30 year old The MacPhail’s Collection from Tamdhu Distillery

What’s sweeter than the Thursday before a long weekend (knowing that I will be working from home tomorrow) and bolder than the red denim jeans I am wearing right now, well talking about a 30 year old whisky is. There is no better way to kick off this holiday weekend than by talking about The MacPhail’s Collection from Tamdhu Distillery 30 year old.

I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by people who enjoy whisky as much as I do. It has given me the opportunity to taste whiskies I would normally not have a chance to. In this instance I got a chance to taste this whisky after raiding my boyfriend’s family whisky collection cabinet.

If you are a whisky drinker, you as well I can appreciate the amount of history these whiskies and distilleries have. It makes tasting their products more enjoyable. What’s great to know about Gordon & MacPhail is that their MacPhail’s collection has a wide range of whiskies that are distilled in different top notch whisky distilleries around Scotland. This collection pairing with Tamdhu is a great match and that shows in the end result of this whisky. After years of distilling with other distillers Gordon & MacPhail finally acquired a distillery of their own and now produce Benromach whisky.

Now this particular 30 year old Speyside whisky distilled at the Tamdhu distillery has an ABV of 43%. It also has a wider price range than any of the other whiskies I’ve written about. Depending on where you purchase this can cost $145-$190. It could also go upwards of $200 in other places I checked. 

My Neat Experience

Color: Golden Brown (Amberish)

Smell: Sweet and woodsy (To get a better smell of the whisky, I poured a few drops on the base of my palms and I rubbed them together. It was the sweet smell that was left lingering after this process)

Taste: This whisky had a very sweet start to it. It had a very well balanced taste. After the sweet I was hit with a bit of spice. This full bodied whisky has a slight burn at the end but the finish is smooth and lovely.

Although pricey due to it years of maturation this is a very good whisky. You can taste the years of  great craftsmanship. I would have no money if I ever bought every single bottle of whisky or whiskey I tasted, but it was certainly a treat for me to try it this one and I would recommend if you ever get the chance to as well. If you have tried it or do try it let me know your thoughts.

If you are headed out this weekend on a long weekend adventure, safe travels and may you have a dram or two. Look out for my Bully Boy Distillers write up on Monday as I take a tour of their facilities this Saturday right here in Boston.

Cheers!

Ledaig 10 year old

To start this last week of August (so hard to believe), I am taking you back to the Islands of Scotland with a Ledaig 10 from the Isle of Mull on the west coast side of the country. This whisky is produced at the Tobermory distillery and it is the only distillery in the island. This distillery not only produces Ledaig 10 but also produces it’s very own Tobermory single malt. That single malt product has a range of a 10 year old and a 15 year old.

Ledaig 10 has an ABV of 46.3% and if you were looking to purchase a bottle, depending on where you go, it will cost you about $45-$55. It is a very decently priced whisky. Something to point out, if you recall my Chill-Filtration blog post from August 22nd, then you'll remember that I noted that most chill filtered whiskies happen to have an ABV of 46% or less. This Ledaig 10 is definitely a non chill-filtered whisky and I still enjoyed very much. 

My Experience
 

Color: A nice light golden color

Smell: To me it smelled peaty and smoky

Taste: My palate was first hit with that peaty taste, followed by smoke and it ended with a bit of spicy. There is a nice burn in the end that makes this whisky most enjoyable.


This whisky for the price is well worth the money. It is far less than what you normally would pay average wise and the product is really great. As the days start getting cooler it’s a great whisky to warm you up with that nice wood smoke taste.

Would I ever add this to my collection? Yes, this is a whisky that I would certainly add to my collection. I did enjoy the taste and think that the price is even sweeter. If you are looking for a great product, at a very good looking price then try this, it won’t disappoint you or your wallet. 

Cheers!

Thank you for all the visits to the blog!!

After a great weekend with loved ones I got a chance to look at my blog stats. It has been a little over two months now that I started writing my whisky blog. With that said I wanted to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, and THANK YOU!!! The amount of support I’ve received from all those reading my blog, has just been absolutely amazing.

Having 1250+ visits to the blog site in this amount of time is more than I can have ever asked for. I hope to continue writing good reviews and helpful information that will provide guidance in your whisky selection.

