Happy Feis Ile 2017 everybody! Time to get back to the tradition of reviewing a whisky from the corresponding distillery that holds an open day (after a break last year) and we starts with Lagavulin that holds today their open day (and with a new sparkling Lagavulin 16yo double matured in Muscatel wine casks).

I didn’t need much time to ponder on the whisy to review today and went with the classic choice – the Festival bottling from last year when Lagavulin had their 200th anniversary. An 18 years old Lagavulin from European oak ex-bodega Sherry butts and refill American oak hogsheads.

Lagavulin...

Lately I’ve been doing a few reviews (when I wasn’t too busy with life) of multiple bottles, and while I don’t think it’s gonna be a permanent thing and I do plan to do single whiskies reviews, I do have another duo review today – two world whiskies matured (fully or finished) in peated cask, ex-bourbon only, both from climates which leads to rapid maturing. So they share common traits but there are still some glaring differences: different distilleries in different regions in the world and different climate. Single cask vs vatting of a 2-3 casks. The Amrut was finished in...

Last week I reviewed three Ledaig matured in bourbon and a friend of mine who read the post asked me if he was correct in his assumption that I didn’t like them too much. My answer was that I just prefer Ledaig in other types of casks.

And my favorite type of cask for Ledaig? That would be first fill sherry casks. Over the last few years we’ve seen a glut of 2004/2005 Ledaigs matured in first fill sherry casks (9001xx cask numbers) and those I’ve tasted were good (here is a review of one that was bottled for Specs in...

Following yesterday’s duo we’ll go one step further and have a Trio review. Yup! Three whiskies reviewed today.

I’ve decided to go “Ledaig matured in bourbon casks” theme today. Why? Well, the obvious answer is “because I can” but also because I do like Ledaig and last year it became somewhat fashionable (but thankfully prices are still reasonable).

So let’s start. The first one and the youngest of them all is a Ledaig 2008 from Signatory. a vatting of two casks (Casks 700752+700753) that were distilled 13.5.2008 and bottled 8.3.2016. It was diluted to 46% and so we have a...

The Bunnahabhain Moine Oloroso is a recently released limited edition by Bunnahabhain distillery that features their heavily peated spirit, released under the Moine label, matured in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled in cask strength of 60.1%.

From my own experience, peat and sherry works together quite well if they are given enough time to mature and so that magic will happen. However, we don’t know how old is the Moine Oloroso but I think we can assume it’s relatively young. So the question is: did it spent enough time in the casks (and wasn’t rushed out)?

Bunnahabhain Moine Oloroso  (60.1%, £77.65 )...

Whisky is favorite spirit drink but I also like a good glass of proper rum (preferably without added sugar or other additions), so I’m a big fanboy of whisky matured (or finished) in a rum cask, and I’m not the only one in my friends group.

Then came the opportunity to taste and compare two whiskies which are almost twins. They were both distilled in same distillery  (Amrut distillery), probably of the same age (or close to) and bottled by the same bottler (Blackadder) so there’s a pretty good chance both casks maj come from the same casks batch purchased by...

It’s Sunday and it’s been a while (yet again) since the last review so here’s a quick review of a summer-time whisky. It’s hailing from Glenburgie distillery which doesn’t have an official bottlings as most of it’s production goes into Ballantine’s and other blends from Pernod Ricard.

This whisky was distilled back in 1998, it slubered in cask #9914 for 17 years before bottled for our enjoyment by Speciality Drinks under The Single Malts of Scotland brand.

Glenburgie 1998 17 Year Old  (The Single Malts of Scotland) (54.1% )

Nose : Starts with creamy porridge, lime, grass, lemongrass, a meadow or...

it seems like the information on Diageo Special Releases 2017 has started to trickle out as four new labels from Diageo distilleries has popped up in the TTB database and they aren’t of the more familiar brands in their portfolio:

• Teaninich 17 Year Old (200th Anniversary) – 55.9%
• Port Dundas  52 Year Old – 46.6%, 752 bottles
• Glen Elgin  18 Year Old – 54.8%, 5352 bottles
• Blair Athol 23 Year Old – 58.4%, 5514 bottles

So far no mention of the annual Lagavulin 12/Caol Ila unpeated releases and we can be pretty sure more bottles will be added (Will we see Brora/Port Ellen...

Seems like Ardbeg is preparing a new release for the rich among us. A new label shows they intend to release another whisky from the stock that was distilled prior to the current owners regime (with Ardbeg 21 being the first one). The label states it was bottled in 2017 after being aged for 23 years so it’s a 1993/1994 spirit distilled when Ardbeg was part of Allied distillers.

The label hints at a series of releases as the title is Ardbeg Twenty Something  so we could (and probably will) see other future releases that carry 2x age statements.

Will...

