Whisky Essentials: The Max Benjamin Whisky Bag

Looking for a great holiday gift for the whisky lover in your life?

This is the ultimate in whisky and cigar luxury. You can't just toss your precious whisky and Herf-a-Dor into some gym bag and head out to course. Go in style and treat your delicacies right with the Max Benjamin Mini Cigar Bar Bag. 

It has three compartments inside the bag, each one large enough to hold a bottle. Included with the bag is a cedar lined leather cylindrical humidor, 4 stackable acrylic glasses, an ice container, and a  lighter. This is the ultimate addition to your whisky collection. I will be putting this bad boy at the top of my list for Christmas!

I might leave Santa some cigars and a glass of Scotch this year…

Scotch Review: The Glenlivet 12

If this is your first Scotch. I feel bad for you...

When you go to a bar, the Scotch they always have (if they have a single malt) is Glenlivet 12. So what is so special about Glenlivet? Its mild and relatively cheap for a single malt, that's why I believe it is popular. The taste and basically the whole drink just isn't that good. It is OK, but forgettable when compared to some very similar drinks like Glenmorangie and THE Macallan.

Color: a very pleasant amber, still very light but a shade darker than some of the lighter Scotch's I have reviewed so far.

Nose: a surprisingly strong smell for a milder scotch, I get that sort of iodine smell with a light caramel wiff

Taste: a very sweet start with that vanilla berry taste but it comes and goes VERY quickly

Balance: A very light not particularly noteworthy dram with a light taste. It doesn't have that smokey taste that makes a scotch a scotch. It is sweet and not very complex but the finish doesn't last, otherwise it would be pretty good.

The cool thing Glenlivet has done is with their marketing. They have positioned themselves into every bar as "the go-to single malt". Their website is great for a very traditional business and they constantly keep followers up to date with newsletters and tastings. They have a cool "print your own label" for gifts. You get to personalize the label and they will mail it to you for free! You then just peel off the sticker and slap it on your bottle, how cool is that? I made custom labels for Fathers Day and my pops loved it. It's the little things that get you ahead.

I give this OK Scotch a 5 of 10, nothing special here. Move on...

Whisky Review: Cardhu 12 Year

Oops! This malt and particularly their distillery made a mistake. The mistake was not remaking this dram sooner! Remaking you ask? Cardhu actually had a single malt but through some acquisitions and buyouts their single malt was turned into a blend and mass produced. Well in 2006 Cardhu relaunched their single malt in this 12 year old whisky. Good thing too!


Color: Pale Straw to pale gold
Nose: pear and syrup
Body: thin and mouth warming
Palate: brown sugar and honey, predominately 
Finish: quick and spicy, like cinnamon


Delish! This whisky is a short little kick in the mouth (like a midget kick). It is a little watery and not very complex but the flavor is good and very enjoyable. The sugary pear is a great smell and the sweet taste really makes for a nice drink. Unfortunately that is about it. It fades with a spicy cinnamon which is nice and pleasant but very quick. As soon as your mouth is starting to enjoy its vacation, it fades. Bummer. It is really good though while it lasts. This dram is a good Speyside and a smooth whisky for someone new to Scotch. I really liked it, but it didn't blow my mind. I will probably keep one of these in the collection though. The price was pretty good too, around $40. Cant complain there. I am very glad that Cardhu came back to their senses and started producing a single malt again! Nobody wants to be a blend.... It just isn't cool. So, I give this whisky a respectable 7 of  10. 

Question for YOU: Have you had the Cardhu blend and how does it compare to the Single Malt?

Scotch Review: Glenkinchie 12

Lackluster at best. Not a good way to start off a review eh?

I saw this dram at the local store and I wanted to try something new. Usually I do my research and try to pick my next winner by going online and reading reviews. If only there was some blog out there that reviewed whisky.... Just kidding ;). Anyway here is the so-so Glenkinchie .

Color: light gold

Nose: salty, smoke and fruit

Palate: smoky with a little peat an some sweet honey

Body: watery, thin

Finish: feint and smoky, nothing that good here

This was just an ok whisky. It wasn't awesome and not terrible, but that's it. And at the 50 price range, you can do so much more. I would not recommend this boring whisky to many people. It is like a stale Highland Park. Overall, I give this whisky a disappointing 6 of 10. Sadness my friends, sadness...

Questions for YOU: What was your most disappointing whisky purchase?

Scotch Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year

Pretty well behaved for a 10 year old.

