Ardbeg 10 year old

Let me start by saying that Ardbeg is one of my very favorite Single malt Scotch whiskies. The first time I tried Ardbeg I was in San Diego about 2 years ago attending a friend’s wedding. While out at a whisky bar I wanted to try something smoky and different, so the bartender suggested Ardbeg. Since then this very Scotch has topped my list of favorites.

If you love smoke and peat then this is a must try for you, if you have not already tried it. For my non whisky drinkers, I would not recommend you try this one first if you are trying to get into whisky. This whisky is extremely strong and something you should try once you’ve experience lighter whisky notes. Basically, non whisky drinkers should develop a palate for whisky before reaching for this one as it is strong. I can guarantee you that it will be worth the wait once you do eventually try.

This great Scotch is from the Islay region of Scotland. For a little island, this place doesn’t hold back when it comes to the boldness of their whiskies. Ardbeg-10 is one of the peatiest and smokiest whiskies you will ever taste. But before we get to taste let’s take it one step at the time and start with the smell.

Smell: To be clear, you don’t really have to dig your nose too deep into the bottle to immediately get hit with that smoky smell. While drinking other whiskies I’ve had to literally smell the bottle a couple of times before really knowing what I smelled. The minute you open the Ardbeg bottle, you will get hit with a burst of smoke, peat, pepper and yes bacon (AMAZING).

Taste: If that smell left you salivating then wait till you taste it. When tasting you get extreme boldness, peat, smoke and pepper. As it goes down you get a wonderful tangy burn that will make you want to reach for another sip.

Finish: To be honest it’s the whisky that just keeps on giving. The finish is delightfully smoky. I will share with you that I’ve had a very busy and stressful work week. Last night after getting home from work and before dinner I poured myself a dram of Ardbeg and it was the drink that brought back a smile on my face. Yes it is that good in my opinion and yes I do recommend you try.

To me what’s also great about this whisky is the price; depending on where you buy you can pay around $45-$55 for a bottle. It is a great deal for this whisky and I believe worth it. I do own a bottle of Ardbeg and I will continue to keep purchasing. If you try it, I do hope you enjoy as well.

Cheers!

P.S. One last thing before I close this out, every time I close a blog out I always wonder if people really think that I hit the bottle a lot. Let me clarify that I do not! My father was an alcoholic and that has made me very aware of alcohol and how much I consume. My father is now 20+ years sober (hooray!). So, I drink responsibly and not to heavy handed, as everyone should.

Tullamore D.E.W., Original, Old Bonded and Heritage

Monday already! Could you believe that September is coming to a close soon? Well, neither can I. Time flies when you are having fun. And fun is exactly what I had when I got a chance to try three different whiskies from one whiskey family range. It is not often that I get to do that, so I enjoyed every minute of the experience.

My good friend from college Matt absolutely LOVES the Irish whiskey, Tullamore D.E.W. I got a chance to go through his collection during a recent visit I made to him and his wife Sarah down in Cape Cod. It was easy to get him to share the original and the Old Bonded with me (this triple distilled Old Bonded Warehouse reserve is only available for purchase in the distillery building. It was created for the reopening of the Tullamore D.E.W. visitor’s center in September 2012). However, it was not so easy to have him share the Heritage with me. You see they are saving that bit for a very special occasion and since they don’t make the Heritage anymore, giving some away is certainly very hard to do. In the end he shared enough for me to write about it. Thanks again Matt!


For my non whiskey drinkers who want a little history about this whiskey, here’s a little tidbit, Daniel E. Williams worked for the Tullamore Distillery. He worked hard and quickly raised up the ranks to eventually one day own the distillery. The whiskey went from just being Tullamore to Tullamore D.E.W. as Williams began adding his initials to every bottle. Their range now includes the original, 12 year old special reserve, 10 year old single malt and the Old Bonded Warehouse.


If you want to hear a side story about drinking Tullamore D.E.W., Matt and I had a college friend in the military that got killed in Afghanistan. The night before his funeral services, a few of us gathered to tell stories about what a great man he was. That night, Matt and I nearly finished one entire bottle of Tullamore D.E.W.
Out of the three that I tasted, to include their Heritage bottle, the one I enjoyed the most was their Old Bonded Warehouse release. To me it was the smoothest of the lot, but each of these whiskeys had their own very unique tasting notes.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Original ($20-$30)

1. Smell: Sweetness and vanilla
2. Taste: This one was light and smooth with a slight burn. 
3. My thoughts: Although it was enjoyable it was also very forgettable.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Old Bonded Warehouse (only available for purchase in the Tullamore D.E.W. distillery building)

1. Smell: Oak
2. Taste: It was rich and I tasted oak. There was a slight burn to the whiskey and sweet tasting notes.
3. My thoughts: This was the one I liked best of the three. It was the most memorable and the one I enjoyed most. It certainly was a great tribute to the reopening of theirs visitor’s center.

