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Stories from August, 2011

Caol Ila Moscatel Sherry Distillers Edition Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Caol Ila

“Not bad whisky but this whisky doesn't taste as good as it should.”

89
Caol Ila 1996 Moscatel Sherry Finish Distillers Edition
A sherry finished distillers edition from the Caol Ila distillery. Distilled in 1996, the Moscatel sherry has coalesced beautifully with the smoked power of the Islay single malt, the feinty notes are beautiful with cigar box and honey.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (92): strong. peat, honey, a littlegrapes, floral.

Palate (88): oily, powerful. peat, iodine, cocoa, wood. It doesn't work. The combination of peat and sherry doesn't work on this whisky.

Finish (87): long. peat, cocoa, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Caol Ila 1996 Moscatel Sherry Finish Distillers Edition with 89 points over 100.

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Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Glenfiddich

“A real crack! Really a phoenix raising from the snows.”

90
Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix
On the evening of 7th January, in the most remote part of the distillery estate, a number of warehouse roofs dramatically collapsed under the weight, leaving the maturing oak casks exposed to the night sky. In wintery conditions and temperatures of -19?C, distillery staff swung into action, working round the clock to clear the snow.

Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, commented: "Standing amongst the wreckage and exposed casks, we were working out our next steps and assessing the situation. I was thinking about how the casks, some of which were very old, contained some beautiful whisky and it occurred to me that they would create a fantastic non-aged single malt. A limited edition bottling from the whiskies in the damaged warehouses would be an appropriate way of celebrating the pioneering spirit of the distillery team at this moment in Glenfiddich's history. "

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. malt, vanilla, spices, wood, peaches, floral.

Palate (91): smooth, oily, powerful. fruits, malt, wood, spices, honey, vanilla, floral, chocolate.

Finish (90): long. fruits, peaches, wood, honey, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix with 90 points over 100.

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"Scotch: the History, the Taste and the Mystique" at September, 8th in San Francisco

By Miguel in News

Snifter Glass Society
Whisky Archive and The Distilled Man present “Scotch: the History, the Taste and the Mystique.” Appropriate for Scotch novices or aficionados, the educational tasting will provide answers to these and many more questions:
Why is Scotch whisky made only in Scotland ? Why does Scotch whisky taste smoky? Why are single malts more expensive? Why do single malts differ in taste? Where is the “Whisky Trail”? Is older whisky always better? Does water really intensify the whisky flavor? How long can single malts be stored? Why do single malts vary in color? What does “cask-strength” mean?

This intensive 2-hour workshop will be led by Mark Stewart Cassidy, a Scotch specialist. For over 10 years participants have learned from Mark to fully enjoy and appreciate the most complex and culturally entwined spirit of them all.

You will be tasting 5 scotch whiskies:
Lowland: Auchentoshan 1998
Speyside: Glen Grant 16 yr
Highland: Ben Nevis 15 yr
Campbeltown: Longrow 10 yr
Islay: Laphroaig Quarter Cask

If you are interested check at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/190558


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Clynelish 14 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Clynelish
89
Clynelish 14 year
The successor to the now-silent Brora, built opposite the original distillery and producing a top-quality rich, smoky dram. One of the best entry-level proprietary bottlings available from any distillery.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. sweet, banana, honey, vanilla, wood.

Palate (89): dry, oily, powerful. malt, floral, honey, wood.

Finish (88): long. floral, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Clynelish 14 year with 89 points over 100.

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Bruichladdich 17 years old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bruichladdich

“I don't like the combination of the sweet sherries and the peat. It doesn't work well.”

88
Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry
A Bruichladdich from the 1992 vintage, aged in bourbon casks before finishing in casks that previously held sweet, sticky Pedro Ximinez sherry.

This dram has a tawny-like color.

Nose (91): powerful. sweet, peat, honey, fruits, a littlechocolate.

Palate (86): smooth, oily, powerful. fruits, peat, malt, iodine, cocoa, wood.

Finish (86): long. raisins, cocoa, peat.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry with 88 points over 100.

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Bruichladdich Laddie Classic Edition Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bruichladdich

“A good light peated Bruichladdich. There is little peat, almost none. Interesting.”

