Braunstein E:5, NAS, 60,8 % I continue to work my way through a selection of whiskies from Danish distillery Braunstein. This time around I will try the Braunstein E:5. It has been matured in an Oloroso sherry cask, bottled on 2013-11-01, with a total outturn of 300 bottles (500 ml each). This is a very peated expression, made with malt […]...

This summer, we’re all about bourbon. We’ve paired up bourbon with barbecue , shown you how to make a Mint Julep , tried to answer the question ‘ What is bourbon? ‘, and, to cap it all, are giving away a bottle of the excellent Michter’s 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon .

The folks at Michter’s are bottling some amazing whiskey, but it’s the limited-edition single-barrel bourbon that has really excited the collectors, connoisseurs and geeks. With only a tiny number of bottles released every year, and only a fraction of those making their way outside of the USA, we’re very pleased...

This was Caol Ila’s bottling for Feis Ile 2016 and another one that was matured in ex-bodega sherry butts as well as refill American oak hogsheads.

Remember I wondered what these ex-bodega casks could be while reviewing the Lagavulin Jazz Festival 2015 . I asked the same question on Facebook and although we still don’t have official information, it appears they are fairly inactive 600-liter casks (like they use in bodegas, hence “bodega butt”) instead of the 500-liter butts that are more common in whisky warehouses. Makes sense, although I still think the name is a little misleading as there is no...

Another release from the new independent bottler Beacon Spirits . This is a Speyside Finest 1975 , usually a nickname for Glenfarclas but we can’t be sure of that.

Speyside Finest 1975 (46,9%, Beacon Spirits 2016, 54 btl.)

Nose: a tad lighter and shier than its Good Vibes sister. However it shares the same beautiful elements: Caperdonich-like apricot jams, tropical hints and plenty of oily notes. In this case there’s also a more dusty / garage-like edge, even a slight chalky touch, nice. Mouth: fairly forthcoming and round, with sweet oranges, kumquat and guava pairing well with sappy...

Amrut Greedy Angels 10 YO, 46 % and 71 % I have now tried the Amrut Greedy Angels 10 YO, from Indian distillery Amrut. A couple of years back I tried the first Amrut Greedy Angels, an 8 YO that was the by far oldest Amrut release to date. That record is soundly beaten with […]...

In the  rum  world, juli is an important month. Not only is it the beginning of summer – a time when even the rain-lashed shores of the UK can pretend that they have regular Caribbean-style sunshine – but it also ends with a solemn anniversary:  Black Tot Day .

31 juli 1970 was the last day that the Royal Navy issued sailors with a rum ration. The Navy loves an excuse for a bit of ritual, and the day was filled with mock funerals, black armbands and tots of rum issued with even more gravitas than usual. 46 years later,...

In september Wolfburn will launch Wolfburn Aurora , a new expression composed with 2013 spirit matured in 80% quarter casks and 20% first-fill sherry hogsheads.

At the same time, the first general release (bottled entirely from quarter casks) will be relaunched as Wolfburn Northland .

Highland Park presented a special edition called Highland Park Hobbister , named after and crafted to highlight the distinctive peat cut from the Hobbister Moor seven miles from the distillery. As there are no trees on Orkney, their peat is composed primarily of heather and has a lower phenolic content. Usually Highland Park is...

Hyde 10 YO No. 1 President’s Cask, 46 % Recently I got a chance to sample a couple of whiskeys from Hyde Whiskey.  Hyde Whiskey is a brand owned by relative newcomers to the Irish distilling scene Hibernia Distillers Ltd. Brothers Alan and Conor Hyde established Hibernia Distillers and Hyde Distillery in Skibereen, West Cork in […]...

Loch Lomond’s Island Collection will be released in the U.S. The single Maltwhisky collection includes three bottlings: Inchmurrin 12 year old, 18 year old, and Madeira Wood Finish. Each is non-chill filtered and has an ABV of 46%. Retail pricing for the 12 year old is $85, $160 for the 18 year old, and $95 for Madeira Wood Finish.

Garryana is Westland distillery’s newest American single malt release. It is the first in their Native Oak series. According to the press release Garryana, “… features a component whiskey matured in Quercus garryana, a  species of white oak unique to the Pacific Northwest.” Distribution of the 2,500 bottles begins...

