The Rum Howler Blog

(A Website for Spirited Reviews)

  • Copyright

    Copyright is inherent when an original work is created. This means that the producer of original work is automatically granted copyright protection. This copyright protection not only exists in North America, but extends to other countries as well. Thus, all of the work produced on this blog is protected by copyright, including all of the pictures and all of the articles. These original works may not be copied or reused in any way whatsoever without the permission of the author, Chip Dykstra.

  • Cocktails and Recipes

    Click Image for Awesome Recipes

  • Industry Interviews

    Interviews

    Click the Image for Great Interviews with the Movers of Industry

  • The Rum Howler Interview (Good Food Revolution)

    Click on the Image to see my interview on Good Food Revolution

  • The Rum Howler Blog

    Unknown's avatar

  • Rum Reviews

  • Whisky Reviews

  • Gin Reviews

  • Tequila Reviews

  • Vodka Reviews

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,092 other subscribers

  • Subscribe

  • Visitors

    • 15,541,039 pageviews since inception

  • Archives

  • Follow The Rum Howler Blog on WordPress.com

Archive for the ‘Whisk(e)y Review’ Category

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie, The Original 10 Year Old

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 20, 2011

Glenmorangie was amongst the first Scottish distillers (1960s) to use ex bourbon barrels to age their whisky rather than Spanish oak (sherry casks). This helped to change the taste profile of Scottish Whisky in a significant manner, and today ex bourbon barrels are use extensively alongside ex sherry casks in many Scottish distilleries. Then, in 1996, Glenmorangie introduced their wood finish range which began the distillery’s experimentation with a range of new wood finishes like port wood casks and wine barriques. Again, the industry followed suit, and now wine finishes are used by many distilleries. Once again Glenmorangie can claim some of the credit for helping to extend the range of the Scottish whisky taste profile.

The whisky which is the subject of this review is Glenmorangie, The Original. I think what the fellows at the Glenmorangie distillery  mean by ‘The Original’ in not that this is the original malt made exactly as it was in 1843 when the Glenmorangie Distillery was established. What is meant is that this is the original bourbon finished Glenmorangie Single Malt which is aged for ten years and serves as the cornerstone of the Glenmorangie line-up.  My previously reviewed Glenmorangie, The Quinta Ruban and Glenmorangie, The Nectar D’or would first have been distilled and aged in the same manner as The Original, before they each received their exotic wood finish.

The Glenmorangie Website described The Original as follows:

“The original expression of our elegant, floral spirit and the real backbone of the Glenmorangie range. A ten-year-old single malt, Glenmorangie Original is produced by marrying the delicate spirit that emerges from Scotland’s tallest stills, with first and second fill American white oak casks.”

It will be interesting to see how this  ‘Original’ Glenmorangie Single malt compares to its exotic wood finished cousins.

You may read the full review here:

Review: Glenmorangie, The Original 10 Year Old

As well I have included a nice cocktail recipe which I think is Simply Irresistible!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Whisky Review: Auchentoshan 1976 (Aged 28 Years)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 13, 2011

Photo Courtesy of CSN Wine and Spirits

The Auchentoshan Distillery is somewhat of an anomaly amongst Scottish Distillers. It is the only Scottish Distillery that triple distills their entire core range of whiskies. Triple distillation is common amongst Irish Distillers but extremely uncommon for a distillery producing Scottish single malts. The result of the triple distillation is a more laid back easy-going whisky which is perhaps more floral, but also perhaps less robust in character than traditional single malts. This easy-going style perhaps makes the Auchentoshan Distillery a perfect example of a Lowland Scottish Whisky and a very approachable malt for novice whisky drinkers.

The 28-year-old, Auchentoshan 1976, I am reviewing on the other hand is not necessarily a whisky for novices. The long time spent aging in an oak hogshead cask and the high bottling strength (47.5%) is sure to have produced a whisky with a stronger character and a little more intimidating flavour profile than a typical Auchentoshan Whisky.

The whisky is a Single Cask bottling, distilled in 1976, which is available at CSN Wine and Spirits in Calgary, Alberta. The store purchased the entire cask of 156 bottles and has approximately 20 bottles left in stock.  I was given a sample to review here on my blog by the Store Manager, J.P. Sandhu, who had spent some time with me on a lazy Friday afternoon allowing me to sample some of the great selections of rum and single malt whisky which were available in his store.

