Launched towards the end of januari 2016, Glenmorangie The Tayne is not a brand-new expression but just like its predecessor in the travel retail Legends series , Glenmorangie Duthac , it seems to have received little exposure.

However they don’t seem to be temporary series but part of the permanent travel retail line-up of the distillery (which, like most travel retail offerings, is also available from many traditional shops). They replace Nectar D’Or, Lasanta and Quinta Ruban in airports.

Glenmorangie Tayne pays homage to a galleon of the Spanish Armada, that has sunk in Dornoch Firth, formerly known...

It’s always a treat to taste a whisky from a closed distillery. Imperial distillery was closed down at 1998, mothballed in 2013 and a new distillery, Dalmunach Distillery, was setup on the same ground by Chivas Bros.

1995 Is a very popular vintage with independent bottlers for Imperial whiskies. I had a few of those in the past although most were just meh so this Signatory bottling for The Whisky Exchange has piqued my interest.

Imperial 1995 20 Year Old Signatory Vintage for TWE (50.8%, Cask #50252,  £69.95 )

Nose : Fruit and herbals, eucalyptus, mint, nuts, flower petals (of light colors), floral meadow on...

Stauning Peated 4th Edition, NAS, 53,1 % Time for another Danish dram, I think. Here is the Stauning Peated 4th Edition. It was distilled in 2011, matured in a 1st fill bourbon barrel, and bottled in oktober 2014. Stauning do all their maltings themselves, and the peated malt is made with Danish peat. The is sold out […]...

Ardbeg Ar6 in the Elements of Islay series has been aged full term in ex-bourbon wood. Some reviewers found this to be their favourite release of the recent batch.

Ardbeg Ar6 (55,7%, Elements of Islay 2016, 50cl)

Nose: really good, rich Ardbeg. Medicinal notes up front (iodine, camphor, eucalyptus) but with a nicely creamy side too. Nice hints of leather, oiled wood. Very subtle vanilla. Something of shellac. Very good, rather warm and elegant. Mouth: sweet lemons and vanilla custard at first, followed by a growing herbal side and deep tarry notes. Soot. Fish oils and oil paint....

It’s that time again. On Friday september 2 you will again see a lot of new whisky releases in the monopoly stores in Norway. Here’s the list, with no further ado: Ardbeg 22YO Single Cask Cadenhead (no 5458901), Skottland, NOK 3600 Balvenie Single Barrel 12 YO (no 5496001), Skottland, NOK 849,90 Balvenie 15 YO Single […]...

Once again, I find myself in an enviable position — seated before a flight of tiny cups that any whiskey lover would cherish. In fact, these are not just 16 delicious whiskies, but also liquid chronicles of 16 memorable days at the Old Forester distillery. Here sits the day in 2002 when a thunderstorm soaked the barrels before filling, helping to slow the initial angel’s share evaporation from within; the incident in 2005 when a different malted barley supplier had to be called to fill in; the day a errant squirrel knocked out the power.

The annual release of Old...

The newest Ardbeg – ready to be released in 2017 – is named Ardbeg Kelpie . The label for a Committee Edition 2017 has popped up in the TTB Colas and this usually means the details are final.

Ardbeg Kelpie is matured in virgin casks , made from new oak grown in the Republic of Adygea (Russia, near the Crimea) by the Black Sea . The tasting notes are said to revolve around  oily peat, dark chocolate and smoked fish (like any Ardbeg, right?). On the back label we also read herbal notes, hickory wood and seaweed (kelp).

The name Kelpie...

Aberfeldy 18 Year Old is a relatively new expression, launched mid 2014 as part of the ‘Last Great Malts’ rebranding of the whole Bacardi portfolio. It sits in between the generally available Aberfeldy 12 Years and Aberfeldy 21 Years , but this is (theoretically) only available in travel retail.

Later in 2015 we also saw the launch of Aberfeldy 16 Years and normally a 30 year-old expression should have followed, but I’ve had confirmation that it is on hold.

Aberfeldy 18 yo (40%, OB 2016)

Nose: starts gentle, with shy citrus fruits, lots of yellow apples and...

