As promised, I've added a whisky resource page full of links to the sites that I pour over on a (much too) frequent basis. Clicking those links will bring you blogs, videos, podcasts, news, facts, opinions, and whisky.
I've added Pinterest and Twootter buttons too. Kristen LOVES Pinterest, so I thought I'd utilize it to chronicle personal whisky choices.
Otherwise, I did some cleanup on the right side of the page. If I've left out anything of interest, drop me a line and I'll try to add it!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
NOT Single Malt Report: Bulleit Rye and an unknown bourbon
Age: 5 to 7 years
Maturation: Virgin American Oak
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% malted barley
Mash Bill: 95% Rye, 5% malted barley
Region: Indiana, USA
Alcohol by Volume: 45%
Quicker liquor info!
Mash Bill (or grain bill) - the proportion/percentages of grains used to form the mash (with boiling water), which in turn creates the liquid that holds the future whiskey's fermentable sugars.
Bourbon must have a mash bill of at least 51% corn.
American Rye Whiskey must have a mash bill of at least 51% rye.
American Small Batch Whiskey must have a mash bill of at least 80% rye.
As mentioned in my vacation post a few weeks back, Kristen and I went to Birba for our first dinner in Palm Springs. Birba's a great wide open wall-less roof-less restaurant with great food and a respectable bar. Kristen started out with a Lambrusco which was an excellent call for a warm summer night. I saw a bunch of interesting American whiskies on the shelf...
Tom Bulleit & family make a bourbon that's known for having a high rye mash bill (28%-33%) and when I'd tried it in December, I found it more than palatable. Bulleit released a rye whiskey in 2011 and it's NINETY-FIVE percent rye. That is very high. And my oh my, I like me some rye.
So I went with the Bulleit Rye Whiskey, neat. How did I feel about it? This:
As you can see from the two pics on this post, the whiskey's color is lovely, like a rich maple syrup. The nose is more complex than the flavor, a characteristic similar to many Scotch single malts. This rye smells of bananas, molasses, cloves, flower blossoms, nutmeg, Christmas spices, and good fresh ripe apples. The palate is both vegetal and fruity, with caramel sauce, cloves, cinnamon, and Robotussin (but in a good way). It finishes strong, with cinnamon and more Robotussin.
It won't melt your brain like the Willett Single Barrels (yes, they really do that). But it's still quite delicious and, considering its price range, a super value. Trader Joe's is selling the bottle for $19.99, so this will probably be the next rye I own.
Availability - Wide (U.S.)
Pricing - Excellent at $20-$25
Rating - 84
After the meal, Kristen went for another glass of the Lambrusco while I decided to FINALLY try some Buffalo Trace. It's an affordable bourbon from a major power player in the whiskey industry.
What the waiter brought me was a luscious rye-heavy bourbon. But it was not Buffalo Trace. Trace is known to have a low rye mash bill (about five to eight percent). So, I'm not sure what it was that I drank. But it was very good.
Here are my notes anyway...
The color was a smidgen lighter than the rye, though it was nighttime and it could have been orange, red, and purple for all I know. The nose: "spritely rye tempered by milder grains like corn & barley, a little grassier, saltier". As for the palate, it was BIG on rye, with a rush of sweetness (intense but within reason), and "bright and lively around the edges". It finished sweet and buttery, very lengthy, with more rye.
After perusing other folks' tasting notes and considering my drink's rye-ness, I've come to the conclusion that I still have yet to try Buffalo Trace. And it wasn't quite Bulleit Bourbon either. Whatever I did have that night was nice, though it shall remain shrouded in mystery...
After the meal, Kristen went for another glass of the Lambrusco while I decided to FINALLY try some Buffalo Trace. It's an affordable bourbon from a major power player in the whiskey industry.
What the waiter brought me was a luscious rye-heavy bourbon. But it was not Buffalo Trace. Trace is known to have a low rye mash bill (about five to eight percent). So, I'm not sure what it was that I drank. But it was very good.