• Tullamore D.E.W. Heritage Blend

1. Smell: Woodsie
2. Taste: I taste wood. There was a burn to this whiskey with hints of spice.
3. My thoughts: It was a strong whiskey and although nice, I enjoyed the Old Bonded more than I did this one. To me it wasn’t as smooth as I thought it would be. It is certainly more enjoyable than the original and I am extremely glad I got a chance to try it.  

Overall Tullamore D.E.W. is a great Irish whiskey, it’s not at the top of my favorites but it is certainly a whiskey that should be tried. In my opinion they have a clear winner with their Old Bonded Warehouse reserve. It’s very unfortunate that they only sell it in their distillery. Hopefully it is a whiskey they might eventually consider releasing to outside those doors.

Tullamore D.E.W. will forever remind me of great memories and spending time with great friends during difficult moments. I know that I will always enjoy sharing a dram or two with Matt and Sarah on my visits down to see them. So go out there and share a dram with your friends.

Cheers!

Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon

Since starting my blog I feel like I’ve neglected bourbon along the way, even though, that is how I got my whisky drinking start. Here I am to change that neglect. Before we headed to make dinner last night we stopped by the liquor store and as I walked up and down the bourbon aisle, I realized there are a ton of great bourbons I have yet to try and to tell you all about.

While roaming the aisles I came across the very bourbon I am writing about today and that is Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon from Kentucky. If you don’t know this already, a single barrel means that the bourbon is aged in one barrel. There are many distilleries that use different types of barrels to age their products. I definitely think we will see more and more single barrel products become available.

For my non whisky drinkers, just to refresh your memory from my previous post written on July 25th or if you had not read that post before, Bourbon has to have at least 51% or more corn in their mash to be considered bourbon. It has to be aged for at least two years, although most distilleries age theirs for four or more years.

While in school I can tell you that history was one of my favorite classes to take a bit of a snooze in, especially in college. If you were like me, please bear with me for the next few lines. It was after I tasted Blanton’s that I also realized the great history behind this Bourbon. There aren’t many product (four to be exact) that can claim this but Blanton’s was one of four (the only one in Kentucky) to be allowed to continue producing whiskey throughout the prohibition years.

Colonel Albert Blanton (Blanton’s was named in his honor) spent most of his life producing whiskey for the Ancient Age Distillery which you all now know as the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  The years of dedication and hard work he put into the whiskey show not only in the craftsmanship of the bourbon but also in the taste.

I'll cut right down to the chase, this is excellent bourbon!! It is definitely a must try. When I opened the bottle I got hit with sweet smelling notes. It has a nice deep amber color and the taste was really smooth. I tasted notes of vanilla and spice. The bourbon had a nice burn to it and a great finish. If you love bourbon then you will enjoy this bourbon. Col. Blanton knew exactly what he was doing.

To top things off (no pun intended), aside from the great tasting bourbon, another great feature is in the bottle topper. The bottle topper features a horse and jockey. As you already know bourbon and horses go hand in hand in Kentucky. This topper certainly enhances the look of the bottle and makes a great tasting product look even better.

I recommend giving this one a try. You will not be disappointed!

Cheers!

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Although I’ve been drinking whisky for quite some time now, I can recall that even before I started drinking, I knew and had heard about Johnnie Walter. It wasn’t till later on in my whisky drinking years that I eventually came to learn about their blue label. For all my non whisky drinkers if you have not heard of it yet, I’d like to change that. This is a brand I feel you should definitely know about, if not only to impress someone with this knowledge, then to actually try a product that is as good as they say it is.

The first time I tried the Blue label I was at a friend’s party about a year ago. Her parents are big Scotch drinkers and although they had alcohol out for the party I learned that they also had Johnnie Walker blue, but that bottle was her mothers and not meant to be served to the party. My first thought was to sneak into the kitchen and quietly pour myself a glass without anyone ever knowing. In the end I took the honest route and just asked Mrs. Favata if she would share just a tad bit, which of course she did. To help me write this blog, I revisited the blue label and had a dram last night as my boyfriend owns a bottle. The glass I had last night was as good as it was when I first tried it a year ago.

In my opinion this is one of the smoothest blended whiskies I’ve ever tasted, so much so that I had to keep reminding myself that it was a blended Scotch. When I opened the bottle I first got hit with a sweet smell. In the palate to me it tasted woodsy (this whisky is aged in oak barrels), sweet, it has a slight burn and finishes with notes of spice.

