It’s official: WhiskyFest is awesome.

Bouncing around the dozens of booths and hundreds of spirits being poured was tons of fun: More intimate than the enormous wine events and studded with wall-to-wall kilts. My final tally: 24 whiskeys tasted (plus a rum and a gin). That’s more than I was expecting to sample, but as I rode home on the train I figured I could have consumed quite a bit more and almost turned around to go back for a couple more glasses. But the day after, I’m certainly glad for my temperance, as I’m no worse for wear following the experience.

I arrived at the event with 10 minutes to spare in the VIP hour and, sadly, managed to find none of the VIP-special whiskeys before the hour expired. I was just too overwhelmed by the myriad choices to be sampled to try to track down who was pouring what spirit at what poorly-marked booth. I went from corner to corner of the tasting room at least four times and, in the end, still never managed to find a couple of the distillery booths that I’d been hoping to sample from. But though numerous whiskeys were absent from the tasting floor that had been supposed to be there, even more were on tap that hadn’t been indicated in advance.

As is my custom, here are ratings and notes on each of the spirits tasted, but, again, bear in mind these are snap judgments based on minuscule samples. It’s much harder to fashion an opinion on a whiskey with just a couple of sips vs. a wine, which generally reveals more about its quality in a shorter amount of time. When I review whiskey for the site I’ll often taste it over the course of several hours, sometimes tasting it multiple times over the course of a few days before writing a review. In a broader tasting, I’d expect some of these ratings to swing considerably up or down. That said, there wasn’t a “bad” spirit I tried last night.

Spirits are in mostly alphabetic order below, not the order tasted. Read on for the highlights!

WhiskyFest 2008 Full Report

• Ardbeg Uigeadail, B+ / overpowering, heavy on the smoke
• Arran Bourbon Single Cask, B+ / interesting but out of balance
• Balvenie 17 year SherryOak, B / now off the market
• Balvenie 21 year PortWood, A- / much sweeter than the Sherry, very lush
• Beltrano’s Cask Highland Park 19 year, B+ / a private bottling of Highland Park (you’ll see a number of these throughout the report, some very good)
• Bruichladdich Links 15 year Torrey Pines, A / great combo of peat and sweetness, with a curious finish
• Duncan Taylor 1970 Glen Grant 37 year, A / my last whisky of the night, a chocolate brown Scotch perfect as “dessert”
• Elijah Craig 18 year Bourbon, A- / packs a spicy kick
• Gabriel Boudier Saffron Gin, B+ / really tough to taste a gin among two dozen whiskeys, not bad though
• Glenfarclas 21 year, A- / with the 25 year, my favorite Scotches of the night
• Glenfarclas 25 year, A / great vanilla and Sherry notes
• Glenfiddich 18 year, A- / smoky sweet, nice balance
• Glenfiddich 21 year, B+ / less impressive than the 18
• Glengoyne 17 year, B+ / smoky nose gives way to smokeless flavor, very intriguing
• The Glenlivet 21 year, A / a creamy vanilla monster
• Gordon & MacPhail Port Ellen 25 year, B+ / full of phenol
• Lagavulin 16 year, B+ / disappointing considering the reputation
• Laphroaig 15 year, B+ / a surprisingly muted expression of Laphroaig, with a watery character compared to the norm
• The Macallan 18 year Sherry Oak, A- / packed with Sherry flavor, classic Macallan
• Rhum Clement X.O. Rhum Agricole, A- / sugary sweet and exotic, very interesting after lots of Scotch
• Suntory Yamazaki 18 year, A- / very complex, really enjoyable
• Tomintoul 27 year, A-
• Pappy Van Winkle 20 year, A / best Bourbon of the night, a flavor bomb packed with spice and vanilla
• Pappy Van Winkle 23 year, B+ / hotter than the 20 year, similar but with less flavor
• Parker’s Heritage Collection Cask Strength Bourbon, B / a 10-year bourbon poured by Parker himself, amazingly hot
• Parker’s Heritage Collection 27 year Single Barrel Bourbon, B+ / reportedly the oldest single-barrel bourbon on the market, really smooth

Skyy is a big player in the flavored vodka market and is unique for its dedication to only using natural flavors in its concoctions. After raving about its passion fruit version, I tasted four of its classic, more versatile flavors to get a better feel for the line. All are 70 proof. Some thoughts follow.

