Scotland | Page 6 | NYC Whiskey Review

Speyburn 10

April 13, 2023 Scotland

Name: Speyburn 10

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, honey, flowers, light wood

Taste: Sherry, malt, honey, cedar wood

Speyburn 10 Year Old is produced by Granty Glen Valley which is located in the Speyside region of Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1897 and is currently owned by Inver House Distillers Limited, which is owned by Thaibev from Thailand. The Inver House Distillers also have Old Pultney, Knockdhu, Balnair, and Balmenach under their control.

This medium bodied whisky is aged 10 years in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and bottled at 40% abv. On my first taste it was very sweet on the palate. On the second taste the sweetness is still there, but a smoother quality malt flavor comes out on the finish.

This whisky is very nice to enjoy neat or on the rocks in warmer weather. I was not familiar with this whisky, so I took a chance on the bottle price vs. age, and it was worth it. It reminds me of Tomatin 12 for price and taste, but higher quality.

Priced around $40 and nice summer scotch for the price. I look forward to trying more expressions.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

“Ardbeg Olive” Vodka Martini

April 5, 2023 Scotland

Name: “Ardbeg Olive” Vodka Martini

Color: Clear and green

Nose: Vodka, olives, smokey peat

Taste: Vodka, olives, smokey peat

As we all know the statement above is correct, but this vodka martini receipt caught my eye and was worth a try at home.

You take quality olives (regular or stuffed blue cheese) and marinate them in a mason jar with Ardbeg Whisky for a few days in the refrigerator. I was told it creates a nice flavor profile and I was pleasantly surprised at the with the results. I am not a vodka guy, but the touch of smokiness and whisky flavor in the olives translates nicely to the vodka.

It is worth a try if you like vodka martinis or want to mix it up a little for home cocktails. I do not think a lot of bars are going to have them at the ready for your drink. In a pinch, you could ask the bartender to place a couple of drops of Ardbeg in you finished martini.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10

February 23, 2023 Scotland

Name: Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Barley, peat, flowers, wood, smoke

Taste: Smoke/peat, wood, green grass, lemon

Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10-Year-old is from the Bruichladdich Distillery in Islay, Scotland. If you are not familiar with this distiller, I recommend you either buy some of their whisky, or watch the documentary, “Scotch: A Golden Dream” on Amazon Prime to learn more about the history of Bruichladdich. Note, there a very good comment from the distiller on being titled a “Master” and how that is used by the marketing departments. Personally, I am getting very tired of people using the term “master” and “expert” in their titles. It makes you sound like a asshole.

The Heavily Peated is bottled at 50% abv and is matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks, then a second fill bourbon cask, and a final fill in French wine casks. This expression has a nice body, balance, and is easy to drink. It has a nice citrus and green grass finish on the tongue after each sip. Unlike its competitors (Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin) the Heavily Peated has a softer finish without being over powering.

The Heavily Peated is arriving on my home bar just in time for the approaching winter weather. I always pick up some peated scotches in November. I can only drink them when I come in from the cold, never in the summer. I will still be getting one of my traditional “big boy scotches” but this one will be on my bar this year and next.

Priced around $65 and well worth the money if you like peated whisky. I have yet to be disappointed by Bruichladdich.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

December 25, 2022 Scotland

Name: Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Color: Light gold

Nose: Malt, honey, sandalwood/oak, bake spices/cinnamon

Taste: Malt, warm honey cream, spice, flowers, light seagrass

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good dram!!! See you all again with new reviews in 2023!

Talisker Single Malt Whisky is a well-known and classic Scotch Whisky. The distillery was found in 1830 and is located in Carbost, Isle of Skye. I was in Glasgow a few months ago and I made my required trip to The Pot Still for a dram. On this trip I decided to treat myself to something nice. It was a toss up between Octomore or Talisker 25. Since they were both around the same price I decided to continue on my Talisker tasting experience. The price per dram was 25 GBP, approximately $40 USD.

