GlenDronach bottles and sells my favourite whisky. As much as I like peat, a well-aged sherry single malt just does it for me (Editor’s Note: Yes, we know that prior to 2002 GlenDronach was peated, but I think DistillAsian means very peated whisky here). So the first thing I want to do when visiting Scotland is hit up the GlenDronach Distillery. It’s not as hard … Continue reading GlenDronach Distillery Tour
I signed up for the last available Distillers Wares tour first thing Sunday morning. However two days before that I found myself driving right past the visitor parking lot and parking right outside of the of the Mash House after the distillery had closed to the public for the day. An acquaintance was able to get my wife and I a private tour of the … Continue reading Laphroaig Distillers Wares
My wife and I rushed through a lunch at a small bar in Port Askaig in order to make it to the 2 pm Cask Strength Experience at Caol Ila. Funny story: Turns out we didn’t need to rush that much and could have had a heartier lunch because we were literally 5 minutes away. Well funny to me at least. I had been drinking. … Continue reading Caol Ila Distillery Tour
All the rumours are true: Bunnahabhain feels like the most remote and difficult to get to of all the distilleries on Islay. The final stretch is spent driving a long way down a nondescript single lane road. What they don’t tell you is that the Bunnahabhain Distillery complex looks like something out of a nuclear fallout movie, with seemingly old and rundown industrial buildings. Any … Continue reading Bunnahabhain Warehouse 9 Tasting
After Lagavulin, we ate a lovely lunch at the Islay Hotel, where we ended up getting seated beside and chatting with an Australian that had made the trip to Islay on his own. Happily full and ready to go, we were off on the 40-minute drive to Bruichladdich. As this was my wife’s first time driving on this trip, I was understandably nervous and sober … Continue reading Bruichladdich Warehouse Experience
My wife was kind enough to indulge my whisky obsession and not veto my idea to make the trip to Islay, aka Whisky Mecca, during our trip to Scotland. She said that I could go to as many distilleries as I could fit into three days on Islay. Well, the joke is on her because the answer to that question is 7 in what turned … Continue reading Lagavulin Warehouse Demonstration
Picked off the menu of one of my usual spots in downtown Toronto. Quinn’s is a great place in the financial district with a good food menu and a decent selection of whisky (with decent prices for the location). I knew nothing about this but it piqued my interest! A quick search on the internet tells me that Tullibardine is one of the few remaining … Continue reading Tullibardine Port Finish
Thank you to fellow TWS member WDMC905 for these samples. I’ve had both previously and enjoyed them but at a very early point in my scotch exploration, such that I didn’t really have the skills yet to put words to thoughts/tastes. Very happy to have samples of two Islays gems to review side by side! Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Abv: 46.3% Colour: Deep Copper Nose: Rancio, … Continue reading Review: Bunnahabhain 12 vs 18
Macallan Cask Strength 58.4% I waited a long time to a do a review of this Scotch. It was somewhat of a Unicorn for me as I got into scotch long after it was discontinued. As such, I never dreamed of getting a chance of this wonderful dram. This bucket list scotch experience came out of the generosity of a member of the TWS! I … Continue reading Review: Macallan Cask Strength
Toronto Whisky Society 