A bit late but better now than never, here’s my review on Compass Box Spice Tree Extravangaza that was released a while ago.

This is a special edition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Compass Box’s regular Spice Tree. In short, they use the same concept but used older whisky and with added sherry cask influence. As you can see from the ingredients list below, it’s 60% Clynelish, 20% Dailuaine and 20% Teaninch. If you want to know how old is each whisky, just go to the official page here and press the “Request Recipe” button, but I will tell you...

For most of its existence, peat was one of the hallmarks of Scotch whisky . Whether wisps of smoke wafting from blends like Johnnie Walker , or the pure and punchy peat of Islay , many drinkers came to assume that scotch means peat. Peat is actually nothing more than a convenient fuel source that worked its way into whisky as the result of kiln-drying malted barley over fires fueled by the decomposing vegetation.

Peat bogs are found in many parts of Great Britain, but they are widespread in the Scottish Highlands and islands, where for centuries they have provided...

92 points, 61% ABV, $130...

90 points, ...

A recent release in the Lads of Lobland series, the sixth already, bottled by The Whisky Mercenary for the BYOB-C club.

Ledaig 9 yo 2007 (52,3%, Whisky Mercenary for BYOB-C ‘Lads of Lobland’ 2017, bourbon cask, 100 btl.)

Nose: right on the money, which means lots of peat and soot to start, then some tapenade and medicinal notes like iodine and eucalyptus. Lime. Brine. Malty / bready notes. Light hints of vanilla in the background. Mouth: lemony peat, saltwater, gherkins, olives. Cracked pepper and plenty of aniseed. Mentholated freshness. Very clean if not for the slight rubbery edge....

This is the new 2017 edition of Ben Nevis 10 Years , which has a newly designed label since april 2017. It’s funny how a brand-new label design can look instantly retro (but probably not willingly, if you know what I mean).

In fact Ben Nevis distllery is a bit of an outsider: no marketing tricks, outdated website, on the whole a bit forsaken by its Japanese owners (Nikka), with a highly unmodern, often irregular output.

Ben Nevis 10 yo (46%, OB 2017)

Nose: rather unique for an entry-level 10yo. It’s oily, leafy and slightly dusty, with green...

Today’s review is the entry level from Springbank distillery, the 10 year old offering that sometimes sneak below the radar as the 12 Year Old Cask Strength batches catch most of the lime lights.

The review was conducted on a bottle that was bottled in september 2016 (with the older label design), although I think the profile didn’t change much with the newer 2017 batches. And in order to make it interesting, I’ll review the 10 year old from 10 years ago (10 and 10, got it?) to see how did it change over the years.

Springbank 10 Year Old...

Today we’re gonna look at one of the two latest Travel Retail releases from Laphroaig. The Four Oak was released in early 2017 and as the name states, it was matured in four different oak casks: Ex-bourbon barrels. Small quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and larger European Oak hogshead.

You know the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”? In our cask it will be: Will too many cask types spoil the whisky? Since it follows two very mediocre and similar releases (Yes, I’m looking at you Laphroaig QA and Select), I was a bit wary of this one....

Another Old Particular from Douglas Laing that arrived here is Glen Garioch 21 Year Old and it was the top of the line offering before getting sold out. It was distilled back in september 1995, just before it was mothballed for a few years so it’s a precious old liquid from an age long gone. It was then aged in refill hogshead and bottled in november 2016. Total of 290 bottles were produced.

Old Particular Glen Garioch 21 Year Old (51.5%, DL11471, £85.49 / 500NIS )

Nose : Sugar barley, perhaps a wee whiff of peat smoke as it went and never...

Back to normal programming after recovering from the summer vacation and reviving the computer and phone who died while on vacation and so we continue with a few more Douglas Laing whiskies that reached our shores. The youngsters single malts were reviewed and now we move up to the older Old Particular single malts, starting with a Glenrothes 12 Year Old that was distilled 2005, matured until mars 2017 in a sherry butt that yielded 402 bottles.

Old Particular Glenrothes 12 Year Old (48.8%, DL11601, €78.75 / 330NIS )

Nose : Starts with porridge along with a big and velvety...

