Mannochmore – the sister distillery of Glenlossie – is one of the younger distilleries. Production started in 1972 which is only five years before this Mannochmore 37yo 1977 went into a bourbon hogshead. Given the low availability of expressions, I think it’s fair to say this is the oldest Mannochmore every bottled?

It’s part of the Cadenhead single cask series, with the golden labels.

Mannochmore 37 yo 1977 (49,4%, Cadenhead Single Cask 2015, bourbon hogshead, 210 btl.)

Nose: quite fresh and aromatic, with nice citrus, some grassy touches and a light hint of honey. White fruits (nectarine, pear),...

We’ve been good to you over the past few months. We’ve had a run of competitions and special offers throughout the summer, and are finishing things up with a month of whisky multi-buy deals. We’ve put together two extensive ranges of whiskies to choose from, and if you buy a pair of bottles we’ll knock some money off.

First up we have more than 400 (as of writing – some might go out of stock over the month) great-value single malt Scotch whiskies – buy two and save £5 . The range includes everything from must-haves like Laphroaig 10 Year Old...

Springbank 1999 11 YO Local Barley, 57,9 % The Springbank 1999 11 YO Local Barley is a Society bottling released in 2011 and made available to the Springbank Society members. Distilled in 1999, matured for 11 years in a re-charred sherry butt, then bottled in 2011. The total outturn was 516 bottles. If you are […]...

We ran a piece by Geoff Kleinman on Portland, Oregon’s “Distillery Row” in the current issue (“Beer and Whiskey”, Summer 2015). It’s a good piece, but Geoff had a lot more material, so we decided to run it here. This is the second part, about New Deal Distillery. Enjoy!

There’s a bumper sticker commonly seen in Portland, Oregon that reads “Keep Portland Weird”. Although weird is a relative term, as one tours the many craft distilleries in Portland, it’s clear that each marses to the beat of its own drum. Portlanders aren’t concerned with what the rest of the country is...

Region – Speyside – 46% ABV – still available here and there for around $80-85

Imperial distillery – dismantled then destroyed, and now, in 2015, resurrected as the Dalmunach distillery.

Sadly, they’re not trying to replicate what Imperial produced at this new distillery.  Still, it’ll be exciting to see what Dalmunach produces.

While not my favorite whisky producer in the world, when I’m out and about looking for indy bottlings of whisky, Imperial is the number one distillery I seek out.  Like Springbank, Imperial has a style that is all its own, and completely unmistakable: Mineral-like, flinty, sometimes a...

Region – Speyside – 51.6% ABV – $200-285 (if you’re lucky enough to find a bottle)

Ok. Full disclosure. By day I work for the US importer of The Exclusive Malts line of independently bottled whisky, ImpEx Beverages .

Full disclosure pt.2. This whisky is no longer available, and was actually imported well before I started my position with ImpEx.

Being that I don’t actually score whisky but instead just present tasting notes and general impressions (and occasional dick jokes), I figured it’s kosher for me give you said tasting notes and general impressions on this release.

What is...

Glenfarclas is a rare example of a Scottish distillery that is still in independent hands. I sat down with director of sales, George Grant, as the distillery celebrated 150 years of Grant family ownership.

George Grant in a typically shy and retiring pose for a Dutch advert

‘The big advantage to being family owned is that you have one person to ask the questions to and you can get an answer immediately. The negatives are you don’t have that team behind you, or that massive marketing budget.’

‘ Being traditional leads to more innovation , we look at things on...

OriGINario botanicals add a fresh hit of aromatics to your gin and tonic

If you’re partial to a gin and tonic, we have a new product we know you’ll love. Personalising your drinks is all the rage at the moment, so these new botanical packs from OriGINario are just the thing.

We sell the full 16-box Selection Pack here , but in addition, we’re running a special offer. Simply order any full-size bottle of gin and we’ll send you a randomly chosen sample from the OriGINario botanicals range for free!

There are four contrasting styles each one adds an intriguing...

The Dutch Usquebaugh Society selected a single cask Glen Garioch 1990 from the stocks of the Creative Whisky Company to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the club.

Glen Garioch 1990 (56,7%, Usquebaugh Society 2015, cask #7937, 288 btl.)

Nose: a slightly curious combination of aromas, but very interesting. Silver polish, soft hints of dusty peat, a bit of Play Dough, but also pineapple sweets and some strawberries with cream. Buttery, greasy notes in the background, and a light hint of mint. Mouth: a bit hot / peppery at first, and then again this creamy, almost milky note again....

Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Based on some label designs that were recently approved by the American Alcohol & Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (search for vendor code 14617 here ), we already know what will come out of Diageo’s Special Releases hat shortly. At least we know six of the most important expressions.

Diageo Special Releases for 2015:

• Brora 37 Year Old (50,4%, OB 2015, 2078 btl.)
• Caol Ila 17 Year Old 1997 “unpeated style” (55,9%, OB 2015, ex-bourbon barrels)
• Clynelish Select Reserve (56,1%, OB 2015, 2946 btl.)
• Dalwhinnie 25 Year Old 1989 (48,8%, OB...

Amrut 2009 Single Cask Bourbon #3441, 4 YO, 60 % A couple of weeks ago I shared my tasting notes on a single cask release from Amrut distilleries; a sherry matured whisky from cask #2697. Today it is time for another single cask release, this time a bourbon matured whisky. The whisky was distilled in juni 2009, […]...

Although the label says it has been bottled in 2014 already, this Highland Park 1990 in Master of Malt ’s Single Cask series has only just been made available on their website.

Highland Park 24 yo 1990 (57,5%, Master of Malt 2014, bourbon hogshead, 201 btl.)

Nose: very natural, with nice hints of yellow apples and half-dried grasses, alongside sea air and a hint of dry Riesling. Hints of cold ashes and wet stones. A bit of honey and sugar-coated cereals. Mint too. Pleasantly coastal with an above average complexity. Mouth: rather sweet and nicely old-style with this...