If you have ever read my blog before, you know I am a fan of The Macallan. So I try to be fair and not give biased reviews of their drams. It is hard though when you start to like the brand itself... (a note to marketers out there)

I was looking for a different taste than my other Macallan's so I figured a nice traditional oak cask would do the trick. If I didn't mention this before, Macallan is a Speyside Distillery and they are known for their very small stills. Instead of going with bigger stills, they decided on making more small stills. They claim it keeps the flavour more consistent and they tout a very selective "cut". The 10 Year Fine Oak is triple matured in an American Oak, a sherry oak, and a Bourbon oak cask. This should create a very complex smokey, sweet, and honey like drink. So, here we go!

Color: It is a pale straw like yellow, very light and pilsner like

Nose: it has a floral, heather like nose with lots of honey and a spicy citrus, like a spiced apple cider, very small hint of smoke

Palate: a gingery fruit taste with the traditional honey of the oak casks, but there is the smokey Bourbon taste towards the end

Finish: the drink itself leaves a smokey citrus for a long smooth finish, was great with a sweet cigar

It was a sort of watery Scotch, but it made its presence known the second it hit your tongue. The tingle starts and then your mouth is filled with a great medley of smooth flavour. Nothing too crazy here, just well behaved and balanced. I really liked this whisky. I know it may be due to my bias, but I don't care. It is a little sweet, a little floral, a little honey like, a little smokey, and a lot Macallan! I give this a 7.5 of 10.

Questions for YOU: What is your favorite Mac?

Scotch Review: Cragganmore 12 Yr

I reached a major milestone in my life, and you know what that calls for.... a new whisky!

I decided to get one that has been on my list for quite some time. I always try to buy Scotches that are in the middle price range 40-60 dollars, and this one fit the ticket. I decided to buy the Cragganmore 12 yr. It is a Speyside single malt, and distinguished as a Classic Malt of Scotland. 

Color: a pale gold like, similar to honey

Nose: intense, sulphury with floral notes. Somewhere in there is a burnt sweetness
Palate: thin and watery, with a mouth watering effect. It is sweet and potent with an obvious floral taste, simple

Finish: warming but short, the taste lingers as a smoky sweet. Very good

I am fairly happy with my purchase of this malt. It is very aromatic and has a nice finish. Its actual taste is so-so, but the experience is enjoyable none the less. It is definitely worth having in your collection. The fact that it is part of the Classic Malts is kind of cool as well. Getting one of every  Classic Malt is a fun way to build a collection.   I give this Speyside a 7 of 10.

Questions for YOU: Have you tried any of the Classic Malts?

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie The Lasanta

It is better to give than receive, unless you are dealing with Scotch. Then it is much better to receive (of course).

I received this bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta as a Christmas gift from a colleague. I don't know what could have been a better gift. Who doesn't want great booze for the holidays!? Anyway, I am a fan of the Glenmorangie Original and I had very high hopes for this dram.

Color: Pale Straw
Nose: brown sugar sweet, syrupy with a little cinnamon
Body: medium and malty, had a mellow mouth feel
Palate: mmmm vanilla, smooth nutty taste with some spice
Finish: long and soft, oak plays it part here as it ends

This tasted a little like a Macallan 12 but at the same time, different enough. It was smoother and felt rich. When I say smooth, I mean there was no bite to it. Plus the sweet and syrupy tastes really added to the "smooth" characteristic. You could easily drink more than you realized with this whisky. It just tastes so good! Not the most complex, but it was just so nice to drink. Its sweet taste reminds me of a Dalwhinnie 15 but with the carmel and spice of a Macallan. I was very impressed and liked this whisky way more than the Glenmorangie Original. I give this sweet whisky a strong 8 of 10. This is a must own from the Glenmorangie Distillery.

Question for YOU: What was the last Glenmorangie that you had?

Scotch Review: Ardbeg 10

WOW, thats all I can say. I decided on the Ardbeg up after reading a review about it in my whisky bible. It received phenomenal reviews and the connoisseurs love it. So lets put this smoky friend to the test....

Color: a very pale straw or even a white wine (sure isn't sweet like wine)

Nose: It starts very salty then turns to a smell of peat, after that a little PEAT, then more PEAT! But it is great...it is so smooth almost like a sweetened slice of the dirt. Like a campfire roasting marshmallows.

Palate: Stings a bit, then mellows into a sweet smoky taste, not as much peat as you would expect but still very strong. Ahhhh a citrus like sweet stays on the back of the tongue as the smoke drifts out...very impressive. Much more refined than the Laphroig 10. It has a berry aftertaste, granted it is hidden in layers of smoke and peat but it is there.

