Three independent bottlings. Three different distilleries. Three individual flavor profiles. Three unique stories – squeezed into one blog post! Admittedly, on the first glimpse there is not much of a common denominator between the members of this tasting trio. (more…)
Normally, Gerd Schmerschneider makes a living as the German importer of brands like Port Askaig, The English Whisky Company and others. During his traditional pre-Christmas tasting at Christiansen’s on November 4, however, he took over another profession (more…)
The Edition series is currently my favorite part of The Macallan’s illustrious portfolio. Since all bottlings in this range have a raised ABV of 48 per cent or higher, they allow drammers to experience a sturdier side of the record-breaking Speyside giant, whose regular products (more…)
“I traced the shorelines through a thousand histories / To remind me an island is my home / An island is my home…” – These beautiful words from Frank Turner’s song “Rivers” are not only true for the people living in Great Britain, but also for the distilleries located on the Scottish isles. (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…)
A few weeks ago, I introduced the three grain whiskies from North Star Spirits’ recent Series 008 here on my blog. Today, I follow up with the malts. All in all, company owner Iain Croucher bottled four exquisite casks that fall into this category. They are between 8 and 13 years old (more…)
No grain, no glory! With three out of seven expressions being made from other ingredients than malted barley, Series 008 of North Star Spirits grants grain whisky a prominent spot in the limelight. And the bottlings that Iain Croucher and his team picked for their latest line (more…)
In mystery shows like “Supernatural“, shape-shifters often fill the roles of sly and devious antagonists that use their transformation abilities to mislead the heroes and perform their vile deeds unnoticed. This special breed of shape-shifter, which hails from Craigellachie Distillery (more…)
