Yula was the first of a three part trilogy of limited edition Island Malt Scotch Whisky released by Douglas Laing.

Yula is inspired by the ancient Islay legend of a beautiful but tragic Norse goddess, searching for a long lost love with an apron full of stones. During the journey the apron is torn, leaving a trail of islands. At the end she finds love but also tragically dies in the sea. The last stone that fell out of her apron formed Islay.

The first chapter of Yula is comprised of different peated malts from Islay and other islands...

There are fundamental moments when a whole industry takes a turn, and if you look at the whisky industry, you can surly peg the Macallan 1824 series release as the first large (large? huge!) harbinger of the NAS trend that has been sweeping through the whisky industry in the last few years. I remember being in shock back then in september 2012 when Macallan announced the 1824 series. Seriously? Ditching the age statement core line up and instead bring a new line up that use colors to represent taste (and to some degree, age too)?

Well, it wasn’t a full line up replacement when the 1824 series was unleashed...

The Glenlivet Nadurra Cask Strength, NAS, 59,8 % The Glenlivet Nadurra was released a few years ago, and used to have an age statement (16 YO). In 2015 it was re-launched as a NAS and at Cask Strength. The The Glenlivet Nadurra Cask Strength is now also available in a peated version. Today I am reviewing the […]...

Easter is just a few weeks away, so for the sweet-toothed among you, we have an ideal  Spirit of the Month  for you:  Rumchata Cream Liqueur . It’s been a huge hit in the US since its 2010 launch, and outsells cream-liqueur champion Baileys in several states.

Rumchata is a blend of Caribbean rum , real dairy cream from Wisconsin, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and other secret spices. It’s based on horchata , the popular Latin American drink made with rice, sugar and vanilla, and once opened, it will keep for up to six months, too.

It was very popular when we...

For mars’s Champagne of the Month , we’ve chosen an iconic pink Champagne: Laurent-Perrier Rosé. One of the first non-vintage rosé Champagnes when it was launched in 1968, it has become instantly recognisable around the world. Noted for its curved bottle inspired by those of the late-16th and early-17th centuries, and unrivalled fruity flavour.

Champagne Laurent-Perrier is situated in Tours-sur-Marne, a few miles outside Epernay

Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812 by André Michel Pierlot, whose son, Alphonse, later inherited the estate. It received its name in 1887 when ownership passed to Mathilde Emilie Perrier, the widow of Eugène Laurent, Pierlot’s...

I must admit I always thought the Fine Oak range of The Macallan was entirely bourbon matured. I was wrong: it is usually a marriage of bourbon and sherry oak, but in a lighter style so vastly less sherry influence than you’ll find in the original Sherry Oak range.

The Macallan Fine Oak 21 Years is triple cask matured : a combination of European oak casks seasoned with sherry, American oak casks seasoned with sherry and American oak casks seasoned with bourbon.

The Macallan 21 yo ‘Fine Oak’ (43%, OB +/- 2015)

Nose: quite rich in a classic...

It’s not like we need an excuse to publish a review but hey, it’s Thursday and the weekend is in sight so why not use this paltry excuse to review the recently released Benromach 35 Year Old?

35 years is a lot of time and it means that it was distilled under the previous ownership around 1980 (or a tad earlier earlier), just a few years before the distillery was mothballed in 1983.

Since Benromach was revived by G&M at 1998, it means that an equivalent aged expression under GM& ownership (with different production methods, yeasts and barley variants), sometime around 2034, will be...

I’ve been intrigued by Glen Ord for years. Back in the dim and distant past, I became aware of the distillery when I was asked to write about them in 1001 Whiskies to Try Before You Die  – I tried a few drams and really liked them. However, it’s only more recently that I’ve managed to visit and learn about more about the distillery first-hand.

Situated a short drive away from Inverness – and easily accessible by train for those like me who shouldn’t be in control of a motor vehicle – on the edge of the village of Muir of Ord, the distillery...

While it’s still not easy for independent bottlers to get hold of Islay whisky, it seems Coal Ila is a solid choice. They’ve always had a steady production and quality is very reliable, not matter what the age.

Eiling Lim selected a Coal Ila 2006 as her 11th release.

Caol Ila 9 yo 2006 (51,2%, Eiling Lim 2015, 109 btl.)

Nose: crystal clear. Its dry character comes out first, with salty sea spray, fennel, hessian and medium smoke. Then it becomes slightly rounder, with almonds and berries. Mouth: oily mouthfeel, plenty of peaty notes at first, joined by...

Glendonach is one of the rising stars in the hearts of whisky fans as it’s gaining a positive image, brand recognition and of course lot of admirers and whisky fans.

The core line up of sherried whiskies, along with the successful single casks batches were the reason for this success but Glendronach also dabble in other casks finishes, using casks with whisky that was distilled before the distillery was mothballed in 1996. The old sherry casks were used for the single cask releases and the premium releases (recherche and grandeur comes to mind), but what of the other casks? This is where the...

I am making an exception today. I will not be reviewing one Nordic whisky today, as I normally do on Tuesdays. Instead I shall review three releases of new make or new spirit. So no whisky, but these are all sales products released by Danish distillery Fary Lochan. The three expressions were released over a period of […]...

Here we are again then. Time for the release of new whiskies in Norway. They go on sale on Friday mars 4 at 8 AM. We have 33 new releases this time around, and quite a few interesting ones. I am particularly keen on the two Glenburgie releases, as I have a weak spot for that […]...

Signaling the significance of the event, Diageo sent a senior whisky team to the intimate dinner in London held to celebrate the 200 ^th Anniversary of the legal founding of Lagavulin distillery.  Guests were greeted by David Gates, global head – premium core spirits along with Dr. Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach, distillery manager Georgie Crawford, and colleagues from the Diageo archives and brand teams.

Dr. Nick Morgan

With 200 years of history to acknowledge, Morgan referenced in his remarks a number of distinguished commentators on Lagavulin, reminding us that the world’s first whisky writer Alfred Barnard found Lagavulin,...

There aren’t many distilleries that have universal appeal. Some people adore rich, sherried whiskies; other people despise them. Some love lean, medicinal styles; others run a mile. But there is one whisky distillery that gets praise from all quarters: Lagavulin .

Lagavulin distillery, as viewed from Lagavulin Bay

Part of the big-hitting trio of distilleries on Islay ’s southern coast, Lagavulin celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, and is about to launch a special limited-edition bottling: Lagavulin 8 Year Old . This new bottling honours the work of whisky writer Alfred Barnard, who visited Lagavulin in the 1880s: ‘No prettier...