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?

Cigar Review: Montecristo Cabinet Seleccion

There is truly something special about fall. The cool breezes, changing of the leaves, start of football season (close call this year!), and of course the pumpkin beer! 


I was watching some football I decided to pull out a Montecristo Cabinet Selection and a Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale. I don't think there is a better way to spend a fall day than this, you must try it.
The Montecristo was very pleasant. It was perfectly constructed and burned fine. It had a great nutty taste and finished smooth. It was creamy and had some spice on the palate. I am not sure if I would have liked to see a little more spice in this cigar, but it was still really good without it. I would describe this cigar's taste as toasted almonds. It did go nice with a pumpkin beer!
The Sam Adams was a deep reddish amber beer with a hint of spice and real pumpkin. It was good with a nice smooth Montecristo. Not my favorite Sam Adams but definitely my favorite pumpkin ale. The pumpkin played nice with the smooth rich cigar.
Back to the cigar, it really changed as it burned down. It became progressively spicier and intense as it burned down. It was just a good cigar, not my favorite but worth buying. The finish was my favorite part. It was clean and balanced, not ashy or too spicy. Well I would give this cigar a sturdy 7 of 10 but with a good pumpkin ale, an 8!

Cigar Essentials: The Cutter

I am starting a new series on "The Essentials". I am referring to the tools of the trade for proper cigar and whisky consumption! I have several different items to talk about but today is going to be the cigar cutter. We have all had that cutter that you thought was good, but kept noticing that your cigars were dry because every time you cut it, the head unraveled. More than likely, it was your cutter. If the blade isn't sharp or the cut not quick enough, it rips the cigar instead of cutting it. Thus making the wrapper damaged and it comes unraveled or cracks. I dont know anyone who likes to smoke a cigar with the wrapper falling off in your miouth! This makes a a good cutter a must for any cigar enthuasits.

So what should one look for in a cutter? Basically, it needs to be super sharp and easy to close/punch. It should slide through the cigar, not rip it open! Well there are many brands of cutters and different styles too. There are guillotine cutters, bullet cutters, and scissor-like cutters. You need to see what you like, but I am here to tell you what I know. I use a Xikar cutter like the one shown. It is super sharp and gets the job done! It closes and locks as well to avoid any messy accidents. I have heard nothing but good things about Xikar cutters. They also make different styles of cutters too. They have a cigar multi tool and bullet cutter. Xikar features some pretty cool looking cutters, they have different body's and colors to choose from. The cutter makes smoking a great cigar that much easier and eliminates that cracked head on the cigar. I would invest in a quality cutter and with the Xikars, they look great too!

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.

Whiskey Review: Russell's Reserve Rye

I fell prey to product placement. I was watching the excellent series Mad Men on AMC and the lead character drinks a lot of Rye whiskey (almost every scene!). I was curious to see what is so special about Rye whiskies. They may have just picked Rye as this character's drink to show how unique he is, but hey its worth a shot right?! So I picked up a Russell's Reserve Rye Small Batch 6 Year Whiskey and I am so glad I did.

Color: tawny gold
Nose: honey sweet, almonds, rye 
Body: medium and mouth watering
Palate: honey and sweet bread, smoked rye, allspice
Finish: long sharp and bitey, warm and full of a nice smoked taste


This was excellent! It was very similar to a sweet bourbon but the unique tastes of the rye really made a statement. The rye added a nutty taste and a whole new level of complexity. That is hard to find in some bourbons. It was surprisingly smooth, especially for a 90 proof whiskey. I am not saying it didn't bite. It definitely had a sharp alcohol bite, but it was handled nicely and wasn't as bad as one would expect. I was thoroughly impressed. As a matter of fact this is my favorite bourbon so far Good thing I am a sucker for marketing. Overall I give this whiskey a strong 7 of 10. I will always keep this in my whiskey cabinet and you should too!


Question for YOU: What is your Rye of choice? 

Whiskey Essentials: Madison Ave Whiskey Glasses (From Mad Men)

For all you Mad Men fans, these are a must have! These whiskey glasses were created just because of the AMC hit series about advertising men in the 1960's. The main character, Don Drapper, is an advertising executive and a big fan of his rye whiskey. Now you can sit back and watch the enthralling series with a glass of great whiskey in your authentic Madison Ave Whiskey Glasses.

After watching the show and receiving my set, they are identical and it is really cool to see Don drinking from the very glass you hold in your hand! Even for all you non-Mad Men fans, these glasses are great. They are thick and have a good weight to them. The silver band around the top really makes them pop. They are perfect for an Old Fashioned where you need to swirl the simple syrup around the glass as you build the drink. So there you have it! You may not be a millionaire advertising ladie's man of the 1960's but you can drink like one....

Question for YOU: What is your favorite glass for whisky? Share a link to the site too!

Cigar Review: Graycliff Crystal Edicion Limitada 2010

Special edition, for a special cigar! This cigar is part of the 2010 limited release from Graycliff. That makes me sad really, I like the limited editions so much I hope they make it a standard offering.

Now to the cigar! The cigar is wrapped in an oily Habano Oscuro leaf and uses bold Cameroon binders. The long fillers are smooth Nicaraguan and Honduran leaves. This mix of tobacco really creates a great smoking experience and one that will surely impress!

Upon Lighting you notice its sweet heavy smoke, as it lingers you get a soft leathery smell. The cigar was sweet and mellow with lots of coffee and graham cracker nuances. It was a little light but very smooth. It is smoother than its red label edicion limitada brother . I actually liked this cigar a little better. The taste was very different and if I had to choose between the two limited editions, I would pick this cigar. I just had a nicer smoking experience with it. It was not perfect though. It did suffer a few burn problems, but it was just minor unevenness. The finish was just like the rest of the cigar, sweet and smooth. It had a little pepper on the palate but nothing too noticeable. This was a cigar I couldn't put down. Burnt my fingers a little….worth it though!


Overall I give this elegant and creamy Graycliff creation a solid 9 of 10. Definitely pick one of these up! Or like 20…

Questions for YOU: Have you tried any limited editions cigars this year?