Category Archives: Cold Winter

Cold Winter, Glenmorangie, Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Summertime

Glenmorangie “Traditional”

Highlands region – 57.2%ABV – cask strength – 1 liter bottle – Not sold in the US – £71 | €82

Holy cow! This liquid proves you do not need to be a smokey/peaty whisky to be a manly whisky.

Initial whiff — This thing punched me right in the face with a handful of oak, cloves and more spirit than the “holy ghost”

On the mouth — Fruity, cherries (tons of them, the maraschino type), vanilla, oak and some unexpected, albeit a slight amount of, smoke??

Finish — Long, spicy, burny, fruity. This is a “should not have had this on lunch” type of dram. Big fan!

In sum — A great effort on behalf of the Sixteen Men of Tain.  I think I liked this more than the Astar.  Someday I’d like to do a side by side; the Traditional vs. the Astar to see if I’d make the same statement again.


A World of Discovery, Angry, Ardbeg, Cold Winter

My first blogged tasting: Ardbeg Uigeadail – Seaweed, leather, blood and raisins

Islay region – 54.2%ABV – cask strength – 750ml bottle – $56-89 | £47 | €55

I picked up this bottle mainly out of peer pressure. My peat head buddies and twitter friends love it. Every blog I read has nothing but good things to say so hey, I picked up a bottle.

Initial whiff — Huntington Beach circa 1981, low tide, me on a boogie board falling face forward in a pile of rotting seaweed. This was not a fun memory. 2nd whiff, same thing with a little sweetness. Last whiff, my sister’s suede jacket after a Bon Jovi concert, 1988 with a 7-11 big gulp slushy sweetness.

On the mouth — sweet smoke, iodine, salt, cigarette butts, blood and raisins. Smooth for the ABV

Finish — nice, long, smokey and sweet.

In sum — This is not an every day dram for me. Have to be in the mood. Like the A’bdunah, I think this is one to drink when pissed off. I will say, this has to be one of the most complex drops I’ve ever sniffed/tested.

In the right mood, this is a 94pt dram for me. Tonight, it’s an 81pt (not that I do point ratings but when I was sipping this I was trying to think of a good way to explain how mood could play into tasting whisky so, I threw some points on it…)