The Line up!

Park Whiskey Society held our first tasting event at the end of November and without reservation, the evening was a total success. You could tell there was a feeling of dubious excitement among the guys as they introduced themselves and absorbed the environment. Which I can’t blame them for. They were all asked for and sent their money with no true explanation besides the fact we were going to use their funds to purchase whisky. How much? What kinds? Where from? Are all valid assurances that we could have informed them of but truthfully we were kind of just flying by the seat of our pants, optimistically expecting everything to fall nicely into place… which it certainly did. When you are as passionate as we are for whisky, good things just simply come together. So good that, we even had a surprise bottle slip into the tasting that left us all, jaws dropped and panties removed. It pays to surround yourself with amazing people!

Each tasting will experience representation from all over the globe with a few fixtures of course. One being, since we are proudly Canadian, we will always showcase a whisky from the great white north. Second and third being, there will always 2 scotches and a bourbon there as well. The remaining bottles will be made up of any other of the various whiskies or whiskeys from all over the world. 

For this tasting we elected to start off with an internationally renowned Taiwanese Whisky from Kavalan. From the Solist series, this single malt, cask strength aged in Oloroso Sherry casks, possesses a completely natural and beautifully aphotic like colour and is a favourite for most from this distillery. Due to Taiwan’s humid and tropical climate, the maturation of their whiskies are accelerated which has afforded Kavalan the capability of producing some fairly high end juice full of rich aromas and flavours wonderfully complex. An essential edge for a young brand still in their infancy compared to the whisky giants around the world.

For entire tasting notes and ratings follow this link. https://parkwhiskeysociety.com/2019/01/09/kavalan-solist-sherry-cask-strength/

Representing Bourbon in our tasting comes from one of my favourite brands around the industry, Michter’s Distillery. Reliably bottling and releasing consistently great whiskeys, this Single Barrel 10 year is no different. It’s a very delicious bourbon and is more than deserved to be part of everyone’s collection. Worth the price tho? Maybe for the $100 USD I found it for in Minneapolis but up in Canada where is cost upwards of $230 CAD, I am not sure it is… Luckily for me I frequent the states. For those of you that don’t, there are plenty of Michter’s whiskeys that will still impress in lower price ranges.

For entire tasting notes and ratings follow this link. https://parkwhiskeysociety.com/2019/01/12/michters-single-barrel-10-year-bourbon/

Nestled in the cold Alberta plains where rye is born, the next bottle to make our tasting line up is a Canadian masterpiece, Lot 40 Cask Strength, aged 11 years. This limited release cask strength is quintessentially Canadian and has become the country’s darling within the whiskey community. The 100% Rye, aged in new oak is once again receiving the highest of praise across the country and internationally. It’s 2017 predecessor is almost impossible to find only a year later and I can only assume this bottle will follow suit. Snag one while you can before its too late. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a few home grown beauties like this on the shelf to demonstrate some nationalistic pride. Canada still occasionally punches in a high weight class but never seems to get the attention it deserves in the whisky community.

For entire tasting notes and ratings follow this link https://parkwhiskeysociety.com/2019/01/13/lot-40-11-year-cask-strength/

Up first in the scotch department is Bunnahabhain’s 25 year single malt. This carefully created and methodically aged scotch is highly regarded with some very impressive accolades. Both sweet and smooth, this sherry aged whisky offers a complexity of flavours finished off by that signature kiss of Bunnahabhain peat smoke. This distillery is highly regarded and makes some unbelievable juice but this 25 year they have created is a stand out and is absolutely magnificent.

For entire tasting notes and ratings follow this link. https://parkwhiskeysociety.com/2019/01/13/bunnahabhain-25-year-single-malt/

Lastly, we have the acclaimed release of anCnoc’s 1975 Vintage by the Knockdhu Distillery. Bottled in 2014 making it 39 years of age and officially older than most of the gentleman that took part in this Friday’s tasting. Distilled in the northeast of the Speyside region almost bordering the Highlands region (why its considered a Highlands scotch) known for being an area rich is natural springs, local barley and inexhaustible peat. This limited edition expression was selected from merely 3 casks, only producing 1,590 bottles. Aged for as long as it was, in a combination of Spanish and American Oak, surprisingly came out lighter in colour than most whiskies of its maturity. That being said, older whiskies tend to go down a little hot but this vintage finishes as smooth as butter.

For entire tasting notes and ratings follow this link. https://parkwhiskeysociety.com/2019/01/13/ancnoc-1975-limited-edition-single-malt/

As for our surprise bottle…

None other than the godfather of bourbon himself! Looking so damn sexy was a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 23 year standing heavenward, casting a shadow over the rest of the line up as if they weren’t there at all. Let me preface by saying, in Canada, this whiskey or any Pappy for the matter is pretty much impossible to come by unless you are going to pay a $100+ dollars for a single ounce in the couple bars that serve it. So, to see it grace our presence tonight was a pretty special thing. Full review coming soon.