Bunnahabhain 11 Port Pipe Finish Cask Strength

Thanks to /u/Throzen for pouring this dram at a tasting. Bunnahabhain keeps me scratching my head. So off the bat you have a malt that was historically unpeated (or typically lightly peated) on the Island of Peat (not to be mixed up with the Island of Pete… that was a mixup that lead to a boring holiday). […]

Caol Ila 2004 Connoisseurs Choice – Wood Finished

Thanks to /u/devoz for this sample There have been a few Hermitage releases, and each time I see them, I have to look up exactly what they mean. Hermitage is a French wine Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. There you go, copied from Wikipedia, so I’m 66% […]

Bowmore 17 Cadenhead Single Cask

Thanks to /u/devoz for sharing this dram I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pepperoni tastes good on chocolate chip cookies. But enough of my high school eating habits. We’re here to discuss Bowmore. And for that I have a less controversial opinion: Bowmore is tasty when not bottled by Bowmore. Why? Well… capitalism. But […]

A bunch of reasons I like Laphroaig

No funny start. No explanation, nothing. I’m here and you’re here for the exact same reason. Laphroaig. Are you a peat head? You like Laphroaig, probably. And you haven’t been as wallet sodomized (with your consent) by Laphroaig, unless it’s got an age statement typically reserved for that point where life starts making a bit […]

A bunch of Bunnahabhain

I like Bunnahabhain. But I don’t think I love Bunnahabhain. There’s a debate that comes up each time we have Bunna at a tasting: It’s good, but is it ever great? And there’re some of us who believe maybe, some who fall into never, and myself, a person in between. Of course, I’m a reviewer […]

Ardbeg 19 / 22 / Supernova 2019 / Dark Cove CR / Blaaack CR

Yeah, I’m a peat head. I’ve tried to deny it, I’ve tried to ignore it. It’s a cliche, right? Oh, Scotch drinker likes smoky, peaty whisky. The more peat smoke, the better. Nothing subtle there at all. Heck he even owns a bourbon that was finished in an ex-Ardbeg cask. Which leads us to Ardbeg. […]

Cask-Strength Caol Ila: Some Reviews

Caol Ila is the powerhouse of the cell. Oh, wait. No, that’s not right at all. I mean, it’s not even the mitochondria either but they both get in good amounts of work. Caol Ila is the industrial hard worker of Islay. Based on that, you’d probably expect their releases to be peated, not much […]

Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, & Octomore: 10 Reviews

It’ s no lie that I find something endearing about Bruichladdich, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. The company is such an underdog. It had issues, the casks were bad, and someone came along and through connections and money and a lot of gumption and probably more so money they re-racked the every-loving-hell […]

Three Lagavulin Reviews

I’ve never been to Islay. There was some discussion of going this year, with friends, kinda stalled a bit, then was pushed off to another year, and then even the replacement plans have gotten a bit rough. I hope that someday when life has changed again, I can visit Isly for Feis Ile. Or around […]

Port Ellen 27 1978 Douglas Laing Old & Rare – The Platinum Selection / Port Ellen 24 1982 Scott’s Selection

There’s a general feeling I have about distilleries. It’s okay to love a distillery. However, you should know that you’re enjoying a whisky made in a period of time and given special circumstances. Let’s look at Port Ellen. Port Ellen was closed down first in 1930 (continued as a malting and bonded warehouse), rebuilt in […]