Many scottish distilleries take the name of the town that they are built on. Some, however, are influenced by the surrounding topography. The Craigellachie distillery, built in 1891 is a bit of both, meaning “rocky hills” in gaelic, it takes the name of its village, sitting proudly on ‘craggy rock,’ also commonly called the ‘rock…
Category: Review
Review : Johnnie Walker Black Ruby
It’s been a while since I had a sip of Johnnie’s, the acquaintance bore fruit when my eyes briefly strayed and fixed itself upon a rather dark – ruby shaded bottle with the contours that seemed very familiar. This wasn’t the ordinary Black, but a colour more entrenched in a rich, dark blackcurrant like hue…
Godawan Single Malt Series 01
There is a burgeoning blitz for high quality, single malt whisky in India, with expressions popping up every now and then. And why not when there is real value that sets them apart from the average, low cost, poorly constructed spirits; something that both local and foreign distilleries see as an untapped opportunity. Alas, Diageo’s…
Review Tiger Snake Whiskey
Continuing the “world whisky” streak, we head down under, diving into something more local, this time closer to home. The Great Southern Distilling Company is situated in Western Australia with a presence in both Albany and Margaret River. They make a variety of spirits in their repertoire – Gin (Giniversity range), Vodka and Whisky; with…
Review : St. George Baller Single Malt Whiskey
Bourbon has always been strongly associated with the use of corn and with no fault; considering how the grain has been sown into the very fabric of American culture, being planted and harvested since the time of the countries’ early settlers. Malted barley has played a more purposeful role here, leveraging its use for fastening the fermentation…
Review : Kavalan Concertmaster Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky
A dive back into the realm of world whiskies was long awaiting, with a flavour profile that is influenced by a sub-tropical climate, the coastal ocean air and made from water that flows from mountains blanketed in snow. The distillery and the expression itself finds its origins from the far East, not as extreme as…
Review : Dalmore 12
The Stag is an emblem that adorns several famous distilleries and at least two to most; one the Glenfiddich, meant to represent the “Valley of the Deer” while the other, the Dalmore – with its Stag and its 12 point antlers bravely embellished as part of their branding, an ode to a legacy that dates…
Review : Glen Scotia Campbeltown 1832
This seldom heard bottling jumped onto my headlights on my trip back to Perth; the salesmen didn’t miss the opportunity either, selling a strong and rather persistent pitch. It did seem like he knew his spirits, but there was surely some gift of gab at play. Nevertheless, I thought, why not give this one a…
Review : Bowmore 10 Aston Martin
Both the Bowmore and the Aston Martin are stalwarts in their own right; backed by a rich history with each offering qualitative contributions in their own fields. An outcome from yet another collaboration between the two, were a series of expressions, a tri-series – The Bowmore Aston Martin 10, along with the older 15 and…
Review : Jura The Bay 12 YO
The Jura in my view, hasn’t got that many eyes, nor does it sail the word of mouth as one would hope. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of advertising that is missing substantial outreach, the lack of effective product placement or awareness; or its availability barring the 10 YO expression! For me, perhaps…
Review Ledaig Rioja Cask Finish
The Ledaig to me has always been a stellar whisky, especially for the value that it brings. The expression has had the misfortune of being lesser known than the other mainstream distillers for several reasons – known and unknown. However their 10 to me was such a great tuple – sweet and rich, fortified with…
Review Bowmore 10
To make things interesting, I got myself a Bowmore 10, a whisky I’ve sampled several times, though not particularly for a review. The choice for circling back emanated from a keen interest to ascertain how the Bowmore Aston Martin 10 stands up against the base travel retail bottling from the distillery. The Bowmore is no…
Review Talisker Surge
My first experience with the Talisker was very mundane, leaving me unimpressed. Possibly a bad batch of the 10, because every other sampling was quite the opposite, making me an avid fan of their briny, peated profile. And when a new expression caught my eye, I was inquisitive to see how this one would play out….
Review : Glenfiddich 14 YO
Have you ever felt that the most unappealing of casks is probably the Ex-Bourbon cask? You know… those casks that have previously aged American spirits (Bourbon); used, re-used and possibly abused due to their relatively cheap pricing and easy availability. I mean how much can a newly distilled spirit garner from a barrel that’s already…
Review : Amrut Bagheera
The Bagheera is a reclusive animal, one that has been part of local folk lore and even a main charachter in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” This expression of Amrut takes an unusual route adorning the Bagheera along with the very regal Mysore Palace, with splashes of shades of green taking backstage. Why the Bagheera?…
Review : Benriach Triple Distilled Three Cask Matured 10 YO Single Malt
It had been a while since I got to pen my thoughts on some of my recent acquisitions; family, work and other commitments taking precedence. Missing on the joy and the clickity clackity sounds from hitting the keys on my keyboard re-inspired and brought joy in reliving what a particular whisky had to offer, its…
Review : Glenmorangie The Accord 12
Travel retail to me are the experimental grounds where distillers introduce some of their new releases amongst a smaller subset of consumers giving them the advantage of understanding consumer appetites’ before being released into the general public. But on the flip, explains why travel retain releases do not garner much hype as many a times…
Review : Arbeg Smoketrails The Manzanilla Edition
Smoketrails is a limited series of expressions introduced by the House of Ardbeg, that provides travelers an experience of the influence of casks sourced from around the world against the distilleries’ traditional smoky and peaty flavours. Another addition to pep up this ARDventure is the distilleries’ four-legged mascot, “Shorty,” a Jack Russell meant to join…
Review : Lark’s Rum Cask Release III
Another limited release from the Lark distillery finds itself at the table ready to be lapped up for a review – the Rum Cask Release III! This Tasmanian tuple is their third instalment of the series, grabbing influence from casks that are local to the distillery – the “Quite Cannon Rum”; explains the illustration on the…
Review : Highland Park 2001
The Highland Park 2001 is a Global Retail release from the Orkney Island based distillery and another expression within my collection back when I was just beginning my journey appreciating whisky. The collection, which was fuelled by several travels built my fondness for the golden elixir with many feeding my spirited journey, ultimately coming at…
Uisce Beatha | My Whisk'e'y Diaries 