Fantastic Nick

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Fantastic Nick

Whisky & Ci**rs A fan of whisky, ci**rs, craft beer, wine, cocktails...and everything bad for your health !

Just enjoying the fine things in life with my friends ! Un passionné de whisky, cigares, bières de microbrasserie, vin, cocktails...et de tout ce qui est mauvais pour la shape ! Juste profiter des belles choses de la vie avec mes amis !

24/06/2025

Heat wave is in full swing and my AC hasn’t been repaired yet 😭

No choice but to get freshen up as I can, which usually means making a delicious Whiskey Sour ! I love using a very slightly peated whiskey like the Legendary 🤤
Using great ingredients in a cocktail is a must, and going outside of the usual spectre of a drink helps create a unique experience.

For this one, I used some Silkie Irish whiskey, fresh lemon, raw sugar and a little bit of Tiki bitters from my good friend .whisky ! The balance between peat, sourness and fruits creates a thirsting cocktail !

What kind of cocktail do you like making ?

18/06/2025

It’s Wednesday, let’s play the « make a choice » game !

But let’s make it different by you choosing a DUO of whiskies 😈

by has been a big hit in Canada, notably because their whiskies are super exciting and thanks to pushing some releases hard !
The absolutely mental labels also help catch an eye or two, making the releases eye and tongue catchers.

Back to the whiskies and the duos :
- Cameronbridge Grain Whisky / 13yo / 1st fill red wine cask aged / 57.8%
- Tormore Single Malt / 11yo / 1st and 2nd Bourbon cask / 52.6%

- Withlaw Single Malt (Highland Park) / 8yo / 1st fill Bordeaux cask aged / 52.6%
- Dailuaine Single Malt / 10yo / refill Bourbon / 55%

Would you choose the Cameronbridge (Coven of Resurrection) and Tormore (Nailed Puppet) or would you prefer the Withlaw (High Priest) and Dailuaine (Mask of Death) ?

17/06/2025

I’ve been a massive fan of for quite some years, and the distillery has released quite a few different bottlings in the past year or so. From older age statement to regional exclusive with single casks and twists on classics in between.

I’ve been lucky enough to taste a lot of those releases. Some were instant favourites (hello Sanaig CS) and some were a let down (looking at you Port cask LR - more on that in a week or two).
But none blew me away like the 13yo on this picture !

Aged for 13y (minimum) in a mix of Bourbon barrels, Octaves casks and Calvados ones, and bottled at 50%, this whisky is a masterpiece of unapologetic flavours and subtle whiffs of delicate ones. The strong peat (50ppm) for which Kilchoman is loved lives on every level of tasting, while there is a mix of tropical fruits, definite Calvados influence, and a slight touch of spicy to***co.

I’ve rarely had a whisky with such juicy fruitiness to it. While the Calvados cask doesn’t take up the whole space, it sure is here and it is an absolute blast ! All the notes get moments to shine with underlying peat that just never goes away.

Oh, and the cherry on top, the sauce on top of the cheese in a delicious Poutine, it is priced so so so well ! Coming in at about 159$ CAD, I dare you to name me a better 10-15yo OB Scotch on the market !

11/06/2025

Now that my garden can be something else than a snow stock pile, it’s time to resume the « which would you rather… ».
And as I was looking at my shelves in search of new ideas to make it interesting, I found some old(er) Ledaig I never posted about !

So for the return of this series, which would you rather have ?

- Ledaig 18 Third Edition (last wooden box), Sherry finish
- Ledaig 18 Fourth Edition (first cardboard box), Sherry finish
- Ledaig Vintage 1996 Vintage 18yo, Oloroso « finish » for 13y
- Ledaig 19 Oloroso finish

Funny enough, all those were bottled at 46.3%, making them a perfect lineup to compare !

10/06/2025

Year after year, .blake Masterclass at is one of the most interesting, thanks to Blake’s passion and willingness to make it interesting !

I was very happy to see Blake, especially (but not only 🤣) because he had with him the latest Wilderness experiment ! This is a triple cask NAS Canadian whisky. It is made with their signature Hungarian oak, birch casks charred in ex-Viognier barrels, and maple casks that held brûlée maple syrup. The blend is then proofed with maple water and bottled at 40%.

👃🏻 : classic Canadian, grain forward, mellow, but has a strong beaten leather note to complement it.
👅 : surprisingly oily for a 40% whisky, maybe because (thanks) to the maple water. There is a mix of maple syrup, carrot cake with frosting, ripped bananas and a decent dose of pepper notes.
🏁 : leaning towards the spices, all on the palate, no hotness at all down the throat.
💭 : Canadian whisky has some weird rules, including but not limited to the possibility of adding 1/11th of not whisky. In the case of Wilderness 03, this gives a super fun and highly drinkable little treat. For 55$ CAD, this is a whisky that will disappear whole before Summer is done !

