Yeah, another year has come and gone. 2011 was a fairly tumultuous one for me, and due to circumstances totally within my control, I didn't spend as much time with whisky as I have in the past, which was fine with me and most likely fine with my liver. However, this isn't to say that … Continue reading Top Whisky-type stuff list of 2011
Blackadder Raw Cask 1996 Caol Ila 14 year old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. There is a tendency, and it may well be my own, to over-romanticize parts of the Scotch whisky world, especially the part called Islay. We've all seen those great pictures of the Laphroaig or Ardbeg distilleries, stark white against the inclement weather of the … Continue reading Blackadder Raw Cask 1996 Caol Ila 14 year old – Review
Healthy Spirits – Store review
San Francisco is awash in small corner grocery/liquor/small deli stores. In some neighborhoods it's not unusual to see two stores kitty-corner from each other, learing across the intersection. Most sell pretty much all the same items and manage to eek out a living by selling mostly beer, ice cream and snacks. They are in the … Continue reading Healthy Spirits – Store review
Whisky Roundtable #19
This month's question was posed to us by Karen & Matt from Whisky For Everyone and was a lot of fun to answer. No burning industry questions or soap-boxing this month, just a perfectly timed holiday challenge for us to introduce our favorite booze to family members who might not, shall we say, share our … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #19
Whisky Related Stocking Stuffers…
Verily, the holiday season is upon us. The time of year when we're bombarded with the conflicting messages of "go out and shop!, buy more crap!" and "cozy up at home, and revel in the warmth of family!". If you're like me, you wish you had more time with the family and always end up … Continue reading Whisky Related Stocking Stuffers…
Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey – Review
You could be forgiven for being confused as to how the name "Sazerac" manages to be name of a cocktail, a straight rye whiskey, and a large spirits company all at the same time. It comes as no great surprise that the three are related, sure, but how, you ask. Well, the romanticized, marketer's wet-dream … Continue reading Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey – Review
2011 SMWS Extravaganza San Francisco – Recap
Thank you very much to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America for the opportunity to attend the Extravaganza as press. The large-scale traveling roadshow of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (let's just call it the SMWS, shall we?) rolled into San Francisco on November 9th, and again proved to be a great time. The SMWS, though … Continue reading 2011 SMWS Extravaganza San Francisco – Recap
Master of Malt’s Glenfarclas Movember 2011 – Review
*A huge thank you to Master of Malt, not only for the sample, but for being a part of this in the first place! Starting in Australia over a decade ago and spreading around the globe like a sexy five-o-clock shadow, Movember is now an international, month-long awareness and fund-raising campaign focusing on men's health … Continue reading Master of Malt’s Glenfarclas Movember 2011 – Review
Hart Brothers 1992 Littlemill 16 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Read enough about enough distilleries and you'll notice several claiming to be some version of the "oldest" distillery out there. Some are "the oldest Irish", some "the oldest Scottish", some "the oldest continuous something", some just plain "the oldest". Marketers tweak a few facts … Continue reading Hart Brothers 1992 Littlemill 16 Year Old – Review
Whisky Roundtable #18
As the holidays approach, most of us are finding ourselves far too busy even drink whisky let alone write long, well-conceived treatises about stuff. Actually, who am I kidding, there's always time to drink the whisky...there's just not always time to write long, well-conceived treatises about the stuff. With that in mind, Roundtable founder Jason, … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #18
THE CASKS 