Latest Writing
[Bourbon] Knob Creek vs Russell's Single Barrel
When I drank Knob Creek 9 Year on its own, the peanut finish was the thing that stayed with me. Put it next to Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, though, and the texture gap shows up fi...
Whisky,[Highland] Glenmorangie Infinita 18 First Pour Review
Picked up Glenmorangie The Infinita 18 Years from Wooseong Green Mart, a well-known whisky shop in Seoul. After falling for the 16-year Nectar from the same distillery, I wanted to se...
Whisky,[Sherry] Macallan 12 vs GlenDronach 12 - Side by Side
Two months into both bottles, my Macallan 12 Sherry Oak and GlenDronach 12 Original (old bottling) were sitting next to each other on the shelf, so I pulled out two glasses and ran th...
Whisky,[Tennessee] Jack Daniel's Single Barrel 100 Proof Month One
Opened this bottle a month ago and it’s almost gone. Kept the last couple of pours for tasting notes, but the rest disappeared over four weeks. That probably says more than a neat sco...
Whisky,[Blended] Dewar's 18 Year Mizunara Cask Finish Review
Picked this one up on curiosity. Dewar’s 18 Year Mizunara Cask Finish - an Asian market limited edition. Dewar’s Double Double 21 had been on heavy rotation for me, so expectations we...
Whisky,Sherry Cask Whisky: the Common Tasting Notes
Drink enough sherry cask whisky and the patterns start to show. Different distilleries, different ages, different ABVs - and yet there’s a shared skeleton that hits the second you put...
Whisky,[Islay] Ileach Cask Strength Review (Highly Recommended)
Scoring a 58% cask strength Islay peated whisky in the mid-$50 range is a genuine stroke of luck. This is the bottle Jim Murray famously handed a 97 in his Whisky Bible - Ileach Cask ...
Whisky,[Cognac] Camus VSOP Tasting Notes
Bright fruit rises off the glass before you’ve even poured - nothing about it reads like single malt.
Whisky,Brandy and Cognac - Grades and Differences Explained
Coming from whisky, opening a bottle of Camus VSOP threw me a little. The nose was sweet and soft, but the grain note I usually expect from whisky was basically gone. That sent me dow...
Whisky,[Blended Malt] Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Review
Picked this up in a holiday decanter set for around $50. I got into whisky through Johnnie Walker Black a long time ago, and Black left a bad impression that had me hesitating on this...
Whisky,[Irish] Bushmills 12 Year Review
Bushmills 12 is the only Irish whiskey I own. I stick to Scotch mostly, so I rarely reach for Irish, but I found this one on sale around $50 and picked it up out of curiosity. The nos...
Whisky,[Peated] Ardbeg Uigeadail Review
Uigeadail is the Ardbeg I reach for most often. The 10 is great, but Uigeadail is a different animal. Sherry’s in there, and that makes it darker and stickier.
Whisky,[Sherry & Peat] Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish Review
What people remember about Laphroaig is that distinctive hospital smell. Medicine, iodine, disinfectant. People are either in or out - the fans drink Laphroaig specifically because of...
Whisky,[Sherry] GlenAllachie 15 Year Review - 1 Month After Opening
It’s been about a month since my first review of GlenAllachie 15. It was already good on day one. A month in, it’s basically a different whisky. The alcohol burn gave way and sherry p...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Angel's Envy Port Cask Finish Review
Since it started getting official distribution in Korea, this bottle shows up more often now. Angel’s Envy Port Cask Finish. The concept - a bourbon getting a ruby port wine cask fini...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Wild Turkey 101 8 Year Review (Value Pick)
One of the most recommended entry-level bourbons. Wild Turkey 101. The version distributed in Korea carries an 8-year age statement, while the US domestic version dropped the age stat...
Whisky,[Sherry] Royal Brackla 12 Years Review
Tasty whisky - but there’s a sulphur problem. Dark chocolate, brown sugar, cherry - the sherry finish pulls a wide flavor arc, and at 46% non-chill-filtered the texture holds up. Sulp...
Whisky,[Tennessee] Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Review
Made shrimp gambas with toasted baguette and pulled out the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. The combination works better than you’d think. Comes in a 500ml bottle, which makes it easy to ope...
Whisky,[Speyside] BenRiach 12 Years The Twelve Review
BenRiach 12 The Twelve runs three casks - sherry, bourbon, port - in parallel, and the three streams actually pull together instead of fighting each other. At this price that combinat...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Buffalo Trace Review (Entry-Level Classic)
Pulled out Buffalo Trace for a casual pour at home. People call it one of the big three entry-level bourbons. What’s more interesting than the nickname is what else comes out of the s...
Whisky,[Tennessee] Charcoal Mellowing - Lincoln County Process
Short write-up on charcoal mellowing. Corrections welcome.
Whisky,[Bourbon] Woodford Reserve Review
A friend brought this one over for a housewarming. Knew I liked whisky, picked it out on his own - Woodford Reserve. 750ml, 43.2% ABV. That proof is the first odd thing. Not 40, not 4...
Whisky,[Sherry CS] Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 82 Review
A’bunadh is supposed to taste different batch to batch because the cask makeup shifts each time. I’d done Batch 84 already. This time I ordered a dram of Batch 82 at a bar in Jamsil. ...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Knob Creek 9 Year Review (Peanut-Nose)
At some point in a bourbon drinker’s journey, the thought “something better than Jim Beam White” shows up. Knob Creek is the usual answer. Same distillery as Jim Beam - but hard to be...
Whisky,[Speyside] Glen Grant 15 Years Batch Strength Review
Glen Grant has quietly been Italy’s top-selling single malt for decades. Founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside. The distillery runs tall, slender stills with purifiers fitted on them, w...
Whisky,Bourbon Whiskey: a Practical Guide
I came to bourbon out of curiosity after years of Scotch. “What’s a corn-based whisky actually like?” One sip in, the sweetness was on a completely different register. Nothing like th...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Wild Turkey 12 Year Review (Not Just a 101)
Wild Turkey 101 is a standard stop on the bourbon tour. Fewer people know there’s a 12-year version of the same 101 proof. Wild Turkey 12 Year started out as an Asia-market exclusive,...
Whisky,[Bourbon] Wild Turkey Rare Breed Review (Value Pick)
Wild Turkey 101 is a household name as a bourbon entry point. Rare Breed, from the same distillery, gets surprisingly less attention. I talked a lot about the Wild Turkey distillery w...
Whisky,[Peated] Hart Brothers Peated Islay Single Malt Review
Stick to Laphroaig and Lagavulin for Islay and the bill adds up fast. At a warehouse shop I spotted this green bottle - Hart Brothers Peated Islay Single Malt. 700ml, 50% ABV, value-t...
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