As I sat down at my local pub (which I will reveal the name of later on in this article; no stalkers, I do beg) the other day, I came to think of all the whiskey enthusiasts who come to this beautiful city of mine hoping to enjoy our seemingly endless choice of pubs and whiskey, but with no clue as to where to best do so. Many of them end up paying too much in mediocre, but central, pubs. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to help you steer clear of the tourist traps, should you be planning a visit.
Now, most tourists will end up strolling aimlessly back and forth along the Royal Mile, which is home to a host of pubs. Nothing wrong with that, in fact a lot of the pubs there are decent, but it is a shame that some of the true gems Edinburgh has to offer remain unseen. So where should you be going? Let me introduce you to three of my favourite pubs, one to the North, one Central and one South.
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The first bourbon I reviewed for this blog was Ancient Age by the Buffalo Trace Distillery; and this second review will be of another Buffalo Trace expression in the same price segment. Seeing as I’ve already mentioned some distillery background in the Ancient Age post, I won’t repeat it in this review. So if you’re interested in a bit of history, hop on over to the AA review and I’ll kick back for a few minutes until you’re ready to continue.
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While whiskey is drink of choice in a lot of contexts, I’m not so single minded as to drink nothing else. In fact, I may have sampled an even wider range of beer in my day than I have whiskey. Since I think it’s important to try different things in life, and not just stick to what you know and love (whiskey, in this case), I thought I would introduce you to one of my favourite beers.
What makes Innis & Gunn so special is that it is matured for 77 days in an oak barrel which has previously been used to mature American Bourbon, which imparts a lovely combination of vanilla, toffee and (surprise surprise) oak. There are several other varieties available as well, including Canadian and Highland barrels, which are both good but unfortunately don’t match up to the expectations set by the original. There’s also a rum cask expression and a couple of others, which I may post about in the future!
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The history of this Scottish institution, which just so happens to produce one (and own the distillery of another; Dalmore) of my favourite whiskies, is rather turbulent. The companies roots lie in warehousing, which was its main concern for as long as it went under the name of Allan & Poynter (1843-1882) until it was purchased by Charles Mackay & James Whyte. When they purchased the business, and changed its name, the main source of income came from storing and distributing spirits, primarily whisky. Thus, they decided to start blending, and so Whyte & Mackay whisky came to be.
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I won’t be going in to too much historic detail of the distillery for once, as there is just too much to say about the whisky itself (and the path Ardbeg have walked us down in getting to this expression). Fear not, though, I will no doubt review other Ardbeg expressions in the future and include a bit of distillery background, for those of you who normally enjoy that part of my reviews.
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It is a commonly held belief that “whisky snobs” dislike all forms of American “whisky” or bourbon; similar, in fact, to the belief that American beer is made from one part water and one part mud. Both of these statements are, in fact, incorrect – America has some of the best (in my opinion) breweries in the world (Anchor, Flying Dog, Left hand, Sierra Nevada, the list goes on) and there is no drink more apt after a big ole summer barbecue than an American bourbon. So while Scotch whiskies are what I will be reviewing most of the time, I will also take a look at several bourbons, starting with Ancient Age.
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