NOTE: There are others scoring as high as up to 92 then those below.
|
S C O R E | D I S T I L L E R Y & E X P R E S S I O N |
| 98/100 | Ardbeg 1977 |
| 97/100 | Wild Turkey Kentucky Legend Single Barrel, Ardbeg LOTI |
| 96/100 | Buffalo Trace Kentucky bourbon |
| 96/100 | Elijah Craig 12 Yrs, Kentucky bourbon |
| 95/100 | Ardbeg 10 Yrs. |
| 95/100 | Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon 17 Yrs |
| 93/100 | WL Weller 12 Yrs, Kentucky Bourbon |
| 93/100 | The Balvenie DoubleWood, 12 Yrs. |
| 93/100 | Port Ellen OMC 1979 21 Yrs |
| 92/100 | Wild Turkey Rare Breed |
Please note that the above is merely a selection of god-like bourbons with
high scores. There are many other!
I use the same type of system as Whisky Magazine, very few get below 50.
0-49 - May very well run your car.
50-64 - If you're a religious man or woman, and fear Hell, get used to this because this is all you will drink in the hereafter. Old Nick will raise a glass of this with glee.
65-69 - Lacking complexity and personality and therefore unchallenging. Cocktail fodder at best, or serve your grumpy mother-in-law.
70-74 - Decent whiskey but don't expect the earth to move.
75-80 - Overall a very nice whiskey worth trying, charming and reaching complexity and/or style of its own.
84-89 - Tremendous! Rejuvenating after a hard day's work and something you may keep hidden.
90 - Contemplating suicide? Drink one of these and you're faith in life and mankind will be fully restored.
« Mσr, Blended Scotch Whisky.
« Blantons Gold Edition, bottle 178, rick nr 22.
« Ardbeg Lord of the Isles, 25 Yrs, 46 %.
« Rebel Yell KSB "The Deep SOuth" 40 %.
« Heaven Hill Pikesville Supreme Straight Rue (updated)
« Powers Gold Label, 40 %
« Ardbeg 1996 Connoiseurs Choice, 40 %
« Pappy Van Winkle 10 Yrs
« Glenmorangie Traditional
« Old Weller Antique Original 107 Brand
« Black Bush, Irish blended whiskey
« "Henry McKenna Bottled in bond, Single Barrel: # 247, barreled 3/16/94" (score: 92)
« Unblended Small Batch American Whiskey, US # 1, batch 4J3
« Georgia Moon Straight Corn Whiskey
« Four Roses KSB
« Macleod's Islay, 8 Yrs single malt
« Eagle Rare 10 Yrs Single Barrel KSB
« Wild Turkey Single Barrel
« Old Hams Kentucky Straight Bourbon
« Elmer T Lee Single Barrel KSB
« Glengoyne 10 Yrs
« Ardbeg 1993 GP
« Redbreast
« Cluny Blended Scotch
« Black Bottle (no age statement)
« Booker's small batch bourbon (score: 70)
« Old Rip van Winkle 20 Yrs (score: 82)
« George T. Stagg (score: ?)
« Rock Hill Farms (score: 95)
« Van Winkle Rye 13 Yrs (score: 87)
« Henry McKenna "Table bourbon" (score: 79)
« Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon 17 Yrs (score: 95)
« Signatory Rosebank 1991 13 Yrs(score: 93)
The below pieces were published online at www.peatfreak.com during 2004.
« "A Friday Night", October
« "The proud heretic", August
« "A passion is born", July
« "A bracing glimpse of Nirvana", June
« "Pearls before Swine", June
« Insomnia and whisk(e)y
Doctors would not recommend my medicinal use of whiskey.
« What type of glass is the best for whisk(e)y?
My two pence on what you should pour your spirit into.
« Not all whiskies are meant to be sipped
The title says it all. Some brands are best experienced in mouthfuls! I state three whiskies one each from Ireland, Scotland and America as examples.
« www.peatfreak.com
Great site with tasting notes, articles etc. Download the tasting notes program from here. The best privately run website on whisky there is.
« www.buffaloTrace.com
The best bourbon distillery in the world!
« www.wildturkey.com
The 101, Russell's Reserve and rye never let you down.
These are a few of the pictures I took while visiting Kentucky July 5-7 2005. A full story on my visits to Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, Maker's Mark, Heaven Hill and Jim Beam's American outpost, will be available here soon.
