Does Whisky Appreciation Have a Lifespan?

The Scotch NoobArticles 9 views

I feel like I’m falling out of love with whisky appreciation. Not whisky – I still enjoy a good deal of whisky from all over the world. No, I’m talking about falling out of love with the pursuit of new bottles, new distilleries, new information. The prospect of Rosebank distillery reopening used to excite me, now I just shrug and think about all the limited edition “not quite there yet!” bottlings that are going to retail for $150 and I just can’t get enthused about it. I hear about a new craft

Rabbit Hole “Boxergrail” Rye

The Scotch NoobReviews 14 views

Here we have a refreshing change amid the long, endless, maddening aisle chock full of NDP American whiskey. (NDP = Non-Distiller Producer, or brands that do not distill their own whiskey.) Rabbit Hole started in 2012 by – yes – rebranding whiskey from New Riff distillery. However, they completed construction and opened their state-of-the-art Louisville distillery in 2018 and now produce all of their own whiskey.

The Balvenie (12 year) DoubleWood, Revisited

The Scotch NoobReviews 6 views

So it has indeed been 12 years since I first reviewed the 12-year edition of DoubleWood by Balvenie. In that time, it became my go-to suggestion for newbies, or (more accurately) my suggestion for aficionados wanting to indoctrinate newbies into the single-malt fold. It has a little of everything, and manages to remain balanced. It is (or was) reasonably-priced, and comes from a venerable name in single-malt scotch.

Three Ships Bourbon Cask

The Scotch NoobReviews 7 views

I just returned from South Africa (Cape Town) and a lovely time was had by all. While travelling, I always try to carve out some time early in the trip to seek out a bottle of whisky or whisky-adjacent spirits that are locally made, or at least only available locally. I do this for two reasons: First, it’s easy to get tunnel vision about what products are available at my regular liquor stores, and I like to try to get access to things I can’t get at home. Second, then I have a bottle of whisky t

Welp

The Scotch NoobUpdates 5 views

I had lofty goals about writing a few blog posts to catch up from my recent bout of negligence. Especially since I have a long trip coming up, well, tomorrow. But then I woke up with a head cold and so there goes any hope of tasting whisky.

Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon

The Scotch NoobReviews 6 views

This bottle, from Jefferson’s, displays both the highly-respected “very old” AND “very small batch” epithets, so you know it must be good. I jest, of course. The brand has taken (one of the) laudable paths to official distillery-hood in transitioning from a NDP (non-distiller producer) to a “real” distillery by buying Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood, Kentucky. That said, some large percentage of the barrels still aging in their warehouse (and, likely, being blended into their whiskeys)

Glenfiddich (12 year) Amontillado Sherry Cask Finish

The Scotch NoobReviews 6 views

Glenfiddich, as befitting a large distiller with a significant share of the global single malt scotch market, releases enough special editions that I can’t keep up with them. I do know not to dismiss them as “airplane bottle” scotch, as not only is the Glenfiddich 12 serviceable in its own right, but several of their special editions have had that magic combination of high quality and low cost. Even their 15 and 18 (both excellent) can be found for less than comparable brands.

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey

The Scotch NoobReviews 6 views

In furthering my pursuit of reviewing low-end as well as high-end whiskies, and because I reviewed Jim Beam’s basic white label with surprisingly positive results, I figured that a review of Old Faithful itself Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 was due. I know that no one cares what I think of Jack Daniel’s. Essentially nobody is out there drinking it neat out of a Glencairn and performing Richard Patterson’s tasting routine on it. Really, this is just an exercise in completionism and I’m going to ignore

Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2021

The Scotch NoobReviews 5 views

I last reviewed the 2019 edition of this malt, which was an entirely different beast: heavily peated, 15 years of age, and rum finished. The 2021 bottling which appeared at my local Costco last week is unpeated and sports a red wine cask finish, but at least it’s a bit cheaper due to a lower age statement.

Hye-Land Armenian Whiskey 12 year

The Scotch NoobReviews 6 views

Some of my more astute readers have noticed an uhm… dramatic drop-off in my posting regularity. The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, a bout of Covid and a number of real-life distractions have gotten me out of the habit of sitting down Saturday mornings to churn out a blog post. Once that habit is broken, well… it’s easy to stay distracted.