The Whiskey Geeks

The Whiskey Geeks give a quick review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 'The Last Ronin' from IDW Publishing.

Make sure you subscribe to stay up to date with our Whisk(e)y and Comic Book pairings, as well as individual reviews in our mini episodes titled "The Short Box" for mini reviews of comic books, and "The Neck Pour Sessions" for mini reviews of whisk(e)y.

Please check out our website : www.thewhiskeygeeks.com

Alex says goodbye to a Whiskey Geeks favourite (Octomore 6.1), and hello to the 11.1 and 11.3 release from Bruichladdich.

Make you subscribe to keep up to date with all of our content, and head on over to our website : www.thewhiskeygeeks.com and read our articles where we pair Whisk(e)y and Comic Books.

Notes from Bruichladdich:

11.1: Exposing the structural brilliance of our pure, unadulterated Octomore super heavily peated spirit, our 11.1 edition is powerful, understated and vibrant. Underpinned with a delicate balance of smoke and sweet vanilla from the ex-American oak casks, this single malt has spent just 5 years in contact with fresh first fill wood. The presence of peat on the palate is huge, and yet is incredibly balanced with clean fruit and floral notes. Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish barley then filled into active ex-American oak, this high provenance, high peat single malt is a fitting embodiment of how quality ingredients demand less time to reach maturity.

11.3: Comparing Octomore 11.1 and 11.3 gives one of our finest lessons in stratospheric smoke and barley terroir. While both editions are malted to a Brobdingnagian 100+PPM reading, the differences in barley character from the respective growing region is ever present. Our Octomore Islay barley is grown each year by friend and farmer James Brown, on Octomore farm itself. It is harvested, malted and distilled separately, even from our other Islay barley harvests, in order to become a single field, single vintage single malt.

The Short Box is a weekly mini podcast where we pull a book from our personal collection and give a quick synopsis and review.

This week, Tim gives a quick review of the 2015 Marvel One-Shot - 'Hank Johnson: Agent of Hydra'.

Subscribe to the channel so you don't miss an episode of 'The Short Box', as well as our Whisky review show 'The Neck Pour Sessions' which happens on the off weeks of our full Whisky and Comic Book Pairing episodes.

Please check out our website : www.thewhiskeygeeks.com

Our heroes are heading to Islay to visit their favourite distillery, Bunnahabhain to review their only peated core range bottle the Toiteach A Dha (Smokey Two), and pair it with an amazing Monster/Horror/Action book Cry Havoc, from Image Comics.

Whisky Tasting Notes (7:15)

Cry Havoc Review and synopsis (11:30)

Why these two work so well together (25:00)

Discussion about Unwilling Heroes (26:45)

Notes from Bunnahabhain:

'Meaning 'Smoky Two' in Scots Gaelic, Toiteach A Dhà (pronounced Toch-ach ah-ghaa) is a sequel to the original peaty paradox on Bunnahabhain’s gentle single malt. To create this Mòine variant, our Senior Blender, Dr. Kirstie McCallum selected a combination of ex Bourbon and Sherry casks which were then matured in full, in our coastal warehouses on Bunnahabhain Bay.

With touches of smoke from our peated malted barley, this whisky’s prickling strength emanates from the dram, while warming with a lingering, robust length and delicately sweet sherry influence.'

Notes from Image:

'CRY HAVOC mixes the hard-boiled militaria of Jarhead with the dark folklore of Pan's Labyrinth and includes an unprecedented use of multiple colorists—Matt Wilson, Lee Loughridge, and Nick Filardi—to define the story's threads. As the creators themselves wryly note: this is not the tale of a lesbian werewolf who goes to war... except it kind of is.'

Make sure you check out the companion article at www.thewhiskeygeeks.com

Thanks as always to ColinResponse for the use of our theme song 'Something About Your Love' off his self-titled release. You can find more great music and all around awesomeness on his website: www.colinresponse.com

In a brand new segment we are calling 'The Short Box', The Whiskey Geeks review BRZRKR #1 from Boom! Studios.

We will be releasing more Comic Book Reviews in the future, so make sure you subscribe to stay up to date with our Whisk(e)y and Comic Book pairings, and all of our reviews.

Check out the video version of this, and all of our episodes on our YouTube Channel.

You can read our companion articles on our website

And make sure you follow us on instagram @TheWhiskeyGeeks.

Have our heroes found the perfect pairing?

This week, they travel to the small coastal region of Campbeltown, to one of Tim's favourite distilleries, Glen Scotia. Tim tells us about how he discovered them during a trip to Scotland in 2017 (2:15).

They get into their tasting notes on this incredible whisky (5:50)

They discuss why these two pair together so well (9:50) before diving into the seminal work that sparked over a decade of MCU content The Infinity Gauntlet (15:10).

