This is the first release ever from the new Wolfburn distillery, a 3 year-old from bourbon barrels and some quarter casks that previously held peated Islay whisky.

The distillery was founded in 1821 in Caithness , the very north of Scotland’s mainland, closed down in the 1860s and recently rebuilt at 350m from the ruins of the original distillery. I remember people were talking about the construction works at Wolfburn when I visited the nearby Old Pulteney in 2012. The first spirit was distilled in januari 2013 , three years ago.

This single malt is produced with local ingredients, long...

This is a GlenDronach 2003 , a 12 years old Pedro Ximénez single cask bottled for Sansibar .

GlenDronach 12 yo 2003 (56,1%, OB for Sansibar 2015, Pedro Ximénez sherry puncheon #4630, 375 btl.)

Nose: really nice, with a big fruitiness of sweet plums, baked apples, juicy sultanas and a bit of orange peel. Nice hints of bananas flambéed with sprinkles of rum. Also a caramel sweetness that is not too prominent. Nicely candied, with hints of maraschino cherries. Mouth: sweet and fruity again, lots of dried apricots, cherry jam and a little maple syrup. Paired with punchy...

First introduced in 2005, Johnnie Walker Green Label was discontinued worldwide in 2012 (except in Taiwan) when they launched the Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Johnnie Walker Platinum Label . It was brought back in Australia and North America in 2015 and has now been relaunched on a broader scale, including Europe.

Like before, Johnnie Walker Green Label is a blended malt , composed with Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore and Caol Ila among other whiskies matured for at least 15 years in American and European oak.

I must admit I never tried the old version, but the relaunch was a good reason...

I first heard of Dave Pickerell when we both worked for Allied Domecq – I was in Scotland working on Scotch whiskies and he in the U.S. with Maker’s Mark. Some years later I had the chance to visit Kentucky and one highlight of that trip was to be shown round Maker’s Mark by Dave. Getting answers to some of the more scientific and technical questions on bourbon was a treat for me. He is an expert on so many things in the production of spirits and respected worldwide for his knowledge and work.

Here he tells us a bit more about...

After a difficult start to life, Benriach has emerged from the shadows and is now a highly regarded Speyside distillery. It closed after just two years in 1900, with a 65-year gap until it reopened in 1965. But since Billy Walker bought Benriach with the help of a consortium in 2004, the distillery has gone from strength to strength, with a clutch of well-received releases. Benriach brand ambassador Stewart Buchanan led our latest Whisky Exchange tasting, giving plenty of inside info on what goes on – with a few drams along the way, of course.

Benriach Distillery was bought by...

This Caol Ila 1984 is also part of the latest batch of Maltbarn bottlings that will be presented in Limburg.

Although the early 1980s were a difficult period for the whisky industry in general, with seemingly less stunning results than we’ve seen in the 1970s, I’ve had several wonderful 1980s Caol Ila expressions.

Caol Ila 31 yo 1984 (54%, Maltbarn 2015, bourbon cask, 68 btl.)

Nose: stunning really. Starts on putty and camphor, tobacco leaves, sea shells, lemons and wet wool. Then I get some light farmy notes. Hints of almond oil. Old wardrobes. And then a wonderful fruitiness...

Another Sansibar bottling that will certainly be available in Limburg, and one that will certainly be talked about: an undisclosed Speyside single malt distilled in 1975 . It was bottled 40 years later in the Samurai series (Batch #4) from Sansibar.

Speyside single malt 40 yo 1975 (51,3%, Sansibar 2015, Samurai label, Fino sherry butt, 425 btl.)

Nose: fruit bomb alert. Imagine a Littlemill kind of fruitiness, with a dash of Lochside and Caperdonich 1972. It’s got the apricots, guava, tangerines, banana jellybeans… A little maracuya sherbet. Both warm and sparkling fresh at the same time. Also wax...

Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No. 4 Megrez, NAS, 45 % We have now reached release number four in the Seven Stars series from Swedish distillery Spirit of Hven. I have previously reviewed the Dubhe, Merak and Phecda. The Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No. 4 Megrez was released on mars 4, 2016. This release, as […]...

This is a blended grain whisky , blended at birth and matured in a bourbon cask for over 50 years before being bottled by The Cooper’s Choice .

As one of their most interesting recent bottlings, it will be available to try in Limburg. They will also present a brand-new Glen Esk 1984 , bottled especially for the Limburg Festival at 49,5%.

‘Golden Grain’ 50 yo (50%, Cooper’s Choice 2016, blended grain, bourbon cask #0042, 250 btl.)

Nose: great start on caramelized nuts, lots of worn leather and (nice) hints of glue and turpentine. Some pencil shavings. Also quite a...

B3.2 Ooey-gooey cinnamon bun, 3 YO, 55,3 % I find it very interesting that the Scotch Maltwhisky Society (SMWS) is branching out and adding not only Japanese whisky, grain and cider, but also bourbon. The B3.2 Ooey-gooey cinnamon bun is a three year old bourbon from Rock Town Distillery in Arkansas, USA. It was […]...