Foreign

Armorik Classic

Armorik Classic

The distillery that makes Aromrik Breton Single Malt Whisky was founded by the Warenghem family in 1900. The distillery makes a variety of spirits, with the Breton Single Malt being introduced about 30 years ago. The distillery is one very much rooted in the region, hearkening back to the Celtic peoples and traditions that bound Brittany to Ireland and Scotland. This commitment to tradition, while also straddling the undeniable French influence, results in a unique expression that has slowly but inexorably gained praise from many world areas and whisky writers. There are four single malt offerings so far: a double maturation, a sherry finish, an Edition Originale, and this original, their Classic.

Westland American Single Malt

Westland American Single Malt

Westland Distillery is one of the new distilleries popping up throughout the U.S. over the last decade or so, drawing to mind the rise of craft brewing in the preceding decades. Taking a cue from the beer and coffee cultures of the Pacific Northwest, Westland uses five different malts (Washington pale ale malt, Munich malt, extra special malt, pale chocolate malt and a brown malt) along with Belgian brewer’s yeast. They are very clear in that they are trying to make a whiskey true to the region from which they come, including moving towards sourcing all their ingredients locally in the near future. These are very new whiskies, only being on the market since 2013, so we’ll be very interested to follow Westland’s growth.

Glen Breton Rare 10 Year

Glen Breton Rare 10 Year

Glenora was until recently Canada’s only single malt whisky (and the second, Shelter Point, doesn’t begin offering product until mid-2015). There’s been a great deal of buzz around this malt in the 15 years or so it’s been on the market. Part of this is from the praise given it by luminous whisky writers like Jim Murray and Ian Buxton. The other part is the nine-year legal battle Glenora fought with the Scotch Whisky Association, where the SWA sought to prevent the use of the word “Glen” in the whisky’s name. Eventually, the case was settled for Glenora (maybe the maple leaf helped differentiate) and to celebrate, they released a special bottling called – appropriately enough – “Battle of the Glen.” Glen Breton Rare also deserves special mention as the one Scotchology has gone the greatest lengths to obtain, an eight-hour round trip due to limited U.S. distribution.