Infectious Charm. Devastating Wit. Below Average Looks.
There will never be a perfect whisky. Ever. Few are bad, most are decent, some are good, even less are considered great. Maybe a handful are considered legendary. Today’s selection is certainly not legendary, but it might as well be for lowly bottom feeders like us. I am not a rich dentist, I buy what... Continue Reading →
Allow us a mere moment to divert from our populist method of reviewing bottles you can actually find on the shelf and talk about something much more titillating: independent bottlings. The spirits industry across all styles maintains a lovely working relationship with independent companies that buy excess quantities of casks from distilleries for eventual resale. A... Continue Reading →
A luxurious, full bodied Irish whiskey is a beautiful thing. This may sound like a dumb thing to write, any full bodied whisky is a good thing, but what if your local shelf has little to offer? In the case of Irish whiskey, this is my reality. Having already the reputation as a lighter style,... Continue Reading →
Like the other two bottlings in our recent look at Glenmorangie’s 12 year old finished whisky, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban is the original 10 year old single malt, aged in first and second fill bourbon casks, and this time around is finished for a further two years in port wine “pipes.” A Port pipe is a... Continue Reading →
One of the unfortunate side effects of traversing through the whisky world for any good number of years is the inevitable boredom that ensues whether through plain snobbery or palate development over time. Your very first positive experience with a once trusted dram may have been nothing short of astonishing when you were a whisky... Continue Reading →
Newcomers to the whisky scene should consider themselves lucky these days. If you’re into a diverse selection and variety of whisky styles on the shelf, then my fine friend, it’s a good time to be a whisky fan. Purists will always have their standard Kentucky Straights or simple Scottish barley malts, but producers like to... Continue Reading →
If Rittenhouse Rye is for the bourbon lover, Lot 40 for the Canadian purist, and Whistle Pig Boss Hog for the rye sadist, then Russell’s Reserve Rye is rye’s elegance. And now that rye is finally hip again, you bearded and scarved trendsetters now have full rights to pour this celebrated distillate in your Madison... Continue Reading →
Depending on the choice of liquor joint, at least here in Spokane, a curious pass through any given Canadian aisle evokes a gentle weeping at the lack of quality choices. It is not as bleak as it used to be, since maybe five years ago I would say this category was circling the drain into oblivion, but is now attempting a... Continue Reading →
Depending on the temperature of any given whiskey market, popular demand tends to drive new offerings to the shelf, and for rye fans what a grand time it is right now. But during the time frame between the recent rye resurgence and Prohibition, rye was scarce. While most rye brands, very popular before Prohibition, did... Continue Reading →
The 7th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection issues a declarative answer to a simple question: what does a Master Distiller prefer to drink if given the ability to control it’s every aspect? No special gimmicks, no wine finishes, just Parker Beam’s ideal, perfectly realized bourbon. This is the opportunity “Promise of Hope” affords to us,... Continue Reading →
For Bourbon freak boys the annual fall release season is Christmas. In fact, I’m sure if you asked one of these poor, lonely people to choose between Christmas morning and an October release of Pappy, they would have to think about it. While this small group of whiskey buyers indeed are entertaining in so many... Continue Reading →
The Parker’s Heritage Collection began in 2007 as an annual fall release of premium bourbon. The brand’s namesake, Parker Beam, Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery, hand selects and blends the yearly release from the enormous stock levels at Heaven Hill, America’s third largest producer of whiskey. Parker has been making bourbon since 1960... Continue Reading →
Disclaimer: Rejoice, for this whisky review by the ever useful SWC will NOT mention the boring as hell factoid that Ardbeg Corryvrecken is named after the world’s third largest whirlpool. No one needs to drink from a tall, warm glass full of NoOneCares anyway. We’re helpful like that. Ardbeg Distillery, at the time of this... Continue Reading →
Warning: today’s write up is going to contain much whisky geekery, a bit of a departure from our normal, more approachable style. Just go with it. Revel in it. Ardbeg Distillery enjoys a strong and devoted following from the world of whisky enthusiasts. Their fans will buy anything they release at any price. But even the fans... Continue Reading →
The Peaty Paradox. That’s what they call it. The paradox is simply the strange mix of smoke and sweet mingled together in the glass as you smell and sip. The degree to which the producer is able to distill and develop the proper ratio of these contrary flavors determines the success of their peated malt. But... Continue Reading →
As opposed to the wine world, we in the wonderful world of whiskey do not often experience the dreaded “bad bottle.” Oxidation, sulpher, and acidity attack wine bottles with a vengeance, but as we know, whiskey does not change much on the shelf or cabinet. The industry phrase is “dead in the bottle.” As long... Continue Reading →
The path to Peated Glory is either a long, painful and strange one or you zip through it in no time at all. It depends on what your palate is ready for. It should be no surprise that it takes time to acclimate to a beverage that tastes like iodine, smoke and fossil fuels, but God help... Continue Reading →
Apparently, we Yanks in the US have a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe. We put sugar in things where it most certainly does not belong. We put sugar in bread. We put sugar in Wheat Thins. We even sweeten up water when we can. Naturally, we like our beverages this way as well,... Continue Reading →
Have you ever looked at your bottles and been in the mood for something a bit decadent on the tongue? If so, Compass Box's "Hedonism" is worth the consideration. While this is a blended grain scotch whisky, the label is chock full of information normally displayed on a premium malt whisky. Let's consider what this... Continue Reading →
Spokane Whiskey Club 