Finish: It is much much, more smooth than I imagined. The smell makes you think you are about to drink a swamp, then the taste presents a very complex and sophisticated dram. It is a fairly long finish of smoky sweet and that warming high alcohol tingle.

What a journey! I was really impressed with this smoky dram. I thought I liked Laphroig but this puts the Laphroig to shame. It was smooth, impressive, and complex for a peaty Islay malt. It was a thick, juicy, and actually quite affordable. I would not recommend this to a new drinker, or even some veterans. This is a whisky to be enjoyed by someone with a tongue and nose that would appreciate this unique drink. I give the Ardbeg 10 year old a solid 9.5 out of 10.

Questions for YOU:  What is you favorite smoky Scotch?

Scotch Review: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12

Double the cask, double the flavor?! Maybe...

The Balvenie Doublewood was the first doublewood I purchased and it wont be the last. I like the concept of using both varieties of casks to bring out the best flavors from each. It is like the SUV of Scotches! But do doublewoods actually draw the best flavors?



Color: chestnut, oloroso sherry
Body: medium to watery
Nose: Oloroso sherry, honey and vanilla (from the double casks!)
Palate: prickly, cinnamon and spice with sherry and a little taste of the honey
Finish: long and some flavors from the honey (oak) and the vanilla (sherry), has a little bite to it though

This is a spicy and sweet doublewood but it is a little rough on the edges. The flavors just seem to rush from one to the other, but without ruining the experience. You can defiantly tell there are two very different casks involved here, and it makes for a fun drinking experience. This is a great little change from my normal sherry cask preference. It is a tad spicier but still keeps some of the balance. I give this interesting sweet/spicy dram a 7 of 10.

Questions for you! What is your favorite doublewood Scotch?

Scotch Review: Dalwhinnie 15

Age brings wisdom right?! My dad raves about Dalwhinnie and every time I let him taste my collection, he tells me of this whisky. I also recently signed up for the Classic Malts newsletter and they feature Dalwhinnie also. So with all this hype, it has to be good right?


Color: it resembles a light beer, a very soft golden color
Body: it is lite and watery
Nose: a smoky vanilla pear, it smelled like a toasted vanilla wafer
Palate: Interesting...it is slightly smoky, vanilla with lots of sweetness on the tongue. I would say it had a noticeable fruit/berry taste but very caramel like with the vanilla. Most people taste vanilla in Scotch, but this was very noticeable. Very pleasant and sweet
Balance: Very short finish but great and easy on the nose and mouth.


Compared to my other Scotches, Dalwhinnie is definitely the sweetest, but delightful! I love my Scotch to be a little sweet and vanilla-y so this one gets my approval. I thought it was kind of interesting; it was watery for a 15 year though. I really enjoyed it and it was so smooth, no bite what so ever. When someone says they hate Scotch I usually give them a Dalwhinnie to see if they change their mind, and they usually do! Good one dad, great drink! I give this sweet whisky an 7.5 of 10.

Whisky Review: Talisker 10 Year

Drink and be merry! One of the best parts of the holiday season is all the great food and drink that is provided during parties and family outings. My family knows that I love Scotch so they did their research and got me this delicious bottle from the island of Skye. The Talisker 10 year Old was one of my better gifts for sure! So after pouring the family a few glasses this is what we decided on for the tasting notes:

Color: old gold or yellow gold
Nose: smoky citrus, and salty feints
Body: full and thick, warming and mouthwatering
Palate:  dried fruit is present then engulfed in a salty peaty taste, a little spice at the end?
Finish: long and sweet then fades to smoky peat



WOW. This whisky rocks. It is a great blend of flavors and a really fun tasting experience. It was smoky like an Isle malt but had all the sweetness of a traditional Speyside like a Macallan. It is similar to Ardbeg in its smoky sweet characteristics but the Talisker is a notch ahead on the sweet flavors and much smoother.The sweet taste of fruit and the peaty smoke was a refreshing change of pace for me. I have been on a long bender of sweet Scotches and this was just what I needed to break out!  I saw that Jim Murray gave this tasty dram a 94 and I definitely agree. I gave this great Scotch an excellent 9.5 of 10.

Question for YOU: What is your favorite 10 year Scotch? 

