Compass Box Whisky Co. – the guys behind innovative, small batch drams like Peat Monster, Hedonism and Spice Tree – is rolling out a lineup of affordable blends called Great King Street. The first to be released is Artist’s Blend, a versatile expression to be enjoyed neat, over ice or in whisky cocktails. It launches nationally in October. Great King Street Artist’s Blend combines delicate Lowland grain whiskies with more robust, complex Highland single malts and a touch of Speyside malts. Wood influences include first-fill American oak, new French oak and first-fill Sherry butts. The grain/malt makeup and wood trio...

Glen Garioch 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch is distilled in the Highlands region of Scotland. The unpeated whiskey is non chill-filtered and aged first in bourbon casks and then Spanish sherry casks before bottling. On the nose, Glen Garioch (pronounced “Glen-Geery”) 12 is light and floral, with notes of heather and fruit – most noticeably apple and pear. It’s smooth on the palate like most Highlands, and it moves between fruit, oak and spice. The bourbon influences lend some sweet vanilla and caramel, while the sherry casks provide the warming fruit and subtle spice. It finishes oaky and dry. Glen Garioch...

Highland Park 18 is one of the core expressions in the renowned Highland Park Scotch whiskey lineup. Founded in 1798, Highland Park is one of only two distilleries located on the Orkney Islands – the other is Scapa. The 18 Year Old spirit was twice named the best spirit in the world by F. Paul Pacult, so it’s got that going for it. Let’s take it for a spin. Highland Park 18 shows brilliant colors of gold and amber and has a full aroma of mature oak and toffee with just a touch of smoke. Flavors range from...

The Black Grouse Scotch is part of the extensive Famous Grouse whiskey lineup. Introduced in 2008, The Black Grouse is a blend of the entry level, white labeled Famous Grouse -– which is the best-selling blended whiskey in Scotland -- with Islay malt whiskeys. The result is a peatier, smokier version of the original. Behind a light top note of alcohol, The Black Grouse has a very aromatic nose that balances between sweet and smoky as the grain whiskeys merge with the Islay malts. Initial flavors of vanilla, brown sugar and oak move toward smoke and spice. The smoke is definitely...

Springbank Single Malt Scotch is distilled in Campbeltown, one of Scotland's four recognized whiskey-producing regions. Springbank Distillery is the oldest independent family-owned distillery in Scotland and still uses by-hand production techniques throughout the whiskey-making process. Springbank’s 10 Year Old offering is the youngest expression in the Springbank lineup. 60 percent of the whiskey is matured in bourbon casks, while the other 40 percent is matured in sherry casks. Once blended, the result is a smooth, lush spirit with lots of fruit and spice. On the nose, the Springbank 10 Year has mild notes of pear, malt and just a hint of peat....

Auchentoshan Scotch Whisky (Scotland drops the “e”) just announced the release of a 1998 Sherry Cask Scotch. This 1998 batch of single malt whisky was exclusively matured in Fino Sherry barrels and is now available in the United States. With only 750 bottles available, it won’t last long. The Auchentoshan 1998 Sherry Cask is bottled at cask strength and is non chill filtered, both of which should yield lots of flavor and complexity. Pending review, here are some tasting notes provided by Auchentoshan. Color -- Deep copper Body -- Medium-bodied Lowland Nose -- Butterscotch, honey, preserved orange peel, toasted almonds Palate -- Sweet and...

The Bobby Burns cocktail first appeared in Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. It follows several other notable whiskey cocktails and marries whiskey – in this case, Scotch – with sweet vermouth. The Bobby Burns adds a couple dashes of Benedictine to that venerable mix, but in David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, Embury suggests replacing the Benedictine with Drambuie. Both resulting cocktails are delicious, albeit different. Use Benedictine for an herbal touch, or Drambuie for a smoother, sweeter drink. Either way, you win. The original Bobby Burns recipe calls for equal parts whiskey and sweet vermouth, but I prefer...

Laphroaig 10 Year Old is a single malt Scotch whisky distilled on the island of Islay. The 10 year old expression is Laphroaig’s entry level Scotch in a lineup that ranges from cask strength and quarter cask offerings to 18, 30 and 40 year old whiskies. Laphroaig 10 Year is filled with the flavors of Islay – namely, peat and seawater. The island’s water source filters through peat before making its way to the distillery, where salty waves approach the aging whisky barrels. Take in the aroma, and notice lots of peat smoke and iodine, plus some medicinal notes of phenol....

Auchentoshan 12 year old Scotch whisky is part of the Lowland single malt lineup that also includes the Classic, Three Wood, 18 year and 21 year expressions. The triple-distilled Auchentoshan 12 year old Scotch is light and toasty on the nose, with pleasant aromas of honey, almonds and toffee. Take a sip and taste rich caramel, toffee, citrus and a bit of spice. The mouthfeel is full and round, with a lingering brown sugar sweetness. It finishes long and smooth, with more honeyed sweetness tempered by subtle, dry tobacco notes. Auchentoshan 12 year old Scotch is a really nice sipping whisky...

Having tried and enjoyed several whiskeys from the Dalmore lineup, the 18-year old expression is a new one for me. The Dalmore 18 is aged for 14 years in American oak before being transferred to Sherry casks to finish maturing. The Sherry influences are obvious and lend a rich, fruity quality to the whiskey. The nose is full of toffee, raisin and oak notes. Take a sip and taste some chocolate, coffee and cinnamon spice before it moves toward a pronounced orange finish and more woody notes. Overall, The Dalmore 18 is a very good whiskey, but it tastes a bit younger...