*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Woeful is the path of the poor Scotch whisky blend! Blends get all the sales...but single malts get all the attention. Blends account for 90% of total whisky production...but single malts get all the attention. Blends are labored over for hours, days, weeks even, … Continue reading Isle of Skye 8 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky – Review
Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey – Review
The Town of Tullamore was damn near burned to the ground in 1785 when a hot air balloon crashed (slowly, I'm guessing) and set aflame more than 100 houses. There's no record as to who was piloting the pride of the Montgolfier brothers, but we can assume it was a terrible accident and not one caused … Continue reading Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey – Review
The BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated Malt – Review
"Rident stolidi verba Latina" - Ovid* Let us cast our minds back to the heady days of the Punic Wars. Love was in the air, The Romans were just figuring out how to make a truly spectacular pork sugo, and the Carthaginians, long dominant in sea battle and handball were getting their butts kicked for … Continue reading The BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated Malt – Review
Bargain Bin Fridays #4, Sunnybrook Kentucky Blended Whiskey
I've heard stories of people walking into some out-of-the-way liquor store and finding a dust-covered Port Ellen for $90 or some 20-year-old Glen something-or-other for $39.99. Chances are, some distributor dumped a pricey bottle off ages ago on a store that wouldn't ever sell that kind of thing and the store has no idea what … Continue reading Bargain Bin Fridays #4, Sunnybrook Kentucky Blended Whiskey
Whisky Roundtable #3
The third installment of the Whisky Round Table is here. The contributors were whisked off in their limousines to an undisclosed location to spend a few bottles...I mean hours... in deep thought and discussion about yet another weighty whisky issue. This time around, we tackle the sticky issue of marketing. Heavy marketing and advertising is … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #3
Maker’s 46, Kentucky Bourbon Whisky – Review
I've never thought of myself as a traditionalist, the establishment can suck it as far as I'm concerned, yet here I sit contemplating Maker's Mark new offering, the Maker's 46, and I find myself wondering if what they're doing to make the stuff is fair, does it buck tradition too much? Maybe I need another … Continue reading Maker’s 46, Kentucky Bourbon Whisky – Review
Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round III
Round III of quick notes from the recent Chieftain's tasting hosted by K&L Wines at Martin's West in Redwood city... Chieftain's 1991 Linkwood 16 Year Old Yet another rarely-seen-in-distillery-bottlings...bottling, Linkwood has been around since the early 1800's, going through the usual myriad ownership changes before ultimately landing in Diageo's prodigious lap. Like Allt'A Bhainne and Glencadam, Linkwood spends … Continue reading Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round III
Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round II
Round II of quick notes from the recent Chieftain's tasting hosted by K&L Wines at Martin's West in Redwood city... Chieftain's 1985 Glencadam 22 Year Old Glencadam is another distillery that's more well-known for not being that well-known. Having been around since the 1825, many ownership changes over the years have finally led this Highland malt to the … Continue reading Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round II
Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round I
Part of Ian Macleod's family, the Chieftain's line-up of independent bottlings has recently found its way to the whisky shelves of the U.S. David Driscoll of K&L Wines hosted a recent tasting at Martin's West in Redwood city to introduce the new line-up. The big draw of the night for me was another taste of … Continue reading Chieftain’s Tasting Review Notes, Round I
Signatory 1992 Ben Nevis 17 Year Old – Review
I have no idea what a Cloud Chamber is. I've read descriptions and explanations but after a sentence or two, I get glassy eyed and wonder what bike race is happening in Europe and what whisky I'm going to have a sip of next. According to Wikipedia, a cloud chamber is used to detect particles … Continue reading Signatory 1992 Ben Nevis 17 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 