@Henjo29, you are correct, that would be a 20 year old whiskey, since it spent 20 years in wood, before bottling. The Glenrothes uses a similar system, naming the releases by the year they were distilled, and listing the year bottled on the label, as well, so you can calculate the age.
Hi Ralfy, great as always. I'm just starting on my malt crusade and I was wondering if there were any lighter whiskeys in which you could recommend for someone whose palette is new to whisky so needs "breaking in". Regards.
I've been curious about Compass box... Ralfy are you planning another run of Irish whiskeys this March? I just purchased a blend from Cooley that is a pretty decent value.
Hey Ralfy, Along with John Lamond's website and perhaps the Malt Advocate, what are some other good references for a novice whisky enthusiast ? Big fan of the vlogs by the way. Cheers !
@ralfystuff I havent heard anything about that, interesting. Im in Canada so im out of the loop when it comes to those distillerys over there. I still have to say bushmills black bush is one of my top favorites for blended whiskys!
Ralfy, what a pleasant surprise to find your Hedonism review up, so quickly after the Peat Monster review. It really made me happy today. Are there any American whiskies that are similar in flavor to Hedonism? It runs $80+ in my neck of the woods, and I'm wondering how it compares to bourbons in that super-premium price range.
Compass Box is really the only bottler/blender with the courage to sell something like this.It is quite light like a Canadian whiskey but Canadian is mostly rye and this is distilled mostly from corn like bourbon.notice the color is lighter due to the lack of spirit caramel coloring.i believe the youngest component is 14 years old with some 30 year in there.John Glaser is a genius!!
Hello from Japan. I have a question concerning the age of my whisky. Recently I've bought a bottle of Ichiro's Malt card (9 of spades). On the bottle states "distilled 1990/bottled 2010. Does this mean that the age is 20yr? Usually bottles state the age, but I'm curious if this is just another way telling the age. I would appreciate you help. Thank you.
Ralfy have you ever tasted Port Dundas single grain? I have the oppurtunity to get a 21 year old Bladnoch Forum bottling of Port Dundas at 56.8%. And its only £33.50! Seems too good to be true. Just wondering if you have ever tried this grain.
Hello, Ralfy, I saw a bottle of 1990-2006 Gordon & Macphail Glenturret. It's the discounted bottling. The price is about 85 £. Does it overpriced? Sorry for my bad english in the comments, I haven't got practice of writing for a very long time.
@tom635csi would that by any chance be the Bourbon single cask from cask #77? If so, I recently purchased bottle number 28/206 of that! I haven't cracked it yet...
@XtrmBucketList I know I am not Ralfy :-P But in the early days I fell totaly in looooove with the 12 yo doublewood Balvenie !!! Very very good, not too harsh, I should get another bottle it is actually one of the greatest! :-)
. . . none planned at the moment, prices are being manipulated up by the Industry suggesting grain is as good as malt, especially old stuff which gets more money !
Hi. I have JW:Black, Macallan 12, and Glenfiddich 12. I like the JW and the Glen, but dislike the Macallan. I was considering picking up a Glenmorangie 10 year, but I do not want to have too many similar tasting scotchs (I have all young). I am new to scotch, and was wondering what you think. Glenmorangie or buy something higher up the ladder?
Justin Rizzo Hey justin, if you're new to scotch, go for a dalnore or a glenmorangie. Not higher up the ladder, but more mellow. Easier to get all the flavors in the beginning. Enjoy
Given that this is a blended grain whisky, would it not be closer to a Canadian in style than to an American bourbon? After all, with bourbon the various grains are mashed and distilled together whereas Canadian distillers tend to distill the grains separately.
+IntlExec Iceland Actually now that I have tried it, I can testify that it most definite is much closer to Canadian whisky in taste than either Scotch or bourbon. Overall I found it had very little taste but a pleasant mouthfeel.
+IntlExec Iceland I guarantee he had it and for a discounted price. Got mine in Toronto for $56 cdn. Happy that I did not pay the original $100 cdn when it was released. Cheers
I actually bought Hedonism and Spice Tree as my first 2 Scotch whiskies...I was looking to move away from bourbon, rum, wine and beer. I sure enjoy Compass Box whiskies and they have opened the door for me to move on to single malts... Seems strange the very first whisky from Scotland I ever tasted was a grain blend...
Your presentation and knowledge are top notch Ralfy!
I swear your videos has opened my eyes on whiskey and I found new gems i didn't know existed. Outstanding review Ralfy!
@Henjo29, you are correct, that would be a 20 year old whiskey, since it spent 20 years in wood, before bottling. The Glenrothes uses a similar system, naming the releases by the year they were distilled, and listing the year bottled on the label, as well, so you can calculate the age.
This is a delicious Whisky! Thanks for the review Ralfy!
I'd love to see more single grain reviews from you, particularly if you can find a bottling of North British single grain
You, sir, are bloody brilliant.
Im a newie to the Scotch Universe and I have to thank you, you make my experience even better!
Wonderful as always and profound at the end. Been looking forward to the new review all week, now what am I going to do for six days. Dram dram dram.
I saw a video in which John Glaser of Compass Box stated that the whiskies in this are between 15 and 29 years of age, with an average of 21 years.
I love a good grain Whisky. Always observed the same in blends, where the grain is agreed better.
Hi Ralfy, great as always. I'm just starting on my malt crusade and I was wondering if there were any lighter whiskeys in which you could recommend for someone whose palette is new to whisky so needs "breaking in". Regards.
I've been curious about Compass box... Ralfy are you planning another run of Irish whiskeys this March? I just purchased a blend from Cooley that is a pretty decent value.
