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Posts Tagged ‘Whisky Review’

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Review: StrathIsla 40 Year Old (Gordon and MacPhail)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 29, 2011

Gordon and Macphail (who own the Benromach Distillery) is an independent family owned and managed firm which acts as a retailer, a wholesaler, an exporter, and a bottler of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This particular whisky, the StrathIsla 40 Year Old Single Malt from Gordon and MacPhail is of course sourced from the Strathisla Distillery which is in the City (town) of Kieth, in the County of Banff, and is located in the Speyside region of Scotland. According to the Gordon and Macphail website, the whisky was drawn from aged stocks of first fill and refill Sherry casks.

I opened my bottle of this whisky last June when my beloved Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Over the course of the summer (and this fall), I have slowly sipped and sampled away about half of my bottle, and I finally decided that a review was in order.

Here is an excerpt from that review:

“… I encountered a bit of floral peat welling up into the breezes with a strong smoky influence of dried fruit. This aroma is full of prunes and dates, and has a rather subdued oaky backdrop. The aroma is a little demanding, but not unpleasant…”

Review: StrathIsla 40 Year Old (Gordon and MacPhail)

Please enjoy the Review!

Posted in Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: StrathIsla 40 Year Old (Gordon and MacPhail)

Introducing White Owl Spiced Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 18, 2011

The guys at Highwood Distillery are at it again. In 2010 they broke all the rules, (and a few sales records too) when they introduced their premium aged White Owl Whisky (a clear Canadian Whisky which is aged up to 10 years). To say this product was s success is a vast understatement, as the only problem that surfaced with respect to the White Owl Whisky was that Highwood could not make it fast enough to satisfy the demand across Canada.

As I said, they are at it again. Highwood has just introduced White Owl Spiced Whisky. While other distillers are producing young brown whisky and using the spice to smooth out the flavour. Highwood is taking the other road, using a well aged clear whisky, and then using the spice to add a little depth and polish to an already smooth spirit.

I was sent a sample bottle of this new whisky, and here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I really like what I am sensing on the nose, and during one of my tasting sessions when I had invited my friend Lucasz to join me I discovered I was not the only one who really liked it. We both sat in our chairs for a good ten minutes just enjoying the subtle soft aroma of the spiced whisky smiling and exchanging those knowing glances of anticipation as we both relished the scents above our glasses…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: White Owl Spiced Whisky

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Flavoured Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Introducing White Owl Spiced Whisky

Review: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on December 11, 2011

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 whisky. Triple distillation is common amongst Irish distillers, but very uncommon for a distillery producing Single Malt Whisky. The result of the triple distillation is a more laid back easy-going style of whisky which perhaps carries more floral elements, but which also may be a little less robust in character than traditional single malts. As such, the Auchentoshan whisky may be more approachable for novice Single Malt Whisky enthusiast.

The Auchentoshan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is part of that core range of Auchentoshan Single Malts. It is (of course) a triple distilled whisky which has been produced from aged stocks (at least 12 years) of a variety of different barrel types which may include Bourbon Casks, Oloroso Sherry Casks, Pedro Jimenez (Sherry) Casks, and Fine Wine Casks. I recently received a sample bottle of the Auchentoshan 12-year-old from the Regional Manager of Shiralli Agencies which is the local importer and distributor of Morrison Bowmore Products. (The Auchentoshan Distillery and its brands are owned by Morrison Bowmore.)

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… When I poured the Auchentoshan 12 Year Old into my glass, I was quite taken aback by what I encountered on the nose. There was so much going on that I found myself sitting in my tasting room, not tasting anything. Instead I was just sitting there nosing the glass and wondering where all those wonderful scents were coming from…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Please enjoy the review of this surprising Single Malt Whisky as well as the surprisingly good cocktail suggestion, The Sour Scotsman.

Cheers!

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

Review: Glen Garioch 12 Year Old Single Malt

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 27, 2011

The Glen Garioch Distillery (pronounced ‘Glen Geery’) is located in the town of Oldmeldrum, approximately 20 minutes from Aberdeen. It is the Eastern-most distillery in Scotland, in the Valley of Garioch, which is apparently one of the best barley growing regions of Scotland. The distillery was established in 1797.

The Glen Garioch 12 Year Old is a Highland malt which has been blended from stocks of two types of oak cask groups. Spanish Sherry casks are utilized to provide a strong depth of flavour, and American Bourbon casks are used to soften the finished malt. I recently received a sample bottle of the Glen Garioch 12 Year Old from Shiralli Agencies who are the local importers and distributors of Morrison Bowmore Products. (The Glen Garioch Distillery and its brands are owned by Morrison Bowmore.)

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… If I close my eyes and sniff the breezes above the glass I can imagine I am in a grassy meadow with bits of heather and sweet-grass growing amongst the other grasses. Clumps of willow lie at the edges of the meadow, and over the nearby hill a few pine trees are sending faint scents into those breezes. I am enjoying the aroma from the glass; Although it is sweet and spicy, it is also laid back and relaxing…”

You may read my full review here:

Review: Glen Garioch 12 Year Old Single Malt

Please enjoy the review, and the recipe which follows.

Cheers!

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

Review: Wiser’s Legacy Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 30, 2011

On November 11, 2009 I published my review of Wiser’s Red Letter Whisky. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email the very next day from  Corbys Distillers (Canadian Office). Apparently my review had been noticed, and they were interested if I maybe would like to receive a lab sample of a new whisky,  Wiser’s Legacy.

Of course the answer was yes. This is something that every reviewer wants, a chance to test his or her palate on a new spirit with very little information in the public realm to pollute the tasting notes. No other information was sought or obtained by myself. The review was as clean as a review could get and I posted it almost two years ago as a First Impression review (I lacked any information on the bottle presentation which is included in all my full reviews).

It took nearly two years for me to receive a picture of the final bottle (J-peg) so that I could properly move the review from the First Impressions area of my website to my Canadian Whisky reviews section of the website.

Here is an excerpt from my finalized review:

“…Thick oil coats the throat with an oak and spice explosion.  The exit leaves the mouth puckered somewhat from the dry woodiness, and the throat is assaulted by spices which grow hotter in the throat than they were in the mouth. At the end of the finish, typical Canadian rye flavours  finally appear en masse  to battle the youthful oak down the throat.  The overall impression is that something awesome just might have happened in my throat, but it is hard to describe exactly what it was…”

Here is a link to my full Review:

Review: Wiser’s Legacy Canadian Whisky

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Wiser’s Legacy Canadian Whisky

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