48.3% ABV – 96.6 ProofSuggested Retail Price: $100Distiller Rating: 90Drinkhacker Rating: A- Mark Garbin’s Review: Now we come to the most startling moment of our story, the 14-year Peat Week. Confession: This became my gateway bottle to the world of smoky whisky. When I drank it long ago, the dram’s earthy, heather fragrance surprised me. I […]
40% ABV – 80 ProofSuggested Retail Price: $250+Distiller Rating: 93Whiskey Reviewer Rating: A Mark Garbin’s Review: Balvenie’s core product range ends with the 21-year Portwood. It carries over the same iconic aroma adding port’s sugared tinge derived from barrels that stored the rich wine for over three decades. The silky yet full sense in the mouth showcases the distiller’s art where […]
43% ABV – 86 ProofSuggested Retail Price: $60+Distiller Rating: 89Whiskey Reviewer Rating: B+ Mark Garbin’s Review: The Caribbean Cask, aged fourteen years, takes the Twelve’s scent but infuses tropical fruits into the nose. On the palate, the rum casks produce a sugar cane island extract that morphs into an easy Speyside smolder absent much oak. This harmony […]
40% ABVSuggested Retail Price: $55+Distiller Rating: 87Whiskey Reviewer Rating: B Mark Garbin’s Review: The Balvenie 12-year’s malty, cereal, toasty essence led to a smoothness that showed a sweet side with a wisp of vapor and slight, smoky wood. A lingering finish ensured no central theme rose to the fore. It’s the model, balanced pour for the Apprentice […]
Epiphany – an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosureMerriam-Webster’s Dictionary What were you doing in 2015 on the first Thursday in December? In an age of isolation, can we even recall times when we enjoyed whisky in joyous company? Years ago, that frosty night forever etched itself in my mind. The site: New York’s Brandy Library, where […]
46% ABVDistiller Rating: 92Suggested Retail Price: $150+ Mark Garbin’s Review: Wow! Did whisky aromas ever jump out at you straight from the glass as you wait the customary twenty pre-nosing seconds? Well, this one did in a contest for dominance between honey, malt, alcohol, cream and dirt. Yes, those scents attacked from a Glencairn with […]
46% ABV – 92 ProofUSC Rating: 93Distiller Rating: 88Suggested Retail Price: $70 Mark Garbin’s Review: They call Craigellachie 13 the “bad boy” of single malts; a moniker well deserved. Its old-fashioned distillation method requires cooling in copper coils called a worm tub (Click here). The result highlights every flavor and appeals to the Adventurer. Sweet honey […]