Whisky Fringe 2012

[Nelbongo]

There should be an email out soon with the programme for the event, with details of what's on offer.

[whiskymannen]

Hi all:

I also got my tickets last week which I was very happy about. This will be my third year so I'm excited to be returning.

@albo
1. 4 hours session, stalls all around the venue with an unbelievable variety of whiskies.

2. This is none of your supermarket standard fare. High quality whiskies from all the major and independent scottish distillers. There are also some interesting and ever improving new tastes from japan, india and england.

3. The event isn't for purchasing I'm sure, I've never seen any cash change hands at all for whisky though I may be mistaken. Your ticket is a discount voucher also, you can redeem this when you purchase whisky from royal mile whiskies, the organisers.

4. They normally send out a programme via email as Nelbongo mentioned, this might come either today (weds) or tomorrow (thurs). You get given one on the day anyway, that contains a list of the various distillers, what stall they will be at, and what whiskies they have on offer - including their price, ranging from £25 to £250. They will happily pour you a dram of the expensive stuff, if its there you can try it. To give you a taster, here were the distillers at last years event:

Adelphi, Amrut, Angus Dundee, Isle of Arran, Bruichladdich, BenRiach & Glendronach, Burn Stewart, Compass Box, Cooley, Diageo (glenkinchie/caol ila/dalwhinnie/cragganmore etc), Douglas Laing & Co., Duncan Taylor & Co, Eauz de Vie, Glenfarclas, Glen Moray, Gordon & MacPhail, Ian Macleod, Inver House, John Dewar & Sons, Kilchoman, Maxxium UK, Moet-Hennessey (ardbeg/glenmorangie), Morrison Bowmore, Pernod Ricard (Glenlivet/Chivas Regal), Springbank, Tomatin, Tuliibardine, William Grant & Son...

Plenty to whet your palate. Then to top that off, if you like rum, there as a dedicated enclave in the church.

Enjoy!

[albo]

Excellent thanks very much for the info.

Shame about not being able to go home with a bottle though, but I guess, I can cope with it!!

[Nelbongo]

Just read on RMW Facebook, programme getting emailed out tomorrow.

[forganross]

Does anyone need tickets? My family have ended up with spares for Friday and Sunday - going on the Saturday myself.

Just on the offchance you need any (at face value of course) message me.

[bifter]

[bifter]

Enjoyed the gig immensely yesterday! I wanted to get my notes written up before all those impressions begin to fade so here's my blog of the event:

Along with a couple of friends, I ventured along to the Whisky Fringe 2012 on Saturday, a three day event hosted at the beautiful Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh. Over Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 2pm and 6pm, 26 exhibitors laid out a veritable smorgasbord of whisky, with a couple of stands representing other spirits such as calvados, rum, gin, etc. I wanted to get my thoughts down on (virtual) paper while they are still fresh in my head but I sampled around 27 whiskies altogether so I will concentrate on those that stood out, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. No whisky was on sale on the day, the prices mentioned are those at Royal Mile Whiskies, of which more later.

It must be said that these events are not the best for showcasing delicate or subtle whiskies, there is no opportunity to give drams time in the glass and one cannot always appreciate the nuances of the finish after sampling several other whiskies. Attendees were given a single snifter glass to go round with so I tried to stick to light and sweet whiskies during the first half, only venturing near the Islay drams in the second half. Once the glass had had a bit of peat in it it proved difficult to shift solely by rinsing a little water around the glass.

The Diageo stand was the first one I visited as I wanted to try the Glenkinchie Distillers Edition in order to start off with a Lowland malt. Unfortunately they didn't have any so I tried the Dalwhinnie distillers edition (£53), which didn't disappoint - plenty of rich spice in evidence. I returned to the stand in the second half to try the Talisker 57 North (£60), a star of the show, it has that recognisably smoky Talisker character with a cask strength kick to it.

