Often when I utter the term “fruit bomb”, I use it to describe a slightly older dram that has spent – let’s say – 16 or more years in the cask. That is because it usually takes a certain amount of time before those full-on fruit notes reached the climax of their development. (more…)
Usually, I am not too intrigued by celebrity-owned or -endorsed brands. For example, I always liked Becks as a player. But I have not yet bought a bottle of that grain whisky, whose – admittedly good looking – face he is. With Heaven’s Door Whiskey it is slightly different. (more…)
This is a rather special bottling: After all, Starward from Australia is the first distillery outside of Scotland from which renowned indie bottlers Berry Bros & Rudd have released a whisky. That is all the more remarkable if you consider that Berry Bros & Rudd look back at a rich history, (more…)
From Scotland’s various ghost distilleries, Imperial in Speyside still ranks among the more accessible ones. Sure, new Imperial bottlings do not exactly pop up twice or thrice a week. And when they do, they do not sell for bargain prices. Yet, it is much easier and cheaper (more…)
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…)
Keep it slow, keep it easy, keep it unagitated. In the fast-moving times we are living in, it is sometimes wiser to shift a gear down rather than up. Leisure and relaxation are invaluable goods to which we should all treat ourselves from time to time. Douglas Laing know this very well. (more…)
“Grandfather, tell me a story,” the little boy asked. “All right,” replied the old man, “Go and get your storybook.” The youngster shook his head: “No, no. Not one of those. A real story! Tell me about the last whisky you had!” The grandfather’s eyes lit up: “Well, then … (more…)
Last year, Douglas Laing introduced a 22-year-old Auchentoshan as the Old Particular line’s official Halloween bottling. It came in a wooden box, sported all kinds of creepy critters on the label and had a black wax bottle cap. I bought it, opened it and was in love. (more…)
