For our final tasting of 2015, we welcomed Inver House Distillers to showcase some of their whiskies, focusing on an aspect of whisky that most companies are not talking about much these days: long ageing.

Lukasz, looking dapper for his final tasting of the year

With whisky’s popularity at an all-time high and the spirit taking years to mature, it’s understandable that we’re seeing younger whiskies appearing on the market. Nice as younger drams can be, there’s something special about whisky that’s spent years in a cask.

We were joined by Lukasz Dynowiak, Inver House brand ambassador, to walk us through well-aged...

Ten years after opening in London Bridge, our Vinopolis store closed for the last time on Christmas Eve. We will be announcing its replacement very soon in the same part of town, and in the meantime, our new Covent Garden store is open for business. Alex Huskinson managed our Vinopolis shop for nearly six years, and he shares his memories of running the premier destination for whisky lovers in the capital.

The Whisky Exchange store at Vinopolis – a treasure trove of whiskies and fine spirits

As a cocktail bartender for many years before working in the shop, I had...

I like the new labels from Maltbarn . They’re still a continuation of what we saw before, but the selection of the pictures, together with the bold typo, are nicely done.

In the latest batch we found this Ben Nevis 1996 .

Ben Nevis 19 yo 1996 (50,9%, Maltbarn 2015, bourbon cask, 121 btl.)

Nose: a bit of a strange mix. It has the nicest touches of sweet melon and passion fruits, but also a dirty side of porridge and cider apple. Linseed oil. Hints of butter. Quite a fatty profile, I find it hard to focus on...

After reviewing a 35 year old Brora, let’s stick with a few more reviews of 35 year old whiskies, shall we?

This time it’s an affordable 35 year offering from BenRiach. The BenRiach 35 was introduced in late 2014 (a year ago or so) as a replacement to the 30 year old which is quite buckling the trend of going young ah? Although the ABV is relatively low by no means it’s punch-less.

BenRiach 35 Year Old (42.5%,  £358.33 / €575 / €590 )

Nose : A great fruity start with dark and deep fruit, peaches, pears and apricots, honey, rich...

The Glenlivet 21 Year Old ‘Archive’ is one of the older expressions from this distillery, and it is a mixture of different kinds of casks and wood types.

Glenlivet 21 yo ‘Archive’ (43%, OB 2014, Batch #0714M)

Nose: light and fruity, with lots of bright citrus notes (lemons, oranges), Granny Smith and floral touches. Sultanas. Growing spicier, with cinnamon and light grassy notes, moving towards polished oak. Hints of biscuits and acacia honey. Mouth: very malty and honeyed, still lots of oranges. Then the spices set in: ginger, cinnamon and some tangy oak. Still this grassy edge. Roasted...

Following yesterday’s 25yo Brora and with the premium theme for the last week of 2015, here’s another Brora review, but this time it’s the 2013 Special Releases edition that was bottled five years later in 2013. Although only five years has passed between the bottles, this one contains whisky distilled in 1977 and so we got ‘extra’ 5 years :)

It’s a vatting of refill American Oak and European Oak casks and 2944 bottles were made in this round at a lower than usual strength of 49.9%.

Brora 35 Year Old (2013 Special Releases) (49.9%, £750 / £900 / €1.099,99 )

Nose :...

Old Perth Blended Malt Batch 4 43%

A blend of Aultmore, Knockdhu, Blair Athol and Tullibardine

Tasted: Nov 2015

Aromas of fragrant barley and plenty of mature-ish Aultmore with hints of citrus and herbal sherry. Pleasantly full with developing honeyed notes.

Full and juicy on the palate with barley and creamy oak, along with hints of earth, citrus and granity Highland notes. Subtle sherry comes through on the middle along with a light earthiness. Long and citric with an almost tart green fruit and coffee finish.

Old Perth Blended Malt Sherry 43%

A blend of Glentauchers, Glenfarclas, Aultmore, and Knockdhu...

Edition Spirits Bunnahabhain 1989 (25 year old) 49.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0115/ Dist: 1989 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

A gorgeously juicy nose of lime conserve, apricot, guava and melon. Generously tropical with some deft honey, barley and dusty oak, but wow! That fruit! Gently spied and with time some castor sugar coated green apple and toasty oak notes appear.

The palate opens with the barley and mature honey. There’s a touch more oak so it’s not quite as exuberantly fruity as the nose suggests, but it creeps through on the middle with a gentle sub-tropical character. There’s...

