Gary’s Blog

As the decade comes to a close, wanted to pause and look both backwards and forwards. We were wrapping up our first year in 2009, with just under 40 reviews posted (although reviews weren’t the primary focus that they are today; today we’re sitting at about 750 reviews with over 100 published in 2019). Somethings haven’t changed at all.  Thanks to newspaper archives, we can look back at ads showing that a bottle of Maker’s Mark would run you $20 and change at the turn of the decade (same as today), and if you caught it on sale, you could pick up Johnnie Walker Blue Label in Chicago for $158 (only a buck or two less than if you catch it on sale today!)  Some whiskies have definitely gone up, like Macallan 12 yr which would run you $40 in early 2010 compared to $55-$65 today. Others have gotten ridiculous like Macallan 18 yr, which could be had for $120 and now runs 2.5x that.  Then again, you can find that on shelves (where Weller 12 yr was easily found for $22, and today . . . well, good luck with that!)

As we already took a stroll down memory lane earlier this year on our 10th anniversary, I didn’t want to rehash all of that (you’re welcome to review that if you missed it). But what about the next decade?

Looking into my crystal ball (or rather globe decanter) at 10 years into the future, here is where I hope we’ll be in late 2029:

Looking back at the 20s as a decade where the ‘bourbon bubble’ never exactly burst, but defied all economic expectations and had a deflation and soft return to normalcy. Production growth stalled and leveled off. Limited editions never got better (suggested retail in fact kept crawling up, where BTAC is now $300 and is still being bought/flipped at multiples) but we saw some favorites like Elmer T. Lee returning to shelves where they could be bought easily enough (although at $60).

Scotch whisky experienced some of the biggest changes they’ve seen as they began to embrace innovation thanks to John Glasser and others knocking some sense into the Scotch Whisky Association (and as they said, not everyone put spirit in stupid containers, leaving plenty of ‘traditional scotch whisky’ available for consumers while offering some new and exciting options!)

Irish whiskey continued to gain market share. After Waterford Distillery proved beyond all reasonable doubt that terroir really does impact whiskey, we’ve started to see more and more ‘vintages’ being produced and chased (sorta like those crazy single barrels/casks – which are still a thing – but now with a wider net cast).

Indian whisky saw a surge before climate change started creating production challenges and slowing down the growth (which only led to prices soaring, because what was coming out in the late 20s was some amazing stuff!)

Japanese whisky lost market share to others, not because of any slip in quality (as their quality continues to be top notch) but because they just couldn’t keep up production thanks to the on-going spat between the United States and China that screwed up Pacific shipping lanes and trade.

Autonomous cars are the norm (although sales are down thanks to self-driving Ubers making it cheaper to commute everywhere rather than buying a car and paying for insurance).  Sorry, still no jet-packs.

Whisk(e)y blogs like this are a dinosaur, eschewing the trend of live-casting video reviews and sticking with archaic communication means like the ‘written word’ (gasp!) But, while old-fashioned, we’re still going and looking back at how horribly wrong these predictions were 🙂

Here’s to welcoming the 20’s and there being no shortage of good whisk(e)y!

Cheers!

Gary

Followers of Whisk(e)y Apostle (all 6 of you) may have wondered what the hell happened!

Don’t be alarmed – just some updating and refreshing that hopefully will help the site load more quickly, especially for those of you on mobile devices. Beyond the theme refresh, have been working to optimize images, as well as repairing broken links. How do links break? Well, not to pick on Old Forester, but to give you an example – we posted a review on their 1910 Old Fine Whisky on June 3rd 2019 – not 7 months back. At that time, the URL for that product on their site was: www.oldforester.com/whiskies/1910-old-fine-whisky/
Apparently someone didn’t like their site layout and changed it (see the irony?) so now the correct URL is: www.oldforester.com/products/old-forester-1910-old-fine-whisky/
Anywho – the holiday season affords me some time off to work on these types of items, so hence the changes!

Personally, I really liked the look/feel of the theme we had been running for many years – maybe because that’s how it looked when I first discovered the site myself. I remind myself that no one is visiting us for a lesson in graphic design (although our snazzy logo would be worthy, thanks Matt!) Folks are coming here to read reviews on whisk(e)y and some other scattered thoughts.

If you want to tell me what you think about the new format, drop me an email @ gary@whiskeyapostle.com.

Cheers!

Gary

Eravino Whiskey Decanter Globe Gift Set

$30-$70 (depending upon sales!)
Sold on Amazon (or other sites, availability may vary but try Groupon as well)

We would like to thank Benjamin Hopper and Eravino for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

The unique design is skillfully hand-blown with a ship inside. As you empty the decanter the ship emerges from the wine or liquor, creating a phenomenal effect. Our product is made to complement the rest of your modern tableware, like glasses, bowls, and plates. Features a hand-crafted wooden stand with 4-bar glass bases that acts as a coasters to prevent water marks. Beautifully carved with an elegant and natural shape that compliments your home decors.