The 25 year old is bottled at 45.8% and seemed a little hotter and less smooth than the 18 year old. However, it has been a few years since I have had the 18 so my memory might be a little off. I added a few drops of water and it opened up nicely. It was very smooth, but it was a little too smooth. The whisky lacked the bite on the tongue that I enjoy in my single malts. That rough taste that some people do not enjoy is what I enjoy the most about scotch. It is an excellent expression and a very enjoyable whisky, but for a price versus value of taste vs your budget, the 18 is the better value at $200+

Me at the Potstill 2022

Other expressions are: 10, 18, 25, 30-year-old, Storm, Skye, Dark Storm, Distiller Edition, 75 North, Port Ruighe, and Neist Pint. The 25 year old is on the upper level of the expressions.

Price ranging from $600-$800 and worth the money if you like the softer flavor profile or you have a lot extra money laying around.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

December 22, 2022 Scotland

Name: Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

Color: Light copper

Nose: Malt, wood, vanilla cream, citrus, hazelnut

Taste: Malt, nuts, spices, root beer/peat

3 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old is a single malt from Speyside region in Scotland. It is pronounced “Tom-in-t’owl” and means “Hillock of the Barn” and is named after a village of the same name in Moray. The distillery was founded in 1964 and is now partnered with Glenlivet and operates under the name the Tomintoul-Glenlivet Distillery.

The nose is a bit strange and took a few tries to figure out get a read on it. I mainly detected hazelnut and Christmas spices and the baseline of Glenlivet 12. It has a very good balance, medium body, and is very smooth. Bottled at 40% abv and aged 16 years, there is no statement of what barrels are used so I will assume ex-bourbon barrels.

Other expressions produced: 10, 12, 14, 16, 21, and 33-year-old.

This whiskey is very nice and would work well as a Fall or Winter dram. It tastes different than the Glenlivet 12, Glenlivet 14, and Glenlivet 15 but made a nice addition to my bar.

Priced around $60-70 and is worth a try.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Buchanan’s Deluxe 12 Year Blended Scotch

November 24, 2022 Scotland

Name: Buchanan’s Deluxe 12 Year Blended Scotch

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Malt, lemons, seaside, flowers, honey

Taste: Malt blend, citrus, iodine notes, honey notes

James Buchanan created his whisky in 1884 as a blended business to supply the England market for blended scotch whisky, the distillery has changed ownership and partnerships over the years. I have seen this bottle on the bottle shelves over the years and the shape an color has caught my eye, but never the price. Nor have I seen it served in bar, a tasting, or offered to me.

Aged 12 years, blended, and bottled at 40% its nose is nice and surprising clean. The body is medium and decent tasting. Overall, I was very surprised at the taste profile. It is decent and a slugging whisky but good for “mad night” or a “mental rager” as they say in Scotland. I find this one similar to Famous Grouse or Dewar’s White Label for nose, taste, profile and cost.

Priced around $35 and nothing to complex, but nothing really bad about it.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Ballantine’s 17

November 10, 2022 Scotland

Name: Ballantine’s 17

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, vanilla, heather, citrus

Taste: Malt, flowers, oak, lemon, cream sweetness

Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky dates to back the 1827 when a farmer’s son just trying to earn a living selling whisky in a small store in Edinburgh, Scotland. The family sold out in 1919 and the new owners continued to use the family name to market the whisky as it was known for quality. Ballantine’s is a blended malt whisky using various amounts of whisky and is stated to be the 2^nd highest selling scotch whiskey in the world. I can believe that as the Spanish drink this stuff like the world is going to end at parties. The first time I had Ballantine’s was in Spain, but it was mixed with coke, as they do it.

The Ballantine 17 is a blend, bottled at 40% and is a medium bodied summer drinking scotch. It is overall very nice, smooth, and very drinkable. This is a scotch you open with a friend, and you end up finishing the bottle.

Other expressions are: Finest, Limited,12-Year-Old Pure Malt, 12, 17, 21, 30, and 40.

