#Single Malt Review

[maltrunners]

KIMCHANGSOO Whisky (2021)

KIMCHANGSOO Whisky (2021) Review by: zSolaris Image Credit: Hankyung / Yonhap News Distillery: Kim Chang Soo. Region: Gimpo, Korea. Age: Distilled in 2021. Bottled August 29th, 2022. ABV: 48.7%. Reportedly cask strength. Cask Type: Uses 100L and 180L Korean oak (Shin Gal oak/신갈나무) casks. Color: 0.9, Amontillado Sherry. This is the 22nd installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You…

[bottlebrief]

Kavalan Classic Single Malt Whisky: A Balanced Experience - Whiskey Review

Rating 5/10 – Rating System Introduction Kavalan Classic Single Malt Whisky, hailing from Taiwan, has quickly gained recognition in the global whisky market. This whisky is produced by the Kavalan Distillery, which is known for its innovative approach and dedication to quality. Established in 2005, the distillery has leveraged Taiwan’s unique climate to accelerate the aging process, resulting…

[whiskyconsidered]

Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 year old

The Basics: Do I recommend it?: Yes! Availability: Widespread ABV: 47.4% Presentation: Unchillfiltered General information: Heavily peated Bottling type: Proprietary Character: Smoky, maritime and surprisingly…Mexican? Score: 94/100 The details: I try to mix it up with my reviews; review some obscure stuff that you’ll only be able to dig up at auction, if even there, and review some…

[angelsportion]

Review - Eimverk, Flóki, Sheep Dung Smoked Reserve, 3 Years Old, 47%

You might be surprised to hear it, but I’m fascinated by rude people. Not in a good way, of course. Like you, my sinful side is usually rooting for a rude person’s demise. It’s just that the animalistic confidence is darkly intriguing. It’s the kind of behavior that, as I watch, I almost expect to hear David Attenborough’s voice narrating its necessity for a particular subspecies of humanity’s…

[whiskyaway]

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

A Well-Executed but Short-Lived Glenfiddich Cask Strength Offering

I was tentative in approaching the Glenfiddich 15YO Distillery Edition because the Solera version is so well-loved. Thankfully, it keeps many of its promises, pulling me to a world of flavour so light that its mist disappears with the sun. 

Immediately, I recognize the easy aromas that make this such a great entry into the world of Scotch. On the nose is varnish, dressed in lemon skin and enmeshed in dried and dark fruit, particularly raisins. There is a hint of fresh strawberries as I pull the glass away, invigorating freshness that eventually blossoms like a well-aired flower shop. It takes me further still into the country, where short grasses sway under the large, watchful leaves of large trees. I’m surrounded by the smell of newly cut wood, muddled by the play of waxy crayons, before nectarines ripen on the branches, a little tart but still honey-sweet. As I move further into the glass, the whisky serves a large slice of Madeira cake --thick, moist, and spongy. This heavy flavour overhangs the easy, welcoming aroma of butterscotch candy.

The smell is whimsical and light; amazingly, its taste is a mature expression of these smells. After that short time outdoors, it brings me to a kitchen where I’m stuffing my face with bready, milk cookies, the vanilla radial as it swoops out with sweetness and spice. Pepper and raisins swirl on the palate, again touched by refreshing green apples and two flavours of wood, light and dry like kindling. I’m still very much in the comfort of a home, hints of fresh laundry sitting in a cupboard for a week and unloading the promise of sleep in the air. On the deep exhale, there is a dash of iodine and smoke, and then a crowd of nuts.

Despite the bustle of flavour, I don’t notice its ABV of 51% in the slightest, nor is there any lingering oiliness to smack my lips against. I wish there was more length and density to this; like any good memory, it should linger in the way the aforementioned flavours deserve. Instead, this well-conceived tableau disappears like paint that’s too thinly applied. It is incredibly easy to drink, but disappointment overshadows a story that is far too linear and short. I find myself wanting more! In fact, I was under the impression for months now that what I had tasted was the non-Distillery Edition until I looked at the tasting bottle labels from SMWhisky more closely. For its great taste but uncomplicated, too-safe execution, I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

[memories-of-ancients]

Currently drinking this

Having a little drinky poo of Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey before I turn in for bed. I really enjoy this one! It is made by Rogue, the craft beer maker, and to make this whiskey they use the mash bill for their Dead Guy Ale to make their whiskey! So it's a single malt made from malted barley. To me the aroma is very much like banana nut bread. It tastes of a very rich dark bread like a pumpernickel. Very bready. Also, it tastes like beer! Kinda like a dark lager minus the hops with a crisp pilsner finish. It tastes like what I imagine a whiskey would taste like if you distilled and aged beer. Which makes sense because they are using their beer mash.