As much as I thank Blake and Bearface for sending me a bottle, this was done without any string attached. I was actually the one that asked B to send me a bottle, after liking quite a bit my experience at Wonderland !

06/06/2025

What is this deliciousness doing, straying away in nature ?

Here’s how it went :
« Hey buddy, what’re you doing ? »
« Waiting for you to pick me up shorty ! »
« Don’t tell me twice 🥰 »

Well at least it went that way in my head 🤣

I’ve liked a lot of releases, and as I’m a big fan of Ledaig, I had to get this one (especially since I have the 14yo).

Here are the facts ! It’s a 15yo aged in a refill hogshead, bottled at 48.4% and of course NFC and NC. I’m always surprised at the choice of bottling a single cask at a lower proof. Not that it’s necessarily a bad move, but just surprised !

Here are my notes :
👃🏻 : crispy bacon. A lot. Makes me hungry. Pineapple on a charcoal BBQ. Burnt wood.
👅 : ashy texture, starts like olive oil then dries out, leaving a trail of Serrano peppers, dark chocolate, salted caramel and a touch of sweet tropical fruits.
🏁 : rather short in length, no hotness, very peaty and ashy.
💭 : while not the most complex Ledaig out there, this is a fun and highly drinkable one. There’s a diverse enough array of flavours following a common line in ash and peat. This is a whisky you’ll see the end faster than you wished for !

PS : I learned a while back that there is a 13 and a 16yo Ledaig from OP…I NEED THEM 😍

04/06/2025

It had been years since I had an Aberlour 12yo, until graciously sent one (with an epic trowel and some red oak seeds) !

Before cracking the seal, I tried remembering specific notes, but couldn’t really. I know I liked it, and bought several, but that’s it.

So let’s dive in !
👃🏻 : so much orange. Fresh, candied, in jam, mandarines, blood. The acidity is balanced by a decent amount of vanilla pods.
👅 : the nose, but tuned down. Complimented by hot chocolate and marshmallow, and warm apple tart.
🏁 : surprisingly lots of cereals, crunchy. Medium length, slightly hot.
💭 : overall, this is a pleasant whisky that will charm everyone around the table ! There is a good balance between all the profiles, and while this is unambiguously Sherry forward, it does show a side of the Bourbon cask.

I like that Corby sent me this whisky. When you geek out, it’s easy to get lost in the latest trend or the hottest new whisky. Returning to your roots and to a whisky you haven’t had in a long while but remember liking is a very welcome experience.

Altough I would like to thank Corby Spirits and for the gift, this comes without any attach and I would never compromised my integrity for a whisky !

28/05/2025

I’ve been fortunate to taste a few in the past few years, and I was extremely happy to see them land at SAQ, Québec’s wine and spirits (and non-alcoholic beverages now 🤦🏻‍♂️) mafia monopoly !

This is their undisclosed Campbeltown blend (I’d put my hand over a fire it is Glen Scotia with the slightest touch of Kilkerran), a 1st fill Bourbon cask aged for 6 years and bottled at 53.8% 🤯

The bright and clean coastal influence paired with waves and waves of orchard fruits and vanilla explosion give this whisky all its power ! It is drier than I anticipated, but it adds a nice touch of complexity.
Now I need to put it side by side with my Campbeltown blend 5yo 1st fill Bourbon cask aged 😈

Fun fact : we Québécois are not allowed to shop online anywhere else in Canada. But SAQ bought and sells this bottle with a sticker of , one of Alberta’s biggest and best shop, on it 😬

27/05/2025

This dark and bright picture perfectly sums up what my good friends at have put their name on !

and have bottled up a Ledaig (of course) from that is unlike any I’ve ever had !

Coming in at 17 years old and from a 1st fill Sherry hogsheads, this whisky will surprise even the most hardcore Ledaig fans 😈 Almost everything I was expecting is…not there 😅
Burning rubber and tar ? Nope.
Dirtyness from the Sherry ? Nope.
Candied figs and apricots ? Nope.

I won’t lie, there is peat and smoke here, I mean they didn’t chose a Tobermory. But this one as an extremely weird and awesome mix of spicyness, acid fruits, charcoal smoke and grilled Morilles mushrooms. Brightness and darkness paired together 😏

This is a whisky that will challenge every bit of yourself and make you pour one again and again even though you had other plans in mind !

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Un passionné de whisky, cigares, bières de microbrasserie, vin, cocktails...et de tout ce qui est mauvais pour la shape ! Créateur et éditeur-en chef de The Whisky Factory !!!