Tag: Scotch

Whisky and Words Number 59: The Glenlivet 12

The Glenlivet 12 in 375ml size.

You might be surprised I have not reviewed this before, as The Glenlivet, along with The Macallan and Glenfiddich (the other massive Speyside producers) are found just about everywhere. Even in biker bars, for the occasional effete sipper of single malt, you will find The Glenlivet. To attain such reach, these distilleries are truly huge. The Glenlivet, with 14 stills, is the baby of the bunch, producing 6 million bottles a year. You might ask, at such scale, what kind of whisky can they produce as a single malt?

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Whisky and Words Number 58: Tomintoul 16

The Tomintoul16 comes in an elegant and arty carton.

Has it been 3 months since my last review? Yes, it has. No shortage of whiskies on hand, so I will set my nose to the grindstone. We have another Speysider here, and because this has some age to it, I’ll compare it to my Glenlivet 21. Stiff competition! As you can see (left), this was a small bottle (that’s my carved walnut from the Great Wall next to it. Yes, I have a carved walnut). It was our last day in Edinburgh and I saw this in the shop and grabbed it. Paid £10 (!) for this little gem so I have high hopes.

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Whisky and Words Number 57: Cragganmore 12

Well, hell, this blog ain’t dead! And neither am I. Just been a bit distracted, you know. Can’t think of why, offhand. Let’s see, something about a bat virus has got everyone het up. But, just in case you were thinking I wasn’t drinking, I have been. In moderation. Really (has not been easy…). And a recent add is the Cragganmore 12.

The Cragganmore 12 at rest.

I was really motivated to try this after the last review, of the Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition (Crag-DE for short)., which is a Port finish. I thought the Crag-DE was not up to the complexity of the Quinta Ruban, but then, maybe that was not their point. I was right—now having tried the Crag 12, I see where they went for the Port finish version. The Distiller’s edition is a well-applied, direct upgrade and enhancement of the standard 12-year. It rounds out, not overwhelms, the flavors in the standard 12.

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Whisky and Words Number 56: Cragganmore Distiller’s Port Finish

Chromey bottle, lovely light amber spirit.

We’re back to a whisky you should be able to find in a well-stocked ‘class 6’ (that’s for you ex-Army brothers and sisters out there). This is on the pricey side at $76 a bottle in Oregon (post-tariff pricing). The Cragganmore visual style has an old-time flair to it (see photo, left), highlighted by a Victorian font with chrome highlights on a restrained olive background. Very small text on bottle and carton claim “the most complex aroma of any malt” which was according to Michael Jackson. You know, this Michael Jackson.

The Distillers Edition Cragganmore gets a scant buildup on their website, found on Malts.com, this being a Diageo brand. Sure there are tasting notes and a review but all they say about this expression is “The complexity of Cragganmore makes it an out-of-the-ordinary choice for a second cask finish. However, port-wine casks provide the perfectly harmonious partner.” That’s an odd statement. They are trying to say there is so much going on in the regular Craggie that adding a (moderately) exotic maturation would not be a benefit. I’ll have to try a regular Cragganmore next.

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Whisky and Words Number 55: Talisker 57° North

The 57 Degrees North. A fine whisky.

Normally, I review whiskies one can find at a reasonably well stocked liquor store. But now and then I cover something a bit harder to get. In this case, my wife had the Talisker 57° N shipped from Scotland for my (57th) birthday. I can imagine the cost of shipping rivaled that of the whisky. I have searched about 10 online liquor shops in the US and none of them had this expression. But if my wife can get it, so can you. It just takes will…and some extra cash.

Talisker intended this whisky to be a tribute to their remote location on the isle of Skye, 57° North latitude. What do they say about it? On their website, Talisker 57° is said to be “an untamed, natural expression of the Talisker’s full power: a volcanic, intensely appealing flavour that most drinkers will have only experienced in a cask strength bottling.” Indeed, 57% alcohol is pretty strong, a true 100 proof. True cask strength whiskies (except for the oldest) are typically higher than that, but 57% is on the cusp. Their flavor map has it dead center in weight, and pretty high on the smoky range. It’s not far from where they put their 10-year expression. I also find the label appealingly similar, the classic off-white label with Talisker in an embossed-style font.

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