*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Ah, 2007. It was only seven years ago, but in the whisky world, it seems a lifetime ago. Back then, there were a great many quality single malts still hovering around the $30 mark, and if you wanted to get kind of … Continue reading Kilchoman 2007 Vintage – Review
Scotch
The Arran Malt Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II, Angels & Devils – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Arran's two Devil's Punchbowl releases take their eponymous inspiration from an apparently less-than-comfortable glacial hollow on the Isle of Arran. But, as the Devil does seem to get around quite a bit, Arran's punchbowl is not the only geographic landform on the … Continue reading The Arran Malt Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II, Angels & Devils – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1984 Tormore 29 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. To quote the late, great Michael Jackson (no, not the gloved one, this one), Tormore Distillery, "with a musical clock, belfry, and ornamental curling lake...looks like a spa offering a mountain-water cure."¹ Now, it may come as a great shock to everyone, perhaps … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1984 Tormore 29 Year Old – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1990 Laphroaig 22 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. First off, if this kind of thing puts you to sleep, I apologize. You can skip ahead if you want. If you're like me and find toponymical bric-a-brac more exciting than you might care to admit in public, then, well, you're in … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1990 Laphroaig 22 Year Old – Review
Kilchoman Loch Gorm – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. For an island that's roughly just 25 miles long and 15 miles wide, Islay is home to quite a few inland, freshwater lakes...or, more appropriately, lochs. The largest of these is Loch Gorm which is located in the northeast corner of the … Continue reading Kilchoman Loch Gorm – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1992 Dailuaine 21 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. The name "Dailuaine" (pronounced 'dale-YOU-an') comes from the Scots-Gaelic An dail uaine, which means "green vale". For a distillery residing in the Speyside region, this is a quite accurate name and an incredibly vague one at the same time. During the brief time I spent in this … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1992 Dailuaine 21 Year Old – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1991 Bunnahabhain 21 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. While watching the recent documentary on Los Angeles' Sound City, I almost passed out in shock when I realized that 1991 was 22 years ago. It's not that 22 years is such a long time, it's just that the 22 years in … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1991 Bunnahabhain 21 Year Old – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1996 Auchroisk 17 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Like many Scottish distillery names, the somewhat unpronounceable Auchroisk, once translated from Gaelic to English ends up being a relatively simple descriptor of the physical place where it resides. Sure, this simplicity can occasionally seem a little obvious and uncreative on the … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1996 Auchroisk 17 Year Old – Review
Chieftains 1995 BenRiach 17 Year Old Rum Cask Finish – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. In the world of Scotch whisky, the Gaelic word and occasional prefix ben means, simply enough, "mountain" or "hill". There are several "bens" amongst Scottish distilleries: Ben Nevis, Benrinnes, and Benromach are all currently pumping out the sauce today, while Ben Wyvis … Continue reading Chieftains 1995 BenRiach 17 Year Old Rum Cask Finish – Review
Chieftains 1997 Glenrothes 15 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. As if trying to figure out which company owns which distillery wasn't hard enough, Glenrothes waltzes in and throws another curveball to muddle the issue even more. One thing seems fairly clear; in 1887, Glenrothes was owned by a company called Highland … Continue reading Chieftains 1997 Glenrothes 15 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 