Port Charlotte Scottish Barely - Heavily Peated

We were so sold on the Bruichladdich scotch we drank that we had to try out their Heavily Peated Port Charlotte. Let's just state for the record that we like everything we've heard about Bruichladdich. They don't chill filter their scotches and they don't add any colouring and both this and the Classic Laddie are 50% alcohol. Interestingly enough, they make some Gin too, and that's on our list of things to buy and check out. Anything they make and they send to Canada, we're going to purchase. Bruichladdich is great. We are totally sold!

One of us was always against heavily peated malts in the past. But through experimentation that position has weakened and now with the tasting of Port Charlotte Scottish Barely - Heavily Peated it has been destroyed. Peat and smokey scotches are something you have to get used to, but if you put in the effort you really can open yourself up to some really amazing new flavours.

The nose not surprisingly begins with peat. Big peat. I like that they put 40ppm of peat on the label. Bruichladdich is committed to excellence and  displaying their parts per million on the label  is just another example of this. Underneath the peat however is a little subtle char, some classic (if we can say that after tasting two Bruichladdich products) salty air, and then something sweet perhaps honeysuckle and a powerful burst of lemon and floral notes.

What's interesting with scotches, and we've said it before, is that often there are scents and tastes which you would think, at first would not be scents and tastes that you would want to experience in a whisky (or any beverage) but somehow work in whiskys. So we were hesitant at first to say this, but the truth is, there's a total medicinal scent and taste to this, iodine and as crazy as this may seem, the scent of band aids (maybe just medical rubber). 'Are we saying this tastes bad?' you may ask? Amazingly, we're saying 'no, this is amazing.' Lots of scotches have this weird medicinal scent and taste and it's strangely appealing. It definitely grows on you. It's crazy, we know, but it actually does.

Underneath all this there is some sweetness and the delicious taste of burnt wood (oak). The burnt flavours are just in the right amount.

The finish is fairly short but there is a lingering smokey taste that pretty much lasts until you brush your teeth or eat or drink something else.

In short. It's really good. We love Bruichladdich! Will definitely purchase again!

Dalmore 18 year old

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We've seen Dalmore at the liquor store for a while now and more importantly Dalmore has seen us. Every time we're there it whispers at us and tries to lure us in. Originally the Cigar Malt was the one that caught our attention. While it comes in a fairly fancy box, its not overly fancy, just fancy enough to say 'hey, I'm a $149.99 scotch'. But then out pops the 18 year old and it's only $25 more. We could only resist for so long.

The Dalmore 18 year old is aged in american oak ex-bourbon casts for 14 years and  then switched to 30 year old Matusalem sherry butts for another 4 years. It's bottled at 43% alcohol by volume, probably not unchilled filtered and who knows if it has had any colour added. It's a very dark rich amber colour, but some of that probably comes from those sherry butts.

The nose begins with fruits, with apple specifically popping out. You can smell the sherry, nice and sweet, along with a very nice rich chocolate aroma. Underneath it all are subtle scents: lemon and orange, sweet pipe tobacco. And finally a little leather and oak.

The palate is spicy with the taste of ginger. But then there's a contrast with a candied sweetness that we can't quite place but is very pleasant. Maybe this candied sweetness comes from the sherry. It's quite tasty.

The finish is very long and building. It continues to build and adjust in a way that allows you  focus on different aspects over multiple drinks. Chocolate really comes out in the finish and mixes beautifully with caramel and buttery toffee, and a little almond comes through.

A really good scotch for sure, but a little pricey. Wouldn't buy it again, solely based on that price. But don't take us wrong, it's very good and we don't regret getting it to try it out, but its definitely a 'treat yourself once to' sort of experience.

Bruichladdich Scottish Barley - The Classic Laddie

Bruichladdich Scottish Barley - The Classic Laddie sets itself apart from other scotches with its unique package colouring. Aquamarine blue is not your normal bottle colour. But one shouldn't let packaging influence your decision. The blue draws you in, but you should investigate it before biting.

However, Bruichladdich Scottish Barley has a lot going for it. It's un-chill filtered (A definite bonus) and it doesn't have any colour added (maybe less of a taste bonus, but then again, it shows that they don't need to fuck around with the stupid shit to get the job done). Do we need caramel colour in scotch? No. On a negative side, it doesn't provide an age statement, but as it ends up, its a damn fine scotch as is, so that's not too much of a drawback.

It's fairly expensive ($71.99 in Nova Scotia) but it has 50% alcohol so at least it's scotch at a good strength for your money.

You can tell Bruichladdich Scottish Barley is well crafted. Despite its high alcohol content it doesn't have much of an alcohol burn smell, but some water does bring out a lot more scents and flavours. There's a good amount of Scottish mist that appears too (this is a good thing. Look it up). The first impression of the nose is of oak and salty air with a little bit of seaweed lingering in the background. Then there's a little bit of toffee and deep rich fruit smell like jam and finally the nice pleasant aroma of vanilla.

The palate brings out more oak and a tiny bit of of warm spice (this could very well be due to the alcohol), but it's smooth. Really nice and smooth.

