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Whisky Tasting Notes
The Dalmore 12 Year Old
ABV: 43
Color - copper penny…
Glass - CM
Nose - English toffee, Cadbury’s milk chocolate, light peat smoke, chocolate birthday cake, fruit -- apricots, pineapple, woodsmoke, canvas tent in summer heat, a fireplace in winter -- this is a complex malt! Sherry fighting with bourbon!
Flavor - Sherry vs. Bourbon, salty notes -- I like it! Chocolate afternotes & finish. Sweet -- long finish with bourbon note. Note the nice long legs…this malt streaks down the sides of glass!
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Grant’s Family Reserve NAS
ABV: 40%
Color - Medium Gold
Glass - CM
Nose - Clean, Citrus fruity, vanilla(oak), some pineapple, slight peat smoke.
Flavor - Citrus fruit vs. Toffee. Strong sense of The Balvinie Founder’s Reserve & Glenfiddich15. Malt vs.Sherry…
Grain..............Grape.............Oak
Multidimensional!
There is quality here for as much as this costs (all of $14! With tax!) It is worth many times the actual price! Much better blend than many of the so called "premium" blends.
Next: a taste off between Grant’s Family Reserve v White Horse.
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Ledig Sherry Cask - NAS (Tobermory Distillery)
ABV: 42% (I understand that this strength is common to some areas of Eastern Europe.)
Color - Medium Gold
Glass - White Wine with stem. (Tasted at SABR Spring Tea, bottle brought by a friend who was gifted this by his grandson.
Nose - Feints! Peat like model airplane glue, reminds me of moonshine, toasted grain.
Flavor -- again peat & feints, why do they make whisky this bad? Toasted corn taco shells. What is so strange is WHERE IS THE SHERRY??? How can Tobermory make this stuff when Tobermory 10 year old is so nice and clean? Clearly the cut has been made WAY too wide maybe in an effort to put emphasis on the peat much to the determent of the overall whisky. Still, is WHERE IS THE SHERRY???
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The MacAllan 15 Year Old Fine Oak Finish
ABV: 43%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (tasted at Churchill’s with a friend).
Nose -- caramel, clean light sherry (not quite a nude MacAllan!), Malt sweetness, fruit, juicy.
Flavor - Fruit, spices, grape vs grain, very clean clear malt, brown sugar…
Complex and will need a revisit.
This malt has a long beautiful finish. This age is so very much better than the 10 year old Fine Oak version.
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Longrow 17 Year Old - Springbank Distillery (Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling).
ABV:50% (100 proof) (cask strength).
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (tasted at Churchill’s with a friend. He brought this back from Scotland.)
Nose -- Kippered Herring, salt, ocean air, leather, clearly maritime, peat.
Flavor - Interesting interplay between sweet malt and sherry, peat & salt.
I’m very impressed with this malt.
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Glendronach 12 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Glass: Celtic Malt Spirits Glass (CM).
Nose - Sherry, toffee with sweet brown sugar and oaky vanilla, on the nose this is totally glorious! Deep sweet sherry combined with sweet malt & vanilla, alcohol with a slight bit of smoke at the end. Sometimes it all comes out in a different order!
Flavor - much dryer than the nose would suggest - quite a bit of disconnect between the nose and taste. Dry toffee(ish) sherry (wonder what kind of sherry casks this was aged in?) Lots of malt but still very dry. I tasted this several times but the notes are much dryer - reminds me of a much dryer sherry - I wish the flavor was more on key with the nose. Still not bad.
Still not the Glendronach of old, the 1980s squat green bottle was quite a different malt and much superior over all. It was aged in oak ex-bourbon casks versus this sherry monster!
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Glendronach 15 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Glass: Stemless White Wine
Color: deep old copper penny
Nose - Clearly more smoke, sherry, peat, brown sugar, Christmas spices, soft alcohol, raisins.
Flavor - distinct sherry, quite sweet in the beginning - quite thin, smoke on the finish with oak
Tannins - less dry than the "12".
This is the malt that started it all for me and holds a special place in my esteem. The Glendronach of 23 years ago and again tasting this malt in the Summer of 2007, brought it all back again! My dad gave me this sample which was tasted on May 21, 2008 - it was his Christmas present in 2003.
What a shame that this expression is no longer available!
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Glenfarclas 10 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Color: light-Amber
Nose - This is such an odd duck! Something very off key and seems feinty (to me) - Sherry - soft alcohol, raisin cream pie.
