Tuesday 3 December 2013

Springbank 10 Year Old



Today's tasting features the Springbank 10 year old. In trying to tie the music in with the whisky I chose Pearl Jams - Ten. Okay that isn't entirely true. Ten and Ten do a connection make, However I actually chose this album because of a question I pondered today. I found myself wondering what my end game is with this blog. Not that I am discouraged or anything like that. More along the lines of : What am I trying to achieve? The answer I believe is tied into why I love this album so much (other than the fact that it's awesome).

Pearl Jam released the album Ten in 1991. It is an album that is in my top ten (if you don't mind my saying) and I don't think that I am alone. I believe I once read a review in Rolling Stone that referred to the album as "near perfect". I would have to agree with that. From start to finish there really aren't any misses on this album. I also associate this album with many feelings of nostalgia. Listening to it brings back many cherished memories from my adolescence. I like to consider myself a person who enjoys playing on the bass. For my fourteenth birthday I received my first bass guitar, and for a period I like many people dreamt of becoming a rock star. I enjoyed learning many riffs, but "Alive" was the first song I learned to play in it's entirety. Today, when I listen to "Alive" I can't help but smile as I recall the pride and adventure I felt learning to play music. Suffice to say I never became a rock star. The strange thing is that there was never really any disappointment in not achieving this dream. I honestly believe that I was content with having experienced the excitement one gets in being a part of  and discovering something new. This in many ways is how I feel now with my journey with the whisky community or Whisky fabric. I don't imagine that my writing will get published, or that distilleries will be knocking down my door trying to get me to taste samples of their products. That's not why I do this. I am just content to be part of a community. To share  my journey with others who appreciate the art of whisky, and to learn as much as I can.

With that in mind it's time to enjoy the ride.

Nose: salt, peat, and a tart sweetness like sour cherries. On a subsequent nosing I get honeyed leather.

Palate: The peat and leather are first to speak. A waft of smoke and a teasing sweetness quickly follow.

Finish: Smoke and vanilla wave you on. I detected a hint of cocoa and the peat resurfaced.

Out of curiosity I will try another dram using an aerator.

Nose: I still get the salinity, but the fruit is much sweeter. Rather than cherries I think it's closer to papaya or something similar. The honeyed leather is still there, but this time with more honey.

Palate: The peat still shines here. The leather has moved on and has been replaced by a less coy sweetness with a slightly spicy attitude. The smoke still puffs up in the tail.

Finish: Drying as vanilla oakiness dances on a bed of peat that has just begun to smoke.    

This whisky has been on my wish list for a long time. I finally decided to pick up a bottle as a gift to myself. I find it to have a great balance between smokiness and the sweetness of the grains and oak. Really nice stuff.

I still play and listen to music every chance I get. I also really enjoy tasting whisky. Perhaps for my next post I will play my own music. I will need to find a funky whisky. Any suggestions?                  

1 comment:

Liza said...

You will always be my rockstar.