Lagavulin 1999 The Distillers Edition (2015), 16 YO, 43 % I often go on about high ABV this and high ABV that. Yes, I happily admit I very often prefer a high ABV whisky, at least 46 % ABV or higher, and with no chill-filtration. But on occasion I do rave about a lower ABV […]...

Crowdfunding seems to become more and more popular day by day, so why not use it to fund a whisky distillery. Sall Whisky in Denmark aim to do just that. They are the first whisky distillery, at least in the Nordics, to try this approach, as far as I know. Now, you might argue that a […]...

Mackmyra Moment Rimfrost, NAS, 53,2 % OK, then, here is the fifth release in the Moment Series from Swedish distillery Mackmyra. The Mackmyra Moment Rimfrost was launched on 2011-12-01, in a limited run of 1492 bottles. This whisky has been matured in ‘small casks’ and it is made from the unpeated ‘Elegant’ recipe. That’s about all […]...

Westland American Oak, 2 YO, 46 % In Seattle, Washington, USA, you can find the Westland Distillery. It turns out these Americans make great single malt whiskey! And they are nerdy! And they are transparent, sharing a lot of cool info online. It is very rare to find this much details on a whisky: Grain bill: […]...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

  The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, and 18 Year Old

Style: Single malt Scotch whisky ABV: 40% Price: $35 (12 year old), $50 (15 year old), $80 (18 year old) Release: november Availability: Widely available

Need to know: The Singleton is an established brand in many markets, but the 12 year old hasn’t been seen in the U.S. market for several years. This is the first time the 15 year old and 18 year old have been released outside of travel retail. All three expressions are joining the Classic Malts portfolio,...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

Westland Master Distiller Matt Hofmann

News broke this morning that international drinks conglomerate Rémy Cointreau has signed an agreement to acquire Seattle’s Westland distillery for an undisclosed sum. The deal will likely close by the end of the year. Paris-based Rémy Cointreau is best known for its namesake cognac and liqueur brands, but whisky lovers will remember its purchase of Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery in 2012. And particularly clever observers will note the similarities between Westland and Bruichladdich. Both producers tout the importance of terroir in whisky, using different varieties of barley and unusual types of oak casks...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

A class-action lawsuit was quietly filed on november 18 ^th alleging that Buffalo Trace Distillery , Old Charter Distillery Co. and parent company Sazerac Co. have deliberately misrepresented Old Charter 8 as an 8 year old bourbon. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Nicholas Parker on behalf of himself and others who have purchased Old Charter 8. It alleges seven counts of deceptive acts or practices, false advertising, unjust enrichment, breach of warranty, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation and seeks compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages, as...

By Susannah Skiver Barton

With the holidays right around the corner, you maj be looking for gift ideas for the the whisky lover in your life—or majbe you’re making your own wish list. In addition to potable presents, why not consider some thoughtfully designed whisky gear, brought to you by two bourbon brands?

I.W. Harper has paired up with hat maker Goorin Bros. to release The Harper, a limited-edition felt fedora with a whiskey-colored hat band that features the brand’s “bowing man” icon on the interior. “We wanted to create a hat that not only deserved attention but possessed an ability to bring...

The winter 2016 issue of  Whisky Advocate magazine hits newsstands in early december. Here is your sneak peek at some of the best of the new releases as reviewed in the  Whisky Advocate Buying Guide. For our Editor’s Choice, Value Pick and more great whiskies,  subscribe now ! 

#10 –  Sazerac Rye 18 year old (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2016), 45%, $90

This Sazerac 18 year old is a distinctly separate whiskey, after several years of the same whiskey that had been stored in stainless steel tanks to prevent further aging. It doesn’t have as much of the rye zing...

Fortified wines are one of life’s true delights, offering a world of flavours between tart citrus and fruity caramel sweetness, delivering a sipping alcohol without packing the punch of boozy spirits. It’s this lack of staggering alcohol percentages that allows fortified wines to have a plethora of complex notes and aromas which make them perfect as a solo beverage or integrated into a delicious mixed drink.

For some, a rich port is indistinguishable from the celebrations of Christmas Day, while others maj fondly recall glasses of Madeira after lengthy lunches and nips of sherry in a favoured cocktail late into...

Ever since I’ve worked in the wine trade, december means a flood of texts and emails asking which wine I should buy for Christmas. I’m happy helping friends and family choose the perfect bottle, and always will be. But now that I’m working for a whisky company, those questions have become ‘My uncle is a huge whisky buff, what should I get him?’ to ‘My brother doesn’t know a lot about whisky but wants a bottle for Christmas – help!’

I’m not expert enough on whisky (yet), so I’m trying to find a solid, dependable bottle that will tick most...

We’ve got a great Black Friday deal this year – but unlike some retailers, we’re not slashing prices. We’re taking one of our favourite whiskies and charging more for it – or are we?

Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival is a sherry-matured classic, brimming with Christmas spices, dried fruit and roasted nuts. It’s a delicious whisky, particularly at this time of year, and it was a deserved winner of The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year in 2015.

The whisky was discontinued in 2015, and has been very hard to find ever since, but we’ve been lucky enough to find...

Glenfarclas has an extensive range, with no less than nine age statements between 10 and 40 Year Old. Glenfarclas 21 Years sits in the upper half, but it can still regularly be found for under € 100, quite reasonable in today’s climate and not far the Glenfarclas 25 Year Old .

This is part of the excellent  Whisky Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Dram.

Glenfarclas 21 yo (43%, OB 2016)

Nose: quite delicate and malty, with less sherry than we’re used to. Butter biscuits, baked apples, a little vanilla. Orange peel. Hints of banana and toffee as...

Compass Box Rivals

Compass Box Rivals is a new blended malt in their bespoke whisky range (which included Double Single, Optimism, The Nectar and others in the past). Rivals was created for ‘rival’ whisky communities in New York and Massachusetts.

It contains mostly Macallan from first-fill bourbon casks, with some Imperial and Teaninich whisky and a significant parcel of blended malt from French oak.

Benromach Heritage 1973 (cask #4606)

Benromach announced a new 42 years old 1973 cask #4606 (refill hogshead). The release is exclusive to the UK and limited to just 52 bottles of around € 1650....

There are several whisky subscription formulas on the market. The idea is that you regularly get a set of whisky samples with a short introduction and often the possibility to buy a whole bottle afterwards.

Tasting Collection is a Dutch subscription service started in 2014. They offer whisky subscriptions but also fixed sets of other drinks (gin, cognac, vodka, rum, olive oil, tea…). Their monthly whisky subscription consists of six 25ml tubes and is always curated by a whisky expert who writes a small introduction to each whisky in a small booklet. I think this is quite unique and it...

Some of the best undisclosed Speyside malts I’ve tried from independent bottlers were bottled from a Fino sherry butt . Image the excitement when I found out about this 1975 release from Whisky-Fässle !

Speyside Region Malt 41 yo 1975 (47,4%, Whisky-Fässle 2016, Fino sherry butt)

Nose: waxed papers, with subtle fruits (apricots, tangerines, Williams pears) and orange blossom. Not as warm and juicy as a Caperdonich 1972 but in the same league. Hints of moist cedar, a soft tobacco note as well. Eucalyptus. Mouth: ah, great. Full of juicy pears and apple cider (or Calvados indeed), then also...

Emerald Isle is a new series from Speciality Drinks . It includes only Irish whiskeys, three until now: two 24yo 1991s and one 26yo 1989.

We’re now trying the Emerald Isle 1991 cask #8583 , a single malt from an undisclosed (Northern?) Irish distillery (based on other indie releases, we’re pretty sure where it comes from). It is lightly peated and from the colour we’re expecting some sherry influence.

Emerald Isle 24 yo 1991 (57%, Speciality Drinks 2016, cask #8583)

Nose: reminds us of the Maria label – enough said. Silky sherry influence, with red berries and...

One of the upcoming bottlings from Claxton’s is this Glenrothes 1997 . A really dark whisky from a sherry butt.

Glenrothes 19 yo 1997 (53,7%, Claxton’s 2016, sherry butt #7154, 669 btl.)

Nose: a sherry bomb alright, including a sulphury taint. Mulch in my garden. Some meaty notes. That aside: dark chocolate, truckloads of dark plums and figs. Sticky toffee pudding. Tobacco. Gingerbread. It resembles some of the thickest GlenDronach releases. It does get a tad brighter after a while (orange peel). Mouth: again deeply sherried (PX style). Treacle, chocolate truffles, liquorice and preserved cherries. Plenty of oak...

Drinks by the Dram is the sample service from Master of Malt . It gives spirits enthusiasts and connoisseurs the opportunity to try a wax-sealed 3cl sample of over 5000 drinks. I order their whisky samples every few weeks and I can heartily recommend them.

For the festive season they came up with a Whisky Advent Calendar , a box with a different dram behind each of the 24 windows. It’s a brilliant gift for whisky lovers, or simply for yourself to count down to Christmas in style.

Whisky countdown to Christmas!

I’ve had a sneak peek at this year’s...

Highland Park Fire Edition , the successor of the Ice Edition and the last of this combo. The Fire Edition was matured for 15 years in 100% refill Port wine seasoned casks , a new type of finishing for Highland Park.

It’s not entirely clear what they mean with the cask description, but we expect it to be casks seasoned with Port wine, used for another whisky and then re-used for this particular expression. The Port influence should be subtle – not a bad thing if you ask me.

Highland Park 15 yo ‘Fire Edition’ (45,2%, OB 2016,...