J. P. Wiser’s 18 Year
J. P. Wiser was a Canadian businessman in the late 1800s who went about building a spirits company centered around whisky. A lot of the mythology around Wiser involves the dedication to the craft of making whisky, specifically that the time it takes to mature is more than worth it. Wiser’s company has been bought and sold a few times since he founded it and the brand is now part of the Hiram Walker portfolio, which in turn is part of the Pernod Ricard conglomerate. As with many, though not all, Canadian whiskies, any information about the blend or maturation is very difficult to come by.
Kilchoman Winter 2010
Back in Kilchoman’s early days, less than a decade ago for those keeping count at home, the distillery would put out seasonal releases for lack of having anything steady and regular enough for what their Machir Bay later became. Kilchoman doesn’t do this biannual release anymore, having transitioned to a more stable (though still not completely stable) line up of offerings. This Winter 2010 release followed the Summer 2010 release and, unsurprisingly, neither are readily available now. Still not sure how we ended up with this one, other than it being dragged out of some dusty cellar after gathering cobwebs for a few years. Not complaining in the slightest, however.
Compass Box Peat Monster
John Glaser and Compass Box have been pushing the bounds of scotch since the beginning, often winning awards and angering conglomerates along the way. One of their long staples (Signature Range) has been the Peat Monster. This monster is, despite the name, not built to overwhelm. Rather, the stated purpose is to take those Islay elements and enrich them with fruits and malt. In other words, to create something that is far more than a two-dimensional scotch. There is also a 2013 release of a 10th anniversary edition of the Peat Monster we hope to try in the future. We also raise a special glass to John Glaser, as he is a native son of Minnesota.