Region – Seattle, Washington – 56.2% ABV

Not to be confused with Gary, Indiana…

Westland’s new Garryana single malt is a deep dive into the exploration of a new type of oak that no one has used before. Ever. That oak is conveniently named after the whisky at hand (or is that vice versa? I think it’s vice versa. I’m sure of it. Yup, vice versa).

All single malt producing countries have access to  oak casks for maturing their whisk(e)y. The good bulk of those oak casks comes from right here in the US of A. The oak used to make said casks is...

Ready for some more mezcal? After the three unaged Espadín examples, we’ll now try a couple of others that are a little different.

Los Danzantes Añejo (45,9%)

Made with Espadín. Mezquite wood is used for the underground fire. Aged for sixteen months – 15% American oak barrels and 85% French oak casks. Around € 85.

Los Danzantes are a group of restaurant owners who started distilling their own mezcal.

Nose: lovely combination of coconut and mint with garage aromas (diesel, hints of paint). Polished oak, as well as herbal notes and leather. Earthy touches and chocolate in the...

Braunstein E:3, NAS, 62,3 % Over the next few weeks I will work my way through a selection of whiskies from Danish distillery Braunstein. The first one out is the Braunstein E:3. It was matured in a new French oak cask (250 litre), bottled on 2011-12-01, with a total outturn of 300 bottles (500 ml each). Still […]...

Brian Nation has been the master distiller at Irish Distillers’ Midleton distillery since 2013, having joined the company in 1997 as an engineering graduate. Like a number of other distillery managers I’ve met, it seems he never intended to be a distiller. Softly spoken, but hugely enthusiastic about his whiskeys, he also became the first Irish Distiller to receive the Worshipful Company of Distillers award for achieving the highest IBD (Institute of Brewing and Distilling) exam results in the world.

Where were you born and brought up?

Born in Turners Cross in Cork City and brought up there.

So west...

Four diverse, delicious drinks from The Whisky Exchange!

Here at The Whisky Exchange, we’re always on the lookout for something different, whether it’s a new take on an established favourite or a totally new idea that makes us sit up and take notice. Our Covent Garden shop manager Alex has years of experience in the drinks world and has chosen some bottles that you might otherwise have overlooked. Be adventurous!

Alex, our Covent Garden shop manager

TROIS RIVIERES CUVEE DU MOULIN RUM

Agricole rum is unique in that it is made purely with sugar-cane juice, as opposed to the more...

I already tried mezcal some twenty years ago, but I have to admit I only knew it as that bottle with the worm inside – a Mexican gimmick and just cheap alcohol. Fast forward to 2004, when I tried the first decent Tequilas and Mezcals, as well as the mildly alcoholic Aztec precursor pulque during my holidays in Mexico. Still, there wasn’t much of an artisan mezcal scene back then.

The last couple of months, I thought it was time to dive a little further into this drink – people kept telling me it was an interesting malternative. I’ll give...

Like Nikka Yoichi , the core range of its sister distillery Miyagikyo was wiped off the table quite suddenly in september 2015. The brand is now represented only by this no age statement expression, simply called Nikka Miyagikyo single malt .

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt (45%, OB 2016, 70 cl.)

Nose: more vanilla than in the Yoichi, but just as juicy and fruity. Lots of red apples and rhubarb tartlets here. Lemon sweets and lime blossom. A slight buttery note. Also custard and some warm, exotic wood in the background. Mouth: opens on darker fruits than the Yoichi,...

This Arran 1997 was selected and bottled in celebration of the Limburg Whisky Fair 15th anniversary as well as Arran’s 21st anniversary. It is a single sherry cask. Mind that there were two of these editions: the other one was an Arran 1996 bottled at 54,8%.

Arran 18 yo 1997 (54,3%, OB ‘Limited Edition’ for The Whisky Fair 2016, sherry hogshead #913, 225 btl.)

Nose: nicely citrusy, nicely candied, nicely Arran really. Orange sweet, white grapes, hints of apricots and honey. Just light sherry and probably American oak. Vanilla cream and touches of pineapple. Macadamia nuts and a...