John | The Malt Impostor

The Wemyss “A Day at the Coast” 14 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

August 7, 2014

Tasting notes: A red leather belt loosened by one notch upon the arrival at the restaurant. Key lime pie creamsicles. Sawdust from a Shaker cedar chest used as imitation [...]

The Single Cask Nation Glen Elgin 18

August 2, 2014

Tasting notes: Tangerine liqueur spread over and dried on your lover’s body. Dragonflies with honeysuckle-petal wings, doing lazy looping arcs like shadow puppets against [...]

The The Macallan 15 Fine Oak

July 26, 2014

Tasting notes: “The nose is nothing if not Fuji apples sautéed in ghee on woodblocks once used by Hokusai for printmaking. They are served with a tall glass of wheat [...]

The Ardbeg Uigeadail

July 21, 2014

Tasting notes: The nose has grain and cereal notes, like dough balls retrieved after a bakery fire. White pepper cracked open with lasers during some down time at the CERN [...]

The Highland Park Freya

July 15, 2014

Tasting notes: We’re big fans of HP and have really enjoyed these special releases. And this offering makes quite an impression. The nose is exceptionally light. A [...]

The Willie’s Distillery Big Horn Bourbon Whiskey

June 28, 2014

Tasting notes: A nose of newness, the gnu’s nose, the morning news, the day is dawning on corncob elves wearing leather loafers. Macadamia nut pâté served on a [...]

The Lost Distillery Lossit Blended Scotch Malt Whisky

June 23, 2014

Tasting notes: Mmmm… this nose is a smooth operator, with a splendid peat overnote. Think of the smell of peat ablaze and caught in amber. Then it’s melted and [...]

The Hazelburn 12–Redux

June 1, 2014

[John first reviewed this whisky in 2011, but we didn’t have an official mini to photograph back then. Now we do, and John wanted to take another shot at it to see [...]

The Ardbeg Auriverdes

May 28, 2014

Tasting notes: The name and label of this new expression calls to mind the flag of Brazil, hosts of the 2014 World Cup, and its passion for o jogo bonito, “the [...]

The English Whisky Company Peated English Single Malt Whisky

May 24, 2014

Tasting notes: My first takeaway of the nose is how clean it is! This nose is so clean (how clean is it?) you could…scrub a floor with it, then clean out a forgotten [...]

Articles by John