Miami Whiskey Mash
The Wild Turkey table at Miami Whiskey Mash 2018
Last month we wrangled up some friends and went to our first Miami Whiskey Mash, an annual event where various distilleries offer samples of their wares alongside a food truck turning out barbecue. The event takes place at Taurus, which happens to be the first whiskey bar in town that I reviewed. Their backyard -- which I didn't even know existed before the Mash -- is a perfect setting for an afternoon of rapid-fire sampling and chatting about whiskies with companions both old and new.
A miniature still at the excellent table for The Singleton of Glendullan
While Miami does not have a full-blown whiskey festival like some other cities do (oddly enough, there is a major touring festival, but its Florida city of choice is Fort Lauderdale), the Whiskey Mash has what matters to me: plenty of sample drams from a wide range of distilleries. The exhibitors this year included more than 50 distilleries, ranging from small craft outfits and American upstarts to the biggest and most storied of the big boys like Laphroaig and Macallan.
The Glengoyne boys hard at work, and showing off their full range
It also didn't hurt that it was an absolutely gorgeous early spring day, and that the event included a free cigar for a good pick-me-up at the end of some extensive day drinking. One of the more remarkable sights there was this remarkable carriage or classic car-like contraption brought in by Bulleit. The front end of it was opened up and featured the tasting bar, guests could actually crawl into the center (for a quick power nap and recovery, I suppose), and the back had a TV cycling through promotional materials.
Bulleit's very effective marketing at work
I didn't have time to take down (nor was I in the right state of mind for) full tasting notes, but here were my impressions of some of the whiskies that we enjoyed at the event. I won't give all of these a full rating, only those that I spent enough time contemplating to remember clearly.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed (54.8% ABV) - This bourbon verges on cloyingly sweet. It really toes the line. And yet it succeeds perhaps because of this character, which almost makes it seem like the inside of a rich creme brûlée in a glass, accentuated by its thick, syrupy mouthfeel and flavor. It also exhibits a powerful warming finish that lasts and lasts, and which is consistent with the higher proof. Spectacular value dram at $40 or so per bottle. A-
Russell's Reserve Rye (45%) - I recall this being a pleasant, classic rye with no standout surprise flavors. At 6 years of age and in the $40+ range, I'd probably recommend that people look to High West's Rendezvous Rye first, which is truly a marvelous and alluring rye at a similar mid-range price point.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit (50.5%) - In its bottling and labeling, and perhaps in its taste as well, this bourbon feels a little like a time warp from the 1990s. This bourbon reminds me a lot of Hancock's President's Reserve, as one of these early single barrel products that has been surpassed slightly by more recent releases and yet continues chugging along while providing a nice core flavor profile. I find Wild Turkey's to lean to the sweet side of the spectrum, and this one would be a cross between caramel bread pudding and cinnamon french toast. It's better than Wild Turkey 101, and notably richer, but it's also double or triple the price at most liquor stores. B
Singleton of Glendullan 12 (40%) - We tried both the 12- and 15-year varieties of the Singleton of Glendullan back to back. It seems like this whiskey is Diageo's attempt to create a new entry-level step for drinkers graduating from blends to single malts. These whiskies are cheap, meted out at the minimum possible ABV, and packaged attractively in elegant, distinctive canteen-shaped bottles. If I had to guess, the target market is early-to-mid-20's, just starting to graduate beyond well drinks -- you know the type. The flavor profile also demonstrates that this scotch is aimed at taking market share from the Glenfiddich/Glenmorangie/Glenlivet trio of omnipresent single malts. Overall, the end result here is pretty impressive given the price point. This is a light, sweet, fruity scotch, but without any of the bitterness or other flaws I occasionally detect in the finish of its competitors. B-
Singleton of Glendullan 15 (40%) - The greatest thing about the 15-year rendition of this single malt is that it's stunningly affordable at around $40, which makes it the least expensive 15-year old scotch on the market. The generically sweet and fruity profile of the 12-year old improves here, and I got a nice, crisp apple flavor that combined well with the slightly drier malt. This one may become my house single malt, as I think it's one that could be enjoyed by the broadest variety of palates. B
Glengoyne 18 (43%) - I tasted this one immediately before indulging in a wee dram of Glengoyne's cask strength expression, which probably was a mistake. I don't remember this one well enough to rate it, but I do remember that it was a well-balanced and composed whisky. I wasn't able to distinguish it very much from its 15-year old brother, which suggests to me that the extra three years didn't add that much and that the younger scotch is the better buy.
