AFAIK, these whiskies have nothing to do with Christmas, other than there are 12 of them--well, were 12, as I've already opened 4 of those, rather than waiting until December 25th when the 1st of the 12 days of Christmas begins. I am not completely off the mark, though, as Christmas pervades the month of December, as evidenced by most commercial Advent calendars, which begin on December 1 regardless of when Advent actually begins. And while a whisky advent calendar with 24 little bottles would have been more appropriate than 12 750 ml ones, the latter was a better value for this year's budget. The first 4 whiskies I dove into quickly confirmed this, as they have provided much holiday cheer despite their bottom-shelf status:
● Monarch of the Glen 3yr
-- This is the least aged of the Monarch of the Glen offerings. I think the 8yr has been my favorite Monarch thus far, but this is only a tad less smooth.
● Old Crofter Scotch
-- I read a review that claimed this was comparable to Dewar's White Label, so I thought I'd see for myself. Indeed, in back-to-back tastings of these 4 whiskies (see below), I had the hardest time telling the difference between Old Crofter and Dewar's.
● Ballantine's
-- This is supposedly the second largest selling scotch world-wide, after Johnnie Walker, and far more affordable. This is my favorite of the 4. It has a creamy taste like Teacher's, but not Teacher's earthy flavor. Like a number of the scotch blends I've tried, Ballantine's started from a wine and spirits merchant experimenting with blending during the mid- to late-1800's.
● Dewar's
-- Another well-known, affordable brand sprung from nineteenth century blending alchemy. I found Dewar's (and Old Crofter) to be very solid and drinkable, but indistinctive.
For the 12 Whiskies of Christmas, I am doing a full combination of tasting pairings in groups of 4. Here are my results for this round:
● Monarch -> Dewar's: Dewar's slightly stronger & bitter
● Monarch -> Old Crofter: Old Crofter slightly less smooth, but close to same
● Monarch -> Ballantine's: Ballantine's creamier
● Old Crofter -> Monarch: Monarch slightly bitterer
● Old Crofter -> Ballantine's: Ballantine's more creamy & sweet
● Old Crofter -> Dewar's: about the same
● Ballantine's -> Monarch: Monarch slightly more bitter; took on a fraction of Ballantine's creaminess
● Ballantine's -> Old Crofter: Old Crofter took on a fraction of Ballantine's creaminess & sweetness
● Ballantine's -> Dewar's: Dewar's took on a fraction of Ballantine's creaminess & sweetness
● Dewar's -> Monarch: Monarch slightly stronger
● Dewar's -> Old Crofter: Old Crofter faintly bitterer, but pretty much the same
● Dewar's -> Ballantine's: Ballantine's slightly spicier
Most interesting above is the influence Ballantine's had over all the other whiskies.
What I consumed Saturday -- 186 lbs (-43) [9X]:
● Coffee w/ 1 tsp fiber & 24 g Syntrax Matrix Chocolate protein powder
● 10.5 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● .35 order Jade Dragon ginger beef w/ white rice
● 3 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese w/ 6 Pepperidge Farm sesame seed crackers
● 2 coffee w/ 24 g Syntrax Matrix Chocolate protein powder
● 4 slices Papa John's cheese pizza w/ Jade Dragon ginger beef
● 10 cheddar cheese cubes w/ 5 Pepperidge Farm sesame seed crackers
● ~2 oz dark chocolate & sea salt kettle corn
What I consumed Friday -- 186 lbs (-43) [8X]:
● Coffee w/ 1 tsp fiber & 24 g Syntrax Matrix Chocolate protein powder
● Trader Joes No Iron Multivitamin
● 3.66 oz Napoleon Smoked Mussels w/ 3 Walkers Highland Oatcakes crackers
● 5 oz Dewar's
● Slice Garlic Jim's cheese pizza
● 2.5 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● 2.5 oz Old Crofter Scotch
● .4 order Jade Dragon ginger beef w/ white rice
● Several big forkfuls bbq pulled-pork
● 20-40 Sponge Bob Squarepants Cheese Nips
● 3 slices swiss cheese w/ 1 turkey meatball & 5 Pepperidge Farm sesame seed crackers
What I consumed Thursday -- 184 lbs (-45) [4X]:
● Coffee w/ 1 tsp fiber & 24 g Syntrax Matrix Chocolate protein powder
● 2 oz Old Crofter Scotch
● 2 oz Ballantine's
● 4 oz Dewar's
● Mystery brownie
● Mediterranean chicken w/ rice, hummus, and some weird mashed garlic stuff
● 12 oz Bud Light Lime
● 1.5 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● Bowl of lettuce w/ Newman's Own lite Italian dressing
What I consumed Wednesday -- 185 lbs (-44) [5X]:
● Trader Joes No Iron Multivitamin
● Coffee w/ 2 tsp fiber & 1.5 oz Ballantine's
● 3.66 oz Napoleon Smoked Baby Clams w/ 3 Walkers Highland Oatcakes crackers
● 50 oz Bud Light
● Tortilla chips, bean dip, and salsa
● 1 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● 1 oz Old Crofter Scotch
● .5 oz Ballantine's
● .5 oz Dewar's
● Bbq pulled-pork sandwich on hamburger bun
● Bbq pulled-pork sandwich on 2 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese
What I consumed Tuesday -- 184 lbs (-45) [3X]:
● 1 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● 3 oz Ballantine's
● Coffee w/ 2 tsp fiber
● 1.76 oz Chocolate peanut butter Balance bar
● 4 oz Dewar's
● 1 oz Old Crofter Scotch
● KFC Doublicious sandwich
● 20 Sponge Bob Squarepants Cheese Nips
What I consumed Monday -- 185 lbs (-44) [4X]:
● Coffee w/ 2 tsp fiber
● McDonald's pancake (.8) w/ sausage
● 2 Walkers Highland Oatcakes crackers
● 4 oz Dewar's
● 12 oz Budweiser Select
● 1 oz Ballantine's
● 4 plates taco-seasoned ground beef w/ lettuce, grated cheddar, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips
● 1.5 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● 1.5 oz Old Crofter Scotch
What I consumed Sunday -- 186 lbs (-43) [7X]:
● Trader Joes No Iron Multivitamin
● Coffee w/ 2 tsp fiber
● 2.5 oz Monarch of the Glen 3yr
● 2.5 oz Old Crofter Scotch
● 2.5 oz Ballantine's
● 1.5 oz Dewar's
● 6 Safeway beef, cheese, and jalapeno appetizers
● 11 Snyder's peanut butter pretzel sandwiches
● Bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots w/ sliced cajun turkey & 2 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese
● .6 Fosters Farm corn dog w/ some corn bread removed
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