The higher the proof, the more volatile the whisky is inside the bottle. It'll change over time. The first time you pop-open a whisky bottle it'll be tight on flavor, and less expressive on the nose. You'll need to leave it out in the glass longer to get it to show-up with its full flavors. The closer to empty the bottle gets, the more the flavors will either flatten out or exaggerate (depending on the whisky).
Read MoreI made the mistake of doing a blind tasting pitting Lagavulin 8 against Lagavulin 16. These two drinks could not be any different, and while the older scotch is more immediately pleasing on the nose, Lagavulin 8 Year Old is more brilliant then I would have imagined. It might even be better then Lagavulin 16, depending on your mood. It's also a big corporate middle finger to whisky writers that complain about no-age statement whisky (more on that later).
Read MoreLast Barrels represents Canada's unintended nudge into bourbon territory, all from an experiment that started back in 2001. At that time Hiram Walker's master distiller, Jim Stanski, was promoted into management. Before leaving his post, Jim started an experiment from an old recipe J.P. Wiser used dating back to 1869.
Read MoreDoes one ever forget their first sip of Booker's? My first taste goes back many years. Booker's was one of a dozen or so whiskies featured during an LCBO media event at their tasting lab. The proof levels of the whiskies kept increasing throughout this self-paced tasting.
Read MoreLagavulin 16 Year Old is a crowd favourite among scotch drinkers. It made it to the last chapter of my book, when I answer the "what's my favorite whisky" question (somewhat ironically). Lagavulin Double Matured is part of a limited number of whisky that the distillery releases outside of the popular 16 year old expression. It’s, essentially, fan whisky for people that love Lagavulin.
Read MoreMarketers will tell you that a great story will connect with consumers moreso than a great product. Big distilleries from Scotland and Kentucky have been using this logic from the very beginning with stories of prohibition, the "evil" taxmen, and family history. The problem with today's crowded whisky scene is these stories start sounding the same.
Read MoreWhenever I go to Glenlivet tastings, the Glenlivet Brand Ambassadors recommends a half-whisky and half-water mixture for the Founder's Reserve. Already, there's a problem. I rarely water down my whisky, and Glenlivet Founder's Reserve is bottled at the minimum of 40% ABV.
Read MoreAmrut Distillery makes complex and punchy flavor-forward whisky. The grain of choice is malted barley, and the peated releases use smoked barley from Scotland. The key to Amrut, though, is the barrel maturation.
Read MoreThis is an utterly unfair review to write. You can't get this whisky. It's not sold anywhere. But it's a review I feel compelled to write, because I want this type of Canadian whisky out in the market.
Read MoreI only vaguely recall my first pour of whisky from Paul John Distillery. I was visiting London for the Whisky Exchange Show on a cold and rainy October day. We have plenty of incredible whisky shows in North America, but London wins on sheer quantity of whiskies. From a list of seven-hundred potential pours, I had made a long wish-list of whiskies to try. Paul John wasn't on the list.
Read MoreWidow Jane Distillery is the trending distillery out of Red Book, Brooklyn. The label is owned by Cacao Prieto, the maker of "beans-to-bar" fresh chocolates. Their list spirit products sold is extensive, and largely not distilled at their facility, but rather they purchase barrels of whisky from other distilleries and bottle them themselves.
Read MoreThe attention Jim Murray's annual "Best Whisky" award receives is often met with eye-rolls from whisky enthusiasts. Often this award winners are unavailable or expensive whiskies. Last year's winner, Yamazaki Sherry Cask, was selling on the grey market for $1000 for 30ml samples (it was already an expensive bottle before the win).
Read MoreLarceny is in the category of a wheated Bourbon, a sub-brand of the Bourbon category that's glorified by big hitters like Maker's Mark, W.L. Weller, and of course Pappy Van Winkle. Most bourbons use a combination of corn, rye, and malted barley in their starting recipe. Wheaters use wheat instead of rye. It's still a bourbon, but a different take on bourbon.
Read MoreReleased as part of Old Forester's Whiskey Row series, the 1897 honors the Bottled-in-Bond Act and the old way of making whisky. Old Forester doesn't always get lot of love from whisky enthusiasts, but these new product releases seem intended to attract today's whisky drinker. This release definitely seems designed to bring enthusiasts willing to pay for premium bourbon back to the Old Forester brand.
Read MorePeaty scotch can be a jarring introduction to whisky. In my time pouring whisky at various events, the number one reason people refuse a taste of whisky is that they assume the whisky will be “smoky” and they aren’t a fan of that flavour.
Read MoreFor Scotch drinkers that love their peat, Ardbeg represents the trinity of Islay along with Laphroaig and Lagavulin. The three neighboring distilleries brag about peat levels and expensive rare releases, but each has a unique voice in the whisky world. Lagavulin is civilized and composed. Laphroaig brags about its "you either love it or hate it" flavors. Ardbeg embraces the funky briny nature of Islay.
Read MoreColonel E.H. Taylor is an excellent brand extension from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Named after the man who helped bring forward the Bottled-in-Bond Act, this brand is nicely done from both a historical perspective and in its execution of whisky making.
Read MoreBy every comparison, the Bowmore Tempest is the opposite of the mild please-all peated Bowmore 12 Year Old scotch. Bowmore Tempest is the whisky for a growing enthusiasts. It has all the flavor one would expect in non-chill filtered cask strength scotch, without the intensity many cask strength whiskies hold.
Read MoreArdbeg releases Uegeadail and Corryvreckan annually. The Uegeadail is primarily ex-sherry barrel and ex-bourbon barrels blended while the Corryvreckan is matured in a raw mixture of French Oak casks and Burgundy wine casks. In this way, these are peated scotches with opposing views on texture. One is dry and cinnamon spice forward, the other is zesty and peppery. Both are delicious.
Read MorePikesville Straight Rye is celebrated amongst whisky enthusiasts. It's been winning many awards since being released in 2015, including coming in second in Jim Murray's The Whisky Bible for 2016 right behind Crown Royal Rye.
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