*Sincere thanks to Usquaebach and Colangelo PR for the sample. The Usquaebach brand is one of those brands that manages to be both oft-seen and under-the-radar at the same time. Their white and tan stoneware flagon-ed Old Rare Blended Whisky is a rather familiar sight on store shelves, but you just don't hear much about … Continue reading Usquaebach An Ard Ri Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Vatted Malt
Usquaebach 15 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Sincere thanks to JA and Usquaebach for the sample. As a result of the current boom in popularity, there are very few whisk(e)y brands out there that haven't received at least a little slick, silver-tongued marketers' magic. Whether it's a new label, revamped line-up, hip ad campaign, or a hyperactive social media presence, these days, it can … Continue reading Usquaebach 15 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Compass Box The Peat Monster +/- 2011 – Review
*Thanks Dad! The word "peat," a near and dear word to whisky lovers to be sure, is most likely of Celtic origin owing maybe a little bit to the medieval latin word peta, and sharing its ancestry with the Welsh word peth, and the Cornish word peyth, which both mean "bit," "piece" or "thing." Interestingly, there's no relationship between the word … Continue reading Compass Box The Peat Monster +/- 2011 – Review
Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Advertising and marketing have been around for centuries. Political slogans and commercial messages have been found in ancient Egyptian ruins and Vesuvius' ash depository, Pompeii. Johnny Gutenberg's printing press really upped the ante, and today we're basically bombarded in all our waking hours by … Continue reading Smokehead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 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
THE CASKS 