Now that it’s fall and the weather is starting to cool down, I was eager to try a new whisky for crafting cozy cocktails. And, since I was pleasantly surprised with the last affordable blended Scotch, I figured it was a good time to give Dewar’s White Label a shot. The story of Dewar’s begins in 1846, when John Dewar founded his small spirit-merchant business, John Dewar and Sons. Over time, he would start creating his own blends, and the business would continue to grow for the next few decades. The success of Dewar’s would continue after his sons, John Alexander and Tommy, inherited the company. They would make two important decisions: […]
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 spirit prices aways on the rise, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more affordable bottles. And, Cutty Sark Blended Scotch has been top of my list after my grandfather mentioned it as a popular whisky from back in his college days, when he would bartend to make some extra money. Cutty Sark, named after the fastest ship in the early 1900’s, was first created in 1923 by legendary spirit and wine merchants Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd (from Berry Bros. & Rudd) and Scottish Artist James McBey. Their ultimate goal was to create a lighter style of blended whiskey to ultimately sell internationally. It took a while to establish the brand in […]
Of all the many different types of Scotch whisky, I have the least familiarity with blended scotch. And while browsing for something new to try, I was immediately drawn to the three brass monkeys on the bottle of Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch whisky. Blended Scotches are made using a mixture of whiskies from different distilleries, and a variety of grains can be used. Monkey Shoulder is a blend of 3 different malt whiskies from the Speyside region of Scotland. Monkey Shoulder is a relatively new offering from one of the oldest scotch making families, William Grant & Sons. They opened their first distillery in 1887, and continue to […]