Most of the time when I review samples, I try to group them together thematically. For example, I have done review flights for whiskies that all came from the same company, the same product line or the same country. In this case, however, there is not really a common thread. (more…)
At the last Bottle Market in Bremen, the limited Vintage 2010 by Kilchoman was one of my favorite drams. I drank it at the booth of Vibrant Stills, who distribute Islay’s farm distillery here in Germany. Though I was deeply impressed by this multi-layered smokester’s clarity and refinement (more…)
Spirit-wise, one of my favorite parts of the festive season is sipping the annual X-mas bottling from Big Peat. This year, Douglas Laing’s bearded Ileach will again delight us with a heavily peated blended malt encompassing some of Islay’s most popular distilleries. (more…)
In the context of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, the number 66 is a lot more than just two digits clinging to each other. In The Society’s distillery code system it refers to the Beam Suntory-owned Highlands unit Ardmore. And at least in my opinion, this busy production site is always worth checking out. Traditionally, The SMWS has a particularly good nose (more…)
As a marketer by profession, I am quite susceptible to good storytelling and well-conceived ad campaigns. Still, I am also always happy when a whisky manages to catch my attention without supplementary hoo-ha. This 14-year-old Caol Ila from Gordon & MacPhail’s (more…)