Skyy Citrus - This is a very light flavored vodka, much like the effect of dropping a wheel of orange into a tall glass of water. The flavor is brisk and predominantly orange. Great with a cosmo or any other time you want a hint of orange flavor without overpowering the drink. A-

Skyy Raspberry - Sounds like a winner, but in cocktails it invariably forces the flavor toward something strikingly like cough syrup. No better on its own, this one just doesn’t taste like raspberry. Perhaps a different fruit source is in order. C-

Skyy Grape - The perfect essence of grape… Kool-Aid. Tastes like melted Jello shots. That’s not a bad thing — though it brings back all kinds of memories of wasted youth — but it’s not like eating Concord grapes by the bunch. B

Skyy Cherry - There are so many good ways to get cherry flavor into a drink (Heering, Maraschino liqueur, Kirsch), that a cherry vodka seems a little superfluous… though I guess the same can be said of orange flavor. Cherry suffers from the same cough syrup character as the raspberry, but not so severely. There’s a good cherry character here, but then it fades back into medicine. Hit-and-miss. Better in cocktails. C+

all $15 / skyy.com

Surely anything called Vampyre Vodka can’t be very good, right? Anything that preys on a pop culture joke like the undead, I mean, can’t be a serious spirit, can it? Vampyre Vodka even comes in a blood red edition — and if you need me to explain the gag to you, you are reading the wrong blog — it’s gotta be a big gimmick, doesn’t it?

Not so fast, Lestat. I put both versions of Vampyre to the test (hey, it is almost Halloween) and was frankly shocked by the quality of the spirits. Both vodkas are 80 proof, triple-distilled in England (from what I’m still checking — UPDATE: It’s wheat), and really quite smooth. With the so-called Vampyre Clear, there’s a hint of almond and medicinal fragrance at first, then a little kick of sweetness, then a very smooth finish. Amazing to sip, and it works well in all manner of cocktails.

Vampyre Red is really just a blood red version of the original. The taste is nearly identical, with just perhaps with a touch more sweetness in the red version, likely a by-product of all the artificial coloring used to make it so crimson. I even tried them blind to see if I could tell them apart: I could (at least, I guessed right), but again the difference was barely perceptible until you open your eyes. Note however that the red can be a real mess. Be careful if you’re mixing with it, because it will stain anything you get it on. Just like actual blood, I suppose.

Gimmick or no, these are both quite good spirits in their own rights. Plus, it should go without saying, Vampyre Red is a perfect mixer for your Halloween cocktailing needs.

P.S. Note that you’ll often find Vampyre Vodka listed as Vampire Vodka online — even on the company’s own website (though Vampire (with an I) is also the name of the parent company, confusing matters greatly). Either way you see it, you’re getting the same product.

Both: A- / $23 / vampirevodka.com

Having previously expressed my love for Don Julio’s Anejo tequila, I finally got my mitts on the other four bottles in Don Julio’s line. Some additional thoughts on the products from one of the most reliable, high-quality tequila producers in operation.

Don Julio Blanco - A fresh and creamy taste, mild in flavor (80 proof) but with a touch of peppery agave bite. A slight bitterness on the finish. Overall, this is about as good a blanco tequila as you’re likely to get from a major label producer. A- / $36

Don Julio Reposado - Eight months in oak give Don Julio’s reposado a good slap of oak flavor, but not too much. I’m never a huge reposado fan, but this one (80 proof as well) is as good as any I’ve had in recent memory. The very pale yellow color alludes to the hints of honey and cinnamon you’ll taste in the glass, but strangely the reposado has a little more bite than the blanco. Not bad, but again I’ll take the anejo over the reposado any day… especially since the anejo is, somehow, actually a couple of bucks cheaper per bottle. B+ /$45

Don Julio 1942 - This 80-proof, limited-edition tequila comes in a strange, tall decanter, into which it goes after 2 1/2 years or more of aging in oak. (For comparison, the anejo is in oak for 18 months.) Double-distilled, the 1942 has a huge vanilla bite and a powerful kick of exotic spices that are hard to place. A bit vegetal on the finish, but otherwise really intriguing. Complex and curious, this is a sipping tequila that is unlike anything else I’ve tried. A- / $120

Don Julio Real - “Real” as in, uh, real. It’s the same in Spanish and English, and alludes to the Spanish monetary unit and its connotation of “royalty.” Again, it’s 80 proof, and after up to five years in oak and a second distillation, it’s full of complicated flavors. Citrus is surprisingly strong, but the woodsy oak takes hold soon after. There’s essence of agave deep in the spirit, but what impresses most is the fine balance. Really quite impressive, as one would expect from the good Don. A / $370

donjulio.com

New Scotch expressions are legion. But Scotch producers making it to the U.S. are pretty rare, considering this country’s love of the smoky stuff.

