A Glenrothes 1989 from the latest batch of Single Malts of Scotland bottlings. You can save a few bucks if you’re quick.

Glenrothes 26 yo 1989 (52,5%, Single Malts of Scotland 2016, cask #18173, 255 btl.)

Nose: nice combination of aromatic, syrupy fruits (peaches, tinned pineapple) and greener, more grassy aromas. Green apple. Hints of Panettone. Fruit gums. Also a slightly fragrant hint of rosewater Lokhum. Beautiful. Mouth: same mix of sweet, almost tropical fruits (melons, berries, pineapples) with other elements, this time bittersweet grapefruit, a green oaky note and some pepper. Apple skin. Finish: medium long, with...

Braunstein E:1, 3 YO, 61,2 % The Braunstein E:1 was the first ever single cask, cask strength Danish whisky to be released. This whisky was distilled on 2007-03-22 at the Braunstein distillery a short distance outside Copenhagen, Denmark. The Braunstein E:1 was matured in a 225 litre ex-sherry Oloroso cask. The total outturn was 300 […]...

This is the new BenRiach Peated Quarter Casks , launched in juni 2016, an expression distilled from peated malted barley and matured in tiny quarter casks .

These smaller casks (1/4th of a butt, around half of a hogshead) encourage greater interaction between the spirit and the oak. Younger whisky, quicker maturation – a concept that has been used by Laphroaig for many years now.

BenRiach Peated Quarter Casks (46%, OB 2016)

Nose: a slightly dry peatiness with lots of hay and ashy herbs rather than the medicinal Islay peat. A little gravel. Cereal notes. Underneath we find...

Karuizawa 1967 42 YO Cask #6426, 58,4 % It has been a while since last I reviewed a whisky from long closed Japanese distillery Karuizawa, and it will likely be longer still till next time. These whiskies are becoming very rare and very expensive. It was therefore a special occasion when I got to try this Karuizawa […]...

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I offered my initial thoughts on each whiskey upon my first taste of them. Since then, I’ve tasted each one a few more times, including tasting each one side by side with its 2015 counterpart, and I have some additional thoughts to offer. Here is my general impression of each whiskey, and the overall Collection, after going through this exercise. You can use it as a guide when determining which whiskey you might want to track down and purchase. (A formal review, with detailed tasting notes and ratings, will appear in...

From september 26 ^th to oktober 9 ^th , the whisky-loving Wills brothers will embark on a tour down the East Cost of the US spreading the word of Kilchoman, Islay’s Farm independent Distillery. James and Peter Wills, sons of Kilchoman Founder Anthony Wills will travel from Boston to Washington DC in their custom Land Rover making stops along the way to share a few drams and a story or two of Kilchoman, Islay and growing up in a distillery.

A special edition cask strength, 58.9% ABV, US Tour bottling of the distilleries flagship expression Machir Bay has been...

I hope you’re not getting bored of all these undisclosed 1970s Speysiders. I certainly can’t resist trying as much as I can. The latest on the market is this Speyside 1975 from Maltbarn .

Speyside region 41 yo 1975 (48,7%, Maltbarn 2016, sherry cask, 159 btl.)

Nose: this one has some of the typical fruitiness of the others, but much more intense beehive notes (pollen, honey) and waxy notes (waxed oak, a little turpentine). Mandarins and lemons. Williams pears. Pink grapefruit and apricots. Eucalyptus. Some hints of cedar wood too, with very light whiffs of patchouli. Very aromatic. Mouth:...

Lagavulin 8 YO Limited Edition – 200th Anniversary, 48 % The Islay distillery Lagavulin celebrates its 200th Anniversary this year. This does of course call for some special bottlings. Usually such bottlings are both very limited in numbers and quite expensive. Not so with this one. The Lagavulin 8 YO Limited Edition – 200th Anniversary is […]...

Rejoice, for the aperitivo has made it safely to Britain’s shores. There are few drinks with such iconic style as the aperitivo, marked as distinct for its use of Italian bitter liqueurs, and often mixed with soda and Prosecco , making it less boozy than the traditional cocktail. You’ve probably enjoyed one without even realising you were dipping your toe into this unique Italian cultural activity.

Aperitivo-style cocktails such as the Negroni and Aperol Spritz are enjoying huge success in the UK

L’hora del aperitivo is the time where we in Blighty flock to the pub the moment we’re released...

Kilkerran 12 Year Old is the first core range product from the newest, old distillery in Campeltown (considering Glengyle was founded in 1872, closed down in 1925 and restarted in 2004 as a sister distillery of Springbank).

After a whole list of Work in Progress releases, it has now come to age – an eagerly awaited milestone bottling. Kilkerran 12 Years is lightly peated (12-15 ppm) and composed of a mixture of cask types: 70% matured in bourbon casks and 30% in sherry casks.

Kilkerran 12 yo (46%, OB 2016)

Nose: slightly austere start, on dry heather, minerals,...

I’ve said it before, but the Mo Òr Collection didn’t really get the attention it deserved. Of course the pricing strategy was one of heavy premiumisation. They came too early perhaps (2009-2010) especially since we didn’t realize back then that all these great 1960s-1970s whiskies would dry up entirely three to four years later.

With hindsight it was a great series and I wonder where all these bottles have gone – they weren’t selling well and they didn’t show up in auctions either. All part of this World Whisky Index now?

Anyway, let’s keep the memory alive with this Glen...

Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 02, 4 YO, 51,2 % Here’s the brand new release from Box Whisky, Sweden. The Box Whisky The 2nd Step Collection 02 was released for sale on september There are big differences between the 01 and 02 in this series. Where the 01 was massively peated (42,5 ppm), the Box […]...

Speyside Finest 1975, 40 YO, 46,9 % Today I will review another very recent release from the new Belgian independent bottler Beacon Spirits. The Speyside Finest 1975 has been matured in an undisclosed cask, and this is a partial cask release at 54 bottles.  From time to time you will find independent bottlings of Glenfarclas under […]...

Yes, it’s that time again—the Diageo Special Releases for 2016 have been announced. Cue the normal outrage on social media about the pricing, so I thought I’d get that out the way.

Yes, these whiskies are expensive—some of them very expensive, indeed. But they are rare and of exceptional quality, and to be fair all Diageo have done is thwarted the rapid profit-taking by speculators by pricing them according to the market. If it means the whiskies take a little longer to sell, then we can hope that they end up being consumed and not squirreled away in an ‘investment’ portfolio. So,...