Dramboxes - The Whisky Don

Around the World in Five Drams

Admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 15:57:52 +0000

We start close to home, with a real cracker of an Irish triple-distilled single pot still whiskey. And then of course we have to have a Kentucky Bourbon where the predominant grain is corn, but this one’s sweetness is tempered with rye.

Japan is a major whisky player, and we’ve one of their light and delicate single grain whiskies for you to try.

Then it’s a dram from Down Under for a fruity Australian number finished in – what else? – but red wine casks from the Barossa Valley.

Our final drop is from the whisky powerhouse, India. I’ve selected one of my favourites for you to enjoy, and it’s not here just because its name is Sanskrit for uisge beatha (Gaelic for the water of life!)

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Redbreast Single Post Still 12 year old Irish Whiskey (40% ABV)
- Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (45% ABV)
- The Chita, Distiller’s Reserve, Single Grain Japanese Whisky (43% ABV)
- Starward Left-Field Single Malt Australian Whisky (40% ABV)
- Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky (50% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post Around the World in Five Drams first appeared on The Whisky Don.

Dram Queens

Admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:14:45 +0000

We start with a classic Dewar’s blend from Stephanie MacLeod, the International Whisky Competition’s first female Master Blender of the Year. She also looks after Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, The Deveron and Royal Brackla, but what elevates her to true icon status in my eyes is that she once worked for Irn Bru!

Next up is a gorgeous, complex single malt from the whisky alchemist, First Lady of Scotch and Keeper of the Quaich, Dr Rachel Barrie, master blender for the Benriach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries.

My third pick comes from Annabel Thomas, a true pioneer in the Scotch whisky industry. She’s the founder and CEO of Scotland’s first sustainable distillery, Nc’Nean, named after the ancient Gaelic queen of spirits and protector of nature.Their first single malt, released in 2020, is 100% certified organic and distilled using renewable energy.

And we finish off with two wonderful drams from further afield. Uncle Nearest is the most awarded American Whiskey or Bourbon of 2019 and 2020 and is the creation of master distiller Victoria Eady Butler. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Nathan “Nearest” Green, a slave who became the first African-American master distiller and taught Jack Daniels all he knew.

Finally, we have a single malt which oozes Scandi charm from Angela D’Orazio, Chief Nose Officer and master blender at the Swedish industry disruptor Mackmyra.

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Dewar’s 12 year old The Ancestor Single Malt Scotch Whisky (40% ABV)
- Benriach The Original Ten Single Malt Scotch Whisky (43% ABV)
- Nc’Nean Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky Batch No 7 (46%)
- Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey (50% ABV)
- Mackmyra Svensk Rök Single Malt Swedish Whisky (46.1% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post Dram Queens first appeared on The Whisky Don.

New kids on the block

Admin — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:49:26 +0000

We start with an English Single Malt from the Cotswolds Distillery which released the first Single Malt to be produced in the Cotswolds in 2017
Then we travel northwards to Glasgow to The Glasgow Distillery Company. When this distillery reopened in 2014 it was the first Single Malt Whisky to come out of Glasgow for over 100 years.
Then we head over to the East Neuk of Fife to Kingsbarns Distillery, which started distilling in 2015. Built on the site of a derelict farmstead, still visible are the remains of a 200 years old doocot (Scottish dialect for Dovecote, home for pigeons).
We then go to the first legal distillery on the Isle of Raasay, the Isle of Raasay Distillery which opened in 2017. This small island just off the coast of the Isle of Skye has just 161 (approx.) residents.
We end this journey on the island of Islay, and at the Kilchoman Distillery, Islay’s farm distillery. Established in 2005, all stages of the production are carried out on site from malting to bottling – their 100% Islay release is made using barley grown in the fields of the farm!

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Cotswolds Distillery Signature English Single Malt Whisky (46% ABV)
- Glasgow Distillery Company Glasgow 1770 The Original Lowland Single Malt (46% ABV)
- Kingsbarns Distillery Doocot Lowland Single Malt (46% ABV)
- Isle of Raasay Distillery Isle of Raasay Island Single Malt (46.4% ABV)
- Kilchoman Distillery Machir Bay Islay Single Malt (46% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post New kids on the block first appeared on The Whisky Don.

