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. 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 it’s a very good whiskey, but it tastes a bit younger than it is, and...

Nearly all holidays call for a drink.  Take Christmas, July 4th and Arbor Day, for example.  But while these drinking occasions may hide behind Jesus, national independence and trees, respectively, one holiday in particular mans up and makes drinking the sole focus – National Scotch Day. I’m not sure of National Scotch Day’s origin, but that doesn’t bother me much.  Any holiday that promotes the sweet ambrosia that is whisky is a day worth celebrating.  To commemorate the occasion, I’m uncorking my bottle of The Balvenie Madeira Cask, a limited edition 17-year-old offering from The Balvenie that’s finished in barrels that...

To prep for Wednesday’s start to Tales of the Cocktail, some people rest their livers, while others expedite their demise with some Rusty Nails.  I chose the latter. The Drambuie: Revisited, Revived & Remixed event at the  Roosevelt Hotel featured the classic Rusty Nail cocktail, plus four modern variations, live jazz and glitzy cocktail servers with big feather hats.  The four Rusty Nail cocktails were created by bartenders from Portland to Milwaukee to New York City, and each took the Rusty Nail base (Scotch and Drambuie) and added ingredients and flavors to form innovative variations, detailed below: Encrusted Nail – Chad Doll,...

According to some new research commissioned by Chivas Brothers, nine out of 10 consumers believe that a whisky’s age statement serves as an indicator of quality. But oddly enough, most of these same consumers don’t understand what an age statement actually means.  The research notes that 90 percent of drinkers don’t realize that an age statement refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. Nearly half (48%) believe an age statement refers to the average age, while 35% believe it signifies the oldest whisky present. To combat this lack of public knowledge, Chivas Brothers—whose portfolio includes Ballantine’s, Chivas...