Flavor - Sherry, very youngish, it is interesting to see what I consider a great malt at age 12 (on up) this one falls a wee bit short but is still very pleasant with a soft mouthfeel and a long sherry like finish. I just miss the wonderful nose of the "12".
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Culdeedeacon †
ABV: 43
Color - copper penny…
Glass - CM
Nose - English toffee, Cadbury’s milk chocolate, light peat smoke, chocolate birthday cake, fruit -- apricots, pineapple, woodsmoke, canvas tent in summer heat, a fireplace in winter -- this is a complex malt! Sherry fighting with bourbon!
Flavor - Sherry vs. Bourbon, salty notes -- I like it! Chocolate afternotes & finish. Sweet -- long finish with bourbon note. Note the nice long legs…this malt streaks down the sides of glass!
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Grant’s Family Reserve NAS
ABV: 40%
Color - Medium Gold
Glass - CM
Nose - Clean, Citrus fruity, vanilla(oak), some pineapple, slight peat smoke.
Flavor - Citrus fruit vs. Toffee. Strong sense of The Balvinie Founder’s Reserve & Glenfiddich15. Malt vs.Sherry…
Grain..............Grape.............Oak
Multidimensional!
There is quality here for as much as this costs (all of $14! With tax!) It is worth many times the actual price! Much better blend than many of the so called "premium" blends.
Next: a taste off between Grant’s Family Reserve v White Horse.
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Ledig Sherry Cask - NAS (Tobermory Distillery)
ABV: 42% (I understand that this strength is common to some areas of Eastern Europe.)
Color - Medium Gold
Glass - White Wine with stem. (Tasted at SABR Spring Tea, bottle brought by a friend who was gifted this by his grandson.
Nose - Feints! Peat like model airplane glue, reminds me of moonshine, toasted grain.
Flavor -- again peat & feints, why do they make whisky this bad? Toasted corn taco shells. What is so strange is WHERE IS THE SHERRY??? How can Tobermory make this stuff when Tobermory 10 year old is so nice and clean? Clearly the cut has been made WAY too wide maybe in an effort to put emphasis on the peat much to the determent of the overall whisky. Still, is WHERE IS THE SHERRY???
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The MacAllan 15 Year Old Fine Oak Finish
ABV: 43%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (tasted at Churchill’s with a friend).
Nose -- caramel, clean light sherry (not quite a nude MacAllan!), Malt sweetness, fruit, juicy.
Flavor - Fruit, spices, grape vs grain, very clean clear malt, brown sugar…
Complex and will need a revisit.
This malt has a long beautiful finish. This age is so very much better than the 10 year old Fine Oak version.
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Longrow 17 Year Old - Springbank Distillery (Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling).
ABV:50% (100 proof) (cask strength).
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (tasted at Churchill’s with a friend. He brought this back from Scotland.)
Nose -- Kippered Herring, salt, ocean air, leather, clearly maritime, peat.
Flavor - Interesting interplay between sweet malt and sherry, peat & salt.
I’m very impressed with this malt.
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Glendronach 12 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Glass: Celtic Malt Spirits Glass (CM).
Nose - Sherry, toffee with sweet brown sugar and oaky vanilla, on the nose this is totally glorious! Deep sweet sherry combined with sweet malt & vanilla, alcohol with a slight bit of smoke at the end. Sometimes it all comes out in a different order!
Flavor - much dryer than the nose would suggest - quite a bit of disconnect between the nose and taste. Dry toffee(ish) sherry (wonder what kind of sherry casks this was aged in?) Lots of malt but still very dry. I tasted this several times but the notes are much dryer - reminds me of a much dryer sherry - I wish the flavor was more on key with the nose. Still not bad.
Still not the Glendronach of old, the 1980s squat green bottle was quite a different malt and much superior over all. It was aged in oak ex-bourbon casks versus this sherry monster!
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Glendronach 15 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Glass: Stemless White Wine
Color: deep old copper penny
Nose - Clearly more smoke, sherry, peat, brown sugar, Christmas spices, soft alcohol, raisins.
Flavor - distinct sherry, quite sweet in the beginning - quite thin, smoke on the finish with oak
Tannins - less dry than the "12".
This is the malt that started it all for me and holds a special place in my esteem. The Glendronach of 23 years ago and again tasting this malt in the Summer of 2007, brought it all back again! My dad gave me this sample which was tasted on May 21, 2008 - it was his Christmas present in 2003.
What a shame that this expression is no longer available!
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Glenfarclas 10 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Color: light-Amber
Nose - This is such an odd duck! Something very off key and seems feinty (to me) - Sherry - soft alcohol, raisin cream pie.