Caermory Single Malt 21 year old 48.2%

A single cask of Tobermory – Cask 238/ Tasted: Oct 2015

The nose is quite oily with sugar coated barley, baked fruit and coffee’d oak. Wonderfully mature with hints of green fruit, citrus, light earth and milk chocolate. Some gentle creamy oak notes appear and the sweet, milky coffee notes increase. Is this really ‘mory?

The palate is pretty fresh and citric with wood spice and oily barley. Mature and quite fruity for a ‘mory with a distinct baked fruit demeanour. Some earthy and coffee’d tannins come through on the middle but the...

Edition Spirits Jura 1991 (24 year old) 50.5%...

Edition Spirits Tobermory 1994 (21 year old) 58.6%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0112/ Dist: 1994 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

The nose is quite coastal and honeyed with mature, baked fruit and a slight suggestion of cardboard, which is pretty much wrapped up in the baked fruit notes. Edgy and herbal with time, plus a touch if green citrus fruit, vanilla and gentle sooty peat. Very well balanced.

The palate opens with creamy toffee, herbs, edgy citrus and hints of earth and peat. The mature, baked fruit from the nose comes through on the middle. The finish is very...

Edition Spirits Ben Nevis 1996 (18 year old) 46.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0114/ Dist: Oct 1996 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Fresh and gristy aromas with lime, lemon and crisp white fruit. With time a touch of bready, baked fruit, barley, herbs and voluptuous vanilla.

The palate is fresh and fruity – pineapple, apricot and tangerine, not quite tropical but pleasantly pure with hints of citrus and almost bubblegummy white fruit. Subtle oak and bready, malty notes come through on the middle. Lovely fresh and citric finish with the creamy vanilla putting in a brief appearance. Very impressive....

Edition Spirits Craigellachie 1995 (19 year old) 54.6%

Sherry/ Code: EDI0111/ Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Aug 2015?/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Initially the aromas are a little hard with baked green apple fruit. However some fragrant barley appears to add balance along with some aromatic vanillins.

The palate opens with the soft, creamy vanilla with a little hard barley beneath. Hints of lime and apple come through on the middle and the citrus notes really step up a gear or two! Crisp, slightly austere finish.

Water makes the nose a little more honeyed and fragrant with hints of dusty oak and...

Edition Spirits Linkwood 1997 (18 year old) 59.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0116/ Dist: 1997 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

A lovely intensity of dense barley aromas and balancing citrus. It becomes quite herbal with a touch of malt, treacle, greengage, gooseberry, white liquorice and vanilla appearing.

The palate is very much like the nose, opening with the barley and citrus. Hints of honey coated white fruit follow along with a touch of vanilla. The alcohol masks the middle but the lightly toffee’d oak comes through well on the finish.

Water emphasises the toffee and herbal character on the...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Carsebridge 1973 (42 year old) 48.9%

Code: SOV2073/ Dist: Jan 1973 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted Oct 2015

A little reticent to begin with, but given some time and aeration the delicate Cognac-esque rancio appears. Quite floral and reminiscent of a fine Grande Champagne Cognac. Hints of toffee, vanilla, nuts, sweet spices and some late American oak notes arrive along with a touch of sweet orange and subtle cereal notes.

The palate is delicate and elegant with sultana, moist vanilla, cream, nuts and toasted vanilla. majbe not quite as complex as the nose, but it has a lovely...

Edition Spirits Bowmore 2000 (15 year old) 58.7%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0117/ Dist: 2000 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Full and lightly maritime aromas with sooty-peat, parma violets, iodine and antiseptic notes. Subtle baked fruit with underlying barley and malt appear. Quite medicinal with time. Lovely intensity.

The palate is lightly oiled with barley and sooty-peat. A little more oak is showing but the crisp citrus comes through and balances the light treacle and malt. Not as medicinal as the nose but a touch of camphor appears on the middle. Long with subtle iodine and antiseptic notes.

Water...

SMWS 66.35 Savoury smoke and spicy sweetness, age, 58,2 % Here is whisky number two from the SMWS Sample Box No. 1, my whisky Christmas calendar. Again the whisky was tasted blind. The description given by the Scotch Maltwhisky Society: The nose combines savoury smoke and spiced sweetness – bacon frazzles, aniseed, clove, fruit and nuts […]...

SMWS 72.31 Something Old, Something New, 29 YO, 48,3 % So this is the third sample from the SMWS Sample Box No. 1, and it was tasted blind. After the tasting I got this description from the Scotch Maltwhisky Society: A combination of lots of ‘new’ and ‘old’ aromas; a very old dusty leather […]...