While the main focus of Scotchology will continue to be based on our standard reviews, we’ve also decided to try our hand at micro-reviews. Let’s face it, a standard review for one or two new whiskies take time and money to gather and discuss on the schedule we’ve been able to maintain. More of us are more normally out and about, sometimes trying new things that are tasty for a pour or two but not enough to flag for a full team exploration. Drams will be a place we as individuals can try something new, include a quick picture and sketch out our initial reactions. It will also allow us a place to give voice to whisky friends who might not be able to join us regularly but whose input we still value, and for trying whiskies and other fun drinks that normally wouldn’t qualify for our full attention. These contributions will be irregular and distributed only via this page and our social media.
| Image | Comments | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Bruichladdich Discovery Micro Provenance 2006 11 years KWM Rivesaltes - April 23, 2021 Red French dessert wine. Musk. A sweet red wine but also the mustyness of it. A barnyard funk. A wine funk. A wine cask funk, so this is not a young cask. So well aged or almost overaged wine. Amarone funk. Spiced plum on the finish, with clove and nutmeg, maybe with a dash of cinnamon. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Bruichladdich Discovery Micro Provenance 2007 12 years KWM Bourbon casks - April 23, 2021 Brine, lemon and honey on the nose. A little rye. The sweetness from the bourbon casks. Very hot. Treat with caution. But if you do, so so good. Seriously unpeated. No peat. No smoke. Echoes of brine and honey. The bourbon barrel just jacks up that sweetness. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Macduff 19 Year - April 23, 2021 This one hits at the back of the palate. Light floral nose with citrus. Meyer lemon or sweet lime and floral on the palate and even into the finish. Lemon and spice. Reminds of unpeated Islay in the lemon-y character. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7 - April 23, 2021 Candied orange peel, less pronounced brown sugar, musk of honey. More alcohol burn. Orange from the nose tranisitions to the palate and oaky. An easter egg of florals right at the end of the finish. The finish is long and juicy. Causes salivation. It tastes like autumn, the orange and spice. Brown sugar, orange and spice. Followed with strong oak. You can't dissemble with oak. Oak comes in on the palate carrying through to the long finish before the pop of the florals. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 6 - April 23, 2021 Gentle nose. Sweet orange and cereal on the nose with a little frisson of peat. Florals, orange blossom and brown sugar, toasted grain on the palate. A nice dry oaky finish, with some vanilla on the end. Not spicy. A burst of floral in the middle of the finish. Cute. Not a waif. I like it. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Glenburgie 10 Year - April 23, 2021 One-note nose. A particular kind of apple, then a little wet hay/grain. Has the acrid Speyside tang. Like wet hay to wet ash. The beginning is the most positive thing. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Glenmorangie Midwinter Night's Dram - April 22, 2021 This is a real nice scotch for Canadians. A light floral creme on the palate after a weak nose before tranisitioning abruptly to tannin. Like a chardonnay. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Balcones Hechicheros - April 22, 2021 A lot of wine notes, more tannic and more oaky, drier and darker, the dark wine notes, more perfume and floral on the nose. Port comes out with a bigger sip, enough to override the tannins of the oak. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| J.P. Wiser's Legacy - April 21, 2021 Nose is almost a fruit, but like stale Twizzlers. It's a flat, very polite whisky. Malt flavor is dominant, like a ginger snap or animal cracker. The malted rye shines if you breathe through your nose after swallow. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Seven Rebels - April 21, 2021 Very ephemeral nose. Almost too subtle. Dandelion, spring flowers, light vegetation, first warm day of spring. Reminds of some blended whiskies. Gentle nose into gentle flavors, a very smooth ride, like riding in the back seat of a cadellac limo. Sort of anesthetized whisky. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Pike Creek 15 Year - April 21, 2021 Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from Niagara's Foreign Affair Winery. The nose is fantastic. Honey, red fruits from the wine, a little toffee/caramel family, bright fruits like cherry. Very winey. With a larger sip, the dryness of the wine comes through. The wine finish influence predominates. Yum. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Shelter Point - Double Barreled Quails Gate Old Vines Foch Casks - April 19, 2021 Very tannic and really oaky. The tanins from the aging and the casks finish. Unripe or sour apple nose and then the wine must on the nose. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Eau Claire Batch 002 - April 19, 2021 The first note on the nose is the most unpleasant part. The nose is part air freshener, part dryer sheet, with a hint of Pert Plus on the back of the palate. Not unpleasant, but a manufactured floral sense. There's a dry oak tone in the midpalate. The dry midpalate makes for a juicy finish, ironiclly. Sadly, the dominant note is of Pert Plus. Too many florals. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
| Eau Claire Batch 001 - April 19, 2021 Still butyric on the nose. The fake fruit flavor is still there. Apple, but like a Jolly Rancher. Almost smells like new make. It's too young, not done yet. Too fake. | Adam Irving and Henry Lebedinsky | |
