Flight West Whiskey Bar - My new heaven in Rochester.
I went to Flight West yesterday in Greece, NY with my father. It has only been open for 3 months and as far as I have seen, it is the only whiskey bar in town. I will be it’s number one patron while I am still here locally. I was able to taste 6 amazing whisky’s and check a few off of my “must try” list!
I also must say that I looked pretty bad ass sniffing my whiskey's while the couples next to me sipped sweet white wine. I may have intimidated the girlfriend, which makes me giggle!
I am really working on my pallet, both for whiskey and wine. It is developed over time and practice. My tasting notes are below and for a few I showed how it compared to the experts. Of course, keep in mind that everyone’s nose and palate are different based on experience and just their life in general! Essentially there are really no wrong answers. Also, it is like wine where you can narrow down and eliminate things that you “think” could be there. For example: if you think you smell smoke, or campfire, like a peaty smell, and you know that you are drinking a bourbon from America, odds are, unless it is a unique bottling, that you should try again. Smoke, campfire, peat smells come from the fossils and earth material found in Scotland and particularly on Islay.
*Michael Jackson is a prominent author of whiskey books. Specifically the book called "Whiskey".
OBAN 14 Year- Loved this one! It was my favorite of the night.
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Very floral, lilac, honey, all very faint smells
Palate: Caramel, salt, water taffy
Drank with just a few dashes of water. This one was like a surprise! Very soft smell and then hit and was super easy to drink and friendly.
MICHAEL JACKSON thought..
Nose: Aromatic, spicy, ginger, hint of peat
Palate: Starts sweet, then spicy, hints of smoke
He got marine-like on the finish.
TAMDHU 10 Year- I love the name of this distillery. To drink this was a little rough around the edges. Maybe because it’s younger. Who knows! Nothing super memorable for me.
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Green apple, pineapple, blueberries
Palate: Strong start, earthy, apple pie, dark fruits
THECASKS.com thought..
Nose: Bruised apples, vanilla, raisins, red fruit
Palate: Caramel, apple, cinnamon, dark chocolate.
REDBREAST 12 Year- I haven’t had many Irish whiskey's lately.
This was my dad’s favorite of the tasting.
It grew on me..
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Apple, honey, berries, jam
Palate: Chocolate mousse. I must note this one like rushed up on you! It was so viscous! Super cool, definitely swoosh it around in your mouth before you swallow. Jammy finish.
MICHAEL JACKSON thought..
Nose: Nuts, cake, linseed (don’t know what the heck that is. Will look it up)
Palate: Ginger cake, nuts, molasses, and sherry. He also said it was “expansive” so I was right on the viscous thing. Woohoo!
BASTILLE Rare Whiskey from France- Super cool! This could be a place I stop along my way to Japan.
I somehow wanted French whiskey to taste like wine and well, you can see it in my tasting note haha
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Raspberry, sweet, fruit juice, cherry's
Palate: Blackberries, very gummy, licorice and the berry's linger.
From what the bartender told me, it is known to have a “creamsicle” taste.
I didn't put an experts notes in here, because I really liked my notes! So they are it!
JEFFERSON’s Aged at Ocean- This was an end of the night, night cap. The bartender, Steph, I think
finally warmed up to me a bit and said I had to try this. Got a tasting of it and damn, it was good.
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Sea Water, Boat Air, fresh air, fresh salt water
Palate: Clean, salt water taffy
So my palate was totally fried by the end of this, but it was awesome! Just drink with water. I would recommend this 75 dollar bottle over and over again.
GLENFIDDICH Barrel Reserve 14 year- Okay so while I was going all crazy on these tasting flights, my
dad was drinking this. He thought it was what one of his colleagues had recommended to him. We later found out that it was Glenmorangie 18 yr that he wanted him to try. Oopsies! It’s aged in ex bourbon American oak.
HOLLY's thoughts..
Nose: Wood, oak, cinnamon, pepper, jammed fruit
Palate: Malt, spice and rich finish
I liked it! Cool mix of scotch and bourbon.
GLENFIDDICH.com thought..
Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, baked apple, oak
Palate: Creamy Toffee, wood, orange peel, spice
This link gives a cool story on it too.. good marketing Glenffidian’s!
My heaven.....
If you have tried any of these or go out and try them and want to share your notes, do it! Write to me or share them right on the Facebook post.
"Whiskey"- by Michael Jackson is one of my many brand bibles.
Linseed definition from Dictionary.com--another name for flaxseed .. to be honest. I am going to have to go sniff it in a store!