My recent one week stint at Bangalore gave me the chance to get my hands on a few local whiskies, some of which aren’t either available in Australia, are scarce and rare or just costs dearer. Roaring its way into the month of October is a whisky that has both aesthetics and a name that…
Tag: blended whisky
Review : Compass Box Orchard House
Blends might not always get their fair share of chest thumping or ogles but stumble across a Compass Box and it gets some of the most amourous and provocative looks. And why not, a distillery that is transparent like no other, with expressions that not only provides an experience but also good quality spirits that…
Review : Hibiki Japanese Harmony Master’s Select
Hibiki over the years have introduced several NAS bottlings as a replacement to some of their well established aged statements, largely owing to a reduction in existing reserves. The Master’s Select being one, was one of their earlier releases, introduced at Travel Retail sometime towards the end of 2015 just after their Harmony release. Both…
Review : Ballantine’s 17 YO Scotch Whisky
This 17 Year Old whisky is no stranger to gold, back in 2010, 2011 and yet again in 2019, this expression has been bestowed several awards, testament to its consistency and unfailing quality. The brand as was with several others during the time was born out of a grocery store, this one at George Ballantine’s,…
Review : Suntory Whisky Toki
The Toki is an unorthodox take from the regular Japanese expressions, where the key constituents are usually summoned from the Yamazaki distillery. This grain-malt mix however is a fusion from all the three Suntory greats – Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita, in varying forms and proportions. The whisky’s grain constituents make their way from the Chita…
Review : Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
Johnnie Walker isn’t a stranger to the whisky enthusiast nor the amateur, irregular whisky sipper. The unmistakable bottling, the striding gentleman and the 24 degree labeling are all hallmarks of a brand that has pretty much stood tall, fending off most if not all competitors in terms of both sales and popularity. In the long…
Review : Royal Salute 21
A flagon embellished in gold – an aristocratic crown, a simple yet noble torc and a rather large chest plate. Made with porcelain, handmade from cornish clay and caressed by a plush velvet pouch, figures of smoking cannons and a roaring lion, all packaged in a hard top 22ct cardboard box . This level of…
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 Double Black
Great whisky does not have to be top dollar; and to amass a number worthy fan following doesn’t require it to be a single malt either- The Johnnie Walker Black Label. This blended scotch has successfully captured the Highlands and the West Coast with decent complexity without really drilling a hole in your pocket, and…
Fun Facts – Japanese Whisky
In continuation to our whisky fun facts write up, I thought of including another post that involves a genre that had critics and distillers alike left in awe, jaws dropped and taken aback. The awards were almost always ‘reserved’ for the Scots and the Irish, but all heads turned towards this entrant from the East…
Review : 100 Pipers 12 Years Old
A friend of mine had recently travelled to the US on business, and had got me a bottle of Bushmills 10 YO for my review. While making a trip nearby, he thought of handing over the bottle instead of me having to do the travel. I had recently changed jobs and the meet turned out…
Review : Vat 69 Black
Every once in a while you stumble across something that stays camouflaged in the background but just for that instance gets caught in your field of vision. And though it might not always be a high dollar spirit, the act of discovery itself manifests an interest that draws you to pour yourself a dram and…
Review : Teacher’s Highland Cream
It all started in the early 1830s when William Teacher began making blends and selling them at his grocery store. After he was granted a license in 1856, he opened a ‘dram shop’ and with time, the number of such establishments grew to eighteen. Although there were several of his blends sold over the counter,…
Review : Black Dog ‘Centenary’ Black Reserve
The Centenary, the youngest expression from the Black Dog family has had some stage presence in India for quite a while and though distilled and aged in Scotland, it is imported and then bottled locally. This effectively brings down the import customs considerably making them not only pocket friendly but also enabling cash registers to…
Review : The Famous Grouse
The ‘Famous Grouse’ came to life in 1905, and was known as the ‘Grouse Blend’ prior to being renamed. Much of the blends existence can be attributed to almost a century ago in 1800, when Matthew Gloag, a native of Perth, Scotland started his establishment, ‘Matthew Gloag & Son’. A grocer and a wine merchant…
Review : Black & White Blended Whisky
December and Christmas is when I make a run down south to the lands of backwaters, plush green estates, rubber, banana and coconut plantations. Kerala is where my folks reside and is my home away from home. And this time, while tidying up a few shelves and scrubbing up a few nooks and corners I…
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: Ballantine’s Finest
The Saturday night get-togethers, white noise and laughter in the hallways, angry neighbors, steamy hot kebabs and the clink of flat glasses; a handful of happy memories brought by that unmistakable distinctive arrow shaped label on the dark tanned colored bottle. My relationship with the Finest goes back to a decade; one which we chose…
Review : Teacher’s 50
The Teacher’s brand being almost omnipresent in India amongst the foreign liquors, made sense for it to launch this whisky onto Indian shores to celebrate the countries’ glorious 50th year of Independence. Be it the proportion of malt to grain, or the summation of the many whiskies that made this blend, this sibling from the…
Uisce Beatha | My Whisk'e'y Diaries 