Glengoyne Cask Strength, Batch 5 (59.1%) - This is an intense scotch, and worth trying. It's not too dissimilar from Aberlour A'bunadh in the combination of heat and unctuous sherry, but it exhibited better balance to my palate. In general, Glengoynes are good at that, they tend not to wander off to the extreme in any direction. I also don't remember this one well enough to give it a score.
Paul John Peated Select Cask (Unknown) - This is the first Indian whiskey that I've tried, so check off another box on my spirits journey. When I wandered over to the Paul John table, perhaps I'd had a few too many by that point, because I actually walked over to the wrong side of the display (i.e., the servers' side). In fairness to myself, the tables abruptly flipped orientation when I went around the corner: the tables on one side faced outward, while the tables on the next side of the rectangular formation faced inward for some reason! After looking over the shoulder of someone pouring out drams, and beginning to think this was a self-serve station, it dawned on me that he was the server. Awkward. This peated whiskey reminds me of Port Charlotte or Ballechin more than the smoky Islay powerhouses like Laphroaig. The peat was earthier, with significantly more minerality and loam, and even hints of mushroom. B
Octomore 06.3 (64%) - Oh, my Lord. This is why we show up to these things. Actually, I think we also tried the 10-year Octomore, but to be honest, I don't really remember clearly any dram I enjoyed after this one (and I'll be honest, I had two). My initial encounter with Octomore was the 07.3, which I did not particularly enjoy, finding its flavor profile so strange that it almost didn't feel like a whiskey to me but more like a barrel-aged gin. That really put me off this series, given its high cost and rarity. Why hunt for something like that, if it's just going to taste like 07.3?
Well, mea culpa, now I have my answer. Octomore 06.3 is a tour de force of a peated whisky, and famously was the peatiest scotch on the market before Bruichladdich outdid themselves recently with several outlandish releases in the 8th series. Experiencing the peat of Octomore 06.3 is like hearing Beethoven's 5th for the first time: wave after wave of pure, unadulterated power. The hair was growing on my chest, my voice was deepening . . . like a 5-minute accelerated puberty redux, minus the acne and the intense awkwardness with girls. Rich Cuban cigar smoke, freshly burnt-out candles, but balanced by -- actually, it's not much balanced out by anything. And I love it. The asphalt or rubber notes that feature in Lagavulin show up here as well, and there's some of that earthier or mossier peat. It's a showcase for just about every flavor an enthusiast can find in a peated whisky.
Oh, and if that wasn't enough, the Bruichladdich table featured this delightful Mr. Peathead! Definitely the winner of the festival, by far. A+
Westland Sherry Wood (46%) - Drinking this confirmed for me that Westland is the best of this new wave of American whiskey makers. This is a worthy competitor to the biggest names in Speyside, and my impression was that I'd rather have this than Glenfarclas or Aberlour any day. Unfortunately, and as will be true of the remaining whiskies on this list, these all fall within the post-Octomore portion of the tasting. My palate had been so utterly ruined by that masterpiece that, by this point, I was not able to formulate tasting notes or give any of these a fair shot.
Michter's US-1 American Whiskey (41.7%) - This one just tasted like Michter's bourbon to me. Apparently the distinction is that Michter's American Whiskey is aged in barrels that have been seasoned with bourbon. I'm not exactly sure what the point is. So this is a bourbon-qualifying mash bill, aged in barrels that would infuse it with even more bourbon flavor? Mission accomplished, I suppose. It tastes like a bourbon-flavored bourbon.
Stranahan's and Stranahan's Diamond Peak (47%) - These were both surprisingly solid for young, American whiskey. The Diamond Peak, which has more age behind it, is a little better. Yes, as you can see, my blurbs are getting shorter.
Big Peat (46%) - This blend, composed of Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, and (what must be a minuscule percentage of) Port Ellen, tastes exactly like you'd expect. I pegged it as a mainly Caol Ila blend, although the distillery representative indicated that the largest component is Ardbeg.
Timorous Beastie (46.8%) - A sweet complement to Big Peat's smoke bomb. Its primary components come from some of the larger Highland distilleries that focus on sherry aging, including Dalmore. Pleasant and easy-drinking.
I'm glad that we found this festival, and glad that it's been going strong (2018 was its fourth year). Can't wait until they hit their fifth anniversary next year!