Shipwrecked with Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old

The slow and horrific realisation that you have made a mistake is deeply unpleasant. It begins in the pit of your stomach and turns into a fireball of dread before travelling upwards. It spreads out down your arms in a cold shudder and constricts your chest and then your throat. Finally your eyes bulge as your brain explodes. This is what I imagine the Captain of the Costa Concordia felt like when he heard the terrible crunch, as the rocks tore along the hull of his cruise ship. This sinking feeling aside, it is the mother of all mistakes. The cost involved is immense, the insurance underwriters are all going into cardiac arrest, governments will get involved and the press is enjoying a titanic extravaganza.

So, today I suggest a medicine for this feeling and that medicine is the Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old. Pronounced 'potch ghoo' and meaning 'black pot' or an illicit still, it is a blended malt whisky from the Isle of Skye. The guys making it are also planning to open Skye's second distillery, joining the already incredible Talisker. So without further ado...

Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old
43% - Blended Malt Whisky
Nose: A thick sweet combination of toffee and peatbog with malty orange foundations. Finally there is the smell of sea surf rolling over a stony beach.
Palate: Maritime with salty grape flavours but with caramel lending this whisky a very sweet character.
Finish: Malt biscuits and the faintest whiff of smoke; notable length.
Overall: A great blended malt from a company that have much promise for the future. I'm excited to try Skye's second single malt whisky!

Rediscovering The Classics: Talisker 10 Year Old

Some readers of this blog may have noticed that there haven't been many posts this week. Unfortunately I have been taken sick. Drinking, and even the thought of drinking, has been far from my mind. My greatest affliction is an unwillingness to seek help, I come from the school of thought that insists all illness is just a sniffle and people should just 'man-up' and get on with life. The extremity of this became apparent to my girlfriend when I took a fortnight to go to the doctor's when I went down with a rather nasty case of tonsillitis. It wasn't until I realised my tonsils had turned black and were leaking pus did I surrender and took my 'cold' to the doctor. The most horrid part of any illness is the point at which you can't face a drink. Whisky may cure a cold but stomach infections, tonsillitis and chicken pox lay outside of its glorious remit. So having not tried anything new this week I thought I'd talk about the single malt that started it all...

I've drunk whisky for quite a long time, beginning with Drambuie before progressing to Famous Grouse. However the first single malt I tried was the almighty Talisker 10 Year Old. One of my Dad's favourites, it was an introduction to a whole new level of whisky drinking. For years Talisker was my absolute favourite to the extent that my friend Rob and I took a day to train and bus hop to Skye then hike nine miles to the nearest pub for a Talisker 18 Year Old. Talisker was my earliest benchmark for judging whisky. It has a ferocity coupled with flavours that for me define whisky. Although I now appreciate many different whiskies for their different complexities I still have a soft spot for my old favourite. Here's to Talisker!

Talisker 10 Year Old
45.8% - Distillery Bottling
Nose: That trademark black and white pepper with kippers, melon and apple following, closed with ashy coal smoke.
Palate: The smoke continues straight on to the palate with a vanilla sweetness and peaty pepper.
Finish: Malty, long and spicy with waves of gentle smoke.
Overall: A classic malt indeed, excellent with haggis, perfect all year round. I find it pleasing that no matter how many whiskies I try, I still enjoy a good Talisker. Slainte.