On Thursday, July 30, Club Mareva Beirut welcomed whisky enthusiasts for Trust Your Palate, an evening dedicated to tasting five remarkable Signatory Vintage whiskies completely blind.
The idea was simple: remove the labels, reputations, and expectations, then allow each whisky to be judged entirely on what was inside the glass. The objective was not to identify the bottles, but to taste, rate, compare, and enjoy them without outside influence.
Jean Paul Abdallah guided the participants throughout the evening, leading them through each pour before the scores were collected and the identities of the whiskies were revealed.
The occasion became even more memorable as we also celebrated the birthday of our friend Ghassan Tabet. Although guessing the whiskies was never the purpose of the tasting, Ghassan accomplished something remarkable by correctly identifying all five bottles. It was an impressive performance and a memorable way to celebrate his birthday with everyone at Club Mareva Beirut.
The Signatory Vintage Lineup
The five whiskies, presented in tasting order, were:
Clynelish 10 Year Old, Signatory Vintage 100 Proof
Mortlach 2014, 11 Year Old, Signatory Vintage 100 Proof
Benrinnes, Signatory Vintage 100 Proof
The Glenlivet 19 Year Old, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection
Edradour Vintage 2012, 12 Year Old, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection
The Final Results
Once all the scorecards were collected, Bottle Five emerged as the clear winner of the evening.
First place: Bottle Five, Edradour Vintage 2012, 12 Year Old
432 points out of 480
90 percent
Second place: Bottle Three, Benrinnes
381 points out of 480
79.4 percent
Third place: Bottle Four, The Glenlivet 19 Year Old
347 points out of 480
72.3 percent
Fourth place: Bottle Two, Mortlach 2014, 11 Year Old
329 points out of 480
68.5 percent
Fifth place: Bottle One, Clynelish 10 Year Old
307 points out of 480
64 percent
The Edradour Vintage 2012 secured first place by a considerable margin, followed by Benrinnes in second place and The Glenlivet 19 Year Old in third.
The tasting demonstrated exactly why blind evaluation can be so revealing. Once the labels are removed, every whisky must stand entirely on its own character. The final results inspired lively discussion, several surprises, and a decisive favourite among the participants.
We thank Jean Paul Abdallah for guiding the tasting, Ghassan Tabet for giving us a birthday performance to remember, and everyone who joined us for an evening filled with excellent whisky, honest scoring, conversation, and good company.
