Tag Archives: Whisky of the Month

Writers Tears Double Oak

Our next sampling in the tour across Ireland was a new release from one of my favorite Irish distilleries: Writers Tears Double Oak. This is a blend of single pot still and single malt whiskeys that have been aged in both American oak and French oak casks. Sounds intriguing, right? Let’s dive in!

The nose is rich and sweet, with notes of vanilla, honey, caramel, and dried fruits. I also get some hints of spice, oak, and leather. The aroma is very inviting and complex. The palate is smooth and creamy, with a nice balance of sweetness and spice. The flavors are similar to the nose, but with more depth and intensity. I taste vanilla, honey, caramel, raisins, figs, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, oak, and leather. The finish is long and warming, with a lingering sweetness and spice. The oak influence is noticeable but not overpowering.

Writers Tears Double Oak is a delicious and satisfying whiskey that showcases the best of Irish whiskey making. It has a lot of character and flavor, but also a lot of elegance and finesse. It’s a whiskey that can be enjoyed by both beginners and connoisseurs alike. I, and the club, highly recommend it to anyone who loves Irish whiskey or wants to try something new and different. Cheers!

Writers Tears Inniskillin Ice Wine Cask

To finish our Irish Whiskey tasting we bring you a very special discovery: Writers Tears Inniskillin Ice Wine Cask. Yes, you read that right. This is a whiskey that has been aged in barrels that previously held ice wine, a type of dessert wine made from frozen grapes. Sounds amazing, right?

Well, let me tell you, it is. This whiskey is smooth, sweet and complex, with notes of honey, vanilla, apricot and oak. It has a rich and creamy texture that coats your mouth and warms your soul. It’s like drinking liquid poetry.

But why is it called Writers Tears? Well, according to the legend, this whiskey was inspired by the 19th century Irish writers who would drink whiskey to cope with their creative struggles and personal tragedies. They would shed tears of frustration and sorrow into their glasses, giving the whiskey a unique flavor and character.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would want to drink someone else’s tears. That sounds kind of gross and sad. But I do appreciate the idea of a whiskey that celebrates the joys and sorrows of writing. And I think this whiskey does just that.

So, if you’re looking for a new way to treat yourself after a long day of writing, or if you just want to try something different and delicious, I highly recommend Writers Tears Inniskillin Ice Wine Cask. It’s a whiskey that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Cheers!

Lindores Abbey Lowland Single Malt

Hello, whisky lovers! Today I’m going to review a new release from Lindores Abbey Distillery: the Lindores Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This is the first whisky from this historic site, where the earliest written record of whisky distillation in Scotland was found. The whisky is aged for three years in ex-bourbon and sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV. Let’s see how it tastes!

On the nose, I get a lot of fruity and floral notes, like apples, pears, honey, and roses. There’s also a hint of spice and vanilla from the oak. It’s very fresh and inviting.

On the palate, the whisky is smooth and creamy, with a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. The fruitiness continues, with some citrus and dried fruits coming through. The spice is more pronounced, with some pepper, ginger, and cinnamon. The finish is long and warming, with a touch of smoke and malt.

Overall, I really enjoyed this whisky. It’s a great example of a lowland style, with a lot of character and complexity. It’s also very easy to drink, and would suit any occasion. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a light and fruity whisky with some depth. Cheers!

Smokehead Rum Rebel Cask

Today I’m going to tell you about a new release that will blow your mind: the Smokehead Rum Rebel Cask!

This is not your ordinary whisky. This is a peaty, smoky, spicy beast that has been finished in Caribbean rum casks for an extra kick of sweetness and complexity. It’s like a pirate party in your mouth, with explosions of vanilla, banana, caramel and smoke.

If you’re looking for a whisky that will challenge your taste buds and make you feel like a rebel, this is the one for you. But be warned: this is not for the faint of heart. This is a whisky that demands your attention and respect. It’s a whisky that will make you scream: “I am Smokehead!”

But don’t take my word for it, try it yourself and see if you can handle the rum riot. You won’t regret it. Cheers!

Glengoyne 25 Year Old

 

On January 26, 2019 we had a the opportunity to have the Glengoyne 25 Year Old as one of our featured tasters as we celebrated our 11 Year Anniversary as a Whisky club.

Club member Tamara has added her notes:

Glengoyne 25 Years

Specs:

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Aged: 25 years

Matured in: Sherry Cask

Alcohol: 48.0%

Our purchase price: $485 CAD

Glengoyne 25 was not a hard sell on me from the get-go, generally being a fan of sherry casks.

Rich & spicy, with no peat, this whisky is a beautiful and impressive amber colour, a baseline signature of the sherry cask. My first impression, it tastes like it looks! On the brown sugary sweet side, but not too sweet, it reminded me of Grandma’s Christmas fruitcake, which would perennially appear on the kitchen counter around December 25 throughout my childhood, and which would still be there come March, mysteriously intact. I never developed the taste for indestructible cake crammed with old dried fruit, but I’ll take these homey flavours in my whisky. Throw in a little orange flavour, a few nuts (walnuts, almonds?) and bam! A bottle that I certainly would include as a highlight of my personal collection. Apologies however, the LCBO does not carry this bottle, making it difficult to obtain in Ontario.

Other common comments from online reviews are notes of old leather, cinnamon and licorice, which were not the stand out elements for me in sampling this bottle. Kensington Wine Market reviews this whisky on their website as “one of the best releases by any distillery in the last few years”. This whisky also won Gold at both the Asian Spirits Masters 2018 and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017.

The distillery’s slogan, “Unhurried since 1833”, reflects perfectly in this bottle. Very easy to drink and a definite go-back-for seconds experience. Overall, a great selection for those who want a complex, rich whisky without the smoke. Skip the dessert, just have a Glengoyne!

Wow what an endorsement, if the above notes strike you we would highly recommend this Glengoyne expression.  Cheers!

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

The club recently celebrated our 11 Year Anniversary and this was bottle #2 in our tasting range for the evening, notes by member Adam Buchholtz.

Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt

Specs: Speyside Scotch Whisky

Matured in: American Oak Cask

Alcohol: 46%

Our Purchase Price: $535.85 (LCBO in Ontario)

Nose: The first impression on the nose of this whisky is quite complex. I picked up some peppery notes, with an aromatic spice blend, along with something akin to sulphur. It seemed like quite a pungent smell, with a hint of sea salt mixed in. Absent for me were the fruity notes that are mentioned in many a review of this whisky, however I was so excited to taste it, that it may not have had the requisite time in the glass to fully envelope my senses.

Taste: Immediately I got an old leathery taste, almost rawhide-esk, to go along with a very oily mouthfeel. I was surprised at how different this expression is from their younger age statement bottles. With the taste also came a range of fruits, mostly tropical and citrusy in nature, like pineapple, orange, or even grapefruit. It meshed surprisingly well with the leathery flavours and made for a complex dram.

Finish: Again the oiliness was evident on the finish, with some heat from pepper notes, but also sweet citrus, with a touch of honey. It lasted quite a while, with a dryness to it that allowed it to linger.

Overall: The Craigellachie 23 is a complex scotch, as should be expected from anything that has been matured in American Oak for 23 years. However at the price point, it isn’t a bottle that I would strive to add to my personal collection. It is definitely worth a taste if you should be able, but I would not go out of my way for another dram

Sexton Irish Whiskey

The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey is a new face on the Irish Whiskey market, but unlike most new faces it’s not a blend, but a sherried single malt which was honestly a bit shocking to see. I was first lured in with the crazy looking bottle and the macabre gothy label but it was the fact it was a sherried Irish single malt that intrigued the mind.

Put out by Proximo spirits the distiller of The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey is unknown, but we have a pretty good idea who it is. Not too long ago Bushmill’s (located in the north of Ireland) released a sherry cask single malt for its Steamship series and Proximo has been the owner of Bushmill’s since 2014. I can’t help but think this comes from some of the same stocks.

Glenglassaugh Torfa

Torfa bottling notes: We’ve seen the Revival and the Evolution, and now Glenglassaugh are adding a peated expression to their range. The Torfa (which refers to the Old Norse word for turf or peat) has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and weighs in at 20 PPM. We love to see that Glenglassaugh is back up and running again after being closed for over 20 years, and they’ve even got enough momentum to try new things, as this is their first peated single malt Scotch whisky!