There aren’t many scotch whisky brands more famous than Johnnie Walker. And despite seeing it in every grocery store and bar, I’ve never actually tried it myself. But thankfully, I was gifted this bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label by a family member, so I can finally experience the brand and see how it measures up to other blended scotches. Johnnie Walker was first established in 1820, when John Walker opened up a grocer’s shop in Kilmarnock, Scotland. At the time, these shops were known to stock different spirits, and eventually Walker would start selling blends of single malt scotches using the Johnnie Walker label. The whisky […]
With such a wide variety of bold spirit bottles out there, sometimes a simple design can be striking. And, the simple white label of Leopold’s American Small Batch caught my eye the last time I was browsing for new bottles at my local store. The independently owned and operated Leopold Bros. was founded by brothers Todd and Scott Leapold in the 2000’s. They first established the brand in Michigan, but soon moved near Denver in their home state of Colorado to build their current distilling facilities on four acres of land. They use sustainable methods such as water recycling and composting to help produce a range of spirits, including: […]
I’ve been using this blog as a good excuse to gain experience in spirits I’d previously missed, like bourbon and rye whiskey, for the past few years. But, I think I want to put more effort this year into learning more about the different regions of Scotch whisky, since I had mostly just tried Highland and Islay. It’s also tax season here in the US, so I was looking to find something a bit more affordable. So, luckily, the vibrant orange label of Bothan Sherry Expression Scotch Whisky caught my eye, and it happened to fit most of my criteria. Bothan Sherry Expression is a lowland single malt whiskey that is aged in both ex-bourbon and […]
After enjoying the original Woodford Reserve Bourbon last year, I was looking forward to tasting more of their products. And since I’d previously been recommended Woodford Reserve Double Oaked from a few different people, I made it a priority to try it as soon as possible. Double Oaked refers to another added step in the aging process. After the Woodford Reserve bourbon is fully matured in new charred oak barrels, the spirit is moved to another oak barrel to continue aging. This second barrel is deeply toasted before being lightly charred and added extra flavor. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ❖ Distillery: […]
Although I made an effort to explore rye whiskey last year and there are plenty of other spirits I still want to try, rye is too good in cocktails for me to stop looking for new bottles to check out. And lucky for me, my parents gifted me this bottle of Exclave Rye Whiskey during the holidays. Exclave spirits is a New Orleans, Louisiana based brand that was created to celebrate the contribution of the black community to the history of spirits. This brand, produced and bottled by River basin Spirits, is only a few years old, but was awarded double gold by the American Distilling Institute. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: Rye Whiskey ❖ Distillery: […]