A Double Barrel Sweetheart

The Balvenie DoubleWood

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Dufftown, Banffshire in Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

43% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 8/10

The Balvenie DoubleWood is a tender lover. Smooth and sweet with bold, deep flavors. She is a vivacious vixen with sightly curves and an easy laugh: Come in and stay a while. Warm yourself by the fire.

This scotch gets its name from the use of two casks in the maturation process. First, the classic Whisky Oak Cask 'imparts gentle, warming layers'. Second, the Sherry Oak Cask gives the DoubleWood a sweet, fruity flavor. Many years of maturation is done in the first cask while only a couple of months are spent in the second. When all is said and done, this 12 year old beaut is something worth savoring.

The experience of the drink is quite enjoyable. The Sherry Cask gives the DoubleWood a subtle sweet, fruity beginning, setting the tone for a smooth flow. The middle has a sultry, sensual bite that is sharp and complex in character. As advertised, the DoubleWood has a smooth rounded finish that is very satisfying on the tongue. This is a sweeter scotch but is by no means overpoweringly sweet.

This is 'onemalts' first exploration into two cask territory and I think the style deserves to be revisited.

Tomorrow is pay day and as we know, pay day is scotch day. Palates Welcome.

CH/AZ

Ole Reliable. Who Does it Right for 187 Years?

The Glenlivet 

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From: Banffshire, Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

40% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 8/10


If my boots were made for walkin', The Glenlivet was made for drinkin'  This 12 Year old beauty has been a long time staple of the single malt world.  This stuff is smooth ladies and gentleman from the second it touches your tongue til' the pour of another glass.  My (whiskey jar) seemed to fill itself after my first gulp.   The aromatic almost refreshing after taste had me coming back for more.  "This stuff taste like sweet velvet" I said to myself.  The golden brown liquid has a complex taste, but it is subtly smooth, leaving a very full and satisfied feeling in the mouth.  


I will definitely revisit this scotch again. With a large variety of ages and availability hopefully I won't have to wait long. A reasonable price for the quality of the malt beverage makes 'The Glenlivet' a great gift for that classy someone.  Special thanks to Lee Ann for introducing me to 'The Glenlivet 12'.


Palates Welcome,


ZA/CH

The Royal with Cheese

Cragganmore

Single Speyside Malt

From: Ballindalloch, Banffshire in Scotland

Age: 12 Years

Cost: ~$50-$60

40% Alc./Vol.

'onemalt' Rating: 7.5/10

The Cragganmore scotch is one of the more bad ass scotches that we at onemalt have tried. To borrow some words from the bombastic and prolific co-author of this blog, the Cragganmore "makes me feel like I'm driving a Cadillac convertible on my way to pick up Uma Thurman in a Quintin Tarantino movie."

This scotch is strong and rugged and will put hairs on your chest. It's macho bite is immediately noticeable. However, it smooths out relatively quickly and leaves you with that feeling of calm but powerful purpose expressed so well by the great John Trivolta. The Cragganmore is one scotch which will make you want to get up on the dance floor and boogie. Remember to thank the distillers after you get down and disco with the beautiful Mia Wallace. The Cragganmore's smooth after taste will tingle on your tongue 'til the break of dawn.

This Royal comes fully loaded with cheese and does not apologize for it. So light up that stogy and fill up the glass. Your night just got a little more class.

Palates Welcome.

CH/AZ

What does a Scotman's Scotch taste like? "The Ultimate".. so they say.

Ardbeg "The Ultimate" Islay Single Malt  

From: Islay, an Island off of South West Scotland

Age: 10 years

Cost: ~$40 - 50.00

46% Alc./Vol. - stronger than most

'onemalt' Rating: 6/10

The Scot's and particularly the Scot's of Islay, regard Ardbeg as the "best whisky in the world."  Most whiskies, are chill-filtered (not yet sure what that means) and have an Alc/Vol at 40% maybe 43% BUT, 'The Ardbeg' is non chill-filtered giving it a stronger than average Alc/Vol percentage of 46, and bit of a bite!  The people of Islay say this makes for a stronger whisky with a more complex character.  I say, that stronger does not always equate to better!

Tasting characteristics are; sharp, unique in flavor, rough at finish.   This whiskey is a quick swig and would go well with a brisk ocean breeze - as I am sure the salty people of Islay are well accustomed.  It starts with a flash of flavor but it hits like a ship, going down the hatch.  This is a scotch appropriate for a flask, and I am pleased that Colin and I did just the thing as we carried it up Mt. Killington during the first snowfall, early last October. For a warm belly on a cold day I'd recommend the Ardbeg but keep it away from those who like smoother sea's.  Overall rating 6/10.  Palates Welcome.

ZA/CH

An Everyday Scotch...

Stats:

McClelland's Highland Scotch

Distilled in Glasgow

Age: ~5 years

Cost: ~$25

40% Alc./Vol.

Rating: 5/10

You know how your mother has her special bottle of red for wine and cheese parties? Then she has her "everyday" bottles of wine to take the edge off on week nights. The McClelland's Highland scotch is just that.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Highland's sharp taste. It has the color, the sting, and the warming touch of heart-burn. Maybe a bit too much heart-burn. The characteristics of a good scotch are there, but it doesn't have the rich flavors of better single malts. There is something manufactured, artificial about the smoky Highland taste...

The most appealing part of Scotland's most mass produced brand is its price. If you went broke spending your money on $50 and $60 bottles of scotch, you could still afford McClelland's Highland Scotch to curb your addiction. At $22 (before tax) it has to be the cheapest bottle out there... by far.

As payday approaches I look forward to a better bottle of scotch. Come next week, it's back to McClelland's I suppose... Such is the life of a poor Americorps wage worker with expensive hobbies.

Palates Welcome

-CH/AZ

Introduction to onemalt scotch blog.

Welcome to 'onemalt' Scotch Blog.  Based out of Burlington, Vermont this is a commentary on two scotch drinkers discoveries of the refined world of single malt scotch drinking. The single malts are preferred, discriminating to the top of the shelf on a working mans budget.  However we are open to persuasion on both ends of the price spectrum.   As long as our pay checks permit is, we are tasting one new bottle every two weeks.  Follow our scotch commentary on 'onemalt' scotch blog as our palate's expand and refine.

Our Scotch exploration has just begun, we started with Single Malts and have tried 6 different brands to date.  Here is a list of we have in our cabinet:

Ardbeg. 10 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  $40-60 range.
Cragganmore.  12 Years Old. Single Speyside Malt. $50 - 60 range.
The Glenlivet. 12 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $50 - 60 range.
The Balvenie, DoubleWood. 12 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $50- 60 range.
McClelland's Highland.  5 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  $20 - 25 range.
Oban. 14 Years Old. Single Malt Scotch Whisky. $60 - 70 range.

Keep following for recommendations or to recommend.  Palates Welcome.

ZA/CH