Tag: treat yourself

  • Clynelish 14-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Clynelish 14-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Knowing where to start with Clynelish is tough. Where many distilleries have a defining characteristic, historic or otherwise, Clynelish is ostensibly far less extravagant. Not unlike Caol Ila, Clynelish’s present claim to fame isn’t even a claim for itself: it’s the whisky’s role in Johnnie Walker blends. The brand’s history…

  • Milam & Greene Single Barrel r/bourbon Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Milam & Greene Single Barrel r/bourbon Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Milam & Greene doesn’t necessarily spring to mind when I think of barrel picks. Given the staff’s background, blending and batching would seem more up their alley. Yet as anyone who’s done a blind tasting can attest, whiskey and surprises (good or bad) can often go hand-in-hand. Case in point:…

  • Chattanooga 1816 Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Chattanooga 1816 Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Some things simply slip through the cracks. When preparing one of my upcoming reviews, I realized that I hadn’t talked about a certain bottle that I bought on a whim during my vacation last year. That bottle is 1816 Reserve from Chattanooga Whiskey. Although the folks at Chattanooga Whiskey were…

  • Heaven’s Door Decade Series 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Heaven’s Door Decade Series 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Of all the celebrity-sponsored whiskey brands out there, Heaven’s Door might be one of the more respected. Initial responses to the core lineup may have amounted to a resounding shrug, but the brand has gone on to offer a slew of other releases, including barrel picks and at least one…

  • Knob Creek Single Barrel Norman’s Liquors Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Knob Creek Single Barrel Norman’s Liquors Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Nostalgia and hindsight make for one hell of a combination. It wasn’t long ago that folks were singing praise for Knob Creek Single Barrel picks sitting on shelves, some of them as old as 16 years. Yet bourbon continues to boom, and it was only a matter of time before…

  • Wilderness Trail Yellow Label Scoresheet & Review

    Wilderness Trail Yellow Label Scoresheet & Review

    Out of all the distilleries I visited in Kentucky last year, Wilderness Trail had the most je ne sais quoi to it. Their grounds are a bit out of the way on the Bourbon Trail, with the most immediately eye-catching part being just how much land they occupy. Yet the…

  • Ardbeg An Oa Scoresheet & Review

    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…

  • Booker’s (2019-03, “Country Ham”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s (2019-03, “Country Ham”) Scoresheet & Review

    Booker’s is just one of many brands I’d love to continue exploring. Some things improve after you reminisce, and whiskey is hardly an exception. With Booker’s, it took multiple batches and exposure to other bourbons for me to fully appreciate it. What consistently stands out, regardless of how much I…

  • Lagavulin 9-Year Lannister Scoresheet & Review

    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…

  • Stellum Rye Serpens Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Stellum Rye Serpens Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Ask a more casual or budget-minded drinker for their thoughts on Barrell Craft Spirits and the issue of pricing is all but guaranteed to come up. Even those in the more enthusiast-level crowd will utter similar comments. It’s the classic “weak value” versus “paying for quality” dilemma which only becomes…

  • Barrell Dovetail Scoresheet & Review

    Barrell Dovetail Scoresheet & Review

    Broadly speaking, finished whiskey is a bit of a mixed bag. A good, tasteful finish can bestow incredible flavors contributing to an elevated drinking experience; a sloppy or otherwise half-hearted finish can leave one confused at best and put off at worst. With Barrell Craft Spirits’ popular finished bottlings, it’s…

  • Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    These days it’s easy to find praise being sung for Wild Turkey, particularly following the inaugural release of Russell’s Reserve 13-Year. This brought increased demand for other limited offerings from Wild Turkey, such as previously slept-on Master’s Keep releases. Limited edition is all the rage these days. We might like…