Highland Park Ragnvald, NAS, 44,6 % Here is the second in command of the Highland Park The Warrior Series; Highland Park Ragnvald. I have previously reviewed the highest ranking warrior, Thorfinn. Highland Park Ragnvald is made up of whisky where 60-80 % have been matured in European (Spanish) oak, and the rest in American oak. All […]...

Islay’s smallest distillery released this Kilchoman Sanaig which is a composition of 50% bourbon casks and 50% Oloroso sherry, matured for around 4-5 years. It is named after a creek close to the distillery and it will be a permanent member of the core range.

Kilchoman Sanaig (46%, OB 2015)

Nose: a fairly friendly, balanced expression. The peat smoke is not as offensive as in some other expressions. Instead there is some fruit compote in the fore (pineapple, red apple) with vanilla. Grilled lacquered meat. Toffee. Also a little marshmallow. Soft mineral notes and sea spray in the background....

The past few weeks have been hot in the UK, with some of the highest temperatures recorded down the road from TWE HQ. Fortunately for us, the air conditioning in the office is particularly effective, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use the temperature as an excuse for a summery cocktail. Today’s tall drink: the forebodingly named Dark ‘n’ Stormy.

This barely sneaks into the cocktail category for me – three ingredients or more: cocktail; two ingredients: mixed drink – only doing so as I consider the garnish to be an essential inclusion. It’s simple, easy to make...

Mackmyra Tio, 10 YO, 46,1 % Late Autumn 2013 Mackmyra invited customers to order what would be their, and Sweden’s, first ever 10 year old whisky. Customers wanting this whisky had to order a minimum of 12 bottles each, out of a total outturn of 9000 bottles. In addition the customers had to wait until […]...

Amrut Naarangi, 6 YO, 50 % My husband and I attended Box Whisky Festival 2015 a couple of weeks ago. I discovered a new (to me) whisky from Amrut Distilleries at the Clydesdale stand; Amrut Naarangi. This is quite a unique whisky, just read what Clydesdale says about it: The latest offering from Amrut, the ‘Naarangi’ […]...

Auchentoshan has two expressions named Springwood and Heartwood , both exclusive to travel retail (at least they once were). While Springwood is a bourbon-matured release, Heartwood uses deeply charred bourbon casks and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. The term refers to the rich core heart of the tree.

Auchentoshan Heartwood is said to be around 7 years of age. Unfortunately it’s also coloured with E-150.

Auchentoshan Heartwood (43%, OB 2015)

Nose: a rather dry, almost grassy kind of sherry. Hints of wood chips, giving it a green touch. Orange oils and lime zest, yellow raisins and toffee. Apple peel...

The Whisky Exchange already bottle a Glenlivet 1981 cask #9460 in 2014, selected from the Signatory Vintage warehouses. This year they’re releasing sister cask #9464 . Lots of other casks from the same batch have been bottled in the past three years or so.

Glenlivet 33 yo 1981 (51%, Signatory Vintage for TWE 2015, refill sherry hogshead #9464, 175 btl.)

Nose: a very nice profile with lots of juicy oak, library dust and moist tobacco. Big hints of leather saddles. Also walnuts and a rather elegant hint of sherry, closer to very old Amontillado than to Oloroso. Then...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Blair Athol 1989 (24 year old) 57.2%

Bourbon Hogshead 6463/ Dist: Nov 1989 Btl: Oct 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

A beautifully honeyed and tropical nose of melon, pineapple, kiwi and apricot along with some classic, mature, sawdusty oak. Hints of grass, malt and wheat flakes appear. Stunning depth.

The palate is soft and barley’d  with hints of toffee and earthy, slightly must apricot. Definitely not as effusive as the nose and a little grubby. Hints of malt and coffee come through on the middle and the finish is quite bitter with a lingering mustiness....

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Linkwood 1988 (25 year old) 50.7%

Sherry Hogshead 2322/ Dist: maj 1988 Btl: juni 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

The nose displays a combination of leafy/ herbal and boiled sweet sherry. However the sherry notes have a lovely lightness of touch which allows some floral barley, juicy sultana, grape and dried tropical fruit through. Quite oily and nutty – almond and pecan with a light maple syrup and luscious honey. A touch of sawdusty vanillins and violet notes appear with time.

