Whilst I have bad memories about Johnnie Walker Red Label which continue to haunt me when when I smell a scotch and coke, Johnnie Walker Green and Blue Labels sit on the polar opposite of the spectrum and they are amongst the tastiest drams I’ve tried. This made me curious about a lesser known member of the Johnnie Walker family, the XR 21.
Continue reading “Johnnie Walker XR 21”Tag: Scotch
Chivas Regal Mizunara blended Scotch whisky
As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games draw to a close, it seems fitting to sip on a Japanese themed whisky this evening whilst watching the Olympics closing ceremony. In keeping with this Japanese theme, tonight I cracked open a bottle of Chivas Regal Mizunara, a special edition in the well known Chivas Regal family of whiskies.
Continue reading “Chivas Regal Mizunara blended Scotch whisky”Pure Scot: Another great value Scotch
A few years ago my wife and I went on a road trip through Scotland, passing through the picturesque highlands, glens, and, most memorably, the extinct supervolcano at Glen Coe. It was green, lush, mountainous and pristine, which was basically everything I imagined Scotland would be. One thing that reminds me of that Scottish road trip is the imagery and design on a bottle of Pure Scot scotch whisky. With its shades of green in the shape of mountains and mirroring a blue loch, the bottle design makes me thirsty for Scotch. Lucky for me I happen to have a few samples of Pure Scot on hand!
Pure Scot is a blended Scotch whisky which combines Bladnoch single malt with grain whiskies and a selection of island, highland and speyside malts. At its price, it is (surprisingly) very good and punches well above it weight. The whisky smells of toffee, tropical fruit, grain and cut grass. It tastes great, too – bitey, with a nice mix of sweet orchard fruit, syrupy caramel, vanilla, soft smoke and spice. The finish is chocolaty, mildly spicy, and warming. This sure is a sweet and syrupy Scotch.
Served neat the whisky is easy-drinking and enjoyable, but it is at its best on ice or mixed with cola. Pure Scot kindly sent me a pre-mixed drink of Pure Scot Virgin Oak and Smoked Cola, and this combination worked extremely well together. The mixer itself had a nice strong kick of Scotch, the smokiness was subtle and the cola was syrupy sweet, which complimented Pure Scot’s profile and the virgin oak influence (which tends to be sweet and “bourbony”). It is a fun mixer that is easy to drink and perfect with a barbecue.
Overall I think Pure Scot is a great value blended Scotch whisky which, befitting of its lovely bottle design, offers a nice tour of Scottish whisky with its mix of grain whisky and malts from the islands, highlands and speyside regions of Scotland. I would however love to see an age statement on the bottle, just so I know a little more about what I am drinking.
Tasting a trio of show-stopping whiskies from Compass Box: The Circle, The No Name No. 2, and The Affinity
Compass Box are whiskymakers who craft whisky by blending whiskies from different distilleries and batches, thereby creating unique flavour profiles from what is essentially a concoction of “ingredient” whiskies. This is the art of whisky blending. Blending to create a whisky that matches the blue print in one’s mind is much harder than it sounds or looks (as I learned aboard the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer!). Trying to unpack a whisky blender’s creation is even harder. To help unravel their complex whiskies, though, Compass Box provide a break down of the “ingredients” that go into each of their whiskies. Trying to piece together the puzzle of a Compass Box whisky by smell and taste is, in my experience, a lot of fun.
The newly released trio of limited edition Compass Box whiskies that sit before me ready to be tasted are Compass Box The Circle, Compass Box Affinity, and Compass Box No Name No. 2.
All aboard the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer!
On a particularly cold Friday evening I ventured into the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show on Glenfiddich’s invitation to board the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer, a 1972 vintage bus which has been converted into a whisky bar on wheels! Australian chef Matt Moran introduced us to what he loved about Glenfiddich and then the distillery’s brand ambassador, Luke Sanderson, took us on board for a very special evening of whisky tasting and blending, and to craft our very own Glenfiddich single malt from the three core ingredients used to create Glenfiddich’s 15 year old solera.
Ready to join me? All aboard!
Continue reading “All aboard the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer!”
Hunter Laing & Co releases Scarabus Specially Selected at Feis Ile 2019
Hunter Laing & Co, the family owned Scotch whisky independent bottler, is releasing Scarabus Specially Selected at Feis Ile 2019, the Islay Festival of Music and Whisky. Continue reading “Hunter Laing & Co releases Scarabus Specially Selected at Feis Ile 2019”
The Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection
Fans of Game of Thrones, take heed. As the White Walkers bring the grim promise of a never-ending winter and the icy breath of its ice dragon, viewers may find some warmth in a fiery dram of seven limited-edition single malts which have each been aligned with a great House of Westeros and the Night’s Watch. Without further ado, I introduce you to the Game of Thrones Single Malt Whisky Collection.
Continue reading “The Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection”
Aberlour A’Bunadh (batch #59)
Type: Single malt Scotch whisky
Origin: Speyside, Scotland 
ABV: 60.9%
Age: NAS
Price: AU$130-140 Continue reading “Aberlour A’Bunadh (batch #59)”
Glenfarclas cask #1270 (dist. 2008, Whisky & Wisdom release, Edition 2)
Type: Single malt Scotch whisky
Origin: Speyside, Scotland
ABV: 59.8%
Age: 10 years
Price: AU$220 Continue reading “Glenfarclas cask #1270 (dist. 2008, Whisky & Wisdom release, Edition 2)”
Grant’s Triple Wood
Type: Blended Scotch whisky
Origin: Scotland
ABV: 40%
Price: AU$56
Grant’s has recently announced that it is “refreshing” its brand with the introduction of new packaging and a new name for its signature blend. The fresh faced Grant’s “Triple Wood” is one of the whiskies in the Grant’s line up to receive a new face lift. Continue reading “Grant’s Triple Wood”
Malt Mileage Whisky & Spirit Reviews 