I always like it when a young whisky takes a certain pride in its age rather than trying to hide it. After all, the time spent in the barrel is but one of many factors that influence the outcome of the final product. In fact, one might argue that the chosen ingredients, (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…)
Palo Cortado is a comparatively rare type of sherry that we don’t see in the whisky world all too often. Sure, every now and then there is a release that says “Matured in a Palo Cortado cask” on the label. But in comparision to Oloroso or PX, for example, those bottlings are few and far between. (more…)
Whisky, like music, connects people – even if they are oceans apart from each other! With their recently released Collaboration Drop 01, Scottish indie bottlers Turntable Spirits have given that claim whole new level of truth. Taking it literally rather than just figuratively, they teamed up (more…)
According to indie bottler W. D. O’Connell, this Marsala-finished Bill Phil edition – which marks the series’ first entry with an age statement – ain’t no ordinary peated Irish whiskey. In 2016, when this heavy smoker was initially distilled at the Great Northern Distillery (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…)
When I first tried this single cask release from Stonewood in an online tasting, I described it as a mouth-watering dessert in whisky form. Two-and-a-half months as well as several drams later, I still find this statement one hundred per cent accurate. (more…)
As the name suggests, the Experimental Grain Whisky from Compass Box comes with a twist! While 69 per cent of the vatted whiskies in this blend are bonafide grains (Cameronbridge, North British, and Hedonism), the remaining 31 per cent are a bit less classical: (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…)
If you have not yet come across The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s bottle code G16 before, that’s because it is brand new – and it will most likely not be used all too often! After all, it refers to a special breed of grain whisky made at an urban production site that normally produces malt whisky (more…)
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