On Tuesday night The Liqs Team visited Berry Bros and Rudd for The Exceptional Casks Night.
On arrival we were greeted by the team and given a glass of champagne, once everyone had arrived, we were taken down to the Napoleon cellar. This room is beautifully set out and you are surrounded by little pieces of BBR history. We were then shown to our seats where sat in front of us was a list of drams and the menu for the night. I could see from this that the night was going to be a treat. We started the night with a 1964 Girvan served with Pavé of Cod with Crispy cod Croquette and smoke hollandaise. Now at this point I will say the food was beautifully presented throughout, but the drams really stole the show. The Girvan was sweet with layers of citrus and cinnamon, the finish was long leaving me wanting more. The next course was a Springbank 1995 served with Roast Lion of Herdwick lamb haggis sausage roll and crushed swede. Now this was the dram I was excited to try, and it did not disappoint on the nose you get a whiff of peat along with that campbeltown funk I love. The palate was pleasingly thick some boot polish and beeswax along with some fruity back notes, the finish you get those coastal briny notes that left me wanting more. We then moved on to dessert, which was paired with a secret speyside from 1968, now from the moment I tasted this it was no longer a secret but a meeting with an old friend who I have had the pleasure of many times before, but this time my friend has some years behind him. The nose was like walking into a sweet shop and sitting down in an old leather chair, the palate then takes you on a journey through many layers, starting off with fruit compote then moving onto more tropical notes, mango and lychee, this dram lingered on the finish and one I would love to get better acquainted to. We finally moved on to the last course and dram of the night. We ended with cheese and crackers along with a Bowmore 1998, this really took me back to an old Bowmore I have had many years ago and to a time when I first starting in whisky, its not a dram you find every day. On the nose was that Bowmore trademark of soft coastal peat and tropical fruit this then opened up to cigar smoke and citrus fruit. The palate was delicate smoke with spice, then exploding into tropical fruit, I could have sat with this till the early hours if not for need to get a train home. This night will go down as one of the highlights of my whisky journey and was made even more special when I got a brief moment with the man and legend Ronnie Cox. I would like to thank all the team at Berry bros and Rudd for an exceptional evening I hope to visit again soon.
Kiel Roche
Bar Manger whisky enthusiast