We’re seeing an improvement trend within the new Highland Park Travel Retail series with Loyality of the Wolf 14 Year Old  on the cusp of being real good whisky. Will the next whisky in the series, Highland Park Wings of the Eagle 16 Year Old continue this thread?

Highland Park Wings of the Eagle is 16 Year Old, fully matured in sherry casks (both American and European oak) and bottled at a very respectable ABV of 44.5%. Sounds promising but does it deliver?

Highland Park Wings of the Eagle 16 Year Old (44.5%, €84.90 )

Nose : Hello sweetie! This...

In addition to the new beast-y trio of Travel Retail offerings from Highland Park distillery, there’s also a travel edition of a classic HP icon and staple – Highland Park 18 Year Old. This travel edition is using the same recipe for the standard 18 Year Old but is bottled at marrying strength and isn’t reduced further to 43%.

I reviewed the classic HP 18 Year Old back in 2015 then when I visited the distillery and it will be interesting to see how this new travel edition fares against it and against the 16 Year Old Wings of the...

During the 10th Whisky Show in London (organized by the Whisky Exchange) that took place a few weeks ago, a set of three show bottles were released under a special celebratory theme for the 10th anniversary: ‘The Future of Whisky’.

The three limited editions are from Ben Nevis, Ledaig and Invergordon and those bottles have 3D lenticular label, giving a feel of depth and movement when you move the bottle around, very cool!

Today we’re checking out the Ben Nevis 21 Year Old which served as the ‘Past Future’ figure in the ‘Future of Whisky’ trio and according to the official...

Yesterday which is the past, we checked out the ‘Past Future’ bottling from ‘The Future of Whisky’ trio which was bottled for the 10th Whisky Show last month in London.

Today (which is the present, yes?), we’re checking the ‘Present Future’ bottling. This Ledaig 12 Year Old (also from Sherry Butt), represent “what we presently think the future will be”.

So they think that big, flavourful smoky whiskies will be prominent and popular in the near future.

But there’s a slight problem with this assumption as 10-12 Year Old sherried Ledaig bottles are  already very popular within large (and fast growing)...

The last part in ‘The Future of Whisky’ trio that was bottled for The Whisky Show last month is a Single Grain Scotch Whisky from Invergordon distillery that stands for ‘The Fututre’ in the series.

The Past was Ben Nevis 21 and the present is Ledaig 12 and ‘The Future’ means it’s what the folks in The Whisky Exchange think the future of whisky will be: old grain. But I think they are wrong.

I know that old grain whisky is far cheaper than single Maltwhisky when the age counter is rising above 20 (hey, even young grain whisky...

After checking out the entry level Spirit of the Bear and getting disappointed from it due to the thinness and watery feeling, we’re moving up to the next level with Loyality of the Wolf which thankfully:

1. Carries an age statement – Distilleries shouldn’t be afraid to expose ages for whiskies with young casks in the mix – Be transparent! Even if there’s a 6 Year Old whisky inside!
2. Was bottled at a higher ABV of 42.3% which hopefully will provide more substance.

Highland Park Loyality of the Wolf 14 Year Old (42.3%, 1L,  € 64.90 )

Nose : More sherry...

WhiskyFest’s fall season kicked off in San Francisco on november 2nd with a night of exciting conversations, fascinating seminars, and hundreds of amazing whiskies from the farthest reaches of the globe to the city’s own backyard.

Of course, Pappy Van Winkle was on hand. (Photo by Peter Wagner)

WhiskyFest offered hundreds of options for eager whisky lovers. (Photo by Peter Wagner)

The crowd at San Francisco’s Marriott Marquis was greeted by hundreds of whiskies from Scotland and Kentucky to Tennessee, Ireland, Canada, Japan, and beyond. Among many rare pours, whisky lovers were treated to Pappy Van Winkle , the 2018...

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There’s so much new whisky coming out, it’s hard to know where to start! First things first: Blood Oath is releasing its first three “pacts”—annual batches—in a special gift pack for the holidays. Just 900 of the trilogy packs will be for sale nationwide for $599. Whisky Advocate’s Buying Guide scored Pact No. 1 82 points , Pact No. 2 88 points , and Pact No. 3 89 points .

Buffalo Trace Distillery has unveiled a new range of experimental bourbons as part of its Old Charter brand. The distillery has been experimenting with different types of oak for years,...

Shiny copper stills get all the attention, but the most challenging part of whisky making usually happens behind closed doors. Except for single barrel offerings , almost every whisky is a blend of barrels. Master blenders face a challenge whether they’re replicating a flavor profile or striving to create something totally unique.

“Blending is a creative art,” explains John Glaser, founder and whisky maker at Compass Box Whisky , which specializes in the innovative blending of whiskies.

Although distilling must be left to the professionals, anyone can experiment with creating blends at home. Amateurs are now blending custom whiskies from...

In an industrial section of Los Angeles, a fantasy jungle grows inside a warehouse. Populated by animatronic topiary dinosaurs, talking plastic parrots, and an autonomous AI personality named Tessa, this steampunk theme park houses Lost Spirits Distillery . Here, ideas about whisky—and whisky itself—are deliberately challenged, broken apart, and remade.

