Date juggling with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gentlemen can be a challenge as we all travel extensively and, let’s face it, have busy lives!

So when one member could not join our originally scheduled August date, we decided to shift from a planned tasting of curated closed bottles to pulling out something open from our whisky cabinets to share.

As they didn’t earlier have the pleasure of trying Shelter Point – yet heard so much from all my past experiences – I decided it was time they experience – even if oxidized dregs!

And yes – the plan was to bring just one but when there was so little left, how could I resist bringing all four?

• Shelter Point Artisanal Single Malt (2018) 46% – Only one dram of their ‘core’ expression remained which was shared… while it lost some of its character it was still delightfully charming
• Shelter Point Montfort District Lot 141 Grain (2018) 46% – Nothing wrong however it didn’t stand out
• Shelter Point Double Barrelled Single Malt (2018) 50% (Quail’s Gate Pinot Noir) – Remarkable how even after sitting in an open bottle for six months, it kept such personality! Considered by far the most complex and interesting, it kept shifting and changing, revealing different elements… the remainder was left with our host to continue to enjoy!
• Shelter Point Artisanal Cask Strength (2018) 58.7% – As we had other bottles to sip and enjoy, this rye blend wasn’t tried by one… so he took the bottle home!

While there were other bottles on offer, here is what I recall:

• Mosstowie 35 year (1979/2015) 48.1% (Signatory) – Surprisingly similar to the Shelter Point (at a fraction of the cost!)… went well with our cigars
• From earlier this year Four Roses Small Batch 45% – A time pass bourbon
• And new to me at least the Kavalan Podium 46% – Combo of new American virgin oak and distillery refill barrels, not a bad entry level Kavalan for those who don’t care for the power punch of the Solist line

As for the cigars, it was a revisit of Gurka Seduction, also from an earlier session.

I must confess I took narry a photo nor tasting note that evening – what I’ve shared here are mere recollections of impressions rather than specifics.

This was an evening where we simply came together, sipped our drams, planned our upcoming sessions and September Scottish whisky tour with the whiskies taking a supporting role rather than featured cast.

Which sometimes is exactly what you ask of a good dram – to be the best possible accompaniment to a rather enjoyable time with friends.

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