Killing Whisky History, Episode 41: Four bottles of Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old

Watch me sample these four versions of JW 18...

1. The first iteration from the mid- to late-1990s

2. A bottle from the mid-Aughts

3. JW Gold 18 from its final year, 2012

4. The current Ultimate 18

...if you dare (or are just chillin').

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Episode IX

The ninth in a series of relevant tasting notes!

Killing Whisky History, Episode 40: Johnnie Walker Red Label, bottled 1968-1976

It's time to bring Diageo Month to a close by opening up a dusty Johnnie Walker Red Label. There's even a sparring partner from the 1980s! *SPOILER ALERT* They don't taste like the current version of Johnnie Red.

Killing Whisky History, Episode 39: Ambassador 25 year old, bottled 1960s

I'm celebrating the end of 2021 by opening up a blended scotch whisky likely crafted from pre-WWII distillate. AND it has a sparring partner...

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Episode VIII

 The eighth in a series of relevant tasting notes!

Killing Whisky History, Episode 38: Single malt minis with low fill levels

Extended air exposure can degrade a whisky’s quality; and the lower a bottle’s fill level sits, the more its liquid contents are exposed to air. I’m going to open up three single malt minis with less-than-stellar fill levels to see what's happened to the whiskies after three decades in the little bottles...

Killing Whisky History, Episode 37: White Horse, bottled 1985-1989

White Horse blended scotch returns (see Episode 1), but this time it's in a bigger bottle from the '80s! The whisky was bottled way down at 40%abv, but I was willing to take a chance on it because......White Horse.

Was it a good idea? If so: There's so much whisky in the bottle! If not: There's so much whisky in the bottle!

Killing Whisky History, Episode 36: King's Ransom, bottled 1957-1960

Killing Whisky History returns with Mafia whisky!

The episode has a slightly new look, but keeps the same format. So don't worry, you can still watch me drink in between the talking.

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Episode Seven

In honor of Mathilda's seventh birthday,

here's the seventh in a series of relevant tasting notes:

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Episode Six

 The sixth in a series of relevant tasting notes: 

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Episode Five

 The fifth in a series of relevant tasting notes:

Killing Whisky History, Episode 35: Dewar's 12 year old Malt Whisky, bottled between 1963 and 1975

Called Pure Malt in Europe, this DCL-era Dewar's expression was labeled "Malt...a blend" in the US. I believe this one has a large portion of malt whisky from distilleries during their last decades of floor malting. And it ain't White Label.

Killing Whisky History, Episode 34: Three Ages of Bell's

Welcome to Episode 7's sequel! Three Bell's, three ages (or non-ages), three bottle shapes and three labels from three time periods. One of these whiskies is very good, one is very not. The beard is very beard and getting bearder.

Killing Whisky History, Episode 33: Three decades of J&B Rare, also highballs!

It's time to open up J&B Rare bottles from the Seventies, Eighties and Aughts followed by BONUS highballs, y'alls. The "Rare" is anything but rare, in fact the current version is easy to find but is it worth buying or even consuming neatly, and how does it measure up to earlier versions???

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Part Four

The fourth in a series of relevant tasting notes:

Killing Whisky History, Episode 32: Jameson Irish Whiskey, 1980s versus 2020

John Jameson was not an Irishman, he was a Scot who married into whisk(e)y money but then wound up creating the most powerful Irish whiskey brand on the planet. In Episode 32, I compare a 1980s bottling with a 2020 bottling of Jameson blended whiskey.

But first, shots.

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Part Three

The third in a series of relevant tasting notes:

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Part Two

More relevant tasting notes:

Killing Whisky History, Episode 31: Three Bushmills from the early '80s to early '90s

Here's a trio of Bushmilli from 3 to 4 decades ago (scary, right?) during the pre-Pernod and early-Pernod eras. Some of the bottlings from this era were very good. And some were not.

Mathilda and Papa Eat Kit Kats, Part One

Relevant tasting notes: