 | » A pair of Laddies: The Seventeen | 23-JUL-2008 | |
| I've never seen this in full size so having it at all is a nice treat. This also brings my eternally ignored Bruichladdich list up to a respectable foursome. | |||
| » A pair of Laddies: The Fifteen | 21-JUL-2008 | |
| Bruichladdich was one of my first personal Scotch purchases and I have to confess that it was the free glassware that helped boost it over the Bowmore. Now I have a chance at two nicer 'Laddies in a set that I missed a few years ago, although now it's 1/3 the size and 1/3 the price. | |||
| » Back to Speyside for THE Speyside | 18-JUL-2008 | |
| Still an annoyance, that name. I'll let it go, though. It's a fair glass and little more, I'd rather hoped that if a scotch was going to try and adopt the entirety of Speyside it would aim higher. | |||
| » I can hardly spell “Old Ballantruan” | 16-JUL-2008 | |
| It calls itself "The Peated Malt" which is a bold claim considering the likes of Ardbeg. Amazingly, this isn't from Islay rather it hales from Speyside! | |||
| » Trimming down the Tops | 14-JUL-2008 | ||
| As the number of total reviews grows, so does the number of whiskies at the top of the Tops page. To trim this down to just the best (and worst), I've dropped the percent from 7% to 5%. It stuns me that I've had so many whiskies that the top 5% amounts to 13 different whiskies (as of right now), but such is my quest. | |||
| » More SMWS: Mortlach | 14-JUL-2008 | |
| A major part of the Johnny Walker line, you can't really get an official Morlach anywhere. I was quite impressed, which explains my fondness for the upline JWs. | |||
| » A second sip of Ardbeg 10 | 11-JUL-2008 | |
Traveling back 100 whiskies to a stellar performer:  Ardbeg 10. Last seen in the Alphabet Challenge, Ardbeg was a monster with an unyielding peat presence and massive score to match. In my second tasting she still deserves her 90 and stands as my gold standard to greater scores. | |||
| » A second chance at Clynelish. | 09-JUL-2008 | |
| My first shot fell through unexpectedly and this second chance came at my favorite price: free! Killed this at a party amidst friends. | |||
| » Strathisla is a Home Run | 07-JUL-2008 | |
| Every time I think I'm putting a dent in the list of whiskies you might realistically run into at your local liquor store I find ten that I haven't yet tried. It's part excitement at the potential and part despair at the size of the task. A coworker mentioned liking Strathisla back at a Christmas party and I nodded and added it to a mental checklist that I have going. Then I promptly forgot about it. Now I've actually found it and here we are, only seven months later. | |||
| » For the Fourth we hit the Wayback Machine | 04-JUL-2008 | |
| Going all the way back to September 2006 we find Bruichladdich 10, a classic introduction to the non-peat beasts of Islay. | |||
| » Happy Birthday to me? | 02-JUL-2008 | |
| For my birthday review (well, near-enough) I ended up with Schenley Reserve. Luck of the draw, but so help me this is a draw that I'm going to put the fix on next year. | |||
| » Isle of Jura | 30-JUN-2008 | |
| I'd say "Overdue" but that's getting a bit tired so I'll just say that Jura 10 has been on my to-do list for a long while thanks to a good showing by an earlier Jura and because a buddy has Jura 10 on his shelf standards list. The ten joins a number of other decade-agers on my new list of practical spotlights, scoring very well for a bottle that could be yours for less than 40 bucks. | |||
| » Back to Beam | 27-JUN-2008 | |
| I know it's been a bit since we've had a Friday retasting and the godawful cost of gas and weak dollar are killing my whisky exploration, but I've managed to pull a few together and can promise regular Friday updates and a steady supply of Monday / Wednesday new reviews. Today it's back to double digits with Jim Beam Black. Nothing really new in this tasting, but it's great to go so far back and pick up a second shot. Enjoy. | |||
| » A Passport to fair drinking | 25-JUN-2008 | |
| Passport is a standard shelf mate of many well known whiskies, one of the old guard who I can never seem to find in standard bottle sizes or, so help me, miniatures. This bargain priced mainstay fares well enough, a surprise when you consider the weakness of some of its comrades. | |||
| » Two Five Oh | 23-JUN-2008 | |
| That's right, two hundred fifty different whiskies reviewed! The big two fifty, the big quarter thou (or quarter mil to use the Latin. It sounds even better). I tell you I spent a few sleepless moments wondering what I should put here, it being such an auspicious number and all. Well, not as big as 100 or, say 500, but probably as important as 200 or... well, anyway, in honor of this very momentous day I've selected Ballantines 12, who's standard fare was decent, if not inspiring. I've passed on the better versions time and again at a local liquor store and finally dove in to give it a go. Salude! | |||
| » Pikesville Supreme Rye | 18-JUN-2008 | |
| A rye made in Kentucky, originally from Maryland that costs around ten bucks a liter. There no way this is going to work... or is there? | |||
| » SMWS #2: Braeval | 16-JUN-2008 | |
| Braeval was once Braes of Glenlivet, and has both Glenlivet and Allt-A-Bhainne as sister distilleries. The fact that she is also mothballed at the moment is a shame because this was one of the most fun whiskies I've had in a great while. | |||
| » SMWS #1: Glen Scotia 13 | 11-JUN-2008 | |
| Another Campbelton, GS13 was an interesting contrast to my beloved Springbank. This one is actually long overdue here as I tried it (and somehow have no notes) two years ago. | |||
| » The Singleton of Glendullan | 09-JUN-2008 | |
| Dear Diago, Please find the people in your marketing department, or the person responsible for hiring the marketing company, who named your new product “The Singleton of Glendullan” and fire them. Firstly, “The Singleton” is redundant and pretentious. The term is already used in mathematics and there is a widely used, perfect phrase that goes something like “Single Malt Scotch”, which perhaps you've heard of. It also rhymes with “Simpleton”, to the degree that I thought this was a joke bottle when I first spied it. As for “Glendullan”, aside from having a terrible distillery name it's fair enough as a choice for inclusion, but there seem to be a wide range of better distilleries at your fingertips. | |||
| » Really, who names a bourbon after a dog? | 04-JUN-2008 | |
| Once upon a time I was considering an “Old MacDonald” style tasting with animal dubbed whiskies, things like Wild Turkey alongside Pig's Nose and so forth. I just never managed to get enough of them together to pull it off. One that was supposed to be on the list was Setter, which a local liquor store carried, then stopped stocking. I finally tracked down a full liter of the stuff and parted with less than a tenner for the whole jug. I don't think it will take too many guesses as to how much I'll actually drink. | |||
| » Str8Up into June | 02-JUN-2008 | |
| No, I haven't been reduced to using L33T in the blog titles to generate interest. That is, I'm sad to say, the actual title of today's review. The Str8 Up line consists of toothpaste tubes with various liquor products in them, including this one containing Canadian Whisky.... or at least it claims to have Canadian Whisky inside. Opinions differ. In any case, if you're going on an adventure so rigorous and physically demanding that plastic bottles of crappy whisky cannot possibly withstand the journey... Well maybe in those cases you shouldn't be, you know, intoxicated. But if you insist, now you have an option. | |||
| » Predecessor Liquour | 28-MAY-2008 | |
| Before there was American Honey there was Wild Turkey Liqueur with Honey. A bit unwieldy in the naming department, this is clearly built from the same stuff and has sired well. | |||
| » The bottle isn't black anymore, but the Scotch sure is. | 26-MAY-2008 | |
| Black Bottle 10 is a peat beast of blends, incorporating whisky from every distillery on Islay. It's well regarded by peat enthusiasts as an Islay wonder and I almost agree. | |||
| » Glen Grant | 21-MAY-2008 | |
| Glen Grant doesn't give me much to work with. It's a fair Speysider with no real exciting flavors or surprises. As a whisky it's fair drinking. As a muse for blog blurbs, it doesn't really measure up. | |||
| » Betcha didn't know Seagrams made Bourbon | 19-MAY-2008 | |
| Seagrams was once the king of all drinks, but now they're remembered only through a handful of brands within the new giant: Diageo. We start this week out with Seagram's Benchmark, once an upper shelf mainstay. | |||
| » 400 years of Bushmills | 14-MAY-2008 | |
| Bushmills has released an Anniversary Expression to mark 400 years since their 1608 charter to distill whisky and I review it as the first Irish of 2008. Wait... that can't be right...
Bloody heck, it is the first Irish of 2008.
Anyway, the 400 years doesn't apply directly to Bushmills the company, it refers to a grant to distill in the town of Bushmills. So congrats to the town, I suppose. | |||
| » The madness of King George | 12-MAY-2008 | |
| Technically that title refered to KG the III, not the IV, which is the subject of today's review. I'll sum it up to say that madness would have been at least interesting. Instead we get something that is fighting for pure middle of the road blend status served in a bottle that is nearly as boring. | |||
| » Long awaited return to Springbank | 07-MAY-2008 | |
| Should you care to meander back in time, the very first whisky tasting I ever tracked, and the highest ranked tasting of all time, was the 21YO Springbank of yore. Now, 236 tastings later I finally return to Campbeltown to try the 10 Year Old 100 Proof. It's like coming home. | |||
| » Canadian Club 6 100 | 05-MAY-2008 | |
| As of today's 10YO 100 Proof tasting, I have completed everything in Canadian Club's lineup. The only option would be to further explore the cask varieties in their Sherry Cask series, but don't count on it. | |||
| » 2 New Whiskies and Other News | 02-MAY-2008 | ||
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| » JM&R Peaty Smokey One | 30-APR-2008 | |
| I was underwhelmed by JM&R's last attempt. It was underflavored and simplistic in my opinion, so when I spied the peaty version, I thought it would be a good chance for the trio to make some good with some meatier flavors. Did they do it? Click and see. | |||
| » Blind D = My second Laddie. | 28-APR-2008 | |
| Bruichladdich has been a solo act on my list since the earliest, pre Practical Whisky days, which is a shame that is rectified here with Full Strength. This is no mild lad, either. This is a roaring hellion! | |||
| » General Friday News | 25-APR-2008 | ||
| Rather than comment on the row over new names for blends/vattings and such, I'll stick to other items of interest this week. A Danish company (the country, not the breakfast pastry) called Scaent has purchased Glenglassaugh distillery in the Highlands and is planning to start up production. The distillery has a checkered past of openings and closings, so here's to hoping things work out. Highland Park has announced a 40 year old, and at $1000+ that's pretty much all you'll hear about from me. | |||
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| » Blind B= BenRiach 16 | 23-APR-2008 | |
| Long on my "to-do" list, BenRaich finally appears thanks to the blind taste test. The BR 16YO is a nice ride through an unusual flavorset for a Speysider. | |||
| » Blind A = G&M's Imperial Apple Juice | 21-APR-2008 | |
| Whiskies from Imperial are a bit tough to come by, mostly because the distillery releases no official bottlings. This G&M creation was finished in calvados (apple brandy) casks, which imparts a distinct flavor that I wasn't very fond of. It was memorable, though! | |||
| » Blind C = Littlemill | 16-APR-2008 | |
| Littlemill is a recently closed distillery in the already deprived Lowland region and only a handful are still available, so it was great to get the 12YO in a blind tasting. Good stuff and sorely missed. Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm posting reviews in the bottler order (1→4), not the tasting order (A→D). | |||
| » Four Blind Whiskies | 16-APR-2008 | ||
| If your memory serves, a year ago I attended a private Bourbon tasting where I got to try 4 new (and fantastic) Bourbons. My friend managed to pull together the contents of a PREVIOUS tasting that was focused on Scotch. How awesome is that? Now, I lack the bottles and have instead been given 4 small tasting bottles and a booklet detailing what's inside, so no original pictures of bottles to enjoy. However, I can't let an opportunity for a blind tasting to by unseizedupon, so I'll taste and score blind. All I know so far is that there are 4 (out of an original 5) and that they are from various regions of Scotland. | |||
| » The First Whisky of the Rising Sun | 14-APR-2008 | |
| Yamazaki 12 was a slight disappointment. Scorewise it was wonderful, striding proudly to within bare clutching distance of the fabulous 90. But honestly? For my first Japanese whisky I wanted it to be a whole new WORLD of whisky flavor, and well, it tastes like a good Scotch. Now some feathers are perhaps ruffling out there and so be it, but darn it! I wanted this to be like Bourbon, a whole new world of flavor and what do I get? Wood, sherry and malt. Ah well, it is still a great glass and I'll just have to be satisfied with that. | |||
| » Isle of Arran: 4 of 4. The one with the long name | 09-APR-2008 | |
| Ready?Isle of Arran Robert Burns Official Authorized World Federation Single Malt Scotch. Got that? Good. Thanks to my new system all I have to remember is #229, so I'm set. I've no idea who Robert Burns is, or what the Federation has to do with anything. What I do know is that this is a good whisky and it scores well into the 70s. I still preferred the oddly (but shorter) named 100 Proof, but this was a good way to end the tasting. | |||
| » Isle of Arran: 3 of 4. The 100° | 07-APR-2008 | |
| No, not 100 points or 100 years old: 100 proof... in the British sense I guess since it actually clocks in at 57%ABV (114 US Proof). It also puts a degree sign in there, the point of which eludes me. All that aside, the 100° leaps ahead of the earlier Arrans and after a bit of watering scores big points. | |||
| » Isle of Arran: 2 of 4. The 10 YO | 02-APR-2008 | |
| A step up in numbers, a slip in score. Today's 10YO was just a bit noisier and sharper than it's kin, the NAS version. Still, a good glass in the slightly recommendable range. | |||
| » Isle of Arran: 1 of 4. The NAS | 31-MAR-2008 | |
| Also for Christmas (see the Tormore) my brother brought me a 4 pack of miniature Arrans that we sampled together. The first, Arran NAS was a fair introduction to the flavors of the island. | |||
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| » World Whiskies: Murree | 28-MAR-2008 | ||
| I have no real news today, but I stumbled across this and wanted to share. There is a distillery called Murree which exists in, of all places, Pakistan. I don't know how their 12 year old might appear on these pages, but by all the malt in Scotland I'm going to look for it! | |||
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| » A Gift of Tormore | 26-MAR-2008 | |
| My younger brother, who I seem to be corrupting horribly in the ways of whisky, gave me this nice bottle for Christmas. It didn't live up to the fun of a 4-pack of minis (coming soon!) but it was a good bottle that revealed a few subtle flavors. | |||
| » Grants has taken too long to show up here. | 24-MAR-2008 | |
| You've likely seen Grant's Family Reserve sitting amidst the midshelf vanguards. While not a knock-out, this served as a steady, easy-drinking glass that is a credit to its name. | |||
| » News: New Jamesons and New Scotch Rules | 21-MAR-2008 | ||
| Pernod has announced a redesign of the Jameson's line and 2 new Jameson's products: Jameson Gold Reserve (at a suggested $60) and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve ($250). I think you can guess which one might end up here on the site. In other news, Longrow (Springbank) has a new 7 year old Wood Expression that we yanks can't get. So... horray and such. And finally, the Scotch Whisky Association is considering some naming rules changes and Bruichladdich isn't very happy about it. | |||
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| » Some Tasty Nog. | 19-MAR-2008 | |
| Nearly left this one out. I picked up an Egg Nog that comes from a dairy in Pennsylvania and it turned out to be fair drinking. It doesn't score really well for a whisky, but that's mostly because the liquor is tough to taste over the powerful cream and spice. And hey, who says you can't have Nog in March? | |||
| » Steady as she goes: Macallan 10 | 17-MAR-2008 | |
| Macallan 10 tastes like a slightly drier, tighter version of the 12, which certainly isn't a terrible thing but doesn't make for exciting reviews. So... I'll make stuff up here and recant in the review: The ten tastes exactly like artichoke ice cream. | |||
| » New Tasting Schedule | 17-MAR-2008 | ||
| Starting today, I'll be on a Monday + Wednesday Schedule for the foreseeable future. I've exhausted much of my Christmas buffer and I just can't keep up with the cost of 10 whiskies per month if I'm not finding small (cheap) minis. I have a few reviews I can add for whiskies already here and I'll have to pay more attention to news in the whisky universe. | |||
 | » Version Four point Two | 14-MAR-2008 | |
| Version 4.2 has rolled! While I tend to intentionally hype these releases, this one actually involved a massive, top to bottom rewrite of the entire back end. There are going to be some front end changes, but considering that everything behind the scenes is now running faster, better, longer, uh... cheaper, this seemed worthy of front page mention. The biggest change for visitors will be (I hope) speed and usage. Logical placement of some links, faster page negotiation, multiple reviews and lots of additional bits and bobs should allow people to find or browse to interesting whiskies. For me the new system allows me to update, link, add, modify and move things without having to write a lot of new javascript. The database itself provides me with a ton of features that I had once hand-coded. | |||
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| » WoD: I'm being a bit unfair: Glenfarclas 25 | 12-MAR-2008 | |
| It's one thing when a bottomshelf Canadian blend or mixing Scotch isn't very good, one rather expects to be underwhelmed. This is a horse of another color though. Glenfarclas 25 is a quarter century brother to one of my all time favorite Speys, the wonderful 21YO. And yet for all its age and cost it cannot even muster a recommendable score. This is another type of desolation, so I'm sticking it here. | |||
| » WoD: Canadian De Luxe | 10-MAR-2008 | |
| So... insert deluxe joke here, because the Canadians have foisted another monster upon us. | |||
| » Aberlour 12 stumbles | 07-MAR-2008 | |
| As a huge fan of the standard Aberlour lineup, the 12 Double Cask seemed like an easy purchase for our break. Sadly it was heavily over-sherried and falls apart. It's still a world better than what I've been slogging through, but this is hardly a sign of springtime. | |||
| » WoD: Drowning in the Old Mill Stream | 05-MAR-2008 | |
| A bourbon and rye combination that failed in every way to work, the Old Mill Stream seems like it needs some help from the EPA to correct something. | |||
| » WoD: Not the worst ever, but not by much. | 03-MAR-2008 | |
| Gold Crown (HA!) is a bitter, two flavor horror that fails to reach the absolute nadir of the taste chart purely through its simplicity: there are just fewer flavors to hate. It slumps below the 20 point nightmare line by just a hair. Worst of all, this is one of a few whiskies produced in my home state of Maryland, which makes me very sad, especially after ranting at Canadians for producing and exporting so much weak whiskey. | |||
| » Friday News & Retastes | 29-FEB-2008 | ||
| No real news or retastes, but I am working diligently on version 4.2, which will be released shortly! | |||
| » WoD: Canadians won't even drink this stuff | 27-FEB-2008 | |
| I'm starting to think that the bittersweet rye abominations that are pushed on me as “Canadian Whiskey” are NOT the stuff that the Canadians are actually drinking, it's actually the crap that they don't want. I've had some good Canadians, but they're like rays of light through a ceiling of storm clouds. So fess up, northern neighbors, you're foisting your leftovers and leavings on us, aren't you! In my research on who produces this monstrosity I discovered that it isn't even available to Canadians as a domestic whisky! What makes you think WE want it?!? | |||
| » WoD: My first USA Single Malt! | 25-FEB-2008 | |
| Too bad it's pretty awful.Wasmund's Rappahannock Pot Stilled Single Malt is certainly an interesting product, unfortunately its central flavor: a musky applewood and noble rot wine kick, just isn't working for me. At all. I tried to like it, I tried to give it time and space to grow on me, but I've failed. | |||
| » A new (but not improved) Glenmorangie | 22-FEB-2008 | |
| Our first break and my first chance at the new Glenmorangie line up. If you remember back to October Glenmorangie announced a complete revamp of their core lineup. Logos, bottles, taste, the works. This new 10 replaces their previous 10, which was one of my all time favorites and prince of the Top Ten list. The net result is good, but a step down from the malt beast that I so loved. | |||
| » WoD: And here's another "Club" to avoid. | 20-FEB-2008 | |
| If you thought Monday was bad, here we have a beast of a Canadian that is relentless and mean. Hold fast, my friends, Friday is our first break! | |||
| » The Winter of Desolation | 18-FEB-2008 | |
 To *cough* celebrate a streak of bad whiskies I've decided to do a special taste event chock full of 'em. Hey: I suffer, you suffer. Now to give you a break from the bleak marathon that I endured, I've decided to toss in a few rest stops along the way. I had hoped to gather enough of a type to have a counter-taste event going on, but there was no real trend to these pauses except that they aren't awful. If you're curious as to how I managed to find this trove of horrors, I did so on a trip to NC to visit the in-laws for the holidays. To be fair the local ABC stores actually had a nice selection, but I'd already tried all of the good stuff, so I was stuck with the local variety of leftovers in the smaller size bottles. So... uh... enjoy?We kick things off this week with ↓ | |||
| » WoD: Yet another Heaven Hill label | 18-FEB-2008 | |
| Evan Williams 1783 10YO is, shockingly, another Heaven Hill multi-ID bourbon... and another disappointment. It started well enough, and died and is thus interred here in the Winter of Desolation. | |||
| » Friday News | 15-FEB-2008 | ||
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| » Bowmore 21 is almost as good as Dawn. | 13-FEB-2008 | |
| The 21 YO seems to be a drier, smokier version of the awesome Dawn. The lack of a sweet contrast and a big cost difference puts it beyond practical status, but it was a good end to a triplet of Bowmores. | |||
| » Bowmore 17 | 11-FEB-2008 | |
| The second in a string of 3 Bowmores, the 17 YO is good stuff and helps to bring some balance to the drastically varied Bowmore flavor lineup. | |||
| » A Legend from Bowmore | 08-FEB-2008 | |
| The legend I'm reading says that Bowmore Legend tastes good. Sadly like many legends, it's just not true. Bowmore has been all over the map in flavor for me, from the dizzying heights of Dawn to ... well, this. | |||
| » At least one part of Canadian R and R is interesting. | 06-FEB-2008 | |
| To be more specific, Canadian R&R's bottle is interesting. The whisky inside is of no importance compared to the cool bottle. Too bad I don't rate packaging, eh? | |||
| » I need a bourbon break | 04-FEB-2008 | |
| Aside from SoCo a month ago (which doesn't really count), I haven't put a Bourbon on the list since mid December! I'd hoped to break that streak with some awesome Bourbon. Instead I picked up Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur. Just take a look at that name and tell me how in the world I can be objective here. Please. So... it wasn't that bad, drinkable and all that. It would have been better if it were horrible so I could have some fun with it. I guess I should track down an Irish whiskey for 2008, and now I still need a Bourbon. | |||
| » Final Switch | 01-FEB-2008 | ||
| As of today, all updates will take place at www.practicalwhisky.net | |||
| » Chivas 18YO | 30-JAN-2008 | |
| Having already tasted the fair 12 YO and fabulous Century finding 18 year old was a must. Were it not for the recently introduced 25 year old, I could have checked the Chivas Brothers off my list! | |||
| » Duggan's Dew | 28-JAN-2008 | |
| D. Dew = Do not bother. Old Duggan has access to a good set of flavors from which to build and goes absolutely nowhere with them. | |||
| » Danfields Private Reserve 10YO isn't a Scotch. | 25-JAN-2008 | |
| I doubt you few dear readers are coming here to find new and exciting Canadian Blends to savor, I know I've pretty well given up, but if you are here's one to add to your list. Not at the top, mind you, but not one of the hordes of Canadian blend bores. So, somewhere just slightly down the list a bit. | |||
| » I bet you've heard of White Horse | 23-JAN-2008 | |
| White Horse blend ranks among the standards I think of when I imagine Scotch Blends. Grants, JW Red and J&B are certainly on that list as well, the old guard mixers you see in the well of every bar. I had planned to put WH here earlier, but it was difficult to find this in less than liter size, and I knew I wasn't up to putting away a liter of this. In fact, I wasn't able to go through much more than three glasses of WH. | |||
| » Ledaig of the overwhelming Sherry | 21-JAN-2008 | |
| Ledaig SF tastes like someone poured a pint of sherry into the bottle. It isn't normally a bad flavor, but at these levels it's a distraction and has little else to save it. I also realize that 2008 has been a string of Scotches, a trend that will continue until Friday. | |||
| » Big News | 18-JAN-2008 | ||
Two major (related) announcements!
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| » Fleischmann prefers this to... something. | 16-JAN-2008 | |
| Oh, the pathetic mediocrity! Since this was barely a half-drinkable whisky, I'll finish this writeup using half words: Fleisc wa no ve go. I d no li i a al. Ro i He fleisc. I'll leave the translating to your imagination. | |||
| » The Two Hundred | 14-JAN-2008 | ||
| In 2004, standing in a friend's garage I was instructed, nay, ordered to sample a single malt of yet to be surpassed quality. It was a key in the ignition for me, inspiring dozens of tastings that wound up in a tiny flip-book notepad that I kept in my briefcase and in a text file shared on my rather boring web space. One year and three months ago I moved those few dozen reviews onto the web to share with more friends, and the rest is... well, this site. Slainte! Salude! Prost! Cheers! Maljanne! Kampai! Vivat! Or however else you say it. | |||
| » #200: Ardbeg 17 is fantastic. | 14-JAN-2008 | |
| For my 200th whisky I chose an Ardbeg that has been off shelves for a year or two: Ardbeg 17yo. I couldn't pass up on the chance to try it, and I'm glad I did. After a difficult taste-off, the 17 ties the fantastic 10 year old at an even 90 points. | |||
| » JM&R's lead off is weak. | 11-JAN-2008 | |
| I had high hopes for John Mark and Robbo's line of vattings and blends. I picked up their Smooth Sweeter One (Scotch variation) for a party and it was drinkable, but too bland to score well. | |||
| » Bowman is pretty boring. | 09-JAN-2008 | |
| Bowman's is a fairly bland, drinkable and forgettable blend. And coming off the mega news of Monday, even it's writeup is pretty bland. | |||
| » Southern Comfort and “Drinkable” in the same sentence. | 07-JAN-2008 | |
| Oh yes, you read that correctly. My least favorite whisky product ever has a 100 proof cousin that, truth be told, wasn't that bad. That's right, not that bad. In fact, it had but one overwhelming flaw that prevented it from being an entirely pleasurable drinking experience. So... here goes: Southern Comfort 100 proof is fairly drinkable. | |||
| » Friday News & Retastes | 04-JAN-2008 | ||
| A combination, I've done a retasting of Glenfiddich 15 Cask Strength and have seen it back on store shelves! | |||
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| » Obligatory Old Smuggler | 02-JAN-2008 | |
| In a field of “Old” whiskies there are a few standout greats whose titular age claims match their drinkability. Old Smuggler is not one of them. Man, I didn't kick off 2008 any better than I wrapped 2007! | |||
| » ==2= H A P P Y =0= N E W =0= Y E A R =8== | 01-JAN-2008 | ||
| It's 2-0-0-8! 2008?!? Wait, That's Impossible! No, it's true: Happy New Year! | |||
| » For my 2007 wrap up of the best whiskies from the past year | 31-DEC-2007 | |
| ↑ Go to the my 2 cents page! | |||
| » Official Old Pulteney is Officially Fair | 31-DEC-2007 | |
| Wrapping up our 2007 tasting season is an official Old Pulteney to compare to the mediocrity of an Indy from back in the Mini Madness II days. The result? The 12 is slightly better, reaching recommendable status but not impressing much beyond that. Maybe I should have planned to wrap this year on a higher note. | |||
| » Cutty Sark 18 sails! | 28-DEC-2007 | |
| Where the earlier Sark was a rowboat in a rainstorm, the older and wiser 18 year old sails tall and proud. The aged versions of the Sark are tough to find locally, and seem to appear and vanish from the lineup with little notice. | |||
| » Chivas Century of Malts | 26-DEC-2007 | |
| These are disappearing from shelves at a rapid pace, which is a shame because the complexity and flavor makes it well worth the price tag. I can do little more than look forward to Chivas' next special release. | |||
| » Happy Christmas! | 25-DEC-2007 | ||
| May you have a wonderful season. | |||
| » Evan Williams Egg Nog for Christmas | 24-DEC-2007 | |
| This was a Thanksgiving pick up that I held on to for Christmas. Nobody else seemed to like it, but if you're a fan of nog and bourbon, this might be a good experiment. | |||
| » No News & Retastes | 21-DEC-2007 | ||
| I'm taking a break in the run up to Christmas, plus nobody seems to have any breaking news on the wires. There'll be some interesting site news shortly after the New Year though, look for it around review number 200. | |||
| » MMII: The Talisman | 19-DEC-2007 | |
| The mysterious Talisman comes to me as a surprise entry toward the end of our mini marathon. In any other tasting it might have scored topmost, but its 70+ score is forced to fight against some real winners and it risks getting overlooked. A shame for such a good blend. | |||
| » MMII: Auchentoshan NAS isn't very good | 17-DEC-2007 | |
| Auchentoshan follows the well received Glenkinchie from the Lowlands of Scotland and utterly fails to impress. Flowery and sharp, it plays a poor second fiddle. This has recently been replaced by the "Select" in the Auch. lineup, so one hopes that this represents an improvement. | |||
| » MMII: Dalmore is a puzzle | 14-DEC-2007 | |
| A puzzle that you'll enjoy picking apart, I believe. I was thrilled to find a Dalmore in mini form since it seems to sit just next to the standard Highland pack on the shelves of better liquor stores. | |||
| » MMII: Clontarf SM is the top for good reason. | 12-DEC-2007 | |
| The peak of the Clontarf Trinity tower, this is the Single Malt of the bunch and the only one that I really much enjoyed. It was ultimately disappointing to add only one drinkable Irish to my list as I have a deep fondness for green malts from the Isle. | |||
| » MMII: Kentucky Vintage is a spicy meatball | 10-DEC-2007 | |
| A monster of spice and dry bourbon goodness, Kentucky Vintage brings home silver for the Bourbon team in this tasting. In fact it's testimony to the scope of this tasting to see so many big numbers. | |||
| » The Kthulu finally gets retasted | 07-DEC-2007 | |
| Whisky number 006 in my book was Cardhu 12s, a single malt Scotch that scored a lowly 38 way back in 2005. For a long time I've known that it deserved a second shot, but Cardhu stopped making the 12 in 2005 and I was unable to get another bottle. Now I've tracked one down and the beast gets it's fair second shot. Is it a Cinderella story of a misunderstood gem getting bashed by a novice? Well, not really. While it earns a 15 point bonus in the retaste, that still barely puts it in drinkable range. At least now I can sleep at night. | |||
| » Happy Hannukah! | 06-DEC-2007 | ||
| May you have a wonderful season. | |||
| » MMII: Bowmore Darkest brings redemption | 05-DEC-2007 | |
| Between the lofty heights of Dawn and the dire straits of Dusk lies Darkest. While it will always be overshadowed by its golden brother, the darkest sibling can at least take comfort in being good, peaty stuff. I have to mention that as Bowmore's ranks swell, it seems to be all over the score map. | |||
| » MMII: My first Lowlander is a winner. | 03-DEC-2007 | |
| I'm a bit embarrassed that it's taken me this long to finally get a Lowlander on this site. I blame the sheer volume of Highlanders compared to only three active and a few recently inactive Lowland distilleries (Glenkinchie, Auchentoshan and Bladnoch are active, Rosebank still exists, as does, I believe, St. Magdalene). Glenkinchie 10 leads the Lowland brigade honorably, pulling off a good score and setting the stage for further entries. | |||
| » MMII: Rowan's Creek | 30-NOV-2007 | |
| Winner of this year's worst label award, Rowan seems to have put only slightly more effort into its taste as it did into its exceptionally simple and ugly label. Seriously, this is something my 5th grader would throw together in ten minutes for a homework assignment so he could go play video games. As a lover of Bourbon I'm really tired of the “homey” spin companies insist on putting on our national whisky. It's bad enough that the label rules are so lax and there's such an overabundance of crap cluttering the shelves, we really don't need more reasons for bourbon to be dismissed. | |||
| » MMII: Old St. Andrews shoots a birdy. | 28-NOV-2007 | |
| OK, I'll keep the golf jokes to a minimum. Old St Andrews Clubhouse Blend is named for and sold by the famous golf course in Scotland and comes to you as golf-ball shaped bottles of whisky that are thankfully made by people as interested in product as they are in packaging. Steady, honest, straightforward blending that only made me feel slightly silly pouring it out of a golf ball. | |||
| » MMII: Clontarf Reserve is the torso of the Trinity | 26-NOV-2007 | |
| What did the robot in the torso get to DO anyway? I guess if it was also the head, but then you're still just the middle management of the robot combination... I guess being a foot is no real payoff either, most of those things seemed to fly. Anyway, the middle bottle of this stack is Clontarf Reserve and it was appropriately mediocre. | |||
| » News | 23-NOV-2007 | ||
| The Scotsman is reporting that Diageo is trying to buy into Indian liquor company United Distillers, which owns Whyte and Mackay and a good part of the Indian Market. Whether this forebodes a bigger move by Diageo or not isn't known. | |||
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| » Happy Thanksgiving! | 22-NOV-2007 | ||
| For everyone in the USA, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Remember to raise a toast to everyone! | |||
| » MMII: Cu Dub doesn't deserve its reputation | 21-NOV-2007 | |
| I don't have the ú key on my keyboard and it is going to mess up my script references. I'll just spell it correctly in the notes Cu Dub. This is a whisky that other reviewers love to hate, and while I didn't love it, it was hardly the evil glass of steaming death that I was led to expect. | |||
| » MMII: Noah's Mill is a monster | 19-NOV-2007 | |
| A bourbon beast of complex flavors and miles of expression. This is what a powerhouse bourbon should be: unrepentant, demanding and ultimately rewarding. Noah is no gulping whisky, this will require attention, contemplation and respect. | |||
| » MMII: Bowmore Dusk establishes that I'm a morning person. | 16-NOV-2007 | |
| Where the prior Dawn was fantastic, Dusk is less so. Actually, very much less so. I admit that Dawn set a high standard, but this is fewer than half as many points less so. This is the very definition of building and failing my expectations. | |||
| » MMII: Teachers is a classic... | 14-NOV-2007 | |
| ...allegedly. I found it to be a musky, chalky mess with precious little to enjoy about it. I'm starting to suspect the classic age of whisky wasn't as good as everyone seems to imply. | |||
| » MMII: Clontarf and the awesome Trinity | 12-NOV-2007 | |
| While not a mini of the 50ml variety, the Clontarf Trinity set provides you with 3 200ml bottles that stack and form a larger bottle like an Irish Whiskey Voltron. Or that Transformer made up of construction vehicles. Or... a power ranger Zord thing if that's more your era. I suppose you could go back further. I wonder what the first combining-robot slash thing TV show was? | |||
| » Weekly News | 09-NOV-2007 | ||
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| » MMII: Pure Kentucky Gold | 07-NOV-2007 | |
| One of four mini bourbons in this event, Pure Kentucky was on my list for the Alphabet Challenge for letter X, but I couldn't get a hold of it. It's a pity because PKXO is great stuff. | |||
| » MMII: Old Pulteney 8 | 05-NOV-2007 | |
| I decided to update my original review rules when I purchased Old Pulteney 8. When I was buying from local liquor stores a few carried Independent Bottlings which I excluded due to 1)cost and 2)availability. This bottling from Gordan and McPhail would break those rules, but finding a mini version has led me to update my purchasing guidelines. Sadly, Old Pulteney doesn't really thrill me for my first Independent. | |||
| » MMII: Bowmore Dawn is simply fantastic | 02-NOV-2007 | |
| Coming in above the exceptional 90 point line, Dawn is an Islay powerhouse that came out of nowhere. With two more Bowmores scheduled for this taste event it could end up being a very one sided affair. | |||
| » MMII: Mosey on up to the Barr | 31-OCT-2007 | |
| The Gilded label version of the John Barr rainbow fails to impress me any more than the Black Reserve managed back in June. This one manages to be steadily mediocre rather than a bipolar mess, but the net result score was the same. Thankfully I only had a mini to put away instead of a full bottle. With only their bottom-of-the-line red and a mysterious blue (older label?) left, John Barr is looking like a dead end for me. | |||
| » Happy Halloween! | 31-OCT-2007 | ||
| Hope you get lots of candy! | |||
| » MMII: Saint Brendans is YAIC | 29-OCT-2007 | |
| Yet another Irish Cream, that is. This was the first I found, and although it's a bit weak to kick of MMII, I swear things will get better. Probably around Friday. | |||
| » Mini Madness ][ ][ : The taste of FEAR | 29-OCT-2007 | |
 In honor of my having spent the summer accumulating a new hoard of miniatures, I've pushed them all into a pile and danced around them starkers in hopes that the Whisky Gods will grant me a fine harvest of flavors. This event is looking to run us up to Christmas with a grand total of 20 whiskies, following the 5 whiskies every 2 weeks (MWF+MW+news)format that worked reasonably well earlier in the summer. | |||
| » It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas | 26-OCT-2007 | ||
| Oh, the joy of seasonal change in the special packaging section of local liquor stores. I've spotted some early gift pack offerings; which are a great way to try new whiskies, get some decent glassware or even ... I don't know, give them away as gifts, I suppose. Anyway, beside the Bourbon/poker sets and the Kahlua fondue pot set (the hell?!?) there sat the new Glenmorangie “Original” Ten year old with glassware. It appears that this is a new product inside and out, so apparently I'll be heading back to Glenmorangie sooner or later. One clerk also mentioned a Talisker pack, which would be great if it's not the 10yo again. Yes, it's barely Halloween and things are already looking interesting. Here's hoping! | |||
| » No Real News | 26-OCT-2007 | |
| I'd hoped to be into my new standard 10/month format MWFMW, but preparation for the upcoming Mini Madness II tasting has prevented me from doing so. Next week, however, will include 3 new tastings, none of them are Canadians or Bourbons and one (secret clue!) will even score above 90! So forgive my slow struggle to get everything in line. I can offer a second tasting of Knob Creek as a tiny concession, but it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't particularly impressed with the brand. | |||
| » Midleton Very Rare | 24-OCT-2007 | |
| If you know anything about Irish Whiskey, you don't need to see any more than the title of today's whisky. This was an anniversary gift from my lovely wife. | |||
| » Back to Back Canadian winners | 22-OCT-2007 | |
| It truly is a miraculous month here at Practical Whisky. While I didn't enjoy Canadian Club's 10 year old as much as last week's Pendleton, it still rises far above the typical chaff of the Great White North and ranks as my favorite from Club's lineup, which I believe I've essentially finished. | |||
| » Friday News | 19-OCT-2007 | ||
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| » Yeah! A great Canadian... from Oregon. | 17-OCT-2007 | |
| Yeah, you can figure this one out if you want, but it's a Canadian whisky brought to you by an Oregonian... Oreganic... A Rodeo from Oregon. As I'm not from Oregon and don't follow Rodeo, sometimes I just have to accept things and move on. Also, I'm not sure what's up with all the Canadians and Bourbons lately. You see them in the order I get them... At least Pendleton 10 is a good Canadian, very nearly a great Canadian in the same crowd as Forty Creek. | |||
| » Henry McKenna is an imposter. | 15-OCT-2007 | |
| Henry McKenna didn't score very well, and worse still it has revealed itself to be another Heaven Hill multiple personality Bourbon (the 6year 80proof version). While not a complete bottom shelf bourbon, it has but a few interesting ideas and a bit of spunk. Sadly it also has a coppery and tart flavor throughout that just sort of ruined it. | |||
| » Sad Friday News | 12-OCT-2007 | ||
| Michael Jackson, the respected whisky and beer reviewer and not the Whisky and Beer reviewer Michael Jackson died on 30 August. I'm not sure why I'm so late in reporting this, but he was a founding father of the modern drink review. His books on beer helped revolutionize the options you now have at your local pub and he was a true star of the whisky scene. Sliante, Mr. Jackson. | |||
| » MacNaughton is pretty weak | 10-OCT-2007 | |
| I wish I could tell you more, MacNaughton is a boring Canadian in a crowded field of boring Canadians. A veritable plantation of boring, featherweight whiskies dripping with bitter rye aftertaste and a Yukon winter's worth of warmth. | |||
| » Eagle Rare should be your house bourbon | 08-OCT-2007 | |
| The tops of the practicality chart are nearly bursting with 99 point all stars and Eagle Rare 10 SB joins the pack. A truly spectacular Bourbon and a downright steal at $30 a bottle. If you like bourbon and haven't grabbed this one: go! Go now! | |||
| » Friday News! | 05-OCT-2007 | ||
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| » A Dirty Dozen Bourbons | 03-OCT-2007 | |
| According to the Whisky Bible, some fifteen different bourbons are, in fact, all the same thing with different coats of paint. One of them is Evan Williams Green Label, which is actually a shame because I liked this bourbon well enough and Evan Williams needed the boost. To help anyone looking for the varied incarnations, they will all link to the same review. | |||
| » Yet another fair Canadian | 01-OCT-2007 | |
| Canadian Springs was a cheapie that I grabbed at a grocery store because it was there and I was there and these things just sort of happen sometimes. In truth it isn't a terrible Canadian, with the standard set of faults and just enough character to make it enjoyable. | |||
| » Friday Retastes IX | 28-SEP-2007 | |
| Today a retaste of my new benchmark for 60 points: Johnny Walker Black. I think I've grown a fondness for this basic blend, it lacks sophistication and depth, but overall it has stood tall as a reasonable and respectable Scotsman. | |||
| » It wasn't just an age, nor even just an ANCIENT Age... | 26-SEP-2007 | |
| it was an ANCIENT, ancient age. Darn near archaic. Primordial even. So ancient there were only 10 stars rather than the billions and billions we see today. Yeah, that far back is where you must go to find Ancient Ancient Age 10 star Sour Mash Bourbon. I picked this up for no real reason, then bumped it so as not to have it land on my first anniversary tasting. I was tempted to bump it 6 more spots so it would fall exactly 100 tastings after the original, but I'm not that obsessive. The short of it? A big improvement over original Ancient Age, but it would have had to be a massive improvement to reach recommendable. | |||
| » One Year Anniversary! | 24-SEP-2007 | ||
 And Lo, The Fourth Seal Was Opened And A Multitude Did Cry Out. One Year, One Hundred Sixty Two Whiskies!Here is what the page looked like back in the ancient days of 2006! | |||
| » Long Overdue Laphroaig | 24-SEP-2007 | |
| In celebration of my first anniversary with this site, I decided to grab a bottle of something from a distillery that's been on my to-do list for ages: Laphroaig 10. If you love peat beasts... well, then you already know about Laphroaig. If you're just learning to love the dark beast you should have this in line right behind Lagavulin and my personal go to peaty Ardbeg. | |||
| » Everybody wants to know | 21-SEP-2007 | |
| why I hate SoCo. It is, without question, the most frequently asked question I get. Here's my response. | |||
| » New whiskies ahoy! | 21-SEP-2007 | ||
Many a new bottle to be had:
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| » Return of a well known game bird | 19-SEP-2007 | |
| In searching for an upline of Ballantine's I found Famous Grouse 12 in a “Gold Reserve”, which isn't how the 12 is advertised on most online sites or Grouse's official site. This might be the tail end of the prior Grouse lineup or a limited set, but with all the love Grouse's standard version showed me I didn't hesitate to grab this one. It comes in dead even with the stock release, which is a still a great score but a bit of a disappointment given the shift in cost, age and suggested quality. Worth having at least and I still have the rest of the Grouse lineup to look forward to. | |||
| » The continuing adventures of the bland blends | 17-SEP-2007 | |
| In back to back to almost back mediocre Scotches, we now have Bulloch Lade (BL) who's most interesting feature is apparently its name. This is another of those founding father name sets (Misters Bulloch and Lade) which in this case was eventually snapped up by Diageo and now we have naught but a depressingly bland blend to remember them. When I go I hope they can at least give me a half decent Spey or Islay. Anyway, to keep your interest this review is the most poetic whisky review I've ever attempted. | |||
| » Scoresby lives right next to Stuart | 14-SEP-2007 | |
| Remember House of Stuart? Probably not. Either way you've essentially tasted Scoresby. More or less. Yeah... so space to fill... space to fill... Oh, I know. Scoresby Scotch isn't sold in Scotland! That's kind of interesting. Yeah? No? Fine. Look, if the Scotches aren't going to try to engage me then I'm not all that motivated to engage you. | |||
| » Not Another Corn! | 12-SEP-2007 | |
| No man can withstand two corn whiskies within two weeks you say! It cannah be DONE, you claim! Nay and Nevah! I have taken up the challenge! I can and shall and, in fact, HAVE done so, tracking down another moonshine emulator from a little farm in the Commonwealth o' Virginia who claims an actual documented history of shine making. And who am I to argue? On a side note, having two unopened shorties of corn lightning made me consider a taste event. And higher homeowner's insurance. Combining the horrors of the liquour tasting and bourbon marathon convinced me otherwise on an all corn festival, thankfully. In the end lightning strikes twice and we end up with good, enjoyable company for J W Corn. | |||
| » Last of the Beams | 10-SEP-2007 | |
| Tucked away between the White Label and my choice house Bourbon Black Label sits this, Jim's Green “Choice ”. The Green scores slightly lower than the Black, but given it's slightly cheaper cost it actually ties exactly with the master for practicality! I'll probably shell out the extra few bucks for the Black label, but I sure won't turn down this as an alternative! | |||
| » Friday Retastes IX | 07-SEP-2007 | |
| I have a small sample of Glenmorangie 15 left from my wedding anniversary last year that I've retasted. I've found that my palate has improved a bit, as I can now detect some nice fruits amidst the big malt flavor. It also means that I need to track down any whiskies that I don't have second tastings of already stored. Oh, and the Glenmorangie was quite good, but the score stays the same. | |||
| » Stuart's house isn't that great | 05-SEP-2007 | |
| The House of Stuart is a three bedroom split level with a cracked window or two and lots of peeling paint. The gutters need some work and the neighborhood isn't the best. On the plus side it comes to you for a steal and doesn't have foundation problems or mold, and the termite guy says that the damage is mostly cosmetic. In all seriousness this was everything I've begun to anticipate from a weak blend, boring and full of thin grain and hay flavors. | |||
| » Glenrothes Vintage 1991 | 31-AUG-2007 | |
| In a bit of coincidence, my first ever Glenrothes of a few weeks ago is followed by this, a 1991 vintage Glenrothes. In case you're wondering, Glenrothes doesn't do age statements, they do year vintages based on when they think the whisky is ready. The winning card for this Single is its complexity, new tastes and wonderful layers overcome a few odd notes. This was a birthday present that got shelved for a few weeks thanks to a surplus of whisky birthday presesnts. | |||
| » A corn whiskey that acually doesn't suck | 29-AUG-2007 | |
| Not only does it not suck, J W Corn is downright drinkable. Oh, it isn't going to set the leaderboard on fire with a shoc | |||