Here are my notes anyway...
The color was a smidgen lighter than the rye, though it was nighttime and it could have been orange, red, and purple for all I know. The nose: "spritely rye tempered by milder grains like corn & barley, a little grassier, saltier". As for the palate, it was BIG on rye, with a rush of sweetness (intense but within reason), and "bright and lively around the edges". It finished sweet and buttery, very lengthy, with more rye.
After perusing other folks' tasting notes and considering my drink's rye-ness, I've come to the conclusion that I still have yet to try Buffalo Trace. And it wasn't quite Bulleit Bourbon either. Whatever I did have that night was nice, though it shall remain shrouded in mystery...
Monday, June 11, 2012
10,000 views!? Whut?
Around the time I was composing Saturday's post, Diving for Pearls had its 10,000th pageview.
10,000 pageviews from at least 1,114 cities and 92 countries.
Yeah, seriously. And this was my reaction all weekend:
Here's a quick statistical breakdown of the views:
The clicks during my first go at the blog in '07-'08 make up about 16% of the total.
During my 3-year absence, devoted readers and lost Google searchers nabbed 4% of the total.
Since I've restarted the blog, the last 7.5 months make up more than 79% of the views.
In fact, the views over the last 10 weeks alone make up almost 55% of the 10K+.
Russian spammers: 7%. Thanks robo-comrades! I've enjoyed all of your nonsense spam comments.
European continent (non-spam): 17%
African continent: 0.5% -- Come on, Africa!
The Top Ten Countries by Pageviews:
1. United States of America (69%!)
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Brazil
5. India
6. Sweden
7. Poland
8. Germany
9. Australia
10. Netherlands
All of these are whisky-loving nations. Coincidence?
Speaking of whisky, my whisky posts make up only 38% of the total views (or 45% since I restarted the blog), so I need to make sure Diving for Pearls doesn't get as obsessed as I with the usquebaugh.
Between now and the next 10K, I'll be adding a couple of items. Firstly, before this week is over you should see a new Page on the right side of the blog page called Whisky Resources. The page will list my favorite whisky sites -- blogs, journals, companies, and stores. Online whisky resources have become vast; one just needs to know where to look, so I'll try to help with that.
Secondly, I WISH I could post more single malt reports, but they cost $$$. Or rather, the whisky costs $$$. At this point, I'll keep doing 2 reports a week -- unless I'm travelling or there's a special occasion.
Stay tuned for more home renovation posts this summer. We've been in tear-down/build-up mode for two months. Hopefully our pictures will be able to tell a good story.
Finally, the writer will likely need to get an actual day job since the screenwriting experience has been bit more pro bono than I would have preferred. When that day comes, I hope to be able to share the experience here without torching every bridge I've built.
Until then...
There will be some whiskEy written up on the blog tomorrow. And good cheap stuff at that. The whiskey, not the writing, I mean. The writing is expensive and hideous. ;-) And utilizes emoticons.
Thanks again for stopping by!
10,000 pageviews from at least 1,114 cities and 92 countries.
 |
| (Source) |
 |
| Ah yes, these two pics should garner me another 10K+ views... |
The clicks during my first go at the blog in '07-'08 make up about 16% of the total.
During my 3-year absence, devoted readers and lost Google searchers nabbed 4% of the total.
Since I've restarted the blog, the last 7.5 months make up more than 79% of the views.
In fact, the views over the last 10 weeks alone make up almost 55% of the 10K+.
Russian spammers: 7%. Thanks robo-comrades! I've enjoyed all of your nonsense spam comments.
European continent (non-spam): 17%
African continent: 0.5% -- Come on, Africa!
The Top Ten Countries by Pageviews:
1. United States of America (69%!)
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Brazil
5. India
6. Sweden
7. Poland
8. Germany
9. Australia
10. Netherlands
All of these are whisky-loving nations. Coincidence?