88
Bruichladdich Laddie Classic Edition 1
A blend of different vintages, Laddie Classic marks a full release of American Oak matured whisky, crafted by Master Distiller Jim McEwan to exhibit the true, classic flavours of Bruichladdich, distilled from unpeated barley. The distillers are calling this 'the essential Bruichladdich'.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (89): strong. honey, floral, citrus, pears, smoke.

Palate (89): oily, powerful. peat, wood, citrus, floral, honey.

Finish (87): long. wood, floral, peat.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich Laddie Classic Edition 1 with 88 points over 100.

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Cragganmore 16 years old 1992 Signatory Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Cragganmore

“Interesting. A really long finish.”

88
Cragganmore 16 year 1992 Signatory
A 16 year old, un-chillfiltered Cragganmore. This was distilled on the 8th April 1992 and aged in hogsheads 1459 and 1460 before bottling on the 15th September 2008. A release of 624 numbered bottles from Signatory.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (88): strong. honey, a littlevanilla, floral, wood, a littlepeaches.

Palate (89): smooth, oily, powerful. floral, honey, fruits, wood, rubber, a littlecocoa.

Finish (88): long. floral, wood, a littlefruits.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Cragganmore 16 year 1992 Signatory with 88 points over 100.

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Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion review

By Miguel in Recommended , Books

Perhaps the best whisky book out there about whisky and single malts. I reviewed the 5th edition

Malt Whisky Companion 6th Edition

Really intructive with a very interesting section that analyze the flavor of whisky and where it come from. The book is very centered in Scotland and well it is now more than seven years old but if you are new to malt whisky and what to raise your education on the matter this is a must-read book.

First, Michael Jackson writes about new trends in malt whisky, with a really sighful vision of the future: microdistillerries, japanese malts, Islay whiskies, different kind of malts from the same distillery ( see Bruichladdich or Springbank ), wood finished whiskies, cask strength, vintages, single cask and unchillfiltered whiskies.

Then proceed to explains the possible origins of whisky, malt whisky and blended whiskies. Also how to read whisky labels and understand the different terms written like single malt, peated, sherry aged, cask strenght, single cask, etc…

Then Michael Jackson writes a full section explaining there flavors of whisky comes from: regional variations of Scotland, different kind of waters, peat, heather, types of barley, seaweed, shapes of the still, kind of casks. It is a most interesting chapter that everyone that want to know about whisky should read. The book also portraits maps of Scotland with its distilleries.

Michael Jackson writes about age statement on whiskies and discuss which age is better for whisky and the reasons behind most distilleries range of single malt whiskies.

Malt Whisky is centered in distillies of Scotland, it writes about its history and relevant facts, its house style and then some tasting notes of its most relevant bottles along with color reproductions of some of the whisky bottle labels. Michael Jackson use a five points score system: color, nose, body or mouthfeel, palate and finish. His recommendations are whiskies above 80 and very few are beyond 90. The tasting notes are more rigurous that Jim Murray’s and they also has recommendations about how to get the most of each whisky.

If you were going to buy just one book about whisky you better make sure it is this one. The best most complete malt whisky book I have ever read. Really recommended. There is also a new edition published recently where Dominic Roskrow, Gavin D. Smith and William C. Meyers update Michael Jackson’s work, as he passed away in 2007 of a heart attack. A huge lost for whisky world.

Buy Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion at Amazon.co.uk


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Bowmore 27 years old 1982 The Octave Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bowmore

“Amazing whisky! A masterpiece. Something remind me of Master of Malt Bowmore bottling. Love this stuff.”

93
Bowmore 27 year 1982 The Octave
The 1982 Bowmore from Duncan Taylor's incredible Octave range.

The whiskies are matured in a standard cask before giving a finish in a sherry treated Octave cask, which offers a speedy maturation due to its decreased size. The result is a rich, cask strength single malt.

It reminds me of another delicious Bowmore from Master of Malt.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (94): strong. peat, candies, a littleparma violets, citrus, wood.

Palate (93): oily, powerful. peat, dried fruits, citrus, candies, wood, a littlecocoa, a littlecinnamon.

Finish (92): very long. peat, candies, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bowmore 27 year 1982 The Octave with 93 points over 100.