GlenDronach 2003 12 YO (cask #934) – Batch 12, 53,7 % The Highland distillery GlenDronach have been very good at releasing single cask whiskies over the past few years. There is a wide range of vintages, ages and casks available. This GlenDronach 2003 12 YO (cask #934) – Batch 12 is one of the newer releases. It […]...

Yes, today, augusti 25, is National Whisky Sour Day . However, anyone receiving their fall issue of Whisky Advocate knows I don’t need an excuse to drink this classic cocktail. A well-made Whisky Sour is tough to beat any day of the year.

The number of bartenders who shared their innovative takes on the Whisky Sour with me for the current issue far exceeded the space available on the printed page, so here is a stunning recipe from Joseph Michalek, bar manager at Giovanni’s and Alchemy in Rockford, Illinois that deserves a moment in the spotlight. Michalek’s  Bitter Scotsman...

A well-known face to many from his appearances at whisky festivals and online, Richard Paterson began his whisky career as an office boy. Now celebrating 50 years in the industry he has been Whyte and Mackay’s master blender for much of that time. He travels the world constantly on behalf of his brands which include not just the Whyte and Mackay range of fine blends, but also Isle of Jura and Dalmore. I caught up with him after a trip to the Far East and just before he left for London to launch the new Dalmore expression, Quintessence, finished in...

My barbecues never look this good…

Summer is finally drawing to a close. We’re about to hit september and the start of autumn, but we’ve got one final weekend of sun ahead of us, and thanks to the bank holiday, it’s a long one. We forecast wall-to-wall barbecuing, and discussions in the office have veered from the inevitable grill-geekery to the most important part of a BBQ: the drinks.

You could go for whisky – and we have a handy guide if you do – but don’t be afraid to try something more traditional.

Punch

Big bowl, lots of fruit –...

Karuizawa Cask Strength

During the past week, La Maison du Whisky announced the sale of five new Karuizawa Cask Strength expressions, and some of them have gone on sale already.

They are part of the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, which feature landscape prints by the famous Japanese artist Hokusai. They depict Mount Fuji from different locations in various weather conditions. The series was presented at Whisky Live Taipei in 2015 but I don’t recall any of them to be (officially) sold in Europe so far.

The liquid inside is drawn from casks of 1999 and 2000 vintages, bottled...

We try the latest batch of this classic Skye whisky. A couple of months ago, there were rumours that Talisker 10 Years would be discontinued (possibly replaced by Talisker Skye ) or at least available in very limited amounts, but so far I can’t say this is noticeable. All my regular shops seem to have sufficient stocks.

Talisker 10 Year Old (45,8%, OB 2016)

Nose: better than how I remembered it, less porridgy. This time I’m simply getting the soft smoke, classic oily notes and peppery edge. Lots of coastal notes, seashells and iodine. Lovely mentholated / eucalyptus...

We already reviewed quite a few of these Good Vibes bottlings from The Whisky Agency . Here’s the Ben Nevis 1996 .

Ben Nevis 19 yo 1996 (50,5%, The Whisky Agency ‘Good Vibes’ 2016, refill sherry butt, 360 btl.)

Nose: overripe melons, oranges with some yellow apples and peaches, in a rather fatty way, with wax and linseed oil behind it. Bright grapefruits. Wet gravel. Hay. Minty notes, even some slightly acetic notes. Slightly funny, kind of a dirty fruitiness if you like. Mouth: nicer now, more obvious fruits, slightly tropical and lots of them. Apricots, tangerines, whitecurrants....

This Longmorn 1965 was bottled in 1977 by Berry Bros. & Rudd , at a time when the distillery had merged with The Glenlivet, right before being acquired by Seagram. This is just 11-12 years old and heavily sherried.

This particular bottle was bought by Ardbeg collector Geert Bero in the legendary Mara cellars. He opened it right away but was largely unimpressed. I tapped a sample many years later and waited some more before actually trying it. Sometimes airing is a must with old bottles.

Longmorn 1965 (70 proof, Berry Bros & Rudd 1977, 26 2/3 fl.oz.)...