Priced around $80 and worth the price if you like the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

November 3, 2022 Scotland

Name: The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

Color: Light Yellow

Nose: Malt, lemon, white fruit, light oak

Taste: Malt, apple/pear, lemon

The BenRiach 10-Year-old is a Speyside single malt whisky from Morayshire, Scotland. The distiller was established in 1898 and has changed ownership a few times over the years. The whisky is bottled at 43% abv, aged 10 years, and finished in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It is a nice medium bodied fresh tasting whisky and has a good balance of flavors. It is a good whisky for a non-scotch drinker and would work well as a summer or a winter dram.

Having no knowledge or experience with this whisky I bought this bottle on a gamble for the price. I was pleasantly surprise at the taste and quality. I look forward to trying more expressions, but I have not seen much of BenRiach on the shelf around the NYC area. I will have to sample some on my next trip to Scotland.

Other expressions: Smoky 10 & 12,16, 20,21, 25, 30, 1996 Vestige, Casks, Peated Quarter Cask, and Triple Distilled. There are also numerous “Archive” expressions with various finishes.

Priced around $50 and worth money for the price and the baseline expression.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Ardbeg An Oa

October 19, 2022 Scotland

Name: Ardbeg An Oa

Color: Brown gold

Nose: Malt, peat, wood, earthy, medium iodine

Taste: Malt, smokey peat, light oak, seagrass

Ardbeg is a Highland scotch from the Islay region in Scotland that I like to put into a category I call “Big Boy Scotch”. Ardbeg is considered by some people in the whisky world to be the peatiest of all the scotches. I can think of a few other scotches out there that can compete for that title but with heavily peated scotch is truly a matter of individual taste. The name “Ardbeg” is Scottish Gaelic for a “small promontory”. A promontory is defined as “a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water”.

Ardbeg “An Oa” is named after the cliffs (The Oa) that protect the southwest portion of Islay. The whisky is aged in sherry casks and virgin oak, is non-chilled filtered, and bottled at 46.6% abv.

An Oa is smoother and better tasting than the 10-Year-Old and has a richer flavor profile than of the Wee Beastie expression. The taste is heavier and more complex but well balanced. is a little warm on finish with a spicy finish. The richer taste seems to come from the choices to age the whisky.

Ardbeg whisky is a solid performer but be aware their expressions really vary in taste and price so I recommend getting sampler packs or trying in bars before you commit to a full bottle.

Priced around $65 and worth the money if you like the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

October 13, 2022 Scotland

Name: Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

Color: Copper

Nose: Sherry, malt, orange, light cedar wood

Taste: Malt, sweet caramel, sherry, citrus/orange

Glenmorangie is a Highland Whisky from Tain, Scotland. The distillery was founded around 1703 and has had various owners over the centuries. The name is Scottish Gaelic and is believed to translate to “vale of tranquility” or “vale of big meadows”.

The Lasanta is bottled at 43% abv and aged for 12 years. It is first matured in bourbon casks and the is finished in Oloroso & Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. This expression would make a nice summer scotch or after dinner drink, but I could not see having more than one dram. It is nice whisky, but a little on the dry side and I do not think it would go well with ice or in a cocktail. It has a strong sherry nose and along with being dry it is also a wee bit too sweet for my taste. The more I sample sherry finished whisky’s the more I feel the distilleries walk a fine line of creating a gimmick of sweetness to get people to buy bottles as opposed to a interesting finish on a quality product.

Other expressions are: Original, Quinta Ruban, Nectar D’Or, 18, 19, 25, Signet, Pride 1981, Pride 1978, Pride 1974, and Grand Vintage Malt 1990, Sonnalta PX, Finealta, Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tùsail, Milsean, Bacalta, Spios, Allta, Tarlogan, Tayne, Duthac, Dornoc, Cadboll, Astar, A Midwinter Night’s Dram, Cadboll Estate, and Taghta.

Priced around $70 and worth the money if you like this style of whisky, but a little overpriced for me.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Speyburn 10

“Ardbeg Olive” Vodka Martini

Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10

Talisker 25 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old

Buchanan’s Deluxe 12 Year Blended Scotch

Ballantine’s 17

The BenRiach 10-Year-Old

Ardbeg An Oa

Glenmorangie 12 – Lasanta

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