The Mermaid, the Witch and the Beauty: WTF Tasting 002

Ouch! After a fantastic beginning with the WTF Tasting, I am back with a second WTF blind tasting.

Again, just in case you are new to this, my new way of tasting, I introduce my hand in the samples box and grab four or five samples of whatever it is inside: single malts, blended, rums, gins, vodka, whatever means whatever!.

What in my opinion makes this kind of tasting so awesome is the surprise factor. You have absolutely no idea of what you are tasting so only color and the beverage itself can make you rate it, no prices, no fancy bottles, no stunning statements, no marketing, just pure whisky passion. [NOTE to self: Buy opaque tasting glasses]

Well, let’s see what the f*** I tasted…

So as I got four samples of whisky and poured the first one. Blindly. Well, no, in fact I poured it with open eyes but with the label looking away from me. You get the idea, don’t you?

1^st sample:anCnoc Peter Arkle 2^nd edition

“A fantastic second release after a great first batch of anCnoc Peter Arkle. Lots of fruits and a delicious touch of sherry on this dram”

90

A limited edition bottling from anCnoc, produced in collaboration with Scottish artist and designer Peter Arkle. This second edition has been matured in a combination of American and European oak casks, as selected by distillery manager Gordon Bruce.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, fruits, ripe pears, banana, mango, vanilla, citrus, wood.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, spices, wood, citrus, tobacco, cocoa. Speyside? Maybe at 50% abv?

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, tobacco, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this An Cnoc Peter Arkle / 2nd Edition Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 90 points over 100.

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Superb whisky! I really love anCnoc whiskies. They are great drams with an incredible price quality. This Peter Arkle is a bit less sherried than the 1^st batch of anCnoc Peter Arkle, that was sold exclusively on Royal Mile, but still as fantastic.

2^nd sample: Old Pulteney Isabella Fortuna WK499

Umm, a light coloured one, I hope it is peated.

“I love their 12 years old and I felt in love with the fantastic Old Pulteney 30 years old, but this one is a bit light and citrusy for my taste. No”

86

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (86): average. honey, vanilla, floral, spices, citrus.

Palate (86): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, spices, pepper, wood.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, citrus, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Old Pulteney Isabella Fortuna WK499 1l with 86 points over 100.

This Pulteney is a bit dissapointing. A bit light, a bit mean. Save your money and get the 12 years old instead that it is fantastic stuff.

3^rd sample: The Glenrothes 41 years old 1969 Peerless Duncan Taylor

“An impressive old Glenrothes with the Speyside fingerprint in it: lots of oranges and flowers, but I would expect something more from a range named Peerless”

88

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, oranges, floral, spices, flowers. Looks like an Speysider

Palate (87): powerful, oily. honey, oranges, wood, spices, citrus.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, oranges, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenrothes 41 Year Old 1969 - Peerless (Duncan Taylor) with 88 points over 100.

Here you have it! If I read the label and see it is a forty one years old Glenrothes it would have been rated in a quite more kindly one… It looks like an aged Speysider but I wouldn’t say it was so old. Anyway, it is a quite interesting experience of oranges and wood.

4^th sample: Glenury Royal 1970 36 years old

One risk of blind random tasting sessions is that perhaps there is nothing stunning and special, so maybe this is one of that kind of sessions. Last sample doesn’t look bad at all…

“Fantastic! What a whisky! This is my first Glenury and I now know I need more of it. You can't imagine how good it was”

92

70cl / 57.9% / Distillery Bottling - One of only a handful of long-aged distillery-bottled releases of Glenury Royal. This 1970 vintage is very special whisky from a tragically lost distillery. Impeccable cask selection has led to perhaps the best of Diageo's recent releases from Glenury.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. honey, spices, wood, citrus, candies. Old stuff indeed! Wood! Spices! Really impressed.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. candies, spices, wood, citrus, flowers. This dram exudes age and power. Delicious.

Finish (92): longer than average. candies, spices, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenury Royal 1970 / 36 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 92 points over 100.

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Mother of God! Oh my! This stuff is awesome! Incredibly delicious! Definitively it deserves a bit more, maybe 93 o even 94. It is a pity the price is so high because the whisky itself if gorgeous. Do whatever you can to taste it at least!

Miguel says…

What can I say?! I have had the chance of discovering a Glenury Royal and tasting it without knowing I was tasting such an special whisky. It is such a great whisky that now, after a few weeks since I tasted, I still think of how good it was.

It really shine over the rest, and it would be a pity I don’t mention the anCnoc Peter Arkle because it is a ver solid dram, a bit of bourbon, a bit of sherry, plenty of bottled delight.

Enjoy and see you in WTF! Session 003.

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