thescotchlife-blog

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Vacation Whisky - Oban Little Bay and Ardbeg Perpetuum

Vacation Whisky – Oban Little Bay and Ardbeg Perpetuum

Oban Little Bay While on vacation on North Carolina’s shore this  year, I decided to pick up a couple of whisky’s to enjoy. The great thing about leaving where you live is finding whisky offerings that aren’t in your home area. The ABC store I went to in NC had a surprising and wonderful collection, I settled on a Oban Little Bay offering. I’m not a huge Oban fan but it is quite popular. This is…

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Haig Single Grain Scotch Whisky

It’s been awhile since I’ve been impressed by a new scotch whisky. Especially one that is influenced by pop culture or non traditional bottle design or packaging. That has just changed. I’m not sure what Haig set out to prove with this whisky but I really believe they have made something completely unique and its timing is perfect!

I’m a lover of single malts! I have only had a handful of really…

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Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask

Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask

So I have a long liking of The Balvenie Scotch Whisky and I don’t ever think that will change, but this latest offering opens a new door to me as an enthusiast of Balvenie. If you are wondering if you should buy this as you stand in the whisky aisle I hate to be long-winded but this opinion is going to be a bit drawn out.

Balvenie, to the whisky enthusiast, is an easily recognized dram. It’s…

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Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Bowmore Distillation 2000 A quick post but one that is needed. I happened upon this bottle in DC and felt compelled to buy it.

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Black & White Whisky - a San Francisco treat?

Black & White Whisky – a San Francisco treat?

I recently found myself with a little time on my hands in the North Beach section of San Francisco. I was actually excited to hit some stores and search out some unique scotch whisky. My hopes were high to find something, after all, I’ve heard so many good things about the selection of whisky available in California. Well, I was hopeful, excited even, and then reality set in. Store, after store,…

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DEFIANT AMERICAN WHISKY - This was bound to happen, my discovery

DEFIANT AMERICAN WHISKY – This was bound to happen, my discovery

I haven’t written in a while, mainly because I’m busy, but also because I just haven’t been that inspired. My walks thru the stores over the winter really haven’t shown me anything new. I have spent the winter drawing down on many quality Bowmore, Ardbeg, and Balvenie offerings. One or two new things slipped in but didn’t really motivate me to put finger to keyboard. But on this day, the curse…

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In my mind, I am always retreating to this most private place in Scotland.

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Blog moved!

The Scotch Life now lives at Wordpress! www.theScotchlife.com

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Pairing: The Glenrothes with Rockfish and sweet potato, perfecto!

I recently sampled the Glenrothes line and was very pleased. Although I had many vintages then, I'm not so lucky here in Virginia, less selection no doubt. But the Select Reserve was on sale so I bought it. I checked the company's website and watched a video about the Select Reserve, in a nutshell it is supposed to represent the soul of The Glenrothes. I really love the bottle, short and squatty, which just looks like a jug that wants to be your friend and used frequently! Also, in a pinch taken to a white linen affair. The tasting notes are on the front and are quite accurate to my taste. They are "ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla, hints of spice." I'd say they know their product. Cannot add much to help. So I picked up some fresh pacific rockfish and a sweet potato. Yes, the meal was delicious, but what I did not know is that I had selected a perfect single malt scotch whiskey to pair with it. The nose of the select reserve is so pleasing and the citrus vanilla complemented the sweet potato so well. It was so perfect I just had to write about it. Well, go pick up some Select Reserve and sweet potatoes and enjoy!

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Bowmore Gold 1964 Distillation Tasting

I was recently faced with a problem most whisky drinkers have not faced. Which one of these whisky's do I take a free sample of. The list read like an All-Star team of spirits, most of them aged for two, three, or four decades in Scotland. The one I'd focused in on was the 1964 Bowmore because it was a brand that I really admire. I love peaty scotch, and the delicateness that a Bowmore produces in the Islay style is unique. I'm sure I'd been very happy with some of the others but fortunately I would get the opportunity from a few gracious individuals to try many others for just a smile and a show of true appreciation.

This tasting occurred at the Nth event in Las Vegas and I felt like I'd won the lottery at the opening of the event. Suddenly surrounded by scotch producers, some very familiar, some I'd never heard of, I set out in freshman like frenzy to try as many as I could. Set with some notecards, pen, and my DroidX I started taking notes, and, then after a few, alas, I'd forgotten to take notes. Blame it on the whisky? Well, at least I have my recording from the Bowmore Gold to remind me of that first kiss.

So the Gold is matured in bourbon and sherry casks. I think about 50% in Sherry and the casks, again I belive, were Heaven Hill casks. 701 bottles are being released.

The nose was very floral and fruity.

The taste, beautiful. Very complex, and well rounded. A very creamy vanilla highlighted on the palate and then the finish was the equivalent to the finest ending ever concieved on film. It wasn't until a minute afterwards that the peat of Islay turned around and winked. Blown away I was, and very happy with my choice.

