Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whiskies that I rated as Excellent. Excellent means that after tasting the whisky, I want to pour a second and third glass. It is whisky that I want to keep on drinking and when the bottle is finished, I will buy another one. Rating: Excellent
During November the annual Whisky Bible ratings come out. For some, it is an event that is highly anticipated. For others, not so much. Over the last couple of years, the top awards have been somewhat controversial, and Jim Murray even depicts himself a bit of a devil (playing a bit of Devil’s advocate) on the front page of the 2015 bible.
On my whisky journey, I seek to obtain a bottle of whisky from every whisky producing country in the world. I was fortunate to get my hands on a bottle of Belgium single malt – The Belgian Owl single malt whisky.
In 2017, as I ventured into the world of bourbons, I was eager to kick off the year with a bang, following the delicious memories of Makers Mark from the previous year. The Makers Mark release quickly became one of my all-time favourites. Could I find some bourbon this year to beat my expectations? Enter Eagle Rare 10 year old Kentucky Straight bourbon whiskey.
I was having lunch at Bottega Cafe in a suburb called Parkhurst in Johannesburg. I asked Savi (the owner) to recommend a whisky to pair with my lunch, and he suggested the Glenrothes. It was my first encounter with The Glenrothes Robur Reserve single malt Scotch whisky.
I grew up with a dad who enjoyed whisky. His favourite drams were Dimple and Chivas Regal. This shaped the way I enjoyed whisky and early on, I gravitated to blended whisky too. One day, a friend poured me a Glenlivet 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky and it blew me away.
Today I am trying a dram with a BIG ABV – 58.8%; the Tamdhu Batch Strength Batch 001 single malt Scotch whisky. One of the higher alcohol by volume releases in my collection. However, I bought this bottle pretty much just for the shape, not the ABV.