The palate is a little on the tannic side but uber soft with light,...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Bladnoch 1990 (23 year old) 57%

Bourbon Cask 3008/ Dist: Jan 1990 Btl: Feb 2013/ Tasted: Mar 2015

Aromas of dusty, mature, seeped apricot and straw with a touch of fragrant barley along with a herbal, rye-like note. The aromas darken with time as some herbal accented coffee and malt appears.

The palate opens with a touch of toffee as the oak shows more than it does on the nose. Hints of straw, apricot and some light tannins follow. Juicy honey and citrus come through on the middle adding a freshness. Lovely, mature straw-like,...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Ledaig 1997 (17 year old) 49.7%

Bourbon Cask 643080/ Dist: Oct 1997 Btl: Nov 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

The nose opens with a little murky ‘distillery character’ and plenty of peat. Hints of manure, tar and faint parma violets follow along with a touch of heather. Underneath lies some barley’d fruit, which gives depth.

The palate is reasonably clean, although there is touch of industrial ‘distillery character’. Hints of coffee, peat and tar come through with a pleasant saltiness. Lovely intense finish. Quite mouth-watering with lingering dry peat. Another pleasant bottle of Ledaig, which...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (25 year old) 45%...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Miltonduff 1998 (14 year old) 57.6%

Bourbon Cask 3611 Finished in ex-Trockenbeerenauslese cask

Dist: Mar 1998 Btl: Oct 2012/ Tasted: Mar 2015

Lightly herbal/ heathery aromas with coffee malt, dark, floral honey and a light winey, dried fruit sweetness. With time the herbal notes becomes slightly rye-like in character. It would appear that the finishing cask has really emphasised the herbal notes.

The palate is darker and maltier as well as being quite tannic, dry and woody. However some light honey and sweet-ish dried fruit counter. Very herbal on the middle – heather, camphor...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tamdhu 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Mar 2015

A lovely, fresh and grassy nose with sweet barley, citrus and sweet pollen dust. Bright and breezy witjh hints of honey, straw and dried grape.

The palate is quite full and barley’d with a little more toffee’d oak showing. A crisp, mineral; and citrus note balances and hints of grass and thick honey follow. Very mouth-filling and long with lingering barley, white fruit and citrus. Finally exiting with a brief mocha and stony note. A delightfully light Spey with plenty of...

Domaine Boingneres Bas Armagnac 1999 Folle Blanche (13 year old) 49%

Dist: 1999 Btl: 2012

Tasted: Mar 2015

Stunning, rich aromas of dried raisin, prune, apricot, dark honey and dusty spices. Quite earthy and slightly manurey with a touch of dark toffee and treacle. With time a touch of perfumed violety spice emerges.

Rich and dense with an almost sherry cask richness. Earthy barky spices, cinnamon, sultana, date and raisins come through. Lightly tannic with a light, oily rancio and developing herbal notes. Good length with hints of dusty violets, spice, earth and a slight minerality. Hmmm, the luscious dried...

The Lakes Distillery Vodka 40%...

The Lakes Distillery Gin 40%

100% English Wheat

Distilled with 14 botanicals (6 native to Cumbria) Cumbrian Juniper, Meadowsweet, Bilberry, Heather, Hawthorn, Mint, Cassia Bark, Coriander

Tasted: Feb 2015

The aromas are soft and slightly wheaty. There is definitely more spirit character than botanical character, but some subtle, soft juniper is evident along with heather, spice, cassia bark and some sweet floral notes which must be the meadowsweet. Quite crisp and clean.

The palate is soft and creamy and like the nose, displaying more wheaty spirit character than botanicals. Hints of lemon, juniper, flowers, cassia bark and ginger come through....

Scapa 2000 14 YO Chivas Brothers CS Edition, 53,9 % The Chivas Brothers is the company that owns Scapa Distillery, and a few other distilleries. They have a special bottling series called Chivas Brothers Cask Strength (CS) Edition. The expressions in this series are only available to buy if you visit one of these distilleries, although […]...

Box Whisky is a distillery located smack in the middle of Sweden, although it feels like it is very far up north. It is about 5 hours drive north of Stockholm. The nearest town of any significant size, Sundsvall, is 90 minutes south of the distillery. We do have a couple of Swedish friends that […]...

Highland Park 12 YO, 40 % I wrote about Highland Park 10 YO last Wednesday. As I told you I visited Orkney and Highland Park Distillery for the very first time. A couple of weeks ago I tasted both the 10 YO and the 12 YO. To our big surprise we found that we have not […]...