May 2009
21 posts
1 tag
Tasting Notes: Rosebank 17; 1991 Vintage
Rosebank is considered to be one of the great, lost distilleries along with Port Ellen and Brora - now-closed distilleries that were considered exemplars of a specific region (Lowlands, Islay, and Highlands, respectively). The distillery was closed down in 1993 as Glenkinchie - considered by many experts to be an inferior dram - grew in size and prominence. As a classic lowland malt, Rosebank is...
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Tasting Notes: Ardbeg Uigeadail
What everyone knows is that Ardbeg Uigeadail, in the middle of the standard range that includes the 10 year old and now Corryvreckan, gets its name from the loch from which Ardbeg draws its water for distillation. What everyone doesn’t know is that I peed in that loch. Here are some notes on a generously given as a gift bottle of one of my all time favorites:
Abv: 54.2%
Color: a...
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40 Whiskies Under $40: Lismore Single Malt
While there is some debate as to whether Lismore is a vatted or single malt, or even a blend, it is essentially an independent bottling of some Speyside malt. I’ve read over at Malt Advocate that it may be a 5 year Glenrothes, in fact. My guess is that since it is labelled as a single malt, it is that, but that it may use any number of different Speyside distilleries to fill any given...
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Scotch on the Rocks - FTW or WTF?
The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting article posted this weekend about the evolution/heresy of “scotch on the rocks,” and how the whisky business has responded to this very “American” approach to whisky drinking: A Chill to Scotch Purists’ Hearts. Most drinkers of single malts will shudder at the thought of adding ice to their whisky:
The purists’...
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40 Whiskies Under $40: Black Bottle NAS
It’s tough economic times, and whisky can be an expensive habit. Now more than ever it’s important to be able to find a good dram on the cheap. To help you in that endeavor, we’re launching a new series here at Whisky Party: 40 Under $40 - tasting notes on single malts and blends that can typically be found in a local grocery or liquor store (depending on where you are) for under...
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Diageo Potentially Partners with Darth KKR Maul to...
There are many rumors a-swirling that scotch’s very own Globochem, Diageo, (a company that has had lower sales recently and has experienced turbulence in the market) is going to partner with the big bad leverage buy-out wolf, KKR (subject of Barbarians at the Gate), to buy stake in United Spirits, the huge Indian liquor company (United Brewers).
This comes after rumors that Diageo was in...
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Tasting Notes: Dalwhinnie Distiller's Edition 15...
Located at the northwestern corner of the Central Highlands, Dalwhinnie is the highest in elevation of all Scotland’s currently active distilleries; as such, it gets much of its water supply from snow melt. The terroir provides plenty of fresh peat and heather, which come through in the product.
Dalwhinnie Distiller’s Edition 1990 (bottled 2005)
Abv: 43%
Finish: Oloroso casks
...
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Tasting Notes: Laphroaig 15 and Laphroaig Quarter...
Laphroaig is one of my favorite distilleries. I’m a huge Islay fan in general, but the raw, overpowering smokey, peatiness of Laphroaigs is what drew me into scotch in the first place. Before I found Laphroaig I enjoyed scotch, but it wasn’t until after my first dram that I loved scotch.
Laphroaig is often called “the most medicinal of scotches,” and whisky writer Michael...
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Whisky Gets Hip
Is single malt whisky losing its image as an expensive digestif for stuffed-shirted old dudes in wood-paneled cigar parlors, and emerging as a real drink of choice among a younger, culturally diverse audience? Here’s an article that suggest it is:
Whisky Finds A New Mix The old order is changing. Scotch is no longer the domain of duffers in gentlemen’s clubs. Sales of Scotch whisky are...
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Tasting Notes: Signatory bottling of a Ledaig 14...
Ledaig 14 year old, Signatory Vintage (dist. 1993)
Abv: 43%
Cask no. 395; bottle no. 116/361
Color: pale straw (natural color)
Legs: large beads, med-slow drop
Nose: honey, pears, lilacs, fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies, wet grass
Palate: pears and other muddled fruit at first, on top of clean malt, along with a little peat, then a light, distinct kind of smokeyness that I compare to...
