Category: Ramblings

18Mar

Whisky Review Preamble: My Tasting Process

Posted in Ramblings, Whisky | Leave a comment

My goal with this series of “Whisky Review Preamble” posts is to paint a clear picture of me and my whisky tasting process so you can decide on how much value to place on my whisky marks. A rating of 95 can only be useful if you trust the reviewer!

How I Experience Whisky

I like to experience everything a whisky has to offer. This includes packaging, the distillery website, and other people’s experiences of the whisky (including tasting notes, but also by sharing the whisky with others when I can). My experience with a specific whisky usually starts before I buy it. I’ll hear about it from a friend, from Ralfy, or on a blog somewhere. I will sometimes look at the distillery website before buying the whisky, but I usually end up exploring the website after purchase (I am usually a bit frustrated with the heavyweight marketing on distillery websites).

I will rarely buy a whisky on impulse. If I do, it is usually a cheap blended whisky that is on sale.

My tasting notes are the result of two sets of steps. The first is the “bottle break in” where I get to know the whisky, and the second is the creation of tasting notes and a rating. (more…)

24Feb

Whisky Review Preamble: My Short Whisky Biography

Posted in Ramblings, Whisky | 1 Comment

My goal with this series of “Whisky Review Preamble” posts is to paint a clear picture of me and my whisky tasting process so you can decide on how much value to place on my whisky marks.  A rating of 95 can only be useful if you trust the reviewer!

Whisky and Me

I have been seriously enjoying whisky since early 2012.  I had tried Glenlivet before that (in think the year was 2005) but did not enjoy it.  I probably drank it too fast, as a young twenty-something might do.  When I revisited whisky in early 2012, it was a very different experience.  A friend ordered me a glass of Macallan 18 at a wedding – a place where I was already a bit out of my element.  Circumstances made me approach it without my earlier expectations, and I found it pretty tasty.

The next day I did a bit of research on the internet and found Ralfystuff and his blog at ralfy.com.  I spent the day watching whisky videos, and I started researching which whiskies to buy first.  I chose Glenmorangie 10, Laphroaig 10, and Talisker 10.  That was the start of my journey.  Incidentally, if you are just starting out with whisky tasting, I highly recommend Glenmorangie 10 and Laphroaig 10 – but I’ll save the details of that for another blog post. (more…)