Flavor - Sherry, very youngish, it is interesting to see what I consider a great malt at age 12 (on up) this one falls a wee bit short but is still very pleasant with a soft mouthfeel and a long sherry like finish. I just miss the wonderful nose of the "12".
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Culdeedeacon †
Whisky Tasting Notes
These next few single malt whiskies are from Islay which is pronounced, "eye-la". Islay is one of the islands off the west coast of Scotland. Islay has basically three different regions, which I call the "North Shore", "The West", and "The South Shore". Each of these have different distilleries and each produce a distinctly different character of whisky but all also share certain characteristics as well. Of these areas, the South Shore distilleries are in my opinion the most distinctive and I believe the best. These whiskies are characterized by a strong nose of Islay peat which has a distinctly seaweed character. One can smell the sea air, smell and taste sea salt, iodine...etc. This comes from the peat used in the malting process, the water which comes from various sources including coastal lochs, streams, etc, and from the proximity to the sea.
Islay malts are my favorites and in particular I enjoy the "South Shore" malts the best. There are three distilleries which make up the South Shore and these are Laphroaig, Lagavulin & Ardbeg.
Here are some of my recent tastings of Islay malts:
Laphroaig 10 Year Old
ABV -- 43%
Glass - White wine w/stem
Color - Gold Gold Gold - Liquid Fort Knox!!!
Nose -- Islay peat smoke, apples, Apple cider, juicy, Beach & Ocean smells...
Flavor - Smoke from a peat fire, apples, Big Sweetness, Salty
Sometimes I forget how good this one really is!
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Laphroaig 15 Year Old (tasted blind)
ABV -- 43%
Color - Amber
Nose -- Reminds me of Highland Park 12 - smoke peat but not distinctly Islay but clearly Maritime/Scottish Isles. Salt spray - the Ocean.
Flavor - This is the giveaway! Clearly Islay! Also, clearly Southshore Islay! Peat, seaweed, sweet malt, Sherry(?), Salt.
The nose on this threw me at first but the tasting cleared it up. I just love these big Islay malts!
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Laphroaig Quarter Cask
ABV -- 48% (note that this is non-chill filtered.)
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon
Color - Dark Gold
Nose - closed at first but opens with water with lots of Islay peat smoke - much like Ardbeg. Alcohol burn...
Flavor - dry peat smoke, dry peat smoke, dry peat smoke...
Typey Islay South Shore -- needs a revisit
Revisit x 2
This time in a stemless white wine
Nose - no water this time, opens with time - huge peat smoke, sweet malt, vanilla oak... Alcohol burn, oatcakes!
Flavor -- Sweet malt, more pronounced - then dry peat smoke, apples, phenolic, seaweed/iodine.
Very South shore Islay! This is fast becoming a favorite!
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Lagavulin 16 Year old
AVB - 43%
Glass - Whisky Tumbler
Color - Dark Gold/Amber
Nose - peat fire, phenol, sherry, sweetness
Flavor -- Sweet then dry as a bone finish! Salty, Peat.
Revisit
Glass - stemless white wine
Color - Dark Amber
Nose - smoke, Peat, sweet malt, vanilla, oak, licorice(ish)?
Flavor - Salt!, vanilla, big oak, malt sweetness, Sherry, smooth as a baby’s butt, chocolate...
This whisky has as long a finish as I have ever experienced! Memories!
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Ardbeg 10 Year Old
ABV 46%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - very light gold
Nose - beautiful! Islay peat! Smoke, Phenolic, very complex, beach smells, can one really get beyond the nose???
Flavor - like no other! This still remains the taste of Scotland! Can anything be this smooth?
Revisit - added more water as this is nonchill filtered it goes cloudy which is not a pretty sight.
Nose - citrus notes - lime juice?
Flavor - toasted corn taco shells, dry peat smoke with lime juice
Revisit - No water this time! This malt is wonderful WITHOUT water! Water ruins it! This is the equal to Lagavulin 16 as long as no water is added.
CuldeeDeacon †
ABV -- 43%
Glass - White wine w/stem
Color - Gold Gold Gold - Liquid Fort Knox!!!
Nose -- Islay peat smoke, apples, Apple cider, juicy, Beach & Ocean smells...
Flavor - Smoke from a peat fire, apples, Big Sweetness, Salty
Sometimes I forget how good this one really is!
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Laphroaig 15 Year Old (tasted blind)
ABV -- 43%
Color - Amber
Nose -- Reminds me of Highland Park 12 - smoke peat but not distinctly Islay but clearly Maritime/Scottish Isles. Salt spray - the Ocean.
