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Posts Tagged ‘Whisky Review’

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Review: Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (Suntory)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 17, 2013

SAM_0588 Yamazaki 12The Suntory Group is a large multi-national conglomerate whose holdings include Morrison Bowmore Distillers, Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC, and Subway Japan among many others. The company was established in 1899 and is one of the oldest Japanese companies in the business of producing and distributing alcoholic beverages. Their Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is produced at the Yamazaki Distillery in Shimamoto, Japan. This is a true 12-year-old whisky as Japan uses the same criteria for age statements as countries like Canada and Scotland, namely that every drop of whisky in the bottle must be at least as old as the stated age on the outside label. The Yamazaki 12 Year Old is considered the flagship whisky for the Yamazaki Brand, and I am happy to provide a review here on my website.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“… A bevy of fresh fruit aromas (yellow apples, honey-dew melon, bananas, and peaches) rise up along side honeyed oak spices. There is a light maltiness (beer-like scent) apparent, with wisps of vanilla, hints of almond and orange peel. The whisky seems lightly smoky with a few sherried notes of raisin and dates making their way into the air …”

Here is the full review which includes a decadent cocktail called Alpine Meadows:

Review: Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (Suntory)

Please enjoy my review!

Note: The Yamazaki 12-year-old is distributed by Lifford Wines in my home Province of Alberta.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Japanese Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (Suntory)

Review: The Singleton of Glendullan

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 10, 2013

SAM_0540The Singleton of GlendullanAbout two years ago Diageo launched a new (what I am going to term) “entry level” 12 year old Single Malt Scotch from the Glendullan Distillery (in Dufftown) called The Singleton of Glendullan. The malt is part of their Classic Malts Selection, and is produced from spirit aged in both European Sherry Oak casks and American Bourbon Oak casks. I first encountered this Single Malt at a local Food and Wine event two years ago, and I was impressed enough to buy a bottle for myself, and one for a friend that Christmas. My bottle was sipped slowly over time and has long since disappeared; but fortunately for me, I was recently given another bottle to review on my website by the Northern Alberta Diageo Marketing Rep.

Here is an excerpt from that review:

“… As I pour the whisky into my glencairn glass, my nose is greeted with some nice butterscotch and caramel notes which are accented with lightly smokey tones of sherry (think dark fruit like dates and raisins), fresh fruit, some sweet malty notes, and a mild herbal punky peat. As the glass sits, the caramel turns to toffee as the oak spices assert themselves …”

You may read the full review here:

Review: The Singleton of Glendullan

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: The Singleton of Glendullan

Review: Glenfiddich 30 Years Old – XXX

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 3, 2013

GF 30 XXXI thought I should start the new year, 2013 off with a bang. A very expensive thirty year old bottle of Scotch from Glenfiddich, which I received as a gift from my wife about one year ago.

The Glenfiddich Distillery was founded in 1886 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland. The Gaelic word “Glenfiddich” translates to “Valley of the Deer” in English and as a result the Distillery has adopted the emblem of a large male stag to symbolize the distillery and their whisky. According to the Glenfiddich website, their Malt Master personally selects each Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon Cask that goes into the Glenfiddich 30 Years Old Whisky by nosing and tasting each of them to ensure that they contribute the right character and flavour into the final Malt which is produced from only a handful of vattings each year.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

” … The initial nose brings forward a rich menagerie of wood and honey spices. I sense some willow thicket in the air above the glass as well as a grassy meadow complete with clumps of heather and faint wiffs of woodsmoke as if there were a campfire nearby. As the glass breathes the woody notes grow bringing forward stronger impressions of willow, balsam wood, and oak …”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Glenfiddich 30 Years Old – XXX

Happy New Year Everyone!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Glenfiddich 30 Years Old – XXX

Review: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 25, 2012

A few years ago Johnnie Walker Gold Label carried an age statement of 18 years. Back then it was called The Centenary Blend. The newest bottles of the Gold Label no longer carry that age statement. Coinciding with that particular change is a bit of a name change as well. Instead of Johnnie Walker Gold Label – The Centenary Blend, the newest version is now called Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve. Based upon what I can glean from the Johnnie Walker website (and the back of my bottle) it may not be only the ages of the individual whiskies in the blend which have changed, the actual constituents of the blend appear to have changed as well.

“GOLD LABEL RESERVE is blended from casks of Whiskies that have been specially selected from the Master Blender, Jim Beveridge’s Private Reserve.”

Of course this means that my previous review for Johnnie Walker Gold Label – The Centenary Blend is rather obsolete, a fact which was quickly pointed out to me by my good friend Jason, of Jason’s Scotch Reviews, when I recently re-posted that particular review. Jason asked me if I could review the new blend, and after a quick email with the Alberta Diageo Rep, a new bottle for review found its way onto my review queue.

Here is an excerpt from the resulting review:

“… The nose is very complex. It seems rather light and gentle first; but as the glass sits, the whisky seems to gain strength and intensity. The initial impressions are of butterscotch, honey and wood spice. Some nice scents of canned fruit drift by the nostrils, in particular peaches and apricots. A bit of home-baked apple pie with touches of cinnamon reach the breezes above the glass as well… “

You may read my full review here:

Review: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Please enjoy my review of the new Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Tasting the Glenfarclas Range with George Grant

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 13, 2012

This Sunday, November 18th, the Edmonton Golf and Country Club (6201 Country Club Rd NW, Edmonton) will be the location for an extraordinary tasting event hosted by George Grant, the Sales Director for the Glenfarclas Distillery where the entire core range of Glenfarclas Whisky will be discussed and of course, tasted. (Mr. Grant is part of the 6th generation of the Grant Family who originally purchased the distillery in 1865. His family still controls and manages the distillery today.)

The line-up for the tasting will be as follows:

Price: – $65 per ticket

Please call  780-904-2684 for more information!

(This is quite truthfully an impressive range from one of the only remaining distilleries in Scotland which is independently family owned and managed. I hope I see some of my readers there. Sláinte!)

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Posted in Extras, Festivals and Events, Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tasting the Glenfarclas Range with George Grant

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