We have done so many Tomatin – this is number seven – at this point there’s not a lot to say. Tomatin Cù Bòcan – near as I can tell this one translates to something about dogs which makes sense because it tasted like flea and tick shampoo. This is the first whisky to ever […]
The Balvenie 17y DoubleWood. This is one of those stop and appreciate whiskies that doesn’t come along very often. This whisky is “change the frame” good. You remember the run of five Johnnies Walker and the BattleScotch? Afterwards, Chris & Stephan mentioned they’d quite enjoyed a couple JWs. That’s not impossible, but I happened to […]
After doing a bunch of these reviews (like… a bunch), you can sort of perceive bigger trends. Like how for a bourbon, you need either a year or a cork, and preferably both. How Irish whiskey is the best value for flavour, but Canadian is what you buy if you’re mixing. One thing we’ve noticed […]
Another video review, here we go! So which of the Johnnies Walker is best? Check below: nose Simon – Blue Label Brad – Ultimate 18y Chris – Double Black Junior – Ultimate 18y neat Simon – Black Label 12y Brad – Blue Label Chris – Ultimate 18y Junior – Gold Label finish Simon – […]
Another Review! Another Video Review! Finally, the almighty Johnnie Walker Blue. What makes this blend worth over $300 a bottle? Nothing! It isn’t. nose Simon – sharp, mashier, honey or caramel on browning apple slices Brad – mellow, moss, ron swanson in scotland, excited Chris – faint, wheat field, country, spring day Junior – […]
Going to kick it off with the video review again: Here’s the written review. Not too much more I can say about Johnnie Walker, other than that this is the 18y and it is apparently the Ultimate but also demonstrably not ultimate expression of Johnnie Walker. nose Simon – baby powder, honey lozenge, nail […]
Once again, video to start! Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is yet another colour entry in the Johnnie Walker line. What makes it Gold? Why is it Reserved? Is it better than Johnnie Walker Brass Label Unlimited? Who knows! nose Simon – mild mash, “goldish” i guess, eggs, honey Brad – very subtle, hint […]
How about we start this one with the video! Johnnie Walk Double Black is not twice as good as the regular Black Label. In fact, whatever taste Black is, it seems a lot like this has less of it. It claims to be peatier and aged in more-charred barrels or something, but that is not […]
This one we’ve done before, so I’ll keep it brief this time around. First up out of the Johnnie Walker set is arguably my favourite, the 12y Black Label. The second from the bottom of the range, this holds with a lot of other blends and famous brands – it’s significantly better than the base […]
Finally. Seven months after purchase, we finally got around to tasting this set. A broad selection of Johnnie Walkers, as it turns out, is not appreciable better than a narrow one. But you can read about it. And maybe watch it if I get the video edited in time.
Steve is a tricky palate. He likes things other people don’t, and doesn’t like much of what we’d consider “the good stuff”, except for the odd time he really likes the really good stuff. This is one of those times. Unibroue is one of Quebec’s more interesting large brewers – they have the curiosity to […]
Another Grouse, this time Naked – The Naked Grouse. Why Naked? Why not, exclaims the website nakedgrouse.com, which doesn’t appear to be part of the Famous Grouse site. In fact this IS a blended grain Grouse from 2011, relaunched as not-a-Grouse with a Grouse name for “older millennials” with only malt whiskies making the blend. […]
I don’t like sour beers. This Rodenbach Grand Cru Flanders Red Ale from Belgium is a sour beer. I didn’t like it either. The time cask aging doesn’t fix it. But the website says this is a “specialist beer aimed more at experts” if you wanted to read some pretentious trash on a Saturday. I […]
The Singleton 12y Dufftown Single Malt Scotch Whisky. A rogue’s smile and an upgraded ticket got me into the Air Canada lounge in Winnipeg (mostly the ticket), where I found this relic of a grandfather’s attic. Hung upside down in an airport lounge for who knows how long, it’s also been breathing for about 10 […]
It’s been an interesting spring, and May 2-4 weekend found yours truly ping-ponging around The Drive-Thru Province, traditional home of the Irving family, land of seafood, craft beer and more seafood, New Brunswick. My local fixer Hillary, political ninja and tour guide to the stars, planned several days of family and friends, seeing sights like […]
BattleScotch! Tomatin Second Edition. Or the TwoMaytin Edition. You know what that means! It means we’re almost done this month & can go back to our regularly scheduled random nonsense. This second edition pitted the 12y v 14y v Cask Strength, here are the results: nose Dan – 14y Simon – 14y neat Dan – […]
Here we go, third and final Twomatronic entry: Tomatin Cask Strength Bourbon & Sherry Casks! We’re in the home stretch now! Best part is even the Throwback Thursdays are stuck in a single brand month so shit’s real monotonous around here. Like, even more so than just the regular unrelenting procession of containers of alcohol. […]
Second bottle out of the box, second week of Twomatin – Tomatin 14y Port Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky. We’ve had a lot of Tomatins already so let’s just jump straight to the notes. Here’s what we thought: nose Dan – bright cherrywood, pepper, light pecan tart filling Simon – mushrooms, wood, soap neat Dan […]
May is Twomatin month, or the second Tomatin month, which I guess we could have also called ToMaytin now that I think about it a little bit longer. No worries, they’re both terrible names but this we’ve been doing this thing a while so. TOMATIN! Previously seen in: The 12y Spanish Sherry, the 15y, and […]
Aw yeah, another whole month with the same whisky, and a second time! May is Tomatin Month 2, come on back every Saturday for the same superficial analysis and redundant flavour words you’ve come to expect from your ninth-favourite bastion of GenX halfassery: iScotch. #tasteslikewhisky
And finally, as a last hurrah for the Glengoyne Discovery Gift Taste Sampler Set Collection we come to the traditional BattleScotch!, to be observed WITH the camelcase AND the punctuation as spelling. Because we’re from the goddamned future! ONWARD TO WAR, TINY BOTTLES! You have only one thing left to teach us – who is […]
I know, I know. It’s 4/20. It’s the first 4/20 since legalization. I was in a band with a song called four20. Where is the weed whisky or ihash.ca or whisky barrel aged weed (patent pending), right? This site is about subjective reviews of intoxicating substances, exclusively. Weed is in the same family as hops, […]
Our second swing at the Glengoyne Gift Collection is the 15y. Glengoyne suggest a rather elaborate range of flavours are present in this dram, I’m not so sure. The label details are also quite different and list different woods between the bottle and the website; is this marketing drift? Or distilling? Who knows! Summary: they […]
Glengoyne! A highland Single Malt Scotch that we’ve only seen a little of before. A quirk of geography puts the Glengoyne stills in the Highlands while the maturing happens all the way (across the street) in the Lowlands. Silly things happen when people draw lines on maps. Aged in sherry and bourbon casks, the 12 […]
