First of all I’d like to apologize. The second half of 2017 has been pretty uneven for post publication. As in, all of one since I moved at the end of July. Part of this was the move and getting sorted and not having anything to review or any time to review it. Part of […]
Here’s one we’d been missing for a while, one that had escaped the LCBO before we had a chance to try it. Good old Cloud 9 in Alberta comes through again with Strathisla 12y single malt Scotch. The oldest continuously operating distillery in Scotland, this Speyside scotch is the backbone and principle whisky of the […]
Editor’s note: this one came in at the perfect time, another review By Daniel Küpper and this one on Canada Day so I can go party with no interruptions! Thanks, Daniel! Hi there, Auchentoshan Nice to meet you Some whiskys can be found in almost every bar all around the world. Although I […]
Sorry for the no show last week – to make up for it we’ve got Harviestoun Raspy Engine Old Engine Oil Raspberry Porter, enough name for two weeks’ of reviews. We’ve had a Harviestoun before, so when I saw this generously-named offering from the same people I figured it was worth a try. Especially since […]
Happy World Whisky Day, iScotch readers! Did you know, iScotch and World Whisky Day started in the same year? 2012 was an eventful, if largely sucktacular, year. Anyway, happy world wrestling day or whatever. For this week’s review, Dan has brought us his wedding party gift for some upcoming nuptials, the Glenfiddich 14y Rich Oak […]
It’s Dad’s birthday and he’s gone to the liquor cabinet and pulled out this Glenfiddich 12y Special Reserve. We’ve had a 12y Glenfiddich before, but it’s not clear if this is the same stuff. I know for sure this bottle pre-dates my drinking whisky. Dad received this as a gift from a close friend when my […]
The day after St Paddy’s Day is the perfect time to drop these little Scottish/Irish gems. Innis & Gunn Kith & Kin, the first Innis & Gunn to use (or reveal) the name brand whisky barrels used to age their beer. In this case, it’s Teeling whiskey, a great Irish distiller. We’ve had a Teeling […]
A new Famous Grouse! Well, not quite. The Famous Grouse Smoky Black is the new branding for The Black Grouse. Which is a little odd since they’re still offering the Black Grouse Alpha Edition – maybe they had extra labels left over. Speaking of labels, this one tells you exactly what you’re getting – Famous […]
Well, you knew this was going to happen, of course. It’s not a brand sampler without a BattleScotch to tell you which is worth your time or money. Always a little tricky with the tiny bottles, but when it comes to ranking Glenfarclii, here’s what we thought: nose Dan – 12y Simon – 10y Bowick […]
Alright, the last of the Glenfarclii, the 12y. We can jump right to the notes, here’s what we thought: nose Dan – old banana, salty baked bread, fresh fudge Simon – old candies, cereal, smoked fish Bowick – coffee, wheat neat Dan – spicy & salty, fried melon Simon – sting and spice, not […]
Second out the box of Glenfarclas it’s the 105! Named after something, I’m sure, but as we said last time the website is a little light on information. They suggest serving this as a “210” (a double) which might blow your face off, honestly. The 105 is offered at a cask strength of 60%, or […]
Aw yiss, Glenfarclas at last. We’ve seen Glenfarclas 10y on the shelves for a while, and I was tantalizingly close to getting a bottle through Secret Santa one year. I recently found this sampler pack at the airport liquor store in Edmonton, which grimly was open at 7am. But hey, I bought liquor at 7:05 […]
Missed last week, Christmas and all. Sorry about that. Had a lovely break, and looking forward to some good drinks tonight. Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Aged Porter is not one of them. And this is not just a by-product of my not liking rum – Steve digs rum and he gave this a lower […]
Innis & Gunn Secret Saison. A rare beer with a rare outcome from Innis & Gunn – an utter miss. What’s a saison? It’s a kind of beer meant for “sessioning” (which I think just means “drink a bunch”) with local ingredients, low alcohol and a clean taste. This beer fails to achieve the last […]
Innis & Gunn Hopped Bourbon Cask Ale. It comes in a box, has lots of words, is kind of expensive. The trio of beer greatness, as it were. However, as does happen, this time these elements conspire to make something great. Great colour, great bouquet, great beer. Here’s what we thought: nose Davey – nice, smells […]
Innis & Gunn Bourbon Cask Dark Ale! A potentially new bottle from the Holiday 4-Pack. Why potentially? Well, because we’re having another classic Innis & Gunn “have I had this before?” moment. We had the Irish Whiskey Finish/Cask discrepancy, and the (Winter) Treacle Porter pair, and now we have this Bourbon Cask Dark Ale v […]
This year’s Christmas Pack from Innis & Gunn! Four beers and… a… coaster. Neat! Used to get a proper beer glass for a couple years, then they gave away a honking big bottle opener but… sure, a coaster is nice. I guess. This year’s kit comes with an Original, a Lager, a Bourbon Cask Dark […]
Late night, late post! Just a quick Round 2 of one of our all time faves, the Glenrothes Select Reserve. 351st article, that’s kind of crazy. This introductory bottle from a long standing distillery is a common feature on many of our whisky shelves. We’ve reviewed it on its own and as part of the Glenrothes […]
We haven’t done a BattleScotch in a long time, and this is the perfect set up. Since The Dalmore is so iterative, it will be interesting to see how their various finishes compare directly to each other. Here’s what we thought: nose Dan – 15y Simon – 15y Goran – 15y neat Dan – Gran […]
The last of the new stuff, the last of the Dalmore Vial Sampler. The Dalmore 18y. Briefly, since we’ve been here before, this appears to be of the same origin as the 12y and the 15y, with different finishes for different lengths. Once again into super fancy sherry butts, which is not the name of […]
Dalmore number three, the 15y! This was actually one of the very first iScotch reviews, and one of the earliest whiskies in my whiskiography. Interesting to see that my opinion has evolved on this one – the intervening 5 years have changed either the whisky or my palate. It is weird for me to like this […]
Folks I am me some hella tired. this review will be suffering from a lack of sleep and the concomitant neurological impairment. i appear to bee overcompensating and undercapitalizing. Gran Reserva, also know as the second Vial of Dalmore, is a no-particular-language phrase probably meaning big reserve. Which… wouldn’t be that reserved, i guess, but […]
It has been a *long* time since our last Dalmore – fully four and a half years now. A Round 2 of the 15y is up next week, but this week it’s the first of the Dalmore Vial Sampler – The Dalmore 12y! The Dalmore claims history all the way back to 1263 – a […]
Haven’t had a good run from a good distiller in a long time, so coming up through September and October – The Dalmore. Grabbed this shwank sampler pack to give us 3 reviews, a Round 2 and a BattleScotch in classic iScotch form. Stay tuned for the 12y, the Gran Reserva, the 15y and the […]
