On Wednesday November 14, 2006 we tried some single Malts from unusual places and some extra old blends to get a new perspective on conventional whisky wisdom.

The clear value winner was the pleasant, smooth honey and cherry nuanced Canadian blend Century Reserve 21 yr. At around $40 a bottle and getting top marks with a median score of just over 21 out of 30. Jameson 18 yr. tied for high score but at over $90 a bottle is not even close on the value scale.

The remaining whiskies were a diverse lot with equally divergent individual scores from our tasters. The most interesting were the Nikka Whisky 10 yr., a convincing Islay style single malt and the extremely light and floral Knappogue Castle 1994. Many tasters who loved a particular product had their glowing marks negated by those who hated it. In all, respectable median scores in the 18 to 20 range were assigned indicating quality, if not universally appreciated, selections.