Speaking of whisky, my whisky posts make up only 38% of the total views (or 45% since I restarted the blog), so I need to make sure Diving for Pearls doesn't get as obsessed as I with the usquebaugh.
Between now and the next 10K, I'll be adding a couple of items. Firstly, before this week is over you should see a new Page on the right side of the blog page called Whisky Resources. The page will list my favorite whisky sites -- blogs, journals, companies, and stores. Online whisky resources have become vast; one just needs to know where to look, so I'll try to help with that.
Secondly, I WISH I could post more single malt reports, but they cost $$$. Or rather, the whisky costs $$$. At this point, I'll keep doing 2 reports a week -- unless I'm travelling or there's a special occasion.
Stay tuned for more home renovation posts this summer. We've been in tear-down/build-up mode for two months. Hopefully our pictures will be able to tell a good story.
Finally, the writer will likely need to get an actual day job since the screenwriting experience has been bit more pro bono than I would have preferred. When that day comes, I hope to be able to share the experience here without torching every bridge I've built.
Until then...
There will be some whiskEy written up on the blog tomorrow. And good cheap stuff at that. The whiskey, not the writing, I mean. The writing is expensive and hideous. ;-) And utilizes emoticons.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Single Malt Report Standings as of June 9, 2012
The attack of the blends has begun. Lauder's and Famous Grouse pageviews are soaring. The Chivas versus Black Label post has a huge debut. And Tullamore Dew surges...
(My methodology uses pageview counts from three different sources in an attempt to suss out which posts are spammer heavy and which ones are getting the real clicky traffic. Then I apply a very (not) sophisticated algorithm. And from that I get a Top Ten.)
SINGLE MALT REPORT STANDINGS AS OF 6/9/2012 (out of 73 posts):
#10 Powers Gold Label (Blended Irish Whiskey) -2
A slow week for John Powers on the blog. But not at home! I finished off my bottle with two small sips last night. What will replace it??? Possibly something I haven't yet reviewed......
#9 Millstone 8-year-old French Oak, Dutch Single Malt NC
No change for Millstone. The Google image SEO for windmills has liked moved on to other sites, possibly the same ones that use the very images from this blog. Just passin' the windmill love along.
#8 The Macallan 18-year-old Single Malt -1
"My cat's breath smells like cat food." -- Ralph Wiggum
#7 The Singleton of Glendullan Single Malt -1
This one used to be #2. I wouldn't be surprised if this one gradually makes its way out of the Top Ten, unless there's a sudden burst of The Singleton excitement. But "excitement" and "The Singleton" rarely appear in the same sentence.
#6 Lauder's Blended Scotch Whisky +4
I bought this $1.49 mini on a whim, so this one sprung up the list with more verve than I'd expected. There's a deficiency of Lauder's reviews online. I guess I'm glad I filled that gap......
#5 The Macallan 12-year-old Single Malt NC
A quiet week for Mac12. At this rate, it may lose its spot to Lauder's. How odd is that?
#4 J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky NC
A renewed verve for Diageo's J&B pushed it far ahead of Macallan 12yr. But the top three are so far ahead that this one has some work to do to catch up.
#3 The Glenlivet 15-year-old French Oak Reserve Single Malt -1
The 'livet is no longer just a bridesmaid. It's a flower girl. I don't know what that means.
#2 The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky +1
Are we looking at the future King of the Reports? People REALLY desire Grouse images. This week it averaged a click every 45 minutes.
#1 Glenfiddich 12-year-old Single Malt NC
So, last week I dared any report to try to unseat the champ. At the current rate, The Grouse would do so by July. I did not expect that.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Chivas Regal 12-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky (aka Chivas 12yr versus Black Label) debuted at #17 this week. I'm anticipating that this will be in the Top Five before the month is over.
BIG MOVERS
UP
Tullamore Dew Irish Blended Whiskey jumped 27 spots, from #46 to #19. This one may float around the Top Ten some day soon.
