Last night, after a long day in the sun, I found myself faced with a difficult choice upon entering The Wild Fennel on Mayne Island, BC (a great restaurant, check it out!).  Would I have my usual, Phillips Brewing‘s Double Chocolate Porter, or their recently released limited edition, The Double Barrel Scotch Ale.  OK, so this wasn’t a difficult choice, as the limited releases can be hard to come by.  In fact, The Wild Fennel was only able to procure 3 bottles of the stuff.  Our table was able to …

When I decided to start stocking my bar at home with a collection of single malts, I referenced my experience tasting single malts at the many bars I’ve worked at over the last decade. I enjoy drinking heavily peated mosters like Lagavulin and Laphroaig after a long hard night when things are moving towards after-hours. For relaxation at home, I would like to turn to a savory, smooth and sweet malt. The Balvenie Doublewood was an obvious choice.
The Balvenie distillery was named after the adjacent Balvenie Castle in Dufftown(Speyside). …