Glenfarclas had laid on a great range of which I am familiar with the 15, 21 and 25. To expand my experience I opted for the 30 (£133), which I felt loses something on the 25 but I wondered if this was one of those that might need a little time, space, peace and quiet to truly appreciate. The 105 Cask Strength rocked in these surroundings though with a real kick to it and a mammoth finish.

Inverhouse Distillers' Balblair 1975 2nd Edition has a price tag of £225 but it was phenomenal with herby, minty notes that I have only experienced in whiskies over 20 years old and it was incredibly smooth. Another expensive but noteworthy dram was the Chivas Regal 21yr Royal Salute (£98), which was like liquid silk. Poor value disappointments, for me, were Springbank 18 (£72) and Glenfiddich Age of Discovery (Madeira) (£89). I was particularly upset about the Springbank as I'm a fan of the lower end of the range and the rep confirmed to me that the CV bottlings will be phased out imminently.

Tullibardine's French-owned provenance was in evidence with Sauternes and Banyuls finishes. I had a taste of my friend's Banyuls-finished sample (£32), which had a slightly pink hue. The finish was interesting but the whisky was clearly young. Of more note was a 1988 bottle, a 24 year old whisky available for only £46.50! It's not the best I've had of that age but certainly good value at that price.

Perhaps controversially I was unpleasantly surprised by both the Kilchoman 5yr Single Cask (£70) and the Ardbeg Uigedail (£53), both of which I thought had clear sulphur notes to them (more so the Kilchoman) - sorry, but I can only call them as I taste them! After the event I ventured up to the SMWS to eat, where I tried Kilchoman's first Society cask release (129.1), which was much more agreeable, a creamy bourbon cask number with an ashy peat note. However the £66 price tag will not tempt me to buy a bottle!

Bourbon has never been my tipple but I took the opportunity to try some high end stuff. Of those I sampled the Hancock's Single Barrel (£72) deserves mention for its smooth vanilla character and never-ending finish. Like every bourbon I've tried though there are no hidden depths, the taste is straightforward with little development in the finish.

Attendees were issued with a voting slip and invited to vote for their favourite before leaving. I gave mine to the outstanding Highland Park 18 (£65), a beautifully balanced whisky. With the ticket doubling up as a £10 off voucher at Royal Mile Whiskies and a voucher for another £5 off from the stand I may find it difficult to look past this as my next acquisition! While £50 for a HP 18 is good value, one has to take care with the prices if one has an eye on budget. Just to furnish an example the Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or has a price tag of £50 at Royal Mile Whiskies but was touted at £43, included a supposed £7 discount. However this bottling is available in some supermarkets for around £40 and I once acquired it, admittedly discounted, for £30 in Sainsburys.

Each stand had brought a special bottle for the 'half time orange' and, when a whistle was blown, there was a stampede to the stands to exchange the stub of the ticket for these offerings. Between us we sampled some interesting whiskies. I got some Bruichladdich Black Art, a mix of casks at least 22 years old, which had an incredible dark hue and was riven with with fruity notes - strawberries and red fruit. One of my friends sampled an amazing and unique peaty Glenfiddich, which was more reminiscent of a young Port Charlotte! If I heard the rep right, Glenfiddich would have acquired the cask from Islay somewhere and filled it with Glenfiddich new make. It probably isn't an exaggeration to say that I may never get another opportunity to sample the like of this again, so this alone was worth the entry fee!

All in all it was quite a day out and one that will live long in my memory.
_________________
"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]

[Fergie]

Sounds like you had a good day, i wasnt successful getting tickets so wasnt there this year for the first time in a few years.

I am not very familiar with Tullibardine but i think i need to take a look at what they have to offer now.

[minesascotch]

bifter, thanks a lot for your blog, I was unable to get to the event this year, but I will make an extra effort to get tickets for 2013, the blog was very helpfull, I will however be going to Glasgow for their Festival in November.

Slainte

[bifter]

Thanks guys I see Tomatin 30 won the popular vote - didn't try that one! Maybe I should get along to Glasgow in November
_________________
"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]

[Innes]

[minesascotch]