[VIDEO] Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask Video Review by Swami Suave

We’re testing a new little feature here and it’s a video review by fellow Scotch Addict Facebook member Swami Suave – this five minute video takes a look at Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask Review.

Balvenie 14 is finished in Jamaican rum casks, after spending most of its life in new American bourbon casks. Suave goes into a little bit of the history of Balvenie, his personal history with Balvenie, and then dives into the tasting by way of a Glencairn glass without water (neat).

Tasting notes:

  • Nose: Toffee, white wine, light spiced rum, vanilla
  • Taste: Burnt sugar, raisins
  • Finish: Light nutty tasty

If you don’t get a chance to watch the video, Suave had one word of advice – don’t add water. It drowns out the complexity of the dram.

For the novices out there, one thing you’ll notice Suave do is open his mouth when he is nosing the glass. If you tend to nose with your mouth closed, try it with it open, it really helps because it opens up a “backdraft.” Give it a try next time.

What did you think of the video?

Three Best Malt Whiskies for Beginners

Ralfy, who runs Ralfy.com, an eccentric (collection of) whisky blog(s) with an eccentric whisky commentator; shares with us his three best malt whiskies for beginners in a short video:

He recommends Old Pulteney 12, Highland Park 12, and Caol Ila 12. He recommends these as the first three to try after Glenfiddich or Glenlivet.

Vaporizing Whisky – Whiskey Cloud of Peace

Here’s an interesting way to consume whisky, courtesy of James May and Oz Clark on the BBC’s Man Lab show:

Essentially you pressurize a bottle, one that has a bit of whisky at the bottom, with a hand pump and then rapidly depressurize it. That vaporizes some of the whisky, which you then inhale. I’m not sure how safe it is but it’s remarkably clever. And the patrons seem to love it!

The Glenrothes Whisky Maker Contest Highlights

I had no idea that Glenrothes was having a Whisky Maker contest, calling it the “The Glenrothes Whisky Maker contest,” in which they were looking for amateur whisky makers from all across the globe. The contest ran from October 2010 to January 2011 and four winners were chosen to spend a week in Scotland this May, with this video being a summary of the highlights on that trip. Two winners were from the UK, one from the United States, and one hailed from Taiwan!

Here’s the video, which has some pretty fantastic production quality:

I’ve seen the distillery before but I’ve never tried any of their expressions. Perhaps that will change this year!

Video: Tasting of a $176,000/Bottle Scotch

Linsey at Lush Life tries a taste from an expensive bottle of The Dalmore, which costs a staggering $176,000 a bottle, though it’s unclear what the exact name is (not that it is that important, wasn’t like I was going to buy some!).

Check it out, quite entertaining:

Lindsey tastes The Dalmore from Lush Life on Vimeo.

The man doing most of the talking is none other than the famed Richard Paterson, Master Blender at Whyte & Mackay.