Feb - Who gets the nod for peat's sake?

Melbourne Malts held it's first meeting for the year on Thursday Feb 1st at 16 Ellis st. Sth. Yarra.
Most of us were familiar with the Distillery bottling of the Bowmore 12yo, but the general comment was that it had improved since they tried it last. Then came the Provenance two cask bottling by Douglas McGibbon - there were a number of surprised comments at both the difference and the complexity of the nose. It was some minutes before someone came out with the advice to drink it - the promise of the nose is delivered to the mouth!
Against an impressive distillery effort, score one to the Independants with points to spare.
And so to the Distillery Caol Ila with approving murmurs all round. The Douglas Laing Single cask was going to have meet a high standard. Well the nose impressed!
Alas, it fell a little flat in the mouth but recovered somewhat with lip smacking length.
Score one to the Distillery by a fair margin, due in part to the quality of the Distillery expression.

Conclusion: You can't dismiss the Independants, they too are capable of great works.

And so to the Masked Cask strength (60.7%) single malt. For the second meeting in a row - the masked was the hit of the night. Nobody picked it, because nobody got out of Scotland! I think everyone scored it around 90-91 and everyone maded me spell it for them to take note, when I announced "It is an Irish single malt - Connemara".
Score two from left field.

To cap the night Johnny Sit, who had joined us from 16 Ellis street, asked if anyone would like to taste a gin. The general response was "Nooo" Many people just didn't like the smell of the Juniper berry.
Johhny just smiled enigmatically and came back with a two bottles of Gin - a Tanqueray Ten and a Plymouth. These two so impressed us died in the wool malt drinkers that we agreed to devote the November meeting to a tasting of the best expressions of the worlds other distilled spirits.

Tell your friends, it's Sociable, Entertaining and Educational.
See you on Thursday March 2nd for the Macallan medley.

Melbourne Malts - inaugural meeting

On Thursday December 1st 2005 "Melbourne Malts" was formed on a very warm evening at the Rex Hotel in Port Melbourne.
Ten very enthusiastic whisky lovers met and whilst sampling a variety of whiskies, formulated how their group should proceed.
We decided that Melbourne Malts should meet ten times a year on the first Thursday of each month from February to November.
Membership was to be offered at two levels :
1. Annual fee of $200 plus $35 per meeting.
2. Introductory membership fee of $45 which would give entry to 3 consecutive meetings for an additional $45 per meeting.
The introductory membership fee of $45 would be deducted from the Annual fee if full membership was subsequently taken up.
Whilst geting through all the formal business we managed to sample:
1. Smith's Angaston 7yo 1997
2. The Macallan 18yo 1983
3. Glenfarclas 24yo Single cask - 1980 48.7% (MWSoA Convention bottling)
4. Old Malt Cask Laphroig 17yo single cask 1987 - 50% Douglas Laing
BUT, the hit of the night was a blind tasting and it wasn't even a malt!
A Kentucky straight rye whiskey - Sazerac 18yo.

THE 2006 PROGRAM - FEBRUARY to JUNE
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Thursday Feb 2nd. - at 16 ELLIS STREET SOUTH YARRA. Just knock on the door.
Who gets the nod for Peat's sake,
the Distilleries or the Independants?
1. Caol Ila 12yo 43% Distillery Bottling vs. Douglas Laing's 12yo Caol Ila 50%
2. Bowmore 12yo Distillery Bottling 43% vs. Mcgibbon's Provenance Bowmore 13yo 46%
3. A blind cask strength peat monster from left field.

Thursday March 2nd.
A Macallan Medley.
1. The Macallan Fine Oak 12yo 40%
2. The McGibbon's Provenance 14yo from two casks 46%
3. The Macallan 1983 18yo 43% (May be the last of the Jerez casks for Australia)
4. The Macallan Fine Oak 18yo 43%
5. Hart Brothers 15yo cask strength 54.2%

Thursday April 6th.
Anzac Salute (Antipodean Malts)
Expressions from: (in alphabetical order)
1. Bakery Hill - Melbourne
2. Lark Distillery - Hobart
3. Milford (NZ)
4. The Small Concern Whisky Distillery - Cradle Mountain
5. Tasmania Distillery

Thursday May 4th
Whats on the other Islands?
A exploration of treats from each of the Islands of:
1. Arran
2. Jura
3. Mull
4. Orkney
5. Skye

Thursday June 8th (Note: this is the 2nd Thursday in June)
Whisky tasting Master Class
A malt whisky judging workshop, run by Chairman of the MWSoA, Craig Daniels.
Try 12 single malt whiskies in three different flights of 4.
Learn how to benchmark malts and then find out whether you have the nose for the job.

Melbourne Malts Promotes the safe consumption of alcohol - please do not drive home.