Flavor - This is the giveaway! Clearly Islay! Also, clearly Southshore Islay! Peat, seaweed, sweet malt, Sherry(?), Salt.
The nose on this threw me at first but the tasting cleared it up. I just love these big Islay malts!
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Laphroaig Quarter Cask
ABV -- 48% (note that this is non-chill filtered.)
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon
Color - Dark Gold
Nose - closed at first but opens with water with lots of Islay peat smoke - much like Ardbeg. Alcohol burn...
Flavor - dry peat smoke, dry peat smoke, dry peat smoke...
Typey Islay South Shore -- needs a revisit
Revisit x 2
This time in a stemless white wine
Nose - no water this time, opens with time - huge peat smoke, sweet malt, vanilla oak... Alcohol burn, oatcakes!
Flavor -- Sweet malt, more pronounced - then dry peat smoke, apples, phenolic, seaweed/iodine.
Very South shore Islay! This is fast becoming a favorite!
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Lagavulin 16 Year old
AVB - 43%
Glass - Whisky Tumbler
Color - Dark Gold/Amber
Nose - peat fire, phenol, sherry, sweetness
Flavor -- Sweet then dry as a bone finish! Salty, Peat.
Revisit
Glass - stemless white wine
Color - Dark Amber
Nose - smoke, Peat, sweet malt, vanilla, oak, licorice(ish)?
Flavor - Salt!, vanilla, big oak, malt sweetness, Sherry, smooth as a baby’s butt, chocolate...
This whisky has as long a finish as I have ever experienced! Memories!
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Ardbeg 10 Year Old
ABV 46%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - very light gold
Nose - beautiful! Islay peat! Smoke, Phenolic, very complex, beach smells, can one really get beyond the nose???
Flavor - like no other! This still remains the taste of Scotland! Can anything be this smooth?
Revisit - added more water as this is nonchill filtered it goes cloudy which is not a pretty sight.
Nose - citrus notes - lime juice?
Flavor - toasted corn taco shells, dry peat smoke with lime juice
Revisit - No water this time! This malt is wonderful WITHOUT water! Water ruins it! This is the equal to Lagavulin 16 as long as no water is added.
CuldeeDeacon †
Whisky Tasting Notes
Highland Park 12 Year Old
ABV - 43%
Glass -- Stemless White Wine
Color - Amber
Nose - Vanilla (oak), Salt, Sea Spray, sweet malt, grass, Smoke, The grouse moors...Heather
Flavor - Malty sweetness, Salt, Vanilla (oak), Heather, Heather honey.
This IS the best malt for the $.
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Highland Park 18 Year Old
ABV - 43%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon
Color -- Gold
Nose - Brown sugar, Grandmommie’s House, ginger, Heather, Eastern Highland Grouse Moors...
Flavor - gumdrops, Heather honey, slight peat smoke at the end (clear on the finish)...
One of my favorites! Very smooth!
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Highland Park 25 Year Old
ABV - 50.3%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (1/2 full!)
Color -- Amber
Nose - Complex - Smoke - Spices - heather, honey, soft malt in the background....(is there Salt?)
Flavor -- Soft smoke/salt, oranges with chocolate in the background -- much more like the HP12 than the HP18 -- Honey Heather, maybe salt?!
This is an immense Scotch and one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Head & shoulders over even The MacAllen 18 or 25! The maritime nature of the HP still shines through!
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ABV - 43%
Glass -- Stemless White Wine
Color - Amber
Nose - Vanilla (oak), Salt, Sea Spray, sweet malt, grass, Smoke, The grouse moors...Heather
Flavor - Malty sweetness, Salt, Vanilla (oak), Heather, Heather honey.
This IS the best malt for the $.
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Highland Park 18 Year Old
ABV - 43%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon
Color -- Gold
Nose - Brown sugar, Grandmommie’s House, ginger, Heather, Eastern Highland Grouse Moors...
Flavor - gumdrops, Heather honey, slight peat smoke at the end (clear on the finish)...
One of my favorites! Very smooth!
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Highland Park 25 Year Old
ABV - 50.3%
Glass - Medium Brandy Balloon (1/2 full!)
Color -- Amber
Nose - Complex - Smoke - Spices - heather, honey, soft malt in the background....(is there Salt?)
Flavor -- Soft smoke/salt, oranges with chocolate in the background -- much more like the HP12 than the HP18 -- Honey Heather, maybe salt?!
