Irish Whiskey in America: the underdeveloped market

Irish whiskey is exploding at the moment but the market for Irish whiskey in the United States focuses primarily on blended whiskeys and a lot will need to happen before the category is able to chip away at the incredible lead that our Scottish cousins have in the single malt category.

Old Pulteney 12 – A Review

So I've strayed away from the Old Pulteney range ever since I smashed a bottle of the 21 year old on the floor, in the bar I used to manage in Vancouver, when loading in new inventory.... I know..... Thankfully though, I was doing a good enough job there not to get in any real... Continue Reading →

Macallan Gold – A Review

So I have sold a tonne of Macallan gold but never actually tried it myself. Macallan's 1824 series sees the Gold officially as the baby of the group. They brought back the sherry finish/maturation that made them famous after the awful reputation that the fine oak series awarded them. The gold replaced the 10 year... Continue Reading →

Glen Grant 10 – A review

Roommate brought this home from the duty free in Switzerland. Not usually a dram I would have jumped out for but cant say no to a friend offering a dram! Colour: Straw Yellow Nose: Candyhop sweetness, hints of toffee and stewed apples. Palate: Light open, tofee sweetness, subdued spice, malt and pears Finish: Long dry... Continue Reading →

Aberlour 10 – A Review

Very approachable, entry level dram. On special in the pub this weekend for the Ireland vs Scotland game. Couldn't say no to a glass or two at knockdown prices! Colour: Rich gold. Nose: Sweetness upfront, fruit, toffee and nuts. Palate: Full bodied. Spice up front, caramel, sherry sweetness & thick malty taste. Finish: Medium finish.... Continue Reading →

Abelour A’Bunadh – A Review

So with all the talk of Quarter Cask and A'bunadh convincing so many staunch anti-NAS fanatics I felt like I ought to give this at least a try! Had this dram in the lovely Albanch bar on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Abelour A'bunadh - Batch 47. 60.7% Abv Nose: ripe fruits, strong alcohol presence, raisins,... Continue Reading →

Cadenhead’s Small Batch Little Mill – Review

Colour: Amber gold. Nose (without water) : Toasted nuts, nugat, honey comb, hint of raisins. Palate (w/o water): Delicate open, toasted wood, walnut, bourbon sweetness, light sherry influence, Finish (w/o water): beautiful lingering of toasted wood, burnt sugar, slight lingering spice and finally some light sherry notes. ==== Nose (with water): Sweet honeycomb, nut, toasted wood, raisin/sherry completely gone.... Continue Reading →

Non-age statements

Non-age statement whiskies are very much a hot topic right now. This is a trend of releasing bottles of whisk(e)y with a fancy name instead of a year statements that has been becoming more and more prevalent with the global boom in whisk(e)y sales. This new/not so new trend, is causing lots of controversy and... Continue Reading →

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