Caol Ila 17 Year Unpeated
One of the great things about the whisky surge over the past couple of decades has been the freedom of experimentation. With more volume moving off the shelf, distilleries need a way to stand out. Scotch, having stricter regulations than whisky in many other parts of the world, has to arguably work a little harder to be unique without alienating consumers. The Caol Ila 17 is an example of this deviation, by the simple act of not peat-drying the barley and bottling the whisky at cask strength.
Deanston 12 Year
Deanston has been a distillery since 1966, though the site was a major cotton mill for almost 200 hundred years before that. Sourcing water from the River Teith, it is the only current distillery in Scotland to be entirely powered by hydro-electricity. Deanston is currently owned by Distell Group Limited, which also owns the Tobermory and Bunnahabhain distilleries. Its first single malt was named Old Bannockburn but the core range is now made up of the Deanston 12 and a No Age Statement offering, though they experiment with more limited or distillery-only editions.
Some, Er, Love’em: Whiskies in Warm Weather
For many people, there is a season or occasion for certain drinks. Mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby. Champagne at weddings. Wine by the glass at a fancy dinner…or by the box, alone in your apartment after a bad breakup. For a lot of folks, whisky is often a drink they associate with the cooler months of the year. We get it. One of the great things about exploring any kind of food or beverage is the associations you make when you think about them. Dare to explore whisky in the warmer months of the year and invoke new memories.