Just as your enjoying how smooth it is, flavours of chocolate ice-cream and caramel roll in and build during the finish. This follows with warm gingery tones, more caramel and a lovely general sweetness with that lingering spiciness. Sweet and spice perfectly blended! Beautiful. Another impressive part of this scotch is that the oak seems to layer itself, so on the second sip there's more of it and all the flavours change with each taste. The complexity continues and is wonderful to explore.

Overall a truly admirable scotch, but if we had to complain about something it would be that although we really like the bottle and its unconventional look it really should have a clear strip or something down the side because you can't be sure how much is left. Actually how much of it IS left? We're not sure and this is bound to be a very disappointing moment when we get to the end of the bottle. Sooner or later we're in for this unpleasant surprise.

Highly recommended and we'll not only be buying more of this scotch but exploring other Bruichladdich scotches as well. We're sold!

Bowmore 12 Year old

Bowmore 12 Year old is interesting in how uninteresting it is. 12 year old and single malt are the only specifics it mentions... standard 40% alcohol but I guess it only cost $52.99, which is kind of the standard in Nova Scotia for a single malt. I bought it because I was picking up something new for the night and had to shop at a really crappy liquor store (Scotia Square in downtown Halifax) and didn't have much choice. I had never tasted Bowmore before so I thought I'd give it a go.

You like to try out some smoke in your scotch? Maybe you might like this. But probably not. I'm not a huge fan of the smokey scotches and haven't actively sought out the best ones, but even though this one has got lots of the smoke it doesn't have much else. If you only like smoke then maybe this is your brand.

The nose comes in full with smoke and char and a little oak that's hidden beneath the smoke. Charred oak? Yeah, I guess, but more smoke than anything else. A touch of salt and a basic undefinable sweet that's a barely discernible finish of the nose.

Unsurprisingly there's more smoke on the palate.

A quick finish with even more smoke and the taste of burnt wood at the end. It seems simple and quite honestly boring.

Not going to be getting any more of this. A disappointment for sure.

We're interested in hearing your opinion. It would be great to hear that you've checked out something we've recommended and have enjoyed it. However if you disagree with something we've said, we'd love to hear that too.

Hey, let's say you've been thinking about getting something and want to know our opinion of it first. Well, why don't you leave a comment and if we can get hold of it then maybe we'll check it out. Of course, there's a lot of things to consider there, such as if it falls within our budget and if we think it's worth experimenting with. But it can't hurt to try.

Let's say you've had an experience with one of the whiskeys or whisky we've reviewed. Why don't you share that with us? The comment section is open.

Anyway, read and comment. That's all we're asking.

Glenmorangie The Original

There are three good starter Single Malts that are available to everyone and available almost in any liquor store at a fairly reasonable price, Glenlivet, Glenfidich and Glenmorangie. If you've ever had a single malt then you've probably had one of these. I've always leaned towards Glenmorangie being the top of these three top brands. It's interesting that the other two come out as 12 year old but the Glenmorangie is 10, which many would consider a younger malt. Not only does it hold its own, it dominates the other two in my opinion by being more delicious and more complex.

There are lots of flavours here for sure. The nose comes in with some malty floral scents and lemony traces. The sweet deliciousness asserts itself with vanilla, caramel, hints of butterscotch and the tiniest tinge of fudge. There's of course some oak in there too, with a backdrop of almond.

The palate is big on creamy, with smooth toffee, orange and citrus zet.

The finish brings up the oak. A amazing combination of sweet and spicy linger on the tongue. More Vanilla and more almond assert themselves. Glenmorangie is definitely complex and it's hard to place some of the flavours. Perhaps it would be good to go back to it some other time and try.

Glenmorangie is a really awesome scotch and is something that we're going to buy again and again.

Mellow Corn Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey

Mellow Corn Kentucky straight corn whiskey was a surprise purchase for me. With it's bright yellow label and somewhat unusual name, it definitely stands out.

At first it seems strong with sour fruit and vanilla and not unsurprising, a powerful alcohol feel. This needs some water added. The water makes the tastes more subtle and knocks down the alcohol to a more acceptable level. With water added the noise is lightly sweet and brings out a pleasant burboun like scent. Vanilla and just the hint of oak intertwine. The sweetness is hard to pin down, maybe some fruitiness or candied treats (caramel or toffee) that I can't quite pick out definitively. This has been made with 81% corn and so is different from what I'm used to. Definitely intriguing.

Remarkably smooth for something that is not only 100 proof, but also that cost so little. I was quite surprised and apparently called this the best whiskey ever made when I first encountered it. I think a lot of that was the 100 proof talking. It's definitely not that, but to some degree I don't entirely regret making that statement: I regret having had the 2nd shot of it after having spent the afternoon drinking pints, however.

One should treat this whiskey with respect. Yes, it's inexpensive ($29.99 in Nova Scotia for a 750ml bottle), but it shouldn't be guzzled or free poured. It's delicious and should be savoured with a bit of water and sipped and enjoyed.

A nice tight sweet finish with a lingering gentle toffee taste finishes it off.

Definitely delicious and so smooth and mellow. I'll definitely be picking this up again. It's only real drawback is in its inexpensive nature and high alcohol content, which to some may not seem like a drawback at all. But it's a tempting siren. Fall under her spell and you'll realize why I list these two features as drawbacks as you nurse your hangover.