Speakeasy Reviews
Aberlour a'bunadh is a unique experience among Scotches . . . cask strength and intensely sherried, rich, deep and complex. There are many wonderful Scotches out there, but this one is something truly special, and in a category of its own.
Packaged in a slightly squat, thick-necked bottle, its color is a deep ruby red in the bottle, and a rich mahogany in the glass.
Depending on presentation, the Aberlour's nose ranges from caramel and apple, to sherry and almonds, to lightly floral ...
A very soft nose, with little complexity, I think of pears and butter. The color is quite pale, like a weak green tea.
More grass and earth flavors on the palate with a faint kiss of peaty smoke. The finish is very soft and fades away gently with no alcohol burn whatsoever.
Very refined, albeit very mild. It is not highly complex, and experienced Scotch drinkers are likely to be underwhelmed by it's lack of hearty flavors and aromas.
A little over a year ago my lovely wife and I made a trip to Scotland. In part it was to feed my love of Single Malts with tours of several distillery. In the village of Pitlochry we visited Edradour.
Edradour is the smallest distillery in Scotland. There are only three employees, and all of the whiskeys are hand crafted. The water flows down a river through the distillery and the barley has come from the surrounding valleys for over 100 years. The copper still is small, by...
Let me first give the three helpful tips for selecting a great scottish whiskey. You should look for a bottle that fits these guidelines:
1) single malt
2) un-chill-filtered
3) no color added
With this, the full unrestricted nose and palate, as anticipated by the master distiller, is thereby preserved and perfectly transfered from cask to bottle. These points layout the traditional style of making fine scottish whisky. Most large bottling companies do not follow these guidelines...
Bushmills 10yo is my go to drink. This whiskey has won a few awards and New York times voted it their best in 2006.
Packaging is great and has a historic feel to it and the bottle is just the right shape and size.
Once opened a lovely aroma is noticed, not too sweet with vanilla, sherry, bourbon and rum.
Tasting notes are just as lovely as the aroma with vanilla, christmas cake, fudge, bourbon and sherry. Fairly complex with a lot of flavors and a slightly smooth oily texture...
When the contest for the Glencairn glasses was announced, I decided it was finally time to submit a whisky review to the good old B&B. I also knew that the first one I wanted to review was…. Glenfiddich 15.
Now I know what you are thinking, ‘That old stuff? That’s what I pour on my Cheerios.’ (Come on, admit it, I can’t be the only one.) Glenfiddich is what many of us cut our single malt teeth on, the single malt Scotch that every liquor store will have available even if it’s the...
I will preface my review by stating I am in no way a Scotch expert, though I did get quite an education on my last trip to Scotland. That's where I found this Bowmore Single Malt 34 Year 1971 Edition.
I was at Deacon Brodie's Tavern in Edinburgh, along the Royal Mile, one of my required stops when I'm in the neighborhood. The bartender told me I was in for a treat and he was right. The dram he put before me was going to be the best Scotch I ever drank in my life. But, I'm getting a little...
The Macallan 12 Year Single Malt Scotch
--This is a review I posted on my website on: May 16, 2007
well, i have never really been a big drinker. ok, once a long time ago… in hawaii, while in the military there was that one time. but that's it i promise. i digress… last weekend my wife and i went to a new wine shop to buy her mom a mothers day gift. this place was crazy, it was a mega liquor store. they had probably the biggest selection of wine i have every seen. Total Wine & More. they...
There is a long tradition in Continental Europe of alcoholic bitters. Formerly marketed as “tonics”, these are now generally sold as digestifs but are often simply enjoyed whenever the occasion demands. Only a few of the dozens of the bitters produced in Europe make their way outside of their country of origin. Of those that are exported outside of Europe, Jägermeister and Underberg (both from Germany) are probably the best known but are comparatively mild in flavour. Fernet-Branca from...
Got it as my first fountain pen. The weight seems appropriate for something this small. The packaging was just a cheap gold color box it was shoved in, so nothing fancy. I am using Waterman black ink with this pen. The shell is made from a thick casing of steel. The finish seems nice and should last. I believe the caps are plastic. When filling it, I noticed that the reservoir seems a bit on the cheaper side. It doesn't display how much ink is left, so I guess I will just get a surprise one...
Finlaggan Old Reserve costs 16.99 at trader joe's. I've heard it rumored that it's actually a younger Lagavulin, but I don't know for certain if it's true.
It is smoky, peaty, has rough edges, and definitely medicinal. There is absolutely no doubting that it is an Islay malt.
My only complaint is that the smell is VERY strong. The smell lingers for a long time. It's a good smell, but it is more medicinal smelling than say Laphroig.
Overall, the scotch I drink the most because I...
As far as whiskeys/whiskys go this along with Laphroaig Quater Cask are my top picks.
This has a lovely smooth character that goes down easy. First notes are like butterscotch/sherry and bourbon then leads to a nice warm feeling with a hint of bourbon to finish it off. Long lasting with a flavour to savour. This is an all year round drink that can be sipped or slammed down. No acidy taste or reflux with this gem. You can relax with this beauty and keep looking forward to the next glass...
Hands down my top Scotch, very smooth and exciting. Feels like I'm drinking Earth, nice peatyness without the acid/burn taste. Goes down beautifully all the way to my belly button. This has a burnt earth/coal/peat/scottish ocean taste at the start that leads to a nice warm long finish with a hint of peat to round things off. Funnily enough it makes me feel part of the earth when I drink it. Don't be put off by my tasting notes, you gotta try it to understand it. A lovely drink for a cold and...
This stuff and the rest of obenauf's lineup were created to protect the boots of firefighters.
I had some leather items I wanted to keep in good shape and decided to give obenauf's leather oil a try. It works great and is readily absorbed into the leather in a very short time. It may not be the cheapest stuff out there ($15.95 for 16 oz.), but a little goes a long way and the fantastic results are worth it. Another nice thing about it is it does not contain neatsfoot or mink oil, which some...
I got myself one of these as a christmas present to myself and I am glad I did. The purchase was a result of a relatively new-found interest in wrist watches.
Appearance
This watch is from Breitling's AeroMarine line and has a quite rugged overall appearance. As is typical for this brand there is plenty of detail and has a very unique presence on the wrist. The full polished finish gives this model a definite air of refinement that balances the rugged lines and contours of the case and...
I've only had one other Benchmade, an 806D2 with Axis lock, and it was a nicely designed knife that was ruined by some rather lackadaisical grind-lines. I wasn't sure if it was a Friday afternoon knife or what, but I never thought much more about Benchmades after that, because there were always good factory knives available from Spyderco, and I was mainly getting custom fixed blades at that time anyway.
Well, over the years I bought a lot of small fixed blades, always looking for...
The story of Pinch, the fourth largest blended Deluxe Scotch whisky in the world, is reflected in the spirit of over 350 years` of whisky distilling and blending experience. When farmer/distiller Robert Haig was summoned before the church elders in 1655 for operating his still on the Sabbath (Sunday), this marked the earliest documented reference to a distillery company still operating today.
The art and craft of whisky distilling were passed down through generations of the Haig family...
This is the mostest bestest Bar-B-Q I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. You wouldn't think it from seeing the restaurant, by boy howdy can them boys do BBQ right! You can get the sauce at most Brookshire's & various other grocery stores in about a 30-45 mile vicinity, so any time I'm anywhere near, I grab a few bottles. This stuff is awesome! Has just the right kick, spice, flavor, without being overpowering. Their ribs are their own food group. And they (the ribs) have bumper...
Slivovitz is really strong, has poor flavor, and burns like hell. It is distilled from plums in Serbia or Hungary and is around 100 proof.
