I did not expect this level of peat from Linkwood. While it teases on the nose, it makes itself felt once it hits the tongue. A nice example of the hay-and-heather style of Highland peated malt, which is representative of the style of Highland malt made before the advent of maltings with non-peat heat sources.
Let’s talk flask. I’ve always had a flask or two, detritus from various bachelor parties, 21st birthdays, and trade shows, and I can honestly say that in the decade in which I’ve been legal to drink I’ve used them maybe twice. Why is that?… These flasks make excellent gifts (although I was planning to just buy one for myself until they sent me one for free!). Oh, and the leather smells glorious.
Supposedly of Scottish origin, the Hot Toddy has been a staple of drinking culture since as early as the 1750s (or earlier, the first printed reference was in 1750). Often prescribed by doctors as a cure-all, it quickly became the quintessential hot cocktail and was made with anything that came to hand when the called-for Scottish malt whisky wasn’t available: rum, bourbon, rye, applejack, brandy, pot-still Hollands gin (a malty spirit unlike today’s dry gins), etc. The original recipe called only for hot water, spirits, sugar, and nutmeg.
Turns out I wasn’t 100% off, as the sample turned out to be Té Bheag (pronounced ‘chey vek’), a blended scotch with a big peated malt component made by Pràban na Linne Ltd. on the Isle of Skye.
This week, please welcome guest blogger Terry Findley, from wine.net. I myself cook with bourbon as well as scotch – especially for adding to a glaze for ham, meatloaf, etc.
Well, I’ve been nominated by the board from the International Whisky Competition as one of the 25 best whisky bloggers!
Well, after four and a half years of using the same theme that I launched with, I’ve finally entered the modern era. I present: The New Scotch Noob dot com! It really shouldn’t look too different, as I wanted to keep my basic look-and-feel, but the site has a lot more bells and whistles, and is (finally) mobile device friendly! Pull up scotchnoob.com on your mobile phone or tablet and you should have a much better experience than before.
Who knew this was going to be a sherry-bomb? Sherry notes that I’d associate with a 20+ year-old sherried malt, meaty and resinous. The peat is nowhere to be found, or so outperformed by the sherry that it instead melds into the background. I would recommend this to sherry buffs, especially those who enjoy the meaty/rancio side of the sherry spectrum.
The book, as its introduction insists, is not a “best of” list, nor any kind of awards show in print. Mr. Buxton has chosen whiskies that he believes every lover of brown spirits should, at least once in their life, sample.
While it pales in a side-to-side comparison with classical sherry-aged Mortlach like the G&M 15 year, this Murray bottling stands on its own with a very pleasing combination of roasted/toasted/meaty flavors and without cloying sweetness on the palate.