Talisker 25, 2017 Release, 45.8% ABV, £168 with shipping (UK auction) Nose: Prune juice, apple juice, apricot, honey, vanilla, sweet smoke, leather, old dusty books, sea air, and salt water. Taste: Salt and brine, more peat heavy on the palate vs the nose. There’s a musty oak-smoke element, and a really nice cherry chocolate liqueur/dark chocolate note. Finish: Long. Decent complexity. Chocolate and peat notes … Continue reading Talisker 25
My 2 cents on Non Age-statement (NAS) Scotch Whisky. I feel like this review is an appropriate time to weigh-in on the discussion. There is a lot of hate in the whisky community towards distilleries for not disclosing the age of their product. Some even flat out boycott purchasing a bottle without a number on the front. Being relatively new to the game, I just … Continue reading The great debate: Corryvreckan or Uigeadail?
Macallan 10 Years Old (Sherry), 40% ABV, £66 including shipping, (Review: Drinks by the Dram 3cl sample) Nose: Classic Macallan-like sherry, cherries, strawberry jam, raisins, plums, fudge, and chocolate. Taste: Everything I got from the nose was on the palate, with a little more chocolate, added oak, and spice. Finish: Medium length. Thoughts: I would be hard pressed to distinguish this from the current 12 … Continue reading Macallan 10 Years Old (Sherry)
This is the fourth and final category in our TWS Whisky Awards: Cask Strength Canadian Whiskies. In our previous three parts, we covered 1. under aged & non-whiskies; 2. Canadian Single Malts; and 3. Canadian Whiskies. There were only two bottles in this category, and you’ll find the notes and rankings below, along with a wrap-up of the series. Black Fox Spirits Wheat Spirit Cask Strength … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Cask Strength Canadian Whiskies & Wrap-up
In this, the third part of our TWS Whisky Awards, we look at some whiskies that fall within the more classical Canadian Whisky category. In Part 1, we looked at some under-aged spirits and non-whiskies, and in Part 2 we evaluated some Canadian Single Malts. Here are the bottles, descriptions, tasting notes and rankings of the five Canadian Whiskies we evaluated: Last Mountain 100% Wheat … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Canadian Whiskies
In the first annual TWS Whisky Awards, we evaluated four categories of Canadian whiskies and spirits. In Part 1, we looked at under-aged spirits and non-whiskies. In Part 2, we’re evaluating four Canadian Single Malts. Maison Sivó L’Essence du Single Malt – Franklin, QC This bottle from Sivó is an in-progress single malt made from Quebec malted barley, which undergoes a 4 day fermentation before … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Canadian Single Malts
As mentioned in the intro to the TWS Whisky Awards, we wanted to give new distilleries and those with under-aged spirits a chance to participate in a group evaluation, as they don’t typically participate in whisky awards. We received bottles from a number of young distilleries, and you’ll find the descriptions, collective notes and the winners of those bottles below. Park Distillery Glacier Rye – … Continue reading TWS Whisky Awards 2017: Non-Whiskies & Whiskies in Progress
A few months ago, the founding members of the Toronto Whisky Society were discussing what we should do to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and eventually the discussion came around to whisky awards. When we looked at these awards, we found that they don’t always reveal the full list of whiskies evaluated, and generally don’t evaluate up-and-coming distilleries with product under 3 years old. Canada has … Continue reading TWS’s Inaugural Whisky Awards Intro
This was the fourth official Toronto Whisky Society event of 2017. Gordon Stevenson is the global spirits ambassador with International Beverage Holdings and is here to walk us through a tasting of various their whiskies. Their five distilleries are represented here. Putleney, Balblair, Speyburn, Knockdhu (anCnoc), & Balmenach – their largest distillery, exclusively used for blends and their gin. They used to do drum maltings … Continue reading Woodman Spirits & International Beverages Tasting Event
2023 UPDATES UNDER EACH ENTRY BELOW Given the popularity of our post on The Best Scotch $100 Can Buy (LCBO 2017) a number of TWS members discussed the best American bourbons and ryes you can find at the LCBO for a reasonable price. We settled on $61 as the cutoff point to allow Wild Turkey Rare Breed to qualify, as we wanted a barrels proof … Continue reading Best Bourbon/American Rye Under $71 at LCBO
Aberfeldy 16yr SC (1994 A.D. Rattray) Review 16 year 55.5% ABV Bourbon hogshead So, I saw a single cask release of Aberfeldy at cask strength, matured in bourbon hogshead from A.D. Rattray. Oddly enough, very few reviews posted for cask strength Aberfeldy releases. Being a lunatic, it seemed like a good idea to get a bottle. No idea at all what to expect going into this. … Continue reading Review: Aberfeldy 16yr SC (1994 A.D. Rattray)
In my experience I’ve found a few drops of water really open up and benefit these whiskies, and therefore all my notes are with water added. (Approximately 3-4 drops for a half ounce pour) Blanton’s Gold, Bottled 9-19-14, Barrel 829, Warehouse H, Rick#29, 51.5% ABV, $100 CAD Nose: Brown sugar, sweet corn, vanilla, toffee, really nice cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate thing going on. Fruit hard … Continue reading Blanton’s Gold, Booker’s Bourbon, & Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof.
Toronto Whisky Society 