Spirit (OB).

Strictly speaking this one isn't really whisky, but if the new make spirit tastes like this, the properly aged stuff is going to be a world beater. Fish sauce, dates, tangerines, butter and butterscotch, all cradled in a gentle peaty cloak. The label claims one can taste pear, but it's overpowered by the ABV I think (there might have been some pear in the finish). Scarily drinkable at 63% ABV!

7. Macallan 18 yo 1989/2007 Cask Strength (Whisky Shop).

This one was a gift from my parents. I ordinarily wouldn't choose it myself (I'm not the biggest fan of Macallan), but the age of the whisky has really improved and enhanced the characteristic Macallan sweetness with cherry syrup and orange peel. This is a Christmas whisky, and with any luck I'll be able to have a post describing my food pairing experiments tomorrow.

8. Monkey Shoulder.

This is a vatted malt made from Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie. William Grant, the bottlers, don't release Kininvie as a single malt, so this is one of the few ways to find out how it might taste. Plums is my answer, plums and plum pudding. In addition to that, this whisky has Balvenie orange, Glenfiddich pear, and an undercurrent of honey and figs. I know many aficionados treat this with disdain, as it's marketed as suitable for mixing, but it is really very tasty neat. And that's how I'll drink it, despite the cocktail recipes on the website.

9. Edradour 10 yo (OB).

Minty, grassy, Kendal cake! This is a spring whisky, something to drink on a picnic in the countryside. It's got fruit (blackcurrant lurking somewhere), pick-me-ups (there's coffee and chocolate too), and the refreshing mintiness running through all aspects of the dram. Highly enjoyable, and very interesting.

10. Highland Park 12 yo (OB).

This is a very nice dram, and from all reports it's much inferior to its 18 yo cousin, the new member of the Highland Park range. I can't wait to try that one... But this 12 yo was very interesting in the sense that it created an instant impression - that doesn't normally happen when I taste. It made the words "chocolate milkshake" pop into my head upon first nosing. And it does taste like chocolate milkshake, if chocolate milkshake had raisins, grapes, melon, butter and was served in a leather cup...


Honourable mentions to a Connemara 12 yo I had in Soho's Toucan Bar and the Scapa 14 yo I had at FM's party.

That's it for 2007, whisky-wise. Hopefully I'll have many more (30 is a poor, poor score, but I was busy from January to June) in 2008!