Advent Posts

TBWC Arran Batch 3

The joy of a whole advent calendar of whisky to explore is that every day brings a surprise, whether it's something never tried before or an old friend. Today is somewhere inbetween the two; I've previously tried today's whisky's younger brother, so it will be interesting to see if I enjoy this batch as ...

TBWC Deanston Batch 2

Deanston is a relatively young distillery by scotch standards, having been set up in 1967 and so a little less than 50 years old. It was set up in a cotton mill that had closed its doors two years earlier, which explains the rather unique look of the place - it's one of ...

TBWC Blended Malt No. 1 Batch 1

December is somehow already here, which means that once again I get to share a month of wonderful whiskies with you all, courtesy of the magnificent Advent Calendars from Master Of Malt. After last year's bourbon-filled calendar, this year I have That Boutique-y Whisky Company's Advent Calendar to explore. I've reviewed a few drams from ...

Jim Beam Distiller's Masterpiece

So we've reached the end of another Advent period, and another delicious calendar full of spirits from the lovely folk at Master of Malt. Although there have been one or two low scorers, overall it's been a thoroughly enjoyable collection (if a little Kentucky-heavy). I was expecting something a bit special for the 24th and, ...

Blanton's Straight From the Barrel

Another bourbon from Blanton's, having previously enjoyed their Gold Edition. It's nice to see that when it comes to their single barrel offerings, Blanton's clearly label each bottle with the barrel details - worth bearing in mind, given that the bourbon will vary from barrel to barrel. Blanton's Straight From The Barrel is the high ...

Four Roses Small Batch

Four Roses have been a regular in this year's calendar but looking at the scores from both the straight bourbon and single barrel, that's no bad thing. The big question is, can they make it three hits in a row? Four Roses Small Batch sits neatly in the middle of the previous two offerings, both ...

Jefferson's Reserve

Back to Jefferson's, which fills me with trepidation after being fairly unimpressed with their standard bourbon. Still, I was impressed with their Presidential Select a few years ago so this could go either way! Jefferson's Reserve is marketed is the "bigger brother" to their standard bourbon, bottled at a slightly higher 45.1% ABV and with a ...

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Barrel Proof

Back to Kentucky, and back to Elijah Craig. More interestingly, back to a 12 year old bourbon but this time bottled at barrel proof (or 'cask strength', in English!) - considering how much I enjoyed the standard 12 Year Old edition, this could be a very interesting dram indeed. Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Barrel ...

Hudson Baby Bourbon

Hudson Whiskey was the first whiskey distillery to open in New York State since Prohibition, having opened their doors ten years ago. Since then they've been joined by an increasing flood of fellow producers, with some sources suggesting that the state's distilleries are up into triple figures! Baby Bourbon is a 100% corn bourbon, bottled ...

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2004

After bemoaning the problem of "mass market" single barrel bourbon, it's nice to see Evan Williams taking a slightly different approach - by providing a vintage, they give themselves the flexibility to explore different flavour profiles every year, and expose some of that individuality I was muttering about yesterday. Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2004 ...