Vegas 2012 edition (Part 2 of 4) hopped 8 spots, from #36 to #28. All of those Vegas entries were a joy to write even though I was bedridden with a Vegas-inspired respiratory infection that week.
Hankey Bannister Original Blended Scotch Whisky jumped 8 spots, from #43 to #35. Not sure how much higher this one will go.
DOWN
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or Single Malt fell 13 spots, from #33 to #46
The Glenrothes 1998 Single Malt dropped 12 spots, from #32 to #44
Michael Collins Irish Blended Whiskey toppled 12, from #31 to #43
Though it appears as if the 31-33 rankings are just bad luck, the real culprit for the drops was ...... not a single view for these three reports. That is certain to allow everyone else to push ahead.
BAD PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK
Other than Chivas, nothing else new will crack the Top Ten. There's a healthy buffer between #10 and #11......unless anyone wants to click Willett 5-year (#14) a few extra times to screw up my system. :)
Thanks again to all of you fine readers! More to fun to follow on Monday!
(My methodology uses pageview counts from three different sources in an attempt to suss out which posts are spammer heavy and which ones are getting the real clicky traffic. Then I apply a very (not) sophisticated algorithm. And from that I get a Top Ten.)
SINGLE MALT REPORT STANDINGS AS OF 6/9/2012 (out of 73 posts):
#10 Powers Gold Label (Blended Irish Whiskey) -2
A slow week for John Powers on the blog. But not at home! I finished off my bottle with two small sips last night. What will replace it??? Possibly something I haven't yet reviewed......
#9 Millstone 8-year-old French Oak, Dutch Single Malt NC
No change for Millstone. The Google image SEO for windmills has liked moved on to other sites, possibly the same ones that use the very images from this blog. Just passin' the windmill love along.
#8 The Macallan 18-year-old Single Malt -1
"My cat's breath smells like cat food." -- Ralph Wiggum
#7 The Singleton of Glendullan Single Malt -1
This one used to be #2. I wouldn't be surprised if this one gradually makes its way out of the Top Ten, unless there's a sudden burst of The Singleton excitement. But "excitement" and "The Singleton" rarely appear in the same sentence.
#6 Lauder's Blended Scotch Whisky +4
I bought this $1.49 mini on a whim, so this one sprung up the list with more verve than I'd expected. There's a deficiency of Lauder's reviews online. I guess I'm glad I filled that gap......
#5 The Macallan 12-year-old Single Malt NC
A quiet week for Mac12. At this rate, it may lose its spot to Lauder's. How odd is that?
#4 J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky NC
A renewed verve for Diageo's J&B pushed it far ahead of Macallan 12yr. But the top three are so far ahead that this one has some work to do to catch up.
#3 The Glenlivet 15-year-old French Oak Reserve Single Malt -1
The 'livet is no longer just a bridesmaid. It's a flower girl. I don't know what that means.
#2 The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky +1
Are we looking at the future King of the Reports? People REALLY desire Grouse images. This week it averaged a click every 45 minutes.
#1 Glenfiddich 12-year-old Single Malt NC
So, last week I dared any report to try to unseat the champ. At the current rate, The Grouse would do so by July. I did not expect that.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Chivas Regal 12-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky (aka Chivas 12yr versus Black Label) debuted at #17 this week. I'm anticipating that this will be in the Top Five before the month is over.
BIG MOVERS
UP
Tullamore Dew Irish Blended Whiskey jumped 27 spots, from #46 to #19. This one may float around the Top Ten some day soon.
Vegas 2012 edition (Part 2 of 4) hopped 8 spots, from #36 to #28. All of those Vegas entries were a joy to write even though I was bedridden with a Vegas-inspired respiratory infection that week.
Hankey Bannister Original Blended Scotch Whisky jumped 8 spots, from #43 to #35. Not sure how much higher this one will go.
