Slàinte mhath, Dad! In honor of this upcoming Father's Day in general and my father in particular, here's a review of perhaps his favorite whisky. I don't remember exactly when my dad started to drink Highland Park, but it was a while ago. I think the bottles and labels have gone through at least four … Continue reading Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour – Review
Island
The Exclusive Malts 1997 Ledaig 17 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I'm not sure you could ever say that the pronunciation of Scotch Distillery place names was a hotly debated subject, especially for those non-Scots who are just looking for an easy way to correctly say something without breaking their jaw. Still, for every Dailuaine, Glen Garioch, and … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1997 Ledaig 17 Year Old – Review
The Arran Malt Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II, Angels & Devils – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Arran's two Devil's Punchbowl releases take their eponymous inspiration from an apparently less-than-comfortable glacial hollow on the Isle of Arran. But, as the Devil does seem to get around quite a bit, Arran's punchbowl is not the only geographic landform on the … Continue reading The Arran Malt Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II, Angels & Devils – Review
The Arran Malt 16 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I'm not sure I can definitively say that I have a favorite number, but if you pressed me for an answer, I'd probably have to say the number 16. I've liked 16 since I was a little kid and, as far as … Continue reading The Arran Malt 16 Year Old – Review
The Arran Malt 10 Year Old +/- 2011 – Redux Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. With The Arran Malt's 16 year old coming out soon in the U.S., I thought I'd take a look back at Arran's entry-level 10 year old expression. I reviewed this a few years ago at a tasting party and while I got … Continue reading The Arran Malt 10 Year Old +/- 2011 – Redux Review
Single Cask Nation 1999 Arran 12 Year Old Pinot Noir Cask Finish – Review
*A sincere thanks to JH, JJY, and SK at Single Cask Nation for the sample. The Pinot Noir grape, the one responsible for that little wine making region in France called Burgundy, is one of the oldest offspring of Vitis vinifera, and one of the oldest varieties of grapevines to be cultivated by man. There is some … Continue reading Single Cask Nation 1999 Arran 12 Year Old Pinot Noir Cask Finish – Review
The Arran Malt – The Devil’s Punch Bowl
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. In popular culture, the Devil doesn't always seem to instill that much terror. Sure, there are a few good movies featuring/invoking a truly horrific being of some sort, maybe a book here and there, or a bit of extreme metal from Norway, but generally … Continue reading The Arran Malt – The Devil’s Punch Bowl
SMWSA 2012 Holiday Parcels…Part II
*A sincere thank you to the good folks at the SMWSA for the samples. The second 2012 "holiday" outturn from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (SMWSA) was entitled "Holiday Parcels" and now that I've missed that boat and the holidays are pretty much over, I thought I'd take a three-part look at this … Continue reading SMWSA 2012 Holiday Parcels…Part II
The Arran Malt 14 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. The Isle of Arran's lone distillery, producing the appropriately named The Arran Malt is one of Scotland's newest distilleries. Founded in 1993 and producing spirit by 1995, Arran the distillery has combined traditional distilling practices, interesting limited edition bottlings outside of its core range, … Continue reading The Arran Malt 14 Year Old – Review
Isle of Jura Prophecy – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at the Baddish Group for the sample. According to the Isle of Jura's website, the prophecy for which Prophecy is named was levelled at the Campbell family by an old woman who had been rudely evicted from her home by the aforementioned ruling clan. This woman was apparently a "seer", … Continue reading Isle of Jura Prophecy – Review