*A sincere thank you to the good folks at the SMWSA for the sample. Part three of three taking a look at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America's 2012 Holiday Outturn. I saved my favorite of the five for last. I'm not sure about their title of this one, though, it struck me more … Continue reading SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part III
Speyside
Master of Malt 1982 Inchgower 29 Year Old – Review
Thanks to the excellent people at Master of Malt for the sample. As far as I can tell...or at least as far as my prerequisite 10 minutes of google-ing can tell me, the name Inchgower means "the goat's isle". The only mention I found of this was from a book entitled "Geographical Etymology: A Dictionary … Continue reading Master of Malt 1982 Inchgower 29 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1984 Benrinnes 26 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Benrinnes, from the Scots Gaelic, Beinnroinn, means "promontory hill". A rather uninspired name if you ask me, but maybe on the day it was named it was bitterly cold, wet, and windy and the group of guys out naming stuff had had enough and … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1984 Benrinnes 26 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1994 Longmorn 17 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Let's say (for the sake of relating something to something else in order to create some kind of post) that you wanted to heat up some kind of liquid; there are basically two ways of applying this heat, directly or indirectly. If you want … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1994 Longmorn 17 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1998 Strathisla 12 Year Old, Pétrus Gaia Finish – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Strathisla is one of the older distilleries in Scotland, being founded in 1786. Since then it has gone through a few name changes (Milltown-->Milton-->Strathisla-->Milton--> Strathisla) and about 8,000 ownership changes. One of these owners, a chap named George Pomeroy, gathered up a majority stake … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1998 Strathisla 12 Year Old, Pétrus Gaia Finish – Review
Chieftain’s 1996 Allt A Bhainne 16 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Ok, this makes the third review in a row where the whisky has come from a distillery that's younger than I am. This is the last built-in-the-70's review I'll do for a while, partly because I'd like to get back to learning a little … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1996 Allt A Bhainne 16 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1996 Braeval 14 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Braeval is the possibly the highest elevated distillery in Scotland. I say "possibly" because Dalwhinnie also makes that claim and although I am many things, an expert cartographer is not one, nor do I have access to any of the equipment (slide rules, global … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1996 Braeval 14 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1995 Auchroisk 16 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Auchroisk...the distillery says that it is pronounced Auck-Roysk, but apparently the locals beg to differ and pronounce it Ack-Rask...or Ath-Rask. Those last two look different enough to me that it seems like the locals are just begging to differ all over the place, but what do I know? … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1995 Auchroisk 16 Year Old – Review
Master of Malt 1991 Cragganmore 20 Year Old – Review
Thanks to Master of Malt for the sample and apologies for not reviewing this before you went ahead and selfishly sold all of the bottles. The character of Sir John Falstaff first barreled his way on stage in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I, then again in Henry IV, Part II, and finally, in a larger … Continue reading Master of Malt 1991 Cragganmore 20 Year Old – Review
Master of Malt 1983 Dailuaine 27 Year Old – Review
All due apologies to Master of Malt, who graciously provided me with this sample and then went and sold all the bottles before I had a chance to review it. It is with great regret and mild humiliation that I'm writing this review (and a few others) pretty much after the fact. This past Fall, … Continue reading Master of Malt 1983 Dailuaine 27 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 