Is drinking a whisky aged 44 years living The Scotch Life, you bet!

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RT @spirit_speyside: The sale of a £13,000 bottle of Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old, launched earlier this month,. ...

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Just had a Sam Adams new "Wee Heavy" stout, based on a Scotch Ale recipe. Very nice, they use peated malt. Now some Bowmore!

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jamesnord:

she never seemed to care what they said

I love black and white. Add a beautiful creature, and, well.

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1974 Ardbeg Cask 3541 Tasting

Go ahead! Be very, very jealous if you are an Ardbeg fan (for that matter a fan of scotch) and have not had the pleasure of tasting something as rare as this sample taken directly from cask 3541 and brought to the Nth event in Las Vegas. Here a select few, including yours truly, was able to sample this marvelous spirit. I did, twice, yes, I grovelled, but you would too if you were an Ardbeg fan. On my tasting mat I have the following words written down:

Aroma - Rum and raisins, brazil nut, toffee, chocolate, cherries. With water added, lavender, toffee, and cappuccino.

Taste - Milk chocolate, ganache, cappuccino, gentle smoke and orange oil.

Finish - Complex, orange oil, mature, bacon, pork.

These are words from the Ardbeg rep, I did not get all of them but wouldn't contradict them. What I do remember about this product was the orange oil. It was really nice, really warm and very rounded. From what I gathered, you can own two bottles of 1974 along with a bespoke leather gun case, price, I think was around $16,000 (US). If you want some, I'm sure Ardbeg will be happy to talk to you! If you don't know how to get ahold of them go to their website.

The Ardbeg story is interesting and its great to know that this distillery was in fact rescued (ultimately) by Glenmorangie. Although Ardbeg is working, production wise, from product produced after being resurrected around 1990, they are working miracles and winning fans (not to mention awards) with the guidance and expertise of Bill Lumsden and David Blackmore.

I have tasting notes for five other Ardbeg's that I tasted and will share them soon. I personally have the Corryvreckan and have a bottle of the "Beist" on the way that I am very excited about. This is a product that I intend to own as many of the offerings that I can. The 1974...... In time.

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The Nth - The Ultimate Whisky Experience

Sitting at the desk, looking out over parts of Las Vegas from a high floor at the Hilton, thinking; I came, I saw, I sipped, I tasted, I experienced. There are those times in your life when you experience something, an event, that whether organized or random, that fundamentally changes the way you see things. The Universal Whisky event at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas, organized and beautifully executed by Mahesh Patel was one of those events for me.  For a person who has always enjoyed scotch, even inexpensive blends, this was my introduction to the world of fine scotch whisky. What I knew was going to be a great education was so much more! And I have possibly ruined my taste buds appreciation for common scotch. For myself, it was a graduate level course taught by the people who actually matter. Richard Paterson, Master Blender for Whythe & Mackay, introduced us many fine Dalmore products that are out there and some that have just been introduced. His passion and experience come out as he explains how he has tirelessly yet with great pleasure experimented and worked with fine spirits to produce stunning products. I'm typically a fast learner on any subject and have an intuitiveness that far outpaces my ability to study. My brain was in hyperdrive listening to Richard! One, because he is Scottish and I'm from Atlanta. Two, he covered so many topics in such a short time there was hardly enough time for my brain to tag the information as it came in. Richard's main message was clear, these very fine whisky's are to be sipped and enjoyed. And please, please, please!!! Bartenders around the world, do not put ice in this man's scotch!! You will not like his response. It is hard to come away with a highlight from this event, there are so many and its hard to quantify what was best, sampling Bowmore Gold from 1964 that is $7,000 (U.S.) a bottle or the Bowmore 1969 which will go on sale for $12,000, which was delicious and special for me because it is my birth year. There will only be seven bottles sold in the USA. Or was it sampling the launch of Sirius by Mahesh Patel? The work and pursuit of excellent whisky's has enabled Mahesh to produce some stunning new whisky's, two of which I was privileged to sample. The first was a 1965 Carsebridge grain whiskey that was wonderful. The second was a 1967 Dalmore that was not just incredible, it has an ABV (alcohol content by volume) of 60%. You would never know it!!!! These are single cask rare (Carsebridge distillery no longer exists!) whisky's that are going to be available soon and it is exciting to see such a product is entering the market. Truly first class presentation and detail are associated with Sirius. This is what you buy the person who has everything! It would be a gift never forgotten. I will definitely be writing a lot on this event. I'm hoping my notes are better than my memory! When you sample that much scotch, things tend to run together no? Alas, an event is only as good as its people. I met more fine people than I can recall, and hopefully have their cards or twitter account. The kind of people who are purveyors and students of the finer things in life were absolutely present here. This was an event that lives up to my idea of The Scotch Life.

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With Rocky Patel back in NY last year at the Great Smoke Out http://twitpic.com/4aqg8x

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Cheers from Virginia! #St. Patricks day null