Reviews

Octomore Masterclass 08.2 by Bruichladdich (Review)

Octomore Masterclass 08.2 by Bruichladdich (Peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Blog Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

On New Year’s Eve I am all for smoke albeit in the glass and not in the air! One whisky brand that you can always count on in this regard is Octomore by Bruichladdich. Whenever a malt gets released under the Octomore banner, you can be sure that it is packed to the brim (more…)

Benromach 11yo from a 1st Fill Sherry Cask – German Selection by Schlumberger (Review)

Benromach 12yo Sherry Cask for Germany (Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky Tasting Notes Blog BarleyMania)

In mid-2020, Benromach unveiled its new corporate identity and bottle design. Much to the surprise of the global dramming community, the distillery completely abandoned its previous artisan look and feel. Instead, they re-branded themselves with a bold, oldschool appearance. (more…)

Secret Speyside 12yo by Weinquelle’s Whisky Choice (Review)

Secret Speyside 12yo by Weinquelle's Whisky Choice (Single Malt Scotch PX Sherry Hogshead Tasting Notes Blog BarleyMania)

Right in time for Christmas, the good people of Weinquelle Lühmann launched their second indie bottling. Like the Caol Ila 10yo they put out in November, this one also appears under the new-found label Weinquelle’s Whisky Choice. Whereas the first release was aimed at the peatheads (more…)

3x Peated Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – MacNair’s Lum Reek NAS, 12yo & 21yo (Review Flight)

3x McNair's Lum Reek Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky (The GlenAllachie Blog Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

Named after a legendary Glasgow-based whisky maker from the 19th century, MacNair’s Lum Reek is a line of peated blended malts in the portfolio of The GlenAllachie Distillery. It encompasses three expressions: NAS, 12 Years Old and 21 Years Old. (more…)

3x Scotch from DeinWhisky.de – Cameronbridge, Bunnahabhain & Tamdhu (Review Flight)

3x Scotch Whisky by DeinWhisky.de (Single Malt Grain Douglas Laing Cameronbridge Bunnahabhain Islay Tamdhu Tasting Notes Blog)

New exclusives from DeinWhisky.de always get me excited. For these special bottlings, the shop’s owner Sebastian always teams up with renowned distilleries or bottlers. Most recently, he has done so with Glasgow-based whisky company Douglas Laing and (more…)

Benromach 45 Years Old (Review)

Benromach 45yo (Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Blog Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

Earlier this year, one of my favorite Scotch distilleries, Benromach, completely overhauled their corporate identity and bottle design. At first, it took me a bit to adjust to the new look and feel. But now I am happy to say: I love it! It tells a story. It sticks out. (more…)

The GlenAllachie Vintage 2008 Cuvee Cask Finish (Review)

The GlenAllachie 2008 Cuvee (Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Kirsch Import Tasting Notes BarleyMania Blog)

The Vintage 2008 Cuvee Cask Finish is a new limited edition release from The GlenAllachie. It is exclusively available in Germany, where it is being distributed by Kirsch Import. Its story in a nutshell: Billy Walker, the mastermind behind the reinvigorated GlenAllachie Distillery, (more…)

Glen Spey 8yo “80.17 – Dazzling and scintillating” by The SMWS (Review)

Glen Spey 8yo "80.17 - Dazzling and scintillating" by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (Speyside SMWS Single Cask Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

At the end of each year, it becomes time for me to renew my membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Here, I always pay a little extra to get a mystery bottle along with the prolonged club affiliation. I find it really exciting to wait for the package, open it and take out a surprise (more…)

Caol Ila 10yo Single Cask from Weinquelle’s Whisky Choice (Review)

Caol Ila 10yo by Weinquelle's Whisky Choice (Single Malt Scotch Islay Whisky Peated Tasting Notes BarleyMania Blog)

Recently, my favorite local dealer Weinquelle Lühmann launched its first indie bottling under the new label Weinquelle’s Whisky Choice. For this special occasion, they picked a classic dram from Caol Ila Distillery. It is 10 years old, matured in a hogshead and bottled at cask strength (more…)