Oban was one of the first whisky distilleries I visited; it was more than a decade ago, but I remember it well. Situated on Scotland’s west coast in the heart of the Highland town of the same name, Oban is one of the most popular whisky tours in the country, and with good reason.

Oban Distillery is located in the middle of the eponymous town

Little Bay is this much-loved distillery’s latest whisky, and to celebrate, The Whisky Exchange is giving one person the chance to experience a trip to Oban for themselves. All you need to do to be in...

The fifth bottling from Le Gus’t in France is a Ledaig 2008 . More of these early 2008 distillations have been bottled by Signatory in their Unchillfiltered series, as well as by others bottlers like Van Wees in Holland.

Ledaig 7 yo 2008 (60,3%, Signatory Vintage for Le Gus ‘t 2016, cask #751, 312 btl.)

Nose: medium peat and quite some toffee sweetness. Like butter toffee. Light cabbage in the background. Gets fresher after a while, with nice citrusy notes of oranges and lemons. Almonds and touches of vanilla latte. Surprisingly citrusy and even a little floral with...

The Balvenie’s Triple Cask series was launched early 2013 in the travel retail market but is now also available in regular stores.

The range comprises The Balvenie Triple Cask 12 year old , 16 year old and 25 year old variants. Each is matured in three types of wood: first-fill Oloroso, first-fill bourbon and traditional (refill) bourbon casks.

Mind that unlike the 12yo DoubleWood for instance, this is not a finished whisky: the whisky stays in its type of cask for the whole 12 years and is then combined in a large ‘marrying tun’ for the final six months.

It...

The Glenmorangie...

I believe this was the first release from Tomatin in the heart-shaped bottles (check the more recent Tomatin 36yo 1977 ) in juli 2014. It was after the review of the 1977 that I got a message that suggested me to try this Tomatin 32 Year Old 1981 as well. Thanks, Dirk.

Tomatin 32 yo 1981 (42,3%, OB 2014, Oloroso sherry butt #001, 405 btl.)

Nose: quite spectacular. Raisins, almond biscuits, red berries. Loads of old leather chairs and polished exotic woods. Soft hints of liquorice roots. Whiffs of very old Oloroso, including the combination of figs and citrus that...

Glen Garioch 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Matured Travel Retail (53.7%, €99,99 )

Nose : Cereals and sherry, lots of vanilla, also sherry spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Dusty and limestone notes like in many other Glen Garioch whiskies, rubber, ginger, a touch of perfume but...

Aberfeldy 12 YO, 40 % Today I will review the Aberfeldy 12 YO, from the Highland distillery by the same name. I find it a bit exciting that Bacardi (the owners) finally in 2014 decided to launch a broad range of whiskies from their five distilleries  (Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, The Devron, and Royal Brackla). These are […]...

In the modern U.S. distilling boom, state legislators have passed distiller-friendly laws that created business opportunities in the likes of New York and Washington.

Lagging far behind has been, of all places, the industry’s stalwart state—Kentucky. And the reason why maj shock you.

In the digital age, Kentucky politicians still serve 1920s-era mindsets with 39 dry counties. Both the Kentucky Democratic and Republican caucuses have agreed to only vote on one alcohol bill a year to avoid potential dry voter fallout. Thus, the state’s political climate has hamstrung the distilling industry and allowed other states to earn craft distiller investments...

John Glaser started Compass Box some 15 years ago and really broke the mold of whisky blend creation and communication at the time. The names of his whiskies and their label designs were quite different from anything else. Since then he has created a host of blends, some grain-only, some malt-only, some a blend of both, and some with other flavors. He’s also ruffled some traditionalist feathers along the way which has made all of us take notice of the boundless possibilities of Scotch whisky. 

Where were you born and raised? 

I’m a Midwesterner, originally. Born in Michigan but grew up...

Finding good whisky is difficult. I don’t mean on the shelves – despite loud online debates to the contrary, there has never been such a range of different, great-tasting drams available – but finding a cask of whisky that is not only really good but also for sale is really hard.

Fortunately, there are still independent bottlers out there who have contracts and relationships set up which let them get their hands on excellent spirit, and some of them will even let us have the occasional cask all to ourselves. Today’s guardian whisky angel is Gordon & MacPhail, owner of...

Spirit production in Britain has come a long way in the past decade. Previously just a bastion of whisky and gin , today you’ll find  aperitifs , cider brandy and even marc made on the island. Founded in west London in 2009,  Sipsmith  is widely credited as being the pioneers of the revival, with its range of gins , vodkas and liqueurs . It has been followed by a wave of new producers, each with their own style, story and ethos.

Sipsmith started the British spirits revival in 2009. From left: master distiller Jared Brown with founders Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall

Gin...

Whisky can be matured in Spanish sherry casks but you’d have to bring the casks over to Scotland to name the result ‘Scotch whisky’. For Nomad , they shipped the whisky to the cellars of the famous bodega Gonzalez Byass and finished it in the Andalusian climate. Hence the name outland whisky .

At its base is a blended whisky composed from 26 malts and 6 grain distilleries  (5 to 8 years old) by Whyte & Mackay master blender Richard Paterson . The blend is then finished for about one year in old Pedro Ximénez casks.

Although they say this...

This is the re-launched BenRiach 10 Years , presented in april 2015 and recognizable by its grey packaging and copper foil letters.

The current owners took over the distillery in april 2004, which means this could have been a true milestone: the first expression made entirely with Billy Walker’s spirit. However press releases say it’s mainly made with the new spirit, suggesting it still contains some old production as well.

BenRiach 10 is composed from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

BenRiach 10 yo (43%, OB +/- 2016)

Nose: a pleasant character, with green apple, banana and some kiwi. Hints...

Vingården Lille Gadegård Bornholmsk Whisky Nr. 2, 3 YO, 53,0 % Last week I reviewed the first release from Danish distillery Vingården Lille Gadegård. Now I will take a closer look at their second release. The Vingården Lille Gadegård Bornholmsk Whisky Nr. 2 was distilled in december 2006. It was matured in an unspecified oak […]...