12/2008 JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL 18 YEAR OLD BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
We were a little skeptical of the rep's pitch --- "Pull that bottle of vodka out of your freezer and replace it with a bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD." An $80 bottle of scotch?

When we sipped our chilled samples, we were pleasantly surprised. The whisky was very gentle and oozed honey, raisin, barley, and delectable smoke.

Back at our headquarters, we sampled JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD unchilled. The flavor was similar, but it was not so pleasant an experience. The less cold the booze, the lower the viscosity and the less velvety the mouthfeel. Though tasty, the flavors no longer seemed so harmonious. That does not, of course, mean we do not like this whisky --- oh, no, we do. (Rating ***3/4)

To see if our retailer can sell you a bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD, surf to InternetWines.com.

WOO-HOO: WE JUST LEARNED THAT OUR RETAILER IS OFFERING JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD AT $56.25 A BOTTLE! If you are itching to try it, there's no better time than the present!

Labels: Gold Label, Johnnie Walker, Scotch - Blended, Scotland

 

9/2008 TEACHER'S HIGHLAND CREAM BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
The makers of TEACHER'S state that their blend comprises no less than 45% malt whisky, which comes from 30 different single malt whiskies (the remainder is grain whiskey). TEACHER'S has been around 175 years and has many fans. It's a bargain blend that retails for under $25. It's robust yet smooth, and shows chocolate, toffee, grain, and a little pepper. It's quite pleasant to sip on ice. (Rating ***3/4)

To see if our retailer can sell you a bottle, surf to InternetWines.com.
For further details on TEACHER'S, see http://www.TeachersWhisky.com/.

Labels: Scotch - Blended, Scotland, Teacher's

 

6/2008 JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK LABEL BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
Johnnie Walker Black Label (40 proof) is a very impressive whisky. Especially astounding is that so much of it is produced each year (about 7 million liters), yet, the quality remains very high. This is a very nice scotch that seems likely to appeal to a wide range of scotch drinkers. Newbies can take it with an ice cube in it, journeymen with a few drips of water, and veteran slurpers ought to take it neat. Diluted, JOHNNIE BLACK is frightfully easy to sip; straight up, it shows the Talisker in it, wafting light peat and smoke. It's a very smooth and nuanced scotch, and it is, for certain, a top-notch blend. (Rating *****)

To see if our retailer can sell you a bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER, click here. Otherwise, surf to http://www.JohnnieWalker.com.

Labels: Black Label, Johnnie Walker, Scotch - Blended, Scotland

 

5/2008 LAPHROAIG ISLAY SINGLE MALT WHISKY 10 YEARS
Ah, what was it --- five years ago? --- that we found ourselves at the LAPHROAIG distillery in Islay, peering over the water at Ireland in the misty distance. Ian Henderson, then the distillery manager, poured samples freely for a few of us, and entertained us with good chat. It was quite an experience.

We are where we are now, a very different place; yet, LAPHROAIG 10 (86 proof) remains delicious as ever. It is an iconic malt whisky; it can't be confused with any other. It is not, for sure, a whisky for novices. It explodes with flavor--- great layers of iodine beneath which lurk feint, sweet berry and honey flavors that can be glimpsed upon the swallow. Terrific-- do add just a couple of drops of water to a neat dram to enjoy it. (Rating *****)

To see if our retailer can sell you a bottle of LAPHROAIG, click here. Otherwise, check with the company that produces it, http://www.laphroaig.com/.

Labels: Laphroaig, Scotch - Single Malt, Scotland, Whisky

 

5/2008 JOHNNIE WALKER RED LABEL BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
As best we can tell, JOHNNIE WALKER RED LABEL has improved over the past ten years. It used to be a bit gassy. Now it is gentler, though we still recommended adding a few drops of water to open it up. It starts with a fat choclate or toffee note, then shows grainand a little smoke. Add a couple ice cubes and it becomes dangerously easy to drink. The tasting notes for this indicate that JOHNNIE RED LABEL's "main single malts" are CAOL ILA and TALISKER. When we sip JOHNNIE RED LABEL, the first whisky that comes to mind is BELL'S, a blend that features, yes, CAOL ILA. Chalk one up to the tongues at AlcoholReviews.com! (Rating ***1/2)

To see if our retailer can sell you a bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER RED LABEL, click here. Otherwise, check with the folks at http://www.JohnnieWalker.com.

Labels: Johnnie Walker, Scotch - Blended, Scotland, Whisky

 

5/2007 COMPASS BOX HEDONISM SCOTCH WHISKY
A lovely whisky loaded with vanilla and jammy fruit flavors. Very interesting, and likely to appeal to those who don't like smokey scotch. (Rating ****1/4)

To see if our retailer can get you a bottle by clicking SHOP, typing "Compass Box" in the search engine, and clicking the magnifying glass. Otherwise, for more information, surf to http://www.compassboxwhisky.com/.

Labels: Compass Box, Scotch - Blended, Scotland

 

5/2007 COMPASS BOX ELEUTHERA SCOTCH WHISKY
This vatted whisky is rich with peat and fruit. We were surprised that it was a healthy 46% alcohol. It's robust yet quite pleasant. (Rating ****)
To see if our retailer can get you a bottle by clicking SHOP, typing "Compass Box" in the search engine, and clicking the magnifying glass. Otherwise, for more information, surf to http://www.compassboxwhisky.com/.