Whisky Essentials: Whisky Rocks

This is the best use for rocks I have ever seen! Pet rocks have nothing on whisky rocks! I was given these whisky rocks as a senior gift from a respected fraternity advisor and I am forever grateful. I never thought I would get so excited about a couple square rocks...Anyway, they are a great gift for any whisky lover and most importantly, they actually work.

What you do is freeze them for around 3 to 4 hours before your tasting session. You then place them in your glass for around 10 minutes. They make a noticeable difference in the temperature of your whisky, without diluting or shocking the liquid from melting ice cubes. They are pretty effective and keep the chill for quite some time. Plus, they look really neat in your glass! The only thing I ran into is that I use Glencairn nosing glasses and it starts to get a little cramped in the glass. If you are using traditional low ball glasses or whisky tumblers, they will work great. Overall, I am very impressed and thought that every whisky connosuer should own  a bag of rocks! Remember ice melts, whisky rocks!

Scotch Review: Aberlour 12 DW

Eh, not double the deliciousness...

I decided on the Aberlour because I wanted to give it a try against my favorite, The Macallan 12. They are very similarly priced and I wanted to see how the tastes compare. I also like my Balvenie Doublewood and thought this doublewood could use a tasting.

Color: muscat or russet, a deep gold
Body: medium

Nose: brown sugar and a some notes of floral, almost like a daisy smell

Palate: very fast with a sweet and spicy, a little floral is tasted, and ends with a little smoky flavor

Finish: it is a short finish with the smoke and sweet fighting for dominance, the smoke wins but it bits the whole time!

I liked this whisky but it was not very complex, with only a few flavors and some very strong characteristics. It didn't have the fruity smells or flavors that I expect from a sherry cask. The oak took over here and really pounced what the sherry had to offer. The finish was short and the bit was medium to strong. It did have some great sweet notes, but it just wasn't what I expected it to be. I would say it is a whisky to have in the cabinet because of the price, but not one to keep on the top shelf. I give this one a 7 of 10.

Question for YOU: What is your favorite doublewood Scotch!?

Whisky Essentials: A Whisky Bible

One of the easiest ways to enjoy whisky like a pro is to learn about the drink first! There are many "Whisky Bibles" out there but I have found Jim Murray's to be the best. They are filled with every dram under the sun, and a huge number of distilleries. It really helps when you want to get the most out of your drinks. Seeing what the "experts" say first, is a good place to start.

 It shouldn't affect your own personal tastes, but should be used as a guide to see what there can be. I like to read up what Jim thinks a whisky tastes like then dive in myself and see how my tasting compares. Generally he is spot on and it is very interesting to see how he names the tastes and smells you are experiencing. There are occasions where I think the artist in him gets away, and he starts getting a little too fancy with the descriptions.  There are tastes that are just too simple to be fully extrapolated like he does.All in all, he does a great job and at the beginning of every chapter he talks about the regions and trends in the whisky business and it is very interesting to read about it. I would recommend a book like this to novices and pros alike, it just makes sense to listen to a man that has tried 'em all!

I am a Whisky Expert!

Below is the email I recieved from whisky.com. How cool! What a great way to show appreciateion for those who contribute to thier forums....

"Hey there!  Just wanted to touch base to let you know we have upgraded your account to Whisky.com Expert! Also, your posts will no longer need to be moderated  - they'll go live right away

Thanks for all of your great contributions to the Whisky.com Forum!

Cheers!  Jojo"


**Whisky.com Admin**
**admin's email**

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Whisky Essentials: A Proper Whisky Glass

I have had whiskey from all sorts of glasses, but I have come to appreciate certain glasses for their enhancement to the tasting experience. I am of course referring to a Glencairn glass! The Glencairn glass boasts an exclusive design meant for fine whisky. From the shape, to the composition of the actual glass itself, the Glencairn is engineered to help you appreciate the whisky. So the big question is, does it really do what it claims? Does it actually enhance the tasting experience?

I personally own a set of glasses and I am a beleiver! Basically, the shape and size of the glass is meant to enhance and constrict the smell and taste of whisky during consumption. It is the same concept of the new Samual Adams glass. The shape constricts the aromas into a certain area making smelling little nuances easier. The belly of the glass prevents to much disturbance as the liquid flows during actual drinking as the glass is tilted. The smaller mouth of the glass prevents your nose from being inside the ring of the glass as you bring the liquid to your lips. Most glasses allow your nose to work as you are drinking. With a small mouth, the nose and mouth work independetly and really make a difference when you are nosing a whisky and when it actually hits your tongue. I find that drinking from a glass like this helps (slightly) to elimenate the bite of whisky. This may be due to the nose keeping out of the actual drinking part. It goes from nose to tongue, and the two are not combined (obviously the tongue and nostrils are in the same passage), this is just keeping the vapor from hitting both the nose and tongue all at once. The strength of the whisky then isnt felt as hard, this is the only thing I could think of to explain why it seems so much nicer to drink from a Glencairn glass. I really do like my glasses and they make them with laser engravings of popular brands, so a nice collection can also be added to your whisky hobby! All I know is the right glass really makes for a better expereince. You are not going to drink an expensive liqour out of a plastic cup!

 

Scotch Review: Glenmorangie 10

This is one of my weekend Scotchs. It is lively and spicy with a great fruit note to it. I was recommended this by a boss of mine and have loved it since. I believe it is pronounced just how it looks, no silent "g" stuff!

Color: a slightly darker pale gold
Nose: caramel candy and citrus zest, orange peel
Palate: starts off right away with a sweet and spicy mouth filling experience, then fades to the noticeable citrus taste and finishes with the sweet caramel. This is the oranges and cream of Scotch!
Finish: a tad short, the drink itself is a little watery but it really packs in the flavour. The sweet fruit finish is great but I wish it had a stronger finish!

This drink is great! It is like a lively little kid when compared to some of my others and some that I have tasted. It is fast and full of flavour but it passes quickly and runs off! I cant help but picture a little hyper, shin kicking boy! If this Scotch were personified it would be a little menace! I give it an 8 of 10!

A Great Video On Tasting Scotch: Highland 12

This is a great step by step to tasting. He does a really good job walking through the steps! Single Malt TV is great!

I actually tasted the HP 12 as well. I found it a delightful fruity AND smoky dram. Full of complex sweet tastes then that smoky finish he discusses. I did find it to be a little unpolished though, it was a very interesting transition and the flavours are bold and fast in disappearing. Great drink though! I would give it a 7 of 10.

Scotch Review: The Laphroig 10 Yr

WOW, that's how you describe Scotch's like this. They are so different and unique that they demand respect. I think you have to experience the peaty Scotchs to really appreciate them. It is an Islay Malt, so they can be traditionally very peaty. Now I never even tell people about the region they are from because just like the color of the whisky, it tells you nothing. Distilleries can make whatever taste they want, they don't have to have a particular taste just because of their region. They often do but like color it is variable. SO HERE WE GO!!!!!

Color: a deeper gold, almost brown, polished mahogany

Nose: campfires, burning wood, PEAT, iodine

Palate: It starts off with a full bodied, smokey mouth watering burnt taste. Your senses are overwhelmed with the peat and smoke. It engulfs your whole mouth and quite frankly tastes like you are drinking a swamp! It then settles for what tastes like a sea breeze. There is salt and seaweed in there, then to top that off a hint of something sweet. It is the smallest hint of something appetizing at the end of bitter mauling of over powering flavours. So you wanna try it now?!

Finish: My buddies call this one dragon breath, it has a very long over powering finish. The most interesting part of this little gem is that it is good. Yes I enjoy the bog like flavour. As you drink this dram you can just visualize an old cellar filled with barrels or a burning campfire, or even better a burning pile of peat! It is interesting how this drink is actually good. I love its unique flavors and overly burnt taste.

I give this interesting dram a 9 of 10!

Scotch Review: Glenfiddich 15

I had my cousin over from West Point and we had a little Whisky/Whiskey tasting party! He had heard of Glenfiddich. He had the 12 at a bar, and he said it was ok. I agree there is nothing special about the 12, that is why I got the 15! If you haven't noticed I love sweet and complex Scotch's and the Glen 15 is exactly that. It is very sweet yet a little unrefined and powerful, like a stronger tasting Dalwhinnie or Mac.

Color: dark gold, burnt umber

Nose: spices, sweet honey and maybe a little dried fruit or apple

Palate: sweet honey with a spiced apple, very complex and a little overpowering almost as if it is trying to hard to make a vibrant taste

Finish: it has a nice long warm finish with that spicy honey lingering and the liquid itself is very chewy and thick, the fruit nuances disappear a little too quickly

This is a great drink and it is a million times more complex than the 12. I was always a little leery of Glenfiddich but this one was pretty good! It wasn't very smooth with the flavors, coming at you fast, there was no nice flow to it. Still no Macallan...The interesting vat methods on this one do add a little something that set it apart. Go to Glenfiddich's website to read more about it! I would give this sweet and strong Scotch a 7 of 10.