Wee Beastie. The name is adorbs. The single malt scotch is aged for five years, two years longer than minimum. Non-chill filtered, no added coloring, and no cask finishes—matured in a mix of European (Oloroso) and American oak. And to quote Bry Simpson, the Canadian Brand Ambassador’s, favorite phrase: “It’s a banger!”
Read MoreThe Macallan Estate whisky is made from barley grown on the property. Where barely is grown, and the type of barley grown, matters.
Read MoreSecret Spirits asked me if I’d like to participate with their advent calendar this year. I don’t know why, but previous years I haven’t even shown an interest in advent whisky calendars, and this year I’m all about them.
Read MoreNewly introduced Traigh Bhan is the second core range Ardbeg with an age statement. The first, the ten year old, was introduced almost two decades ago. This is, in the Ardbeg world, a big deal.
Read MoreMiyagikyo Distillery makes both malted barley and grain whisky for the Nikka lines of Japanese whisky. The pot stills used to make this single malt are plentiful, large, and heated slowly to focus on floral notes.
Read MoreI was recently listening to a podcast that outlined all the weird riders that rock bands have had over the years. Many included whisky; usually something from Tennessee or Kentucky. I briefly thought, what would be on my list? I didn’t have an answer because I always want to drink something a little different. Would I be in a mood for an oaky bourbon? A smoky scotch? A rye spicy Canadian whisky?
Read MoreGlenfiddich’s Experimental releases are pushing the distillery in new directions. Fire & Cane, the latest, is perhaps the perfect balance of price and flavor. Winter Storm is, undoubtedly, the best whisky of this excellent collection. It’s 21 Year Old Glenfiddich, however, and that comes with a high price. Fire & Cane is affordable, and dead-set on competing with peated whiskies coming from Islay.
Read MoreSpectrum batch 0001 is a dark, brooding, terrific hot mess. The best kind of hot mess. Later batch numbers are a little more settled, youthful, and zestier. Still, batch 0001 will likely be the collector’s favourite because you’re not going to get flavours like this anywhere else. The distillery (located in Bangalore) is the master of hot climate new world whiskies.
Read MoreWinter Storm is the third of Glenfiddich’s Experimental releases (which includes IPA, and Project XX). This one has a Canadian twist, and it starts with Canadian Brand Ambassador Beth Havers. It was Beth that suggested Canadian ice-wine casks as a potential finishing barrel. Brian Kinsman, malt laster for Glenfiddich, ran with the idea.
Read MoreGlenfiddich’s Experimental Series started with IPA, a whisky that surprised me. I thought it was a gimmick, but it turned out to be a winner in setting Glenfiddich in a new direction. The second release in the Experimental Series is Project XX (Pronounced: Project Twenty). Was this a clever marketing way to put the number twenty on the bottle? Perhaps, but the whisky inside has a clever story, and it’s a clever scotch, so let’s dive deeper.
Read MoreDespite the claims on the website, this isn’t “scotch styled” single malt. It’s single malt, reimagined. The malted barley notes do come through, but this is a North American style single malt. I do hate going on about this point, but marketing needs to meet expectation, and this isn’t “scotch styled.”
Read MoreGlenfiddich IPA single malt scotch initially struck me as a gimmick. Perhaps it is, but it’s a tasty one. My internal monologue mocked it at first, though—why would the best selling single malt scotch in the world jump on a trend like IPA barrel finishing? Sure, IPAs are trendy, but will they sell more single malt scotch?
Read MoreThere are a few misconceptions around Scotch whisky that I still hear today. First, I often hear how scotch is ‘smoky’ with strong iodine notes, and therefore a big turn-off for whisky drinkers. In truth, most scotch sold contains very little in terms of smoky notes. The second misconceptions is, only Islay distilleries make peated whiskies. In truth, peat was a main fuel source up until the 1950s in many parts of Scotland and was commonly used in the whisky making process.
Read MoreGlenfiddich 15 Solera Reserve is a fantastic scotch that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. It’s not as topical as whatever this years best whisky in the world is, or as historic as some fifty-year old scotches being released. What it is, though, is a consistently terrific reasonably priced scotch (such a rarity these days!).
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.
Read MoreI have an admitted soft spot for Tullibardine. I toured their distillery last year and sampled a wide variety of their single malt offerings. It wasn’t a Scotch that I fully appreciated at first, but I purchased a 1993 vintage which had been aged in muscatel barrels. It was sweet, nicely balanced with oak, and quickly became my favourite easy-drinking Scotch.
Sadly it wasn’t available at the LCBO at first. That changed earlier this year when the LCBO brought in the regular aged 1993 vintage as a limited release. At $65 this is a fantastic purchase, and it’s already almost entirely sold out.
I was pleasantly surprised when I had my first sip of this vintage. You’ll get a hit of alcohol on the nose, but the taste is surprisingly mild by comparison. On the palate you’ll get more of the zesty flavour with a bitter finish, almost like that of a not-quite-ripe green grape (though not nearly as sweet). The after-taste is pleasant and mellow.
Tullibardine has an interesting history. The distillery was largely closed down in the 1990s and it moved quickly between a few buyers. These latest releases are from their old barrels (distilled by previous owners but left on-premise) that have been well aged. Their primary business is small-lot exports, and they’re not as well known within Scotland relative to other distilleries. Tullibardine Scotches offers a fantastic value, considering the evolved and multi-layer flavours.
If you’re ever near the distillery in Perthsire, Scotland, I recommend you take the tour. And if you happen to pick me up a bottle of the muscatel 1993, I’d be extremely appreciative!
Note: Originally published on Spotlight Toronto
