Yesterday it was Rum, and now today it will be Whisky. And just as I did yesterday, today I will be assigning my the Regional Rum Howler Awards for Whisky Excellence. And just like yesterday, I need to apologize before I begin by admitting, that my experience with certain regions of the World is lacking and a truly representative award just isn’t possible where I lack experience. But again, I shall do my best to award only the most worthy.
All of these awards are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. I actually began about two months ago slowly tasting different whiskies (and the rum too) bringing only the very best forward for the final tastings which took place over the last two weeks.
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Canadian Whisky:
Honourable mention to Alberta Premium Rye 25Yr Old, and Forty Creek Portwood Reserve.
Initially I began with six contenders for this Award, but it quickly became a three-way contest. There were times when each of the two Honourable mentions seemed like they would be chosen, but in the end I realized that when I was not doing the side by side tastings, I was inclined to want a glass of the Wiser’s 18, more than the other contenders. As this seemed to be the only hard evidence I had to base my decision on, I granted the slimmest of victories on that basis.
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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Scotch Whisky:
Honourable mention to Highland Park 12, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Tullibardine Single Cask Edition 1987 Hogshead Cask #632, and Mostowie 1979 28 Yr from Cask No.s 12771 & 12772
If I thought judging the Canadian Whiskies was tough, that was nothing compared to judging the Scotch Whiskies. So many varieties of peated scotch, nonpeated scotch, blended scotch, and Single Malt Scotch. And then there are the regional variations. I decided to keep it simple, one category, one award. I chose the best blends from Diageo, I chose the best Single Malts from Bruichladdich and Highland Distillers, and I went into my private stash of rare whiskies from private Bottlers like Dewars Rattay and Signatory which I have not even reviewed yet, but which I had already tasted and enjoyed over the course of the past year. Eliminating whiskies slowly over time was difficult, but in the end one whisky seemed to stand taller in the glass than the others, The Bruichladdich Black Art!
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The Rum Howler Award For Best American Whiskey:
Honourable mention to High West Whiskey – Rendezvous, and Knob Creek 9.
I was tempted to lump the American Whiskey category into a Whiskies of the World category with all of the other whiskeys besides Canadian and Scottish Whisky. But after thinking it over I decided that it just wouldn’t be fair. American Whiskey as a category is certainly larger than Canadian Whisky in terms of styles and brands, and although I have not reviewed a lot of American Whisky on my blog, I certainly have tried a lot of varieties over the past year at tasting events and festivals. The ones I liked I purchased and have sipped occasionally. Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, High West, Knob Creek, and Eagle Rare all were sipped and sampled in a taste off. The clear winner in my opinion was the Evan Williams Single Barrel.
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The Rum Howler Award For Best Irish Whiskey:
I regret that I have no honourable mentions for the Irish Whiskey Category. The fault is mine and not the Whiskey’s. I have only sampled five Irish Whiskey’s in the past year and my ability to speak on behalf of the Whiskey of the Emerald Isle is severely impaired. But in giving the Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey a Rumhowler Award, I have no qualms. This whisky is simply a marvel, and you do yourself a grave injustice if you do not attempt to taste it.
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The Rum howler Award for Best Emerging Nation Whisky:
Honourable mention Suntory Yamazaki 12
I actually have sampled a fair number of whiskies over the past year from the emerging whisky nations, single malts from Australia, Wales, Japan and India. And I have sampled some excellent grain whiskies or blends from Japan. Amrut Distillery has gained fame as of late for their excellent attention to detail and their most excellent whisky. I wish I had the time to sample their Amrut Fusion which is widely regarded as one of the World’s best. But I guess I have one to look forward to for nest year!
*Note: To call India and Japan emerging whisky nations does a serious injustice to these nations. It is far more correct to say that it is our recognition of the quality of their whisky that has emerged.
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And there you have it, the next five Rum Howler Awards!
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Canadian Whisky, Wiser’s 18 Years Old
The Rum Howler Award for the Best Scotch Whisky, Bruichladdich Black Art
The Rum Howler Award For Best American Whiskey, Evan Williams Single Barrel
The Rum Howler Award For Best Irish Whiskey, Greenore Single Grain Irish Whiskey (15YR)
The Rum howler Award for Best Emerging Nation Whisky, Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky
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Tomorrow will be the final awards where I reveal the best of the best!
After a year of blogging about whisky, I decided I deserved a treat, and so I went into my private stash of rare whiskies, (well maybe not so rare), and I brought out a bottle of The Macallan Fine Oak 15-year-old Scotch Whisky.
The Rum Howler Blog 