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. Read more »

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. Read 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. Read more »

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.  Read more »

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 a minimum of 2 years in new charred oak barrels.    Scotch has to be distilled and aged (minimum 3 years) in Scotland.   Canada and Ireland have laws, but a good rule of thumb is they need to be made in their respective countries.    Read more »

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…. Read more »

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 and cream.   If you are at a place that offers Ben Nevis, give it a try.

Doug had a scotch from the Macallan family.  Macallan is one of the more popular brands and offers a number of different expressions. Each year Costco bottles one of these under their Kirkland brand and marks it with a very favorable price tag. This year they offered the Macallan 15 year old scotch at a price of $50 (USD). He found the 15 year old to be quite smooth with a creamy finish. This whisky actually spent most of it’s life maturing in an oak cask but was finished in a sherry cask. The sherry taste was more pronounced than expected but added to the overall flavor. It was a great way to kick off 2010.

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.

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 we find may be of interest to the whisky drinking population.