We always look forward to new releases from Speciality Drinks Ltd. As a sister company of The Whisky Exchange, we hear whispers of what’s coming next and get an occasional taste, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting this latest launch – four new releases in the Port Askaig range of single malts.

Port Askaig. The petrol pump is out of shot behind the trees on the left…

Rather than a distillery, Port Askaig is one of the two main ports on Islay , and if you’ve visited the island by ferry, there’s a 50/50 chance that you’ve been there. It’s not a...

The Ultimate is a series developed by the Dutch importers Han and Maurice van Wees . They’re all single casks and they have a good reputation when it comes to fair pricing vs. quality.

Longmorn 23 yo 1992 (46%, van Wees ‘The Ultimate’ 2015, hogshead #48497, 264 btl.)

Nose: very bright and fruity, with some elements that hint towards balanced sherry maturation (golden raisins, strawberries) and others that are more typical for bourbon casks (vanilla, dried coconut). Lots of apples, some gooseberries and a slightly tart side. Quite some mint as well. Mouth: really fruity again, almost fruit...

This limited edition Laphroaig 21 Year Old was distilled throughout 1993, then poured into first fill ex-bourbon barrels to age. Both kiln-dried and air-dried American oak barrels were used to reflect the subtle changes in flavour that occur with the changing seasons.

It is part of the 200th Anniversary releases and was first sold to Friends of Laphroaig members by ballot, but apparently that wasn’t a huge success. After the initial storm, it’s now available for anyone through the Laphroaig website.

Laphroaig 21 yo 1993 (48,4%, OB 2015, first-fill bourbon, for Friends of Laphroaig, 35 cl.)

Nose: as...

Wolfburn is a distillery which as a whisky geek and a blogger I’m following closely for it’s always exciting to track and see how a new distillery shapes itself, both on whisky and business fronts, so I knew I want to pay them a visit when I get back to Scotland and visit the northern highlands region.

The staff at the distillery are very friendly. They happily booked the visit and even endured us being late for a hour. After all, it was that ‘late-late-late’ day and I had troubles locating the distillery as it’s not your average looking distillery. They are located...

This summer I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Copenhagen Distillery. This is a tiny distillery setup in a beautiful and rustic house on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The facilities are actually from 1749, called Bryggergården (“the brewery house”), and initially housed a pottery and tile works. Later it became the location for one of […]...

Suddenly a new Japanese single malt appeared, Fujikai 10 Year Old . It is produced at the Monde Shuzo distillery, a wine producer at the foot of Mount Fuji (hence the name) which occasionally makes some whisky as well. They also seem to have an Isawa blend, an Isawa 10yo single malt and a vintage 1983.

The packaging and label says “10 ans” among the Japanese blurb, I guess the spirit was bought by the French importer Whiskies du Monde and bottled / labeled in Europe.

Japanese whisky is hot and when some forgotten stock is found, it would be stupid not...

After a long break due to a new house purchase and move coupled with a very long (and a very deserving!) summer vacation it’s time to resume normal activity here.

I was lucky enough to have a summer vacation in London with a wee getaway to Scotland and in those four days I managed to cross off a few more distilleries from my to-visit list.

The first distillery on this trip was Balblair, a distillery I like a lot for producing good, bodily and well done whisky but the day didn’t pan out as planned.

At first, the sleeper train...

Laphroaig 21 YO Friends of Laphroaig, 48,4 % So here it is, the latest whisky to celebrate Laphroaig’s 200th Anniversary. We have previously reviewed the Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 and the Laphroaig 15 YO 200th Anniversary. Loved the first one, more meh! on the second one. The Laphroaig 21 YO Friends of Laphroaig (FoL), is a […]...

Hakushu 1998 Single Cask #CL40182, ~14 YO, 58 % Here is a single cask Hakushu whisky, from Suntory, released in Japan. My friend Łukasz Kreft bought this bottle on one of his visits to Japan, and was kind enough to share some with me. Check out his excellent blog Luk Loves Whisky. The Hakushu 1998 Single […]...

Every sport has that jaw-dropping moment (inevitably with matching commentary) that stays in the memory for years to come. For football it’s Kenneth Wolstenholme and the fourth goal in the 1966 World Cup Final; there’s Michael Jordan’s ‘ The Shot ‘ in basketball; and tennis has the Chang/Lendl Match at the 1989 French Open . For rugby it’s ‘ the greatest try ever scored ‘ (aka ‘that try’) scored by Gareth Edwards for the Barbarians against New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park on 27 januari 1973 – here it in is full 1970s televisual glory:

The 2015 Rugby World Cup starts this evening, with...

For its 2013 Master’s Collection release, Woodford Reserve bottled two single 100% malted barley whiskeys, aged in used bourbon barrels… a Classic Malt made like Scotch whisky but in a Kentucky climate.

It was released in pair with a Straight Malt Whiskey , aged in new oak barrels.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection – Classic Malt (45,2%, OB 2013)

Nose: strange. I mean, given the Seasoned Oak quality, and compared to Scotch single malt, this just seems uninspired. It has dried grasses, honey and vanilla, with soft hints of peaches and pears in the background. But mostly lots of...

Arran...

Seasoned Oak Finish was the fourth offering in the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection , a series of products focused on innovation and craftmanship. Other expressions include a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir finish, Maple wood finish, Four Grain, Rare Rye selection and others.

The Master’s Collection whiskies are completely triple distilled in pot stills, whereas the normal Woodford Reserve also includes some column distilled Old Forester whisky in the mix.

The key to this Seasoned Oak is 7-8 years of regular maturation with an extra 8 months in finishing barrels, made with staves that have been seasoned 3-5 years instead of...