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Auchentoshan 1991 Coopers Choice Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Auchentoshan

“Incredible tasty. The nose is also rather good but extremely light”

85
Auchentoshan 1991 Coopers Choice
A single cask from the Lowland distillery Auchentoshan, known for its classic style and orchard fruit character. This was bottled as part of the Vintage Malt Whisky Company's Coopers Choice range.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (81): strong. floral, a littlehoney, a littlevanilla, a bit cinnamon.

Palate (90): light, powerful. floral, wood, honey, vanilla, pepper.

Finish (84): longer than average. floral, honey, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Auchentoshan 1991 Coopers Choice with 85 points over 100.

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Kilchoman Winter 2010 Release Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Kilchoman

“True Islay Character!”

90
Kilchoman Winter Release 2010
The 5th general release bottling from Islay's farm distillery. Another small batch release for Winter 2010. Matured for over 3 years in fresh bourbon barrels.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (90): strong. peat, grass, pears, citrus.

Palate (91): oily, powerful. peat, sweet, malt, citrus, floral.

Finish (90): long. peat, floral, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Kilchoman Winter Release 2010 with 90 points over 100.

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Thomas H Handy Straight Rye Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Buffalo Trace

“A great rye. The finish is really long, it keeps echoing for hours. A bit of water may be sensible though.”

89
Thomas H Handy Straight Rye Bot. 2010
The 2010 release of the stunning rye whisky, Thomas H Handy. Bottled at cask strength, this are very well aged and have loads of complexity.

This dram has a mahogany-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. floral, roses, vanilla, corn, melon. The alcohol hurts a bit the nose so take care but overall light and floral.

Palate (91): light, powerful. floral, corn, vanilla, wood, floral, pepper, bread.

Finish (89): very long. floral, corn, vanilla, bread.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Thomas H Handy Straight Rye Bot. 2010 with 89 points over 100.

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Smokehead 18 years old Extra Black Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Smokehead

“Looks definitively older than the other two expressions of Smokehead and older than 18 years old. A nice old Islay malt for a fair price.”

90
Smokehead 18 year Extra Black
A longer-aged edition of Smokehead, the popular mystery Islay Single Malt bottled by Ian McLeod Distillers. This Extra Black expression is 18 years old.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): average. honey, floral, candies, peat, wood.

Palate (90): oily. peat, honey, citrus, wood, spices, cocoa.

Finish (89): average. peat, candies.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Smokehead 18 year Extra Black with 90 points over 100.

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Sheep Dip Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Sheep Dip

“Excellent nose.”

89
Sheep Dip
A great whisky made from 16 malt whiskies aged from 8 to 21 years. Jim Murray describes Sheep Dip as "young and sprightly". Great retro packaging too. The only thing is, the picture of the sheep on the bottle doesn't actually look like a sheep, it actually looks like an angry spaniel with horns.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): strong. Fruits, honey, vanilla, tobacco, wood.

Palate (88): light. fruits, wood, floral, honey, a littlevanilla.

Finish (87): longer than average. floral, wood, a bitcocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Sheep Dip with 89 points over 100.

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Charles Maclean's World Whisky review

By Miguel in Books

Similar in conception to Michael Jackson Whisky book but Charles Maclean focus more on bottles.

Charles Maclean World Whisky

Begin with a short explanation of how whisky is made and a small but helpful list of aromas that are usually found in whisky and where they come from.

Then sorting bottles by country proceed with big photos of bottles in alphabetical order with a little description of the distillery or brand and a tasting note of its most relevant bottles. Between pages and pages of bottles, around four per page, there are sections to explain key facts of whisky making and whisky business. Also feature proposed tours around Scotland to visit distilleries.

It is a good book but I do really enjoy more Michael Jackson Whisky book.

Buy Charles Maclean’s World Whisky at Amazon.co.uk


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Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Kilchoman

“All Kilchoman are strongly peated but this one also has a lovely cereal nose”

90
Kilchoman Spring Release 2011
The Spring 2011 release of Kilchoman is here and the early reviews have been excellent, so we can't wait to try it!

This is the sixth official release of Kilchoman and is a vatting of three year old and four year old whisky from first fill and refill bourbon casks.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. toffee, peat, citrus, grass, barley, spices, vanilla.

Palate (89): powerful. honey, peat, citrus, vanilla, pepper.