DOWN
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or Single Malt fell 13 spots, from #33 to #46
The Glenrothes 1998 Single Malt dropped 12 spots, from #32 to #44
Michael Collins Irish Blended Whiskey toppled 12, from #31 to #43
Though it appears as if the 31-33 rankings are just bad luck, the real culprit for the drops was ...... not a single view for these three reports. That is certain to allow everyone else to push ahead.
BAD PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK
Other than Chivas, nothing else new will crack the Top Ten. There's a healthy buffer between #10 and #11......unless anyone wants to click Willett 5-year (#14) a few extra times to screw up my system. :)
Thanks again to all of you fine readers! More to fun to follow on Monday!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Two Trailers and a Bunny wrestling a Kitten
Has your week been crap too? Aside from the blog posts and news of my brother's big career shift (more to follow when appropriate), this has been a week I'd soon like to get beyond.
So first, Dr. Krav will deliver the fuzz. Bunny versus Kitten, who you got?
Abrupt transition from baby animals to Denzel in Flight. Robert Zemeckis takes a break from his CREEPY animated films to direct his first live action film in twelve years (Cast Away in 2000). So, technically that makes two consecutive films about plane crashes. The man is obsessed.
Now aBlack-Guy Racial Racist transition! Denzel to Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained.
I always go into a Tarantino flick thinking that I'm going to hate it, but he always does something to draw me in. Bastard, or Basterd in his case.
And, damn it, I like this trailer too. I think the James Brown music choice is silly -- the visuals, editing, and acting are enough to carry the piece -- you can take QT out of the '70s but you can't take the '70s out of QT.
The D is silent.
Now make your Friday night count. You only get it once a week.
So first, Dr. Krav will deliver the fuzz. Bunny versus Kitten, who you got?
Abrupt transition from baby animals to Denzel in Flight. Robert Zemeckis takes a break from his CREEPY animated films to direct his first live action film in twelve years (Cast Away in 2000). So, technically that makes two consecutive films about plane crashes. The man is obsessed.
Now a
I always go into a Tarantino flick thinking that I'm going to hate it, but he always does something to draw me in. Bastard, or Basterd in his case.
And, damn it, I like this trailer too. I think the James Brown music choice is silly -- the visuals, editing, and acting are enough to carry the piece -- you can take QT out of the '70s but you can't take the '70s out of QT.
The D is silent.
Now make your Friday night count. You only get it once a week.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Tilted Kilt Rant
This commercial has been playing non-stop on every sports channel. At first it was once-a-commercial-break. Then it started showing up twice at each break, which is annoying no matter how good the ad is. Now they're running it twice in a row, back-to-back, and no one has fixed it all week.
If you're watching an NBA Conference Final game, then you'll see it 16-20 times. Switch over to ESPN for 30 minutes of SportsCenter and you'll catch the ad six more times. It's getting to the point that I'm starting to feel sorry for each of these girls, like I would for the pretty stripper at the club near the railroad tracks.
And thepub restaurant advertised is lamentable. Yes, I've been there. Tried two different locations. The franchise dropped further in my esteem with each visit.
First the commercial, for those of you who haven't been exposed to it yet.
Some brief thoughts.
You know, why don't I go ahead with my own bar idea. It's Canadian-Mexican-Nebraskan. Those places are all around the same general location. I'll call it the Maple Tequila Cow. Its logo will have a sombrero-and-bandolero-wearing brown heifer with syrup pouring out of its HUGE udders.
OR
You can come on down to the Tilted Kilt where you can get a pint of the same beers you can get at any non-American/Irish/Scottish/English bar and you can ogle knockers and knees......which you can do at Hooters or a half-dozen other start-up breastaurants. At least Hooters had the honesty to name their establishment after the main attraction. They're not pushing Ignorant Epcot Center.
If you're watching an NBA Conference Final game, then you'll see it 16-20 times. Switch over to ESPN for 30 minutes of SportsCenter and you'll catch the ad six more times. It's getting to the point that I'm starting to feel sorry for each of these girls, like I would for the pretty stripper at the club near the railroad tracks.