I rate it 80/100. I saw a lot of reviews from 2 or 3 years ago where reviewers said it was terrible. I don't know if it's just my palate or if Rogue has improved their methods since then, but I definitely recommend it. Cost around $58 where I live.

[bellshazes]

beginning to get the sickness that is wanting to watch mindcrack content. any recommendations/tips/warnings?

i've really only ever watched etho & bdubs so my knowledge is fully localized to their seasons, so frankly i feel unqualified to advise. this hasn't stopped me from making lists over the years anyway so I hope these posts give you some starting points:

this ethubs-centric post, not just mindcrack; in that case, see also cora's herstory document that includes various mindcrack streams

my favorite bdubs mindcrack episodes; you HAVE to watch the e pranker stuff at least.

my favorite etho mindcrack episodes, which conveniently has some thematic groups at the top and also please please watch the PVP events they are some of my favorites. probably good for branching out into other povs

bdubs UHCs. even just specifically only the final episodes. i'm not gonna spoil it but give UHC 11 a spin and report back what you think the moral of the story is. also uhcs are fun though i've watched only a couple of them

speaking of other povs i must defer to @single-malt-scotch. speaking of SMS, here's all about that. also the delicious antagonism between nebris and etho. or this relic of season 4 in review.

FTB and crackpack and such are also out there and fun. they might be in the links above probably maybe somewhere. go for it. theres a mindcrack podcast as well but i've never listened to it personally

recommendations etc include just follow your whims and always give into your urge to skip around, speed through episodes, come back later, switch it up. these are old and the people who do still love it and talk about it don't have perfect recall or expect that of others if you end up wanting to jam. speaking of old... there will be slurs, occasionally, depending on your pov. yes even if you stick to etho pov.

since i never so much as looked at someone play minecraft until.... like, late 2019? i find peeking back at the first big mc boom very charming and interesting. it is anthropologically dear to me. have fun and tell me how it goes!

[peashooter85]

Whisky Review Time --- Paul John Select Cask Indian Single Malt

India is not known as a whisky producing country. Scotland, sure, Kentucky, definitely, but India hasn't exactly earned a reputation for making great whisky which is unfortunate, because I will say up front this is a great whisky. India actually has quite a long history of whisky making going back to the 19th century when India was a British colony. The Scots brought whisky to India, setting distilleries all over the country to supply British soldiers and merchants with their daily drink. The Paul John distillery is located in Goa which is on the west coast of southern India.

John Distilleries is a very new business relatively speaking, first making blended whiskys upon opening in 1992 and not making a single malt until 2008.

Paul John Single Malt Select Cask is made with a mash bill of malted barely, aged in ex bourbon barrels for 7 years, and has an alcohol content of 55.2%. Being a select cask means that it is specially bottled from what the master distiller believes to be the best casks after sampling, which are then blended.

When I bought a bottle of this it had a retail price of around $100 but it was on clearance sale for $40. This made me wonder if I made a mistake as I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my father. Fortunately this turned out to be a good purchase because this whisky is fantastic! Upon nosing I get very delightful aromas of fresh fruits such as apples and pears with some dried fruits like raisins and prunes. It is very sweet smelling, and like it's smell it is also very sweet tasting. Upon tasting again I get notes of fresh apples and pears, sherry, honey, some oak, maybe a little cinnamon, and a good amount of bready flavor from the malted barley. The flavors of it are very rich, very bold, and very complex which is something that I like when it comes to whisky or whiskey. All around it's flavor profile is very delightful. It finishes with a nice peppery burn that warms the mouth all the way to the stomach. That would be the 55.2 % alcohol, which is a bit higher than most whiskies. Regardless the burn is not overwhelming but very pleasant and mellow, which is a sign of a good whiskey. I know in other reviews I complained that a whiskey was too boozy, but in the case of bad whiskies the alcohol overwhelms any flavors, making it just burny cheap alcoholic nastiness. With this whisky the higher proof complements and enhances the flavors. I rate it 4.9 out of 5. My only complaint is that it is hard to find, and if I do find it, I'm probably not going to be able to buy it for $40 again.

