Bruichladdich Classic Laddie is a Bit of a Mixed-Bag Scotch
My aunt Paulette, ever the generous patron of Sublime Imbibing and Scotch enthusiast sent me on a delightful mission — pick up a Scotch I hadn’t tried for us to taste at a family reunion, and she’d pay for it. With the budget set at…
Dewar’s 12 Year Delivers a Delicious Dram
Among casual scotch snobs, blends are so often summarily dismissed you might think none are worthy of any attention. Even a casual run through of your local liquor store stock will likely provide evidence of their inferior status – they’re a lower price, on a…
A Dram of The Dalmore 15
I’m never one to refuse scotch, especially when that scotch is promised to be a 15 year old single malt. So when my Aunt opted to bring me a sample of her recently-purchased The Dalmore 15, I enthusiastically accepted (thanks again Paulette!) This Highland scotch…
Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch: This Little Piggy Went Down Easy
Like many self-proclaimed scotch enthusiasts, I give far more attention to Single Malt’s than I do to blends. Not because Single Malt’s are inherently better (although in my experience they have been), but because if you’re going to drop money on a scotch, you want…
Affordable, Accessible, Enjoyable: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Some people have become obsessed with the notion that things have to be complex or challenging to be good. In Scotch’s case, it’s popular to pursue big peat monsters, or the cask-strength heavily spiced expressions. Yet, Sometimes, when you return to the root of something…
Head to Head: Talisker 10 Year vs. Talisker 57° North Scotch Whisky
Reconnecting with an old friend can sometimes be a bit awkward – your interests may have changed, your paths diverged, old jokes gone stale. But when that friend invites you to try a bevy of whiskeys – among them the legendary Talisker 57°North – you…
Double the Wood, Double the Good: The Balvenies DoubleWood 12 yr Single Malt
I was on the hunt for a holiday scotch when I stumble across The Balvenie DoubleWood. This 12 year old has garnered something of a reputation after winning Gold for single malts 12 years and under at the International Spirits Challenge this year. Word had it that…
Sipping With Smoth: Blind Luck at a Blind Whiskey Tasting
What happens when a group of friends find themselves with several bottles of whiskey and nothing to do on a Saturday night? Why, a blind whiskey tasting of course. Last year, by sheer coincidence, my close group of friends noticed we were each simultaneously in…
Guardians of Good Taste: Glenlivet’s Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt Scotch
What happens when a distillery sends out scotch samples to its loyal followers and have them vote on the best one? A damn fine product, apparently. This is exactly what Glenlivet did with its Guardians’ Chapter Scotch in 2013, and the winner became a limited…
Hard to Pronounce, Easy to Enjoy: Auchentoshan Valinch 2012 Single Malt Scotch
I never in my life thought I’d be describing a whisky with 57.2% alcohol as “easy drinking.” But if ever a scotch deserved to be associated with this cliched phrase, its Auchentoshan Valinch 2012 Single Malt Scotch. I had the pleasure of trying this whisky…