The Singleton 12 year Single Malt Scotch Whisky of Glendullan

That’s quite a long name for a whisky with a relatively short finish… But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

The Glendullan Distillery is located in Speyside and is currently owned by Diageo. It was established in 1897 and was apparently King Edward VII’s favorite whisky (you remember him; the “Edwardian” period and the peacekeeper in Europe …4 years after his death was the start of WW1 and the end of his era, so long corsets!).

I am no King, or Queen for that matter, but I will say that the Singleton 12yr is a nicely balanced, well rounded Single Malt that, for $30-$40USD could easily be one’s great daily dram.

FACTS: 40% abv, aged for 12 years in sherry & bourbon casks.

NOSE: Vanilla birthday cake and brewed black tea, definitely some rum notes and a bit of green apple.

PALATE: A good, smooth start with nice bright tannins in the middle.  There is some burnt sugar in the taste too.  There is also a faint spice that I can’t quite put my finger on.  I tried adding a bit of water but it went too flat too quickly.

FINISH: The oak and burnt sugar linger for just a bit on the sides of the tongue.

Overall, I think this is an easy Single Malt to have around … for both your senses and your wallet.

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Hotel Delmano’s ROSEMARY’S BABY Rye Whisky Cocktail

Last weekend I went to the Taste of Williamsburg event in Brooklyn, NY on the most perfect almost-autumn Sunday imaginable. While we certainly tasted many delightful bites of food (Brooklyn, especially Williamsburg, is known for their non-trendy trend starting contributions to everything arts related, including their culinary creations) we also had our fair share of unique cocktails.

One cocktail in particular deserves a mention:  Hotel Delmano‘s Rosemary’s Baby, which is currently being featured on their Fall cocktail menu.

Hotel Delman's Menu listing for "Rosemary's Baby"

What’s in the glass?  Fresh lime juice, fresh spiced pineapple juice, a bit of maple syrup and Rosemary infused Jim Beam Rye whiskey.  Shaken with a sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish.  Dee-lightful.

Hotel Delmano's bar tenders making the "Rosemary's Baby"

Rosemary is my all-time favorite herb and the creator of this cocktail did nothing but accentuate it’s wild, pine needle, sweet-earth-meets-spiced-wood characteristics which pair beautifully with Rye whisky.  The fresh rosemary sprig garnish does much more than make the drink look nice, it also fills your nose with it’s beautiful aromas as you bring the glass towards your mouth.  But be forewarned, if it’s in there too long your drink can get a second, and unnecessary, round of rosemary infusion so either drink up or take it out.

You guessed it! This is the Rosemary's Baby rye cocktail

See!?  Looks good, doesn’t it?  Why not opt for a change of pace this weekend and head over to Williamsburg, settle into the Hotel Delmano’s vintage-chic bar and ask the bar tender to make you something nice & spicy!   … Whisk(e)y based, of course 😉

So many booths, so little time!

WhiskyLive LA (25% off coupon code!)

Hey all of you sun-loving, whisky-drinking, dram-fans out there on the West Coast … This one’s for you!

Click to go to their site!

You probably know by now that I’m a big fan of the WhiskyLive events (see other post HERE).  I’m super excited that they will be opening their doors and pouring their pours at the Hyatt Regency on Friday, October 21.  If you buy your tickets BEFORE OCTOBER 1st, use coupon code INFUSIONS (yes, it’s case sensitive) to receive 25% off the ticket price!!!  After October 1, this code will give you 10% off.

With an event this good and a deal this deep, I just may hop on a plane and be there myself!   See below for more info…

VIP Tickets: $135.00 (5:30pm – 10:00pm)

General Admission: $105.00 (6:30pm – 10:00pm)

www.WHISKYLIVE.com

Proudly sponsored by

Wally’s Wine & Spirits – Seven Grand and The 213 Group

All Tickets include: admission, tastings of Scotches, Bourbons, Whiskies & Craft Beers, Gourmet dinner buffet, show guide & Glencairn tasting glass

Koval Distillery – Lion’s Pride Whiskies

If you haven’t figured it out by now – I love original whiskies.

I love seeking out and experiencing the delicious drams that the true artist distillers of the world are creating.  Yesterday, I did just that with Meg Bell of Chicago’s Koval Distillery at the Four Seasons in NYC.  We tasted 5 of their 26+ products, focusing only on the whiskies (dugh!).

I was going to write about all of the interesting, wonderful and unique techniques that the founders, Sonat & Robert use to develop their Lion’s Pride aged whisky line, however, the WhiskyCompetition made this great video of Meg, filmed in the Koval distillery, talking about just that!  Click, enjoy, and seek out for yourself!

Straight from the Lion’s mouth…

My private Lion's Pride tasting at the Four Seasons!

Thanks Meg!

Visit to the Balcones Distillery in Waco, TX

Despite my late arrival into Austin the night before, I woke up extra early last Thursday because after much (and I think very patient waiting) I was going to see the Balcones distillery in person (see my previous post on Balcones HERE).

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting other distilleries before but none home to the unique, super-secret process of smoking the actual whisky not the grains technique that head distiller, Chip Tate, created and successfully applies to his wildly popular Brimstone whisky.  (Check out the products rave review by Tasting Table Top Shelf HERE)

During my visit, the Balcones’ crew were in the process of bottling & shipping out their extremely limited 1st released Single Malt which I was honored to taste & try the barrels samples of for version 2.0. (BOTH are Ahh-mazing.)  Get it while you can.  This is something you definitely want in your whisky collection!

What’s great about visiting these craft distilleries is that you are up-close and personal with the whole operation.  I got to meet everyone and of course, got in their way as soon as I went camera-happy (sorry!).

All in all – we had a great time (thank you, Chip!) and can’t wait to go back next year to see how they are progressing with the new space!

Click on the logo to be taken to Balcones' website

Check out the photos of my visit below!

Yuuuummmm fermenting corn mash

Time for distillation! Chip Tate welded all of the copper himself!

Coordinating all of the different valves and moving parts requires some very intricate choreography!

Aging time! Hey... where did they all go? Looks like someone just bottled the Single Malt!

The envious Tasting Room ... this is where the magic happens!

Once the casks have been selected - the bottling begins (and let me tell you, these guys also know how to build an awesome play list - great whisky, great tunes, great people, I want to go back!)

Time for the hand-applied labels & wax seals!

All boxed up and ready to go! Bye-bye Baby Blue!

But wait … the fun isen’t over yet!  Chip took us on a side trip to visit the new space they will be expanding into.  Along the way, yours truly got a lesson in barrel rolling! 😀

First, watch the pro's ... see how Chip aligns the barrels perfectly???

Go Whisky Woman, Go! (mine looks way less controlled than Chip's ... perhaps I need more practice? ...or just something to drink!? Btw, this is REALLY FUN!)

Quick lesson on exactly what is in these barrels & what wood is used to make up these barrels before we start crackin' these babies open!

The moment of truth. Shhhh, Chip is extracting the beautiful nectar! ... and yes, it really is beautiful! I'll let him tell you about these creative, made-just-for-Balcones barrels when he's ready. All I can say now is that I left a happy girl.

Ok – you all really have to try his products.  The reason I have become so nuts for them is the layers and layers of complex scentes and flavors.  He is not just making “another whisky” here – he executes everything with such passion, precision and curiosity that he is pushing the boundaries of tradition while still remaining true to his roots.  We should all be greatful.  To me, this is what is so exciting about the craft whisky movement here in America.

Take advantage now.