In January, the Whisky Ladies went full-on all-out American!
We were joined by a special guest – Shatbhi Basu – bartender, cocktail creator and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) whiskey Ambassador to India. Guided by Shatbhi, our merry whisky ladies tried each sample ‘blind’ with the great reveal only after tasting all four whiskies.
Jack Daniels Old No 7 40%
- Nose – Holy banana cream pie! Caramel, apple, cinnamon, toffee, Christmas, hint of licorious, as it airs souring a little
- Taste – Flat, light, easy to drink, hint of vanilla, a little oily, benign
- Finish – Slight char at the back
- Overall – Pronounced rather ‘watery’, completely ‘entry level’
Best comment on the JD was “It is like the vodka of whiskies!” as it is the kind of whisky you would enjoy in a long cocktail.
- Nose – Apple, like snapple ice tea, vanilla, paper and cardboard, grains, mud earth, hint of oranges?
- Taste – Grain, yeast, varnish, pasty
- Finish – Sweet spice and a bit bitter
- Overall – Nose far nicer than palate
Um…. not quite sure what to make of this one! One comment “Well, at least it isn’t completely watery!”
Jim Beam 40%
- Nose – Cotton candy, fruity, pineapple, toffee, butterscotch, dried fruit, creme caramel, vanilla
- Taste – Bitter, banana pepper, goes down a little to easy, tiny hint of burnt caramel
- Finish – Peppery
- Overall – Easy drinking, nothing distinctive, for most ‘still too watery’
One comment that resonated with the group was that it is a “Happy feel good whiskey that is a little too easy to drink!”
- Nose – Very sweet, perfumy, caramel, fresh, tropical fruits, crisp green apples, ripe bananas, citrus sweet lemon
- Taste – Bitter, tart, orange peel, cheese, chocolate, toffee, honey on the tongue
- Finish – Smooth, sweet with a hint of spice
- Overall – Finally something that isn’t watery! Sense of being older, definitely the most enjoyable of the four sampled.
From the 1st whiff you could hear a collective “Finally! Now we are talking whiskey!”
The most fun of the evening was making three fresh flavourful cocktails using the JD, Jim Beam and Knob Creek as whisky base. It was an enjoyable experience however it is interesting to see how many of our whisky ladies have clear palate preferences emerging and expectations of their whisky.
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