Diageo whisky ambassador Colin Dunn

Colin Dunn has done more than most to get people switched on to whisky. After a spell with Suntory, he moved to Diageo in 2008, educating drinkers about the delights of the company’s numerous single malts, as well as the Johnnie Walker range. Here he talks about his life in whisky…

‘When I first tried the Classic Malts, I was amazed how different they all were, and how I needed to know more about them – it was like Howard Carter opening the tomb of Tutankhamun ’

‘ I’m not Scottish, but I’m Cornish , so...

We’ve seen a batch of Glen Elgin 1975 around 2010-2011 but as often with these gems, their supply faded away and they disappeared from the indie market. Now Maltbarn releases another cask, which was acquired in the same period but held back to be bottled for a special occasion.

Glen Elgin 40 yo 1975 (48,5%, Maltbarn 2015, 73 btl.)

Nose: lots of waxy notes at first. Polished oak and leather, until it starts growing wider and fruitier. Mainly orchard fruits: apples, gooseberries, citrus too. A little honey. There’s also a chalky touch and some mint, which make it fresher and...

We ended last week with a couple of festival-related bottlings, and we’ll have a few more if you don’t mind, now focusing on the upcoming Limburg Whisky Fair 2016 . We’ll have a look at a couple of new releases from German bottlers which will be presented there.

The first is this Springbank 1993 with the classic Sansibar label.

Springbank 22 yo 1993 (51,8%, Sansibar 2015, 150 btl.)

Nose: very direct. It hits you in the face with the uniquely mineral, very chalky Springbank character. Clay and wet wool. Some metallic notes as well. It isn’t too austere...

Tamdhu 10 YO, 40 % Tamdhu is a relatively unknown distillery to me, and I have previously only reviewed independent bottlings from this SPeyside distillery. Tamdhu was established in 1897, and lived on until 2010 when it was closed. Then in 2011 Ian Macleod Distillers bought the distillery, and it was re-opened in 2013. This Tamdhu […]...

In an era when many distilleries are moving towards no-age-statement ( NAS ) bottlings, That Boutique-y Whisky Company (which has, to date, offered only a NAS range of bottlings) is taking the unprecedented step of going ‘the other way’ – adding age statements – in order to give consumers more information about its whiskies.

At first their reasoning was that they wanted to let people appreciate the intrinsic quality of the whisky, regardless of the age. They are still doing that, but disclosing the age (and possibly more when EU / UK regulations would allow it) doesn’t interfere in any...

Yamazakura 16 YO, 40% So, I come back with some short tasting notes here on Whisky Saga, and through nefarious means I’ve managed to nab a sample of this Japanese whisky before Thomas did. Yamazakura 16 YO is a blended whisky from the Sasanokawa Shuzo liquor company. They’ve produced sake and shochu since 1765, and from 1946 […]...

Glenmorangie Milsean Private Edition, NAS, 46 % The Glenmorangie Milsean Private Edition is the seventh release in the Private Edition range. Here at Whisky Saga HQ only the Astar has previously been reviewed. This release was initially matured in ex-bourbon casks and then received a six months finish casks that had previously held Portuguese red wine. The name “Milsean” […]...

Happy Glenfarclas 105 Day everyone!

Now, while this maj not be the most well-known of whisky-related holidays – those honours go to World Whisky Day and International Whisk(e)y Day – the 105th day of the year (14 april) is an excellent excuse to grab a dram of Glenfarclas’s sherry monster.

When it comes to my formative whisky experiences, my first encounter with Glenfarclas 105 is leader of the pack – it is the first whisky that I remember. At the tender age of five years old (almost six – I have been told that I was very concerned with that...

The fifth edition of the Whisky in Leiden festival is coming up this week-end. The festival bottling is a Dutch single malt: lightly peated Millstone matured in a Pedro Ximénez cask. It is just 3 years old.

Zuidam distillery is behind the Millstone brand name and it is currently run by Patrick and Gilbert Zuidam.

Millstone 3 yo 2013 (56,6%, OB for Whisky in Leiden 2016, peated P.X. cask, 332 btl.)

Nose: starts quite malty and a bit grassy, before picking up freshness. Some raisins and coffee. Apricot jam and a lightly acidic grapefruit note. Hints of coconut....

Here’s another bottling exclusive to Whiskysite.nl : an Arran 1996 single sherry cask. Although this was bottled and sold out early mars, some bottles have been kept aside for the Whisky in Leiden festival. You’ll be able to try it there and buy the remaining bottles.

Arran 19 yo 1996 ‘The Chosen One’ (54,7%, OB for Whiskysite.nl 2016, sherry hogshead #1390, 312 btl.)

Nose: oh yes, very nice fruity notes, halfway between apricot jam and strawberry candy. Hints of kirsch and lemon liqueur. A little mead and gooseberry pie with vanilla custard at the bottom. Honey and beehive...

Forty Creek Evolution 43%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Initially the aromas are quite shy, but there is plenty of dense, slightly spicy oak along with soy sauce, wheat flakes, dried balsamic fruit and a light spice note. With time some grainy spirit puts in an appearance.

Palate: Slightly watery with sweet spice, dried sultana, white grape and oak. Hugely tannic with some creamy notes attempting to offset and like the nose some grainy spirit notes come through.

Finish: Dry and tannic, with the grainy spirit prevalent.

Conclusion: It feels like a moderately aged grain whisky which has succumbed to the...

JP Wisers Double Still Rye 43.4%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Chunky thick set honey and very subtle herbal rye. Pleasantly soft but edgy with toasted oak and earthy notes. A late winey, nutty marsanne grape-like note appears along with a light, almost salty note.

Palate: Very much like the nose, majbe slightly oilier with a lovely depth of honey and again very subtle rye notes. Toasty/ nutty oak comes through on the middle with some building crisp, grainy notes.

Finish: Long and displaying some herbal spice and a lovely peppery finish.

Conclusion: A very subtle rye whisky with more than...

On april 1 I was in Malmö, Sweden, on a very special mission. I was invited to taste the oldest whisky in the world – the Mortlach Generations 1939 75 YO from Gordon & MacPhail. This unique whisky was launched last Autumn, and is limited to only 100 crystal decanters. At the Whisky Exchange Whisky […]...

Vingården Lille Gadegård Bornholmsk Whisky Nr. 3, 5 YO, 51,5 % I have now worked my way up to release number three from the small Danish distillery Vingården Lille Gadegård. This whisky was distilled in 2007 and bottled in juli 2012. The product is two years older this time, compared to the two previous releases (see reviews […]...

Brown-Forman has announced the upcoming release of Coopers’ Craft. This is the first new bourbon brand released by the company in 20 years.

According to the company-issued press release, “Coopers’ Craft is a celebration of barrel-making and a recognition of the importance of wood when it comes to crafting bourbon. In addition to being matured in barrels raised by master coopers at the Brown-Forman Cooperage, Coopers’ Craft is crafted using a special beech and birch charcoal filter finishing process, creating a smooth and flavorful bourbon.”

It will be released this summer initially in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South...