There’s a flurry of activity with Highland Park distillery in the last few months. It’s like they are the hyperactive kid in the playground – too many single casks to different markets, stores or occasions, rebranding the core 12/18 year old whiskies with a new labels and viking theme, new expressions (Valkyrie and Magnus ) but the dust didn’t settle down yet as there’s another new Highland Park whisky coming – Highland Park Full Volume  according to the new label that popped up in the TTB Database.

This time we have age statement – it’s a 17-18 Year Old whisky, and from...

You know the annual ritual of Ardbeg fans: late mars, rushing, hammering and encountering an overload Ardbeg site, then curse, gets angry when site goes down, makes F5 key stuck forever and all just to grab a bottle (or case) of the latest Committee Release which precedes the Ardbeg Day general release. But the truth is that nowadays the site is usually more responsive and manage to handle the load, but the other part stays true and the bottles are quickly gone usually within the hour (site downtime notwithstanding).

I have to admit that up to Ardbog, the 2013 Ardbeg...

I’ve finally lay my hands on a bottle of the hyped and highly sought-after Springbank Local Barley 11. It’s a refreshing change after striking out with last year’s 16 year old.

It’s the second Local Barley release (out of planned five) and this time it’s Bere Barley (Last year it was Prisma) grown in Aros Farm in Kintyre (near Campbeltown). It was malted in Springbank malting floor, distilled februari 2006 and bottled in 2017. Let’s check it out!

Springbank Local Barley 11 Year Old (2006-2017) (53.1%)

Nose : What a weird nose at first after opening it. Big time funk with...

Most malt heads are familiar with Aberlour Distillery due to it’s heavily popular A’bunadh series (58 batches and counting) as they (and I) love a good sherrybomb. But we shouldn’t forget there are other whiskies in the line-up ranging from 12 Year Old to 18 Year Old and bottled at 40% or 43%.

But there’s an interesting variant to the 12 Year Old, one non chill-filtered and bottled at 48%, priced very similarly to the standard 40% and chill-filtered.

Aberlour 12 Year Old Non Chill-Filtered (48%, £35.99 / €43.50 )

Nose : Rich and full, malt and strong dried fruit, figs,...

Wolfburn Aurora is the second release from Wolfburn Distillery at Thurso. I had the pleasure of visiting there, tasting some spirit and very much liked their first release the Wolfburn Northland.

So naturally I was eager to try Aurora which was released last september. It’s a no-age-statement whisky, aged for three years in 3 different cask types: A minority (about 20-30%) in first fill Oloroso Sherry hogsheads and the rest in refill quarter casks and first fill ex-Bourbon barrels.

Wolfburn Aurora (46%, Bottled 30/8/16, £48.43 / €44.95 )

Nose : Malty, creamy, with gentle red fruit (strawberries and raspberries) in the background....

Looks like Highland Park founding father is making a cameo. Highland Park is gearing up to release a new NAS expression in their official line up named...

When a whisky is matured in 1st Fill Sherry Butts, you’d think it will sport dark color and big sherry notes in the whisky, but that’s not always the case because there are different kinds of sherry and different kind of casks.

Take for example this Caol Ila 2005 11 Year old from Gordon & Macphail. A vatting of 4 casks (Casks 301521, 301523, 301524 & 301527) that were all distilled on februari 2005, lay asleep for a long time and then married together and bottled Last juli. You wouldn’t think it’s a whisky matured in first fill sherry casks.

Caol Ila...

After the pretty good Laphroaig Brodir Batch 001, let’s go for a review of another whisky in port casks – Highland Park Fire Edition.

It’s the first Highland Park in Port casks that I have ever encountered so I went ahead and purchased myself a sample because I’m a whisky geek and it interests me to see what Highland Park in Port will smell and taste like because I wouldn’t shell out such a big sum of money on a whisky with one big glaring question: What are those Refill Port-Seasoned Casks that the whisky matured in them (and quite a...

Over a year ago I reviewed a Laphroaig I really didn’t like – The Port Wood Finished Brodir. It was the batch generally available on the market, batch 002. A friend of mine couldn’t believe I found it so bad because he liked it a lot. After a short discussion we found out where the difference in opinions came from: while I was tasting and disliking the second batch, he has a bottle of the first batch, so he generously sent me a sample to check for myself that Brodir can be good (Thanks T!).

A quick refresher: Laphroaig Brodir is...

It’s full blown blossoming spring time here – getting warmer, greenery all around, and so a fitting day for a spring-time Bruichladdich dram. A bottling from Speciality Drinks Ltd (the sister company to The Whisky Exchange, although Billy from TWE maj say “it’s complex” on the relationships )

It’s a 1992 vintage, 23 year old that matrured in a Hogshead #3839 that was bottled in augusti 2016, yielding 237 bottles.

Bruichladdich 1992 23 Year Old (The Single Malts of Scotland) (55.4%, 237 bottles,  £125 / €165 )

Nose : Starts fruity with a lot of spiced melon, oak wood spices, a...