Connor McGregor, Dennis Rodman, Justin Timberlake, P Diddy, Ludacris, George Clooney and Adam Levine aren’t names you’d usually come across put together, let alone on a whisky blog. And weird as it may sound , these folks do have quite a bit in common – they all own (read ‘in partnership’) their very own liquor brands. And I’m…
Review : Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey
Little did one know that a game of hunting fowl and a round of alcohol among good friends would help craft the name for this unorthodox sounding whiskey…. The 19th century had two parallel tales, one a distiller- Jason Rippey who immigrated to the United States from Tyrone, Ireland, only to settle in Kentucky and…
Review : Twenty Third St. Distillery Hybrid Whisky
Twelve hours, two boarding passes, a couple of turbulent bumps, but otherwise an enjoyable flight was our journey into the unknown. As we stepped out of the airport we were greeted with a rather cold breeze, quite unorthodox considering October brought with it the season of spring. The Southern Hemisphere was welcoming – quiet, peaceful…
Review : Johnnie Walker Island Green
A mid 2016 release inspired by the more popular 15 YO Green Label, this NAS expression – The Island Green, was introduced exclusively at Duty Free outlets adorning a similar styling as it’s well placed blended malt sibling. With the preference amongst consumers shifting more towards Malts and blends being their first point of entry,…
Review : Chivas Regal’s Chivas Brother’s Blend
The Chivas Distilleries hadn’t strayed much with their bottle designs when it came to profiling their whisky portfolio. They did however leverage color to visually distinguish between the various bottlings and much of these colorings to me have been carefully picked such that it aligns closely with their branding – regal, high stature and luxurious….
Review #50 : Chivas Regal 18 Years Old
This post, the 65th, happened to coincide with my 50th whisky review which now meant I needed to open something a bit out of the mundane (based on our recent poll this had to be a blended whisky). The month of August too had several highlights which gave all the more reason that I pick…
Review : Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select
Pot stills, column stills and triple distillation would in all likelihood fire up a few dozen neurons leaving you imagining yourself pouring either an Irish or some Lowland Scottish blend into your favorite tumbler. But given a few moments, you drift pass your imagination and realize that what you’ve come to fathom wasn’t really true,…
Review : Monkey Shoulder
Whisky blends form around 90% of sales globally and blends in general would cause one to think of a mix of grain and malt whiskies. A sliver perhaps… but still a genre in itself, there are these that they call vatted malts, more commonly known as malt blends – blended whisky with zero grain presence…
Review : Gentleman Jack
Introduced in the year 1988 – over a century since the distillery last introduced an expression to their existing portfolio; the Gentleman Jack was poised to sit a notch higher than the Old No. 7 giving customers an opportunity to experience something more premier and upscale. These first generation bottles were initially sold exclusively within the United…
Review : Glenfiddich Select Oak – Cask Collection
Ever wondered why Glenfiddich and the lesser known Grants adopted the trademark triangular shaped form, one which has undergone little to no change since its inception in 1961? The design and much of its persona was the brainchild of master designer Hans Schleger; and the inspiration…malt whisky trinity – water, air and malted barley without…
The ‘Two W’ face-off – the Great Whisky debate!
In life there are many things grey that just doesn’t conform to things black and white. And whisky isn’t a stranger to this too, there’s the: Bourbon vs Tennessee debate – simple, straightforward but still unsettling! Whisky vs Whisk’e’y – this one doesn’t seem to be going anywhere! Whisky Origin – Ireland or Scotland?! –…
Review : Yamazaki 12 Year Old Single Malt
Never before have I waited this long for a bottle that I’ve heard so much about. Since my interest for whisky had spurred a different direction and the mysteries of the Japanese juice had made rounds in the various books, forums and websites; I had my mind set in getting a taste of that oriental…
Review : Johnnie Walker Red label
We’ve hit the JW Black Label in our last post and also briefly compared the Dewar’s White Label to the Ballentine’s Finest. But having said that, we’re not leaving the youngest sibling from the JW stables aside without a fight and surely a worthy competitor at that; yes today we’re diving into the JW Red…
Review : Johnnie Walker Black Label
If you were to overhear the word ‘scotch’ in a conversation; chances are the first bottle to flash by your mind would be in all likelihood the infamous Johnny Walker Black label. Better yet, observe the liquor counters at the Indian Duty free stores and chances are you’d see more than a few Johnny’s being…
Review: Bulleit Bourbon – Frontier Whiskey
My trip to the Americas a few months back had introduced me to a Bourbon that I’ve seldom heard off here in India; never seen at the local liquor stores, the duty free shops or from the mouths of colleagues, peers, friends and coworkers. In fact, the pronunciation of the tag on the label itself…
Review : DEWAR’s White Label
The DEWAR’S was established in 1864 with White Label making its debut much later in 1899 by master blender A. J Cameron. In terms of age, this scotch is certainly the youngest from the Dewar’s stable but holds great popularity especially in North America. In India, however this position is filled by the more popular…
Review : Paul John- Brilliance
Dedication, passion and a love for doing things right can do wonders even for an amateur, something which echoes very strongly with the folks at the John Paul Distillery. They’re entry into the world of Single Malt whisky was quite recent; 2012 in UK, 2013 in Goa and much later in Bangalore. Within this short…
An update on my journey…
It’s been over five months since I’ve reformed myself and taken up this new found hobby. And to be honest, I did doubt myself initially as I wasn’t sure how long this last would. But fast forward to the present and I’m still a believer! My friends and coworkers seem to accept me now, and…
Review : Jack Daniel’s Old No 7
To me this American favorite has a cult status of its own and is so much imbibed into American culture that it shares a popularity that many don’t. Be it movies, art, theatre, NASCAR or music, this legendary elixir always receives a mention! Fame exemplified when music legend Frank Sinatra was sold to the Jack…
Shades of Spirit!
Alcoholic beverages have been around for over thousands of years, with remnants dating as old as 7,000 BC; perhaps even more! Now for a spirit to finally take its form, it requires three basic ingredients: yeast, sugars and water coupled with time. The time allows the yeast to act on these sugars to break them…
Uisce Beatha | My Whisk'e'y Diaries 