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Archive for the ‘Whisk(e)y’ Category

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Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 24, 2011

Permission granted for the use of this picture by J.L. Wheelock

The Macallan Fine Oak Series is a range of single malt Scotch whiskies, produced at The Macallan Distillery at Craigellachie, in the Speyside region of Scotland. These whiskies are matured in seasoned American oak casks, (sherry as well as bourbon), as well as seasoned sherry casks from Spain. I have previously reviewed the The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year and The Macallan Fine Oak 15 Year Old expressions here on my blog, and I am happy to continue this series with a review of The Macallan Fine Oak 17 year Old. Here is an Excerpt from the review:

“…When I pour the 17 Year old Macallan Fine Oak into my glass, my nose is greeted by sweet honey and marshmallow scents as well as a lovely creamy butterscotch. This is noticeably sweeter on the nose than my previously reviewed 15 Year Old Macallan Fine Oak, and that sweetness seems to make the aroma more penetrating and assertive….”

You may read my full review here:

Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Please enjoy the review!

Note: This review is based upon a small sample provided to me from the personal collection of J. L. Wheelock, who is part of the Beam Global team here in Alberta. The sample was smaller than my normal 200 ml minimum sample size, and the reader should be cautioned that I was not able to give the sample my normal rigorous tasting regimen of five independent tasting sessions. Instead I completed two tasting sessions of the sample and completed my review on that basis.

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 17 Year Old Whisky

Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2011

This Whisky disappeared too fast!

Dufftown is the largest distillery belonging to Diageo.  The whisky from this distillery is primarily intended for blends. Bell’s, Islander, Dewar’s White Label, and of course Johnnie Walker all require Dufftown Whisky as part of their construction. I recently purchased a 26-year-old Signatory bottling  of Dufftown which was distilled in 1984. For those who are unfamiliar with this company, The Signatory Company was founded in 1988.  It is family owned and managed, being one of only three truly independent bottlers in Scotland.  (Signatory likes to draw a distinction between the independent companies who bottle their own products, and the independent companies whose products are bottled under contract.)

I am fortunate, as in my locale there are several stores which allow me to sample well aged Single Cask Whiskies prior to purchase. It takes a lot of the risk out of the purchase decision, and I have been able to build quite a collection of rare and old whiskies for my enjoyment.  Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I smell a delightful alpine forest rising from the glass as the whisky is poured. Punky woody notes take shape with spongy moss, willow thicket, and floral notes abounding. Rich vanilla scents follow accented by a wonderful backdrop of honeycomb and oak. Caramel builds in the glass coexisting very nicely with a developing marzipan…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Signatory Dufftown 1984

Review: Highland Park 40 Year Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 2, 2011

The Highland Park 40 year Old is a relative newcomer to the Highland Park portfolio having been released in 2008 as the premier production whisky in the Brand line-up.  This is not a one-off bottling which will disappear when the stocks run dry, but instead an extremely limited yearly bottling. Like the Highland Park 30 Year Old Whisky, this 40-year-old is matured in refill sherry oak casks. The aim is to ensure that the long-term aging does not cause the oak to dominate the whisky in a deleterious manner.

It  is a rare treat to be allowed to sample a 40-year-old whisky. The effects of the long-term aging in oak should reverberate through the whisky, and at 48.3 percent alcohol by volume this spirit will be a challenge to approach. Thus, it is with a little trepidation that I begin.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Highland Park 40 Year Old Whisky

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Review: Highland Park 40 Year Old Whisky

Review: Canadian Club 20 YR Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 27, 2011

I have been wandering through the Canadian Club Whisky line-up for a few months now reviewing the portfolio of whiskies in no particular order. As far as the brand goes, the Canadian Club 20 Year Old is the premier production whisky in the line-up, being the oldest offering that Canadian Club produces on a yearly basis.

The whisky is a mixture of rye, rye malt, corn, and barley malt spirits. (These same base spirits are used in varying quantities throughout the brand line-up) The spirits are blended prior to oak aging in a process which the company calls “blended at birth“.  The 20-year-old whisky is apparently from the same stocks which produced the Canadian Club Premium (6-year-old) but aged for an additional 14 years.

Here an excerpt from my review:

“…I poured my glass and was greeted with the full aroma of an assertive, wonderful spirit.  Toffee and caramel poured out of the nose with deep oaky accents of baking spices. Rye scents followed as did that full dank corn aroma which is so typical of the Canadian Club line-up….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Canadian Club 20 YR Old Whisky

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Club 20 YR Old Whisky

Review: Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 17, 2011

Today is the day of St. Patrick, and in many places throughout the world, this is a day to revel in the Irish heritage which we either share by birth, or (on St. Patrick’s Day at least) we share by spirit. We wear green; we attend parades; and some of us even drink green beer in what has become more of a secular holiday which celebrates Irish culture, than a religious holiday which celebrates the Patron Saint after which the day was first named.

And celebrating Irish culture is not a bad thing; it was after all the Irish who first distilled “uisce beatha“, which translates from Irish into English as “the water of life“. I could go into a long and detailed etymology,  but suffice it to say that “uisce beatha” is probably very close to the original form of the word which would later become “whiskey”.  My blog is full of reviews of this wonderful spirit, but I must admit it is sorely lacking in content dedicated to the Irish variety.

Today, I will go a small way towards correcting this imbalance by reviewing a whiskey from the Emerald Isle which embodies the character and the class of spirits we call Irish Whiskey. And, one which bears a rather obscure link to St. Patrick’s Day.

Like St. Patrick, who was born (in 385 A.D.) of Scottish parentage, but found his calling (and fame) in Ireland, so to John Jameson was also born a Scotsman (in 1740 A.D.), and he also found his calling (and established his fame) in Ireland with the company that bears his name, Jameson Irish Whiskey.

And so in honour of the celebration of the Day of St. Patrick, I chose to review one of the most premium Irish Whiskeys which is available in my locale, the Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey.

Here is a link to my Review:

Review: Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey

And in the interests of celebrating Irish culture, here are two additional links to my other Irish Whiskey reviews which were previously published on my blog:

Posted in Irish Whskey, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Review: Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey

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