Part of the recent Faces of Angkor series from Liquid Treasures : a middle-aged Bruichladdich 1990 .

Bruichladdich 26 yo 1990 (47,3%, Liquid Treasures ‘Faces of Angkor’ 2017, bourbon cask)

Nose: melons, green apple, peaches and lemons. Fruity notes, almost fruit candy or lemonade. Hints of floral honey. Bergamot majbe. Few spices, but there’s a very light maritime touch. A rather classic Laddie nose for this period. Mouth: similar fruity freshness. Quite summery, peaches, mirabelles, sweet grapefruit, hints of coconut and pepper. A very light salty edge. All good, even if that is a little predictable perhaps. Finish:...

Talisker 26 yo 1990 (53,3%, OB ‘Casks of Distinction’ for Boyao Zhao, ex-bourbon cask #5407, 222 btl.)

The Chinese investor Boyao Zhao has a second bottling in Diageo’s super-premium Casks of Distinction programme. As a Talisker fan he picked a Talisker 1990 to follow up his excellent Lagavulin 1992 . The bottles should arrive in China by augusti, but like last time, they will not be publically sold.

Karuizawa Golden Geisha

Elixir Distillers (the Whisky Exchange sister formerly known as Speciality Drinks) announced two new Karuizawa bottlings: Karuizawa Golden Geisha 33 yo 1981 (63,4%, 129 btl., around €...

Aultmore 12 Year Old is part of Dewar’s The Last Great Malts range launched in 2014. This little-known distillery now has an official 12 years old, 18 years (travel retail), 21 years (travel retail) and 25 years old. There have been plans for a 30 and 35 year-old, but apparently they cancelled them, not sure why.

Aultmore 12 yo (46%, OB +/- 2016)

Nose: fresh and lively, with some biscuity aromas and green fruits. Granny Smith apples, unripe pear, light citrus, green leafy notes. Also bright flowers and just a hint of wax. Rather delicate but very uplifting....

We move over to France. The Whisky Agency recently bottled two cognac expressions, this Petite Champagne 1973 vintage and another much older, much more limited release.

Cognac Petite Champagne 42 yo 1973 (49%, The Whisky Agency 2016, 483 btl.)

Nose: excellent fruitiness with elegant, aromatic polished woods. Apricot jam, cinnamon pastry, lots of blood oranges and hints of leather. Beeswax. Cigar boxes. Hints of herbal honey. Very rounded and sexy. Mouth: great. Very elegant and fruity again – I cannot not think of the Vallein-Tercinicer style which is fruitier than most other houses. Oranges and tangerines, apricots, plums,...

A very old cognac , produced from grapes from the Grande Champagne region and bottled by The Whisky Agency . The vintage isn’t mentioned on the label, but I believe the No.24 indicates a 1924 vintage . Exactly eighty years later it was transferred to glass demijohns ( paradised as they say).

This was pretty much a stealth release. I saw an open bottle passing by on Facebook once, but never on sale. With just 38 bottles, it’s more of an insider release, I guess.

Cognac Grande Champagne Lot 19 No. 24 (43,1%, The Whisky Agency 2016, 38...

The Brabazon family presided over the Liberties area of Dublin City from the 16th to 19th century. As Walter Teeling set up the original Teeling distillery in this industrial suburb in 1782, they want to pay tribute to these glorious days with a new Teeling Brabazon series.

The series focuses on the distinct role that fortified wines can have on the taste of Irish whiskey. The first release was composed from different sizes and styles of ex-sherry casks.

This is the entire recipe:

• 30% of 2008 whiskey fully matured in ex-sherry butts
• 30% of 2007 whiskey fully matured...

The Hopsky is an experimental spirit made by the Regensburger Whisky and Weinclub . It’s a mix of several great IPA and Pale Ale beers, slowly distilled to preserve maximum fruitiness. The spirit was then matured in five different types of casks: bourbon, sherry, beer and Islay whisky with a Grand Arôme rum finish. All refill casks by the way.

Before you’re off to start a similar project, keep in mind that you need 20 litres of craft beer to make 1 litre of spirit. That’s easily € 120 per litre without casks or anything.

I must add that this...