Tag Archives: Baked Goods

Master of Malt Tomatin 19yr Single Cask plus FREE WHISKY – a new and ongoing JSMWS exclusive offer

Highland region – Master of Malt Exclusive Single Cask Tomatin 19yr – 57.6%ABV –  700ml bottle – £70 (sadly, this is no longer available from Master of Malt.  However, their 40%ABV version is, for  £60 – click here for that)

On the nose Clean fresh fruits, buckets of oaky goodness (though not over-oaky in a bad-chardonnay-way), lemon zest, acetone, fresh baked bread (almost like eggy challah), Stella D’Oro “S” cookies.  The nose is bright and inviting – more people should be like this nose…

On the mouth This whisky is a Master of Malt!  OK, seriously though, this is filled with a ton of malted milk balls (minus the chocolate coating), very sweet and a medium-chewy mouth feel, hoisin sauce.

When I first tasted this I thought it had Glenmorangie sort of profile but now I think my taste buds were off that night.  This whisky has it’s own personality and what a great personality it is.

Finish Tangy, lasting, the roof of my mouth has a zingy-burned feeling and the sides of my tongue are loving every second of this experience.

In sumWhile this is a gorgeous whisky, as I’ve stated above, it’s no longer available.  You may be able to find a bottle through whiskyacution.com or perhaps other whisky auction type sites but, Master of Malt does not carry it any longer.  This was single cask, cask strength stuff and only a few hundred bottles were produced.  I still have about 1/2 of my bottle left and I only break it out for the nicest of occasions.

I know what you must be thinking right now — Joshua, thank you for the tasting notes.  This is all well and good but how do I claim my free whisky!?!?

I’ve been working with Master of Malt on a deal to give my readers something cool; something exclusive and special – FREE WHISKY.  It’s just my way of saying “Thank You” to all of the folks who keep coming back to my blog (and a nice “Welcome” to all of my new readers as well).   Master of Malt agreed to give a free a “Drinks by the Dram” 3cl sample with any order that came through my blog.  All you have to do to claim the sample is, when ordering from Master of Malt, enter the term “JSMWS Sample” in the “Delivery Instructions” box of their online shopping cart. Easy right?  However, if you don’t enter this term into the box, you will not receive your free whisky.  (Note: one sample per order)

While you will not be able to choose the sample, the smart folks at Master of Malt will couple samples with your bottle orders accordingly (E.G. if you buy a bottle of Ardbeg Corryvreckan, you’ll get a 3cl sample of their exclusive Islay 12yr.  Order a bottle of Highland Park 18yr and you’ll receive a free 3cl sample of the MoM exclusive Orkney 12yr whisky — get it?)

While my main reason for agreeing to this arrangement is to help keep you all coming back, you must know that I will be receiving a small commission from Master of Malt on any business I bring to them.  I would not be honest if I did not tell you this.

Last week in my Master of Malt Drinks by the Dram Arran sample tasting post, I told you that Master of Malt gifted some samples to me for review.  I wanted to be upfront about this as my reviews are, and will remain to be, completely independent and not influenced in **any way** be it by free samples or payment.  If I don’t like a whisky, I’m going to tell you.  If I like a whisky I’ll tell you.  My nose, my tongue, my reviews.  It’s this simple.

Additionally, while I am offering you free whisky through Master of Malt, I’ve added in (on the right side of this blog) the online stores I frequent which are also fine, fine establishments.  Just because I’ve made an arrangement with Master of Malt doesn’t mean I wont tell you about any great deals that may come from Shoppers Vineyard, The Whisky Exchange, etc…  In the end, I am here for you – to (hopefully) educate you with my reviews, make you laugh, keep you informed of news in the whisky world and hell, I’ll get you some free whisky too!

Talisker 18yr – Warm peat, a spicy, sweet treat

Islands – 45.8%ABV – 750ml bottle – $59-90 (crazy spread, right?!) | £53 | €62

Ah, another dearly departed dram (from my own liquor cabinet that is)…  Oh well, on with the review — I was first introduced to Talisker through the 10yr at a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse which is now a favorite of mine (not really a steak eater (as some of you in whisky-land may know) but, because of business, I find my self at steakhouses a few times a month).

When I went to buy a bottle I figured that if the 10yr was so good, the 18yr had to be better. As many of you know, with whisky, age doesn’t always matter.  With the Taliskers, I think the extra youth in the peat really adds to the over all experience of the whisky so, this being said, I do prefer the 10yr over the 18yr expression

While I find the 10yr to be a much tastier drop over the 18yr, I’m not going to do a comparative review. I will review the 18yr on it’s own merits. I just thought, for those who like to find a bargain, you can save a good and fair amount of $$ sticking with the 10yr, if you so choose.

Initial whiff I found myself nosing this for quite some time. So nice and warm, almost savory. Some oak notes here too. Some peat, quite subdued however. Subtle fruits – overripe berries or spiced pear. Quite lovely. Kind of like when you go to the bakery during bake time, you just want to keep sniffing!

On the mouth Warm & spicy. Toasted coconut, apple cake that has been re-heated in the toaster for too long and became slightly burnt (can’t tell you how many times I’ve done crap like that – I can be such a dumb-dumb at times), kind of peppery, honey glazed baked goods and burnt grass – hello peat!

Finish Medium long with a bit more smoke. Oily coat. Some of the extra maturation can be tasted here – there’s some nice oakiness which I only noticed on the nose.

In sum This made me want to bulk up on carbs! A nice baguette with some oil…here I come!