whiskyparty-blog

[whiskyparty-blog]

This.

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That’s no way to live .... (via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhdlSpfzPvo)

[whiskyparty-blog]

Johnnie Walker is launching a new brand campaign. Maybe I’m a stick in the mud, but I prefer the old campaign with Robert Carlyle.

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Newest addition to the whiskey collection.

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Here’s when to find the good stuff.

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American craft bourbon and rye makers are experimenting with smokey mashbills.

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Tasting Notes: McDowell's Diplomat Whisky

I had the pleasure of happening upon this trans-continental treat while shopping for deodorant and toothpaste in Addis Ababa's Bole neighborhood and I just had to shell out the 216 birr (~$11) to try it.  Let's see how it goes.

ABV: 42.8%!!

Color: pale caramel.

Nose: bright fruits, perhaps more like starburst candy than fresh kiwi; a whiff of cinnamon stick; some fresh paint along with paint thinner to clean up the mess.

Palate: like no scotch or Indian whisky I've tasted; bubble gum shisha; green-apple apple sauce; aspirin.

Body: feather-lite entry, followed mostly by that alcoholic bite.

Finish: long and mouth-numbing.

I was prepared for the worst (see our post on local Syrian-made whiskies from a few years back), but this bottle still managed to surprise... in a weird way.  I was surprised initially by the inclusion of whiskies from Scotland and India in such a cheap blend.  Then I was surprised by the proof (75), which is a tick above the usual 70.  Then I was surprised by the hilarious flavour (or flavouring?).  What didn't surprise me is the name: "Diplomat" is also the name of a cheap whore house in Kabul-- never expensive, barely satisfying, always regretful... just like this whisky.  

Other opinions: when I asked one of the stockers at the Friendship Hyper Market if it was any good, he responded, "very premium."  In some places in the world JW Red Label is the top, some places the bottom, but "premium" usually means the same thing the globe over...