And the
First the commercial, for those of you who haven't been exposed to it yet.
Some brief thoughts.
- Clearly these men were never breastfed
- The kilt is Scottish (Highlands, specifically)
- The accent at the end is Irish
- The Dropkick Murphys song is Irish-American
- Per their website, the Tilted Kilt is a "a modern American, Irish, Scottish and English sports pub".
- Because those things are so interchangeable to children.
- Just to clarify for the Tilted Kilt, those are completely different cultures, and NONE of them take kindly to people confusing their beverages, let alone their cultures since they've, you know, gone to war against each other on multiple occasions.
- Also per their website, "The Tilted Kilt concept originated in 2003, not in Ireland, not in Scotland, not even in England. Believe it or not, the Tilted Kilt actually came to life in America’s own city of sin, Las Vegas."
- You don't say.
You know, why don't I go ahead with my own bar idea. It's Canadian-Mexican-Nebraskan. Those places are all around the same general location. I'll call it the Maple Tequila Cow. Its logo will have a sombrero-and-bandolero-wearing brown heifer with syrup pouring out of its HUGE udders.
OR
You can come on down to the Tilted Kilt where you can get a pint of the same beers you can get at any non-American/Irish/Scottish/English bar and you can ogle knockers and knees......which you can do at Hooters or a half-dozen other start-up breastaurants. At least Hooters had the honesty to name their establishment after the main attraction. They're not pushing Ignorant Epcot Center.
Had the Twisted Kilt's whisk(e)y offerings been halfway decent, all my complaints would be forgiven. But the selection is sad (yeah, congrats on the Dewar's and Jameson's). The Americans, Irish, Scottish, and English would all be ashamed of this establishment. Okay, maybe not the Americans.
Alright, I'm out. If you're looking for me I'll be at Twin Peaks or Show Me's.
Alright, I'm out. If you're looking for me I'll be at Twin Peaks or Show Me's.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Single Malt Report: Springbank Spring Break (Part 2)
To continue from yesterday's report on the revelries...
It was going to be difficult to one-up those first two whiskies (Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins and Longrow 10yr 1996). So I decided to shift gears to a distillery whose whisky I'd never tried.
Glen Scotia 17yr 1991, Murray McDavid - Port Finished
Glen Scotia often sits in Springbank's Campbeltown shadow which is a pity because independent bottlers have been releasing a lot of well regarded whisky from this distillery.
They have a history of ownership switches, closings and openings. From the Yearbook:
1832 - Founded by the Galbraith family
1895 - Sold to Stewart Galbraith
1919 - Sold to West Highland Malt Distillers
1924 - Duncan MacCallum buys the distillery
1928 - Distillery closes.
1930 - Duncan MacCallum kills himself. New Ownership.
1933 - Production restarts.
1954 - Hiram Walker buys the distillery
1970 - A. Gillies & Co. buys the distillery
1979 - Reconstruction begins
1982 - Reconstruction ends
1984 - Distillery closes
1989 - Gibson International becomes the new owners. Production restarts.
1994 - Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd becomes the new owners. Distillery closed.
1999 - Springbank's management help restart the distillery.
2000 - Loch Lomond Distillers now run the place.
With all of these management switcheroos, it's probably difficult to maintain a consistent product or brand. But with Loch Lomond Distillers running the shop, things are looking up as these newest owners are upgrading all of the production equipment.
Glen Scotia has outlived two dozen other Campbeltown whiskymakers, so proper respects on that. Although their current production is about as small as Kilchoman's, but their potential capacity is just as large as Springbank's. So I think we'll be seeing more good stuff from them soon.
So whatever happened to this?
I don't know. I left before the hazing began.
JUST KIDDING.
We buried the drunken watermelon on the 405.
JUST KIDDING.
I'll keep it a mystery...
