Coldorak's whisky blog.
A single whisky this time, for once, at More Drams: a Pittyvaich 1979 bottled by Duncan Taylor in 2007. I wanted a final celebratory dram for my birthday – one that felt both personal and symbolic. Choosing a whisky from a closed distillery I’d never tasted before, and from my own birth year, seemed like the perfect way to mark the occasion.
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In recent weeks, I found myself on the cusp of reaching my 2000th unique whisky tasting. As with any significant milestone, I craved a special celebratory dram. Fortunately, I had received a couple of Port Ellen samples from friends, making them the perfect candidates for my 1999th and 2000th whiskies.
But as Port Ellen distillery was to reopen its doors after a 40 years hiatus, my 2000th tasting was at risk of occurring amidst the bustling chaos of the Lyon Whisky Festival, where precise timing is nearly impossible due to a whisky festival’s frenetic pace. So, I decided to take an ultra-small sip of one of the Port Ellen whiskies right at the 2000th milestone. But fear not – I later savoured both whiskies properly on a serene Sunday morning. By that point, I had already surpassed 2050 drams tasted.
Picture this: the Palais de la Bourse in Lyon, bathed in morning light, almost empty except for myself and a dear friend, Aurélien, as the opening of the second day of the show was not yet to happen for the next 80 minutes. Together, we shared the experience of tasting these two remarkable whiskies: the 33-year-old Port Ellen Boutique-y and the 1983 Duncan Taylor. Our tasting notes were penned collaboratively, as we tried those whiskies together. Whisky is for sharing and drinking, after all.
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