Scotch Whisky reviews

If there is one single malt that Jim Murray had a hand in creating it was the Ardbeg 17 year old. He claims it almost every time you care to listen. In 2004 I stopped in a small liquor store in Green…

Nose: Purple grape: flesh, skins, seeds and all. There is a sophisticated misty bitterness of almond and black caffeine (cocoa), and you may also find toffee/marshmallow. Palate: Enters smoothly and…

My big sister has done many wonderful things for my whisk(e)y and spirits education, including giving me many wonderful whisk(e)y presents, and letting me sample from her extensive collection of both…

Laphroaig Fèis Ile 2013: Cairdeas Port Wood Finish, truly an odd fellow of Islay. Exciting, yet a bit too weird for my taste. Still, a dram worth tasting, that's for sure.Laphroaig Cairdeas Port Wood…

This is a great old bottle of Ardbeg that my wife bought online for me. From the bottle code it dates from September 18th of 2002. Sadly . . . this is the end of the bottle. To celebrate I put it up…

This is a bottle I opened on 10/10/2008. This was the first release of the Airigh Nam Beist from 2006 (so the sixteen year old version) made from a mixture of first and second fill ex-bourbon casks (no…

Nose: Light. Nectarine with a touch of almond and butter; the fruit becomes even lighter strawberry/rose. A faster inhale reveals black caffeine (either tea, coffee or bitter chocolate).Palate: Entrance…

Smell: Let it sit covered in the glass for a spell after the pour. Then inhale its delights: starting with that signature Laddie curdled milky musk, it unfolds into a powerful headlock of spice and fruit…

Glenfiddich 18 YO polarises people. I have been entertained for years by how much extreme variation of opinion there has been, even among gentle Speyside malt lovers, about Glenfiddich 18. Me? I love my…

Nose: Peach/caramel/nut, overall. You can sniff off through layers: Thick nuts (almond or cashew) and salty butter. Then the main theme of fresh butter and peach. Peach becomes syrupy caramel, then…