Author: The Scotch Noob

Koval Single Barrel Millet Whiskey

The Scotch NoobReviews1 Comment 2731 views

The Koval Millet whiskey is aged in 30-gallon new charred oak barrels (like bourbon distilleries, Koval sells all of its barrels after a single use). I was unable to find any information about the amount of time this whiskey spends in-barrel, so I would go ahead and assume it’s quite young. … Koval distillery in Chicago is an undeniable pioneer in this space, with various whiskies for sale distilled from millet, oats, spelt, wheat, and rye. All of Koval’s spirits are single-barrel releases, and all are made from organic grains farmed in the American Midwest.

Wee Dram YouTube Channel

The Scotch NoobNews4 Comments 865 views

Reader Gordon contacted me earlier this year to get my feedback on a series of videos that he had put together with his drinking buddy Johnathan. Gordon does an endearing, rambling style of video whisky review that makes me feel like I’m sitting around the firepit with him, chatting about our favorite subject over a dram. His perspective is refreshing and the videos are artfully composed. … I highly recommend checking out their channel and giving them a “Subscribe” to show a little support if you like their content.

GlenDronach (18 year) Allardice

The Scotch NoobReviews7 Comments 4891 views

The GlenDronach 18-year is named after the 1826 founder of the distillery, James Allardes. It is aged for 18 years exclusively in Spanish oloroso sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV without chill-filtration or added coloring. This has more deep, dark, concentrated dry fruit than I’ve ever experienced in a single malt. I’m not sure that’s actually a good thing. …

Paddy Irish Whiskey

The Scotch NoobReviews3 Comments 11224 views

Paddy, which claims to be the best-selling whiskey in Ireland, has only recently received wider distribution to the rest of the world … The whiskey itself, a “high-malt” blend of all three styles of Irish whiskey (malt whiskey, single pot still, and column grain whiskey) is triple-distilled, aged between 4 and 7 years, and bottled at 40% ABV.

What Makes Japanese Whisky So Popular?

The Scotch NoobArticles14 Comments 1284 views

[Sponsored Content] Japan was introduced to scotch whisky in the late 19th century, when sailors and traders shipped the spirit into coastal port towns – but it wasn’t until decades later that commercial production of whisky really took off. Two men are credited with kickstarting Japan’s love affair with whisky: Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru established the historic Yamazaki distillery together in 1924

Springbank (15 year)

The Scotch NoobReviews6 Comments 3646 views

I love Springbank. It’s one of my favorite distilleries. It’s also one of the very few distilleries left in Scotland that embodies the “old school”, tradition-laden whiskymaking techniques that marketing departments elsewhere salivate over. … This can backfire, though. Most of the technological improvements in the whisky industry over the past 100 years have been implemented for the sake of consistency in the resulting whisky. …

Connemara (12 year)

The Scotch NoobReviews5 Comments 2768 views

Connemara is named after a defunct Irish distillery, and the whiskey is produced as Irish whiskey (and Scottish) would have been before the advent of drum maltings: with peat fires. Connemara is reportedly peated at around half the phenol ppm of Islay malt, rendering it milder. There is some confusion about the source of Connemara’s peat…

Royal Lochnagar (12 year)

The Scotch NoobReviews2 Comments 4896 views

Yet another of Diageo’s stable of “blending fodder” – some malt distilled at Lochnagar finds its way into Johnnie Walker (Blue, in particular) and Vat 69, but the majority of Diageo’s smallest distillery (smallest in output, that is) is now bottled as a single malt, including a Distiller’s Edition finished in Moscatel casks and an NAS Selected Reserve edition aged in sherry casks.