The Longrow Red 13 Malbec is the fifth entry The Longrow Red series and is the third Campbeltown whisky review I post in the last 10 days, I’d say they were busy there in the last few months, ah?

This year edition was delayed and so we earned another year on the age statement going up from 12 to 13  this year (Noticed the creeping up trend? We’ve started with 11 years old statement for the first three releases). It  was aged  for 12 years in bourbon barrels and then finished for another 15 months in Malbec casks. I loved...

For the first time since 1909, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery is selling whiskey that it made itself. The Nashville, Tennessee-based distillery will launch Nelson’s First 108 Tennessee whiskey on juli 4 ^th , the birthday of founder Charles Nelson, offering free tours and tastings all day. The whiskey, which features a mashbill of corn, wheat, and malted barley, is available only at the distillery gift shop. There are two variants: Classic is a 45% ABV blend of multiple barrels, while Single Barrel comes in at cask strength (which will vary depending on the barrel, but has clocked in at 60.5%...

“ G reen malt” isn’t some new marketing tagline for organic and sustainable malt. It refers to barley grain that is actively growing, and just a handful of distilleries worldwide make whisky with it. Typically, malt is made by tricking raw grain into sprouting and germinating, then it is kilned with air and heat to halt germination and add flavors, aromas, and colors. Most importantly, the process converts the complex starches of the barley into simpler sugars appropriate for alcohol fermentation. All malt is “green” (wet and growing) at some point, but forgoing the kiln to brew with that active,...

The Kincardine follows on from Adelphi’s Glover series. This time, it’s a blend of hogsheads from Glen Elgin and Macallan from Scotland, with two casks of Amrut from India. A cross-continent blended malt.

The Kincardine has been inspired by a Scot who helped shape modern India, Victor Alexander Bruce who is the great grandfather of Adelphi’s Master Blender and Director Alex Bruce.

While 7 years maj not seem old, keep in mind that you rarely see those ages from Indian distilleries, who struggle to fight the angel’s share in their hot climate.

The Kincardine 7 yo (52,9%, Adelphi...

Although the name Aura doesn’t really indicate it, Teerenpeli Aura was matured in a porter cask . That’s right. An ex-bourbon cask that was seasoned with Porter beer (produced by Teerenpeli as well, after all they are originally brewers) for about a month. The whisky then matured its whole life (five years) in this cask.

We already know they make good spirit so we’re interested to find out how it works out in this uncommon cask type.

Teerenpeli Distiller’s Choice ‘Aura’ 5 yo (43%, OB 2016, 50 cl, 426 btl.)

Nose: sweet and malty, with subtle roasted /...

Aultmore 10 yo 2006 (58,7%, Liquid Treasures ‘Artist Edition’ 2017, bourbon hogshead, 282 btl.)

Nose: neutral whisky, entirely on malt and fruit eau-de-vie. Honeyed muesli bars. Something of sugar coated cookies. Apples and yellow plums. Grassy notes. Mouth: rather sweet and again very malty. Plenty of honey. Stewed plums, hints of butter pastry and vanilla custard. A little chocolate. Ginger and dried grasses. Finish: medium long, grainy, with lingering mocha.

A neutral dram, with fruits, candy sugar and vanilla. Not bad but modern and slightly uninspired, from a distillery that is always rather middle-of-the-road to me. So far no indy...

Along with the Hazelburn 13 release I reviewed a few days ago , there was another eagerly waited Campbeltown release, the Kilkerran 8 Cask Strength.

The official Kilkerran 12 Year Old is a smashing success with a few batches bottled so far and now comes the younger sibling, the Kilkerran 8 Year Old. But to compensate for its youth, we do get to enjoy it at cask strength of 56.2%

The last cask strength Kilkerran was the Work In Progress 7 Bourbon Cask which was simply brilliant, but this time we’re 3 years short and with far more active casks...

Quick tasting notes blog post to close the weekend and we’ll go with a 1989 vintage Glenrothes that was bottled in augusti 2016 (That’s 26 year old whisky, saved you the calculation). It was matured in Hogshead #8172 that produced 241 bottles when it was bottled by Speciality Drinks Ltd under the Single Malts of Scotland brand.