Glendullan distillery presents its first American offering this fall, The Singleton, a 12-year single malt that most Scotch enthusiasts will likely find perfectly pleasant, if a bit entry-level.

Produced in the crowded Speyside region, Glendullan’s 40-proof Singleton is a darker 12-year than most, but the taste is fairly light. Buttery smoke is first on the nose, and in the quaff. Floral notes are secondary, followed by light apple, nutty almond, and faint grassy tones. It’s very approachable for a Scotch pro, but I probably wouldn’t unleash it as a first-time whisky on a newcomer to the spirit. The more I drink it the more I like it, though I do prefer more honey/vanilla sweetness in my whisky.

On a secondary note: The bottle is an oblong number that resembles an (oversized) flask, a design that’s really growing in popularity these days.

Not a terrible price for a Scotch that is likely to be hard to come by for the immediate future. Give it a try if you’re a single malt enthusiast.

B+ / $36 / malts.com

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition (officially ratified on December 5, 1933), so to celebrate, Old Forester is releasing a one-time-only, limited expression of its storied Bourbon whiskey. The whiskey will be sold in a 375ml bottle with a medicine-flash appearance and a replica version of a label from the 1930s. Availability is set for late November or early December.

I got an early look at the whiskey and found it quite good. At 100 proof (”Prohibition’s required proof,” says Old Forester), it’s a powerhouse, but less gut-punching than you’d expect. Strongly vanilla on the nose, that carries over to the body, especially with a splash of water. There’s some unusual, orange citrus in here, too, plus a touch of cloves and allspice, giving this Bourbon a little bit of rye-like character. A weird medicinal quality, kind of like the iodine you’ll find in some single malt Scotch, is another unusual component (but, perhaps, appropriate considering the ’30s approach to this unique spirit). The finish is clean and rich — maybe a bit less complex than I’d hoped, but very easy to drink and enjoy.

At $30 for a half-bottle of whiskey, Old Forester Repeal may be a little pricy for some Bourbon budgets, but it’s a conversation piece, to say the least. All hail the 21st Amendment!

B / $30 (375ml bottle) / oldforester.com

It isn’t every day you get to taste the complete lineup of a serious Scotch producer in one sitting… and have a gourmet dinner to go along with it. While I’m still recovering from gulping down six glasses of Scotch in lieu of wine on Thursday night (pacing yourself when you’re thirsty during a meal is surprisingly hard!), I have to say the gathering that Highland Park was gracious enough to invite me to was decidedly memorable.

Highland Park is an Orkney Islands-based distillery, a smaller Scotch producer that puts out 2 million liters of spirits a year and is found on the set of tiny islands beyond the far northern tip of Scotland. Orkney is so remote that our host, Martin Daraz, said there are less than 30 living trees on the island where Highland Park Distillery is based, the wind and salt spray making short work of the rest of the vegetation. The company’s facility is the northernmost distillery in all of Scotland.

Highland Park’s six different bottlings run from 12 to (now) 40 years of age, and each is a unique expression of malt whisky. Over the evening, Daraz gave us the rundown on Highland’s methodology, which seems to leave absolutely nothing to chance. Barrels are harvested from Spanish and, in a rare move among Scotch-makers, American oak, and all barrels are filled first in Spain with Oloroso Sherry. The company says it spends $20 million a year on wood alone, more than any other Scotch distillery, despite having a fraction of the output of some of the larger brands. The results, I can say with authority, are quite delicious.

As you can tell by the menu, the Scotch expressions were served slightly out of order. I’m reordering them here by age just to make it easier to follow. (I also skipped the Blood & Sand cocktail in favor of a neat glass of the 12-year-old HP, so I could have a basis for comparison through the evening. As you can see by the photos, things can get complicated rather quickly when you have six glasses of Scotch in front of you.)

Without further ado… the Highland Park line:

Highland Park 12 Year Old - A fairly standard, but appealing 86-proof single malt, quite pale and definitely the choice for anyone who’s drinking with soda or using the spirit in a cocktail. Mild smoke, peat, and honey all work well in the HP 12, but it’s not nearly as memorable as some of the other expressions. B+ / $42

Highland Park 15 Year Old - Amazing what a difference three years can make. Considerably darker than the 12, and sweeter too. Lots of oak (due to heavy use of American oak barrels) and the toasty, peaty smoke is palpable. Also 86 proof, it’s hot on the palate but goes down very easy. A- / $63

