At the beginning we were given a golden token, which we could redeem at the bar for a dram of Macallan 10 yro to get us started. Nowhere near my favourite, a bit rough up front, and generally lacking in complexity, it nonetheless paves the way for better to come.

We tasted, in order, the following scotches:

1. 12 yr sherry oak – sickly sweet, this was nonetheless the favourite of the ladies sitting at my table. The sherry casks impart a smoothness that goes a long way in introducing whisky to an audience who only tastes 80 proof liquor when doing shots.
2. 15 yr fine oak – my personal favourite, less sweet and richer, raisin-oak and syrup with a warm lingering finish. Affordably priced under $90, it’s easy to find a bottle to enjoy.
3. 17 yr fine oak – too much time in the barrel left the 17 year old feeling thick and syrupy, with little complexity and a flat finish. I would not recommend this bottle, especially at the $125 price point.
4. 18 yr fine oak – here we have a problem, as the tasting at the Macallan event was sedimentary and contaminated with dishsoap or some other ingredient lingering in the glasses. However, I have a bottle of this at home, and it is a much smoother version of the 15 year old, retaining much of the complexity.

I also enjoyed the presentation, as I didn’t know what the “fine oak” line of Macallan whiskies meant. Apparently, the scotch is triple cask matured in Spanish Sherry seasoned oak casks, American Sherry seasoned oak casks and American Bourbon casks, before being vatted together for bottling. This gives it a much smoother palate compared to single wood scotches, and yet it’s still considered a pure single malt. You might be interested in reading more on what aging in wood does for whisky, and which ages drinkers seem to prefer.

You can look for free Macallan events in your area, I recommend attending to find out which of the Macallan scotches are your favourite! It’s a far better way to try a bit of scotch than dropping $10-20 a dram at the bar.

Do you like a rich shot of Espresso? Do you like not burning your hands on the hot cups? These euro-stylish double-walled espresso shot glasses are for you, then. They are absolutely gorgeous, and well-made. They handle hot/cold well, and show no signs of fragility. They’re dishwasher safe. I even dropped one onto a hardwood floor and it didn’t break, which is amazing.

What does an Oyster look like? Where can you cut?

1. Slide the knife in the side and sever the muscle on the top shell. This is hard, so you might also just want to try #2.
2. Prise up the foot of the Oyster, until the shell pops open. The knife around the edge to do #1. The easy way!

If the manual technique fails, you can try to open them with heat by gently microwaving the oysters until they pop open. The less you heat them, the better they will taste…

• The meat is purple or lavender, and runny and goopy. It should be pearly white, and firm.
• The water is cloudy. It should be clear.
• It smells alcoholic. It should smell delicious.

Just to give a visual aid, here are some photographs of a young coconut you definitely do not want to eat:

Note the spider-like veins of decomposition and infection.

The water is cloudy.

This one isn’t as bad, but it’s well on its way to oblivion.

The Distillers Edition is unique: after its usual aging process in American oak casks, the whisky undergoes a second maturation in casks previously holding sherry. The result is older, sweeter and richer than the regular bottlings.

The reviews on for Peat’s Sake rate the Talisker Distiller’s Edition at 93 points, slightly above the 25 and 18 year varieties. To the taste, while the 18 year Talisker is a much more mellow, blended taste than the peaty rich phenols of their 10 year scotch, the distillers edition is even sweeter than the 18 year old, and smoother to boot. It’s perfectly drinkable in any mood, somewhere between a typical single malt Talisker and brandy.

If you find peaty Islay scotches to fiery for your taste, be sure to give this one a try. It will definitely go down smoother, while retaining some of the classic Talisker taste.