Mint

Great King Street The Glasgow

Great King Street The Glasgow

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former employee of Johnnie Walker (and native Minnesotan). While Compass Box is not a distillery, it does produce and bottle scotch. Noted for their blends and pushing the buttons of the Scotch Whisky Association, Compass Box has also taken home a variety of awards from whisky competitions. The Great King Street series a purposeful look back, seeking to recreate the kind of scotch favored in the 19th century. Citizens of Glasgow in particular favored full-bodied and bold flavored malts according to records, hence the name.

By Adam | November 10, 2016 | Blends | 1 Comment |
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Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie

Built by three brothers on the shore of Loch Indaal in the village of Bruichladdich in 1881, the distillery has traveled a bumpy road on occasion, including being mothballed several times. The current iteration has been open since the turn of the century, sprearheaded by the legendary Jim McEwan as master distiller until his retirement in 2015. Purchased by Rémy Cointreau in 2012, Bruichladdich continues to expand whisky horizons with one eye on the storied scotch legacy of yore. Serving as their signature bottling, the Scottish Barley noted prominently on the bottle points to everything about the whisky being sourced, made and aged in Scotland.

By Adam | October 28, 2016 | Islay | 2 Comments |
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Arran Amarone Cask

Arran Amarone Cask

It should be no surprise to our frequent readers that we’ve tried our fair share of whiskies with different finishes. Finishing allows distilleries to impart a different set of flavors through aging the spirit in casks other than the usual ex-bourbon barrels. We’ve tried finishes with Sherry, Port, Rum, along with Shiraz, Madeira and Burgundy wines so far. We have a scotch with Cote du Rhone and Clos de Tart on the docket. Heck, the last Arran we reviewed had a Sauternes finish. Therefore, it may not surprise anyone greatly for us to be interested by this Arran aged in Amarone casks. We came by it honestly, though, through a tasting at Ace Spirit’s. The fact that the Arran Amarone stood out over several other whiskies should be enough to pique your interest, as it did ours.

By Adam | December 21, 2015 | Island | No Comments |
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