Let me just say right off the bat that I've never been to the quiet little village of Charlestown of Aberlour which lies just down the A95 from the Aberlour Distillery, so please don't take this as any sort of travelogue or destination review...or, for that matter, thanks to a very limited travel budget at the … Continue reading Aberlour 12 Year Old, Double Cask Matured – Review
Tuthilltown’s Hudson Whiskey at 18 Reasons
For once, the whiskey's flowing at 18 Reasons and I'm not the one standing up in front of everyone, making a fool of myself. Gable Erenzo from Tuthilltown Spirits will be on hand, decidedly not making a fool of himself, pouring his good stuff, and generally giving the lowdown on his fantastic artisanal distillery that … Continue reading Tuthilltown’s Hudson Whiskey at 18 Reasons
Chieftain’s 1995 Mortlach 15 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. There's a saying about Speyside's Dufftown that goes "Rome was built on seven hills but Dufftown stands on seven stills." Even though I've never visited Dufftown, I'm pretty sure the differences don't stop there. Rome, for example, does not focus much on booze and booze-making in its … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1995 Mortlach 15 Year Old – Review
Upcoming Bay Area Whisky Tasting – “Tour de Scotland”
Yeah, I'm not giving you much notice on this one. I've been busy. Still it's well worth looking into as there's some interesting stuff on the pour list...plus, since the Tour de France ends on Sunday and that always leaves a gaping hole in my life, it'll be nice to have another tour to look … Continue reading Upcoming Bay Area Whisky Tasting – “Tour de Scotland”
Chieftain’s 1992 Ardmore 18 Year Old – Reviewed
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. The Highland version of Ardmore (in the early 1800's there was an Ardmore distillery on Islay that was eventually bought by Lagavulin) was built in 1898 by Adam Teacher, the son of Teacher's Highland Cream founder William Teacher. It's distinct, peated Highland character instantly … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1992 Ardmore 18 Year Old – Reviewed
Chieftain’s 1999 Glendullan 11 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Yet another distillery under Diageo's extremely large umbrella that's rarely seen outside its role as a blend ingredient. In Glendullan's case, it has been bottled under the Singleton name since 2007 as a 12 year old, but not currently in any other distillery release. … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1999 Glendullan 11 Year Old – Review
Whisky Roundtable #14
This months Whisky Roundtable is hosted by Joshua and the great Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society. His question tackles an always interesting and mildly controversial topic: the scoring/grading of whiskies. I, for one, see a lot of value in attaching a score but at the same time am well aware and oft frustrated by the … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #14
Indian and Japanese Whisky at 18 Reasons
I'll be leading another tasting at 18 Reasons on Monday, July 18th, this time around taking an introductory look at Japanese and Indian whiskies by tasting three expressions each from Suntory and Amrut. While Japan's interesting whisky history is not very long, they are certainly renowned for their version of Scottish stuff...unfortunately, very few are … Continue reading Indian and Japanese Whisky at 18 Reasons
Chieftain’s 1996 Isle Of Jura 14 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I'm anxious for the people of the Isle of Jura, all 200 of them, give or take a few hearty souls. Reading up on the island, I've learned that they are outnumbered nearly 35 to 1 by the large, locally prolific, and usually docile … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1996 Isle Of Jura 14 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1982 Teaninich 28 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Teaninich...yet another single malt scotch whose name receives a mild butchering by non-Scots/Gaelic speakers and even seems to create a bit of confusion amongst lauded Scottish whisky experts. Michael Jackson offers the pronunciations "tee-ninick" or "chee-ninick" in his Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1982 Teaninich 28 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 