Octomore is the smokiest scotch you can buy. But for me, it's not about the peaty levels. My nose isn't all that sensitive to peat, and I've never been overwhelmed by it. Lightly peated whiskies (like Bowmore) barely register. Instead, I'm looking for flavor beneath the peat.
Read MoreIn 1977, George Thorogood covered an original blues song written by Rudy Toombs: One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. The George Thorogood version is specifically about a time when the singer lost his job, and dealt with his problems by ordering the three drinks on repeat until 3am.
Read MoreRedbreast is produced in New Midleton Distillery (home of Jameson). It’s not a single malt, but rather a pot still, which is made from both malted and unmalted barley. Unmalted barley is typically responsible for greener notes, and it’s traditional from an era where the UK charged taxes based on how much barley was malted.
Read MoreThe following list are whiskies to buy today, because they will be gone tomorrow. If you have a whisky friend on your gift list, any of these purchases will not only impress them, but they'll soon realize that they're not likely to see them at the LCBO again.
Read MoreHibiki Harmony came into markets replacing the 12 Year Old variety. As a no-age statement whisky, it could be made available to a broader audience, but it also lives in turmoil with endless comparisons to the whisky it replaced. Removing age statements gives producers flexibility making whisky (why should 12 years be the minimum age in the bottle?), but it also creates a sense of distrust with the consumer accustomed to seeing a number on the bottle.
Read MoreGlengoyne 12 is the sort of whisky that would have seemed (almost) ordinary back in the day when you could get The Macallan 10 or 12 for under $100. In Today's whisky world, Glengoyne 12 Year Old is rare treat at a price-point that is fairly reasonable.
Read MoreIt's cliche, I know, to drink Writers Tears while writing. A cliche that I know I share with many writers in the whisky genre. A cliche that I endured while writing The Whisky Cabinet. And for that reason, it was hard to rate this whisky. When reviewing whisky, it's important to outpour ones feelings when writing about the whisky, but be void of attachment when rating the whisky.
Read MoreMaking whisky is not unlike writing—you do it because you love the craft. You hope there's a big windfall, but in most cases you know that to simply be able to work on your craft and pay the bills is a win. Every person I've met that's in this business is passionate about making whisky. The passion, the enthusiasm, that drive is shared among whisky makers from the smallest to the largest distilleries.
Read MoreWhen I first came across the bottle of Blanton's Original, I was in Las Vegas and early in my whisky writing career. The bartender took me through a long list of bourbons before ending the night with the last of his Blanton's. Many years later, I found myself at the lab of Buffalo Trace Distillery on a media tour with an wonderful insight to how each barrel of Blanton's is selected.
Read MoreKentucky and Scotland hate the B word. Mention it on Twitter, in Instagram, or during a whisky tour and they'll quickly tell you why you're wrong. "We don't blend! We marry the whisky in a vat." Yes, whisky particles are married, not blended. Despite the best-selling scotch in the world being a blend (Johnnie Walker), blended whisky has bad connotations going back to the 1800s.
Read MoreVirginia Black American Whiskey is the otherwise known as Drake's whisky. This whisky is bound to be polarizing: Drake is pop culture at its highest level, and traditional whisky drinkers are likely disregards his music as stuff "young people listen to." It's also a celebrity booze product, which nearly always gets negative reviews from critics.
Read MoreCelebrity booze is often jeered by whisky aficionados. Whisky “finished” in wine barrels likewise is often interpreted as a gimmick. But in this instance, these two gimmicks have combined for a competitive product.
Read MoreJim Murray's The Whisky Bible is one of the more influential book releases of the year. Each year a new book names the best whiskies in the world. Not everyone is a fan of Jim Murray's list, but the this list is hugely influential in the whisky world. Let's see what you can actually buy.
Read MoreIt would dramatic to say that there's a battle over the definition of Canadian whisky, but one small distillery is taking a stand against a Canadian regulation that has been in existence since 1887. Toronto Distillery Co, the city's first distillery since 1933, released a whisky aged under the minimum three years required for a spirit to be recognized as a whisky.
Read MoreLaphroaig Lore is offers an unapologetic rush of flavors from a complex mixture of matured whisky. On paper, I would have called the concept behind this whisky a gimmick, but in tasting, the results are worthy of the ticket price.
Read MoreThe Single Barrel line-extension is an example of a product intended for whisky enthusiasts. It's rare that single malt scotch is released in the single barrel variety--most are a blend of tens, if not hundreds, of barrels of whisky. When one blends multiple barrels of whisky to create a single malt scotch, the complexity of the whisky comes from the blending process. When a distillery bottles an individual barrel, this demonstrates the confidence distillery owners have in their whisky. You can't blend the faults away.
Read MoreThe Gifted Horse is the latest release under Diageo's Orphan Barrel umbrella. Each previous release was based on old stock of barrels that Diageo procured and bottled. In this case, though, Diageo was offered an accidental mix of barrels.
Read MoreAuchentoshan American Oak borrows on trends from the past and future. From the past, Auchentoshan boasts about being a triple-distilled. Folklore will tell you that only Irish whiskey and vodka are triple distilled (neither is true). Generally speaking, the third distillation is likely to remove heavier molecules from the spirit. Some of these heavier molecules are unpleasant, some would naturally oxidized down during barrel maturation, others are flavors that scotch drinkers might enjoy.
Read MoreGlenmorangie rarely needs an introduction. This is a beautifully packaged luxury product wrapped around a traditional distillery that's capable of making an excellent single malt scotch.
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