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…
Does the “No Age Statement” Trend Mean Bad News for Your Bourbon?
To your average consumer, the age of a whisky is often viewed as synonymous with its quality. Older = better was an easy gauge of value, especially since it almost always corresponded with a price increase. This was true for every dram from Scotches to…
Canadian Rye is Surging onto the North American Whiskey Scene
Just like Scotch is an essential part of Scottish culture and bourbon an icon of Americana, rye whiskey is a distinctive part of Canadian heritage. Canadian whiskey has a several hundred year history, and its distinctive light taste has made it popular in mixed drinks…
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…
Norlan Whisky Glass: A Review
Just to make it perfectly clear, I don’t Kickstart things often. But when I took a look at what Norlan had planned for a whisky glass, I simply couldn’t resist — especially when my backing would net me two glasses when the project came to…
Touring Talisker: A Behind The Scenes Look as Skye’s Whisky
When I went to Scotland, I decided to make it a priority to visit the distillery which made my (currently) highest rated scotch. That distillery was Talisker, and that whisky was their unbelievably good 57 ° North, a NAS, cask-strength beast of a dram. It…
Basil Hayden’s Bourbon: Good for Bond, Not for Me
When you think of James Bond’s drink, you think of – well you know what it is. But it’s not simply agitated vodka drinks the suave spy goes in for – it’s bourbon too. In the 2011 Bond novel Carte Blanche, James keeps Basil Hayden’s…
Lot 40 Whisky Has a Lot to Offer
Canadian whiskey has traditionally gotten a bad rap. Mostly thanks to brands like Canadian Club serving the “bottom shelf mixer whiskey” slot with extreme consistency (although their Chairman’s Select Rye proves they can deliver a decent dram.) But dawn is breaking for Canadian whiskey lovers,…