HIGH QUALITY: 100% handmade and high quality 100% Lead Free Crystal Glass that provides a brilliant, colorless finish that allows for the true color of wine to be fully appreciated. Crafted out of fine crystal for timeless shine and durability.

FOR ALL OCCASIONS: An excellent conversation piece for any occasion. It is capable of holding just the right amount of your favorite wine for a small get together with friends. Each one is handmade from the finest, completely lead-free glass. One set features 1 large Globe Whisky Decanter with a capacity to hold up to 850ml of liquid and 4 elegant glasses.

AUTHENTIC HAND- BLOWN GLASS: Made of lead-free crystal crafted by skilled artisans with an expert hand and an eye for quality. You literally taste the history and feel precision workmanship in the palm of your hands. The unique design is skillfully hand-blown with a ship inside. As you empty the decanter the ship emerges from the wine or liquor, creating a phenomenal effect.

PRESERVE FRESHNESS: Features a fitted glass stopper that seals the decanter, ideal in keeping the freshness of your favorite beverage while in storage to stay on its aromatic and flavorful state.

THE PERFECT GIFT: For those who have everything, you need a gift they don’t have. This is probably it. Offer them this stunning wine accessory and put a wide smile on their face! Perfect gift for wine enthusiasts, lovers and collectors, whether it’s for Anniversary, Birthday, Mother’s day, Christmas, or any other holiday. That is truly timeless provide an understated simplicity on the table.

What Gary Says

Decanter sets like this are about decoration primarily. Obviously if you don’t like ships, you likely wouldn’t want this particular set. When asked if I would be interested in reviewing a decanter set, I made it clear that my focus would be on the function (as well as overall impressions). I shared that I’ve seen some decanters that are lovely to look at, and a complete pain in the ass to actually pour whisk(e)y from – and I’d hate to find that was the case.

The decanter itself is pretty lightweight – coming in just over 7 ounces. A standard 750 mL bottle (like Rittenhouse Rye Bottled in Bond for example) is double that at 14 ounces, and a hefty decanter-style bottle like the recently discontinued Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit bottle comes in at 26 ounces. My point is that 7 ounces is pretty darn light, which has its pros and cons. In the pros column, that it makes it easier to handle when full of whisk(e)y. In the cons columns, it likely wouldn’t survive being dropped. To be fair – I expect the same is true of most display pieces like this, so I don’t really consider that to be a negative.

When setup, the entire set takes up about 8.5 inches cubed (one side is slightly shorter than that, like 8.25 inches). That’s fairly compact, which I’d consider a plus. It lists the capacity as 850 mL, and I wanted to see how it took that.  I cracked open a brand new Early Times Bottled in Bond, which comes in a 1 liter bottle, and measured out just over 800 mL.  Below is an image showing the decanter ‘not quite full’.

You can see where the liquid is starting up the neck – and more importantly – you can’t really see the ship when it is full!  I poured about half back into the bottle, and you can see how the ship ’emerges’ from the depths below.

If this will be ‘more display than pouring’, I’d recommend filling it more like 250-350 mL (about what is shown in their marketing images) to showcase the ship – although as a lot of volume will then be exposed to air, the flavor may alter in time.

The decanter itself is wide enough that I can’t grab it with one hand with confidence (don’t quite get half-way around it).  I mean – I could grab it, but I wouldn’t want to have it slip out of my hands.  I found it was better to lift it from the neck – although when in the stand, there wasn’t quite enough room to get a finger completely around the neck.

Not a big deal – just used the stopper to tilt it up a bit to get a handle on the neck. Once held, the stem at the base of the decanter fit nicely between two fingers, and I didn’t have any issues pouring – although it pours better when less full. Speaking of pouring – as with any bottle (not just decanters) you have to be careful of your pouring angle.  To illustrate (note I’m not wasting whisk(e)y here!) I tilted it up too much, and the gurgling along with the flared lip just makes a mess.

While the flared lip makes the result a bit more messy, this is just physics and you get a similar mess with almost any bottle.  You have to start slowly and ensure you’re allowing air to pass through the neck to displace the liquid.  Below illustrates that this pours perfectly fine when you do it properly.

All in all, it is a perfectly serviceable decanter, and does what it is supposed to do.  My wife has forgotten more about glass than I’ll ever learn, and she thought it was fairly well done in terms of the execution of the blown-glass decanter.  My main concern would be that if I wanted to have it showcase the ship while on display, I’d need to keep it less than half-full.  If I’m pouring from it regularly (and just replacing that small amount), no big deal.  But if I have it more for display, over time the whisk(e) may deteriorate.  That said, you may want to have it full while on display in order to showcase the ship emerging at a get together where you’re pouring for friends and family.

If you’re looking for just the decanter and stand, and don’t care for the additional glassware, they are sold by themselves for $40.

While I drink my fair share of whisk(e)y, I’ve only ever had a couple of decanters – so if you are a decanter connoisseur and have questions I didn’t answer or think about, please email me and let me know!  Be happy to amend this review (provided I still have the decanter).

Cheers!

Gary