Infectious Charm. Devastating Wit. Below Average Looks.
In past reviews, we have used the phrase “perilously drinkable” to describe how well a whiskey can taste. If perilous is utilized, rest assured friends, it probably goes down easy, which, if you’re drinking whiskey, can be quite a perilous Friday night. It’s almost proper that most whiskey burns on the way down. It’s like... Continue Reading →
Okay, you win, Midleton, you win all the awards. You’re the kings of the single pot still style. The SWC seems to gravitate towards this stuff like Matthew McConaughey into a black hole, and I secretly wonder out loud in front of you all if we should just slow down a little. All the Spots,... Continue Reading →
Here's how you know if the whiskey blogger you are reading has nothing unique or interesting to say about Irish whiskey: they begin their review with the oft repeated, vomit inducing lede, "Irish whiskey is on the rise" or, the ever blood curdling opener, "Irish whiskey is in the midst of a comeback." I'm not... Continue Reading →
I recant my former statement on the novelty of the Edition series from Macallan. Just when I admit the freshness of this curious set of bottles, along comes Edition No. 4. Here is a quick snippet from Macallan on No. 4….. The fourth release in this innovative annual Series, Edition No.4 embodies the craftsmanship and... Continue Reading →
We move forward with our ever penetrating gaze upon The Macallan Edition No. 3 single malt expression. I would be tempted to complain that all the Edrington Group seems to do these days, as many other Scotch producers are want to do in our Golden Age of whisky consumption, is simply rehash non-innovative production methods... Continue Reading →
We shall begin today's look at Macallan Edition No. 2 with a celebration. A celebration of wealth. Our club normally only carries one rich dentist member, as they are hard to find and we wish to remain a blue collar group, but we certainly will not resist the emergence of a second, for as well... Continue Reading →
It appears that a hidden desire exists amongst the whisky fanatic firmament: we all love us a nice peated whisky with a sherry finish. We love lots of other concoctions to be sure, but these smoky sweets do not show up often on the shelf. I seem to remember whisky writer Dominic Roskrow comment in... Continue Reading →
Having missed the Bunnahabhain boat for most of my whisky life I have found myself in preparation for this review not knowing too much about this Islay distillery. I have tried the 12 some time ago and remember very little. A barely smoky, salty malt. In fact, the most prominent factoid available in my mental... Continue Reading →
For the dusty hunters out there in Internet Land, the story of how a man named Jimmy Turner stumbled upon a bottle of his great grandfather Joseph Magnus’ bourbon in his mother’s house in 2007 certainly has its charms. This admittedly remarkable find (at least he didn’t have to pay for it) of a bottle... Continue Reading →
I long knew that Tomatin was a value brand. Inexplicably, I never tried it. I should have. I'm Mr. Value. You have to be in this age of inflated whisky prices. Back when I first got into whisky, you could score Jameson 18 for $70, Glenlivet 18 for $80, Chivas Regal 18 for $60, even... Continue Reading →
Not too much, but I worry a little when we feature malts created solely for use in blends. With exceptions, generally speaking, these bottles have a small share of the malt market, and Google is less than generous in sending us visitors from the world wide web to our appraisals. Every now and then we... Continue Reading →
Just the other day I found myself curious about a particularly famous barely variety called Golden Promise and wondered which distilleries malted it, if at all. The timing was perfect as today we are looking at Glengoyne 10 Year Old Single Malt, whose distillery utilizes this interesting variety of Scottish barley. The reason why I... Continue Reading →
This may sound weird, but the day I realized that distillation is primarily a stripping operation, rather than some sort of magical, ethereal infusion of wonder and excitement with beer, that was the day my education really began. After all, the more you distill something, the closer you get to vodka, a spirit which is... Continue Reading →
Japanese whisky as a category hasn’t really buttered our bread as a club. We don’t have a whole lot of options to choose from on the shelf, the shortages have hurt the age stated expressions and biggest of all it is quite expensive across the board. We only have one rich dentist in the club... Continue Reading →
Because I am so cutting edge and hip to the scene and woke and everything like that, we present yet another review for a bottle that is leaving the shelf, Jura 16 Diurach’s Own. Jura is revamping their core range with new whiskies and labels, and unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your taste, the 16... Continue Reading →
Being by far the biggest advocate for Canadian whisky in the club, I still have my criticisms. That being said, I don’t think I can often blame Canada for these nit picks of mine. One of the said nit picks is primarily a legal one in the famed “9.09%” rule for Canadian whisky sold in... Continue Reading →
It was Macallan night during one of our monthly SWC meetings. We had on the docket the 10, 12, and 15 year old expressions. I was excited. How could you not be with Macallan? Life was good. As we went through each whisky, nosing with patience, tasting with gusto, living life as God intended, our... Continue Reading →
Sherried Scotch whisky, at least in this author’s dumb, uninformed opinion, shouldn’t be the quintessential Scotch whisky expression. Just a few years finished in sherried oak can overwhelm a malt’s inherent flavor profile. Macallan’s Fine Oak Series, now called "Triple Cask Matured," offered a glimpse into the distilleries house character without a dominant sherry influence,... Continue Reading →
I felt like a gentlemen with a monocole and a top hat. And a kilt. All that was missing was a well oiled mustace. That’s what I felt like when I tried Macallan 12 for the first time. Back then, this was my first “luxury” malt, as that was what I thought Macallan was at... Continue Reading →