Although I can hold my own with whisky talking, when it comes to writing a blog, there is always the fear that no one will ever read it. My main goal when I first started to write the blog was to better inform non whisky drinkers about whisky and what they should choose if they were going to start drinking. It has since evolved to not only include non whisky drinkers but passionate whisky drinkers as myself.

Thank you again for your support and for fueling my passion. I will continue to write and can only hope that you all continue to read and provide feedback so I can only get better.

Cheers!

Chill-Filtration

If you've ever picked up a bottle of whisky that read non chill-filtered and didn’t know what it was, no worries my post today will hopefully help explain it. As I am far from a technical person, I wanted to provide a simple, quick, non-technical explanation everyone could understand, if they didn’t know already.

For starters the chill-filtering process is a subject for debate. There are those that are for it and those that are against it. Purists believe the process removes flavors from the whisky while the other side believes that process makes their whisky look good without taking away from it.

The reason why the process was initially introduced was because whiskies with an ABV of 46% or less when brought down to lower temperatures, to include adding ice, would commonly get a hazy look to it. Many people didn’t like this hazy/cloudy look and to satisfy those people, distilleries introduced this chill-filtering process.

The chill-filtering process removes all the residues that create this hazy look and is done before bottling. To put it in a very simple way, chill-filtering was only introduced to make a whisky look good. With is this process that haze no longer appeared. This satisfied those whisky drinkers that didn’t like the haze but others strongly believe that the process takes away from the final product. Whisky distilleries that are against the process clearly indicate this on there bottles by labeling it Non Chill-Filtered.You can see that pictures below on the Ardbeg bottle.

I honestly can’t tell you that I prefer one way or the other. If you’ve ever drunk Dalmore 12 and/or Glenfiddich 12 then you’ve had a chill-filtered whisky. From personal experience and from my last blog I can tell you that I personally loved Dalmore 12. I also love non chill-filtered whiskies, which include:

• Ardbeg - This is one of my favorites, which I have yet to write about

• Jura - I wrote about Jura Prophecy on my July 29th post and I very much enjoyed it

• Bruichladdich - Also another great whisky I enjoyed

In the end I truly just enjoy a good whisky! To me if it is a good whisky I don't care whether it underwent a chill-filter process or not.  I will continue to try chill-filtered and non chill-filtered whiskies. You on the other hand can be your own judge and decide what you prefer.

If you need help searching for a chill-filtered or non chill-filtered whisky, I found this site while rummaging through the internet. It's something that can possibly help you tell which whiskies are chill-filtered and which are not if you want to look that information up:

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/advancedsearch.asp

No go out there and enjoy your weekend!

Cheers!

The Dalmore 12

Ah Monday’s! If you had to drag yourself out of bed this morning and are now drinking a giant cup of coffee then we are in the same boat. Monday’s are extremely difficult to get into especially after a nice weekend. To cheer you up and put a smile on your face I have these sweet words to say to you, The Dalmore 12.

First and foremost I am a sucker for good whisky but if you ask me what makes for an even better whisky I would tell you a well packaged whisky. This whisky has a good taste and extremely good looks.

The front of the bottle is adorned with beautiful royal stag antlers. As the saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover,” however if this whisky were to be a book you would not go wrong by grabbing it for its cover because the product has a perfectly balanced start, middle and end.

The Dalmore 12 is a Highland whisky with an ABV of 40%. It is matured in both American white oak casks and oloroso sherry casks. A bottle, depending on where you go, will cost you around $40-$50+. For the taste and the bottle, this is a very good price point.

The Experience

Color: Dark honey (the color makes the bottle look even better)

Smell: Sweet and Raisins

Taste: I first tasted this on the rocks as it was my boyfriend who ordered it and I took a sip from his dram. To me it tasted like liquid raisins. I enjoyed it so much that I had to get my own neat glass. The neat dram was sweet, mild and still had that nice raisin taste. It really doesn’t disappoint!

Now I am not a fan of really sweet drinks, so much so, that I can’t even handle sugar in my coffee. I wanted to clarify that because although this whisky is sweet, the sweetness is not overwhelming. In other whiskies I’ve been able to taste the sherry from the sherry casks, but in this whisky all the notes are very well balanced that they all marry harmoniously.