Glenrothes 1989 26 Year Old (Single Malts of Scotland) (53.8%,  £110 )

Nose : Malt porridge, quite lemony, generous dose of oak spices, some floral perfume in the background, yes even some lavender, vanilla, honey and pears.

Palate : Vanilla, damp oak, quite...

TEA Jasmine Gin 42%

The base spirit is made from East Anglian sugar beet by the English Distillery Company. The botanicals are macerated in the spirit before being re-distilled. Also some of the Earl Grey tea is vapour infused as well. Botanicals include: Jasmine Silver Tip Tea, English Rose Petal, Bay Leaf, Seville Orange Zest, Juniper and Coriander.

Tasted: Feb 2016

A lovely, pungent nose of slightly oily spirit character. Quite natural, creamy and earthy with subtle juniper, jasmine, coriander and orange.

The palate is soft and oily, opening with un-sweetened rose petals, jasmine and hints of juniper, earth and...

Malts of Scotland Bruichladdich 2003 (10 year old) 56.3%

First Fill (?) Sherry Hogshead – MOS13051/ Dist: Jun 2003 Btl: Oct 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2014

A serious nose full of what must be first fill Oloroso. Very clean and leafy with liquorice, treacle, tar and a touch of brandy butter. It’s all sherry, which isn’t a surprise with developing green nuts, tobacco and dried fruit.

The palate opens with an intensity of green nuts, dried fruit, liquorice, treacle and tar. So thick and unctuous you could slice it up and serve it for desert! Again there is zero distillery character or  coastal...

Last year, frosé became The Summer Drink, and it seems like we still can’t escape it. The frozen rosé drink is certainly refreshing (and has a very catchy name). But you can also create frozen whisky drinks that are just as delicious and cooling—and with so much more flavor.

Combining whisky with ice cream to make a milkshake, float, or blended drink is a match made in creamy heaven. Whisky and vanilla ice cream is a no-brainer, but there’s lots of room to play around with the flavors, thinking about the notes of your favorite whisky. For example, scotch and...

I t’s a mean-spirited epithet hurled at 1960s musicians who lend their music to luxury car commercials, art photographers who shoot weddings on the weekend, and craft distillers purchased by big spirits conglomerates: “sellout!” The flurry of small distiller buyouts has certainly caused consternation among some craft whiskey drinkers, but the acquisitions can bring big benefits, according to those who make the deals.

Emotions and loyalties run deep when it comes to what we eat and drink, says Tim Halloran, author of Romancing the Brand . Like discovering a band before it gets famous, drinking relatively unknown whiskies feels special...

Dublin-based Teeling Whisky Company has sold a minority stake to Bacardi Ltd. The international spirits company is best known for its eponymous rum brand, but its portfolio also includes several well-known whiskies. Bacardi owns Angel’s Envy bourbon , as well as John Dewar & Sons, which covers both the Dewar’s blended scotch line and the single malts that go into it, including Aberfeldy and Craigellachie . The terms of the sale were not disclosed, but Teeling will continue to operate autonomously and independently. The deal dictates that Bacardi will become the whiskey’s U.S. importer—meaning that Teeling maj become more widely...

These two whiskies aren’t technically brand-new—both have been released in previous iterations—but the latest bottlings from...

For many people, making it in Hollywood is the culmination of their dreams. For Rocky Patel, it was more like the beginning. Born in Mumbai and raised in India and Wisconsin, Patel was a high-powered Hollywood lawyer when he fell in love with scotch and cigars. Soon, he decided that the only thing more exciting than living the luxury lifestyle was sharing it with others. Patel took a chance in the waning days of the 1990s cigar boom and charged into the premium cigar industry. Today, the founder and CEO of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars is an evangelist for sophisticated...

This cooling whisky treat was created by bartender Donna Francis in Tuscon, Arizona. “The black tea supports the smokier, woodier notes of the Dewar’s, while the peach jam really spotlights the vanilla and baked apple notes in this drink,” Francis says. “The butter pecan ice cream echoes the nutty, vanilla, caramel creaminess from the Dewar’s and adds a fun plot twist into the mix.”...