Nikka Whisky from the Barrel Packs a Kick
I’m an absolute sucker for cask-strength whiskies as anyone who’s followed my blog has probably realized. There’s something about the rich bite of a strong whisky that gets my engines revving. So when I first encountered the demure, petite (at only 500ml) bottle of Nikka…
Chivas Regal 12: Giving Blends a Bad Name
Chivas Regal 12 was one of the very first whiskies I ever tried. My mom (a notorious Glenmorangie 10 drinker) received a bottle for a gift, and turned her nose up at it. “Yuck” I’m certain she scoffed snobishly. “Chivas. A blend for heaven’s sake.” Being young enough…
Virginia Black Whiskey: Drake Gimmick or Great Dram?
If you’re like me, you probably can’t WAIT for the next rapper to release their self-branded spirit. Just kidding. You’re probably like most, and don’t care all that much about Jay Z’s “Champagne” or Nikki Minaj’s wine. But what about a bourbon-style whiskey by Drake?…
Pappy Van Winkle 23: Tasting the Unicorn
I’ve written about Pappy Van Winkle 23 before. Not about tasting it of course — I mean, realistically I never thought I’d get a chance to. The hype surrounding this [in]famous bourbon is such that mere mortals with laughably puny bank balances are rarely afforded…
Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Scotch Whisky: Win the Scotch Gift Gamble
We’ve all experienced the scotch gift gamble. You want to get a special bottle for the discerning sipper, but perhaps you’re not familiar with their favourites or worse, you don’t know much at all about scotch and are reliant on the ramblings of bloggers for advice…
Sipping With Stogies: What Whisky to Pair With Your Cigars
Whisky and cigars have a long and glamorous history together. You’ll be hard pressed to watch an old movie featuring high society without a scene where dinner jacket-clad men repair to an opulent room to sip scotch and puff on a stogie. It’s something many…
Forty Creek Barrel Select Whisky is Worth Rediscovering
I had forgotten about Forty Creek Barrel Select. Sure, I’d occasionally still go in for the quite-good Copper Pot (when it was on sale), but I can’t even recall the last time I picked up a bottle of Forty Creek’s flagship. It’s not that I don’t…
Woodford Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Finish: My Dream Bourbon Come True
“It will be mine. Oh yes… it will be mine.” Anyone who’s seen Wayne’s World is familiar with this line, a promise Wayne makes to one day purchase the guitar of his dreams. I uttered a very similar phrase, except it wasn’t targeted at a guitar,…
Pike Creek Double Barrel Whisky Doubles Down on Sweetness
I am loath to write a negative review of a novel Canadian whisky at least trying to break the stereotype of Canadian whiskies being universally bland and relegated to ginger ale-based beverages. So I hope you all appreciate how it pains me to say Pike Creek Double…
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask is a Sweet, Complex Speyside
When whiskies get a lot of hype, I get a little worried. Will they live up to it, or disappoint me? Am I buying a decent dram or simply buying into a successful marketing campaign? Of course there is another alternative — it exceeds the…