Spiritual Homeland Tour

Admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:23:19 +0000

We kick things off with a light and grassy Lowland malt, perfect for a pre-dinner drink. Next comes a gently fruity creamy offering from the largest region, the Highlands, and my smooth, fruity pick from distillery-dense Speyside shows a bit of sherry cask influence. Oh, and it also happens to be the biggest selling single malt in the world.

Campbeltown, on the Mull of Kintyre. was once the whisky capital of the world. Its output is now very much smaller but it still produces plenty of delicious drams with a coastal, briny character and a puff of peat smoke as my fourth dram demonstrates beautifully.

And finally, what collection would be complete without a full-on blast of peat from the Islands.

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Glenkinchie 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (43% ABV)
- Glenmorangie The Original 10 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (40% ABV)
- Glenfiddich 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (40% ABV)
- Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46% ABV)
- Laphroaig 10 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (40% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post Spiritual Homeland Tour first appeared on The Whisky Don.

The peaty blinders

Admin — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:36:28 +0000

In this Drambox we’re going to make sure you don’t miss out on some deliciously peated whiskies from all over Scotland, from Speyside to Orkney. The ultimate peated whisky tasting box to please both those new to peat and ‘peat-heads’.
We start our journey at Scotland’s most northernly distillery Highland Park, on the island of Orkney where they use peat cut from the nearby Hobbister Moor.
Then we go island-hopping to the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker before stepping foot on the mainland and travelling to the amazing whisky region that is Speyside. Here we stop at the Benriach distillery and under the watchful eye of the fabulous Dr Rachel Barrie have one of their ‘smoky’ drams using the woody Highland peat.
Then we head over to the ‘peat capital of the world’, the Isle of Islay and visit two legends in the world of peated whiskies, Laphroaig (this one is a ‘gentle’ introduction to the Laphroaig range) and those masters of peat, Ardbeg.
A wide variation of flavours in five amazing peated whiskies.

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Highland Park 12 Years Old Island Single Malt Whisky @20PPM (40% ABV)
- Talisker 10 Years Old Island Single Malt @16-22PPM (45.8% ABV)
- Benriach The Smoky Ten Speyside Single Malt @35-40PPM (46% ABV)
- Laphroaig Select Islay Single Malt @35PPM (40% ABV)
- Ardbeg 10 Years Old Islay Single Malt @55-60PPM (46% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post The peaty blinders first appeared on The Whisky Don.

The taste of Islay

Admin — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:32:15 +0000

In this Drambox we take a trip to ‘Whisky Island’ that is Islay. Islay is the paradise of peated whiskies but don’t let the word peat put you off! Whilst Islay is famous for its peaty, smoky single malts, the island is my love of whisky began!
We start off with a visit to the oldest distillery on the Island. Bowmore for their 12 years old. Then we head to the one that started my love affair of whisky and the fantastic distillery that is Bunnahabhain, and their unpeated 12 years old. The, just down the coast from Bunnahabhain, we visit one of the largest (by volume produced) distilleries on the island, Caol Ila and their 12 years old.
Then it is to the Ardbeg distillery for their An Oa, named after the peninsular in the southwest of the island that protects the distillery from the weather coming in from the Atlantic.
We finish the journey at Lagavulin and their 16 year old, which is recognised as the benchmark of Islay’s peaty, smoky malt whiskies.

Slàinte!

Each Drambox contains:

Five delicious drams at a generous 30ml size
That’s plenty to really enjoy your whisky, and even enough to share if you are doing a tasting session across a number of drams at once. The contents may change according to availability, but the current Drambox contains:
- Bowmore Distillery 12 Years Old Islay Single Malt Whisky (40% ABV)
- Bunnahabhain Distillery 12 Years Old Islay Single Malt (46.3% ABV)
- Caol Ila Distillery 12 Years Old Islay Single Malt (43% ABV)
- Ardbeg Distillery An Oa Islay Single Malt (46.6% ABV)
- Lagavulin Distillery 16 Years Old Islay Single Malt (43% ABV)
An introduction to the selection
Tasting Notes
to guide you through each whisky. Each note card has space on the rear for you to record your own thoughts.

The post The taste of Islay first appeared on The Whisky Don.