The histories of some distilleries read like juicy soap operas, others like business seminar success stories, and then there are those, like BenRiach's that are kind of quick reads, a little dull and mildly depressing until the end, when, just before you nod off into your nosing glass, you hear tell of rosy tidings for … Continue reading The BenRiach 12 Year Old – Review
Reviews
The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Old – Review
I try, I really do...I want to be blown away by younger Speyside malts but the reality is unless it's a high alcohol, sh-sh-sh-sh sh-sh sherry bomb like Aberlour's A'bundh, I tend to like them, appreciate them and...not be blown away by them. Dufftown's Glendullan was apparently the favored whisky of King Edward VII, and … Continue reading The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Old – Review
Octomore 2.1 – Review
For good or for ill (mostly for ill) Americans have this sad, misguided little notion that bigger and/or more extreme is better , especially when it comes to food or pretend food products. There's a new line of "bold" Doritos out there that promises an artificially produced heat hitherto unknown in the natural food world. There … Continue reading Octomore 2.1 – Review
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
It's hard to say if anyone has ever come to blows over the eternal question, "Are Bison Buffalo?". In 1997, at Cheyenne's annual Buffalo Days celebration, noted historical biologist Norman "The Helix" Bergstrom was hit from behind with half a plate of funnel cake after he loudly stated the probably accurate, though publicly unpopular aphorism … Continue reading Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review
Springbank 10 Year Old – Review
For the relatively uninitiated (like me), Campbeltown malts in general and Springbank in specific (which makes up most of the Campbeltown whiskies anyway, so...) hold a certain romantic appeal. They're like the bison (bison bison) of the whisky world, at one time so prevalent, traipsing their woolly bottles across the great plains of the Kintyre … Continue reading Springbank 10 Year Old – Review
Big Peat Small Batch “Blended” Islay Malt
I like to think that I'm a steely rock, inscrutable and impenetrable to the grasping wiles of advertisers and their kerned and pantone-d ministrations, but really, I'm just as much of a sucker for good packaging and marketing as the next guy. Ardbeg, for example, does a masterful job mixing the tradition and mythos of … Continue reading Big Peat Small Batch “Blended” Islay Malt
Bargain Bin Friday!!! 75 South Blended Whiskey – Review
Boldly going where everyone else probably has the good sense not to go. I saw this bottle on the bottom shelf at Safeway not too long ago with a sale sticker reading "$5.99". Six dollars for a bottle of whiskey. One wonders if you could buy an empty glass bottle for that kind of money. … Continue reading Bargain Bin Friday!!! 75 South Blended Whiskey – Review
Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
For those that have heard horrible things about perpetually rainy San Francisco Winters, don't believe any of it. Yes, it rains, and on one or two occasions it rains hard. And, yes, it's cold, a deep bone-chilling cold special to San Francisco because we're too stupid to insulate our buildings, knowing full well temperatures hover … Continue reading Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Glenfiddich 18 Year Old – Review
I suppose because I see Glenfiddich everywhere, in every little corner store, suburban big-box supermarket, domestic flights, and bars that keep the premium spirits in a dusty, ignored display next to the register, I default to thinking they're a big, corporate, profit-before-flavor scotch. It's easy to fall into that line of thinking these days when … Continue reading Glenfiddich 18 Year Old – Review
Port Charlotte PC6 – Review
Who, exactly, was this Charlotte and what did she do to get a quaint Islay village, not to mention a whole series of well-regarded scotches named after her? A strong-footed mid-fielder for Wemyss United who scored that stellar, curving goal for the win over Askaig City FC in the '46 All-Islay tourney finals? No. A … Continue reading Port Charlotte PC6 – Review
THE CASKS 