From Our Blog
Unfortunately, WhiskyFest New York will be happening on only one day this coming year, and it’s a Wednesday. So, plan on burning a vacation day or sick day that Thursday!
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Friday, October 11, 2013 – New York City
I rode the elevator with Dave Broom on our way to the special tasting he hosted today, at the New York offices of his new book’s U.S. distributor, Hachette Book Group. This allowed me to have some exclusive insider questions answered, before he met with various marketing professionals to share some of the practical applications explored within the manuscript they will soon be promoting…
“… The fatty quality of the nut was dominant, mouth-filling and slithery, and ever so cooling as it slipped down the throat. The whisky’s malty smoke and spicy fruits took on the role of the subordinate flavoring, rather than primary components…”
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Latest Editions to The Shelf
Royal Lochnagar Distillers Edition
Glenkinchie Distillers Edition
Laphroaig PX Travel Market Exclusive
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More News
“This very weekend the 8 Men of Malt shall be enjoying an exploration of some wonderful single malt in name of scientific research. A tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
We shall convene at the home of our resident Oscar winner, to toast his latest Emmy nomination with some summer whisky from Speyside’s northwest corner.”
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What else is new?
Find out HERE
We hope you will enjoy our reviews and articles on malt whisky. Please let us know what you think.
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From Our Reviews
The bottle of 25 year old Talisker I am reviewing holds great sentimental value for me. It had survived Hurricane Sandy, without its packaging and with a torn up label. But luckily it remained sealed.
I received it as a gift because I was storing some valuables while a friend’s home was renovated, so they were not destroyed with the rest of his belongings, during the devastation that ravaged the east coast of the United States, one year ago today.
And like the ever changing weather of the northern seas at its home shores, this whisky is in constant flux upon the surface, with a deep serenity beneath.
“As the finest spirits are thought of as very precious, as they dwindle in the bottle, it is a finer thing to pour some out on occasions such as these, and raise them in remembrance of that which is gone, and in appreciation for what we are so lucky to have.”
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For a ticket price less than the next-best seats at a rock concert or baseball game, 4.5 hours of the best whisky in the world, a 4-star buffet, and a glencairn tasting class…
“…the 25 yo has a similar vatting ratio of refill sherry casks and bourbon, but then spends its final two years in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, which results in a lively waltz of the two influences from the get go, before all the European figs and almonds and Christmasy spices kick up their heels, yet they remain firmly in the grasp of a skeletal American oak structure. As indulgent a 43% whisky as I can remember…”
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We chose the 16 to see how today’s BenRiach is fairing.
“The center is malty and toffee-like, but it is infused with a hoard of mixed fruit, led by autumn cooking apples, a few pears, and fragrant oranges resting in an old wooden bowl. And winding throughout are subtle chocolate notes that increase over time.
This is a rich and savory whisky, ideal for a blustery Halloween night.”
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Our review gets to the heart of a stand-out among the great malt whiskies.
“It does not bring the sucker punch Wow! of the hotter, rawer 10 year old Talisker. Talisker 18 makes a suave entrance and starts to reveal an elegant form with a smoldering heart. This is a very sexy whisky …
smoky, full bodied … Starts off subtle and mellow,
finishes greatly complex and effortlessly penetrating …“
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Event Review
Malt whisky and its cousins in celebration
Whisky Live took place Wednesday night, April 3, on Pier Sixty in New York City, one of 16 cities around the globe that host the “World’s Premiere Whisky Tasting Show.” And it was a rousing, educational and entertaining success. Those attending were greeted and treated to countless varieties of malt whisky by more than sixty exhibitors, representing ten nations. There were also several incarnations of America bourbon, Canadian ryes, along with brandies, rum, gin, beer, and even cigars.
Many of the foremost experts in the craft of distilling were on hand to share their wisdom and humor, along with priceless insights, and some of the finest drams available anywhere, many of which cost hundreds of dollars per bottle at a liquor shop, if one can find them at all.
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Although we have many reviews to publish in the coming days and weeks, we are happy to kick-off our whisky reviews with a member of the Common Man’s Malt Whisky Hall of Fame, 12 year old Highland Park.
“It is such an ensemble cast that the entire production becomes the star.
This is different than I remember, not as fruity-sweet or lush, with more citrus, and greater dryness and woody qualities to the main profile. Perhaps my taste buds have aged, but this seems a more grown-up dram than the 12 year old Highland Park of my youth.”
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