February 25, 2020

George T. Stagg 2017 64.6% Review - How's it influenced the Bourbons of today?

February 25, 2020/ Mark Bylok

While Pappy Van Winkle gets the credit for popularizing luxury Bourbon, I’d like to argue that it’s not the most influential style of bourbon. If you look at oaky high-proof bombs of today, that style of whisky started with George T. Stagg. It’s the bourbon that influenced a bunch of influencers to love oaky bourbons. Thus (potentially) dramatically changing the types of whiskies coming to market.

January 13, 2020

anCnoc 16 Year Old Cask Strength 125th Anniversary 56.3% ABV - The Perfect Whisky for Under $200?

January 13, 2020/ Mark Bylok

Growing up in Canada, anCnoc Distillery wasn’t a distillery that got a lot of attention. It wasn’t available here. When it came to market, it was hard to quantify. It’s not a splashy distillery. It’s a traditional single malt whisky maker that takes pride in the little things that make a great whisky. You can read more about anCnoc distillery elsewhere. You can also listen to our podcast with the Gordons.

January 08, 2020

Willett Family Estate Straight Bourbon Review, Barrel No. 704, 50.5% Frosted Yeast Rolls

January 08, 2020/ Mark Bylok

Long ago (like a few years ago), one could just go into a liquor store and purchase a bottle of Willett Estate Bourbon and Ryes. Not these days. Estate Bourbons from Willett are rare, and expensive.

November 25, 2019

The Irishman Cask Strength Review - 2018 54% ABV

November 25, 2019/ Mark Bylok

The Irishman at Cask Strength is a limited run vintage release. In the year of 2018, only 3716 bottles were produced, and it’s being sold in limited markets. There aren’t many cask strength variations of Irish Whiskey that make it to North America.

October 24, 2019

Alberta Distillers Released the Rare Stuff - Cask Strength and 20 Year Old Reviews

October 24, 2019/ Mark Bylok

Alberta Distillers has new limited released out—Cask Strength Rye and a 20 Year Old. And I got samples! Like many of Canada’s large distilleries, Alberta Distillers is an enigma of delicious whisky.

September 26, 2019

J.P. Wiser’s 23 Review - The Ultimate Cask Strength Blend!

September 26, 2019/ Mark Bylok

If it’s only going to do a few things, it needs to do them well. That’s what J.P. Wiser’s 23 Year Old brings to the table. This is a clean beautiful whisky with a ton of intense flavours, and I think it’s going to be a favorite of many.

April 09, 2019

Barrell Bourbon 15 Year Old Cask Strength Bottle #138 - Best American Whisky?

April 09, 2019/ Mark Bylok

Barrell Bourbon isn’t a distillery. They’re a bottler that purchases barrels from distilleries selling barrels. Because Barrell Bourbon gets to sample the barrels they purchase, and distilleries often sell barrels that don’t meet with their standard taste profile (which doesn’t make them bad, just not right for that distillery), this gives Barrell Bourbon the freedom to release interesting flavor profiles.

June 11, 2018

Dun Bheagan 31 Year Old Cask (Cask #6994) 53.8% Inchgower

June 11, 2018/ Mark Bylok

I’m often offered samples of whisky from strange places. This sample came to me via a square glass bottle with a wide lid. On a whim, I poured the sample into a Glencairn glass and quickly started jotting down tasting notes. It was immediately captivated. The nose is beautiful with complexity, booziness, and intensity. The palate is even more impressive. My original writeup on tastings notes for the palate were two paragraphs long.

February 20, 2018

Arran Cask Strength 12 Year Old Batch Number 5 (52.9%) Bottled: 05.2015, 52.9% Review

February 20, 2018/ Mark Bylok

Island of Arran is a large Scottish island that was once a Viking stronghold. The last distillery on the island dates back to 1837, and previous to that there were estimated to be over fifty active distilleries on the island. The 19th century wasn't overly kind to the island, though. Due to many factors (known as the clearances), the population severely decreased as people moved mainland. Today, there are just five-thousand residents on the island. They have one distillery.

October 14, 2017

Northern Border Collection Rare Whiskies to trigger the “Global reappraisal of our Canadian spirit”

October 14, 2017/ Mark Bylok

Ross Hendry, Pernod-Richard’s director from premium Canadian Whisky, is bullish on his company’s next move: “Mark this moment in your memories. Years from now we will look back at it as pivotal in the journey we are on to drive the reappraisal of our national spirit.” After the success of J.P. Wiser’s Rare Cask releases (including Union 52, Dissertation, and Last Barrels), the Canadian division of Pernod-Richard (Corby’s Spirits and Wines) is ready to make the big move.

May 10, 2017

Willett Family Estate Single Barrel - Aged 11 Years, Barrel Number 438

May 10, 2017/ Mark Bylok

This particular bottle of Willet 11 Year Old retailed for $120. It now sells for between $400 to $1200 US in secondary markets. That's at Pappy Van Winkle levels. Welcome to the wonderful world of rare whisky unicorns. If you've looking for bottle number 1 of the total 175 sold, I'm sorry to say, it's in my whisky cabinet and it's sitting empty.

February 22, 2017

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Original Cask Strength - Batch 006 Review

February 22, 2017/ Mark Bylok

Laphroaig is deserving of the scotch cult following. Some hate Laphroaig, some like Laphroaig on occasion, and others love Laphroaig whisky. For those in the latter category, this cask strength variation of Laphroaig 10 is for you.

January 16, 2017

Octomore 07.1 Review - Jim McEwan Saves His Best for Last

January 16, 2017/ Mark Bylok

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.

August 08, 2016

Booker's Bourbon Review - Wonderfully Proof Obsessed

August 08, 2016/ Mark Bylok

Does 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.

July 27, 2016

Lot No 40 Cask Strength - #ReleaseLot40CS

July 27, 2016/ Mark Bylok

This 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.

June 15, 2016

Bowmore Tempest 10 Year Old (V) Review - Peated Cask Strength with Finesse

June 15, 2016/ Mark Bylok

By 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.

June 14, 2016

Ardbeg Uegeadail and Corryvreckan Reviews

June 14, 2016/ Mark Bylok

Ardbeg 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.

May 10, 2016

Wild Turkey Rare Breed - Hey Man, Sorry I'm On Your Lawn

May 10, 2016/ Mark Bylok

Long-time whisky drinkers hate the youth of today. These old-time bourbon drinkers started getting grumpy years ago when Pappy become exclusive. But let's face it, Pappy was "that pretentious stuff some celebrity chef-turned-tv-personality drank."

October 05, 2015

Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength - High-Proof Thrill Seekers, Move On.

October 05, 2015/ Mark Bylok

Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength bourbon comes in a charming miniature bottle that has that “I snuck it out of the test lab” feeling to it. At the time of this writing, though, it’s only available at the Maker’s Mark Distillery gift store. There’s a good degree of bottle variation between releases. Proof levels will vary. The one reviewed here is bottled at 54.45% ABV.

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