This is a story of firsts. Or at least, the firsts in a long time. The whiskey 'The Gael' represents the first release by the 'J.J. Corry' brand of The Chapel Gate Irish Whiskey Company, the first licensed Irish whiskey bonders "in living memory". Let's unpack that statement. Firstly, whiskey bonding, is the traditional art … Continue reading Tasting Notes: J.J. Corry – The Gael
When Wemyss Malts name a whisky, they are not hiding behind any marketing BS. They tell it like it is. One of the three staple releases of the blenders' core range is the Spice King, and here we were able to sample the second batch strength release of that blend. The whisky is comprised of single … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Wemyss Malts – Spice King (Batch Strength No.2)
Back in 2009, the team at Douglas Laing & Co. unleashed a concept that had a big objective and a big name to live up to, for that is the year that Big Peat was born. The blended malt whisky features "A Shovelful of Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies including Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore & … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Douglas Laing – Big Peat
Since first releasing blended malt whiskies in 2005, the Wemyss Malts team have continued to develop a stable core range of products that best example some of scotch whisky's key unique identifiers: sweet, spicy and smoky. These three characteristics are represented within the three unique expressions that comprise their core range: The Hive, Spice King … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Wemyss Malts – The Hive (Batch Strength No.2)
Despite the fact that this post relates to a new series of blended malt scotch whiskies, the origins of the whiskies actually start with a single malt whisky distillery under a new vision from 2017, originally built in 1967, a Victorian inventor and distiller, and an even older, traditional Hogmanay greeting. To go back and … Continue reading Tasting Notes: MacNair’s – Lum Reek
Ask yourself this: what would I need to take with me when heading out on an incredibly perilous, unpredictable and life-threatening expedition to unchartered territories in Antarctica? Bear in mind that the year that you are asking yourself this question is 1907 too, so iPhones, laptops and complex geo-positioning devices are not even the stuff … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Mackinlay’s – Shackleton
The brand Sheep Dip has a great little story behind its origins, which, despite being a blend of malt scotch whiskies, originally started in Gloucestershire in 1974. In the beginning, the whisky was packaged as 'The Original Oldbury Sheep Dip', named after the pub that it was crafted in, in Oldbury-on-Severn, as an 8-year old … Continue reading Tasting Notes: Sheep Dip – Original
