My first and only visit to Bruges in Belgium happened over ten years ago and lasted just a few days. Nevertheless, the city’s claimed its place in my heart forever! So when I learned much later that Bruges had its own whisky distillery – a father and son operation (more…)
Among whisky brands here in Germany, Thousand Mountains by Sauerländer Edelbrennerei has a most excellent reputation. Still, I only just got to know them properly a few months ago, when I spent some real quality time at their stand at Hanse Spirit 2024. Of the many great drams (more…)
Okay, fellas, let’s address the elephant in the room right away: This 11-year-old Ardmore from new German indie bottler PURE.WHISKY is an absolute banger of a dram! Ah, no. While this statement is totally true, that’s not the proverbial elephant. (more…)
For me, Ardmore is one of those hidden champions that usually don’t get as much praise as they’d deserve. Especially when drawn from carefully selected casks and bottled in natural strength, the distillery’s medium-peated Highlands whisky has a tendency to shine extra-bright. (more…)
This year on Halloween, I am thrilled to take you on a field trip to the weather-beaten cliffs of Clanyard Bay, fifty-or-so miles north of the fabled Isle of Man. There, one of my favorite whisky tales takes place: “The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay”, which forms the frame narrative (more…)
Later this month, I will drive up north for a guided tour of Stauning Distillery in Denmark. This will be my second visit to the place, however, I am sure that this time will be completely different from the previous one. Cause when I first dropped by there almost six years ago, Stauning was still (more…)
And the party goes on … in late May 2023, Munich-based specialist whisky shop Sieberts Whiskywelt – run by expert drammers Marcel and Başak – celebrated its fifth anniversary. While the on-site festivities are mostly over now, the commemorative birthday bottling, (more…)
Courageous and creative indie bottlers Brave New Spirits picked their name for a reason. After all, the Glasgow-based whisky mavens often release bottlings that have colorful designs, curiosity-raising names, and out-of-the-ordinary maturation histories. Whereas their latest outturn – Cask Noir – took inspiration from the hard-boiled detective movies of the 1940s and 1950s, (more…)
Though I am quite a fan, I only discovered this limited edition bottling from Heaven’s Door Bourbon – a brand co-created and endorsed by Bob Dylan – by happenstance. When I checked the manifold offerings at the Schlumberger booth at this year’s Hanse Spirit, my glimpse fell on three (more…)
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