The Finals

We’re now down to the finals.  In February, the following eight whiskies will compete in a blind taste testing for the title of The Old SNOTS’ favorite.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
Glenmorangie Lasanta
Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Balvenie 21 Portwood
Tomatin 12
Inchgower 14
Lagavulin 16
Talisker 10

It’ll be an interesting competition for several reasons.  Probably the most important is that the members who will vote seem to favor the softer whiskies that have had special finishing.  Three of the whiskies use casks that once held port wine for the final bit of aging and proudly declare it on the label.  Two of the whiskies are what’s typically referred to as ”classic highlanders” with very little peat on the nose or the palate.  These five whiskies stand in stark contrast with the remaining three which are more heavily influenced by the sea and more liberally use water infused with peat or peat smoke in the distillation process.  As I said, it will be an interesting competition . . . and very telling.

Which brings me to the real reason for this post.  At last night’s gathering, it was suggested and adopted that the winner of the finals not be called “The Old SNOTS Favorite.”  That seemed too final and definitive.  And too arbitrary.  Depending on who shows up the evening of the final, any one of the whiskies could win (although I’m thinking the Lagavulin, Talisker and Inchgower are long shots).  Also, the winning whiskies that have competed in the runoffs were from all the way back in 2003 when the Old SNOTS first formed.  There’s only two of us from that initial meeting in today’s Old SNOTS (though once an Old SNOTS, always an Old SNOTS).  So, we decided that when we determine a winner in February, what we’ll be determining is “The Old SNOTS Favorite – 2003-2009″. 

From this point forward, the Old SNOTS will have an end-of-year competition where we’ll sample the winning whiskies from that year’s gatherings.  The whisky that wins the competition will then be called “The Old SNOTS Whisky of the Year – 2010″, for instance.  The challenge will now be to broaden our single malt whisky horizons to try whiskies we haven’t tried before.