It was going to be difficult to one-up those first two whiskies (Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins and Longrow 10yr 1996). So I decided to shift gears to a distillery whose whisky I'd never tried.
Glen Scotia 17yr 1991, Murray McDavid - Port Finished
They have a history of ownership switches, closings and openings. From the Yearbook:
1832 - Founded by the Galbraith family
1895 - Sold to Stewart Galbraith
1919 - Sold to West Highland Malt Distillers
1924 - Duncan MacCallum buys the distillery
1928 - Distillery closes.
1930 - Duncan MacCallum kills himself. New Ownership.
1933 - Production restarts.
1954 - Hiram Walker buys the distillery
1970 - A. Gillies & Co. buys the distillery
1979 - Reconstruction begins
1982 - Reconstruction ends
1984 - Distillery closes
1989 - Gibson International becomes the new owners. Production restarts.
1994 - Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd becomes the new owners. Distillery closed.
1999 - Springbank's management help restart the distillery.
2000 - Loch Lomond Distillers now run the place.
With all of these management switcheroos, it's probably difficult to maintain a consistent product or brand. But with Loch Lomond Distillers running the shop, things are looking up as these newest owners are upgrading all of the production equipment.
Glen Scotia has outlived two dozen other Campbeltown whiskymakers, so proper respects on that. Although their current production is about as small as Kilchoman's, but their potential capacity is just as large as Springbank's. So I think we'll be seeing more good stuff from them soon.
Distillery: Glen Scotia
Age: 17 years (1991 - 2009)
Maturation: ex-bourbon
Finished: Port casks
Finished: Port casks
Region: Campbeltown
Alcohol by Volume: 54%
Limited Release: 693 bottles
Because this was a Murray McDavid release, part of me hesitated before pouring. Murray McDavid is an independent bottler that lovesplaying with finishing their releases in all sorts of unusual wine casks. They call it ACE'ing or Advanced Cask Enhancement. I had a horrid run-in with one of their Bowmores ACE'd in a Casket not a Cask (ooh, that one's good, I'm going to use that again). But this Glen Scotia was ACE'd in Port, so......I was willing to risk it.
TASTING NOTES!
The color was a bright but dark amber (I don't even understand that.) The nose was lovely. Fresh ocean air, caramel candies, cherry lollipops, and not a hint of that hefty ABV. The palate was not as candied but kept some of the fruitiness: Cherry lollies, dark berries, cognac, and some hot hot heat. It had the most epic finish of all the sampled whiskies, an extensive sensation of cognac and cherries.
Another success! Usually my palate doesn't take to Port finishes, but here it worked well. Nice crafting by Glen Scotia and Murray McDavid. And at an excellent price too; a 17yr cask strength limited bottling cheaper than most watered-down official bottles at that age.
I had a wee sip of the Hazelburn 8yr 2002 Sauternes Finish. I didn't fully dram it for two reasons. Firstly, I've never had a Sauternes-finished whisky that I actually enjoyed. Hazelburn has a very light spirit due to its triple-distillation, so I didn't think it could stand up to the sweet wine. Secondly, the bottle was almost empty.
The high ABV (over 54%) helped silence some of the sweetness. Though it still felt like a dessert liqueur. Its dark cherry wood coloring was my favorite feature overall.
So that leaves us with the Springbank 17yr 1994, Berry's Own.
From the folks who brought you Cutty Sark----
No, that's the wrong way to start.
Berry Bros & Rudd. DO own the Cutty Sark brand, but they also have their hands on Glenrothes. Let not your opinions of those institutions affect your feelings towards their indie bottlings. (Unless you like Glenrothes, that's cool. But you do not like Cutty Sark. Seriously.)
What I'm trying to get at is that Berry Bros. & Rudd releases great independent bottlings.
Limited Release: 693 bottles
Because this was a Murray McDavid release, part of me hesitated before pouring. Murray McDavid is an independent bottler that loves
TASTING NOTES!