Finish (89): longer than average. peat, honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Kilchoman Spring Release 2011 with 90 points over 100.

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Big Peat Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Big Peat

“Excellent nose but a bit dry taste for my palate.”

90
Big Peat
Douglas Laing's Big Peat is a Blended (as we have to call them now) Islay malt containing spirit from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and, shockingly, Port Ellen. Not as full-on as the name might suggest, but with pedigree like that at this price Big Peat is a nailed-on winner. Picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (94): strong. peat, floral, earthy, coffee.

Palate (89): dry, oily, powerful. floral, peat, floral, espresso, citrus.

Finish (88): long. floral, peat, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Big Peat with 90 points over 100.

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Glen Garioch 1994 Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Glen Garioch

The Glen Garioch 1994 limited edition is only the 3rd special addition to the Glen Garioch single malt range.

1994 Garioch Bottle

“What a great nose! Awesome! A lovely nose and a good taste with an interesting floral finish.”

90
Glen Garioch 1994
This Glen Garioch small batch whisky is done using peated barley from their own maltings prior to the distillery being mothballed temporarily in 1995.

This is the latest in a range of delicious small batch offerings from Glen Garioch. And it has been bottled at cask strength
Many thanks to Glen Garioch Distillery for the sample of this stunning whisky.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (94): strong. sweet, biscuits, vanilla, honey, fruits.

Palate (89): dry, oily. malt, peaches, floral, vanilla, spices, cocoa, wood.

Finish (88): long. floral, spices, pepper.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glen Garioch 1994 with 90 points over 100.

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Arran Caskstrength and Carry On Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Arran

“A bit light on the nose but then the taste converts it into a awesome whisky.”

89
Arran Caskstrength and Carry On
The first ever whisky to be bottled by a blog! This was bottled in May 2011 to mark the 3rd birthday of the renowned Caskstrength.net. Caskstrength.net was founded in early 2008 by two former rival A&R men, who joined forces to share their passion for whisky with the world. Since its inception the blog has grown massively, as the two now regularly travel around the world to write about whisky

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. floral, honey, vanilla, lemon, malt, wood.

Palate (90): smooth, oily, powerful. fruitsm floral, candies, vanilla, a littlewood, peaches, pears.

Finish (89): very long. candies, floral, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Arran Caskstrength and Carry On with 89 points over 100.

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July Whisky Blogs Roundup

By Miguel in Featured , Blogs

It is back! Longer, bigger and uncut!

It has been a long time since I was able to write the round up. I expected to write this weekly but I have been extremely busy and I haven’t been able to do it.
So in a new hope, I plan to do a monthly blogs round up with just the best of the best, so in a ten minutes you can stay updated ( or outdated! ) of what has been happening in the amazing world of whisky worlds.

Coastal Holiday Sand Beach

BoubonBlog writes a interesting tasting review of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey

Dramming has, along it great concise tasting notes, two good articles about whisky: Ten things about scotch whisky everybody should know and the ten essential scotch whiskies that everybody should have tried. Just one thing, where is my ardbeg?!.

The Casks features a very complete review of Mortlach 15 years old from Chieftains independent bottler and of Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve. Wasn’t this one discontinued?

CaskStrength and Carry On has several good reviews of Kilchoman 100% Islay Whisky, Compass Box Great King Street Blended Whisky and their own Arran bottling which is not sold out unfortunately.

John Hansell of Mald Advocate writes a most interesting post about keeping whiskies from oxidizing and a good amount of Islay whiskies review: classic Lagavulin 16 years old, Laphroaig Cairdeas and Ardbeg Alligator Committee Reserve. Lucky guy!

WhiskyforEveryone reviews also Kilchoman 100% Islay Malt, Spanish DYC 8 years old blended whisky of which they say it is “refreshing and ideal for drinking in a hot climate”. Sure! Keep it and we will take Macallan for us :).

WhiskyIsrael does a review of St George English Whisky Chapter 11, both the standard and the cask strength version which should be released really shortly. Also write a serie of tasting notes from Benriach distillery. As well as a tasting session of four Glenfiddich: 12 years old, 14 years old Rich Oak, 15 years old and 21 years old.

