Challenge 25

Overview

There's something wonderfully decadent about a dram with a significant age statement. Scottish whisky is legendary for its craftmanship, variety, and history, and integral to it all is Scotland's cold climate, which allows for very long maturation periods spanning multiple decades.

The depth of an older dram can be difficult to articulate at times, but it's undeniably there, just waiting to be appreciated. You simply cannot replicate that degree of sensory depth without significant time in cask.

Each dram on this tasting is 25 years or older, hence the theme “Challenge 25”. These drams needn't show their identification. We can take their age statements at face value.

This is a true break-even tasting. The price of the tasting works out to only £10.60 per dram.

Special Guest

Murray Mcdougal is a wine professional and fellow whisky enthusiast living in Edinburgh. He's a good friend, and he's also one of my primary inspirations for hosting whisky tastings. Murray's been focused on wine these past few years, but I've invited him to co-host this whisky tasting with me because of his enthusiasm for whisky and the whisky community, as well as his breadth of whisky knowledge and good craic.

The Lineup

This tasting is comprised of 5 drams in 20ml measures.

Ethos

My tastings are geared for whisky enthusiasts, but they're also intended to be fun, unintimidating, and inclusive of a diverse group of nice people. I'll make zero profit from this tasting. I just want to bring people together and open some silly whiskies that would otherwise be hoarded or flipped for profit.

Event Schedule

The tasting will start at 3pm. I recommend you arrive 15-20 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can grab a pint, have a blether, and make yourself comfortable, etc.

The Venue

The Belfry is near Tollcross and Bruntsfield in Edinburgh. Sister pub to the legendary The Ensign Ewart, The Belfry has quickly become an important space in the local Edinburgh whisky scene, hosting many enthusiast-targeted events and whisky gatherings. The whisky selection is extensive, consisting mostly of indies and fun older bottlings. The rotating beer selection is great, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and there's even a wee beer garden hidden in the back.