As I mentioned a few weeks back, for the fourth Nobler Gathering the plan was to take a little spin around the distinct regions of Single Malt Scotch. But after some extensive research and some help from single malt lovers, it became increasingly clear we needed to start off a bit more simple.
The uniqueness from region to region and even more so from distillery to distillery is what makes the Single Malt world so fanatical. It’s also why imbibers tend to find one they like and stick with it. So for our Nobler introduction we decided to go with two distinct single malt scotches, the Highland, Glenmorangie and the Islay, Laphroaig, and paired it up with a seriously hyped newcomer to the single malt world, the Japanese Yamazaki.
With some Cow Thieve’s ale acting as our palette cleanser we made our way through the three varietals taste by taste and in some cases, being bombarded by the major differences between the three. The Glenmorangie and its light body, straight forward maltiness was a flavor everyone could wrap their minds around. It’s why so many of these Highland scotches are made and so many of them are considered favorites. But the Laphroaig was without a doubt our favorite. The Islay Scotch was complexed with peat and smoke and based off of a few texts and tweets from the morning, it seriously made it’s mark. I can attest that right now, my tea tastes like peat!
And then there was the Yamazaki. I was really pumped for this one. Because I’ve been hearing a non-stop pile up of praise for the Japanese who have decided to get into the single malt game. Remember, these aren’t single malt scotches because well, they aren’t made in Scotland. But regardless, we were unanimous in our criticism of this underwhelming 12 year version that seemed to lack complexity and richness. I’m committed to giving it another shot (not within the same 48 hours of drinking some of that peat monster, Laphroaig) but all in all, I think we’ll stick with the years of experience and variety coming out of Scotland.
You’ll notice I’ve been quiet about the Nobler eats for this Gathering…That’s because Scottish food isn’t exactly my strong suit and cooking up a batch of haggis wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. But luckily, Alu, an active Nobler came up with a loop-hole. It turns out, Chicken Tikka Masala, was first created by an Indian chef while in….Scotland. Boom! Good enough for me…and good enough for the Noblers…
The Nobler Experiment 