« Buffalo Trace warehouse "Love at first sight"
« Wild Turkey Bottling hall |
« Maker's Mark |
« Woodford Reserve stills
« Maker's Mark bottling hall again
Here's a pic of my whisky-shelves. And my Maker's Marks
As most whisky drinkers know, your favourite brands are sometimes hard to pin-point as it has a lot to do with ones mood. I will, however try to make a list of two or three whiskies each from from different categories from Scotland, America and Ireland that I would not live without.
« BOURBON:
Eagle Rare 17 Yrs
Wild Turkey Russells' Reserve 10 Yrs
Elmer T. Lee
« RYE:
Van Winkle Rye 13 Yrs
Pikesville Supreme Rye
« IRELAND:
Powers Gold Label (the standard, not the 12 Yrs)
Redbreast Pure Pot Still
« SCOTLAND, SINGLE MALTS, island region
:
Ardbeg 10 Yrs
Ardbeg 1977
Lagavulin 16
« SCOTLAND, SINGLE MALTS, Speyside
:
The Balvenie 25 Yrs single barrel
Longmorn 15 Yrs
« SCOTLAND, SINGLE MALTS, Lowlands
:
Signatory Rosebank 1991, 13 Yrs, Bourbon casks 4717-18. Bottle 478/632.
« SCOTLAND, SINGLE MALTS, Highlands
:
Dalwhinnie 16 Yrs,
Clynelish 14 Yrs ("coastal malt")
« SCOTLAND, blended
:
Grant's Family Reserve,
Black Bottle 10 Yrs
(I do not like admitting it because it make me think of myself as a stuffy, narrow-minded Brittish aristocrat, but blends have become a thorn in my side due to blandness and too much added artificialities. Blended Scotch really has the potential to be THE Scotch with so many talented people in the industry. Then again, a vast majority of Scotch sold is blended but as long as bull's pee like Cluny and the like are given free reign, I say "thanks, bartender, but I'd rather have a glass of equal measures of terpentine and cyanide sprinkled with fresh manure)
« SCOTLAND, vatted (single malts from more than one distillery, blended)
:
The Six Isles,
I would have stated Johnnie Walker (green, 15 Yrs?), but can't remember it well enough!
(I do not like admitting it, but blends have become a thorn in my side due to blandness and too much added artificialities. They could - and can, occasionally! - be spectacular and perfected, but I have not tasted one in many a moon)
If you are new to whisky, have stumpled on this page, all of the above whiskies are the cream of the crop, super-class whiskies. But there is much more exploring at hand besides the brands mentioned. Just dive in, with an open mind, into the wonderful sea of whisky available. You shall be greatly rewarded. And just might find the Kierkegaardian passion for which "you will live or die".
- Freedom and Whisky gang thegither!
Robert Burns
- No married man is genuinely happy if he has to drink worse whisky than he used to drink when he was single.
H. L. Mencken
- Whenever someone asks me if I want water with my Scotch, I say I'm thirsty, not dirty.
Joe E. Lewis
- Set up another case bartender! The best thing for a case of nerves is a case of Scotch.
W.C Fields
- My own experience has been that the tools I need for my trade are paper, tobacco, food, and a little whisky.
William Faulkner
A dude walks into a bar and says to the bartender:
"I want a 12 years old scotch, and don't try to fool me because I can tell the difference."
The bartender is sceptical and decides to try to trick the man with a 5 year old scotch.
The man takes a sip, scowls and says, Hey - Bartender, this crap is 5 years old scotch. - I told you that I wanted a 12 years old."
The bartender won't give and tries once more this time with a 8 year scotch.
The man takes a sip, grimaces and says : "Bartender, I do not want 8 years old scotch like this filth. Gi'me a 12-years old scotch or ill leave !"
Impressed, the bartender gives him the 12-year scotch on the house, the man takes a sip and sighs, " Ah, now that's the real thing."
A disgusting, ugly, grimy, stinking drunk has been watching all this with great interest. He stumbles over and sets a glass down in front of the man and says:
"Hey, I think that's really far out what you can do. Try this one."...
The man takes a sip and immediately spits out the liquid and cries, "Yechhh! This stuff tastes like piss!"
The drunk's eyes light up and he says, "Yeah sure, now how old am I ?"
A drunk was in front of a judge.
The judge says "You've been brought here for drinking whisky."
The drunk says "Okay, let's get started."
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