If you wanted something different to try and are looking for it to be well priced then I would highly recommend this very good looking bottle. Whether it be to give to someone as a gift or for yourself, it is well worth the price and you will enjoy the taste.

The Dalmore 12 would also be a good whisky to taste for all those non whisky drinkers as it is mild and not too strong. I will be adding this to my collection not just to have it and enjoy myself but to also finally convert my sister-in-law into a whisky drinker. Now go out there and try it. If you do, feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Springbank 15 year old and whisky regions

Excitement was what I felt when I first saw this single malt labeled on the menu. Ordering a Springbank would mean that I would have officially tried a Scotch whisky from all 6 Scotch whisky regions. For those non whisky drinkers there are technically 6 regions. I've listed those regions below along with the whiskies I’ve written about so far on this blog.

Whisky Regions:

The Lowlands: Auchentoshan
The Highlands: Oban 14
Speyside: Macallan 12; Glenfiddich 21; The Glenlivet 15
Islay: Bowmore 15; Lagavulin 16
Campbeltown: Springbank 15
Islands: Jura Prophecy

Springbank 15 year old

Now onto the Springbank which is what we are here for. This 15 year old whisky is from the region of Campbeltown.  It is matured in sherry casks and has an ABV of 46%. If you are look to buy, a bottle will cost you about $60-$80 depending on where you shop.

An interesting tidbit to know about this distillery is that it is the only distillery in Scotland to product three very different whiskies. They are: Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn.

When first tasting it I was really hoping to like it but that is not really how my experience went.

The Experience:

Color: Was a nice golden color

Smell: Sweet and sherry

Taste: Sweet, medicinal and you get hints of the sherry casks.

The key word I used to describe this whisky when I was first tasted it was medicinal. Now I am not a fan of any drink tasting medicinal unless I have a cold and I am drinking cough syrup. I think the medicinal notes in this whisky were made more prominent with the sherry notes.

I did have this whisky in between dinner and after tasting I realized that it is a whisky that might be best enjoyed after dinner due to the sweet tasting notes. I know that in my Macallan 12 post I mentioned everyone has a different palette. This being the case I am certain that there are people out there that might enjoy this whisky and who might enjoy the medicinal notes. Who knows there might even be people who don’t get that medicinal note but given that I did get them, I am not entirely a fan of this whisky.

I would not recommend a new whisky drinker to start with this whisky however if anyone wants a sweet tasting after dinner whisky then this would certainly be that whisky. 

Cheers!

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength

Let’s be honest, in my lifetime of whisky drinking I’ve mainly gone ahead and reached for that Scotch whisky. I was never much of an Irish whiskey drinker until Green Spot and now Redbreast made an appearance in my life. These two whiskies have completely shown me what I was missing out in Irish whiskey. For all those Scotch whisky drinkers, if you haven’t tried any of these, then run don’t walk to try these because they will blow you away.

I first wrote about Green Spot on July 3rd of this year but it wasn’t till this very past weekend that I finally sampled Redbreast 12 Cast Strength. I will assure you that Redbreast 12 Cask Strength did not disappoint; it just made me wish I had not waited this long to try it.

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength to me is extremely smooth Irish whiskey and it is single pot still whiskey at its finest. Even though the single pot still process has begun to revive itself, Green Spot and Redbreast have been using this process from the start and were the only two brands that never stopped using this process to this day and age.

This Cask Strength is matured in Oloroso Sherry Casks much like the original Redbreast 12. It has an ABV of 57.7% and if you were to buy a bottle it would cost you around $60-$80 depending on where you buy.

The Experience:

Color:

• Golden color with hints of amber

Smell:

• Fruity
• Spicy

Taste:

• The first note I tasted in the palette was a peppery note. That was followed by spices and a hint of sherry.

The Finish:

• This whiskey ended with a nice mild burn but with a smoothness that only made me smile. The first words I said after my first sip was, “Wow, now that is good.” 

Sampling this Cask Strength was a great way to start the weekend and it is a whiskey I will certainly be adding to my collection.