The color was a bright but dark amber (I don't even understand that.) The nose was lovely. Fresh ocean air, caramel candies, cherry lollipops, and not a hint of that hefty ABV. The palate was not as candied but kept some of the fruitiness: Cherry lollies, dark berries, cognac, and some hot hot heat. It had the most epic finish of all the sampled whiskies, an extensive sensation of cognac and cherries.
Another success! Usually my palate doesn't take to Port finishes, but here it worked well. Nice crafting by Glen Scotia and Murray McDavid. And at an excellent price too; a 17yr cask strength limited bottling cheaper than most watered-down official bottles at that age.
Availability - Online UK specialists
Pricing - Stellar at 60-65GBP with shipping
Rating - 86
I had a wee sip of the Hazelburn 8yr 2002 Sauternes Finish. I didn't fully dram it for two reasons. Firstly, I've never had a Sauternes-finished whisky that I actually enjoyed. Hazelburn has a very light spirit due to its triple-distillation, so I didn't think it could stand up to the sweet wine. Secondly, the bottle was almost empty.
The high ABV (over 54%) helped silence some of the sweetness. Though it still felt like a dessert liqueur. Its dark cherry wood coloring was my favorite feature overall.
So that leaves us with the Springbank 17yr 1994, Berry's Own.
No, that's the wrong way to start.
Berry Bros & Rudd. DO own the Cutty Sark brand, but they also have their hands on Glenrothes. Let not your opinions of those institutions affect your feelings towards their indie bottlings. (Unless you like Glenrothes, that's cool. But you do not like Cutty Sark. Seriously.)
What I'm trying to get at is that Berry Bros. & Rudd releases great independent bottlings.
Independent Bottler: Berry Bros. & Rudd
Age: 17 years (1994 - 2011)
Maturation: ex-bourbon, maybe finished with ex-Sherry?
Region: Campbeltown
Alcohol by Volume: 55%
Cask Number: 51
Let's get right to it.
Its color is almost mahogany. Though the palate seems like it's quite bourboned, methinks the color betrays some sherry finishing. Or artificial coloring (oh no!). The nose is full of sticky bourbon and swimming pool, with a little salt (if that can be smelled) and red meat. The palate is all big fruity malt. Very sugary sweet at the start then progressing to salt in the middle. It finishes fruity sweet, yet the wood tannins dry out the tongue.
I couldn't find any peat in this one. Maybe the age and wood mellowed it into silence. Maybe I'm a sh*tty taster.
This whisky was the least sexy of the four, which isn't a bad thing. Straight up cask strength Springbank is grand. And I prefer when the spirit isn't hiding behind fancy finishes. But where yesterday's Longrow 1996 showed its spirit's muscle and complexity, this spirit seemed to be mostly taking a snooze. Not bad, but a bit quiet for something at its price.
Cask Number: 51
Let's get right to it.
Its color is almost mahogany. Though the palate seems like it's quite bourboned, methinks the color betrays some sherry finishing. Or artificial coloring (oh no!). The nose is full of sticky bourbon and swimming pool, with a little salt (if that can be smelled) and red meat. The palate is all big fruity malt. Very sugary sweet at the start then progressing to salt in the middle. It finishes fruity sweet, yet the wood tannins dry out the tongue.
I couldn't find any peat in this one. Maybe the age and wood mellowed it into silence. Maybe I'm a sh*tty taster.
This whisky was the least sexy of the four, which isn't a bad thing. Straight up cask strength Springbank is grand. And I prefer when the spirit isn't hiding behind fancy finishes. But where yesterday's Longrow 1996 showed its spirit's muscle and complexity, this spirit seemed to be mostly taking a snooze. Not bad, but a bit quiet for something at its price.
Availability - Online UK specialists
Pricing - A bit much at 100GBP with shipping
So whatever happened to this?
I don't know. I left before the hazing began.
JUST KIDDING.
We buried the drunken watermelon on the 405.
JUST KIDDING.
I'll keep it a mystery...
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