Whisky Tasting at Robert Graham

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Whisky Tasting at Robert Graham

Another whisky tasting last night, this time at Robert Graham on the Royal Mile. I had obtained a voucher for this from the TodaysGreatDeal.com Web site for £10 and it proved well worth the investment. My usual partners in crime had also booked the same session but one couldn't make it in the end. Regardless, we soldiered on!

The shop is near the corner of the Canongate and St Mary's Street. I must have passed it a thousand times but never noticed it - I put this down to the proliferation of tartan tat shops blaring bagpipe techno and the ever-present gaggles of tourists that mean locals like myself usually only venture to the Royal Mile on a specific mission and tend to block everything else out. The shop has an excellent selection of whiskies, cigars and even artisan chocolate crammed into two small ground level rooms. Our tasting was undertaken in the basement in a small, low-ceilinged room unadorned with much except plumbing, shelves of whisky bottles and a large bucolic table surrounded by a mix of seating. Andreas Mott was our host and had laid out five samples of Robert Graham's own bottlings. We sampled:

* Dancing Stag Auchentoshan 1991 17yo - Bourbon casked, maybe a second or third fill as the colour was light and the esters were to the fore on the nose (i.e. less cask influence) - citrus and grassy/hay notes initially but mellowing into more exotic fruits (guava, mango) with a bit of time in the glass. The palate was lemony and sharp, especially at 46%.
* Ailein Mor 10yo Highland Malt - A floral nose, perhaps a little soapy but sweet and honeyed on the palate with a nice barley background. The distillery is apparently 'on the edge' of Speyside which, if it is a Highland malt, might hint at Royal Brackla but Andreas wasn't telling.
* Cearban Blended Malt - Sherried. Raisins, figs and fudge on the nose. Good value at £33 for the bottle. We sampled some dark chocolate with this one, which really complimented the dram.
* Dancing Stag Tobermory 1996 14yo - Smokey rubber on the nose, palate quite sweet but still with the rubber, pepper in the finish. Not really up my street.
* Hoebeg Islay - Apparently this NAS is around 10yo though (not sure if I'm allowed to be specific) I didn't think it measured up to the regular (but older) expression - it had a bit of a 'farmy' note to it, not as much complexity and a tad underpowered at 40%. Only £30 for the bottle though so great at the price.

On a general note I thought the labels on the bottles could be more appealing but it is actually reassuring that they don't waste lots of money on marketing and bling packaging. The evening was most enjoyable and Andreas proved very knowledgeable (he even guests for the Edinburgh Whisky Blog). He was happy to offer opinions on whiskies and on the industry. Among other things, we discussed: Diageo, who are often disparaged but, in many ways, have been good for the industry, e.g. investing in new distilleries; the worldwide boom in whisky and whether it is a bubble; and the way independent bottlers such as Robert Graham, who kept the industry alive in the dark days, are now being disfavoured by the big conglomerates.

I would certainly recommend the shop as the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly, the range is excellent and they have some unique and well priced offerings among their own bottlings. At the end of the night I left with a bottle of the 6 Isles blend (£10 off with my voucher) and a Santa Damiana cigar. As usual, my companion's interest was drawn to something stellar, not a lovely lady this time (such is his reputation) but a 30 year old Glentauchers which was an admittedly enticing £100. Reserving it until pay day he left with some artisan chocolate to tide him over. I hope he's generous enough to let me sample it!

http://www.whisky-cigars.co.uk
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"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]