General

RCWS Member #9 submitted the following: “Every time I go to the whiskey tastings with Scotch and Irish Whiskey I always take the Irish Whiskey, I just like it best.

My first taste of Ben Nevis was a 6 year old expression bottled in 1999 by Murry & McDavid. I was very impressed at how smooth it was for being so young. It quickly put me on the hunt for more.

The last tasting the RCWS had as it’s overall winner, by a landslide,  The Arran Malt – Lepando PX Brandy Finish.  Since I have three open bottles of The Arran Malt:  The classic 10 year old, Bourbon Single Cask, and Sherry Single Cask, I will give my thoughts on the bourbon finish.

For the New Year RCWS gathered and tried 8 whiskies and watched the movie The Hangover.  The gatherings are always fun and full of laughs, but with the addition of the movie, a good time was had by all. 

Whiskey / Whisky is basically a distilled grain.  Why the missing “e”?  Scotland and Canada spell it without the “e.”  America and Ireland spell it with the “e.”    Bourbon is also a whiskey, however, in order to be labeled bourbon it has to be made in America, distilled with at least 51% corn (usually about 80%), and aged … Continue reading »

So, are you supposed to add water to your whisky? Or should you drink it straight ( or “neat”)? Is it okay to add ice? The answer is simple….

I had Ben Nevis 12 year old bottled by Duncan Taylor, an independent bottler.  Ben Nevis is one of my favorites and is hard to find in the U.S.  This dram is good.  It smells sweet and soft and has a gentle flavor that doesn’t overpower.   If I had to describe the flavors I would say vanilla … Continue reading »

Tonight we are trying:  Hazelburn 8 year old, The Arran Malt – Burgundy finish, Jameson 18 year old, Blanton’s Bourbon, BenRiach 15 year old Dark Rum Finish, Compass Box – Hedonism, Glenfarclas 21 year old, and Booker’s Small Batch Bourbon.  Stay tuned for the results.

On December 4, 2009 members of the River City Whisky Society held a Bourbon Trail Whisky tasting. One bottle of bourbon was presented from each of the eight distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. To make things somewhat fair each bottle had nearly the same retail sale price…around $30 (USD). At the end of the … Continue reading »

River City Whisky Society was co-founded by Mark Aldrich and Doug Schaeffler on September 27, 2009 for whisky lovers everywhere. Membership is limited, for now, but feel free to subscribe to this blog and receive all updates to this site. These updates will include the results of our tastings as well as any other information … Continue reading »