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...

In late May, Balcones Distilling out of Waco, TX announced the release of its third Texas corn whiskey -- Brimstone. Per the name, Brimstone Whisky (they drop the ‘e’) is purified through Texas oak fire. Rather than using Scottish peat smoke to impart smoky aromas, this unique whiskey is smoked with sun-baked Texas scrub oak. The result is a spirit full of fresh corn, light fruit and bold smokiness. It features aromas of masa, campfire and powdered sugar, all tempered with a touch of salt. "It's a Texas campfire in a glass, but also surprisingly smooth and round for a...

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...

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut is a new bourbon created by extracting the liquid that’s trapped inside the wood of bourbon barrels during the aging process. Rather that losing this flavor-packed liquid to the barrel, Jim Beam adds it back into a 90 proof six year old bourbon to create Devil’s Cut. The company doesn’t state how much of the final product is composed of bourbon that was originally trapped in wood. And it’s interesting that this liquid is added to a new six year old expression of Jim Beam, rather than a standard bottling like the Beam white or black label....

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....

The Jack Daniel Distillery announced yesterday that it’s updating the Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 bottle with a new design meant to accentuate the bottle's square shoulders and simplify the front and side labels. From the company -- "Mr. Jack Daniel was proud of the craftsmanship and care that went into his whiskey and wanted a bottle as unique as its smooth, mellow character," said John Hayes, Senior Vice President, Managing Director Jack Daniel's.  "That's why in 1895, Jack made the decision to put his whiskey in a square bottle, unlike other whiskeys of his day.  He wanted to make sure...

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...

Cocktail Enthusiast joined a slew of other booze writers and avid drinkers in Vegas this week for the official launch of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey. Hosted by the MGM Grand, we tasted through the full Jack Daniel’s lineup with Master Taster Jeff Norman, sipped cocktails featuring the new Tennessee Honey liqueur and attended a mixology contest that pitted 14 Vegas bartenders against each other in a Tennessee Honey mix-off. Some highlights -- Drinking Whiskey with Jeff Norman As Jack Daniel’s Master Taster (which is perhaps the world’s greatest job title) Jeff Norman is responsible for quality control. He ensures that each Jack...

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...