Highland Park 18 Year Old -Take the 15 and kick it up another notch: You’ve got HP 18. Still 86 proof, but even darker, exhibiting exotic, nutmeg and cinmamon flavors over hefty oak. Hints of pepper play with burnt sugar, making this a sugar & spice & everything nice concoction that I couldn’t stop from going back to time and time again (as is evidenced by the nearly empty glass in the photo!). My favorite of all the Highland Park bottles, and a veritable bargain compared to many other brands. A / $100

Highland Park 25 Year Old - Actually served fifth alongside dessert, this was my least favorite Scotch of the night. This year’s 96.2-proof bottling wasn’t on hand, so we had last year’s version, a 101.4-proof expression. Heavy, heavy on the alcohol, the oak character overpowered the spirit’s sweetness. It was claimed HP 25 was a good fit for desserts, but it didn’t do all that much for me before or during the last course. B / $250

Highland Park 30 Year Old - Served with the main course, working dazzlingly well. Extremely complex, and miles away from the HP 25. Very dark, it has a complexity and a slight, surprising bitterness to it. Deep wood character and some peaty phenol notes play nice with the heavy spice character. It’s not as sweet as many of the other HPs and has a rustic, roughness (at 96.2 proof) that is miles away from the 12-year-old HP. A- / $440

Highland Park 40 Year Old - The reason we came. Highland Park is now launching its first 40-year-old Scotch ever. At $2,000 a bottle, it’s extremely rare (just 150 bottles are allotted for the U.S. this year), but it’s not a limited edition: The 40-year will be bottled regularly going forward, year after year… there just won’t be a whole lot to drink. The dark chocolate brown color has a surprisingly subtle nose; it was the only spirit of the night that didn’t immediately overwhelm the nose with alcoholic heat (though, at 96.6 proof, it’s still plenty boozy). A tinge of bitterness plays with the butterscotch in the glass, but it’s always hard to get a lot of nuance out of spirits this old, as if they’ve begun to fade. Still, very drinkable and, of course, wholly memorable to be drinking from the first bottle of HP 40 ever opened in the United States. A- / $2,000

All in all, a wonderful lineup of Scotch whisky. If Highland Park doesn’t have one whisky which you outright love, might I suggest you instead turn to a can of beer?

highlandpark.co.uk

To call the label of 2 Rooz Vodka cartoonish would be an understatement: It really is a cartoon, and it really does have two kangaroos on it.

The label of this Australian vodka proudly notes that it is “neutral vodka,” and that’s somewhat helpful: This is a flavorful spirit, with vanilla, cinnamon, and some light citrus notes which could conceivably trick you into thinking you’re drinking an infused vodka. (It’s also 90 proof and packs quite a punch, especially because it goes down so smoothly.)

Distilled from grapes (much like fellow Aussie vodka Boomerang), 2 Rooz is a very clean spirit, distilled five times and quite the bargain considering the quality. Yes, you’re missing out on an acid-etched label and a name that hip-hop stars will work into their music, but if you’re looking for an exceptional house brand for both mixing and the occasional straight shot, 2 Rooz is a winner.

A- / $22 / tamborinemountaindistillery.com

Smith Woodhouse isn’t the biggest name in Port, but the company’s Lodge Reserve Port is a winner in the nonvintage world.

This is a rich and vibrant ruby Port, full of fruit and jam flavors. The finish is impressively long. It stays with you in the back of your mouth for minutes, fading from sugary jam to muted wood notes. No, you don’t get those intense sherry and caramel notes that you get with an aged, vintage port. This is more of a straightforward currant/raisin affair with an intensely purple color. But for a mere $18, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

B+ / $18 / smithwoodhouse.com

Glenlivet launches its oldest (permanent collection) Scotch this fall, a 25-year malt called XXV. It’s exceptional.

Aged in oak and Oloroso Sherry casks, the XXV has a light playfulness and a near-perfect balance for a single malt Scotch. Bottled at 86 proof, it needs the tiniest splash of water to cut through some pretty intense heat. Then comes the magic: Honey and flowers are on the nose, with heather, hay, and nuttiness immediately following. There’s something in the finish that’s hard to pin down, but it’s wonderful… a sweetness that made me think of toasted raisin bread.

Overall, this is a classic and richly creamy Scotch that reminds one of the rolling hills of Scotland… or at least, it would remind me of them if I’d ever been to Scotland. (Sigh.) In its tasting notes, Glenlivet says it’s “like walking into an antique shop,” and I can totally get on board with that. You’d be lucky to try it if you can track down a bottle… and are willing to pay the price!

A / $350 / theglenlivet.com/xxv