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Ardbeg “Dark Cove”

Ardbeg “Dark Cove”

Taking a page from the illicit beginnings of whisky production in a long ago Scotland, the 2016 Committee Release by Ardbeg is called the Dark Cove. This hearkens back to before the official founding of the distillery in 1815, specifically to a time when excise men from the government found and raided the secret cove from whence the smugglers had long been using as a base of operations. With that illegal arm of whisky distribution disbanded, the site was soon occupied by the McDougall family, who were the founders of Ardbeg. Legend has it John McDougall’s own sons, Alexander and Alan, were arrested for smuggling years before the distillery was born. Ardbeg held many events under the cover of night upon this release, along with aging the spirit in dark sherry casks.

By Adam | March 9, 2017 | Islay | No Comments |
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Tamdhu 10 Year

Tamdhu 10 Year

Tamdhu makes no bones about tapping into the Scottish ingenuity found prominently in the Enlightenment. Built in 1898 by a consortium of Scottish whisky traders, the distillery lays along the River Spey with the stated aim of producing the finest whisky possible. At least until it closed in 2010. With a resurgence of whisky in full swing, however, the site didn’t remain stagnant for long and was purchased in 2011 by Ian Macleod Distillers to be reborn in 2013 with the same Can-Dhu spirit (trust us, they make use of this wordplay too). Being so new, in a sense, the distillery only has three main offerings, with this 10 year being the flagship.

By Adam | January 22, 2017 | Speyside | No Comments |
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Corsair Triple Smoke Single Barrel

Corsair Triple Smoke Single Barrel

Some distilleries will sell off individual casks, either to producers like Gordon & MacPhail, or to separate parties like liquor stores, who bottle it themselves. Such was the case here, a single barrel from Ace Spirits of Hopkins, MN. Single barrel expressions like this offer a unique expression of the spirit, as each barrel can be slightly different from another due to all the factors that go into the whiskey making process. Normally, Scotchology likes to review whiskies that are generally available and not exceedingly rare or expensive; the thought process being that if you’re interested in what you see in the review, you can go out and get one for yourself. This is not one of those reviews, as the contents of a single cask are quite limiting. Rather, this review can help recommend the choice of seeking out single barrel expressions, and help shed a little light on what one of those barrels from Corsair is like.

By Adam | October 8, 2016 | Foreign | 2 Comments |
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