The first-ever independent bottling from tiny Dutch craft distillery Cley is absolutely brilliant. The company responsible for it, The Barrel Baron, picked a top-notch cask and presented it in a very classy way! (more…)
Independent
2x Scotch Whisky from The Uncharted Whisky Co. – Loch Lomond 14yo & Secret Islay 30yo (Review)
Not too long ago, I had my first touchpoint with the new Scottish indie bottler The Uncharted Whisky Co., when I reviewed their GlenAllachie 13 Years Old here on my blog. Now the company’s German importer DeinWhisky.de has send me two more samples to check out: (more…)
Fary Lochan 7yo Oloroso by The Liquid Madness (Review)
The driving forces behind the new indie bottler The Liquid Madness are two well-known whisky mavens from Germany, namely Tilo “The Caskhound” Schnabel and Sebastian “The Spirits Alchemist” Büssing. The two self-proclaimed “spirit adventurers” have joint forces (more…)
Glasgow Distillery 5yo Sherry Cask Finish by North Star (Review)
Earlier this year, Glaswegian indie bottler North Star celebrated its fifth anniversary. So, before I continue, here is a little insert: “Happy Birthday, Iain and team! Keep up the stellar work!” And now, on with the text … For my latest review here at BarleyMania, I have spent some quality time (more…)
2x Whisky by Whic: Secret Islay & Ardmore 10yo (Review Flight)
“The Nordic Casks” Whisky Tasting by Berry Bros & Rudd (Event)
In his capacity as Assistant Rerserve Spirit Buyer at Berry Bros & Rudd, Jonny McMillan is fortunate to make a living on a pretty exciting activity: He traverses the wide world of whisky in search of ever-new casks to purchase, develop and bottle. Recently, he started a special project (more…)
The Barrel Baron: “In regard to our whisky, the highest priority is quality” (Interview)
Though I only discovered Dutch whisky company The Barrel Baron recently, I am already a fan. After all, co-founder Marcel Kip and his partners are total malt maniacs offering both top-quality indie bottlings and exclusive cask shares. (more…)
North Star Whisky: Blind Tasting w/ @WhiskyGermany (Tasting)
For Iain Croucher, the founder and mainman of Scottish indie bottler North Star Spirits, whisky is a pretty simple thing. At the end of the day, he claims, a good bottling must only meet four criteria: It must be honest. It must be fun. It must be tasty. And it must be opened and shared. (more…)
Douglas Laing’s “Whisky Discovery” Tasting – Remarkable Malts (Tasting)
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…)
Glen Moray 10 Years Old by Claxton’s (Review)
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…)
