*Sincere thanks to Westland Distillery for the sample. Along with their American Single Malt and their Peated American Single Malt, Westland Distillery's Sherry Wood American Single Malt Whiskey makes up what is currently the core range for this Seattle distillery. The Sherry Wood is made from six different malts: Washington Select Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale … Continue reading Westland Sherry Wood American Single Malt Whiskey – Review
Whisky Reviews
The Exclusive Malts 1996 Glen Keith 19 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the samples. Though Glen Keith is a relatively young distillery, its shortish history is peppered with curiosities. Founded by Seagrams on the site of an old grain mill in 1957, the distillery not only produced whisky, but also functioned as something of a research lab. … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1996 Glen Keith 19 Year Old – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1997 Deanston 17 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the samples. Deanston is one of those relatively rare single malts that is more or less widely available, yet oft-overlooked. They don't have a large core range, and they don't trot out tiresome, expensive, heavily marketed special releases a couple of times a year. … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1997 Deanston 17 Year Old – Review
Head-to Head! Two Young Laphroaigs From The Exclusive Malts
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the samples. My incompetence and negligence has afforded me an interesting opportunity to taste two very similar single malts side by side. Towards the end of 2013, The Exclusive Malts released to the US market an 8 year old Laphroaig, distilled in 2005. I received a … Continue reading Head-to Head! Two Young Laphroaigs From The Exclusive Malts
Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky (2015) – Review
"And every time I thought I'd got it made It seemed the taste was not so sweet" - Changes, Bowie. It seems that whenever a consumer product experiences a surge in popularity, as whisky has the last several years, there's always a few brands that decide to completely overhaul their product. I suppose it's an attempt to somehow cash … Continue reading Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky (2015) – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1984 Invergordon 30 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. As the British Empire dwindled after World War II, England itself began to re-build and revive. By the 1950's, the country experienced a period of relatively intense prosperity. A welcome by-product of all this prosperity was an uptick in demand for whisky. … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1984 Invergordon 30 Year Old – Review
The Exclusive Malts Speyside 1991 23 Year Old – Review.
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Another expression from the Creative Whisky Company's Exclusive Malts range, this one is a 23 year old, presumably matured in an ex-bourbon barrel, and hails from an...unidentified Speyside distillery. Speyside is home to, shall we say, more than a few distilleries, making it … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts Speyside 1991 23 Year Old – Review.
The Exclusive Malts 2007 Balmenach 8 Year Old, Port Pipe Matured – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. Having not yet had the pleasure of visiting, I had no idea that Cairngorms National Park was the largest national park in the entire United Kingdom. By all accounts it's a fairly rugged region containing five of the UK's tallest mountains, the River … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 2007 Balmenach 8 Year Old, Port Pipe Matured – Review
The Exclusive Malts 1995 Highland 20 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to SF and the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. In the literature from the importers and other reviewers and sellers, I've seen this one listed as the 1995 "North Highland" 20 Year Old. As you can see below in the bottle shot, the label just says "Highland" and dispenses with all … Continue reading The Exclusive Malts 1995 Highland 20 Year Old – Review
Usquaebach Reserve Premium Blended Scotch Whisky – Review
Sincere thanks to JA and Usquaebach for the sample. In my previous post about Usquaebach's Old Rare Blend, I forgot to mention a curious historical tidbit the brand highlights on their website. According to Usquaebach, the Old Rare blend was served at two U.S. presidential inaugural dinners - Nixon's first in 1969 and George Bush … Continue reading Usquaebach Reserve Premium Blended Scotch Whisky – Review
THE CASKS 