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Tasting Notes: Isle of Jura 16 Year
The Isle of Jura is just a short ferry ride from Islay, but boasts only one distillery and one road. The storehouses are right by the water, imparting an unmistakable Island flavor to their whiskies. Oddly enough, this is the island where Orwell managed to compose his vision of a totalitarian future in the novel 1984.
Isle of Jura OB 16 year
Abv: 43%
Color: coppery amber
Legs: med-large...
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Tasting notes: two well-priced Island 18 years...
I pulled a couple of my favorites from the bar for a comparison. Both Island whiskies (Caol Ila from Islay and Talisker from Skye), both nicely peated, and both priced around $70, these are two very different whiskies.
Caol Ila OB 18 year
ABV: 43%
Color: pure gold
Legs: med-large beads, med-slow roll
Nose: ocean notes, soft peat, cream & dark berries, pine, and a touch of smoke
...
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Tasting Notes: The Glenrothes Select Reserve and...
The Glenrothes Select Reserve and 1991 Vintages
I recently was able to try some nice whiskys at a poker night, and I was even more fortunate that friends entertained my weird notions of saving me a couple of drams of the bottles so I could do a controlled tasting. I have been a fan of The Glenrothes after tasting some of the 1991 at a poker night a couple of years ago. Some interesting...
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Scotch Whisky Association Releases Data on Exports...
The Scotch Whisky Association just released some data on the exports and value of those exports for the 2008 calendar year. This data is NOT broken down into whether the whisky is blended or malts, but there are a couple of interesting things that peeked out. There’s not a whole lot of data in this set, and when there is a lot of data, it isn’t very fresh by a couple of years (except...
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Tasting Notes: Caol Ila 10 year from Gordon &...
Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Caol Ila 10 year (dist. 1995)
Alc/vol: 46%
Color: just-slightly-bronzed gold
Legs: long, with med. beads
Nose: buttery pastries in paris, a crackling fireplace in winter, dark chocolate, ripe red fruits, and oranges, all wrapped up in an ocean breeze
Palate: coal, spices (nutmeg), more chocolate (milky now), and a sweetness like buttered veggies...
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Ardbeg Supernova Sells Out, Sets Record, is once...
Ardbeg Supernova, which WhiskyParty posted about before, has just sold out (or, at least the advance release). You miss it, too? The spirit that is 40% more peaty than Ardbeg 10, sold 3000 bottles in 112 minutes, online. At a cost of 80 pounds, that’s 240,000 pounds in 112 minutes, or stateside, revenue of $3,242 per minute. If you like liquid measurements, 18.75 liters per minute (once...
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An Independent Bottling of Laphroaig 6 year:...
Laphroaig 6.5 year Un-chillfiltered, bottled by Signatory (dist. 2000)
Maturation: refill sherry butt; Cask no. 3671; Bottle 104/726.
Alc/vol: 46%
Color: yellowish-amber.
Legs: med-large beads, slow drip.
Nose: big chocolatey peat at the fore, with oats and hay, then flowers, and finally a healthy slice of pecan pie.
Palate: the peat and semi-sweet chocolate combo remains up front and dry,...
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6 Tasting Notes - A'bunadh, Asyla, Glenmorangie...
Hi all.
I’m honored to be posting here. I’m very new to the world of Uisge, but love to throw back drams with WhiskyParty and the DodgyDrammer. I hope to get much better at posting tasting notes, but figured I’d put down what i have from a night with friends. We decide to taste unchill filtered scotches and/or cask-strength scotches. My favorite of the night was the Laphroaig.
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No One Person Will Replace Michael Jackson - and...
At the Malt Advocate Blog, John Hansell asks a question that I know is probably on the minds on many scotch whisky fanatics - who will replace the late, consummate beer/malt/whisky writer Michael Jackson? In my opinion, no one will, nor should anyone aspire to, replace Jackson. Instead, the hole left by Jackson’s passing will be filled by a plethora of niche bloggers, culinary websites,...
