Category Archives: Rated A-

Last released in the special edition Classic Malts series as a 20 year old in 2007, this central Highlands whisky (from one of the highest distilleries in Scotland) strikes again as a well-aged 25 year old in its fourth edition. Aged in a rejuvenated American oak hogshead.

Quite light, golden color. Nutty, lightly herbal on the nose, with touches of cinnamon rolls. The body has more of a grain element to it,  rich with more of that distinct nuttiness, but it’s a bit difficult to peg many specifics within. A bit of cherry, rich malted grains, and a bit of cocoa powder on the finish. It’s a whisky that invites rediscovery and continued exploration, though it’s a step down from a knockout.

104.2 proof.

A- / $289 / malts.com

Diageo’s Classic Malts Selection is an annual line of very rare and exotic single malt whiskys, all bottled at cask strength, and the 2013 releases are just now starting to arrive.

Today we start our look at these releases — eight total, seven available in the U.S. — with one reviewed each day.

First out of the gate is a perennial part of the Classic Malts Selection, a 12 year old from Lagavulin on Islay. This is the eleventh Lagavulin 12 Year Old in this series (now called Limited Edition instead of Distillers Edition), and fans of the island distillery will find ample familiarity here. Ultra-pale sunlight color, plenty of smoky peat burning on the nose. It’s a very hot whisky, all fire and ashes at bottle strength. Water helps tame the beast, turning up lots of sweetness. There’s burnt marshmallow, iodine, some lemon (lemonade), and black tea notes, too. It’s all filtered through peat, of course, but in a complex, exciting, and engaging way. Worthwhile.

112.2 proof.

A- / $111 / malts.com

One of the questions I get asked the most is, You don’t buy much booze, do you?

Well, no, I don’t. I give away and pour out more wine and spirits than I could possibly keep on hand, a natural by-product of having reviewed close to 2000 products over the last several years. (Heresy, some say, but how big is your house?)

That said, I actually do buy stuff from time to time — products that I really like, products that aren’t available for review, and products that are just too interesting to pass up. This product fulfills two of those criteria: Whenever I’m at Costco, I check the whisky aisle for private label Scotch. These are invariably pretty good and, more to the point, very cheap. They are rarely on the market, though — the last one I saw was a private-label Macallan 18 in 2008 (though others have been produced) — so when I saw this year’s offering, a 20-year-old for $45, I snapped it up.

Continue reading “Review: Kirkland Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 20 Years Old Sherry Cask Finish” »

Balvenie’s Tun 1401 is a series of special releases that have been hitting the market, each batch typically a regional release exclusive to an individual country or two. Batch 3 was the first U.S. exclusive. Now there’s Batch 6, another U.S.-only bottling composed of whisky from seven traditional (ex-Bourbon) casks and two sherry butts.

Balvenie tells you the barrel number of each of these casks, but nothing more, only that the casks selected for this batching span “a number of decades.” For reference, Batch 3 had whisky in it as well-aged as 45 years old. And it was a knockout.

Continue reading “Review: The Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 6 Single Malt” »

Monkey Shoulder is a vatted whisky that — despite being a blend of three distillery’s malts — is so rare that shots on the west coast of the U.S. have typically sold for $20 a glass… when entire bottles sell for under $30. I encountered a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on a recent trip to New York — for all of $27 — and snapped it up. (The name is a reference to a malady suffered by floor malters, who get sore shoulders by working their oversized barley shovels for hours on end. Continue reading “Review: Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Triple Malt” »