I was recently fortunate enough to be contacted by the good folk over at Bushmills, offering me a free bottle of their original expression. I figured that the least I could do in return would be to write a wee review of what I consider to be Ireland’s version of Whyte & Mackay (a favourite Scottish blend of mine) – in the sense that they both produce fairly priced, good quality blends.
The way I’ve decided to go about this is a bit different to my other reviews. In a letter that came with the bottle it was suggested that I try the whiskey with “cola, lemonade and even ginger beer”, and so I shall! I thought it might make for an interesting change to first try the whiskey neat and then move on to mixers and see if it truly works, or if it is merely an attempt to sell the whiskey to a broader (Jack Daniel’s type) audience.
continue reading »
Johnnie Walker is a firm favourite of many novice and intermediate whisky drinkers alike – though I haven’t come across many whisky enthusiasts who hold it as a favourite. Personally, I find it to be a perfectly good every day whisky and one which I’ve had on more than one occasion. In the same price category, though, I generally prefer the Whyte & Mackay 13 year old.
continue reading »
This will be one of the shortest reviews you are going to see on my wee blog, in the sense that not a lot will be said about the whisky. The only reason for my writing it in the first place is that I was in Waitrose earlier today, browsing their wine section (I picked up a bottle of Font de Michelle Châteauneuf for £20 – not bad!), when I overheard two younger gentlemen discussing which blended whisky to buy. The choice, it became clear, was between Bell’s and Whyte & Mackay.
continue reading »
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.
continue reading »
While Tomatin, the company who make Antiquary, was established in 1897, it has only been around in its current (Japanese owned) format since 1986.
Antiquary is a well known brand, but that is not only because of the quality of their whisky or the fact that they have been around for over a century. There is also a further factor, one less prestigious, and that is their bottle. Inspired by the shape of a diamond, it has indeed got a quite distinctive shape; intended to give it a unique and classy look, and feel. It certainly scores a full 10 points for uniqueness, but as far as class goes it’s a swing and a miss in my opinion. I’m well aware that this is a childish reason to dislike something; but I simply can’t stand the shallow attempt at convincing consumers of the quality of the whisky which the bottle represents.
continue reading »
If I say Irish Coffee, which whiskey (yep, with an E, silly Irish…) comes to mind? Chances are it will be Jameson – the classic choice – though I would save that job for one of this guy’s younger brothers, as it would be a waste of both money and fine whiskey.
While they’ve given up arguing over who’s the oldest Irish whiskey with Bushmills, there is no contest over who’s more popular. Jameson is the best selling Irish whiskey pretty much wherever you go, and having been around since the late 1700s, they certainly aren’t new to the game either.
continue reading »