Lost Spirits founder Bryan Davis ushers me aboard a flat-bottomed wooden boat, which he pilots through darkness filled with simulated thunder and wind, toward an “island” of tiny fermenters and pot stills topped with dragon heads. Here, behind a heavy wooden door, in a starkly bare room, futuristic-looking devices emit...

At Whisky Advocate, we don’t often have to look far for a good reason to raise a glass, although the calendar has plenty to offer by way of whisky-themed holidays. While some maj seem generated by marketing departments (National Hot Toddy Day, anyone?), others have real, historic roots . december 5 marks the anniversary of the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933, which brought an end to 13 years of U.S. Prohibition, when all recreational alcohol was banned.

Prohibition sought to curtail public drunkenness, crime, and domestic violence, but it had some unintended consequences as well. Bootlegging—the production, distribution,...

Claims that whisky made using alternative technologies tastes as good as whisky made through traditional means deserve to be put to the test. We pitted several of these “tech” whiskies against similarly priced counterparts from mainstream and craft distillers, all tasted blind by members of the Whisky Advocate review staff. In the majority of cases, the tech whiskies averaged lower scores than the other whiskies in the flight. (The exception was Lost Spirits Abomination, which performed favorably even alongside some classic Islay malts.) Most of the time, though not always, the tasters were able to identify the alternatively aged whiskies,...

For centuries, whisky has been aged in wooden barrels, with distillers waiting patiently for the spirit to reach maturity over time. The process is costly and inefficient—but what if there were a way to circumvent linear aging and skip straight to mature whisky? Several producers claim to be able to do just that, producing alternatively aged whiskies through a range of proprietary technologies. Whisky Advocate investigated their claims —and tasted their whiskies —to get to the bottom of the matter.

These four companies— Lost Spirits Distillery , Terressentia , Cleveland Whiskey , and Edrington Group , which makes Relativity and...

The latest expression from Mitchell and Son who revived the ‘Spot’ range in 2012 is called Red Spot .

The Mitchell family commenced trading in 1805 on Grafton Street in Dublin as purveyors of confectionery, wines and fortified wines. In 1887 they expanded into the whiskey bonding business, buying Jameson spirit and ageing them in their own maturation cellars. Soon they realized that empty wine and sherry casks could be used for this practice. In fact they were the only companied that had the privilege to ‘enhance’ Jameson’s whiskeys.

The coloured spot names originated from the Mitchell’s practice of marking...

By far the oldest St Magdalene I could try – releases are very, very hard to come by these days. The last bottling I can remember was a 1982 by Cadenhead.

This one was bottled by Malt Musketeers , two whisky enthusiasts that occasionally release their own bottlings. This St Magdalene 1982 was their second release. Apparently it took a bit of negotiating to bring this rare product to market. The outturn is incredibly small: only 12 bottles, of 20 cl each.

St Magdalene 34 yo 1982 (50,4%, Malt Musketeers 2017, 20cl, 12 btl.)

Nose: it’s got this...

From a recent batch of Connoisseurs Choice bottlings: a Mannochmore 1999 . A name that always gets me interested. The few expressions I’ve had were really good.

Mannochmore 18 yo 1999 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 2018, refill sherry butt #10686, 670 btl.)

Nose: this peculiar fruitiness of strawberry marshmallows, rhubarb, a little kiwi. Watermelon candy. Apple juice and honey. Quite light and elegant, with a nice sweet and sour theme. Also whiffs of polished leather. Mouth: the same candied fruitiness (grapes, sour cherries, strawberry) but with more oaky notes. Hints of vanilla. Rum and raisins. Growing ginger...

The oldest whisky from Batch 16 of the GlenDronach single casks. It seems we’re about to run out of the 1970s and 1980s entirely. Bottled from a Pedro Ximénez puncheon: GlenDronach 1989 cask #5476 .

Its sister cask #5475 was already bottled as part of Batch 7 back in 2012.

GlenDronach 28 yo 1989 (49,9%, OB 2017, Pedro Ximénez puncheon #5476, Batch #16, 546 btl.)

Nose: sweet and dark. Lots of earthy notes, moss and mint leaves, as well as heavy roast coffee and dark chocolate truffles. Toasted walnuts and hints of forest fruits jam. A hint of...

It’s not always the case, but I assume this Port Askaig 33 Year Old was distilled at Caol Ila , most likely in 1984 (although we can’t be sure).

It is bottled from a single cask, selected by the US importer Impex Beverages . The oldest from this distillery so far, if I’m not mistaken (the 45 Year Old is rumoured to be Bunnahabhain).

Port Askaig 33 yo (50,3%, Elixir Distillers for Impex Beverages 2018, single cask, 115 btl.)

Nose: sets off elegantly, on salty notes, floral honey, ginger, smooth heathery smoke and a little iodine. Nice fruity...

‘The Balvenie Stories’ series

The Balvenie is working on three new expressions or Stories about craftsmen and their experiences, and how they produce the true character of the spirit:

• Balvenie 12 Years ‘The sweet toast of American oak’ (43%), focused on the fruitier, sweeter style of Balvenie, made with a batch of ex-bourbon casks transferred to virgin oak barrels for a finishing period
• Balvenie 14 Years ‘The Week of Peat’ (48.3%), produced during the one week each year that the distillery uses peated malt
• Balvenie 26 Years ‘A day of Dark Barley’ (47.8%), produced with dark roasted brittle barley more...