Whisky Posts

Rare Old Super Nikka ... in a can

In Japan, it seems as though everything is available from a vending machine. In this case, whisky - Nikka's Rare Old Super blend, with water added for you. To bring the volume up to 250ml, the watering has been fairy heavy handed which means that the aroma is barely detectable. There's a hint ...

Caol Ila 1996 Distillers Edition

Ahh, Caol Ila. Owners of the prettiest distillery in Islay, and producers of some of my favourite whiskies on the planet. This is their 1996 Distillers Edition, and in common with all their Distillers Editions is finished in Moscatel sherry casks. The whisky sits clear gold in the glass – clearly the time in ...

Tesco Special Reserve

Most of the whisky I review here is single malt; it's usually fairly well aged and is very much a 'premium product'. This week we have the exact opposite, in the form of Tesco Special Reserve Scotch Whisky, a 3 year old blended whisky of no clear origin. The question is, how good can ...

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

A lot of distillers these days have what you might call 'fan clubs'. Often you get newsletters and the occasional opportunity to buy exclusive bottlings, or discounted regular bottles. Laphroaig even give you a square foot of land, and pay you a rent of one dram per year if you go and visit ...

Edradour 1997 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Edradour are another Highland distillery making their first appearance here on Pete Drinks. It's Scotland's smallest distillery, producing just 12 casks a week. Everything is matured for at least 10 years, and then often finished in a bewildering array of wood. A quick search reveals bottles finished in Chardonnay, Moscatel, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Port, Madeira… ...

The Dalmore Mackenzie

I think this is the first appearance of The Dalmore Distillery here; based a little north of Inverness, it produces a range of Highland malts that for some reason I don't seem to come across very often (or more likely, I'm too easily distracted by whiskies from the islands!) This is their Mackenzie expression. ...

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

While there is always a lot of variety in my whisky cupboard, there are some staples that I always try to make sure are in there. Lagavulin is definitely one of those distilleries that is always represented. As well as being a great Islay distillery, it's also where my whisky drinking life started ...

Three Ships 10 Year Old

This week's whisky is something of a surprise. It's from South Africa – for some reason, not a country I ever thought of as a whisky producer. It turns out that The James Sedgewick Distillery has been going since 1886, although initially it was built to produce brandy. It's only been used for whisky ...

Kentucky Vintage

Today we have what is described as a "Small Batch Bourbon" by the producer Willett, although they don't say precisely what that means. I think it's as significant as brewers calling their beer "craft" – that is to say, while it may once have meant something, these days it can just be a marketing ...

Yoichi 10 Year Old

Back to Japan this week; having already tried it's bigger brother, it will be interesting to see how the 10 Year Old from Yoichi stands up. It's a pleasing golden colour in the glass, and the nose is honey sweet with just a hint of orange blossom. A splash of water reduces the sweetness ...