I know we recently did a Johnnie Walker as a group, but this was another gift to the lounge that we’ve got to discuss. This is a Rye cask finished whiskey which is notable for thankfully not being sherry. The scotch overall is fairly good, but is best treated as something worth trying, and for Rye fans a joy. The rest of the time though – move along.
So we’ve actually done 4 different Laphroaig reviews. (The Select, Three Wood, An Cuan Mor, and 15 Year); however despite having bought this very whisky multiple times in the lounge – it recently came to our attention it hadn’t been properly reviewed. Time to solve that. Laphroaig’s 10 year is most notably for being a constant companion in the Buffalo Lounge, not a year goes by without it gracing the shelves for a few short months, and that alone is a true marker of quality more than the other transient spirits in the lounge.
So as those of you might recall we’ve previously had another entry from the Explorer’s Club Collection – The Spice Road. However as shown we had 2 slightly different takes one by The Buffalo, and the other Justice. Now historically Justice has been a lot more forgiving in scotch reviews which was shown in his entry. We therefore decided for this top-tier entry to meet up and discuss as a group.
Once again we have a distiller’s edition that feels worse than the original, costs more, and you sort of feel that maybe scotch shouldn’t be done by a committee – but at least more than 1 person. Distiller’s edition’s have always baffled us, because it’s usually done more as an experiment, or to take what is often a more ‘generalized’ product and make it niche, jack up the price, and go. The problem is that they become novelty to buy once, when it really should be something better.
The image below does a decent job of catching how blue and striking this case and bottle are, but it’s certainly not the same thing. One would think something like this would have happened before what with the whole movie industry getting behind the teal-and-orange color palate, but it’s refreshing to see on a liquor store shelf. The scotch overall though is classic ‘fiddich.
We are continuing this (likely extended) month of various whiskies, this time going with a scotch. However instead of this week being some single malt that I either enjoy immensely or wish I had never met – we are doing a blend I picked up way back when I was in the UK. (Damn it’s been 4 months already). I got this because it was cheap, and I knew it wasn’t a scotch I could take my time with having less than a week.
Another gift to the lounge (yes all the gifts are scotch, don’t make a big stink about it we like scotch – don’t ruin this for us). Anyway this is a Speyside, and of recent memory it’s actually kind of a good Speyside. There is Talisker Storm, but that’s a uniquely well done scotch even for Talisker, not just the Speyside region.
Good Morning Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, and all the other ones. I am the man called Justice and I’d like to talk to you about a particularly unique Scotch I didn’t know existed, as I found it somewhat unexpectedly. I was recently returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic, and on my way through the airport, I was not to subtly navigated through at least three duty free shops on my way to my gate entirely by the building’s architecture. On my winding Journey through these magical halls of tax free liquor and suspiciously friendly staff offering me free samples I began noticing a series of Johnnie Walker bottles I didn’t recognize. Long time readers will know that we have sampled at one time or another all of the standard Johnnie Walker Rainbow (Red, Black, Green, DoubleBlack, Gold, Platinum, and Blue), all of which were, if not excellent, then at least above average (I’m looking at you red). Based on that past experience the idea of a new Johnnie Walker, and not wanting to get screwed out of money exchanging my Pesos back to USD drove me to decide on picking up this novelty.
My final UK-centric post here. This comes as my duty-free purchase on the flight back (where I spent my entire layover in Switzerland running to catch my flight since the 1st was delayed). Anyway while there was a beautiful room of scotches, and multiple tastes tasting in the airport – I was sold the minute I saw the name Laphroaig next to a name (An Cuan Mor) that I did not know.
Well part 3 of the UK trip – this time I got myself a blended scotch purely because it had the name ‘Claymore’ my personal choice of weapon. Sadly though much like its namesake this has perhaps too much edge, and it’s not good if you put it through your throat and stomach. I also get that a basket-edge single bladed sword can be called Claymore – but c’mon just put a picture of a stupid sword belonging to a Final Fantasy character on the bottle