For all those non whiskey drinkers looking for a nice Irish whiskey to try then you don’t have to look any further, you’ll love this Redbreast 12 Cask Strength so please go ahead and give it a world. And if by any chance you ever find yourself in Ireland then grab a sample or maybe even a bottle to bring back of Green Spot. It too will not disappoint! 

Cheers!

My whisky night!

The things I enjoy to do in the weekend! I do enjoy all this research I do for you all. Happy weekend!

Cheers!

Macallan 12

One of joys of whisky is that you can share a dram with a person and chances are that person will get a different whisky tasting experience than you will. Everyone has a different pallet so when it comes to deciphering the tastes in a brand of whisky not everyone will taste the same notes.

I have experienced in more than one occasion instances where I’ve shared a dram with someone else and the notes I tasted were not the same notes they described. The reason I feel I have to explain that is because any whisky drinker out there will tell you that they have heard of Macallan, know that it has a huge following and is a trusted brand.  To start my Macallan experience I went for the Macllan 12. Many rave about this being their favorite 12 year old, but in all honesty, I don’t completely agree.

With its huge popularity and following as you can image I was surprised to not love this whisky.

My issue with it: 

• For a 12 year-old, this Speyside Scotch whisky wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. Since it is matured in Sherry Oak casks there seems to be a significant sherry taste present.

The Experience:

Color

• Amber with hints of gold

Smell

• Sherry
• Woodsy

Taste (Neat)

• I first tasted the sherry, which was followed by spice and wood. I found it a bit harsh tasting.

Taste (Splash of water)

• The splash of water actually made this a bit smoother and the notes comes together, but the sherry was still prominent in the taste. Overall I did prefer and appreciate the smoothness of a splash of water.

For non-whisky drinkers this is actually not a bad whisky to get started with. It is affordable, but also a brand known and recognized by all. It has an ABV of 40% and the cost range, depending on where you buy, is $40-$60.

Aside from my initial issue with this whisky, I think I went into this tasting thinking that it would be amazing and completely worth the hype. I was unfortunately slightly letdown. With the huge following it has, I am sure the older ranges will make up for this 12 year-old. I am actually looking forward to tasting and sharing my experience with those older ranges.

Cheers!

Glenfiddich 21

If you’ve ever visited the Glenfiddich website you will notice that one of the site banners indicates that it is “The world’s most awarded single malt,” http://www.glenfiddich.com/. And if you aren’t a whisky drinker you first initial thought is to roll your eyes because you feel they are trying to get you to drink their whisky. For all those non whisky drinkers and those who haven’t tried Glenfiddich as a whisky drinker I can attest that that this statement absolutely holds true. Excitement can’t begin to describe how I felt when I got the chance to try this Glenfiddich 21.

You don’t exactly have to be a whisky drinker to truly appreciate and enjoy this whisky. Having been matured for 21 years shows itself in how smooth the whisky is. It doesn’t end with a burn but rather a nice smooth warming note that I would recommend to any whisky and non whisky drinker out there.

Glenfiddich 21 is matured in Caribbean rum casks. It has an ABV of 40%. This bottle can cost you about $120-$140. Please note that I also saw it for more and less than this price range so it does depend on where you buy. This whisky is truly worth the price you pay to drink it. I truly wish this was a bottle of whisky I had in my collection, but sadly it is not. I was happy to try it after the bottle was given as a gift to my boyfriend.

The color:

-          Dark gold

The smell:

-          Sweet

-          Woodsy

The taste:

-          A peppery taste was what first hit my palate

-          Followed by the taste of spices

The finish:

-          It is very warming and it’s ending spicy notes makes you keep coming back for more.

In my opinion and as a suggestion to non whisky drinkers, this whisky should be tried neat. If it ever gets to be too strong for you then you can add a splash of water or even an ice cube. Once you’ve tried it then you will definitively know why this is the most decorated single malt out there.

If you’ve been following my blog you would have noted that I have in previous write ups proclaimed to be an Islay girl, as most of my top favorite whiskies are from Islay. However, not all my top 5 favorites are from Islay as this one Speyside whisky does hold a very strong spot in that top 5. This whisky is truly a cut above the rest and I highly recommend one tries it.

Cheers!