Labels: Compass Box, Scotch - Blended, Scotland

 

4/2007 ARDBEG MARITIMO (SINGLE MALT WHISKY SOCIETY CASK #33.53)
Distilled in May 1994, this 10 year old whisky is a hefty 59.2% alcohol (118.4 proof!) Straw colored, it noses nicely, showing sweet and briny notes. In the mouth, it starts sweet and fruity, gets a touch smoky, then offers up iodine. A potent scotch, not for the novice, but a real delight to the lover of big malts. (Rating ****1/2)

For more information on this whisky, contact the Single Malt Whisky Society at http://www.smws.com/. You can also see if our retailer can get you a bottle by clicking SHOP, typing "ARDBEG" in the search engine, and clicking the magnifying glass.

Labels: Ardbeg, Scotch - Single Malt, Scotland

 

8/2005 ARDBEG LORD OF THE ISLES 25 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
A good friend gave us a wee sample of this rare whisky. It's fabulous. For a few specs on it, see http://www.glenmorangieplc.com/portfolio/ardbeg_lord.asp. The nose offers a rich fruitiness; in the mouth, the berries are less pronounced and iodine and gentle peat appear. It's a full flavored whisky yet very gentle. Most impressive. (Rating ****1/2) To see two other opinions of this whiskey, surf to http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/brand/ardbeg/whisky792.html.

To see if our retailer carries ARDBEG LORD OF THE ISLES, click SHOP and type "ARDBEG" in the search engine and click the magnifying glass.

Labels: Ardbeg, Scotch - Single Malt, Scotland

 

5/2006 AMARULA MARULA FRUIT CREAM liqueur
We had no idea what to expect- it's not like we grew up eating Marula fruits in Ohio. We poured AMARULA into a rocks glass and it looked a bit like milk spiked with Hershey's syrup. Most perplexing. Waving it under our noses our eyes popped- it was boisterous with a berry note of some sort. Now we were really confounded. Into the hatch it went and the berry note gave way to a cocoa or toffee flavor. Wow- unusual, but we've no doubt that lots of people will go absolutely bananas for this 34 proof cream liqueur. Take it straight or on ice. (Rating ****1/2)

To see if our retailer can sell you AMARULA, click SHOP FOR AMARULA. Otherwise, surf to http://www.amarula.com/.

5/2006 MARTIN MILLER'S REFORMED LONDON DRY GIN AND REFORMED LONDON DRY GIN WESTBOURNE STRENGTH
New gins on the market- hoorah! Compared to vodka, gins are so few! So, here we have two gins by Martin Miller. Now, how's this for multiculturalism: Martin Miller's gins are distilled in London, Blended and bottled in iceland, and imported to the USA by Cantina Italiana LLC of Hollywood, Florida. It reminds us of that old song line, "I met a German girl in England who was going to school in France..."

So, the first of these two gins is 80 proof, the second (the Westbourne Strength) is 90.4 proof. In the former version, the citrus note outshines the juniper one, and it's hard to detect the other botanicals. On the whole, this gin is quite soft. One wonders if this is an effort to do what Baffert's and Reval tried doing- making a gin that would appeal to the vodka lover. Regardless, this is clearly gin, and is enjoyable. (Rating ****) The Westbourne Strength version is much the same, only the extra alcohol actually makes it taste better. It has more crackle to it, a characteristic that gin drinkers seek. (Rating ****1/2)

To see if our retailer can sell you MILLER'S, click SHOP FOR MILLER'S. Type "MILLER" in the search engine and click the SEARCH button. Last we checked, they carried both of these gins. Otherwise, surf to http://www.millersgin.com/.


5/2006 CARNIVO XO
Gadzooks- a green colored liqueur made from "an award winning XO Cognac, premium French Vodka, a luscious tropical fruit juices"! This amalgam just makes no sense to us- why have both vodka and cognac? And how can you have both but only end up with a 40 proof liqueur? And how can the aforementioned ingredients make this stuff taste SO SUGARY? Baffling. It tastes a bit like spiked Gatorade. We're not too fond of this syrupy stuff. Maybe those who like super sweet stuff will want to quaff this on ice. Not us, though. (Rating **1/2)


5/2006 OLD FETTERCAIRN SINGLE HIGHLAND SCOTCH MALT WHISKY 10 YEAR
Although this whisky is only 80 proof, it carries itself like a sturdier malt. It's viscous and gold in color and packs a full punch of white pepper, peat, and pear. It's simple, direct, and enjoyable. (Rating ****)

To see if our retailer can sell you OLD FETTERCAIRN, click SHOP FOR OLD FETTERCAIRN.


5/2006 LOCH LOMOND HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Ho-hum. We hadn't tried this malt before; though our hopes were not high, they were, nonetheless, disappointed. This straw tinged with gold malt offers light honey, berry, and barley notes to the nose. In the mouth its limp and its fruity flavor departs quickly. Perhaps a nice place to start for those who fear the robustness of scotch whisky, but all others should take a pass. (Rating ****)


5/2006 DALWHINNIE SINGLE MALT HIGHLAND WHISKY 15 YEAR
This 86 proof malt was rather impressive. It offers up a little honey, pear, and toffee. It's slightly spicy but not especially intense. Well done. (Rating ****)

To see if our retailer can sell you DALWHINNIE, click SHOP FOR DALWHINNIE.


6/2006 SAILOR JERRY SPICED NAVY RUM
What a delicious rum! It's a robust (92 proof), deep copper colored, and oozes flavor....Lots of vanilla and berries. A wonderful product- it shows what rum can be. Bourbon lovers would likely enjoy this rum (Rating ****3/4)

To see if our retailer can sell you SAILOR JERRY, click SHOP FOR SAILOR JERRY RUM. Otherwise, surf to http://www.sailorjerry.com/.

Labels: England, Gin, Liqueur, Rum, Scotch - Single Malt, Scotland, South Africa