[whiskeyfellow]

Barrell Craft Spirits Cask Finish Series: Ice Wine Bourbon Review

Have you ever had a Bourbon finished in former ice wine casks? Barrell Craft Spirits just released one as part of its Cask Finish Series, and I’ve had the chance to try it. My review tells you all you need to know. Cheers!

[boozedancing]

Nikka Yoichi SIngle Malt Whisky Review

We’re kicking off 2024 with a review of a seriously delicious #Japanese whisky. It’s from @NikkaWhiskyUSA and their #Yoichi distillery. A no age statement release. Click the link to hear all about it.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Japanese Whisky, when we were first introduced to it, affordable and accessible were the names of the game… Yamazaki 12 and 18, Hakushu 10, Hibiki 12, 17, and 21, Nikka Whisky from the Barrel, Nikka Yoichi 10, etc etc. In under 10 years, that all changed. The whiskies listed above are both elusive and wildly expensive. So what do you do when you can’t…

[blackswaneuroparedux]

To feel envy is human, to savour schadenfreude is devilish.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

I was in the stadium with members of my family and friends watching the epic Japan vs Spain World Cup game. What an atmosphere at the end of the game when both Japanese and Spanish fans realised they were now through the group and that Germany were now knocked out of the World Cup despite their 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

Spain completely dominated the first half, but Japan overcame this to win 2-1 stunningly. Spain chose Alvaro Morata as their customary number nine, which instantly paid dividends as the Atlético Madrid player headed in the opening goal after receiving a precise cross. As Spain dominated possession and limited Japan to a few half-chances in the first half, Morata continued to provide a threat from inside the box.

After the break, Japan's high-intensity pressing punished Spain for sloppy passing by stealing the ball, which replacement Ritsu Doan skillfully finished. Almost shortly after, Japan put the ball in the back of the net once more, and a VAR review affirmed that Ao Tanaka's goal stood. Minutes before the end, Dani Olmo came within inches of winning, but Japan held on thanks to an outstanding second-half performance to win Group E. The ‘Samurai Blue’ more than deserved their draw and to go through. They were tenacious and full of self belief and energy. It was a great game.

At the end of the game Japanese fans were crying with joy and the Spaniards along with neutrals in the stands joined them. It was a cathartic moment for all football fans when it dawned on us that German were humiliated and on their way home.

In the hotel bars afterwards the drink flowed. I was with Japanese friends and Spanish friends and others as we celebrated. Never did a Suntory Yamazaki 12 Year Old single malt whisky taste so sweet. We watched around us Qataris on television having fun at the Germans’ expense.

On the eve of the World Cup the game’s governing body threatened to book players – such as the seven European captains, including Germany’s Manuel Neuer – who were planning on wearing the OneLove armbands, which promote diversity and inclusivity. Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships is criminalised in Qatar, a Muslim-majority country with Islam as the state religion.

In protest, the Germans had covered their mouths - a reference to being silenced by FIFA - for their pre-match photograph before the Japan game. “Human rights are non-negotiable,” the German federation said in a statement at the time. “That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important for us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.” Their conduct greatly angered the Qataris - and indeed many Arabs and other Muslims here at the World Cup. They saw double standards and starch western hypocrisy at work, and even racism.

The Germans have a point - up to a point. But so do the Qataris - it is after all their sovereign country, not ours. Qataris and others would say if you don’t speak up for the Uygher Muslim being rounded up in concentration camps in China during the last Winter Olympics, or speak up for the endless litany of human righrs violation in Putin’s Russia during the last footbal World Cup, then what leg are you standing on to speak up for others elsewhere? Why are you so selective in your activism? Activism is easy when it doesn’t cost you anything.

Much of the Western media coverage of the World Cup is so misinformed and just plain hyperbolic BS.

In any case, German had decided to focus their energies on their holier than thou woke virtue signalling at the start of this tournament rather than focus on the football.

They paid the piper.

The Japanese have a saying: “The misfortunes of others taste like honey.” The French speak of joie maligne, a diabolical delight in other people’s suffering. The Danish talk of skadefryd, and the Dutch of leedvermaak. In Hebrew enjoying other people’s catastrophes is simcha la‑ed, in Mandarin xìng‑zāi‑lè‑huò, in Serbo-Croat it is zlùradōst and in Russian zloradstvo. More than 2,000 years ago, Romans spoke of malevolentia. Earlier still, the Greeks described epichairekakia (literally epi, over, chairo, rejoice, kakia, disgrace). “To see others suffer does one good,” wrote the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “To make others suffer even more so. This is a hard saying, but a mighty, human, all-too-human principle.”

