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Russell's Reserve hits the nerve... with verve.
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel BourbonJimmy and Eddie Russel - the geniuses behind Wild TurkeyI'm a Wild Turkey fan - and I have a rather deep love for Russell's Reserve products - the upscale line...
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Glenmorangie Ealanta delves the heart of American White Oak
Glenmorangie just launched the latest in their limited "Private Edition" line, Ealanta, following up on such issues as Sonnalta PX, Finealta and Artein. Bill Lumsden was in town at the Flat Iron for...
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Nikka Taketsuru 12 graces the USA at last.
As of the end of November 2012, Nikka is finally being imported into the USA by Anchor. Up until then, Suntory was the only Japanese whisky being imported into the USA. Anchor is initially bringing in...
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Russell's Reserve 10 Small Batch Bourbon is soft yet satisfying
Last week I was musing on "small batch" bourbons and poking some fun at the undefined nature of the term and complaining about how some of the products didn't live up to their single barrel brethren....
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Gone fishing...
This blog is on hiatus while I deal with some personal stuff. It might be a while. Meanwhile - here are a few randomly selected highlights in a silly order:Monsters: The Harmonic Resonance of Peat:...
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Distilling Rob is a memoir straight from the heart.
Rob Gard’s book, Distilling Rob, Manly Lies and Whisky Truths is a personal memoir of rare sensitivity and honest introspection. It tells a story of a man’s search for self acceptance and maturity...
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anCnoc 12 and 22 review: Apple Skin and Wulong Tea
anCnoc - formerly Knockdu, was a cutting edge distillery built in 1894 at the tail end of the late 19th century whisky boom and one of the casualties of the 1983 slaughter of distilleries. Its...
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The Illuminating and Unsung Batch Evolution of Balcones Texas Single Malt
Creative wood finishes affect color. Ex-bourbon, left, is copper. Q.Robur, center, is red. And Q. Alba, right, is golden amber.Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky has been racking up awards and...
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Glen Grant Five Decades: A Mature Beauty With a Baby's Face. A Deceptively...
Glen Grant Five Decades is a deceptive dram. A visual twin for the entry expression it also shares a similar nose. But that's not the full story.A limited edition Glen Grant is about to be...
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Monkey Business
Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt (a mixture of malt whiskies from different distilleries, not containing grain whisky) that has been on the market for almost a decade (since 2005). It sells for a...
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Smooth Ambler Yearling Bourbon - An Infant of Power and Grace.
Smooth Ambler is an exciting, relatively new whiskey project in the heart of West Virginia. Unlike a lot of craft distillers these days, John Little, Master Distiller, wants to make good bourbon in...
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Master of Malt Glenturret 1977 34 Year Old: Tangello Cream and a Puzzling...
There were at least six casks of Glenturret distilled in 1977 bottled in 2012 at 34 years old by four different independent bottlers. I find that remarkable. The consensus was that there was a...
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Why Rye... Exploring The Rebirth Of An American Spirit - Its Rise, Fall, And...
It's going to be a barn burner of a rye tasting on Friday, November 1st at the fabulous Morgan Library & Museum's Dining Room. I've been researching the fascinating history of rye whiskey in...
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A shot across the bow of The Whisky Sponge
The blogosphere has been all abuzz for months with the antics of a mysterious anonymous presence known as The Whisky Sponge. This satirist writes with razor sharp wit and a dark palette (not palate -...
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A Dusty Red Label From Back When Red Label was Awesome
Johnnie Walker Red Label, today, is a bottom of the line Diageo blend that is made for blending. I reviewed it last year and didn't like it straight at all. But Red Label exists in deep time - born of...
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A Day With A Master Dusty Hunter ... driven by a pretty green liqueur and the...
Chartreuse, Bourbon, and Rye dusties.Old dusties bring out the geeky and ornery as well as stupid and brave (all quintessentially American traits). Part of the story might be best described by Steve...
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Old Ren Bonded Bourbon: An Antique And Delicious Mystery That Ranges From...
What is Old Ren? It is a straight bourbon distilled at Graham Distillery Company (Illinois Distillery No. 6) in the Fall of 1936 and bottled in bond by a company called W.P. Squibb Distilling Co. Inc....
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Blurred Lines: Having Fun Pouring Whisky and Skirting The Edge of the Ethics...
Pouring Smooth Ambler at Whisky Fest NYC October, 2013 -Photo courtesy of Greenie McGee (in my pocket) (@greenietravels)I've been taking risks lately. These include biking through urban Newark, NJ...
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Laphroaig's Younger OBs considered. Cigarette?
Laphroaig is the biggest selling Islay single malt according to Bloomberg (accounting for about 44% of the sales of all the whisky from Islay (!)) and it's not a big mystery why. It is tremendously...
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Why You Should Be Drinking Whisky: The Balance of Alcohol's Effects On Health
CNN featured an article yesterday (December 12, 2013) warning:James Bond at risk of early death from alcohol, study saysCNN: "James Bond may want to reconsider his drinking habits, a new study...
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