WhiskyNotes has some great tasting notes of Inchgower 36 years old from Master of Malt ( guess who bought the last bottle of it! ), a japanese whisky Akashi White Oak, a not really favorable review of DYC blended whisky ( I have to agree with Ruben that the whisky isn’t good, it is hell better to get the DYC Single Malt Coleccion Barricas, this one is a great Spanish whisky ). Also he writes a few reviews of Japanese whiskies, among them Yamazaki 18 years old. Worth reading them really.

Whiskyfun turned nine years on July and Serge is now over 7400 tasting notes. The archived post features lots of tasting notes from many independent bottlers.

If you enjoyed the article, like it.


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Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Buffalo Trace

“Good bourbon. One of the best noses I remember on Bourbons of this price range. I can't recommend you this enough.”

90
Eagle Rare Single Barrel
Buffalo Trace, who makes this 10 year old whisky, was named Distiller of the Year by Whiskey Magazine in 2005 and 2007 and by the Wine Enthusiast in 2006.

Paul Pacult of the The Spirit Journal gave it four stars and said: "Easily one of the most tactile yet assertive and expressive bourbons I've tasted in the last two years; fasten your seatbelts."

This dram has a tawny-like color.

Nose (92): strong. corn, vanilla. Perfect bourbon nose!. You can't get anything cleaner.

Palate (90): light, smooth, powerful. corn, honey, vanilla, floral, bananas.

Finish (88): long. vanilla, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Eagle Rare Single Barrel with 90 points over 100.

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Smokehead Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Smokehead

“Nice secret single malt whisky, almost sure it is a Caol Ila with some bold spices notes.”

89
Smokehead
A un-named single malt from Ian Macleod Distillers, with a big South Islay style. "Its like a cannonball!" say the producers. We like it very much, some of our staff loving it. Great value, attractively packaged, and with all that muscly brawn of a young Islay malt.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. smoke, honey, wood, spices, citrus.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, wood, spices.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Smokehead with 89 points over 100.

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Mackmyra Brukswhisky Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Mackmyra

“Floral and light dry whisky. Not my kind of whisky.”

84
Mackmyra Brukswhisky
"Mackmyra bruk" is the name of the old industrial complex where the dis­til­lery is located (just west of Gävle in Sweden). Furthermore, "brukswhisky" can be translated to "everyday whisky" or perhaps "anyday whisky"

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (85): strong. floral, sweet, spices, wood. Smells really good but it is very light.

Palate (83): light, dry. floral, dry, spices, wood, pepper.

Finish (83): longer than average. floral, spices, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Mackmyra Brukswhisky with 84 points over 100.

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Amrut Fusion Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Amrut

“Woo! Serious stuff! It is so much better that the last I tried. Scots be scared!”

92
Amrut Fusion
This high-strength Amrut Fusion gets its name from the fact that it uses two barleys: Indian and Scottish - with the latter being peated for good measure.

A really excellent mouthfeel and palate combining oak, smoke, dark fruit, mocha and high-cocoa dark chocolate. Delicious stuff.

This Amrut was the 3rd best whisky in the world in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. Definitively something not to miss!

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (92): strong. honey, peat, fruits, a little nuts, spices, vanilla, raisins, cocoa. Better nose than the standard Amrut. It is more complex and darker, like a Tim Burton film.

Palate (93): smooth, powerful, oily. honey, peat, fruits, nuts, raisins, vanilla, wood, citrus.

Finish (92): longer than average. honey, wood, spices, nuts.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Amrut Fusion with 92 points over 100.

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Jim Murray's Whisky Bible: World's leading whisky guide review

By Miguel in Books

A great whisky tasting guide with many whiskies, over 4500. Helpful on buying decisions.

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2011

I personally share many of Jim Murray likes so I think it is a good way of knowing what to expect from a whisky.The only negative thing I see on the guide is that the score of some whiskies is really high, specially many blends that after trying you can wonder if you are drinking the same whisky.

On it firsts pages it explains the best way of reading the whisky bible, what he want to mean with nose, taste, finish and balance and what each score means.

A very interesting feature of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible is the list of Whisky Award Winners. It is a full page with many categories as best whisky, best scotch whisky, best scotch whisky under 12 years and so on. I think there is a category for each whisky :)
Then you can read the Liquid Gold Awards that are whiskies with scores above 94. Again, as you can see the list is huge. Are really there so many incredible whiskies out there?!.