The Germans of course call it schadenfreude. I love the German word: schadenfreude. From Schaden, meaning damage or harm, and freude, meaning joy or pleasure: damage-joy.

The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer called it “an infallible sign of a thoroughly bad heart and profound moral worthlessness,” the very worst trait in human nature. (He also said that anyone caught enjoying the suffering of others should be shunned from human society.)

I have come to believe that Schopenhauer was wrong. We might worry that a taste for other people’s misery will corrupt our souls, yet this emotion is far from simply “bad.” It touches on things that have mattered most to human societies for millennia: our instincts for fairness and hatred of hypocrisy; our love of seeing our rival suffer in the hope that we might win ourselves; our itch to measure ourselves against others and make sense of our choices when we fall short; how we bond with each other; what makes us laugh. If we peer more closely at this hidden and much-maligned emotion, liberate ourselves from its shame and secrecy, we will discover a great deal about who we really are.

It’s telling no one I’ve observed talks about LGBT rights or even migrant labour exploitation in the bars or just amongst the football gathering of fans. They just came for the football. It’s a reminder that the self-important culture wars of the West are of little importance to the wider world. They really don’t care.

Football may not bring the world together around LGBT issues but it sure can unite the world around having a laugh at Germany’s ignominious exit from the Qatar World Cup. I would call that progress.

Photo: Qatari telelvision hosts say goodbye to Germany with typical Arabic hospitality.

[maltrunners]

Copperworks 3 Year Release 048 New Oak and Manzanilla

Review by: DemiTastes For #ASMWAdvent2023 Day 4. When I visited Copperworks Kenmore on Sunday I got to try Release 048 which was new to me. I’ve heard of at least one previous release which incorporated a small amount of Manzanilla sherry, which got rave reviews for being sweet and nutty and still very much Copperworks. Per Copperworks’ website: “Crafted from the same whiskey used in Release…

[whiskyconsidered]

Lochside 1991 (Gordon & MacPhail/Connoisseur’s Choice)

The Basics: Do I recommend it?: Only to serious Scotch enthusiasts and completionists Availability: Auction ABV: 43% Presentation: Unspecified General information: Distilled 1991, bottled 2008, ~17 years old, matured in refill bourbon barrels Bottling type: Independent Character: Cereal, light fruit and herbal Score:  77/100 The details: Located in the East-Central Highland town of…

[thewhiskyphiles]

Aberlour 9 Years Old Batch 7

Aberlour 9 Years Old Batch 7 single malt scotch whisky from @BoutiqueyWhisky #review

1. What they say This right here is the seventh batch of single malt from the Aberlour distillery to be independently bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company! We’re no none the wiser as to why the chap in the top room of Aberlour’s Mash Tun hotel looks so scared. Will we ever know? It’s a question for the ages… While we ponder it, how about we enjoy some tasty Speyside single malt!? Batch 7…

[bowlzone]

Hi, have you ever tried gluten-free cereals? If so, are there any you'd recommend?

Hey there, I absolutely have! Besides from the one allowance of cereal, my feeble constitution requires me to stick to a fully gluten free diet. Unfortunately, they tend to have better gf cereal options in the US rather than here in the UK, where the staple of American gluten free breakfasts, the Cheerio, has been bastardised from its traditional oat base into a 'wholegrain' travesty.

There are also a needless amount of UK based cereals that contain malt syrup or something similar, technically making them contain low amounts of gluten when the base ingredient for the cereal itself is naturally gluten free. This really takes out Crunchy Nut and Coco Pops (as well as it's various spinoffs, like the strawberry and white chocolate flavour that perfectly hit every expectation one has of that particular taste combination).

For actual gf cereals here though, I tend to rely pretty heavily on Doves Farm. Their Chocolate Stars are my go to every day cereal, and although I think they could have a more full bodied and interesting taste, the texture rejects even a hit of sog and gives each bite a satisfying crunchy chew. I would recommend chucking some mix-ins in the bowl as well for a more decadent experience, a bit of fresh fruit and chocolate chips make the single dimension of the taste more engaging. Nestle's Go Free Honey Nut Flakes are also really great, and hit the spot if you are pining for some classic Crunchy Nut. I try to make an effort not to buy routinely from Nestle however, so my memory of how they actually stack up isn't particularly strong.

Apologies that most of this was me complaining about lack of gf options, I hope at least some of it was useful. I've got some gluten free cereals sitting on the shelf waiting to be opened and reviewed so hopefully soon this roster of recommendations can grow!