*Sincere thanks to DK at Exposure PR for the sample! "Major" James Grant (he earned the title of "Major" by serving in the local Rifle Volunteers, a citizen's army of the time) was the son of Glen Grant co-founder James Grant, who with his brother, John, founded the famous distillery in 1840. James jr. inherited … Continue reading Glen Grant – The Major’s Reserve – Review
Scotch
Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky – Review
*Please note, this review is on the "old" version of Black Bottle. In late 2013, the brand was re-formulated. To me, as a descriptor, the word black conjures up all sorts of alluring, dark, rich, brooding, occasionally awesome, occasionally evil, occasionally both...stuff. Among far too many to list are: the Black Forest (the tree'd kind … Continue reading Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky – Review
SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part III
*A sincere thank you to the good folks at the SMWSA for the sample. Part three of three taking a look at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America's 2012 Holiday Outturn. I saved my favorite of the five for last. I'm not sure about their title of this one, though, it struck me more … Continue reading SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part III
SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part II
*A sincere thank you to the good folks at the SMWSA for the samples. Here's part two of three taking a look at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America's 2012 Holiday Outturn. This time around, it's the two youngsters of the group, one I liked quite a bit, the other...not so much. SMWSA Cask … Continue reading SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part II
SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part I
*A sincere thank you to the good folks at the SMWSA for the samples. The excellent Scotch Malt Whisky Society needs no introduction, nor does their equally as excellent U.S. branch, fittingly called the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America (but if they do, please follow their links). I thought I'd forgo the lengthy chin-wagging … Continue reading SMWSA 2012 Holiday Outturn…Part I
The Arran Malt 14 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. The Isle of Arran's lone distillery, producing the appropriately named The Arran Malt is one of Scotland's newest distilleries. Founded in 1993 and producing spirit by 1995, Arran the distillery has combined traditional distilling practices, interesting limited edition bottlings outside of its core range, … Continue reading The Arran Malt 14 Year Old – Review
Master of Malt 1982 Inchgower 29 Year Old – Review
Thanks to the excellent people at Master of Malt for the sample. As far as I can tell...or at least as far as my prerequisite 10 minutes of google-ing can tell me, the name Inchgower means "the goat's isle". The only mention I found of this was from a book entitled "Geographical Etymology: A Dictionary … Continue reading Master of Malt 1982 Inchgower 29 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1990 Rosebank 20 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Poor, poor Rosebank. Long thought to be perhaps the finest of the Lowland distilleries, it has a rich history dating back to the early 1800's but came to a fairly ignoble end, completely unfitting its status and popularity. In 1988, one of the warehouses … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1990 Rosebank 20 Year Old – Review
Master of Malt 1990 Bunnahabhain 20 Year Old – Review
Thanks to the excellent people at Master of Malt for the sample. At the recent SMWSA Extravaganza in Chicago, I overheard a guy telling his buddies that he preferred "Breech-laddick", and then expressed his disappointment at not seeing that particular brand at the show. Now, I can only assume that he meant Bruichladdich, and while … Continue reading Master of Malt 1990 Bunnahabhain 20 Year Old – Review
Chieftain’s 1984 Benrinnes 26 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Benrinnes, from the Scots Gaelic, Beinnroinn, means "promontory hill". A rather uninspired name if you ask me, but maybe on the day it was named it was bitterly cold, wet, and windy and the group of guys out naming stuff had had enough and … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1984 Benrinnes 26 Year Old – Review
THE CASKS 