Crater Lake Oregon Rye Whiskey 40%

95% Rye mashbill/ Tasted: Jun 2017

The nose opens with the soft, toffee’d oak and one thinks that’s it’s going to be an over oaked young rye. Yes, it’s young, but not too young and the gentle citrus and subtle spicy rye balance. With time hints of orange and dusty wood spice.

The palate is soft and gentle with lightly herbal rye to begin with, followed by a touch of toffee’d oak. Lovely orange and tangerine notes appear on the middle along with some developing spice. Lightly bitter but very spicy finish. Considering its...

The Single Cask Invergordon 1988 (27 year old) 45.8%...

The Single Cask Diamond Distillery Guyana Rum 2004 (12 year old) 57%

Cask 96/ Dist: 2004 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

A distinctly Guyanan nose of pungent, youthful, oily, vegetal, high toned, column still spirit. There’s a touch of tropical fruit but the vegetal notes dominate. With time a little sweet vanilla and wood spice appears.

The palate mirrors the nose with plenty of pungent, oily, high toned and estry fruit. Raw and vegetal but pleasantly intense with quite a spicy middle. Long and dry with a little bitter spice and dark chocolate.

Water does it no favours at all...

The Single Cask Miltonduff 1995 (21 year old) 45.8%

Cask 2594/ Dist: Feb 1995 Btl: Feb 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

Aromas of heather honey and hints of toasted oak and scrubby herbs. Wonderfully fragrant apricot and vanilla with barley, white fruit and minerals. it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s 21 year old, but the oak does have a slightly mature edge.

The palate is elegant, juicy and mineral with apricot, white fruit with hints of toasty oak and subtle tannins. Quite malty and heathery on the middle and now the oak starts to show some mature character. Lightly nutty and...

The Single Cask Tomintoul 1995 (22 year old) 53.2%

Cask 2156/ Dist: 1995 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2017

Dense and succulent aromas of honeyed, sub-tropical apricot and melon with hints of lime, dusty oak, malt and coffee. Lovely depth and elegance with the oak becoming pleasantly creamy with time.

The palate is full and dense with plenty of mature honey and a soft minerality. Subtle wood spice notes and vanilla come through on the middle but it’s the mature spirit character that shines through. Long and very mineral with plenty of citrus and finally malt, barley and the returning honey....

Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin 45.7%

To a rice base spirit the following botanicals are added: Juniper, orris, ginger, bamboo leaves, red perilla, lemon and yuza peel, sansho pepper, kinome leaves, gyokuru green tea and hinoki wood. The botanicals are separated into 6 different categories (base, citrus, tea, spice, fruit, floral and herbal) and distilled separately. The second batch is then blended with the preceding batch to achieve consistency.

Tasted: Jun 2017

The nose is rounded and soft with subtle smoky juniper, leafy herbs, lemon grass, pepper, lemon, pine resin and warm spice. Very aromatic and different with a...

The Single Cask English Whisky 2009 (7 year old) 60%

Peated to 62PPM/ Cask B1/443

Dist: 2009 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

The nose opens with some Lowland-eque, floral white fruit, grass, barley and honey. It develops some almost Alsace-like fruit notes along with lime oil, creamy oak and subtle spices. Although it is fairly heavily peated, the peat is actually quite subtle. Still it’s a lovely nose.

The palate is lightly honeyed with white fruit, apricot and plenty of alcohol, which keeps the creamy oak in check. Supple vanilla, spice and peat comes through on the middle and although...

The Single Cask Macduff 1997 (19 year old) 53.5%

Cask 5278/ Dist: 1997 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Jun 2017

OMG! Amazingly fresh, fragrant and almost perfumed with orange blossom honey, white fruit, apricot and mature, dusty oak. Where’s the burnt rubber and funkiness? Impressively clean with a touch of baked apple and lime. Very juicy and wonderfully balanced.

The palate is a little edgier but still pretty clean, with barley husks, cereal and lovely soft honey and mature oak. Supple wood tannins add hints of coffee and spice on the middle and the finish is long and grippy with those wood...