Whisky-Related Stocking Stuffers for 2014

Well, here we are again and already. It seems as if we were just celebrating the Winter holidays and now, we're just supposed to start celebrating them all over again. Here in Minnesota this might be due to the fact that Winter routinely stretches well into April. Summer snuck by quickly as it was a relatively … Continue reading Whisky-Related Stocking Stuffers for 2014

Four Roses Yellow Label Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey- Review

*Sincere thanks to LB and the Baddish Group for the sample. It would probably not be considered going too far out on a limb to say that Four Roses' history is one of the murkiest and most confusing in the world of whisk(e)y. Interestingly, it should also be noted that, today, the distillery and brand is … Continue reading Four Roses Yellow Label Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey- Review

Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review

*Sincere Thanks to LB and the Baddish Group for the sample. When the Earth was young, full of torrents of fire and inclement weather, behemoth liquor companies sought out their marketing teams, troglodyte and dour, and entreated them with a quest that was at once high-minded and nefarious. The marketing teams' eyes shone with fearful … Continue reading Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Review

The Casks v.2.0

Ah, so it appears I haven't disappeared after all. Sorry for the hiatus. Once again, real life reared its beautiful head and offered up some far more important things to do than write about whisky. This time around, the important thing just happened to be a small, old building that my wife and I purchased … Continue reading The Casks v.2.0

Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Reivew

  Back when I knew very little about whisk(e)y, Knob Creek Bourbon held a special place in my heart. Even then, I liked whisky quite a bit, but mostly for all the wrong reasons. I enjoyed whisky's ability to intoxicate (in moderation, of course) and I embraced whisky's literary endorsements as some kind hall pass when my … Continue reading Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Reivew

The Exclusive Malts 1999 North Highland 14 Year Old – Review

*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Buried somewhat shallowly in the whisky industry, there is a...what shall we call it, a practice? A concept? A technique? Something called "teaspooning". Basically, teaspooning consists of adding a little bit of another distillery's whisky to a cask of single malt whisky. Ostensibly … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1999 North Highland 14 Year Old – Review

American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye – Book Review

American whiskey, particularly bourbon, is experiencing an explosion in popularity not seen since...well, not ever seen, really. Our little brown spirit was practically left for dead in the 70's. In the late 80's/early 90's it started to claw its way back into favor, and today, it's selling like mad, and not just domestically. Unfortunately, it's … Continue reading American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye – Book Review

Ace Spirits, Hopkins, Minnesota

Opening in the middle of March this year and taking advantage of the boom in both whisk(e)y and craft beer, Ace Spirits in Hopkins (southwest of Minneapolis by 20 minutes or so) is a small booze haven focusing on...whisk(e)y and craft beer. It's advertising itself as having "every whisky available in the state" which of … Continue reading Ace Spirits, Hopkins, Minnesota

The Exclusive Malts’ The Exclusive Blend 1991 21 Years Old – Review

*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Alas, poor blended scotch! It's still pretty much the reason the Scotch industry exists in the first place, being responsible for nearly 90% of all Scotch whisky sold, and despite this boom in brown spirits, it still doesn't quite get the respect it … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts’ The Exclusive Blend 1991 21 Years Old – Review

The Exclusive Malts 2000 Craigellachie 12 Year Old

*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Some Scotch distilleries seem to live more on the peripheries of whisky history than on the center of the stage. There are those that were not designed by the leading architect of the day, that spent as much time mothballed as they … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 2000 Craigellachie 12 Year Old