Here is a snippet of my review:

“…The initial entry into the mouth brings forward a lovely light chewy peat with rich floral smokiness. I guess I would call this a whisky lover’s whisky, because when you have cracked open the flavours from under the peat and smoke you are rewarded brilliantly…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Auchentoshan 1976 (Aged 28 Years)

At the end of the review I have a couple of suggested pairing which I believe work very well with this whisky. Please enjoy the review.

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Auchentoshan 1976 (Aged 28 Years)

Whisky Review: Highland Park 25 Year Old Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 10, 2011

The Highland Park Distillery is located in the Highlands of Scotland on the Island of Orkney which is famous for its heather rich meadows and its  unique organic Orcadian peat. At this distillery, all of the Highland Park Whisky is matured in two styles of oak barrels which are stored in warehouses with earthen floors and stone walls. Some of the whisky is matured in Spanish (Sherry) oak, and some of the whisky is matured in American (Bourbon) oak.  Maturing the whisky in two different styles of oak allows the blender to capture characteristics of each in the final blend.

The Highland Park 25 Year Old Whisky is blended with slightly more of its whisky coming from the matured Spanish oak (about 51%), and it is bottled at 48.1 per cent alcohol by volume. This is a full 20 % higher than the 40 per cent bottling strength we typically see in North America. The combination of the higher bottling strength and a larger portion of Spanish oak whisky in the blend will bring forward a stronger more assertive aroma and flavour than the other whiskies in the Highland Park portfolio, and may even make the whisky a little intimidating at first tasting. On the whole I really like higher strength whiskies, but I approach them with caution as it is easy to sip a little to quickly.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…When you chew through the peat, some sweetness kicks in with raw honeycomb and a sweet caramelized  butterscotch toffee which is trending towards treacle. The whisky continues to be spicy in the mouth as ginger, nutmeg and hints of cinnamon and cloves seem to materialize out of the oak spices and tannins….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Highland Park 25 Year Old Whisky

Note:

In order to provide another opinion, this review has been published in conjunction with Jason Debly’s review of the same whisky on his website, Jason’s Scotch Whisky Reviews. (We did not share any information prior to publication.) Jason is an outstanding writer and whisky reviewer and you will find a link to his review at the bottom of my review page.


Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Highland Park 25 Year Old Whisky

Review: Canadian Club Sherry Cask Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 6, 2011

The Canadian Club Sherry Cask Canadian Whisky is new twist on Canadian Club Whisky.  The base of this whisky is an eight year Old Canadian Club whisky made from the familiar “blended at birth”  recipe of corn, rye, rye malt and barley spirits. The spirits from these grains are blended before entering the white oak barrel, and then set down for six to eight years to age. Then the resultant whisky is double matured in Sherry Casks from Jerez Spain.

The second maturation allows the whisky to acquire some of the characteristics of the sherry (similar to sherry cask matured scotches), but this second maturation is of a much shorter time period which ensures that the core spirit remains the centerpiece of the whisky. When the Canadian Club Sherry Cask is bottled, it is done so at 41.3% alcohol by volume, just a hair over the regular 40 % strength of the rest of their line-up.  That added little boost of alcohol is just one of the unique characteristics of this C.C. Whisky.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…Initially, I receive wiffs of a nice sweet cherry aroma from the glass as I nose it. Hints of orange marmalade, and lemony zests fade in and out. I seem to receive additional (different) citrus notes each time I sample the whisky…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Canadian Club Sherry Cask Whisky

As well I have included a nice swizzle cocktail at the end of the review, The Canadian Club Swizzle.

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Club Sherry Cask Whisky

John Hall and Whisky: A Good Meritage

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 4, 2011

Last month, Wednesday, January 19 to be exact, I was invited to attend a private luncheon at Bistro la Persaud, in Edmonton with John Hall, the founder of Forty Creek Whisky. It was a small gathering with only a few of us ‘media’ folk invited. The purpose of the luncheon was to allow the invitees to have an informal question and answer with Mr. Hall taking advantage of his attendance at the 2nd Annual Edmonton Whisky Festival and the launch of his new whisky Forty Creek Confederation Oak.

I kind of sat back and let the others (who are more experienced at this sort of thing) do the questioning and interjected only a few queries here and there. It seemed better just to listen than to speak…

You may read the complete story on John Hall and his unique Canadian Whisky by clicking the following link:

John Hall and Whisky: A Good Meritage

In case you are interested, I have reviewed a few of the Whiskies from Forty Creek and have provided links to these reviews below:

Review Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky

Review: Forty Creek Portwood Reserve

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Extras, Howls, Interviews, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on John Hall and Whisky: A Good Meritage

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »