Whisky Reviews

Whisky: An exquisite distilled spirit crafted from fermented grains, aged to perfection in barrels, delivering a complex blend of aromas, flavours, and a warm, lingering finish.

The water of life; the king of the spirit world. Flavours from the wood, from the terroir and even from the fire.

Just don't add ice to it.

Sláinte!

We also have a whisky list which lists every whisky review on the site, broken down by country, region and distillery.

Tesco Special Reserve

Country:	Scotland
Abv:	40%
Rating:

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

Distillery:	Glenfiddich
Region:	Speyside
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	40.0%

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

Distillery:	Edradour
Region:	Highland
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	57.2%

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

Distillery:	Dalmore
Region:	Highland
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	46.0%

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

Distillery:	Lagavulin
Region:	Islay
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	43%

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

Distillery:	James Sedgewick
Country:	South Africa
Abv:	43%

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

Distillery:	Willett
Region:	Kentucky
Country:	USA
Abv:	45.0%

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

Distillery:	Nikka
Country:	Japan
Abv:	45%

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 ...

Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Distillery:	Bruichladdich
Region:	Islay
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	46%

I love Bruichladdich; I honestly can't think of a single expression of theirs that has failed to leave me smiling and wanting more. Pedro Ximenez is the king of sherry. I'm more of a port man myself, but I have to admit that if I'm going to be drinking sherry then making it ...

Bruichladdich 17 Year Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry

The Macallan 10 Year Old Sherry Oak

Distillery:	The Macallan
Region:	Speyside
Country:	Scotland
Abv:	40.0%

This week I return to a distillery I've mentioned before – The Macallan. On this occasion, it's their 10 Year Old Sherry Oak edition. This is about as young as The Macallan comes, so it will be interesting to see how it stands up. The bottle is one of my miniature collection; I ...