Tag: single malt
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Caol Ila 12-Year Scoresheet & Review
It’s almost impossible to discuss Caol Ila without mentioning Johnnie Walker. Malts.com, the page for Diageo’s multiple scotch brands, literally calls it “the Islay home of Johnnie Walker.” That alone should clue curious minds into just how big this Islay distillery is, but if you want numbers, the distillery is…
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Talisker 10-Year Scoresheet & Review
Whisky is very much a product of its environment. Wherever the aging spirit physically resides will impact how the final product comes out, from the surrounding climate to the casks chosen for maturation. One of the more interesting ways whisky can take on a unique personality is through coastal influences.…
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Courage & Conviction Scoresheet & Review
Newer distilleries have their work cut out for them. We might often hear about the collaborative nature of whiskey production, but at the end of the day, several bottles will compete for customer and consumer attention. To that end, established names like Buffalo Trace, Old Forester, and Wild Turkey are…
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Ardbeg An Oa Scoresheet & Review
Exploring peated scotch has been one of the most interesting and exciting treks in my spirits journey thus far. In addition to the broadly distinct profile, different peated malts can come across so differently, even without doing side-by-side comparisons. And yet, where I believe these drams can impress the most…
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Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake Scoresheet & Review
Glenmorangie have been one of the easiest scotch brands for me to turn to. The reason is simple: pricing. Although it’s easy to find their four-pack tasting set (consisting of The Original, Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, and Nectar d’Or), local pricing for a full bottle of each is far more approachable…
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Ardbeg Wee Beastie Scoresheet & Review
Peaty scotch has a reputation for turning many a casual drinker away from the popular whisky category as a whole. My experience was somewhat different. Bowmore was the first peated single malt I recall trying, and by that point I’d already tasted the likes of Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, and The…
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Highland Park 15-Year Viking Heart Scoresheet & Review
Many whisky producers take great pride in their apparent heritage, and Highland Park is no exception. Their website offers a wealth of reading material detailing their origins, with a considerable chunk driving home a connection to Vikings. This association has become positively pervasive in their branding, right down to nicknaming…
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Ardbeg 10-Year Scoresheet & Review
“Unapologetic” is a fairly apt way to describe Ardbeg’s marketing. More specifically, they drop vaguely sourced quotes like “as close to perfection as makes no difference” and “unquestionably, the greatest distillery on Earth,” as if to epitomize themselves. Some may say it’s fun and confidence, others might call it egotistical…
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Lagavulin 9-Year Lannister Scoresheet & Review
Up to this point, the closest I’ve come to reviewing a peated whisky was my last review for a Game of Thrones brand Diageo single malt. It’s easy to think of Talisker Select Reserve as definitively peaty when compared to the slow-growing list of scotches I’ve reviewed. Yet if we…
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Yamazaki 12-Year Scoresheet & Review
It’s been 10 months since I last looked at a Japanese whisky. This isn’t out of a lack of desire to try more—quite the opposite. Unfortunately, Japanese whisky is very much in the running for the least affordable spirit as a category, not to mention it only recently obtained some…
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GlenDronach 12-Year (NCF) Scoresheet & Review
Spirits production is nothing if not a balancing act. On top of crafting the spirit itself, there’s the question of branding, which plays a bigger role than some might realize. Everything from bottle and label design to advertising (or lack thereof) and even public relations can be looked at as…
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Talisker Select Reserve Greyjoy Scoresheet & Review
Diageo’s line of Game of Thrones single malts was nothing if not opportunistic. Not only was the show at peak popularity when the bottlings were introduced, but interest in whisky was also on the rise (still is). Scotch drinkers on the internet tend to be an informed bunch, however, and…
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