Again with the marketing genius...a whisky named after the lurking place of some evil, nameless beast? Strong, smokey spirit recalling a dark, foreboding grotto filled with a nameless dread? Sold! Ring up the bottle, pour me a glass...I'm in. Ardbeg's 1990 Airigh Nam Beist has been aged for 16-18 years in old bourbon barrels and sadly, … Continue reading Ardbeg 1990 Airigh Nam Beist – Review
Islay
Nopa: Sherry, Supernova & Firelit Liqueur! – Review
NoPa is a neighborhood in San Francisco, its moniker standing for North of Panhandle, the Panhandle being a thin strip of tree-lined park jutting eastward from beautiful Golden Gate Park. Nopa is also the name for neighborhood's best restaurant and cocktail gathering place. We've dined there several times and have always enjoyed the excellent California … Continue reading Nopa: Sherry, Supernova & Firelit Liqueur! – Review
Caol Ila 12 Year Old – Review
According to my handy, pocket-sized, 6" thick, 15lb., 1961 Websters New International Dictionary (2nd Edition, unabridged), "smoke" is defined thusly: smoke (smōk), n. [AS. smoca; akin to AS. smeocan to smoke, smēcan to smoke, smēc, smyc, smoke, LG. & D. smook smoke, G. schmauch, Gr. smychiein to smolder, Lith. smaugti suffocate, choke.] 1. the gaseous … Continue reading Caol Ila 12 Year Old – Review
Tasting Group 4.3.10 – 5 Single Malts
A group of us got together for the first of hopefully several whisky tastings this past weekend. We all either walked, drove or took public transportation to our meeting place...none of us flew in on a private jet. We were not carried there upon jewel-encrusted sedan chairs. There were no entourages. We kept things pretty … Continue reading Tasting Group 4.3.10 – 5 Single Malts
Recap – Laphroaig Tasting with Simon Brooking
The second tasting of last weekend's trio was proof that sometimes joining internet mailing lists really pays off. When I signed up for the "Friends of Laphroaig" mailing list, I figured I might get a standard marketing email or two every now and again, so I was pleasantly suprised to receive their invite to a … Continue reading Recap – Laphroaig Tasting with Simon Brooking
Ardbeg & Graeme Obree
One more reason to love Ardbeg, as if I needed one... Scotsman Graeme Obree is one the most enigmatic cyclists to throw a leg over a bike. He won multiple world championship titles on the track and set the World Hour Record, by some considered the purest record in the sport, twice...on bikes largely designed … Continue reading Ardbeg & Graeme Obree
Ardbeg Rollercoaster
http://www.ardbeg.com/rollercoaster/ Since it now seems like every Ardbeg release is a major event (for good reason), count me in amongst the excited and most likely amongst the excited who probably won't be able to get a bottle. The Rollercoaster apparently is a vatting of 10 differently aged casks from 1997 to 2006 and will be … Continue reading Ardbeg Rollercoaster
Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Review
Alright, I'll admit it, I'm a total sucker for any kind for nautical mystique, (hell, I have several books on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and other assorted Great Lakes shipwrecks). I'm also a total sucker for good Norse/Celtic mystique so from the first moment I read about Ardbeg's Corryvreckan...I knew I had to … Continue reading Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Review
THE CASKS 