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Catching The Eight Fifteens

On Wednesday January 31 we delved into the old world of whisky with a single malt tasting featuring a bevy of bottles of advanced age that command premium prices. Eight fifteen year old scotch whiskies, including Benromach, Bowmore, Dalwhinnie, Glendronach, Glenfiddich, Longmorn, Macallan, and Mortlach were compared.

The desirable complexity of spice and fruit were still evident in most of these single malts along with the grace that age brings. Fifteen years seems to be a prime age for a single malt whisky where the rounded silky smoothness of extended barrel aging has not given way to overbearing wood flavours. Six of the eight whiskies sampled scored in the twenties, showing the quality of the field. Top of the class were The Macallan, Glendronach, and Bowmore.

Prices listed below are the pre-tax wholesale prices from the LCBO, in the stores they would go for 10 to 15% more. As you can see, a high price does not guarantee quality.

Nose
Body
Palate
Finish
Likability
Total
Rank

out of 4
out of 4
out of 6
out of 8
out of 8
out of 30

The Macallan15 yr.
$88.85 750 mL.
3.0
3.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
24.0
1

Glendronach
$48.17 750 mL
3.0
3.0
5.0
6.0
6.0
23.0
2

Bowmore Mariner
$52.62 750 mL
3.0
3.0
5.0
6.0
6.0
23.0
2

Dalwhinnie
$52.67 750 mL
3.0
3.0
4.0
6.0
6.0
22.0
4

Benromach
$86.49 700 mL
3.0
3.0
4.0
6.0
5.0
21.0
5

Longmorn
$41.08 750 mL
3.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
5.0
20.0
6

Mortlach
$78.75 700 mL
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
5.0
19.0
7

Glenfiddich 15 yr.
$52.62 750 mL
3.0
2.0
4.0
4.0
5.0
18.0
8
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