I'm more excited about Father's Day this year than I have been about most of the other Father's Days before. It's not because, for once, I got a card into the mail on time...I didn't, at this point, that's to be expected. No, this year marks the first Father's Day that I'll be on the … Continue reading Highland Park 18 Year Old – Review.
Chieftain’s 2000 Strathisla 10 Year Old
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Strathisla is one of Northern Scotland's oldest functioning distilleries, getting its start in 1786 thanks to George Taylor and Alexander Milne who had then named the site Milltown. Some sources even claim that Strathisla is the oldest continuously run distillery in Scotland, though there should perhaps … Continue reading Chieftain’s 2000 Strathisla 10 Year Old
Whisky Roundtable #13
Coming full circle, one year later, this month the Whisky Roundtable returns to its founder, Jason, of Guid Scotch Drink. Appropriately, his question to all of us is a bit of a barn burner: In February of 2010 John Hansell, Malt Advocate Magazine, named whisky bloggers his Whisky Pioneers of the Year. At that time … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #13
Ardbeg Alligator – Review
Alligator... Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Superorder: Crocodylomorpha, Order: Crocodylia, Family: Alligatoridae, Subfamily: Alligatorinae, Genus: Alligator (all due taxonomic credit goes to François Marie Daudin). There are currently only two species of Alligator, the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) which is smaller and nearly extinct, but very adept at … Continue reading Ardbeg Alligator – Review
Whiskypedia: A Compendium of Scottish Whisky – Book Review
I just occurred to me that this is the third book by Charles MacLean that I've written about...and I've only written about five books total. In my defense, let me just say that the talented Mr. MacLean is somewhat prolific, and that the other two books are basically, sneakily, disappointingly, the same thing. Also, let … Continue reading Whiskypedia: A Compendium of Scottish Whisky – Book Review
Bacon Bourbon for Breakfast at Serpentine
Granted, the whole everything bacon craze has gone too far and far too mainstream to really be taken seriously anymore but that doesn't mean that bacon didn't warrant all the attention in the first place. Bacon is an innocent victim here, it's not bacon's fault it's so delicious, it's the fault of the fad-obsessed, must-create-something-unique-to-be-accepted-by-the-collective … Continue reading Bacon Bourbon for Breakfast at Serpentine
Canadian Club Classic 12 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Shift Communications and Canadian Club for the sample. Just off the top of my head, here's a quick list of Canadians I'd like to see perform in a smaller club: Glenn Gould, Gil Evans, Voivod, Gordon Lightfoot, SNFU, Oscar Peterson, Neil Young, Rush, and of course, Aldo Nova. Now that I think of it, I … Continue reading Canadian Club Classic 12 Year Old – Review
Canadian Club Reserve 10 Years Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Shift Communications and Canadian Club for the sample. Hiram Walker, the founder of Canadian Club opened his first distillery, not in Canada, but in Detroit in 1858. However, before we get into why and how Canadian Club became Canadian, we need to figure where the hell the name Hiram … Continue reading Canadian Club Reserve 10 Years Old – Review
Whisky Roundtable #12
This month's Whisky Roundtable comes all the way from Japan, from Chris Bunting, the mind behind Nonjatta, a fantastic site devoted to Japanese whisky. We need more of these fantastic Japanese whiskies here in the states, Nonjatta is a great site to visit if you want to drool enviously all over your keyboard. Here are … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #12
Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project.
I'm fairly fascinated by complex role that the wood plays in whisk(e)y making. From the basic differences between American (Quercus alba) and European (Quercus robur) oak to the subtle changes that occur when one decides to dry the stuff naturally rather than in a kiln (there's a tannin-eating fungus among us!). For the most part, all … Continue reading Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project.
THE CASKS 