Ardmore 25 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

Surprise, surprise - another Ardmore for the blog. Can I ever get enough? No, not really. This one is a 25-year from Single Cask Nation, as a part of their first release after their acquisition by Artisanal Spirits Co. I heard about this from the horse's mouth, as the owners of Single Cask Nation came to Jack Rose and sung the praises of this particular Ardmore. 

Talisker Surge (NAS, Travel Exclusive)

 

It's a strange world when Talisker releases a bottle named identically to a defunct neon green 1990's soda (Coke's answer to Pepsi's Mountain Dew, if you weren't there and were curious). Although Talisker (aka Diageo's marketing department) love to brand themselves with stormy/rocky imagery (Talisker Storm ... Talisker Dark Storm ... etc), this one might have benefitted from a few extra rounds through QC. Still, it's a Travel Exclusive Talisker bottle and I'm pretty curious. 

Journeyman 5 Year Rye (SMWS RW7.1 "Love at First Sip")

 

Among American whiskies, rye is my favorite variety. I like the spiciness, the mint-and-bubblegum flavors, the overall flavor structure... it's just a great grain that makes a robust whisky. 

This independently bottled rye hails from Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan, just two miles from the Indiana border. It's bottled at 5 years old, and at 57.6% ABV. 

Miltonduff 14 Year (SMWS 72.117 "Black Forest Delight")

 

I'm going to come out and say it here - Miltonduff, a distillery owned by Pernod Ricard (who also own Aberlour, Glenlivet, Glen Keith, Longmorn, the ever-elusive Scapa, and the famous blends Ballantine's and Chivas Regal), is underrated.