It's odd to think that until recently, 1987 to be exact, there were basically just two functioning whiskey distilleries on the entire island of Ireland. The state of Irish Whiskey must have been in a terrible state in 1966 when John Jameson & Sons teamed up with the Cork Distilleries Co. and John Power & … Continue reading Powers Special Reserve 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey
Amrut Intermediate Sherry – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Where I grew up, we called the middle school, that young adult warehouse between elementary and high school, the Intermediate School. I remember very little of those two years: a strange and difficult research paper on Venezuela, daring food fights right under the mildly … Continue reading Amrut Intermediate Sherry – Review
Bulleit (95) Rye Small Batch American Whiskey – Review
There's no surer sign of Rye Whiskey's comeback than Diageo's recent release and marketing of its Bulleit (95) Rye Small Batch American Whiskey (oddly, though,...no website). If a huge beverage conglomerate like that decides to put out a complex, high rye content whiskey like this, you know that somebody's decided for damn sure that there's money … Continue reading Bulleit (95) Rye Small Batch American Whiskey – Review
Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2000 Vintage – Review
Depending on who you ask, the year 2000 was either the first year of the current millennium we're in now, or, according to strict Gregorianists, the last year of the millennium we just left. The Gregorianists (is there such a thing?) are probably right, though aesthetically, it looks a lot better for a millennium to … Continue reading Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2000 Vintage – Review
Glenfiddich’s Cask Of Dreams
Before I start, let me just say that walking through the heart of the Tenderloin, San Francisco's version of skid row (no, not the Sebastian Bach kind...well, sort of), on route to Glenfiddich's tasting on the 15th floor of a fairly lux hotel definitely added a bit of perspective, not to mention a fragrant surreal … Continue reading Glenfiddich’s Cask Of Dreams
Chieftain’s The Cigar Malt, 15 Year Old Speyside – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I'm not afraid to admit that I hate cigars. A shocking, divisive, and opprobrious statement, if there ever was one, I'm sure. Perhaps I haven't really ever experienced a good cigar, I don't know, I also don't really care. I've been in the presence of … Continue reading Chieftain’s The Cigar Malt, 15 Year Old Speyside – Review
Chieftain’s 1998 Ardbeg 12 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Ardbeg's recent history (thanks, Tim!) is a litany of ownership changes, dis-heartening shutterings, sporadic periods of production, and ultimately, it's re-emergence as one of the finest distilleries out there today. Thanks, I'm sure, to the financial clout of its parent company (Glenmorangie was sold … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1998 Ardbeg 12 Year Old – Review
Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Near Dufftown lie the ruins of Balvenie Castle, which was built by the branch of the Comyns family known as "The Black Comyns" in the 1100's. Now, I don't know about you, but "The Black Comyns" strikes me as a pretty awesome name. Add to that the fact that they called their castle "Mortlach", and … Continue reading Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Chieftain’s 1997 Aultmore 12 Year Old
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Like many other distilleries founded in the 1890's, Aultmore had a bit of a sputtering start: opening in 1897, closing a few years later, re-opening in the early 1900's...then closing once again as World War I began. Finally in 1923, John Dewar and Sons … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1997 Aultmore 12 Year Old
Whisky Roundtable #11
A new month, a new Whisky Roundtable, this time hosted by Gal from Whisky Israel and concerning the exotic world of single cask bottlings...a world I clearly need to visit more often. Here's the question(s): The Single Cask. A distinct point in time, A unique combination, of a cask, maturation climate, location, and magic. the … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #11
THE CASKS 