Chapter One

"Bruce's Birthday Bunnahabhain Bash" Tucked away on the remote northeastern coast of Islay, accessible only by a single-track road winding along the Sound of Islay, Bunnahabhain—pronounced "Boo-na-ha-venn" and meaning "mouth of the river" in Gaelic has been quietly producing whisky since 1881, when the Islay Distillery Company carved a distillery, a pier, and an entire …

Long before "cask finishing" had a name, Scotland and Portugal were already shaping each other's destinies. The Methuen Treaty of 1703 cemented a preferential trading relationship between Britain and Portugal, and as wars with France cut off access to French wines, port rose to prominence among the British upper classes — leaving a steady stream …

ONLINE RESERVATIONS CLOSED.  CONTACT ANDY@SCOTCHCLUB.COM  FOR POSSIBLE TICKETS Robbie Burns is Scotland’s most famous poet, who wrote Auld Lang Syne and other things that tended to involve food and scotch.   Join us for Supper, Haggis, tributes to Robbie, Plasteredpiece Theater, the Bad Poetry contest, and yes SCOTCH! Our featured sponsor this year is.... ***Bowmore*** with …

Travis Tidwell, the man, the myth, the legend, has become the US ambassador for Ardbeg. Travis has been a friend of the club for over a decade, from when he was a lonely beginner sorting the peat from the sheep dung, to his new lofty height of whisky royalty. We will be celebrating Travis on …

If you walk into any bar or dine in any restaurant around the world, and want to order a Scotch single malt, what are you likely to find on the menu? Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12, Balvenie 12, Glenmorangie 10, or Macallan 12 (if you're on expense account!), are available everywhere and very popular. But, as …

OC Scotch Club will be welcoming an old friend, Bill Christy, founder of the new independent bottling company, American Single Cask, to Chapter One for an evening of exceptional single cask whisk(e)y. Bill will guide us through his inaugural lineup of four single malts, one bourbon, and one rye, all single casks personally selected by …

Dalmore comes to Orange County! One of the top whisky brands in all the world is finally coming for a proper tasting. Our host, Koray Kaan, is a past ambassador of the year and he's bringing a lineup to match his honors. We will be tasting: The Scotch Highland Negroni w/Dalmore Port Wood (welcome cocktail) …

We took a poll among a bunch of our friends, and asked one question: “What are the best whisky distilleries no one has ever heard of?” The group included a couple of respected whisky bloggers, a handful of industry professionals, and a few very knowledgeable amateurs. We collated their responses and came up with a …

Everyone's heard of Blended Scotch. And if you're part of this group, then you know something about Single Malt. But what about Blended Malts? Thanks to the current tariff situation, …

Dearly Beloved, Please join the Orange County Scotch Club in celebrating The Day of the Dead, and honoring seven distilleries now passed on to the big warehouse in the sky. …

Earlier this year we spent some time investigating the virtues of young whisky. This month we turn our attention towards the other end of the spectrum: Mature Malts. For your …

This month we return to our exploration of the Five Whisky Regions with a visit to the Highlands. The largest region geographically, the Highlands are home to the second largest …

Bourbon Tasting with the OC Scotch Club

Last month we tasted a group of young, very peaty whiskies. This month we tackle some youngsters with no more than a whisper of peat. We've assembled a collection six …

The whisky world worships maturity, with age statements of even basic expressions pushing higher and higher all of the time. But in the last couple of years, connoisseurs have been …

We will continue our exploration of the "Five Whisky Regions" by visiting the Lowlands. We've collected examples from all six working distilleries that currently have whisky on the market. Is …