Cleveland Underground ‘Uncommon Barrel Collection’ Black Cherry Wood 47%...

Braunstein E:6, NAS, 61,4 % Here is the third review in a row on whisky from Danish distillery Braunstein. Today I present the Braunstein E:6. It has been matured in bourbon cask, bottled on 2014-11-03, with a total outturn of 300 bottles (500 ml each). This is again a peated expression. There is one Edition release (E:?) every year, and I […]...

The Royal Navy’s not changed that much over the years…

With the Government revisiting our nuclear Trident program, should they also revisit the Royal Navy’s daily rum ration? I’ve never served in the military, and I think the last boat I was on was operated by Thames River Tours, so I’m going to have a hard time relating to the 17th-century navy guy who deemed that every sailor should be given half a pint (about 300ml) of rum at noon each day.

From 1655, sailors in the Royal Navy were entitled to a glass of rum every day they were on...

Today we do a small detour from Scotland to the southern hemisphere, all the way down to South Africa. It’s only in recent years that the Three Ships brand name got recognized outside SA, thanks to the internet, bloggers and whisky aficionados who hunted and carried in their luggage SA whisky to Europe. I got introduced to Three Ships a couple of years ago thanks to Mark and with his help I managed to secure a bottle of the 10 Year Old limited edition (see my review here ).

But it’s been quiet on the Three Ships front for a...

Glencadam is steadily paving the road for its core range since Angus Dundee bought the distillery in 2003. We’ve had a slight rebranding and they’re all unchill-filtered and uncoloured. Their Glencadam 21 Year Old is nicknamed ‘The Exceptional’.

Glencadam 21 yo ‘The Exceptional’ (46%, OB +/- 2016)

Nose: light but fresh. Orange notes (juice, zest, marmalade), hinting towards pineapple cubes and peaches, with some vanilla marshmallow sweetness. Mostly the ex-bourbon influence that gets to talk. A deep, creamy barley core. Light floral notes and hay. Mouth: a whole lot of juicy fruits (again really bright and slightly tropical),...

Yes, I know it’s been a while since my last post and it’s even a longer period since my last review. As this blog is just a hobby I try maintain alongside with family and work, sometimes they take precedence over it causing some periods of hibernation. But I hope to resume regular reviewing and posting on the blog from now on, at least until the next work related crisis

Few weeks ago I got a few samples from The Whisky Exchange. To be exact there were four samples of new whiskies bottled exclusively for the Whisky Exchange by Signatory. The one...

Introduction Just a few days ago I finally got to visit the distillery that started the modern day whisky adventure in Norway. Det Norske Brenneri (‘The Norwegian Distillery’), formerly known as Puntervold/Agder Brenneri, is located in Grimstad, in the south of Norway. They were the first private distillery to obtain a license to produce spirits when the […]...

Richard Seale is one of the most respected names in the rum industry, with decades of experience, and the man behind some of the best names in the business, including Doorly’s , Foursquare and RL Seale. He’s hosting a special TWE tasting in London on Monday, so we caught up with him to find out his views on this classic spirit.

Richard Seale, Foursquare’s master distiller

How did you get involved in the rum business? It is a family business and I am the fourth generation.

What’s your approach when making rum at Foursquare? We constantly try to improve. We...

Independent bottler Ian Macleaod released a couple of Brora 1981 casks #151x and #152x in their Dun Bheagan series, between 2004 and 2008 more or less.

They are usually regarded as some of the more delicate, less peaty and less impressive Brora expressions, but that’s only because most of the others have been mindblowing. If you forget the usual Brora profile for a second, this is still unique whisky.

Brora 24 yo 1981 (48,5%, Dun Bheagan 2006, Fino sherry butt #1524, 726 btl.)

Nose: gentle, closer to Clynelish than to the peatier Brora profile. Waxy notes, wet leaves,...

Laphroaig is working on a Laphroaig 30 Year Old at cask strength . The spirit was distilled in oktober 1985, was double matured in ex-bourbon barrels (twice) and bottled in maj 2016 at 53,5% vol.

There is no mention of the 200th anniversary of Laphroaig, which either means it could be a new core range expression or else it will be released after this anniversary year.

At the same time a label for the Laphroaig 25 Year Old was seen, probably just a new batch, this time bottled at a significantly higher strength (53,5%). Matured in Oloroso sherry casks and...

Willie Phillips, former managing director of The Macallan, and Don Sutcliffe, who developed The Macallan on the west coast of the US, have joined forces to create a series of exemplary small batch Scotch whiskies called The Exceptional by Sutcliffe & Son . While it used to be available only in the US, they recently partnered with Number One Drinks (of Karuizawa) to bring their whiskies to Europe.

We’re trying The Exceptional Malt , a vatting of different casks spanning four decades, sourced from distilleries like Glenfarclas, Ben Nevis, Balvenie, Kininvie, Glenfiddich, Alt-a’Bhainne, Auchroisk, Glenallachie, Westport (GLenmorangie), Speyside and (of...

Hyde 6 YO No. 3 The Áras Cask, 46 % This is the second Hyde Whiskey I got a chance to sample a couple of weeks back. This one is a bit of an oddball. The Hyde 6 YO No. 3 The Áras Cask is a single grain whiskey from Hibernia Distillers in Skibereen in West […]...

Kilchoman selected this 2007 cask for Feis Ile 2016 . It is one of the oldest releases so far (just over 8,5 years old) and one of the rare Oloroso single cask expressions as well.

Kilchoman 8 yo 2007 (56,6%, OB for Feis Ile 2016, Oloroso butt #429, 634 btl.)

Nose: robust, with some deep, sooty notes including some rubbery notes and (rather clean) matchstick heads (nothing too dirty though). Some dark, dried fruits underneath which grow stronger after breathing. Fine. Mouth: again quite dark and sooty, with lots of tarmac notes. Better than the nose, for me,...

If there’s three things we’re big fans of at TWE (apart from alliteration), it’s summer, sport and special offers . Thankfully in 2016 we can combine all three – here’s my selection for the podium, based on the countries who are top in the all-time medals table.

Three great offers, one each from a top medal-winning country

1st Place – USA

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon

The country with the most summer sporting medals of all time is home to a variety of styles of whiskey. Bourbon is the most famous, and our top offer this month is an aged example...

The Single Malts of Scotland is still the quintessential series from Speciality Drinks / The Whisky Exchange.

They’ve just presented four new bottlings: Glenrothes 1989, Benrinnes 1991, Bunnahabhain 1980 and this BenRiach 1990 .

BenRiach 26yo 1990 (50,2%, Single Malts of Scotland 2016, barrel #030143, 152 btl.)

Nose: nice profile albeit slightly restrained – not a fruit bomb. Orchard fruits, mainly yellow apple cores and hints of artisan cider. Melons. Some broken branches and grassy notes. Dandelions. The lightest chalky note, and minty notes as well. Mouth: pure spirit, with the same, slightly subdued fruitiness. Mainly on...