The Malt Cask

After a couple of week without much in terms of new posts, I am back with a whisky I was not expecting to open and put on TheMaltCask anytime soon: Glen Moray the Elgin Classic.  I was given the bottle last year and I put it on the shelf with other "to-be-opened" bottles, but without thinking much about it as it it probably one of the cheapest official bottling single malts you can by in UK supermarkets. In other words, my expectation was not really high. However it so happened that I finished my bottle of Johnnie Walker Black a couple of weeks ago, and when I went to the shelf to get hold of a new bottle of the Black, I came across the Glen Moray and decided to open it instead hoping it would do the trick as far as easy drinking is concerned. As I said, the Glen Moray range is present in supermarket and it tends to be the cheapest single malt on offer at around £20 a bottle. This is the standard, classic malt, but there is also a peated version and a sherry cask finish ...

In case you haven't yet realised, I tend to spend a fair bit of time at the Whisky Shop Manchester. That is pretty much where my whisky journey started over 2 and a half years ago. The guys there are very knowledgeable, they are passionate about whisky and incredibly friendly. I have now purchased quite a few bottles from there and attended many of their tasting sessions so I decided over a year ago to become a member of their W Club. The membership was great for the first year as it allowed me to benefit from 10% discount on all purchases from the store (both shop and online). I renewed it at the end of 2016 and unfortunately, they have a relaunch on the club which no longer gives members access to 10% off everything. However, members now have access to great offers every Wednesday as well as free tasting sessions every months, so for £20/year, you cannot really go wrong.  The W Club member tasting was on Friday and the line-up was quite interesting: 1. Glenkeir Treasures -...

I know this is meant to be a blog about whisky, but I decided to branch out tonight with a bottle of Cognac which I think is really worth reviewing. I have never really drunk much Cognac, but having got into aged spirit with whisky, I thought I should give it a go. And what's more, I grew up about an hour away from the Cognac region so now feel I should try to support my "home terroir".  My first bottle of Cognac was an XO from an independent producer who actually distilled the grapes and aged the spirit to turn it into Cognac. Why do I mention that? Simply because most Cognac brands do not actually distill the spirit themselves, they buy it from small local producers to blend it ultimately. Unlike whisky, Cognac bottles do not tend to have an age statement of their labels but a few letters instead, so you need to be able to know what they mean to be able to understand how old your spirit is: V.S. = Very Special, the youngest spirit used in the blend has been age...

I remember the first time I heard of the Macallan distillery, probably over 10 years ago when my uncle -a keen whisky drinker- told us it was, in his opinion, the best bottle of single malt you could buy in a (French) supermarket. He was certainly talking about the 10 years old, which was at the time widely available. Despite being one of the most know distillery, it has taken me a while to come round to purchasing a bottle of Macallan. The reason why is simple: most people I spoke to, and reviews I read about their current range (particularly the Gold) were not very positive, and everybody seemed to miss the former age statement sherried range. The problem is that as Macallan is a very collectible distillery, older age-statement bottles are out of my drinking price range. As far as this limited release is concerned however, the critiques are completely different, and most people think that this is a great example of what Macallan can produce so I thought I would get hold of a bott...

Back for a new whisky year with a single malt I have mentioned in previous blog but have still not come round to reviewing, the Aberlour 16. I previously did an experimental review in which I mixed 80% of the 16 with 20% of the A'bunadh to create what I called the  A'bunadh 16 . I did mention at the time that the 16 was, in my mind, lacking something in terms of strength particularly, but I left it there without any more information. That is the reason why I thought it was time to give the 16 its own review. I bought my bottle of 16 about two years ago whilst in France. It was on offer in one of the main supermarket and for the equivalent of £20/£25 at the time, I thought it was worth giving it a try. Being the French version, mine is actually bottled at 43%ABV compared to the 40% versions I found in the UK, so it should be a tad stronger, without blowing your head off like with the A'bunadh. The 16 is 'double matured' whisky which means that it was aged both in ...

Going back over my old posts, I realised I started the blog in October 2015, which means that I have just completed my first calendar year reviewing whisky. As I follow a few whisky reviewers both on written blogs and recorded vlogs, I have found myself exposed to several "whisky of the year" posts. That made me wonder about my own whisky experience from 2016 and whether or not a whisky stood out in my mind. And the answer was both yes and no. I did get to try some fantastic whiskies this year, from Octomores to independent Coal Ilas, from Stagg Jr to ex-wine cask matured Auchroisk, Ardbeg Dark Cove, 1996 Clynelish, Nikka Pure Malt White, the Last Drop 48 and 50 and so many more, not forgetting to mention an amazing tour of Islay with again some great tasting sessions.  But what if I had to choose one whisky I bought and really enjoyed/enjoy spending time with? Well, one single malt came to mind very quickly, and that is the Lagavulin 8 years old . Every time I have a dram...

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2017 à tous! I am back in France for some family time during the end of year festivities. This is the reason why I have not been posting that much recently. When I reviewed my dad's Glen Deveron 15 in August, I did mention he also had a bottle of the 10 years old that I would review if I had time and of course, I didn't. Having a bit of time today, I thought I would make the most of it and post the Glen Deveron 10.   Like with the 15, the 10 is not a single malt which is readily available in the UK. The Deveron can be found in some whisky shops but I have never seen the Glen Deveron out there apart from on the continent. As far as the 15 is concerned, I ended up my August post saying that despite it being a rather pleasant malt, it didn't really rock my boat in terms of more pronounced flavours. I must admit, I expect the 10 years old to be along the same lines... As for the 15, the 10 is bottled at 40%, chill-filtered and with the ad...