This is an immense Scotch and one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Head & shoulders over even The MacAllen 18 or 25! The maritime nature of the HP still shines through!
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Whisky Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes:
The MacAllen 10 Year Old Fine Oak Finish
ABV- 40%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Dark Gold to Amber
Nose - oak, oats, grass, malt
Flavor - oaky vanilla with malt sweetness, thin mouthfeel but rich taste! Not the usual MacAllen with little to no sherry character! This is a 10 year old naked MacAllen.
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The MacAllen 12 Year Old Sherry Finish
ABV - 43%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Dark Amber - Rich looking...
Nose - A glass of sherry? Malt with very light peat smoke.
Flavor - smooth - Sherry(ish) - Medium Sweet - Rich!! - almost like a top cream sherry - light malt - very light peat.
Heavy weight malt whiskywith a big Speyside character -- I’ll have to taste this one back to back with the Glenfarclas 12 and the Highland Park 12. Really no oak here like in the 18 year old.
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Glenfarclas 12 Year Old
ABV - 43% (used slight water)
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Amber - gold to bronze...
Nose - Big! Christmas sugar cookies, Girl Scout "Thin Mint Cookies", Brown Sugar...
Flavor - Sugar Cookies, some peat smoke & oak, dried fruit(?), Sherry, Sweet - sweetest malt I’ve ever tasted.
This is a great single malt - I’d suggest it with dessert with Scottish shortbread. I can’t wait to try the 15, 17 & 21 Year Old!
CuldeeDeacon +
The MacAllen 10 Year Old Fine Oak Finish
ABV- 40%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Dark Gold to Amber
Nose - oak, oats, grass, malt
Flavor - oaky vanilla with malt sweetness, thin mouthfeel but rich taste! Not the usual MacAllen with little to no sherry character! This is a 10 year old naked MacAllen.
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The MacAllen 12 Year Old Sherry Finish
ABV - 43%
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Dark Amber - Rich looking...
Nose - A glass of sherry? Malt with very light peat smoke.
Flavor - smooth - Sherry(ish) - Medium Sweet - Rich!! - almost like a top cream sherry - light malt - very light peat.
Heavy weight malt whiskywith a big Speyside character -- I’ll have to taste this one back to back with the Glenfarclas 12 and the Highland Park 12. Really no oak here like in the 18 year old.
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Glenfarclas 12 Year Old
ABV - 43% (used slight water)
Glass - Stemless White Wine
Color - Amber - gold to bronze...
Nose - Big! Christmas sugar cookies, Girl Scout "Thin Mint Cookies", Brown Sugar...
Flavor - Sugar Cookies, some peat smoke & oak, dried fruit(?), Sherry, Sweet - sweetest malt I’ve ever tasted.
This is a great single malt - I’d suggest it with dessert with Scottish shortbread. I can’t wait to try the 15, 17 & 21 Year Old!
CuldeeDeacon +
"Single malt Scotch whisky"
Over the next few weeks I want to share one of my passions in life and that is the enjoyment of whisky. Single malt Scotch whisky to be exact. This interest grew out of my interest in Scotland and Scottish culture and heritage. Some might call me a "caledonianphile", so, it is natural that my interest in that subject extended into an interest in the number one product of that nation.
Now lets get one thing straight, non-drinking or the so called temperance movement is not something that is a part of the Christian Faith. So, I do not want to hear some nonsense about the Bible teaching against alcohol. It does not. It does warn against drunkenness.
I do however believe in responsible drinking. "Responsible drinking" is limiting oneself to a level where drinking is unlikely to cause health problems, either mental or physical. Some folk are predisposed to be alcoholics and may the Lord help them, they really should abstain. But I digress...
Men should limit themselves to no more than three units per day with a maximum of 21 units per week spread throughout the week and should include at least two days where no alcohol is consumed at all. Since I am talking about whisky I will define a unit by that standard which is basically one ounce (25 ML) of 40% ABV(alcohol by volume) whisky. Some whisky is higher in percentage of alcohol content and can be figured out by multiplying the percent proof times the volume in ML and then divide by 1000. This will give you the exact number of units in a drink. Example: A glass contains 50 ML of 43% ABV whisky so how many units is that?
50 ML X 43%ABV/1000 = 2.15 units
Women due to their lesser body mass are supposed to limit themselves to no more than 2 units per day and a maximum 14 units per week spread out over a week and also should include 2 alcohol free days each week.
Over the next few weeks I will share some of my whisky tasting notes. I may even share my notes on Irish whisky.
CuldeeDeacon +
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