Alex brings us a list of the most powerful objects in pop culture (27:50) and then they give out the Canadian Whisk(e)y Geeks Scores (40:00).

Notes from Glen Scotia:

'Each cask is chosen for its rare character and exceptional maturity. Finished in deep charred oak, the result is an exceptionally smooth single malt whisky whose aroma and flavour work in harmony.

Bottled in the traditional way straight from the cask and without filtration, its subtle wood and vanilla flavour is enhanced by a full bodied spicy fruit aroma and mildly smokey aftertaste'

Notes from Marvel:

'The Mad Titan Thanos has seized control of Infinity Gauntlet and with it near-omnipotent power! Who can stop this deadly new overlord? All of Marvel's top heroes star in this epic of cosmic proportions!'

Make sure you check out the companion article at www.thewhiskeygeeks.com

Thanks as always to ColinResponse for the use of our theme song 'Something About Your Love' off his self-titled release. You can find more great music and all around awesomeness on his website: www.colinresponse.com

We are launching a new show called 'The Neck Pour Sessions' where we do quick reviews of our initial dram from new bottles of whisky that we pick up.  These are also available on our YouTube Channel

I picked up this bottle from Craft Cellars (www.craftcellars.ca) for under $75 CAD.

Notes from Arran:

Sherry Cask 'The Bodega' is a stunning new addition to our core range of whiskies and is the perfect choice for someone who enjoys their Single Malt with plenty of body and complexity.

Matured in some of the finest casks available to the whisky industry, this cask strength 100% Sherry matured Single Malt is both luxurious and elegant with layers of rich sweet spice and oak. Our Master Distiller has worked with producers in some of the most prestigious Sherry Bodegas in Jerez, Spain to select only the best quality casks to be filled with our precious spirit.

This bottling is a return to the style of some of the earliest Arran Single Malt, which was mostly matured in Sherry Casks. During a tasting, this expression is the perfect partner to our Quarter Cask 'The Bothy' as it showcases the skill and expertise of our Master Distiller in his work with different wood types and supreme cask selection.

How does Tomatin 12 year old pair with the Marvel Comics' 1989 graphic novel Triumph and Torment?

Our heroes travel from the Highlands of Scotland, to the depths of Hell to find out. Later, they bring you their top 5 pop culture tournaments of all time!

Tomatin 12 Tasting (5:20)

Triumph & Torment Review (12:30)

Top 5 Pop Culture Tournaments (23:00)

CWG (Canadian Whiskey Geeks) Score (33:40)

Notes from Tomatin:

'The Tomatin 12 Year Old is classically smooth, having been matured in traditional Scotch Whisky, ex-Bourbon and ex-Spanish Sherry casks. Aromas of wild heather, pine and cedar soon sweeten to reveal notes of crème caramel with apples, pears and mango before a full bodied and buttery finish.'

Notes from Marvel:

'Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange enter Mephisto's realm in an all-out effort to free the soul of Doctor Doom's mother! But what price must be paid before Mephisto will release it? And will Doctor Doom make the sacrifice?'

Make sure you check out the companion article at www.thewhiskeygeeks.com

Thanks as always to ColinResponse for the use of our theme song 'Something About Your Love' off his self-titled release. You can find more great music and all around awesomeness on his website: www.colinresponse.com

In issue #1, our heroes embark on their epic quest to help you find the perfect whisk(e)y and comic book pairings.

This week, they taste a true legendary malt from Lagavulin Distillery and read DC's Superman Unchained.

Make sure you check out the companion article about this episode on our website : http://thewhiskeygeeks.com/

Notes from the Lagavulin website :

Revered by connoisseurs and experts, Lagavulin is known as “the king of Islay”. It is an 'essential' Scotch Whisky that any connoisseur or enthusiast must have in their collection; one of the world's favourite Malt Whiskies. Aged in oak casks for at least 16 years, this much sought-after Single Malt has the massive peat-smoke flavour that's typical of southern Islay, while also offering richness and a dryness that turns it into a truly interesting dram. The Lagavulin 16 Year Old has become a benchmark Islay dram from the Lagavulin distillery. A gift for all occasions for lovers of peaty and powerful whiskies.

Notes from the DC Website:

The entire nine-issue UNCHAINED series by the superstar team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Jim Lee is collected in trade paperback! When satellites start to fall from the sky, the big question is who stopped the last one from falling. Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Batman, Wonder Woman, eco-terrorists, the U.S. Army and, most of all, the mysterious being known as Wraith all figure in this epic story from two of comics’ hottest talents!

Thanks as always to Colin Response for the use of our theme song 'Something About Your Love' off his self-title release.  You can find more great music and all around awesomeness form him on his website : https://www.colinresponse.com/ 

In Episode 0.5 of The Whiskey Geeks Podcast, our heroes (brothers in Canada) introduce themselves, and explain the origin story of The Whiskey Geeks.