Blend

Black Bottle Whisky “The Alchemy Series #4: Smoke & Dagger” (Review)

Header image of Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky "Alchemy Series #4: Smoke & Dagger"

“How do you supercharge a blended Scotch whisky with an extra-amount of most-delicate smoke?” – This question resided at very heart of the conception of Black Bottle’s fourth “Alchemy Series” bottling Smoke & Dagger. And resourceful as they are, the whisky makers (more…)

Black Bottle Whisky “The Alchemy Series #3: Andean Oak” (Review)

Header image of Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky "Alchemy Series #3: Andean Oak"

Andean oak – also known as Quercus Humboldtii – is a rare commodity in the Scotch industry. At least to my knowledge, the recently released Andean Oak entry into Black Bottle’s experimental “The Alchemy Series” is the first-ever whisky from Scotland to be drawn from such wood. (more…)

FABLE Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Batch Three – “The Captain’s Daughter” (Review)

Header image of Fable Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Batch Three

When I did an interview with FABLE Whisky’s co-founder Andrew Torrance earlier this year, he predicted that at the end of the company’s first outturn “there could still be something special, like a hidden chapter”. Now the cat is out of the bag: The mentioned supplement (more…)

Black Bottle – Alchemy Series: Virtual Launch Event for “Andean Oak” and “Smoke & Dagger” (Tasting)

“I love working on Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky,” said the Distell Group’s Master Blender Julieann Fernandez early on in this virtual launch event via Zoom. “It is such an experimental brand that constantly allows me and my colleagues to challenge existing conventions (more…)

Black Cask Blend by Beara Distillery (Review)

Header image of Black Cask Blend by Beara Distillery in Ireland (via BarleyMania Whisky Blog)

I had my first touchpoint with Beara Distillery a couple of weeks ago at Just Whisky Hamburg. There, I met the founder of the small production site, John Power, at the booth of Irish Whiskeys. While I sipped a generous dram of Black Cask Blend, he told me more about it: (more…)

FABLE Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Batch Two (Review)

Full shot of FABLE Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - Batch Two

Following up on my recent review of Batch One of FABLE Whisky’s delicate Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, I have now also written tasting notes for Batch Two. It constitutes a great addition to the range – especially due to the fact that it has a totally different character than Batch One. (more…)

Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky – Alchemy Series: “The Taste Experiment” (Tasting)

Black Bottle Blended Whisky (Alchemy Series Virtual Tasting Experience Distell BarleyMania Blog)

In ancient days, keen alchemists mingled so-called lower metals in a futile attempt to create solid gold. The technique was known as transmutation. Today, skilled craftsmen bring together water, barley, yeast, and oak in order to produce liquid gold. The process is called whisky making. (more…)

Douglas Laing’s “Whisky Discovery” Tasting – Remarkable Malts (Tasting)

Douglas Laing & Co.'s Whisky Discovery Tasting (4x Remarkable Regional Malts Scotch Zoom Event BarleyMania)

The recent “Whisky Discovery” tasting by Douglas Laing marked a novelty in the company’s 70-plus-year history: This was the first time that the Glasgow-based malt mavens gave their fans the chance to taste a new selection of drams exclusively before the official release. (more…)