Smoke

Bunnahabhain Toiteach a Dhà

There is remote and then there is Bunnahabhain remote. Located on the island of Islay off the coast of Scotland, the distillery was only accessible by boat until the 1960s, when a single-track road was finally installed. The distillery is also known for having the tallest stills on Islay and producing one of the few non-peated whiskies there, a place renowned for its use of peated malts. However, distillers love experimentation and Bunnahabhain eventually tried using smoked barley with the debut of the Toiteach in 2008. The Toiteach a Dhà, Gaelic for “The Smokey Two”, is part of the distillery’s core range and serves as a sequel of sorts to the first. It is made up of around 75% ex-Oloroso sherry and 25% ex-bourbon casks, which is a higher proportion of sherry influence that found in other core offerings.

By Adam | October 25, 2024 | Islay | No Comments |

With a slogan of “Like Biting a Spiky Ball” emblazoned on the label, Ardbeg Ardcore swings for punk fences with their 2022 Committee Release. The differing factor that makes this particular offering stand out is that approximately 25% of the barley used was roasted black malt, with the remainder being their normal distilling malt. The Committee Releases are named for the Ardbeg Committee, formed after Glenmorangie purchased and reopened the shuttered distillery – originally founded in 1815 – in 1997. This group is a place for Ardbeg enthusiasts to hear of news and other special opportunities, ostensibly so that the distillery never has to face closure again. They are also a fantastic marketing opportunity and released as part of Fèis Ìle, an Islay festival founded in 1986 to celebrate the island’s unique history and heritage within the world of whisky, a now ten-day event that takes place at the end of May.

By Adam | September 5, 2024 | Islay | No Comments |

Cowboy Country Distilling was founded in 2015 and opened on Valentine’s Day 2018. Offering a wide variety of whiskies, vodkas, rums, liqueurs, and gins, drawn from the water, grains and weather of Wyoming by founder and master distiller Tim Trites. The Cowboy Country Maple Whiskey uses the same recipe as their Straight Whiskey, which is a twice-distilled bourbon with vanilla and baking spices added. This is then left to mature for a couple of years in oak barrels that once contained maple syrup. As might be expected, a visit to the distillery will also provide you with the opportunity to purchase maple syrup aged in oak barrels that once held Straight Whiskey. A virtuous circle if there ever was one.

By Adam | August 25, 2024 | Foreign | No Comments |

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