I very much enjoyed this whisky! All the blended whiskies in the Blue Label come together to form the perfect balance. It truly is blending at its best.

Since having started my blog I’ve been asked by some for good whisky suggestions. So, for the ladies and my non whisky drinkers out there if you are looking for a good gift for a Scotch loving spouse, significant other, family member, or any other important person in your life, you can’t go wrong with giving them Johnnie Walker Blue.

The one important thing to note is that because this whisky is produced in limited batches it will be an expensive gift as I’ve seen the price range go from $180-$250 depending on where you buy. If you ever purchase you will note that each bottle is numbered and that is because of the limited amount of product produced.

A few other facts to know for all my non-whisky drinkers or those looking to start, Johnnie Walker was a product created by Alexander Walker in Glasgow. It is a blended Scotch whisky. When he first began his whisky blending journey he named this whisky Old Highland Whisky but it would later be renamed Johnnie Walter in honor or Alexander’s father, John Walter. They have five labels which include Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Platinum Label, and the Blue label of Course. They also have a whisky called Swing which uses up to 35 whiskies in its blend.

Overall, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a great whisky to taste and possibly even have in your collection one day. It’s pricey but it is worth every penny and will truly not disappoint. It is a whisky I highly recommend to try.

Cheers!

Connemara Peated Single Malt Whiskey

If I could go back and change a few things about my two separate visits to Ireland, one would have to be, making sure I toured more of their whiskey distilleries, to include Connemara. What I did get a chance to do while I was there was learned how to pour a perfectly good Guinness at an actual pub in Dublin. Below I will share a picture of my pouring experience in Dublin. The good thing for you all is that you won’t need any lessons here; it is easy to just open a bottle of Connemara, pour and enjoy.

Before writing this post I got a chance to enjoy a dram of Connemara with my brother this very week as we celebrated his birthday. It was a great thing because I’ve wanted to write about this whiskey for quite some time now, so I’m glad I am finally writing about it. Also, I feel I enjoyed this past week’s dram more than I did the very first time I tasted it.

This heavily peated single malt whiskey is aged in American oak casks and it is double distilled in 2 small pot stills. It has an ABV of 40% and if you were to purchase it would cost you about $35-$50 depending on where you buy. Their range includes cask strength, a 12 year old, a single cask and a Turf Mór which according to the Connemara website is the Gaelic word for Big Peat.

My Experience

Color: Light gold
Smell: Peat and oak
Taste: I first got hit with a peaty and smoky taste but that was soon followed by a nice sweetness. This whiskey had nice legs on the dram glass and was extremely smooth.

My first experience with this whiskey was on the rocks. I’ll be honest; I didn’t enjoy it on the rocks but absolutely LOVED it neat. The combination of peat and sweet makes for a perfectly good balanced whiskey. If you are not a fan of peated whiskies, then this may not be the whiskey for you as it is heavily peated. It would also mean that you should probably stay away from the Turf Mór.

Out of all the Irish whiskies I've tasted, Connemara is unique in the fact that it is the smokiest one out there. It did remind me of a few smoky scotch whiskies I have come to love.  

If you’ve never tried whiskey and were looking to try this whiskey I will tell you, my brother is not a whiskey drinker at all. By the end of our night out he appeased me by giving whiskey a chance. I ordered him a neat Connemara and the first words out of his mouth after trying it was “smoky and smooth, I can get into this.”

My brother will not turn into a whiskey drinker over night but he did enjoy this Irish whiskey and I think you will also. So if you’ve tried it and enjoy or didn’t let me know what your thoughts. As you can see my Guinness pouring process below, with Connemara all you have to do is pour and enjoy that great smoky peated taste.

Cheers!

Bunnahabhain 18 year old

With so many whiskies and bourbons out there, it is always hard to decide what to write about next. I am still questioning it now as I write but with a chilly start to the day I finally decided to take you back to Islay. If you have not had it before I will introduce you to an 18 year old Bunnahabhain.  Yes another Scotch, but no worries, my Thursday post will feature an Irish whiskey and I will include bourbon in the weeks to come.

If you are like me, then you might botch the pronunciation of the name of this whisky. Looking at islayinfo.com the pronunciation break down is Boon-a-havn and the word is Gaelic meaning river mouth.

This 18 year old single malt has an ABV of 46.3% and if you were to purchase, the average cost would be around $90-$110. The distillery is located in the northern part of Islay below the Isle of Jura and right above the Port of Askaig.

For all those whisky lovers, getting the gift of whisky is probably pretty great, so I got a chance to taste this whisky as it was a birthday gift made to my boyfriend. I always say that it is because of all the people around me and the support they've offer me that I’ve been able to taste great whiskies.

