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Observant readers of JewMaltwhisky Reviews will note that the number of blog posts I do has now shrunken to nearly none per month and only a few per year. Such is the life of a blogger turned Independent Bottler , Whisky Festival coordinator , and Tour Operato r .

On the upside, I’ve found a new medium to reach out to y’all — One Nation Under Whisky podcast!

One Nation Under Whisky is actually a podcast that I run with my friend and business partner, Jason Johnstone-Yellin .

“ What is the podcast all about? ,” you might ask...

Oh Canada. You make lots of great whisky but haven’t sent much of it to Europe…until now.

For years, the only Canadian whiskies you’ve been able to find in Europe are the really big names: Crown Royal and Canadian Club . But with the arrival of Pike Creek , Lot 40 and Wiser’s 18yo in the UK just in time for both Canada Day and Canada’s 150th birthday, now’s the perfect time to explore Canadian whisky. But what is it?

The Basics

Firstly, the spelling: unlike other North American whiskeys, there’s no E in Canadian whisky. Head over to our...

Made by the owners of the Springbank distillery, J and A Mitchell, the Campbeltown Loch 21 Year Old is made with up to 60% single malt, a big part of which is Springbank of course. The other 40% is said to be Girvan grain whisky. A minimal blend , just as we like ‘em.

Campbeltown Loch 21 yo (46%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: rich and malty, with orange marmalade, floral notes and sweet lemon glaze. damp oak. Very little peat for a Springbank, closer to Hazelburn. Resin. Apples. Soft sherry notes. Cardamom. New leather. Mouth: sweet fruits, candied...

Isle of Jura 21 Year Old used to be available as part of the core range (bottled at 40%) until 2008-2009. It was discontinued and brought back at 44% for the 200th anniversary of the distillery in 2010. Shortly after it returned to the core range.

Jura 21 Years is part of the ‘rare expressions’, topping the 10yo Origin, the 16yo Diurach’s Own and a couple of peated releases.

Isle of Jura 21 yo (44%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: quite full, with a sherry influence of toffee, cedar wood and nougat. Bung cloth. Citrusy notes too. Hints of...

While visiting the Jameson distillery in april, I tried the Jameson Whiskey Makers series as part of the Whiskey Makers Experience.

This trilogy was launched in juli 2016 and each expression was created by one of the key craftsmen behind the Jameson brand: Brian Nation (Master Distiller, responsible for the spirit), Ger Buckley (Head Cooper, responsible for the casks and wood management) and Billy Leighton (Master Blender). They all tried to create a whiskey that focuses on their part of the production process.

All are bottled at 43% and priced around € 60.

Jameson Distiller’s Safe

A...

It’s pretty rare that I post two reviews in a single day, and I don’t think I ever did that on a Sunday where for half a world it’s a weekend day. But I couldn’t help myself today’s as it’s the 50th birthday of Martin Markvardsen, the Highland Park Senior Brand Ambassador and hands down the best social networks communicative brand ambassador I have ever crossed paths with. So in honor of Martin’s birthday, here’s a review of a tasty and special HP whisky, The Highland Park Hobbister.

Here’s what Highland Park has to say on Hobbister:

Highland Park Hobbister...

Islay is a small island with a population count hovering around 3,300 people. Many of them are working in the whisky and tourism industry and so it’s logical that some of them rose to fame and can even be celebrities for whisky lovers. But not all Islay celebrities are human, as some would argue that Crofter, a dog owned by Steve Bavin, now of Islay Ales and formerly of Bruichladdich distillery, can also be considered as a local celebrity, especially during the yearly Feis pilgrimage.

Crofter, a dog who entertains his owner Steve and other Islay visitors over the years...

Wild Turkey says they dwell around the middle floors of the rickhouses. Buffalo Trace has been trying to nurture them in closely monitored captivity. Anchor Distilling has never even seen any. Chuck Cowdery, Whisky Advocate contributor, thinks whether they do or don’t truly exist is purely a “subjective assessment,” while Georgie Bell, global malts ambassador for Bacardi , has never even heard of them.

We’re talking about honey barrels, those almost-mythological whisky barrels that are supposedly the pinnacle of taste perfection—if you can actually find them.

Honey barrel maj be a new term to many whisky drinkers, but it’s seemingly...

Scotch whisky has often traded on its history, and some producers have even sought to recreate whiskies of the past, like Macallan with its Decades Series, Glenfiddich’s The Original 1963 , and Mackinlay’s Shackleton whisky, replicated by Whyte & Mackay a few years ago. Those products all drew on existing stocks of old whisky to match the modern flavor profile. No one had dreamed of attempting to recreate a whisky that no longer exists at all.

That is, until now. The Lost Distillery Company releases Scotch whiskies named for distilleries that haven’t operated for decades. The blended malts aren’t meant...

When it comes to drinks with history, rum has packed more into a shorter time than most. Despite only appearing in something approaching its current form in the 17th century, the past 400 years have been intertwined with the explosion of international trade and colonisation of the Americas.

But first – Rum and Rhum: what’s the difference. Simply put, the spelling. Rhum is a French variation of the word rum, and it’s used by many of the producers based on the French islands in the Caribbean. It normally hints at the style of rum being made, but to work out...

Glen Spey … one of the most obscure distilleries in Scotland, right? In the heart of Speyside (Rothes), part of Diageo, producing Maltwhisky for J&B and other blends, yet it’s very much under the radar of whisky enthusiasts.

Very little bottlings as well, it has been four or five years since I tried my last Glen Spey (a few good ones though) and I’ve never had modern production like this Glen Spey 2004 bottled by Gordon & MacPhail .

Glen Spey 2004 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 2013, refill bourbon barrels)

Nose: fresh but shy and...