Banana

Mortlach 16 Year

Mortlach was the first official distillery in Dufftown, founded in 1823 and known as “The Beast of Dufftown”. Operating relatively uninterrupted since then across several owners, it has long passed under the radar of many enthusiasts since its output has gone primarily into blends with only the occasional special single malt release. This changed in 2013 when the brand relaunched with more emphasis placed on its single malt offerings. This Mortlach 16, the Distiller’s Dram, comes from a new trilogy announced in 2018. Like all expressions since 1896, it is distilled 2.81 times, and matured entirely in ex-Sherry casks.

By Adam | June 10, 2020 | Speyside | No Comments |

A decade or two ago, it might have seemed the very picture of strangeness to have the rise of French whiskies we’re seeing even though the country has long been a large consumer of scotch. The distillery itself is old but the company who owns it is based out of Florida, Venturi Brands. Unlike many current whisky companies, Vicomte and Venturi seem cloaked behind non-functioning websites and precious little information about the whisky beyond what is listed on the label. Though the Vicomte 8 Year was only released in 2015, so it remains to be seen whether it can break into the markets it desires. It is aged entirely in ex-Cognac barrels and the barley is from the Poitou-Charentes region.

By Adam | July 23, 2018 | Foreign | No Comments |

OOLA was founded in 2010 by owner and master distiller Kirby Kallas-Lewis in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. They remain small but have won several awards for their various gins and vodkas. They also produce whiskey and their Whiskey Discourse series is designed to combine different whiskies to see how they interact under different influences. Other entries experiment with smoke and cask finishes. OOLA Three Shores is included in our All-Canada World Whisky Day by reason that it is made up of one part OOLA Waitsburg Bourbon, one part unknown scotch from the Highland region, and one part Canadian rye. So part of it’s still Canadian! They are sourced separately but aged together for at least a year in American Oak.

By Adam | November 15, 2017 | Foreign | No Comments |