A rather fancy name for a rather snazzy cocktail, I love this stuff on a warm summer day. The only problem is that you can only really make it if you’re a rather heavy drinker or have guests, as it I at least find the selection of miniature sparkling white or champagne is quite limited. This is guaranteed to go down a treat with some chocolate cake by the way, the darker the better!
The name alone may be enough to put most people off this whisky, in fact it probably is enough to make all but the very young and those very deep in the pit of alcoholism take a quick step to the side and forget they even saw it. What I am talking about is Tesco Special Reserve Scotch Whisky, the special probably referring to what separates this whisky from most other fine blends; the added colouring. “I say, this looks rather too pale! Whisky is supposed to be golden, is it not? Yes, yes I am quite sure it is. Do something about it.”
Ahh, the glamour of massive corporations and value brands! Actually this isn’t even Tesco value, this is their “middle priced” expression – there’s also 10 year old single Islay malt which unfortunately wasn’t available in my local shop. So, you’re probably thinking, did he actually purchase a bottle of this stuff? And if so, why?! The answer is yes, and because I was reading through some of my reviews the other day and came across my scolding of Bell’s. Reading that again made me wonder, is there a worse whisky? What would one taste like? Which would it be?
Founded in 1923, the Yamazaki distillery – named after the Yamazaki Valley, where the distillery lays – is the oldest distillery in Japan. And that, I’m afraid, is pretty much all the history I could find. I suppose that leaves us with little choice but to go straight for the tasting. Ah, life can be tough at times, wouldn’t you say?
I was actually given the miniature bottle standing in front of me by the owner of my favourite whisky shop. We were talking, as we often do, about various whiskys and our latest tastings, and as it happens he had just tried the Yamazaki and quite liked it. A fairly delicate, medium bodied whiskey, this 12 year old expression has many qualities in common with Scotch whiskys. It brings to mind its Speyside brethren in particular.
I was just about to state that this is the youngest distillery I have written about so far, as it was founded in 1995, but that would actually be a lie. It is, in fact, 4 years the senior of Mackmyra. It is the youngest Scottish distillery I’ve written about, however, and in my opinion that is enough to make it quite interesting! It is also the only distillery on the Isle of Arran – no points for guessing which distillery I am talking about now, it is, of course, Arran.
This one usually goes down nicely with the ladies at any time or with pretty much anyone after a big meal when you want something sweet. While the recipe calls for a shaker, don’t let that put you off if you don’t have one, a thermos will do just fine.
You’ll need:
Method
Fill your shaker (thermos/whatever other creative solution you’ve come up with) about half way up with ice then add everything but the ginger beer and give it a good old shake. Grab 2-3 ice cubes for the tall glass then strain the contents of your shaker into the glass and top up with the ginger beer.
Yet another distillery owned by the fairly well known and decently large corporation that is Diageo, Talisker is the only distillery on the Isle of Skye and was originally founded in 1830. The first Talisker distillery was built in 1831, however it has since been completely rebuilt after it was lost in a fire in 1960. Exact replicas of the original stills were built for the new distillery in an effort to preserve the unique Talisker flavour, and so far as I could tell you, they’ve succeeded rather well.
Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles is powered by WordPress and FREEmium Theme.
