*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. I'm not ashamed to admit that perhaps my favorite ride at Disney Land/World is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. No, sorry...scratch that, my favorite ride is Pirates of the Caribbean, hands down, though I liked it a lot more before Johnny Depp kept showing up … Continue reading Chieftain’s 1997 Glen Grant 13 Year Old Year Old
Speyside
Glenfarclas 17 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
(Thanks to the good folks at Gemini Spirits & Wine for the sample.) Inspired by Glenfarclas' independent, family owned tradition (and Wisconsin public employees), I was going to start this post by spouting off on the U.S.'s pathetic tradition of codifying and protecting the über-rich and the giant, mean-spirited corporations that take all the tax … Continue reading Glenfarclas 17 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix – Review
Thanks to Glenfiddich's Mitch Bechard and Chris from WhiskyWall for making sure I got to taste this one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's been a while since I've put something new up, but like the proverbial Phoenix of old, rising from its own ashes, I'm back. Emerging from an ever-mounting pile of newborn baby … Continue reading Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix – Review
Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky – Review
It's hard to mention Cardhu and not think of the Single Malt/Pure Malt fiasco that pretty much wiped it off the map for a few years. It's sort of the Scotch whisky version of the new Coke debacle of the mid-80's. Actually, come to think of it, the mid-80's were pretty much a debacle in … Continue reading Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky – Review
Notes from the 11/10/10 Signatory Tasting, Round II
Signatory 1997 Cragganmore 13 Year Old A darling of Speyside, Cragganmore was long known as an indispensible malt for blends until becoming part of Diageo's Classic Malt series in 1988. It still seems to fly under the radar a bit, though the distillery's 12 Year Old is a highly regarded, complex dram. This independent edition … Continue reading Notes from the 11/10/10 Signatory Tasting, Round II
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 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
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
THE CASKS 