 | Middle West Michelone Reserve - March 05, 2021 The nose is subtle, very subtle. I need to almost pour myself into the glass. Rye, orange oil, wood, some super faint floral and vanilla eventually come out, along with a whiff of Play-Doh. The palate is also not dialed high, with some dull black pepper, rye, and some general grain on the tip of the tongue. Adding water mutes the nose but removes some of the alcohol burn, while adding a little sweetness to the palate. Empty glass smells of wintergreen and char/ash. While not extraordinary, a perfectly fine daily sipper. | Adam Irving and Kate Tegtmeier |
 | Jameson Black Barrel - March 21, 2021 A single cask strength whiskey that clocks in at 60% but really doesn't feel like it after the first sip or two. The bottle had been open for at least a couple of years, so I imagine the time and oxygen in the bottle helped settle things down. The extra charring really helps mellow the sweetness and the char is actually pretty fun, with a chewy quality. While I am not generally a "stronger is better" adherent, I can't imagine this whiskey being as good at a lower strength. The sweetness is still there, with the vanilla and slight sparkle of spice in the finish. A friendly mouth feel too. Definitely had more character than I expected. Not sure if the regular Black Barrel would have as much but this single cask edition is a rather pleasant sipper for someone who likes a smoky profile like me. | Adam Irving |
 | Starward Nova - March 2, 2021 I'm a traditionalist in many ways. Except when I'm not, and I don't enjoy tradition simply for tradition's sake. That being said, I love my scotch and my Old World wines to be steeped in centuries of well-honed practices adapted to and reflective of the landscape, local ingredients and materials, and methods that have stood the test of time. On the other hand, I'm inspired by the spirit of innovation and experimentation of New World distilleries and wineries - their willingness to embrace the new while paying respect to the traditional, and their inventive use of grains, woods, peat, and cask finishes unique to their locales. This is what impresses me about distilleries like Sweden's Mackmyra, Westland, Del Bac, and Balcone's in the USA, and, now, Australia's Starward. And it's not just me who's taking notice. Starward's Nova single malt recently won Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Awards. According to Starward, all components of this whiskey come from within a day's drive of the distillery: the barley, the water, and the ex-red wine casks used to age the whiskey. Yes, you read that right. This is not wine cask-finished. Because of Melbourne's unique climate, Nova is bottled after just three years in a mixture of Shiraz, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir casks sourced from neighbouring wineries. And it works, mate! The cask influence is assertive, but not overbearing, with an oaky, spicy nose, bold tannins and bright fruit on the palate, and a lovely lingering finish fading to dark fruit and wine must. Starward is certainly not the only whiskey that takes advantage of warm climate to accelerate aging, being able to achieve in three years what the chilly, maritime climate of Scotland accomplishes in three times that long. It does not feel or taste rushed, although there is no denying the brightness of youth in both the nose and palate. For around $60 a bottle, this is a very good value for a whiskey of such unique and wonderful personality. | Henry Lebedinsky |
 | Jura 10 Year - February 21, 2021 Coffee and toffee, with a pleasant smoke that isn't overpowering, but is more than the "hint" the packaging suggests. Notes of chocolate, pretty big sherry finish. GREAT nose. A little light hazelnut. Really a solid offering. It is surprising. Of course it's an island - but not an Islay - where the smoke is the common element. That is all though. And the sherry finish is actually delightful. Actually having it with some cold leftover coffee - and it REALLY brings out the sweet notes of the grain. | Bill Feher |
 | Balcones Baby Blue - February 18, 2021 Syrupy nose, almost maple-ish. Strong, rum-like presence, definitely the pure corn sugars poking through. Remarkably easy to drink, with just the smallest burn on a very slowly evolving finish. The longer you wait, the more full the mouth feels, and pleasantly so. That rum-ish thing never really goes away (again, the corn). That super long finish is actually satisfying. This particular offering is a slow sipper, the kind you have after dinner and well into the evening. For the $40 I paid, super worth the investment. Exceptional value for the money. Bourbon drinkers be warned: this is nothing like what you are used to. | Bill Feher |
 | Highland Park Magnus - January 29, 2021 A fruity something on the nose, crossed with licorice. Maybe a cherry/ chocolate? Full mouth feel, robust. Heavy smoke but that sweetness perseveres. It is VERY deep. It reminds me a LOT of Ardbeg's wee beastie, in that it's a lower price version of the flagship, every bit as complex, and completely different at the same time. Quite lovely and ROI is very high ($42). I have been eyeing this bottle for 6 months. I should not have waited. | Bill Feher |
 | Noble Oak Bourbon - January 5, 2021 Sherry with bourbon. Sweet burn perhaps?? Oak really pulls through, almonds and cherries a little bit. Lingering burn, heavy mouth feel, definitely. Sherry nose once it opens a little. It's one I have been watching for a little while, with plans on purchasing. Not bad at $35. The covered tones keep it out of the bourbon monster category....but only just. It is still definitely a bourbon, which, frankly, is a good thing. It reminds me of things others are doing: fruit flavors, maple, but far more subtle, more indicative of actual flavor profiling rather than candy-frying everything. The sweet is controlled well by juxtaposing it against the burn. It's worth it. If not especially awe-inspiring, it is a pleasant turn. Might not buy it often but would buy it again. With the right pairing, this would be phenomenal. Second shelf, but maybe near the top of that second shelf. Not quite that different "wow" I am usually looking for but for a bourbon it was very nice. | Bill Feher |