Ever since I attended a Cadenhead masterclass at this year’s edition of Kiel Whisky Fair, I have been looking forward to my next trip to Berlin – the location of one of the two stores that Scotland’s oldest independent bottler operates in Germany. (more…)
With its puffing chimneys, entangled pipelines, enormous tanks and squarish buildings, Strathclyde Distillery looks nothing like the picturesque whisky production sites you often find perpetuated on the front sides or postcards or the pages of illustrated books. (more…)
Recently, I was lucky to win a bottle of Wolfburn’s precious Kylver II in a Facebook give-away. Since I have been a fan of the young Highlands distillery for quite some time (I bought my bottle of Northland back when it was still called First Release) (more…)
In late 2016, North Star launched their first series of whiskies which consisted of six exquisite Scotch expressions – each of which was drawn from a single cask. Recently, the Glasgow-based company put out their second batch of bottlings. (more…)
A few months ago I got to know Stefan Bohn when he hosted an Arran tasting at this year’s Hamburg-based whisky fair Hanse Spirit. Shortly after, I found out that he also offers regular tastings in a much cosier environment, namely Der Zigarrenmacher in Hamburg-Altona. This month, Stefan welcomed a wee round of eight guests to a tasting focusing on Irish Whiskey. The gathering took place in a small and very homely room, where water, bread and chocolate were readily prepared for everyone. Upon entering the cigar shop that we had to pass in order to reach the tasting room, we were also free to pick a cigar of our fancy from the full assortment. (more…)
If you are a regular reader of our blog, you might have recognized that I really appreciate whiskies matured or at least finished in sherry casks. Here we go with a 16 years old Dalmore from The Maltman. It spent most of its maturation time in a bourbon cask (more…)
As an avid BarleyMania reader you will have noticed that Douglas Laing has always been one of the most talked-about companies on our pages. I just can’t help it, but I have been in love with them from the moment I first laid eyes on the cute label of their Highlands blend (more…)
In the 19th century, Scottish salesmen brought port wine from Portugal to Scotland. Very often, the ships that carried the port casks landed in Portree, which to this day is the largest town on the Isle of Skye. In ancient Gaelic, said town’s name is pronounced Port Ruighe. (more…)
Under the Kylver label, young Highlands distillery Wolfburn releases the contents of its most precious casks, i.e. out-of-the-ordinary whiskies that developed in such a good way that they deserved special treatment. (more…)
One of the whiskies I like most is not made in Scotland or Ireland or even Japan. It is manufactured in the middle of Germany, in the beautiful low mountain range Harz. By now, you might have guessed that I am speaking of The Glen Els, which is produced at Hammerschmiede (more…)
