Watching a dram of Bowmore 15 Years Old Darkest sway in the glass is a bit like seeing an immortal icon of tinseltown – like Joseph Cotton or Gregory Peck – on the silver screen. There is something awe-inspiring about it. Something graceful. Something timeless. (more…)
Labeled “The Maritime Malt” that was “Born in the Port of Whick”, Old Pulteney is a prime example of a salty, sea-shaped Scotch whisky. And despite the fact that all of the distillery’s bottlings are usually held in high esteem by fans of the afore-mentioned flavor profile (more…)
Whisky does not always have to be silken, filigree and beautiful. Sometimes, you do not want to have the often-quoted “liquid sunshine” in your glass, but scratch the bottom of a barrel (figuratively speaking) for a good dose of smut and grime. (more…)
When the recent heat wave was at its height, I was okay with the fact that my t-shirts got soaking wet as soon as I moved a limb. And I also made my peace with the sore throat I got from having a fan running in the bedroom all night long. What got me worked up, however, was this: (more…)
Having started as an independent bottler of high-quality single malt whiskies (plus the occasional grain or bourbon thrown in between), North Star has recently also made a name for itself as a blender. Their first such bottling, Vega 23yo, took the whisky community by storm (more…)
Usually, I either buy the whiskies I introduce on BarleyMania myself or borrow them from friends. But every now and then, I also receive a sample from a distillery or from an independent bottler. Although I understand that some of you might question the impartiality (more…)
When visiting a distillery, one of the best souvenirs you can take home is a bottle that is exclusively available on site. While some production units offer these special releases as prefabricated bottlings that can be grabbed directly from the shelf, others not only sell you the whisky itself (more…)
Originally, Noah’s Mill Bourbon was recommended to me by the barkeeper of one of my favorite drinking joints in town, The Rabbithole. As he is a cool dude who definitely knows his spirits, I followed up on his advice and scored a bottle of Noah’s Mill (more…)
Japanese oak, also referred to as Mizunara oak, is probably the rarest component from which whisky barrels can be made. Due to the slow growth and knotted stature of the respective trees, the processing of this kind of wood requires excellent craftmanship (more…)
Operating out of the County of York, British indie bottlers Claxton’s brought their first single cask whiskies to the market in early 2016. Despite the fact that they hit the scene more than two years ago, I only got acquainted with them recently. (more…)
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