Infectious Charm. Devastating Wit. Below Average Looks.
A curious new Scotch drinker stumbles into a local liquor store. He isn't quite educated on all the different regions, flavor profiles or even brand names. A few of the bottles have this peculiar phrase on the label: Islay Single Malt. Sounds interesting, he thinks. He proudly slaps down the cash, the store clerk asks... Continue Reading →
Scotch blends tend to get less credit than they deserve. In fact, any zealous disciple in the Church of the Single Malt wouldn’t be caught dead with his lips to a glass of blended Scotch. One of the chief causes of this bias is the fact that blended Scotch uses a large amount of column... Continue Reading →
Lagavulin 16yr Old Single Malt Scotch is a bit of a milestone whisky for the club. We wouldn't even come near this bottle a year ago, but not just because it's a heavily peated malt whisky. Whiskies like Lagavulin need to be taken seriously in order to be understood due to the complexity behind the thick smokiness (whiskies like this... Continue Reading →
The Isle of Jura is a very curious place. This Scottish island is but a mere 34x7 miles with a bustling population of 225 inhabitants. It is even said that the deer outnumber the humans on this lonely isle. There is only one road on Jura but also only one distillery which produces our whisky reviewed... Continue Reading →
We come to Glendronach Original, 12yr old Single Malt. This distillery is known for their sherried whiskies, but not just for that. Glendronach Distillery is one of the few independently owned producers out there in a sea of distilleries owned by conglomerates. What does this mean? Not a whole lot unless it tastes good, in our... Continue Reading →
So I found myself wandering throughout a local whisky shop in the bustling metropolis of Spokane. I found a curious bottle of Balvenie 14yr Caribbean Cask staring back at me. Four seconds later, it was purchased and in my possession. I was intrigued for simple reasons: it was a new Balvenie (strong, dependable bet) and... Continue Reading →
On the sea swept island of Skye lies Talisker, James Bond's go-to distillery (unless you just watched Skyfall and saw 007 frequenting a bottle of Macallan), Talisker has made a name for itself in the whisky world as a peppery, lively little fellow. While mostly categorized in various reviews as a peaty whisky, this non-Islay malt... Continue Reading →
For those out there looking for a notable sherry matured Scotch, pause and take note. Aberlour A'bunadh is a cask strength malt, chill filtered with no water added. Yup, it's a heavy hitter. What sets A'bunadh apart from the rest of its family is the fact that is matured exclusively in Oloroso casks. This is a... Continue Reading →
We have so far enjoyed the Glenlivet line of whiskies. One of our favorites is their 15yr French Oak Reserve Single Malt expression. This whisky is basically the standard 12yr old Glenlivet plus an additional 3 years aging in French oak (used to age Congac). Specifically, 30 – 35% is aged in new casks. This... Continue Reading →
We come now to that old chestnut known as Johnnie Walker Black Blended Scotch Whiskey. In the world of blends, no one really comes close to the Johnnie Walker brand. Not even barely. Black in particular, along with Red, for the most part, can be found absolutely everywhere. Even most airlines at least stock them... Continue Reading →
The Dalmore line has received a face lift in recent years. Their parent company, Whyte and Mackay, seems to want what Macallan did with their line of bottlings, which is re-launch it as a luxury brand. What has helped out in this regard is that Dalmore has a plentiful number of stocks going back some... Continue Reading →
As the story goes, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built the Balmoral Castle as their retreat location while on holiday from the busy duties of the monarchy. They discovered a curious distillery nearby named Lochnagar. After the owner invited the royal couple to visit the small distillery, the rest was history. A relationship developed between... Continue Reading →
Oban Distillery proclaims itself as one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, first being licensed around 1794 on the small, coastal fishing village in Oban, Scotland. To this day, this small distillery remains one of Diageo's most visited distilleries with about 30,000 visitors a year. What is singular about this malt is its curious and pronounced briny... Continue Reading →
The good people at The Macallan Distillery seem to know how to raise the bar in terms of branding, but most importantly, they also seem to apply that standard to whisky making itself. They have the world’s second best selling single malt behind Glenfiddich, and also boast the world’s most expensive whisky ever sold at... Continue Reading →
Today we look at the biggest selling single malt in the world, The Glenlivet 12yr Single Malt Scotch. One has to admit that you don’t get so close to the top by tasting terrible. Blandness may contribute to a certain kind of drinkability, but it’s not like success is wrought by producing dreck and begging... Continue Reading →
Keep walking, as they say. Few brands in the industry have what Johnnie Walker has. Diageo, the owners, could put turpentine in the bottles and we would still buy it and drink it. Johnnie Walker Black is the flagship bottling at 12yrs old, Green is 16yrs old, Gold Label is 18 years old and of... Continue Reading →
So we to say to Ken, “Ken, just bring whatever you want for our meeting tonight, just surprise us and make it interesting.” He showed up with a large, wooden box with an engraving proudly announcing Glenlivet 21yr Archive Single Malt. We regretted not installing him in the club earlier. But on to business… I... Continue Reading →
Spokane Whiskey Club 