My Experience

Color: dark gold
Smell: Sweet
Taste: Sweet, woodsy, hints of salt with a burn at the end

I found Bunnahabhain to be slightly different than any of the other Islay whiskies I’ve tasted. It’s probably the least smoky and I usually tend to associate smoke with most Islay’s. It is also not as peaty as the others. Although a very smooth whisky, I won’t say that I loved it, but I also didn’t hate it. To me it was just simply OK and to be honest, a bit forgettable.

I a strong believer that no matter the review someone should never over look a whisky because my palate may be different than theirs. I have found that I've enjoyed whiskies that others don't seem to like. Who knows maybe a few years from now I will taste it again and I will get different experience because we mature so does our palates.

Do note that my whisky experience may not be yours, so if you’d like, give it a try and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Japan’s Hibiki 12 year old

Of course when you think of whisky there is a chance that most of us think about Scotch and Irish whiskies. Aside from those and the American whiskies/bourbon, I thought the very same way. Japanese whisky was not in my radar till very recently. After having read about it in a magazine, I was certainly curious about it.

I've subsequently learned that Japan has been producing whisky for many, many years and also happens to be a huge whisky producer. Since the start of their whisky production, it wasn’t till very recent years, that they’ve come to light to the rest of the world.

Within the last few years not only has Japanese whiskies made their presence known in the whisky world, but they have also taken a good number of whisky awards in the process.

Hibiki, this particular whisky, is produced by Suntory Whisky which first established its whisky distillery in 1923. Hibiki in Japanese means echo, Suntory uses its synonym word resonance to describe its meaning. Its range features this 12 as well as a 17, 21 and 30 year old whisky. This 12 year old blended whisky has an ABV of 43% and if you were to purchase its price range is about $60-$70 depending on where you buy.

My Experience:

Color: Amber
Smell: very sweet
Taste: woodsy and strong with hints of sweetness. It finished with a slight burn

I’ll be honest before, tasting this whisky I was a bit skeptical. I had heard from others that it wasn’t very good, so I was going into the tasting with the idea in mind I that I too would not like it. To my surprise I was proven wrong. At first I did find it to be strong, but the more I tasted the more I liked it. It was different but it was a very well blended and balanced whisky.

I would definitely recommend trying especially if you wanted to explore something new. If not this product I'd certainly recommend checking out Japanese whisky. Since making their whisky presence known they definitely look like it’s here to stay.

Cheers!

Bully Boy Distillers and their American Straight Whiskey

If you've never heard of Bully Boy, no worries, I just learned about them very recently. I believe I was more excited of the fact that they were right here in Boston. Being that they are a local distiller I wanted to learn more about them and their whiskey. I made that happened this weekend by taking a tour of their distillers and tasting the products to include their very own American Straight Whiskey.

Their distillery is located in a small warehouse in Roxbury, MA. Saturday’s appear to be their busiest tour days and we were lucky to snag a slot on their last tour of that day.  The distillery although rather small had character. One thing to note about Bully Boy is that although I am writing about their whiskey they also produce other spirits to include, Vodka (their best seller), Rum and White Whiskey (which is not aged).

Taking their tour was one of my highlights this past weekend. It was fun! Their tour guide was funny, informational and was very personable. In the tour we got a chance to see where they matured and distilled their spirits as well as we got a chance to sample a bit of their products. If you happen to live in the area or in the state, it is something I’d recommend for anyone to do.

Now onto their American Straight Whiskey, their whiskey is aged 3 years in new American oak barrels. Their mash consists of corn, rye and malted barley. It has an ABV of 42% and a bottle purchased at the distillery was priced at $38.

My Experience

Color: Golden brown
Smell: Sweet and woodsy
Taste: Slightly sweet with a mild burn.

I really wanted to love this whiskey and although it has potential, I still think there is room for improvement. It is a very simple whiskey that is not bad by any means, but lacks a bit of bite. It has a slight burn that is nice but leaves you wanting more at the end. To me it tasted more like bourbon than an actual whiskey, so if you are a bourbon drinker then you will really enjoy this product.

Another way you'll really enjoy this whiskey is by mixing it up with something else. On a lazy Sunday we mixed it up with Gosling's Ginger Beer and it was a great cocktail. The whiskey taste was present and not too over powering. It was a refreshing cocktail I'd recommend with their American Straight whiskey..

Overall I would not say that you should not purchase this product. It is nice to have a local product in your shelves. The whole overall experience from visiting the distillery to tasting their products was great. They are a very new distillery with lots of potential and I know that they will continue to expand and improve their products.

If you are looking for something fun to do on a weekend look them up and visit them, you won’t regret that tour.

Cheers!