At a time when liquor was produced illegally and the need to push against all the competition meant licensing the means to produce spirits – George Smith an illicit distiller formed the first licensed Distillery in the parish of Glenlivet, the year being 1824. The Glenlivet is one of the few that survived the Great…
Tag: scotch whisky
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 : Chivas Regal Extra
The weekend came with a surprise, in the shape of a nice shiny red box – The Chivas Regal Extra; thanks to a friend of mine who got hold of it at the Duty Free Store. Its absence at the local liquor stores tells me that it’s still being exclusively sold at the airports and…
Review : Whyte & Mackay Special
The first time I had caught wind of the Whyte & Mackay portfolio was while browsing the internet and stumbling across a couple of YouTube Videos of their Master Distiller, Richard Paterson; a very passionate, enthusiastic and hands-on person. Probably one of a handful of Master Distillers who love devoting ‘on screen’ presence spreading whisky…
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 : Old Smuggler Blended Scotch
Hidden behind dark silhouettes, held gently by a few cobwebs and sprinkled with dust from the years of abandonment, was this nostalgic bulbous bottle with clear antiquated fonts. And if it was not for the lighting and the resulting hint of gold that caught my eyes, chances are this bottle might not have seen the…
The Wood in Whisky
Every once in a while at the liquor store, I get stumped each time I come across whiskies that are tagged with sometimes mind numbing phrases such as being Solera Vatted, or matured in Triple Casks, PX or Select Casks. And I’m sure other novice drinkers like me do find themselves in the same predicament…
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 : 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 : Glenfiddich 12 years
The Scottish Speyside is insanely famous for their whiskies and is home to the greatest number of distilleries as of any other region in Scotland. Glenfiddich is no stranger to this region and is by far the most selling single malt whisky in the world. In Gaelic, the term means ‘Valley of the deer’ and…
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…
Scotland and Scotch: The Regions
Green scenic pastures, castles, lawn bowling, kilts and bagpipes, are some of the highlights that a few might be cognizant of when the term Scotland comes up in a conversation. But a majority of us might have something different that pops up in our minds every time we hear the word Scotch…oh sorry! Scotland (You…
Review : Vat 69
Vat 69 has had its share on the silver screen be it in a few vintage Bollywood movies or in a sitcom or two. This fella is home to a blend of 40 different (grain and malted) whiskies and has a history which dates back till 1863. Although being a premium whisky here in India,…
Uisce Beatha | My Whisk'e'y Diaries 