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Archive for the ‘Scotch Whisky’ Category

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Whisky Review: Glenfiddich 15 Yr Old Single Malt Scotch

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 7, 2010

Glenfiddich 15 Yr Old Single Malt Scotch

According to legend, the first Glenfiddich distilled spirit ran from the stills on Christmas day in 1887.  The distillery was then, and is now and independent distillery.  It is currently owned by William Grant & Sons Ltd., the same William Grant who founded the company in 1887.    It sits in the Conval Hills with its own single source of water, the Robbie Dhu springs.  This water is pumped from this source directly to the distillery, so that it is untouched by man nor beast and remains in its  purest form.

Glenfiddich whisky is  distilled on copper stills,  in the same manner as it was a hundred years ago.  In fact the entire process from turning and malting the barley,  to the use of copper stills, and  the manner of aging attempts to deliver a thread of heritage unbroken from the past to the present.

Here is a link to the Glenfiddich distillery:  Glenfiddich Website

My review today is for the Glenfiddich 15 year old Single Malt blend.  The blend is unique in the world of Scotch whisky by the manner in which it is Solera aged.  (This aging technique is expanded on in the review.)

A special malt deserves a special cocktail.  Again I turned to my good friend forrest, (click the link to go to his great site) telling him I wanted to capture the essence of the alpine meadow I smell and taste in the Glenfiddich 15 year old  whisky.  He came up with a marvelous cocktail, which I then modified into a snifter drink as well.

You can read the review and the recipes for the drinks here:

Review: Glenfiddich 15 Yr Old Scotch.

Again I would like to thank forrest for this collaboration.  He is a cocktail guru extrordinaire!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Glenfiddich 15 Yr Old Single Malt Scotch

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 27, 2009

Glenmorangie – The Quinta Ruban

The Glenmorangie Distillery  Company was officially licensed to produce whisky in 1843, and began with a tradition of uniqueness and innovation right from the start,  beginning with the construction of tall gin styled stills instead of the traditional onion shaped stills in use at the time.  Glenmorangie also was amongst the first distilleries to used American Oak for aging the whisky, as well as at the forefront of the new wave of unique wood finished whiskies.  In fact the core range of Glenmorangie includes three unique wood finishes;  the La Santa which is a Sherry finish, the Nector D’or which is a Sauternes Wine finish, and the whisky which I am reviewing in this article, The Quinta Ruban, which is a Ruby Port Finish.  Here is a link to the Glenmorangie website for more information on their history and their core range of whiskies.

And without further ado here a link to the review:

Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

And I had better add, that added at the end of the review, I have not one but five bar drinks constructed for this special Scotch,  four of them by my favourite cocktail connoisseur …. forrest!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Scotch Whisky)

Whisky Review: Glenrothes Select Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 8, 2009

Glenrothes Select Reserve:

Scottish Legend has it that the Glenrothes distillery produced its first drops of Scottish spirits on December 28 1879, coincidentally the same day the rail bridge over the River Tay collapsed in one of the World’s most spectacular rail disasters.

Glenrothes is a typically good Speyside Whisky, with spice and character at the forefront of its flavour profile.  The Glenrothes whisky is used as a base whisky in the Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse Blends.  Indeed if you are a blended Scotch drinker and feel the inclination to move to the Single Malts, you will find the Glenrothes Blends to be excellent introductory malts in which to begin the Journey.

The Select Reserve was blended by Malt Master  “John Ramsey” to serve as a signature malt to represent the character of the Glenrothes Distillery.  In order to capture the essence of Glenrothes the Malt Master used whiskies from a variety of vintages, and from a variety of aged oak barrels.  Thus a spectrum of flavours from the variety of ages and oak is apparent in the final single malt blend.

Here is my review of this splendid Speyside Malt:

Review: Glenrothes Select Reserve (Scotch Whisky)

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Whisky Review: Glenrothes Select Reserve

Whiskey Review: Tullibardine 1988 Vintage Edition

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 24, 2009

Several weeks ago I met James Robertson, The International Sales Rep for Tullibardine.  It was at the Edmonton Food and Wine Festival, and I mentioned to him that I would soon be reviewing the 1988 Tullibardine.  He was pleased and gave me a small sip at the show of this and a few other of Tullibardine’s fine whiskies.  We have exchanged emails since then, and hopefully established the beginnings of a working relationship.  The 1988 Tullibardine commemorates the 500th anniversary of King James IV’s coronation where legend has it he purchased ale from Scotland’s first brewery.  What does this have to do with Tullibardine?  Well the brewery from which King James IV purchased the ale happens to be on the very site where Tullibardine now stands.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The smoke I noted in the glass has asserted itself in the mouth with a persistent oily cigar smoke presence which underlies the honey and vanilla notes on the palate.  I use the term cigar because the smoke seems to have a certain organic texture.  The sweetness of the malt is very pleasant, as is a mild buttery feel the malt has upon the tongue….”

You can read the full review here:

Review: Tullibardine 1988 Vintage Edition

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Whiskey Review: Tullibardine 1988 Vintage Edition

Scotch Whisky Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 4, 2009

For my first Scotch Single Malt Whisky review, I thought I would go to the smallest distillery in Scotland.  The Edradour Distillery in Perthshire.   Friends of mine visited the distillery on a recent holiday in Scotland and they raved about the tour and the whisky.

edradour

EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC Rum ‘Grande Arome’
A Rum Cask Finished 11 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

Edradour holds the distinction of being the smallest distillery in Scotland. It is also the last original farm distillery in Perthshire. The same wooden equipment is used to mash and ferment the whisky today, that was purchased by the distillery 170 years ago. Edradour uses the smallest copper stills in Scotland. In fact they are the smallest permissible by Scottish law. They also use the only working model of a Morton refrigerator (used in the distilling process) in the industry. You’ll find this unique distillery nestled in a small glen above Pitlochry in the Southern Highlands. A truly unique distillery……

Read the full review here:

Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC Rum ‘Grande Arome

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Scotch Whisky Review: EDRADOUR 1996 SFTC

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