June 2009
15 posts
2 tags
40 Whiskies Under $40: The Speyside 12 year old
Mike C. already filled you in on some details about the Speyside distillery, which is located near the source of the River Spey and which draws its water for distillation from the River Tromie:
The Speyside is a relatively new distillery, having been in operation for only 15 years. As such, the 12 year is their signature malt. It’s also one of only 4 distilleries in Scotland whose distillation...
The Instant Expert's Guide to Single Malt Scotch
There are plenty of beginners guides to whisky available online. Sites like Whisky For Everyone and Malt Madness are two websites that do a great job breaking down the history of scotch, distinctions between regions, and the proper way to makes, store, and drink single malt scotch. There are also a ton of books out there to help you navigate the complexities of drinking and purchasing scotch.
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2 tags
40 Whiskies Under $40: The Famous Grouse
Made from a blend of The Glenrothes, Highland Park, and Macallan (as well as grain whiskies), The Famous Grouse is the best selling blended whisky in Scotland.
The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky
Cost: ~$35 per liter.
ABV: 40%
Color: Gold.
Nose: First a hint of light fruit, followed by a richer, sherried sweetness. In other words, a whiff of Glenrothes Select Reserve fortified by a dash...
3 tags
To Collect, or Not To Collect?
As Michael Jackson notes in the Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, at some point every whisky drinker becomes something of a collector.
Every lover of malt whiskies sooner or later becomes to some extent a collector. It may not be a conscious decision. It can just happen. A few casual purchases, the odd gift. For the collector’s friends, birthdays and Christmas are suddenly easy.
...
1 tag
Whisk(e)y Stones - Literally a Scotch on the Rocks
The good folks at Teroforma were kind enough to send me some samples of their whisky stones and last night I tried to put them to good use. You’re probably asking “what the hell are whisky stones?” Awesome question. Whisky stones are small cubes of soapstone. You stick them in the freezer for a few hours, then drop a few in your scotch in lieu of ice cubes. The idea here is...
1 tag
Tales from the Cask: Tales of Tennessee
Whisky Party (Mike C.) has been very handily holding down the fort here while I’ve been mucking about at a certain music festival in Tennessee and StrongLikeCask (Dan) has been hiking across Thailand. The last time I saw those two in the flesh was Memorial Day weekend, when I enjoyed some of the best/most interesting/rarest whisky I’ve ever had— and it was done in the company of...
2 tags
Tasting Notes: Rosebank 19, Old Malt Cask
After reading my review of the Rosebank 17, Matt at Whisky For Everyone was kind enough to offer me a 5 mL sample of his Rosebank 19 from Old Malt Cask so I could compare the two drams. You can read his review of Rosebank 19 here. Big thanks to Matt for the generous offer. Credit also goes to Matt for the photo below - I had trouble finding a good one online so I yoinked this one off his...
1 tag
Tasting Notes: Port Ellen 7th Annual Release; and...
Port Ellen 7th Annual Release (Quarter Bottle, 28 years old)
ABV - 54.7% - Natural Cask Strength
Legs - Tight, slow
Nose - tangy smoke, coal, some vanilla, a refreshing fruityness, maybe lemon. Slight prickle from alcohol if you sniff too long, but pretty low alcohol profile overall considering it is cask strenght. Maybe the age mellowed it? Some water moves the vanilla and lemon to the back...
1 tag
Quick Thoughts on the Macallan Twitter Tasting
A few quick (belated) notes about last night’s Macallan Twitter tasting at Eighty One. I would have posted earlier, but today was a big work day and multiple, free glasses of Macallan 18 don’t really leave one in the proper condition to write blog posts at midnight.
Obviously all the whisky was fantastic, and the food pairings lived up to their Michellin-Star hype (except the...
7 tags
Tastings from The Speyside and Scott's Selection
Last night StrongLikeCask and I went to a whisky tasting with the US Ambassador for The Speyside and Scott’s Selection. I’ve got tasting notes below, but first a few observations about whisky tastings at local liquor stores:
If your taster wears a kilt, he shouldn’t sit down on a chair in front of you (seriously).
It might be useful to bring your own Glencairn glass.
Multiple...
Tasting Notes: Edradour Straight from the Cask: 11...
This is a drop from “Scotland’s smallest distillery,” where no more than three people work full time, and it is sold under the “Straight from the Cask” series of official bottlings. Having been bought from Pernod Richard in 2002 by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co. Ltd., this tiny “farmhouse-scale” distillery employed the help of Iain Henderson (who had...
3 tags
40 Whiskies Under $40: McClelland's Single Malt...
McClelland’s Single Malt Islay Whisky McClelland’s Single Malt Islay Scotch Whisky, distilled and bottled by T.A. McClelland Limited, Glasgow (a subsidiary of Bowmore which is itself a subsidiary of Suntory) This is the Islay Region representation put out by McClelland as part of their Single Malt Range. Included in this range are the Islay, a Lowland, Speyside, Highland, Highland...
Tasting Notes: Caol Ila 6 year Signatory Bottling
After my thorough enjoyment of the Connoisseur’s Choice 10 year Caol Ila, I thought it useful to see how Signatory handles a younger, cask strength, single barrell bottling of the stuff.
Caol Ila 6 year Signatory Vintage bottling
Dist. 1999, bottled 2006; Cask 06/607/1; Bottle 156/314
Abv: a generous 61.8%
Color: bright gold
Legs: tight, tight beads, with a pretty slow drop
Nose:...
3 tags
On becoming a Friend of Laphroaig
Recently, I became a “Friend of Laphroaig” at the urging of my fellow Whisky Party writers. I’m not one to usually sign up for a marketing list of a company and I don’t like being solicited for products. This is different. I’m happy I signed up. You should too. Sign up here. All you need is the upc barcode number from the back of a bottle of Laphroaig.
Friend of...
1 tag
Ardbeg Blasda at Black Bottle Prices Would Be The...
I want to depart, briefly, from our usual tasting format. Last week I had the pleasure of sampling from Ardbeg’s miniature Blasda Pack: two five centiliter bottles, one containing Ardbeg 10, the other Ardbeg Blasda.
The Blasda is a highly unusual expression for Ardbeg (and quite pricey as it is only available as a limited bottling). It’s only 40% ABV, and it is chill-filtered. Most...