Then you have the tasting notes section sorted by countries: Scotland single malts and blended whiskies, Ireland, American whiskeys, Canada, Japan, European whiskies and finally whiskies from other countries. The tasting notes themselves are usually sort, a single phrase usually explaining the whisky most relevant features. There are some others where the tasting note details nose, taste, finish and balance, some of them are even fun: just check Port Charlotte PC7 tasting note :)

This guide is a must-have for every whisky fanactic out there: Helpful, pocket size and cheap. Whatelse?

Buy Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible at Amazon.co.uk


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Dailuaine 16 years old Flora and Fauna Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Dailuaine

“An interesting nose but a quite dry taste that for me detracts of the whole experience.”

88
Dailuaine 16 year
A delicious bottling from a rather obscure distillery. Big, rich, sweet and smoky, with a very smooth mouthfeel and plenty of fruits and spices

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): strong. fruits, wood, honey, vanilla, a littleespresso.

Palate (87): smooth, powerful. wood, floral, spices, rubber, sweet.

Finish (87): long. peat, wood, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Dailuaine 16 year with 88 points over 100.

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Hendrick's Gin Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Glenfiddich

“A good gin with really floral tones that stand over the botanicals.”

86
Hendrick's Gin
Hendrick’s is an iconoclastically produced small batch gin distilled in Ayrshire, Scotland. Our unusual distillation process combined with our oddly delicious set of infusions yields a one-of-a-kind gin that is passionately loved by a tiny yet growing handful of individuals all over the world. No other gin tastes like it because no other gin is made like it.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (89): average. floral, parfum, citrus.

Palate (85): light, dry. floral, roses, citrus.

Finish (83): average. citrus, cucumber, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Hendrick's Gin with 86 points over 100.

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Red Dead Redemption: one dream, one shot, one dram

By Miguel in Drink & Arts

America, early 1900′s. The era of the cowboy is coming to an end.

red dead redemption john marston

When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston is sent across the American frontier to help bring the rule of law. Experience intense gun battles, dramatic train robberies, bounty hunting and duels during a time of violent change.

Red Dead Redemption is an epic battle for survival in a beautiful open world as John Marston struggles to bury his blood-stained past, one man at a time.

I have spent most of July playing the game and I have enjoyed it so much that I have had barely time to write anything for the blog. The music, the history, the graphics everything is great and they even have bourbon! If you want to spend a fortnight connected to your Xbox 360 or you PS3 go and grab this game. It is a must-have.

Buy Red Dead Redemption at Amazon.co.uk


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Glendronach 18 years old Allardice Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Glendronach

“Awesome whisky with an outstanding finish.”

91
Glendronach 18 year
The third expression of the new Benriach-owned era of GlenDronach Distillery and its a 100% oloroso sherry matured beast of a dram. GlenDronach ‘Allardice’ 18 year old was named after James Allardice, the "exuberant and extroverted" man who founded the distillery in 1826.

This dram has a tawny-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. sweet, floral, wood, vanilla, a bit nuts, candies. Really good, delicate. It is really different from the sherry monster than 15 years old.

Palate (91): smooth, oily, powerful. sweet, peaches, wood, nuts, vanilla, grass, citrus.

Finish (92): very long. some nuts, vanilla. Very nutty finish.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glendronach 18 year with 91 points over 100.

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Glendronach 15 years old Revival Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Glendronach

“Sherried and sulphured... not idea what this can be but definitively it is not a Karuizawa... isn't it, right?”

88
Glendronach 15 year Revival
Glendronach Revival is the culmination of nearly a year's hard work by the distillery's new owners, who have done such a marvellous job at Benriach.

This Oloroso-matured Revival single malt whisky has already received a whopping 92 points from the highly-esteemed Serge Valentin at Whiskyfun, who compared it to Macallan Gran Reserva!

One of the best sherried whiskies I have had the pleasure of drinking. Run! Buy one!

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. honey, wood, fruits, sulphur, spices, citrus.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, wood, spices, fruits, sulphur, cocoa.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, wood, cocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glendronach 15 year Revival with 88 points over 100.

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