I hate to gloat, especially since friends and family back in the Midwest received an early snow this past weekend, complete with power KO'ing fury and wet, slushy stuff that I'm sure made driving fun, but we've had an exceptional past several days here in San Francisco. Sunny, temps in the mid-70's, not much wind...in … Continue reading Kilchoman Single Cask Release, The Whisky Shop Edition – Review
Scotch
Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round III
Round III of notes from a recent Bruichladdich tasting: Bruichladdich 1989, 19 Year Old "Black Art" Right off the bat, let me mention that Black Art has perhaps the coolest packaging of any spirit I've come across. Granted, it's not very traditional as far as Scotch goes, nor does it do much to show off the … Continue reading Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round III
Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round II
Round II of notes from a recent Bruichladdich tasting focuses on 3 uniquely finished expressions: Bruichladdich 16 Year Old, Cuvee E, Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes Cask Sauternes is Bordeaux's exceptional trademark sweet wine, and Chateau D'Yquem stands far enough above the others to earn the ranking of Premier Cru Supérieur. Sauternes is the best-known example … Continue reading Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round II
Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round I
Bruichladdich is a relatively young distillery in many ways. Originally opening in 1881 it survived several moth-ballings and ownership changes until finally in late 2000, new owners, including the owners of the Murray McDavid independent line, took over and began the transformation of the distillery into one of the most innovative in the world. Today, … Continue reading Notes from the Bruichladdich Tasting, Round I
Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I know I've touched on this before, but those of us who live in the Bay Area are exceedingly lucky and also exceedingly smug (to the point of obnoxiousness) about our access to excellent, local, organic food. For my part, I am boundlessly grateful … Continue reading Kilchoman Summer 2010 Release – Review
Balblair 1991 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Thanks to the good folks at International Beverage for the sample! So, there's this Pink Floyd song (and I do apologize, it's a post-Syd Barrett song, but just bear with me) on the album Ummagumma called "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict", which, despite its glaring … Continue reading Balblair 1991 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Balblair 1997 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Thanks to the good folks at International Beverage for the sample! A locally grown, crisply sweet, juicy Honeycrisp apple is one of the surest signs of Fall here in San Francisco, where far too few leaves change color to give the full effect. September and early October usually holds some of the best weather we … Continue reading Balblair 1997 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Review
Edradour Caledonia, Aged 12 Years – Review
Around 140 AD, the Roman Emperor of the time, Antoninus Pius, decided to build the Antonine Wall to keep those alarmingly uncouth Picts sequestered as far North as possible. Ol' Tony was just trying to be like his mentor, Hadrian, and a fortified wall stretching from coast to coast to seal off what the Roman's called … Continue reading Edradour Caledonia, Aged 12 Years – Review
A.D. Rattray 1991 Aberlour 18 Year Old, “K&L” Single Barrel – Review
*Thanks to Dave Driscoll and K&L Wines for the sample of this one. It's Tuesday...I wish I could regale you with some obscure history or made-up story about Aberlour's founder, James Fleming, and his childhood dream of becoming a world-famous harpist, but it's Tuesday and I'm already tired. So instead, a fairly perfunctory and dull … Continue reading A.D. Rattray 1991 Aberlour 18 Year Old, “K&L” Single Barrel – Review
The Arran Malt, Icons of Arran #2 – The Rowan Tree 12 Year Old – Review
Another huge thank you to Jason at Guid Scotch Drink for the sample. I grew up in Milwaukee, WI with a great Rowan Tree (Sorbus americana) in our front yard. In many ways, it was the ideal tree for a bunch of suburban boys, fantastic for climbing and each year come summer, fully stocked with … Continue reading The Arran Malt, Icons of Arran #2 – The Rowan Tree 12 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 