First post of 2021! 2020 was a great year. Three of us became fathers, one for the third time, two for the first. Two of us moved into new homes. Some of us got the opportunity to find new better jobs. Some of us saw our businesses grow, and took advantage of opportunities that presented themselves. Most of us got deeper into investing and how to best manage our finances. Gas was 70 cents per liter for a month. We took the opportunity of less travel to get together more often virtually. But, best of all, we got to push our taste buds to the limits and discover avenues of experience we never knew existed!
We're growing up :)
We acknowledge this may not have been the case for everyone, and if this was a rough year for you, we wish you a 2021 TSN Turning Point.
We're pondering on this tonight tasting some Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban. Ex-bourbon and ex-port casks. 46% ABV.
We sniff around.
Scott says the red wine jumps out. Fruits, vanilla.
Simon goes for a caramel.
Kyle calls it jammy.
Sean gets a maltiness.
We cheers.
Bursting warmth on the first sip. Like dipping your toe in the hot tub.
Sean calls it cinnamon and hot peppers. Points to the nice mouthfeel. Gets a dark chocolate on the finish he likes.
Simon points the bitter finish. Sweet on the front, bitter on the finish. Pretty fast scotch.
Vague fruitiness comes out. The jamminess isn't as defined as the nose, but it's there.
A little sour.
There's a winey dryness to it.
Compared to the Tomatin 14 Port Cask we reviewed recently it has a family resemblance, the nose is just as good, but it doesn't hold up as nicely on the palate as the Tomatin did.
Reviews: Simon's seen a lot of people raving about this so he had high expectations, but after trying it a few times he can't get there. It punches in hotter than feels right. The nose is really nice. He goes 69. Scott isn't as thrown off about the heat. He goes 71. Trevor is at 69. Kyle is a little less impressed at a flat 60. Sean got a bit more out of it, calls it spicy chocolate. Goes 75. Averages out to 68.8.
Overall: This is a fine scotch. Great jammy nose. A bit confused and unbalanced on the palate in our opinion, but complex and interesting enough to score near the average. Not likely something you will see on any of our shelves again though. We like the Glenmorangie Lasanta a little better as far as the brand goes, and we like the Tomatin Port Cask a little better as far as port casks go. Value wise at $98 CAD here in Ontario, it lands below average on the value scale. We noted there's a discontinued 12 year version of Quinta Ruban which some people like better, and some less. We will hopefully get our hands on that one day to compare.
Cheers!
The S&P Crew
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