Hi Ralfy this is actually made using first fill American Oak barrels and not re-fill, at least that is what my bottle states. Cheers
Hey Ralfy,
Along with John Lamond's website and perhaps the Malt Advocate, what are some other good references for a novice whisky enthusiast ?
Big fan of the vlogs by the way. Cheers !
hey Ralphy, just wondering if you can recommend a good Irish cream liquer for such things as coffee and night caps?
@ralfystuff I havent heard anything about that, interesting. Im in Canada so im out of the loop when it comes to those distillerys over there. I still have to say bushmills black bush is one of my top favorites for blended whiskys!
Ralphy, i was just wondering if you have tried kilbaggen? What were you thoughts on this cooleys whisky?
Oh their website they say most whisky in Hedonism has been aged in first-fill American oak casks. Does it make it closer to bourbon then ?
Ralfy, what a pleasant surprise to find your Hedonism review up, so quickly after the Peat Monster review. It really made me happy today.
Are there any American whiskies that are similar in flavor to Hedonism? It runs $80+ in my neck of the woods, and I'm wondering how it compares to bourbons in that super-premium price range.
Superior
Maybe you could review some of the Clan Denny Single Grain range?
Ralfy, what do you think about Compass Box Oak Cross?
Compass Box is really the only bottler/blender with the courage to sell something like this.It is quite light like a Canadian whiskey but Canadian is mostly rye and this is distilled mostly from corn like bourbon.notice the color is lighter due to the lack of spirit caramel coloring.i believe the youngest component is 14 years old with some 30 year in there.John Glaser is a genius!!
Hello from Japan. I have a question concerning the age of my whisky. Recently I've bought a bottle of Ichiro's Malt card (9 of spades). On the bottle states "distilled 1990/bottled 2010. Does this mean that the age is 20yr? Usually bottles state the age, but I'm curious if this is just another way telling the age. I would appreciate you help. Thank you.
Ralfy have you ever tasted Port Dundas single grain? I have the oppurtunity to get a 21 year old Bladnoch Forum bottling of Port Dundas at 56.8%. And its only £33.50! Seems too good to be true. Just wondering if you have ever tried this grain.
Hello, Ralfy, I saw a bottle of 1990-2006 Gordon & Macphail Glenturret. It's the discounted bottling. The price is about 85 £. Does it overpriced? Sorry for my bad english in the comments, I haven't got practice of writing for a very long time.
@tom635csi would that by any chance be the Bourbon single cask from cask #77? If so, I recently purchased bottle number 28/206 of that! I haven't cracked it yet...
Have you ever tried the "Woodford Reserve Distillers Select" Bourbon? Made in a Pot Still and really tasty :-)
hello ralfy, I have a question. When you taste whiskey, you always taste flavours like dried fruit, caramel etc. How do those flavours get in there?
Very intrigued by this whisky, but the price is a bit rich for me...$84.00 USD. I need a whisky club here in St. Louis, MO to spread the cost with.
Serve it at 16C/50F and it is like Juice from a 23 gorgeous woman !
+IntlExec Iceland hahaha
Do you have any idea what the grain bill of this whisky is?
@XtrmBucketList I know I am not Ralfy :-P But in the early days I fell totaly in looooove with the 12 yo doublewood Balvenie !!! Very very good, not too harsh, I should get another bottle it is actually one of the greatest! :-)
Ralfy, do you think that Hedonism could be mistaken for an American Bourbon in a blind tasting?
@kingcherub we call it the same name here in Trinidad.
Any chance you'd do a dedicated recommended grain whiskies video?
. . . none planned at the moment, prices are being manipulated up by the Industry suggesting grain is as good as malt, especially old stuff which gets more money !
Hi. I have JW:Black, Macallan 12, and Glenfiddich 12. I like the JW and the Glen, but dislike the Macallan. I was considering picking up a Glenmorangie 10 year, but I do not want to have too many similar tasting scotchs (I have all young). I am new to scotch, and was wondering what you think. Glenmorangie or buy something higher up the ladder?
Justin Rizzo
Hey justin, if you're new to scotch, go for a dalnore or a glenmorangie. Not higher up the ladder, but more mellow. Easier to get all the flavors in the beginning. Enjoy
@ralfystuff Thanks!
Given that this is a blended grain whisky, would it not be closer to a Canadian in style than to an American bourbon? After all, with bourbon the various grains are mashed and distilled together whereas Canadian distillers tend to distill the grains separately.
+Megawatt Obsoletely Not ! This is one of the whiskies I have ever drunk in my life !
+IntlExec Iceland
Actually now that I have tried it, I can testify that it most definite is much closer to Canadian whisky in taste than either Scotch or bourbon. Overall I found it had very little taste but a pleasant mouthfeel.
+Megawatt You did not try it.....Keep drinking Crown Royal or other cheap stuff !!!
+IntlExec Iceland Nice! Shall I send you a pic of the bottle?
+IntlExec Iceland I guarantee he had it and for a discounted price. Got mine in Toronto for $56 cdn. Happy that I did not pay the original $100 cdn when it was released.
Cheers
Current market price for me on this ( 2022 ) is $140.00!!
I actually bought Hedonism and Spice Tree as my first 2 Scotch whiskies...I was looking to move away from bourbon, rum, wine and beer. I sure enjoy Compass Box whiskies and they have opened the door for me to move on to single malts...
Seems strange the very first whisky from Scotland I ever tasted was a grain blend...
Don't get too commercial Ralfy, lol.
Love you, Ralfy but I wish you'd learn how to pronounce "hyperbole." lol hy-PER-buh-lee