Time to write about something else I tried at Whiskeyfest NY 2011.

I’ve been a fan of Drambuie for longer than I care to admit.  It’s a sweet, syrupy, Scotch whiskey based liqueur.  The sweetness clearly comes from honey, which is counterbalanced by cloves, saffron and other herbs and spices.  I enjoy this stuff straight, or as a part of the only mixed drink I consume on any regular basis – the Rusty Nail (equal parts Drambuie and the Scotch of your choice).

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, sometimes funny hunches lead to excellent timing.  I didn’t know I was going to Whiskeyfest until 7 hours before the event, but the weekend before, I finished a bottle of Drambuie.  Having finished a modern bottle, I opted to open a year-old housewarming gift – a 25 year old bottle of Drambuie.  Of course, the cork crumbled as I opened it, so I transferred the old stuff into the bottle I had just emptied.  When compared to a brand-new bottle, the older Drambuie was noticeably darker in color.  The taste was drier, more mellow. and I think a bit more complex.  My wife preferred the newer stuff and I preferred the older stuff

So what does all this have to do with Drambuie 15 and Whiskeyfest?  Very simple – 3 days after the taste experiment described above, I went to Whiskeyfest and tried a new release from Drambuie – Drambuie 15, a mix based on slightly older scotches.  It was the perfect time to taste this product – fresh off the comparison between current production and the product from 25 years ago.

Drambuie 15 is more scotch-forward than regular Drambuie, which means that it has less honey and herb presence than the regular Drambuie.  That’s not a bad thing – it’s just a different facet to the product.  On the basis of taste alone, I would definitely recommend it.  I haven’t had a chance to check/compare prices, but it’s definitely worth checking out.